9-14-12 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the September 14, 2012 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with Alberto Del Rio, Ricardo Rodriguez & David Otunga (Who also has a neck brace) in the ring. Del Rio says that he wants to give Booker T credit for banning the Brogue Kick before, during and after a match. Then he says that he will let Ricardo tell the fans how he feels. Ricardo thanks everyone around the world for their support. His fans and especially his mom. Then he gets all choked up and says something I couldn’t make out. Then Otunga gets the mic. He’d like to take a moment to talk about the irresponsible actions of AJ Lee. He doesn’t think Miss Lee realizes that he is an officer of the court. He then says that Sheamus is a brute & a reckless hooligan. Otunga says that AJ having Otunga face Sheamus was clearing the poor decision making of an unbalanced individual. Then he says because of that his vertebrae might be ruptured. Then he says that just like Ricardo he will recover handsomely. Then Del Rio says that Ricardo & Otunga aren’t the only ones that are suffering from this so called Brogue Kick. Then they show a segment from last year’s Night of Champions where Sheamus gave Christian the Brogue Kick. Del Rio than introduces via satellite a former World Champion and victim of the Brogue Kick, Christian. Christian shows up on the Tron with his arm in a sling. Christian says to get this over with. Otunga thanks him for “joining” them. Otunga mentions that Christian just had shoulder surgery but he hasn’t been competing at 100% for awhile. Otunga says that after that unwarranted Brogue Kick from Sheamus…Then Christian cuts Otunga off. Christian that Otunga and everyone knows that he is 1 of the toughest guys there is. Then he tells Del Rio that he doesn’t like him. He says that he hopes Sheamus beats Del Rio this Sunday. Christian then says that he isn’t doing this for Del Rio or even for himself. He’s doing this for the other wrestlers in the back. The ones who are afraid to stand up and do what’s right. Christian then says that last year he was a 2 time World Champion and on his way to becoming champion for a third time when he was hit with the Brogue Kick. Christian admits that he hasn’t been the same performer since then. He says that damage the kick caused finally got to the point that he needed surgery. Then he says that compounding that with the other injuries that the Brogue Kick caused and he has lost about a year of his career. Christian then says that he doesn’t like to say this because he respects everything that Sheamus has accomplished. He says that if Del Rio is asking him to be 100% truthful about the Brogue Kick being banned. Christian’s answer is yes. Then Otunga thanks Christian and they cut him off the Tron as Christian continued talking. Otunga says they appreciate Christian’s time. Then Del Rio says that the Brogue Kick is dangerous and with serious ramifications. Then he says that Booker T made the right decision. Then Del Rio says that at Night of Champions he will take the World Title from that peasant. Then Daniel Bryan comes out. The fans chant yes and he screams no. He says he came out to thank Del Rio and tells the fans not to chant yes. He says that he wanted to come out to thank Del Rio & Otunga for bringing this case to light. He says that just like Ricardo & Otunga he has also been a victim. He mentions that Otunga said that he himself will recover handsomely. Then Daniel mentions being referred to as a goat face. He says that he doesn’t have a goat face but if he did it’s because Sheamus kicked him in the face so many times. Then he thanks Booker T . He says that Booker T has granted him a WrestleMania rematch tonight. A rematch of the most embarrassing moment of his entire life when Sheamus used that illegal maneuver (It wasn’t then) to beat him in 18 seconds. Daniel then says that he didn’t ask for a rematch because the Brogue Kick had been banned. Then he says that he asked for this rematch…He tells the fans to shut up. Then he says that he asked for this rematch because he wanted to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that when Sheamus beat him  in 18 seconds it was only because he caught Daniel by surprise. He then says that will not happen tonight. Then Sheamus comes out. He asks Daniel that if the Brogue Kick had been banned at WrestleMania then Daniel wouldn’t have been caught by surprise. He tells Daniel that he didn’t lose because of the Brogue Kick. Daniel lost because of Sheamus Then he says that after he beats Danny Boy tonight and after he beats “Bertie” Sunday the whole world will know that those who don’t learn from history, they’re doomed to repeat it. Then Otunga gets in Sheamus’ face and Sheamus yanks Otunga’s neck brace off and Otunga goes neck first into the ropes. This was a weird opening segment. I’m not sure why they had Christian on here but this whole “Everyone is saying that the Brogue Kick should be banned because it’s too deadly” bit is ridiculous.

Sin Cara vs. Intercontinental Champion The Miz. Cara gets the pin. This was a solid match. They need to do away with the Sin Cara lighting though.

The Miz is walking backstage and Matt Striker mentions that Miz has lost Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara. Then he says that many people feel that Cody Rhodes embarrassed Miz on Raw. Then Striker mentions that at Night of Champions Miz will defend the Intercontinental Title against an unknown opponent. Miz does his “Really” bit and asks if that’s Striker’s big question. Then Cody comes by and Miz tells Striker to ask a certain somebody why last Monday on Raw he attacked Miz from behind. Cody says why doesn’t Striker tell Miz that with all that chaos stood an opportunity to let Miz know that Cody wanted “His” Intercontinental Title back. Cody asks Miz what person out there doesn’t associate that title with him. Miz says the guy who actually has it now. Then Rey Mysterio shows up. Cody asks him what he wants. Rey says he hopes that Miz hasn’t forgotten that last week Rey pinned him in the tag match. Rey feels that he deserves a chance at the title too. Then Miz asks, “What do you want?” and Sin Cara shows up. Sin Cara points to the IC Title. Cody tells him you don’t get anything by pointing. Then Miz says he gets they all want a shot the title but the fact is that if the title was on the line in those other matches he would’ve won. Then he turns to Cody and says that he got a shot at the title Miz would beat him too. Cody says that Miz is overrated. Then Teddy Long comes by. He tells Miz that he might be able to beat all 3 guys. But the question is if Miz can beat all 3 at once. Long then says that on behalf of Booker T Miz will defend the Intercontinental Title at Night of Champions against all 3 guys in a Fatal 4 Way. This was a solid backstage segment. I thought they did more to put over the Intercontinental Title here than they have in a while.

They show a video package recapping the Kane-Daniel Bryan anger management storyline.

Then they show Kane backstage with Dr. Shelby. Kane’s holding a stress ball or something in his right hand. Daniel Bryan then comes in and tells Kane that he should be holding in his left hand. Then Daniel says, “And speaking of doing things wrong why don’t we talk about what happened on Monday night?” Then Kane says that he did what he had to do to be victorious. Kane says that he wants to be the next tag team champion. Daniel says he wants to be the next tag champion too. Then Shelby he sees that both guys have balls (that was corny). He says the reason he gave them both a ball is because when they squeeze them it helps them feel better. It helps relieve stress. Then Kane & Daniel both squeeze the balls (that felt really weird writing that) they’re holding. Shelby tells them to squeeze the balls and feel the anger wash away. They both continue squeezing and Daniel smiles a bit and Kane kind of smirks. Then Kane shows his ball to Daniel and says, “Mine’s bigger than yours.” Then Kane walks off. Daniel looks at his ball and says, “Is it? I don’t think so.”) This bit was idiotic but it was also kind of funny too.

WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Kane. Kane gets the pin. This was decent. Afterwards Dr. Shelby come out and looks at Kane with a “Does Kane have everything under control” kind of look. Then Kane gets back in the ring and pick up Kofi by the throat. Shelby watches from the stage. Then Kane hugs Kofi. This was kind of funny too.

Matt Striker is backstage to interview Randy Orton. Striker mentions that Orton’s scheduled match at Night of Champions is against Dolph Ziggler. Then Striker asks Orton why he would ask Booker T for a match tonight with Tensai. Orton says that he wasn’t doing anything and neither was Tensai, so he figured they’d a good old fashioned brawl. Or maybe he wanted a 360 pound tune up. Then Striker asks Orton how much is he looking forward to his match against Dolph on Sunday. Orton says that he’s looking forward to it. Then Orton tells Striker that he probably thinks that he’s looking forward to it because Sheamus’ Brogue Kick is banned, which means Alberto Del Rio has chance, a small chance, but still a chance to become World Champion. Then Dolph Ziggler would run down to the ring and cash in his Money in the Bank contract. Becoming World Champion himself. Orton then says that he faces Dolph at Night of Champions and everyone knows what will happen. Orton will leave the arena as World Champion. Then Orton says that maybe he doesn’t like that self righteous punk and he want to tear him a new Sunday. This promo didn’t really work for me. 

Randy Orton vs. Tensai. Orton gets the pin. I found this match to be kind of dull and on the slow side.

Afterwards Vickie Guerrero comes out. She tells Orton that Dolph heard his comments from before and he didn’t appreciate it. She then says that Dolph had no problem being there tonight but she advised him to take the night off. The she says that at Night of Champions Dolph will beat Orton. Then she tells Orton that he will never be World Champion again. Orton says he hears Vickie loud and clear but she’s wrong. He says that he’s standing in the ring with his back turned and Vickie’s talking to him. That can only mean 1 thing. Then he turns around and sees Dolph trying to sneak up behind him. Then Dolph runs up the ramp. This was kind of weak too. They did the usual “The guy’s not here tonight bit” which almost always means that the guy is there. I did like that they had Orton not fall for that bit but it was still weak.

