Saturday 29 October 2011

WWE Diva Maryse released

WWE announced the following yesterday:

"WWE has come to terms on the release of WWE Raw Diva Maryse as of today, October 28, 2011. WWE wishes Maryse the best in all of her future endeavors."

Maryse commented on her release via Twitter:

"I'M OUT and sexier than ever! Thanks to all my fans, colleagues and @WWE Universe. Im Happy, im Smiling, and FREE, now its time to get Naughty ............BE SEXY"

It's always unfortunate when someone is released, although to be honest I can't say I'm devastated that she's now no longer with the company.

Friday 28 October 2011

My SmackDown, October 28th Recap

The show opened with Teddy Long (still annoying to me, he just is) announcing that the World title situation regarding Mark Henry after his match with Big Show at Vengeance would be addressed that night. Christian chimed in and declared that the situation should be sorted out there and then, in a surprise visit CM Punk also joined them both. It was an entertaining segment with Punk and Christian, which is hardly surprising considering their probably the best two guys on the mic in the company today. CM Punk claimed to be a fan of Christian’s ability in the ring but not his constant moaning and“bitching”. Punk also challenged Christian to a match which Long happily obliged him with.
Awesome Truth defeated Air Boom in the first match of the night. It was an enjoyable contest like normal with the in-form Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne. Along with the return of Miz and R-Truth the tag team division has after long last begun getting the attention it deserves over the last few months, they just need to find another credible heel tag team (or possibly Ziggler and Swagger again) to challenge Air Boom for the titles. Awesome Truth got the pin after applying their joint finisher the Little Jimmy Finale on Kofi.
The Miz and R-Truth also spoke about Cena’s choice of The Rock as a partner at Survivor Series and how foolish it was considering their hatred of each other, which is a fair point.
Wade Barrett pinned Trent Barreta in a match which he pretty much dominated from start to finish. I wouldn’t mind maybe seeing him feud with Orton next, just something to get him back into the main event scene on the blue brand. Barrett would definitely be a better choice then Henry right now as champion in my opinion anyway, I don’t see why he hasn’t received a real push on SmackDown as of yet really.
Next up was Randy Orton versus Dolph Ziggler, along with Cody Rhodes on commentary. The match was another exciting one on one bout between the two with some nice near falls and great action. Ziggler looked like a real main eventer here, I also like the addition of the super kick to his set of maneuvers as it can be instantly hit out of nowhere for an awesome finish. Booker T and Rhodes also argued a little on commentary, sounds like the rumours of a feud between the two could very well be in the pipeline.    
There was then an interview with discussing his feelings after loosing his mask vs mask match against Sin Cara last week. It was definitely a smart move to ditch the’ Sin Cara versus Sin Cara’ storyline and give much more of a chance to shine on the show as himself rather then a copycat Sin Cara. At least management didn’t decide to carry the storyline on too long either. 
Daniel Bryan beat Tyson Kidd via submission in a short but nice showcase of both wrestler’s technical abilities. Hopefully this means Bryan is going to start being built up as a real World title contender now like he should have been after he won the Money In The Bank match. 
We we forced to sit through Michael Cole showing off his set of Photoshopped pictures of Jim Ross in training for the ‘Michael Cole challenge’ next Monday on Raw. Any feud that’s involved Cole participating in the ring has been a waste of TV time that should be given to real in ring talent that deserve the time to build themselves up for the future. No doubt it’s going to be another waste of time on Raw with this challenge. 
Big Show announced that he would receive a World title match against Mark Henry once again in the near future, unfortunately. They managed to pull off an all right match at Vengeance and had an exciting, if not unoriginal, finish, but I can’t see them being able to pull it off again. Henry also made an appearance but decided to back out like the typical heel from a fight with Big Show.
CM Punk bested Christian in the main event with Del Rio and Rodriguez at ringside. The match was solid as predicted with these two talents involved. Punk managed to score the pin with his GTS after Sheamus came out to even the score after Del Rio had pushed Punk as he was setting up for an elbow drop on the top rope. The result was pretty obvious as it seems Punk will somehow get a title match with Del Rio at Survivor Series.  

My iMPACT Wrestling, October 27th 2011 Recap

The show opened up with the brand new World champion James Storm make his way out and thank his family, friends and all the fans for their support during his career. Fortune also joined him and Storm offered Roode the first crack at his title, but as he was Samoa Joe also made his way out to the ring and accused Fortune of applying the same tactics as Immortal of trying to keep the title "in the family," and challenged Storm to a title shot instead. After some more dispute the new authority of iMPACT Sting announced a number one contenders match between Joe and Roode later on in the night for a World title shot on next weeks iMPACT. 
Van Dam won by DQ against Christopher Daniels when Daniels smacked him in the stomach with a tool box. the match itself was all right, I was expecting a bit of a quicker pace with these two to be honest but the action wasn't bad. As Daniels threatened to use a screw driver on Van Dam afterwards Styles raced down, scaring