Antonio Cesaro & Aksana are in the ring. He says that as the proud United States Champion he is appalled that a battle royal will decide who he defends his prestigious title (That is anything but prestigious) against at Night of Champions. He takes this as a personal insult and there is only 1 word that can describe how he feels right now. The word of the week is outraged. Then he yells in different languages and then Tyson Kidd’s music hits and he comes out. He tells Cesaro that he can come out and run his mouth in as many languages as he wants. Then Tyson says he will put what has to say to him in Canadian (I wasn’t a where Canada had it’s own language). Tyson then gets in the ring and tells Cesaro that after Sunday he will be a former United States Champion. Then Cesaro gives Tyson a European uppercut. Then he throws over the top rope to the floor. Then Cesaro rips his jacket off and pick up the mic. He asks if there’s anybody else. No one comes out and then he says, “Alright. That’s what I thought.” Then Brodus Clay’s music plays and he comes out without his Flash Funk gear and no Naomi (Obviously no Cameron either since she was suspended). Brodus stands in front of Cesaro. Cesaro tries to get out of the ring but Brodus blocks him. Then Tyson gives Cesaro a roundhouse kick from behind. Then Brodus gives him a runnin head butt followed by a big splash. Then Brodus & Tyson dance. This was weak too. I’m tired of Cesaro saying a word in the same 5 languages every week. The bit is old. Tyson’s promo was ok but I don’t know why they felt the need to have him speak in “Canadian” by saying “A”. That was corny. Brodus coming out was ok but not great. It looks like Brodus & Tyson will be in the battle royal. Will they tell us what other guys will be in there?

Wade Barrett come out. He says that last week he said that he was open for business but apparently everyone was too scared or too stupid to understand what he meant. Then he says that next week 1 lucky person will get to sample the product. And after that business will be booming. Good promo from Barrett.   

Kaitlyn vs. Beth Phoenix. Kaitlyn gets the pin. This wasn’t much. They showed Layla watching on a monitor backstage. I have no idea why Beth is a jobber. She deserves better.

They reshow the Bret-Cena-Punk promo from the end of Raw.

Eve & Booker T are in the GM office. Eve says that she knows Booker has been taking on a lot recently. She says that he made a difficult but excellent decision by banning the Brogue Kick. Then Eve says that Booker has her 100% support. If he needs anything, she’s there. Booker thanks Eve and tells she’s been doing a good job as his assistant. Then Teddy Long comes in. He says that as the former Smackdown GM he wants Booker to know that banning the Brogue Kick was really a tough decision. Long then tells Booker than from 1GM to another Booker made the right call. Booker puts out his fist for a pump but Long offers his hand. Then they flip flop. Then Eve tells Booker that they need to look over some things before Sunday. Booker & Eve walk off and Long looks all confused about the hand shake/fist pumping bit. This wasn’t much either. Thankfully it was short. I’m just hoping they don’t turn Long heel.   

World Champion Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan. Sheamus wins by submission.  This was a really good match and easily the highlight of this week’s show. They show Del Rio, Ricardo & Otunga watching backstage. Sheamus poses with the belt to end the show.

I thought this a weak show overall. The opening segment with Del Rio, Ricardo, Otunga, Christian, Daniel Bryan & Sheamus was idiotic in my view. The Sheamus-Daniel Bryan match however was the best part of the whole 2 hours. The rest of the show was hit and miss. The segment with Kane, Daniel & Dr. Shelby with the stress ball bit was dumb but it was also comical. I wasn’t really into Orton’s promo backstage. His match with Tensai was also kind of boring and the back and forth with Vickie didn’t work for me either. I liked how they had Orton not fall for the “This guy’s not here tonight” bit though. Sin Cara-Miz was solid and I liked the backstage segment with Miz, Cody, Mysterio & Cara. I thought they gave the Intercontinental more meaning here than they usually do. Kofi-Kane was decent. Having Kane grab Kofi’s throat and then hug him was fine for what it was. The Booker T-Teddy Long-Eve Torres segment was a bit weak too. Kaitlyn-Beth wasn’t much either. Beth deserves better than the way she is currently being booked. The Cesaro-Tyson-Brodus segment was ok but not great. So on the whole I this episode was kind of weak and they didn’t really do that much for the final build to Night of Champions.

9-13-12 results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the September 13, 2012 episode of Impact

They start the show with a recap of the No Surrender PPV.

The actual show starts with Austin Aries coming to the ring. The fans chant Aries. He says what he holds in is the world title, which means he holds power. Because that’s the reason every wrestler competes and why Aces & 8s have been targeting him. He says that at No Surrender he might not have unmasked any of the Aces & 8s guys but he got some pay back. Then he says that the focus is now on Bound for Glory. At BFG Aries will face a man who beat the odds to become Aries’ opponent at BFG. He asks Jeff Hardy to come to the ring. Jeff comes out. Aries congratulates Jeff on winning the series. He says Jeff showed guts. Aries says he knows what it takes to beat Joe & Ray but Jeff beat them both in the same night after being attacked by Aces & 8s. Aries says Jeff deserves this spot. Aries says Jeff is a man of few words and the fans cheer him while he says a lot and tells them to keep silent and the cheer for him too. Aries then says that everyone’s saying that Aries has what Jeff wants. Aries sees it as many things Jeff has that he wants. Then Bully Ray comes to the ring. Ray says they’re both lucky. Ray says Aries is lucky Ray isn’t the guy he will face for the title. Jeff is lucky because Ray felt bad for him when Aces & 8s attacked him. Ray says he took his eye off the prize. Aries says that Ray is lucky for having a short memory. Aries mentions that that they last time he faced Ray he made him tap. He then says that Jeff beat Ray because Ray felt sorry for Jeff. Aries says that Jeff should face Ray again. Jeff is all for it. Then Ray tells Jeff not to rip his shirt off. Jeff of course does. Then Ray bails. Then Mike Tenay says that Jeff will Ray later tonight. I’m not sure why they’re having a rematch from the PPV. That said I thought this was a good opening segment. Aries & Ray were both great on the mic as usual.

James Storm is walking backstage.

Before the next match starts, Tenay & Taz wish Jerry Lawler a speedy recovery. That was classy.

Sonjay Dutt vs. X Division Champion Zima Ion for the Title. Ion gets the pin. This was a solid match but I don’t know why they gave us another No Surrender rematch. Afterwards Ion hits Sonjay with the spray can. Then locks him in an arm breaker.   

Daniels & Kazarian are in the GM office. Daniels is sitting in Hulk’s chair and Kazarian has on a Hulkamania t-shirt. Then Hogan comes in and congratulates them on winning at the PPV. Then Hulk says that tonight they will be in singles matches. Daniels will face either Chavo or Hernandez and Kazarian will face AJ or Angle. If they both win neither team will get a rematch but if one lose then that team gets another shot at the titles.

Bobby Roode is walking backstage. We’ll hear from him next.

AJ Styles & Kurt Angle are backstage. AJ says he wants to face Kazarian. Angle says that he doesn’t want AJ to wrestle because AJ will get emotional. AJ says he will be alright. Then AJ walks off and Wes Briscoe comes by. Angle tells him to watch AJ in his match tonight. What if Daniels & Kazarian both lose? Will that mean we’ll get Daniels & Kazarian defending the titles against both teams?

They recap the James Storm-Bully Ray match and the Storm-Roode pull apart from No Surrender.

Bobby Roode comes to the ring. He says he’s back. Then he says that 2 months ago he was screwed in his match with Aries and because of Hogan’s stip he couldn’t get another title match while Aries is champion. So he went home for a bit. He says he got a chance to watch James Storm pour everything into the BFG Series. He saw Storm come close to winning. Then he says he thought to himself why James Storm should get a title match and not him. Then he mentions smashing the beer bottle over Storm’s head and eliminating him from the BFG Series. Then James Storm comes out. They go at it. Storm clotheslines Roode over the top. Then he slams him into the guard rail and then he choke Roode with his tie. Storm then rams Roode into the entrance ramp. Then the brawl goes to the back. This was a good segment too. I thought Roode’s promo was good. I also liked that Storm came out and just attacked Roode.

AJ Styles vs. TNA World Tag Team Champion Frankie Kazarian. AJ gets the pin. This was a good match. AJ & Angle get a tag title rematch.

Hulk is backstage with Brooke. Hulk says when she’s there he wants security for her. Then Joseph Park comes in and says he found out more about Aces & 8s. He says that next Thursday there will be a key peace of evidence. Hulk says he’s going to the ring because he has something to say to Aces & 8s. Then Hulk tells Joseph that he will guard Brooke despite Brooke’s protest. This was a bit hokey.

Backstage Bully Ray tells Jeff Hardy that if Jeff wants to face him so badly then he should put up his title match against him. Ray says Jeff won’t do that because Jeff is a coward. Jeff says that if Ray beats him than he can have Jeff’s spot at Bound for Glory.

Hulk Hogan comes to the ring. The fans chant Hogan. Hulk gets the mic and says that this BFG Series really put TNA in high gear. When he thinks back about the 3 grueling months of the tournament and the 12 guys that were in it that showed how intense the series was. He says that Jeff Hardy won it all. Then he says that Jeff is from another universe. Hulk says he’s not sure where Jeff’s going or where he’s been but when Jeff put it all on the line to get the title shot. Then he officially announces that Jeff will face Ray and the winner will face Austin Aries for the Title at BFG. Then he says that at No Surrender Aces & 8s caused the Impact Zone to be locked down. Hulk says going forward the Impact Zone will always be locked down. Then Aces & 8s show up on the Tron. A guy asks if Hulk locked them out of if he locked them in. He says that from this point forward no matter where Hulk is he could bump into someone that’s part of Aces & 8s and won’t know it till it’s too late. This segment was solid.

Hernandez & Chavo are backstage. Chavo says he can’t believe Daniels & Kazarian beat them by cheating. Chavo says that if he beats Daniels they will get a rematch at the titles. So from this it looks like if Chavo beats Daniels we’ll get a 3 way tag title match.

Chavo Guerrero, Jr. vs. TNA World Tag Team Champion Christopher Daniels. Chavo gets the pin. This was a good match to. So Hernandez & Chavo also get a tag title rematch.

They show a Gut Check video package on the next contestant, Evan Markopoulos. He says he’s always liked watching wrestling. He says that he told his parents he found a wrestling school. Then he says that when he gets in the ring he will show Bruce, Al & Taz that for an 18 year old he belongs in TNA.

Tara is walking backstage. We’ll hear from her next.

James Storm says he didn’t get enough of Bobby Roode. He says that next month is open fight night and that means Storm can call out anybody he wants. He says that’s good for him but bad for Roode. Good promo.

Tara comes to the ring. She congratulates Tessmacher for beating her at No Surrender. Then Tessmacher comes to the ring. Tara says that at No Surrender Brooke beat the teacher. Tara says that part of her was upset but part of her was also proud and happy because that means she did a good job as a teacher. Tara says they’ll always be best friends. Tara says that Brooke proved to everyone that she is the best. Then Tara takes the title and straps it around Brooke’s waist. Then Tara says that Brooke is her best friend and the Knockouts Champion. Then they hug and Brooke poses on the turnbuckle. Tara stands outside the ring and applauds. Then Tara gets back in the ring and clotheslines Brooke. Then she gives her the Widows Peak. I called that one. I knew they were going to have Tara go heel here.

They show a segment with Dixie, Hulk, Brooke Hogan, D-Lo, Al Snow, etc. in the GM office talking about Aces & 8s. Hulk says that his worst fear is that if they don’t put this fire out it could be something they can’t stop. There’s a lot of yapping. Then Pritchard says that anyone in the room right now could be in Aces & 8s. D’Lo says to let Aces & 8s in. Then Brooke asks how they can stop them if more people join the stable. This was a bit long and there was a bit too much talking here I thought.

 Jeff Hardy vs. Bully Ray in a number one contender World Title match. Jeff gets the pin. This was a good match too. Jeff poses in the ring to end the show.

I thought this was a good show overall. I liked the Aries-Jeff-Ray segment that started the show and the Jeff-Ray match was good too. AJ-Kazarian & Chavo-Daniels were also good matches. Both Hernandez & Chavo and AJ & Angle will get rematches for the tag titles. I would think it would be a 3 way match but they didn’t say. Sonjay-Ion was good also. I’m not sure why they had to rematches from the PPV on the show but they were both good. The Tessmacher-Tara segment was good too. The Tara heel turn was predictable but they pulled it off well. Hulk Hogan’s promo in the ring was solid too. I wasn’t really into the bit with Dixie and company in the GM office bit. The video on the gut check contestant was nicely done too. Bobby Roode cut a good promo too and I liked that James Storm came out and attacked Roode without speaking. Storm pounding on and dragging Roode to the back was really well done also. So on the whole I enjoyed the show this week.

9-10-12 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the September 8, 2012 episode of Raw

The show starts with Bret Hart coming to the ring. The fans cheer and give him a hero’s welcome. Bret thanks the fans. He says it took a long time to get here. Then the fans start singing El Generico’s theme. Bret says this is a great moment for him to come back to Montreal. He’s speechless after 15 years. He mentions the last time he was there it was 1 of the darkest nights but also 1 of his proudest. He thanks the fans for getting him through those dark days. He says it was unique Canadian moment for supporting him for all these years. He says God Bless all the fans in Montreal and he means it from the bottom of his heart. Then CM Punk comes out. Punk says that everything that’s happened to Bret in the past 15 years has been written about in the book Bret wrote about himself. Then Punk mentions what if it was him who faced Bret that year instead of Michaels. Bret says it wouldn’t have mattered. It would’ve taken him less than a minute to get Punk in the Sharpshooter. Punk doesn’t believe it and he says Bret doesn’t either. Punk says he’s the best in the world and wouldn’t have needed Vince. He says he fought Bret and won the title that night then the attitude era would have never been born and he would’ve jumped the sinking ship to WCW and WWE would be dead. Bret says Punk maybe the best in the world but he is the Best there is, was and ever will be. Punk says Bret could be the king of England and he wouldn’t believe it. Then Punk says that he could King of Memphis. Then Punk asks Lawler how he’s doing. Bret mentions that he feuded with Lawler in the past but Lawler always showed up and never walked out. Then they reshow what happened at the end of last week’s Raw. Punk says that he was in his home town. A town that treats champions respectfully and he was in a hurry to enjoy his day off. He mentions that he came back to pick up some stuff and he bumped into Cena. Punk asks Bret if Cena’s gonna be Bret’s white knight. Bret says that he wanted to talk to Cena. Then Punk says that Bret doesn’t know what the word respect means because he wouldn’t talk to the WWE Champion. Punk says he’s been WWE Champion longer than Bret ever was and this Sunday he will beat Cena and become the greatest WWE Champion of all time. Punk says the ovation the fans gave Bret is the ovation Punk deserves in every arena he walks in. Punk says that he will put Cena to sleep. Bret says just like he’s putting all the fans to sleep right now. Punk says he will turn Cena into a beaten broken down empty shell of a former man just like Bret is. Punk walks out holding the title above his head and shouts best in the world. This was a really good opening segment. Both Bret & Punk were great here. Also the fans were great too.

They show a graphic where the fans can tweet who they want to see Punk face tonight. Brodus Clay, Jerry Lawler, or Randy Orton.

Antonio Cesaro & Aksana come out for the next match. Antonio’s word of the week is prestige.

WWE Tag Team Champions R-Truth & Kofi Kingston vs. Intercontinental Champion The Miz & U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro. Truth & Kofi win when Kofi pins Cesaro. This was a decent match.

They reshow Ricardo getting Brogue Kicked last week on Raw. Then they showed the end of Smackdown when Booker T banned the Brogue Kick.

Bret Hart & Sheamus are backstage talking.

They go a bit from earlier in the day with David Otunga, Ricardo & Sheamus. Sheamus says his name. He says he’s half Irish & half Jewish. Then he goes on the old folk tale bit. Otunga mentions last Monday when Sheamus Brogue Kicked Ricardo. Otunga asks if Sheamus Brogue Kicked Ricardo. Sheamus says that he did and if he had to do it again he would. Then Otunga shows a pic of Sheamus Brogue Kicking referee Chad Patton from April this year. Then Otunga mentions Daniel Bryan. Otunga asks “Isn’t it true.” Then Sheamus kept saying yes. Then they mention Sheamus Brogue Kicking Daniel at WrestleMania and Sheamus says that match was 18 seconds. Otunga talks about all the damages the Brogue Kick causes. Sheamus says the Brogue Kick doesn’t discriminate against anybody. Then Sheamus Brogue Kicks the camera. This was really idiotic!! They should ban this storyline!

Divas Champion Layla, Kaitlyn & Eve Torres vs. Beth Phoenix, Natalya & Alicia Fox. Layla, Kaitlyn & Eve win when Eve pins Alicia. This was just there. When’d Alicia turn heel? Not that any of this matters. The Divas have no meaning.

They show AJ watching the show on a monitor backstage. Punk comes in and says that he has a match tonight but Cena doesn’t. He mentions that’s unfair and asks why she’s letting the fans decide who Punk faces. Punk asks if it’s because he turned her down. AJ says things could be worse. She could make him face Sheamus since that’s who he was supposed to face last week. Then she says that a champion vs. champion match does deserve more build. Then she says that since he walked out last week the fans will decide his fate this week. AJ wishes Punk luck and walks off. Then Brodus Clay comes in and asks what’s up? This was ok.

CM Punk comes to the ring to find out who he will face next. Michael Cole gets the mic and mentions it being interactive time. The fans picked Orton.

Randy Orton vs. WWE Champion CM Punk. Orton wins by DQ when Dolph Ziggler comes in. Orton was goin to set up Punk for the RKO but then Dolph came in and the referee called for the bell. Afterwards Orton clotheslined Punk out of the ring. Then he gave power slammed Dolph. Then he gave Punk a power slam too. Then Dolph came to and pounded on Orton. Then Lawler came in to even the odds. The faces clotheslined the heels out of the ring. Then they brawled on the outside and they went to commercial out of nowhere.

Back from break and we have an impromptu tag match happening.

Randy Orton & Jerry Lawler vs. Dolph Ziggler & WWE Champion CM Punk. Orton & Lawler win when Orton pins Dolph. During the match Paul Heyman came to ringside. He talked to Punk and Vickie screamed at them. Punk & Heyman continued talking. Then Heyman got the belt and gave it to Punk. As they were talking Orton hit the RKO on Dolph for the pin. Then Punk & Heyman walked up the ramp. The Orton-Punk singles match was solid and the tag match was too but I felt that this was more about furthering the Punk-Heyman partnership than the match. Of course Dolph does the clean job once again!

Punk & Heyman are backstage and Matt Striker comes by. He asks them what the nature of their relationship is. Punk says he’s a Paul Heyman guy and they both walk off.

They recap the Kane-Daniel Bryan “hug out” from last week. This was idiotic. Why make a video package out of this?

Kane is backstage and Daniel Bryan shows up. Daniel says he heard Kane had something he wanted to say to him. Kane says he heard that Daniel had something he wanted to say about him. Then they both turn to the door and Kane flips out at whoever’s standing there. It turns out the Doc is there too. AJ asked him to be there. He says that he has an idea that will either solve their problems or send them into an abyss. Then he says that they have to trust each other. This was idiotic! This storyline is really crappy!

Heath Slater is in the ring. He says that last week Zack Ryder did something he’s never done with the ladies. He got lucky. Slater says that he wants his rematch right now. Ryder shows up on the Tron and says he won’t be facing Slater tonight. Out comes Ryback.

Ryback vs. Heath Slater. Ryback gets the pin. This was a squash.

AJ is backstage and in come the Primetime Players. They yap for a bit. Then AJ says she called them there because there’s been a mistake. They aren’t the number 1 contenders for the tag titles. Titus says they’re the only team that are worth millions of dollars. AJ says they haven’t beaten every team but will get to face the team they haven’t beaten. Kane & Daniel Bryan. Titus was kinda funny with the whistle but this segment was pointless I thought.

Kane & Daniel Bryan vs. The Primetime Players. Kane & Daniel win when Daniel pins Darren. Kane choke slammed Daniels onto Darren and got the pin. Kane & Daniel Bryan are the number 1 contenders for the tag titles? What was the point of the 3 way tag match on Smackdown then? I have a feeling they’re gonna put the titles on them at Night of Champions. I know WWE loves to do the “guys who hate each other be tag champions” bit. WWE has once again reminded us that regular tag teams don’t matter!

Ricardo Rodriguez comes out with the neck brace and introduces Alberto Del Rio.

Tyson Kidd vs. Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio wins by submission. This was a solid match. Tyson got in a good amount of offense in. Afterwards he kicks Tyson. Then he gets the mic and says that he hopes Sheamus is watching. He says that he just destroyed this Canadian peasant. That’s nothing compared to what he will do to Sheamus at Night of Champions. Del Rio says that Sheamus lost the Brogue Kick and on Sunday he will lose the World Title.

They go to the announce table and Jerry Lawler isn’t there. Michael Cole mentions that Jerry Lawler passed out during the show and was stretchered to the back right away. He said that King was being given CPR backstage and that this wasn’t part of the show. I found out that King a seizure during the Kane & Daniel vs. Primetime Players match. I hope to God he’s going to be alright!

World Champion Sheamus vs. David Otunga. Sheamus wins by submission. This was a squash. Afterwards Sheamus gets back in the ring. He pounds on his chest and gives Otunga a Brogue Kick. Then AJ Lee comes out. She says that Sheamus defied authority. Then Booker T comes out. He says this is World Title business and he will handle this. Booker tells Sheamus he shouldn’t be using the Brogue Kick. Booker says if Sheamus uses the Brogue at anytime against anybody before Booker’s investigation is done Sheamus will be stripped of the World Title. This whole thing with Booker investigating about the Brogue Kick is really idiotic!!

Bret Hart is backstage with Rey Mysterio.

They show a TOUT from R-Truth & Kofi Kingston.

Daniel Bryan & Kane walk in to the doc’s office. Daniel asks Kane what he was thinking when he choke slammed him. Kane says they won. The doc says that they won as a team. Then Daniel says that didn’t appreciate the choke slam but he does appreciate them being a team. Then they argue over which name should be mentioned first. The doc says they should be called Team Friendship. They both scream no. Then they walk off continuing to argue. This was lame.

Back to Michael Cole. He brings up Lawler collapsing earlier. He says Lawler has been taken to a hospital and is being given oxygen but was breathing on his own. Cole says that out of respect of Lawler there won’t be anymore commentary on the show but they hope to have an update on Lawler before Raw ends.

Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes. Cody gets the pin. This was a solid match. Rey had Cody set up for the 619. Then Miz came out but Mysterio drop kicked him off the apron. That allowed Cody to hit cross Rhodes for the win. Afterwards Cody gave Mic cross roads too. Then he held up the Intercontinental Title.

John Cena is backstage and his on his way to the ring next.

Back to Michael Cole with an update on Jerry Lawler. He says that Lawler is more responsive and is reacting to lights. He’s in an isolated ER and is awaiting a cat scan. He says that Lawler is fighting hard and again hopes to have more info before the end of the show. I really hope to God Lawler will be alright!

Bret Hart comes to the ring. He brings out John Cena. Cena comes to the ring. He raises Bret’s hand. Cena thanks Bret for the interview. Bret talks about the Cena-Punk feud and he says it reminds him of the feud he had with Michaels. He talks about the history of that rivalry and how it almost destroyed their lives. Bret then says that he sees a lot of him in Cena and sees the old Michaels in Punk. Cena thanks Bret for mentioning him in the same sentence as Bret & Shawn. The fans boo and chant you can’t wrestle. Cena says what he loves about Montreal is that they know a Hall of Famer when they see one. Cena then mentions that when Shawn was jerk he owned up to it. Punk is constantly saying how good he is. Cena says that the fans adore Bret because they know he stood for something. Then he says that Punk is delusional and thinks gold=respect. Bret asks him what he will do to finally shut this phony little Punk up. Then Punk & Heyman come out and Punk says, “Did you call me a phony”? Cena says he’s calling him that too. He offers Punk to get in the ring. Punk finds it ironic that the most phony guy is casting judgment on the champion. Punk says he doesn’t need Cena’s judgment and it out here to defend his own name. Punk says it breaks his heart to see Bret & Cena in the ring together. He says they can both talk about how great they were. Punk then mentions that he’s better than Cena and Shawn is better than Bret. Punk then says that he is better Shawn Michaels. Punk then mentions Bret making Austin pass out at WrestleMania 13. Punk says he’s better than Austin too. Then he says he’s better than The Rock. He says he is the best technician, talker and brawler. He doesn’t say it for lack of confidence. He says it because he is it. Cena says that whole spiel makes Punk a liar and a hypocrite. Cena then says the fans in Montreal are honest. Cena mentions that the WWE Title has been irrelevant. He also mentions Punk saying there’s a conspiracy against him but there is no Punk. Cena says that Punk made so much noise but the most noise he made was when his mic was cut. Then he mentions Punk beating him at MITB last year. Cena then mentions that there was never any change. The change is about Punk being champion. Cena says he went from an underdog to a favorite as himself. Cena says that Punk has ripped off other wrestlers because he can’t find himself. Cena says Punk is still champion because of any means necessary. Then Cena says that Punk is in jeopardy of losing the title to him at Night of Champions. Then Cena says something in French. Punk says that Cena has lowered himself to the fans level by speaking their language. Cena says he doesn’t lower himself to anybody. He says the fans are why their there. He calls Punk an ignorant SOB. Then he translates what he said in French. That being he will kick Punk’s ass at Night of Champions. Then they stare each other down for a bit. Then Punk turns to Bret and Bret punched Punk. Punk then stands on the ramp with the belt while Bret & Cena raise each others hands in the ring. Cena tells Punk to bring his A game. This was really good. I thought Cena cut a really good promo here. This is the way Cena should be all the time. Punk was really good here too of course. Bret punching Punk at the end was done for the fans but I thought that was good too.

Michael Cole with more on Lawler. Lawler’s condition has stabilized. His heart is beating on its own and he’s also breathing on his own too. Cole says that Lawler is being prepared for a CAT scan on his chest and head. Cole wishes Lawler a speedy recovery.

Then they show Bret & Cena at ringside to end the show.

This week’s show was better than last week’s. The opening segment with Bret & Punk was really good and the Bret-Cena-Punk promo at the end was well done too. Orton-Punk was solid and I thought the Orton & Lawler vs. Dolph & Punk match was too. I was really shocked to hear what happened to Jerry Lawler and I really hope to God that he pulls through! Rey-Cody was a solid match. It looks like they’ll be having Cody challenge for the Intercontinental Title. I’m not sure if they’ll throw Mysterio in there too so they can have a face in the match. The Kane-Daniel Bryan segments were lame. Kane & Daniel vs. The Primetime Players wasn't really much either. I have no idea why they’re having them team up and challenge for the tag titles. WWE just threw all the other tag team aside after building to which team will get a title match. Well it won’t be any of them! The Divas match was just there. Ryback-Slater was a squash. The segment with Sheamus & Otunga in the WWE building was idiotic too and the Sheamus-Otunga match was a squash. The post match bit with Booker T saying he will strip Sheamus of the World Title if he uses the Brogue Kick before his investigation is finished was idiotic too. Truth & Kofi vs. Cesaro & Miz was also decent. Tyson-Del Rio was solid. Tyson got a good amount of offense in during the match. Overall I thought this was a decent show. Once again I really hope to God that Jerry Lawler will pull through!

9-7-12 Smackdown results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the September 7, 2012 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with David Otunga, Alberto Del Rio & Ricardo Rodriguez (who has a neck brace from the Brogue Kick) coming out of the GM office.

Then they come to the ring. Del Rio says that he is on the greatest role of his career. He mentions that 2 weeks ago he made Randy Orton tap out. Last week he beat Kane and Monday on Raw in a falls count anywhere match he destroyed John Cena. Then Del Rio says that in 2 weeks he will face Sheamus for the World Title at Night of Champions. But to be honest he’s not happy. Because if that match was about skills and brains he would of course be the winner. Del Rio says that at the moment Sheamus has an advantage because he can use something that is more dangerous than a steel chair. Something so dangerous that it should be illegal. That being the Brogue Kick. Del Rio says that the Brogue Kick is brutal and barbaric and should be banned. He asks the fans if they think that kind of move should be legal. Del Rio then says that kicking somebody in the head is a criminal act. He says that Ricardo is not only his personal ring announcer. He is also Del Rio’s only friend. Then he says that Ricardo might now have permanent physical and morale damage. Then Del Rio says that Ricardo isn’t the only one. There are many others that have suffered the same. He says that the Brogue Kick is not like the cross arm breaker. Del Rio says that the cross arm breaker is pure, artistic and is like poetry. The Brogue Kick is a travesty and a criminal act. Then he yells in Spanish for a bit. Then Otunga takes the mic. He says who he is and takes a drink from his coffee mug. He says that he is the only Harvard educated lawyer in WWE history. Then Otunga says that Ricardo hired him because what happened to Ricardo was no accident. He says that Sheamus’ actions were malicious and calculated with the intent to commit bodily harm on innocent people. Then he says that anyone who thinks the Brogue Kick should be legal should have a look at this. They show a video package of Sheamus using the Brogue Kick. Then Otunga says that was difficult to watch. He then says that if WWE continues to turn a blind eye towards this behavior and allow Sheamus to continue using the Brogue Kick it’s a joke. Then Otunga says that they just met with Booker T and they demanded justice. Otunga says that he will make sure that his client’s pain and suffering are not in vain. Then Otunga says that by making the Brogue Kick illegal they will send a message. Then Booker T comes out. He says that when they talked before the show began what they talked about was supposed to be confidential but the first Otunga wants to do is come out running his mouth. Booker tells them that if they wanna to bring their case to the people lets do that. Booker then asks the fans if he should ban the Brogue Kick. They of course say no. Booker asks if they can say that 1 more time. The fans boo louder. Then Booker says that as far as he’s concerned the Brogue Kick is still legal. This segment was decent but I thought it went on a bit long. Also how often do they reuse the “this maneuver/hold is so deadly it should be illegal” bit?

Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes & Intercontinental Champion The Miz. Rey & Cara win when Rey pins Miz. This was a good match.

Daniel Bryan is backstage and he runs into Hornswoggle. Hornswoggle wants to hug it out. Daniel wants none of it. Then Hornswoggle offers his hand. Daniel shakes his hand. Then Hornswoggle kicks him in the foot. Then he runs off as Daniel screams. Thankfully this was a quick segment.  

David Otunga is in Booker T’s office. Otunga says that he can’t believe that Booker just put the health and well being of the WWE superstars in the hands of the people. Then Otunga says that before he takes legal action, he wants Booker to take a look at the Brogue Kick and see what it does. He shows him still shots of Sheamus’ Brogue Kick. Otunga says the Brogue Kick is unnatural. He asks Booker what kind of GM he wants to be. Otunga asks if the Brogue Kick will be band. Booker says he will think about it.

Zack Ryder vs. Daniel Bryan. Ryder wins by reverse decision DQ. Originally Daniel got the submission win with the No lock. Before he got Ryder in the submission, he says that he has anger management issues and need a hug. He & Ryder hug and then Daniel lock on the No lock and Ryder taps. Then he reapplied the No lock on Ryder and wouldn’t release the hold and the referee calls for the bell and Lillian says that Ryder’s the winner. Then Daniel flipped out again and was screaming no as the fans chanted yes. Do I think this bit is getting old? YES! Would I like for WWE to end this crap? YES! Do I think it will end anytime soon? NO!

Damien Sandow comes out. He says he knows there’s a match scheduled to begin but he feels it is imperative that he gets something off his chest. He mentions that last week he lost a match by count out to Sheamus. He sees this as nothing more than comic justice. He says that Booker T put him in a match that he was not prepared for. He says that he needs proper time to access his opponent, seek out his weaknesses and exploit them. Which quite frankly is the reason he has yet to be pinned. Then he says he knows that they unwashed masses have a hard time comprehending this but he will make the following statement. He says that he was disgusted and appalled at the response in the annals of social media. He says that he saw tweets and TOUTS that called him a coward. He assures the fans this. His actions were intelligent, not craven. He says that the anonymous people that send their feelings through social media are the real cowards. He says that that none of them have the gumption to dare call him craven to his face. Then he says that he cannot comprehend the fascination of the WWE with social media (Neither can I). He says that instead of tweeting how about reading. Then he says that when Einstein discovered the theory of relativity he did not TOUT about it. And furthermore…then Randy Orton’s music plays and he comes out. Sandow asks what he could possibly have to say that would add to this discussion. Orton says that he’s not here to add to the discussion. He’s here to fight. Orton mentions he that he told Booker T that he can wait on facing his original opponent for tonight. Orton then says that he wants to face Sandow. Sandow says this is not right. He says that Booker T can’t just go around switching opponents. Orton says that Booker can and he has. Then the bell rings.  

Then Dolph Ziggler & Vickie Guerrero come out. Dolph does commentary.

Randy Orton vs. Damien Sandow. Orton wins by count out. Orton was setting Sandow up for the RKO but Sandow rolled out of the ring and ran up the ramp just like last week. Afterwards Dolph & Vickie taunt Orton a bit as they walk around the ring. Then Orton rolls to the outside and he & Dolph have a stare down. Dolph taunts Orton some more. Then he goes for a punch but Orton punches Dolph. Then he throws Dolph in the ring and as he’s getting in the ring Dolph pounds on him. Dolph goes for a clothesline but Orton ducks and gives Dolph a power slam. Then he was setting up Dolph for an RKO but Sandow comes back out and Orton gives him an RKO. Then Dolph & Vickie run up the ramp. Why is it that WWE feels the need to make their heels look like cowards and get flattened? Dolph bails and Sandow eats an RKO? How are the fans supposed to take these guys seriously if they’re booked like this? The match itself was solid but they need to make the heels more believable. 

Backstage David Otunga shows Booker T some X Rays of a spine. One that looks normal and one that looks like how Ricardo’s is right now. Then Otunga shows Booker that on Ricardo’s X Ray the discs are bulged. Then Otunga says that he has doctors who will testify to the trauma that is caused by the Brogue Kick. Then he demand the Brogue Kick should be banned. Otunga then says if Booker doesn’t, he will file a law suit against Booker, Eve, Teddy Long, Smackdown & WWE. Then Booker tells Otunga that he is no shape to make demands. The only demand that Otunga needs to know is Booker. “As in DA man” (That was corny) who’s running the show. Booker says he will think about it. Then he tells Otunga to get his gear because right now Booker is demanding that Otunga goes to “DA ring” and face “DA World Heavyweight Champion” Sheamus. This bit was weak. Having Booker constantly say “DA” was idiotic.

R-Truth & Kofi Kingston come out to do commentary for the next 3 way tag match.

The Usos vs. Primo & Epico vs. The Primetime Players in a number one contenders match. The Players win when Darren Young pins Primo. This was a decent to solid match. Jimmy Uso & Primo were on the top rope. Then Darren grabbed Primo and gave him the gut buster power bomb. Then Jimmy Uso gave Primo a top rope splash and went for the cover. Then Darren tossed Jimmy Uso out of the ring and covered Primo for the win. So the Primetime Players get ANOTHER shot at the tag titles!

Time for the Raw rebound followed by tweets from the WWE roster. Who cares about these tweets?

Time for a TOUT from Eve. She says she firmly believes that the safety of the WWE super stars is the most important thing there is. She is fully confident that Booker T will make the right decision on Smackdown.

Teddy Long is backstage with Kaitlyn outside the GM office. Long talks about Otunga wanting the Brogue Kick banned. Kaitlyn says that Otunga doesn’t have a case. Then Long says that he doesn’t think it’s right for Otunga to want to personally sue him. Then Dolph & Vickie come by to go into the GM office. Long stops them from going in Kaitlyn walks off. Then Long tells Dolph & Vickie that Booker is busy. He asks what he can do for them. Dolph says that he needs to face Randy Orton again. He says that people are saying that his win over Orton Monday was a fluke and Long knows that’s not true. Then Dolph says that earlier on Orton attacked him unprovoked. Dolph says that he wants to beat Orton on 1 of the most prestigious night in WWE. Night of Champions. I wouldn’t really call Night of Champions a prestigious night. Long says Dolph isn’t a champion. Then Dolph says that Long is a glorified assistant. Long says that Eve is the assistant. He is the senior adviser. Long says that while every title will be defended at Night of Champions not every match needs to be a title match. Long then says that he will advise Booker to make that match. Then Dolph hold up the Money in the Bank case and says by then he might already be World Champion. Dolph walks off. Vickie then tells Long that maybe by then Long will be sued for everything that he’s worth.  

Yoshi Tatsu vs. Wade Barrett. Barrett gets the pin. This was a squash. Barrett dominated the whole match.

Afterwards Barrett gets the mic. He wants to make something perfectly clear. After 6 months away taking part in meaningless matches like the match he just had doesn’t interest him. He says that it practically bores him to tears. He then says that if he’s not going to instantly be thrust into the title picture then he will do something to make life more interesting for himself. He says that he is officially open for business. Good promo from Barrett.

Alberto Del Rio rides out to the arena for the main event.

World Champion Sheamus vs. David Otunga. Sheamus wins by submission. Sheamus gave Otunga White Noise. Then he was going for the Brogue Kick but Booker T came out. He said that due to evidence that was presented to him and the high stakes that are involved Booker has no choice but to ban the Brogue Kick. Sheamus is pissed about it. Del Rio taunts him from ringside. Otunga gets the upper hand for a bit but then Sheamus locked Otunga in the Texas Cloverleaf for the submission win. Then Del Rio walked back up the ramp to the stage. Sheamus stared him down while holding the title to end the show.    

I thought this was a weak show overall. I wasn’t really into the whole “this guy’s finisher’s dangerous and has to be banned” bit/promos throughout the night. The main event was mostly Sheamus dominating and he managed to win despite his finisher being banned. Tatsu-Barrett was a squash. I liked Barrett’s post match promo. I’m hoping they book him as a heel with credibility. Daniel’s backstage bit with Hornswoggle wasn’t much and thankfully it was kept to a minimum. Ryder-Bryan was decent but I didn’t care for the reverse decision. This whole “Yes/No Daniel has anger management issues” is not working for me. The 3 way tag match was solid but why have the Primetime Players win again? Why not let 1 of the other 2 teams get the title match for something different? The bit with Teddy Long & Kaitlyn, followed by the bit with him, Dolph & Vickie was ok but not great. The opening bit with Del Rio, Ricardo, Otunga & Booker was ok but a bit long. I also wasn’t into the Booker-Otunga backstage segments. Sandow cut a really good promo before his match with Orton. Orton was decent on the mic too here. The Orton-Sandow match was solid but once they made Dolph & Sandow look like chumps. So on the whole I thought this show was a bit weak and didn’t really do a lot to build for Night of Champions.

9-6-12 Impact results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the September 6, 2012 episode of Impact

They start the show recapping what happened last Thursday

Then they show a Bound for Glory Series final 4 video package.

The actual show starts with the first of 2 BFG Series matches.

Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe in a Bound for Glory Series match. Jeff wins by submission for 7 more points. This was a good back and forth match.

The show a video package recapping the end of last week’s show.

Hulk comes in the GM office and Austin Aries is there. Aries asks how much longer this will happen. Hulk mentions that the guy who hit Aries last week was part of the TV crew. Hulk says that he has the guy back this week and the guy will be at Aries’ disposal. Aries asks Hogan if he will manage to get any info from the guy. Hulk says Aries’ can break the guy’s legs if he has to make him talk. This was decent.

Christie Hemme interviews Samoa Joe. Before he can say anything Magnus comes out. He says that he wants to clear the air with Joe. He says that when they were a team they were really good and then Joe ruined it by acting like a self serving ego maniac. Magnus says he’s gonna be the bigger man and wishes Joe all the best. Then Magnus heads to the back and then he attacks Joe from behind. This was a solid segment.

Hulk Hogan is in the GM office with 3 teams (Hernandez & Chavo Guerrero, Jr., Kid Kash & Gunner and Robbie E & Rob Terry) to find out who will challenge for the tag titles. Hulk asks the Robbies why they should get the match. Robbie says they’re the youngest guys. Kash says he & Gunner are the best pick. Chavo & Kid Kash argue for a bit. Then AJ comes in saying he deserves a shot at the tag titles and revenge but Hulk eliminates AJ from the hunt. I’m not into these segments with everyone in the GM office having words.

Brooke Hogan is backstage with Tara. Brooke says that she was impressed when she fought Tessmacher. Then Brooke says that Tessmacher & Tara will face each other at No Surrender. Brooke says that she made Taryn Terrell the Knockouts referee to make sure nothing screwy happens. Then Gail Kim comes in and says that the eye candy is taking the spotlight from her. Tara & Gail get in each other’s faces and Brooke says they’ll face each other tonight. I wasn’t really into this much.

Taryn Terrell is in the ring to referee the Knockouts match.

Tara vs. Gail Kim. Tara gets the pin. This a solid match.

They reshow the Joey Ryan match with Austin Aries from May and recap the whole bit with him & the Gut Check judges. Then they show Joey punching Al Snow fro July and then they show what happened last week.

Al Snow is backstage and is on his way to the ring. We’ll hear from him next.

Al Snow is in the ring. He mentions Joey Ryan showing up for the last 4 months looking to get his attention. Al tells Joey to come to the ring. Joey Ryan comes out through the crowed with Jimmy Hart’s megaphone. He gets in the ring and Al says he’s sure Joey has something to say. Joey says what a difference a day makes. He says he’s bringing sleazy back to live TV. Al says that if he wants another chance he will get it. 1 more match, no judges, 1 and done. Joey says he proved himself when 87% of the fans says they wanted him in TNA and should already have a contract. Al says that if Joey wants it he has to earn it. Joey says he has the confidence, ability & 87% of the fans behind him. Al says great because Joey will face him to get it. Joey says it’s not the 90s anymore and no one wants to see him in ring gear. Al says he will Joey’s ass in jeans. Then he smacks Joey. Joey hops over the guardrail saying he will sue Al. This was a good segment. I had a feeling they would make Al Snow vs. Joey Ryan official here.

Bully Ray & Joseph Park are backstage. Ray says they have the same concern right now. Aces & 8s. Ray asks him if he found out anything. Joseph says that he isn’t going to violate the attorney/client privileges and he will report back to Hulk. Ray tells Joseph to watch himself because he knows people who are like this. Solid backstage segment.

A security guy throws the handcuffed Aces & 8s guy into a broom closet. Austin Aries says that he will have some fun if the guy doesn’t talk soon.

Back to Hulk with the tag teams. Hulk wants to find out why Chavo thinks he can dominate. Chavo says he & Hernandez don’t fear anybody. Kash complains and says he doesn’t respect Chavo. Robbie E says that the other 2 teams have been together for only 3 weeks while they’ve been teaming for a year and a half. Then Hulk eliminates Gunner & Kid Kash. This segment was a little bit better than the first.

Rob Van Dam vs. Bully Ray in a Bound for Glory Series match. Ray gets the pin. This was a good back and forth match too. RVD was going for the 5 Star Frog Splash but Ray got up as RVD was in midair. Then Ray hit the Bubba Cutter for the win. I was kind of surprised they had Ray win. RVD is eliminated from the BFG Series.

Back to Aries with the ring crew guy. Aries says that he knows the guy’s name is Mike and that the TNA Title is why they’re messing with him. He says they can do this to ways. Mike can tell him what he wants to know. Then Aries says no one’s there to save him and he picks up a set of pliers and shoves them down his throat. Hulk comes in and says that’s not the deal. Hulk was gonna work the guy over. Then the head Aces & 8s guy calls Hulk (How’d he get his number?). Hulk says that if they want their guy back then they need to send the guy who broke Aries’ arm to the ring by himself before the end of the night. Then Hulk says that Aries should face the guy who hurt his arm at No Surrender. Then Hulk tells Aries the guy’s all his.

James Storm comes to the ring. He says that this last year has been a roller coaster year. He says at the start of the year he was looking to become TNA World Champion. Then he mentions how losing to Roode at Lockdown made him think he doesn’t have it anymore. He went home and talked with his family. Then he says he returned at Slammiversary and ended Crimson’s undefeated streak. Then he mention that he entered the BFG Series and that there are 3 guys standing in his way from regaining the title. He asks the other 3 to come out so he can pick his opponent for No Surrender. Joe, Jeff & Ray come out. Storm says that Joe is 1 of the toughest wrestlers and he doesn’t have to tell the fans how good Jeff Hardy is. Storm picks Bully Ray. Then he tells Ray to get in the ring because he has something he wants to say to him to his face. Ray gets in the ring Storm says that Ray accused him of being the leader of Aces & 8s. He also mentions that Ray ended his chance for glory last year. This year Storm is ending his. So the Semi Final BFG Series matches will be James Storm vs. Bully Ray & Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe. I thought this was a good segment. Storm’s promo was good.

They show Mike the crew guy and he gets blindfolded.

Then they show Kazarian & Daniels. We’ll find out who Hulk will pick to challenge them for tag titles.

Christie Hemme is backstage with RVD. Then Magnus comes by and mentions that RVD lost a chance to be in the final 4. Magnus then says that the old RVD wouldn’t fall at the final hurdle. He says that he grew up watching RVD and he says that maybe Van Dam isn’t the man he used to be. Then RVD goes after Magnus and they go at it for a bit. Then D-Lo & Al Snow come in to break it up. This was decent. Magnus was good here. Looks like the might have RVD vs. Magnus at No Surrender. That’d be a good match.

Kazarian & Daniels come to the ring to find out who will challenge them for the tag titles.

Hulk is backstage with the 2 teams. He says these guys have had a ton of opportunities and have never let him down. He says that Chavo & Hernandez will challenge for the titles.

Hernandez & Chavo Guerrero, Jr. vs. TNA World Tag Team Champions Frankie Kazarian & Christopher Daniels for the Titles. Kazarian & Daniels win when Kazarian pins Hernandez. Hernandez was goin to Border Toss Kazarian but Daniels hit Hernandez with the belt. That allowed Kazarian to roll up Hernandez for the 3 count.

Then Hulk Hogan comes out and says that AJ Styles says that he can beat both Kazarian & Daniels at the same time. Hulk says he doesn’t agree. So Kazarian & Daniels will face AJ & Kurt Angle at No Surrender.

Mike Tenay announces that RVD will face Magnus at No Surrender.

They run down the No Surrender line up.

Aries is backstage and he’s taking Mike to the ring.

Austin Aries comes to the ring with handcuffed Mike. Aries throws him in the ring. Then Aries says that they’ve come to lets make a deal. He says he was more than happy to beat the info out of mic but he holds some kind of value to Aces & 8s. Then Aries says that he will give them back their guy in exchange for a fight. Not a match, a fight with the guy who hurt his arm at No Surrender. Aries says he’s done getting railroaded from behind. Then Aries says that his patience is wearing thin and will call the deal off if they go come out. So Aries will beat the info out of Mike. Aries gets him into the corner and the guy says he will talk. Before he can the other guy comes out. He pulls Mike out of the ring and hit him with a flap jack. Then Aries dove onto the guy and then they go at it in the ring to end the show. This was a good segment too. I’m curious when they’re gonna start to unmask some of these guys though.

I thought this was a good show overall this week. Jeff-Joe & RVD-Ray were both good matches. The Knockouts match was decent. I really enjoyed the tag title match. The Al Snow-Joey Ryan promo was also good. Aries working over the Aces & 8s guy was ok too. I thought the closing segment was good too. I also liked Magnus’ promos with Joe & RVD. James Storm also cut a really good promo. So on the whole I was fine the show.

9-3-12 Raw results and thoughts

   Coverage and thoughts on the September 3, 2012 episode of Raw

The show starts with Michael Cole mentioning that just before Raw went on the air Jerry Lawler never came out to do commentary. The show a backstage bit with Punk attacking Lawler. Referees hold Punk as Punk taunts the fallen Lawler. This was good. Punk’s doing a good job in the heel role.

Sheamus comes to the ring. He says that every time he comes to Chicago the party never end. He says that the party will end for Del Rio. That’s because at Night of Champions he will finally…Then CM Punk’s music hits and he comes out. The fans chant CM Punk since this is Punk’s home town. Punk tells Sheamus not to come out and try to talk to his home town. They can’t relate to a guy like Sheamus. They can relate to a guy like Punk. Punk says that what we saw earlier was him attacking Lawler. But the cameras missed Lawler attacking him from behind. He says there’s only 1 king in Chicago. He says that King got what he deserved Chicago style. Punk mentions that Lawler question Punk’s integrity so last week Punk decided to teach King a lesson about respect. He says that class was in session till the white knight John Cena came out. Punk then says he attacked Lawler because Lawler said that Punk turned his back on the fans. Then Punk asks the fans if he turned his back on them. They cheer for Punk. Punk says that Cena helping Lawler means he also agrees with him. That means that Cena disagrees with Punk, which means he is also disrespecting him. Punk says that since Cena has disrespected him ever since Punk’s been champion, then Cena is the guy who has turned his back on the fans. Then Sheamus says Punk wants to come out and say he is the best in the world, Sheamus says he is the World Champion. The fans boo. Sheamus says that Punk cutting him off is just as bad as The Rock cutting Punk off. Sheamus says that Rock had the guts to face Punk in the ring but Punk is standing on the stage. Sheamus tells Punk to come in the ring. Punk says that he already took 1 goon out. Punk says that he has nothing to do with Sheamus. Punk then says that tonight’s not Sheamus night. Punk says Sheamus being World Champion makes him the second best in the world. Sheamus tells Punk to turn around because he is talking out of his “arse” so he might as well be looking at it. Then AJ comes out. She says that tonight there will be 2 main events. Challenger vs. Challenger John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio and Champion vs. Champion, Sheamus vs. CM Punk. Then AJ skips around the ring and back up the ramp. Punk cut a great promo here and of course the fans were behind Punk since they’re in his hometown. I thought Sheamus cut a decent promo too but I could’ve done without the usual “arse” line. AJ coming out was predictable but thankfully short. I also could’ve done without her skipping.

Vickie Guerrero comes out and says she has personal issues with AJ and will talk about them later. Then she brings out Dolph.

Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler. Dolph gets the pin. This was a good match. Orton rolled up Dolph but Dolph reversed it and held the tights for the pin.

Then The Miz comes out to take Lawler’s place on commentary.

Time for the Kane-Daniel Bryan anger management class segments. UGH! The doc asks Daniel to take out his collage first. It’s a sheet of paper that has yes and no on it. He says that he says yes and so do the fans. Then he says no but the fans scream yes. Then he scrams no but the fans scream yes. He says he can’t take it anymore. Kane’s turn. He holds up a blank sheet of paper. The doc asks if that’s how he feels inside. Then Kane says, “You wanna see how I feel inside?” Then he crumples up the paper, throws it in the trash and flames come out. Then Daniel calls Kane the teacher’s pet. This was awful!

Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. Tensai & Cody Rhodes. Rey & Cara win when Cara pins Cody. This was a solid match.

Back to the Kane-Daniel Bryan bits. This time they’re all holing hands in a circle with their arms crossed (expect for Kane & Daniel). The doc says he’s gonna have Kane & Daniel demonstrate. He wants Daniel to fall backwards so Kane can catch him. This is idiotic! Then he tells Kane that he trusts him. Then he fall backwards and Kane catches him. Next he’s gonna have both of them catch “Harold” He falls back and they let him fall. Then Kane & Daniel ask each other if they knew the other wasn’t gonna catch him. Then Daniel says that he is starting to understand Kane. WHAT!? I have no idea what to make of this crap!

World Champion Sheamus vs. WWE Champion CM Punk. Punk comes out in jeans. Then he gets the mic and says there’s a lot that Sheamus doesn’t know about his city. The first being they respect Punk and his decisions. Punk says that a Champion vs. Champion match is WrestleMania main event material. He says they get that Punk is nothing less than a main event wrestler. He then says that he shouldn’t be brought out at 8:00 and say that he is from Chicago. He then says it’s Labor Day and a lot of people have taken off from work. He says he knows they will respect him for doing the same. Then Punk walks up the ramp holding the belt. Sheamus says Punk just disrespected the fans by walking out. Sheamus says they wanna see this match. They show Punk backstage and AJ tells him he can’t leave. He tells her to check his contract. It says that it has personal days and this is 1 of them. Then Matt Striker asks AJ what she’ll do about the match. She asks Striker who he is. Then she tells “whoever you are” to tell Sheamus to remain in the ring. She says that she will find an opponent for Sheamus tonight. Punk’s promo was good here. I have no idea why they had AJ not know who Striker is!

Back to the show and Alberto Del Rio & Ricardo Rodriguez come out. Then out comes Jack Swagger.

Del Rio & Ricardo are at ringside for the next match.

World Champion Sheamus vs. Jack Swagger. Sheamus wins by submission. This was a squash.

Then Del Rio gets in the ring and pounds on Sheamus. Then Sheamus gets the advantage. Then Ricardo comes in. Sheamus takes care of him. Then he gives Del Rio white noise. Then he was going to Brogue Kick him but Ricardo pushed Del Rio out of the way and took the kick. Then a referee and a medic come in the ring and check on the unconscious Ricardo.

Back to the show and they show medics reviving Ricardo during the break.

Layla is on commentary for the next match

Kaitlyn vs. Eve Torres. Eve gets the pin. This was a filler match. Then Eve helps Kaitlyn up and raises her hand.

Then Eve goes over to Layla to shake her hand. Cole & Miz are saying Eve’s being a good sport. Layla tells them to stay out of it. Then Layla finally shakes Eve’s hand.

Jack Swagger is backstage. AJ asks where he’s going. He says he’s taking extended time off. He says that he is better than this. AJ says that everyone (Brock, Jericho & Punk) is leaving her and he can’t too. He says he’s sorry and he leaves. Technically from a storyline standpoint Jericho didn’t leave AJ since she put his contract on the line and he lost the match!

More of Kane & Daniel Bryan. The doc says that he’s proud of them since they’re now graduates of anger management. Daniel says that the doc has taught him a lot. Then Daniel says that he has anger problem and will give Kane a rematch of the SummerSlam match that he beat Kane in. Kane thanks Daniel and says that he looks forward to the rematch someday and will try not to eviscerate him. Then Daniel says that you can’t eviscerate if you tap out. Then Kane says that he can make it so Daniel doesn’t leave the room. Harold tells them to take it easy and they tell him to shut up. Daniel says he won’t be intimidated by him. They argue more, Kane grabs Daniel by the throat. Then the doc flips out and says they haven’t learned anything.

Then Cole gets the mic and says that the fans can tweet if they want Kane & Daniel to either have a match against each other, have a match as a tag team, or hug it out. This is really idiotic! 1 of the options is for them to “Hug it out”? To quote Miz, “Really”? This “having the fans tweet/TOUT” and all this social media is meaningless!

Matt Striker asks Del Rio for an update on Ricardo. Then David Otunga comes out of the dressing room and says that on behalf of his client, there’s no comment at this time.

Ryback vs. Jinder Mahal. Ryback gets the pin. This was a squash.

Matt Striker knocks on AJ’s door. She comes out. He says that things are falling apart and he asks what she plans to do about it. She tells him to tell Cena & Del Rio that their match tonight is a falls count anywhere match.

Daniel Bryan comes out. Then Kane. Michael Cole gets the mic and it is time to find out what the fans voted for them to do. Hug it out wins. FIX! This voting had to be rigged. I’m convinced that all these “fans vote on what happens” are fixed. They stare each other down. The fans chant hug it out. Neither guy can bring themselves to it. Then Daniel extends his arms out but then screams no. Then Daniel does a chest bump. Then Kane chest pumps Daniel. Then Daniel hugs Kane. Then he screams at Kane to hug him. Then the reluctantly hug but apparently it doesn’t count. Then they embrace at the same time. Then they shake hands. Then Kane slaps Daniel on the shoulder. Then Daniel slaps Kane’s shoulder. Then Daniel shoves Kane. Kane shoves Daniel. Then Daniel shoves him and Kane shoves back. Then Daniel smacks Kane. Then Kane misses a clothesline. Then Daniel kicks him. Kane send him off the ropes for a big boot. Then Kane goes to clothes line him. Daniel yanks down the top rope. Kane falls to the floor. Then they go at it. Then Kane gets a chair. He throws Daniel back in the ring and choke slams him. Then Kane picks up the chair and places around Daniel’s head. Then Kane goes to the top rope but referees come out. Then Daniel hits Kane in the head with the chair. This was WAY BEYOND IDIOTIC AND WAY TOO LONG!! There was a referee in the ring telling these 2 the rules of a hug out!? What is with this company!?

Santino Marella vs. U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro for the Title. Cesaro gets the pin. This was idiotic too. This was all about Santino losing the “cobra” and trying to grab it. Also Cesaro stomped on it. OH NO THE COBRA! Wait Santino got it back, maybe there’s some life left in it! Then Cesaro got the pin. Who cares? Why do they have a guy act like a sock puppet is real? Having Cesaro booked in this really does him a disservice!

Zack Ryder vs. Heath Slater. Ryder gets the pin. This was a decent but short match.

Then Vickie Guerrero comes out. She mentions that she wants to address some personal issues with AJ. She’s not leaving the ring till AJ comes out. Vickie demands a chair. She sits and waits for AJ. Commercial time. Back from break. Vickie says that 2 weeks ago AJ overstepped her boundaries and put Dolph’s MITB contract on the line. “And last week she did this.” They show they AJ-Vickie catfight. Vickie says it’s clear AJ is losing control of her show. Then she says that if AJ won’t come out to chat then she will chat with AJ. Then Vickie starts talking like AJ is there. She says that AJ hasn’t delivered on her promises. Then Vickie says she’s not doing this to herself. Then AJ comes out. AJ says she just spoke to the Board and they told her that her actions have been juvenile and she’s not to put her hands on anyone. They want her to apologize and she does. Vickie asks if AJ is apologizing for being a lousy GM or is she apologizing to Vickie. Then Vickie demands that AJ apologize to her right now. They have a stare down. Then AJ says she is sorry. Vickie called that pathetic. She wants AJ to apologize and make it mean something. AJ apologizes again. Then Vickie slaps AJ and reminds AJ that she can’t touch her. Vickie slaps her again. Then Vickie does the evil laugh into the mic and skips up the ramp. Then AJ flips and bashes the chair against the canvas. Then she throws it out of the ring and loses her mind. This was also a really awful segment! None of this makes sense. AJ booked Jericho-Dolph in a contract vs. contract match 2 weeks ago. Vickie was ok with it then. Plus Dolph won the match anyway! So why should Vickie be pissed about that!? Now they have this stupid angle where Vickie can slap around AJ but AJ can’t put her hands on anybody! That storyline is old. If there’s anyone that needs to apologize, it should be Vince apologizing to the fans for booking and subjecting us to this crap!

They show a TOUT from David Otunga saying that he & Del Rio will take legal actions against Sheamus. He will talk about it more on Smackdown.  

John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio in a falls count anywhere match. Del Rio gets the pin. This was good. Cena dragged the steel steps to the announce table. Then he got Del Rio up on his shoulders and was going for the AA. But Del Rio elbowed out of it and gave Cena a back suplex and both guys go through the announce table. Del Rio got the mic and says Cena’s beneath him and so is the entire WWE roster. Chicago is too. Now he’s gonna break Cena’s arm. Del Rio went for the cross arm breaker but Cena turned it into the STF. Del Rio hit Cena in the head with the mic. Then they brawled by the stage. Cena got a speaker but Del Rio got Cena’s hamstring. They brawled to the back. Cena threw Del Rio into the interview area. Del Rio went for the cross arm breaker but Cena got out of it and gave Del Rio an AA on cases. Then Punk came in and attacked Cena. Then Punk threw Del Rio onto Cena for the pin. Afterwards Punk gave Cena a GTS onto the front of a car. Then he kneels over Cena and says, “Respect.” Punk stands on the car holding up the Title. Then as the car is pulling away we see that the driver is Paul Heyman. He looks at Cena for a bit and then drives off. Cena lies on the floor to end the show. This was a really good match and a good way to end the show. Thankfully they ended the show with something decent.

This week’s show was awful for the most part. The Sheamus-Punk promo at the start was good. Punk was great on the mic as usual. Cena-Del Rio was a good brawl and having Punk attack Cena made sense. Having Heyman there was cool too. I liked that they didn’t have Cena stand tall at the end. The rest of the show had some ups and a lot of downs! Orton-Dolph was good. I’m glad they had Dolph win and not get flattened afterwards! The Kane-Daniel Bryan segments were awful! Their “hug out” segment in the ring was far too long and really idiotic!! Santino-Cesaro was typical not funny WWE comedy. I’m tired of the cobra bit! The AJ-Vickie segment was lousy too. Also having AJ not know who Matt Striker is was stupid! Ryder-Slater was decent but short. Sheamus-Swagger & Ryback-Mahal were both squashes. Rey & Cara vs. Tensai & Cody was decent. Kaitlyn-Eve wasn’t much. They had the number 1 contender for the Divas title lose a match cleanly. Also having Eve offer to shake Layla’s hand and Layla being reluctant about it was dumb too. Layla’s the face & Eve’s the heel, but it looked like the rolls were reversed. Overall, besides of Punk’s promo & Cena-Del Rio I thought this week’s show was really painful to watch!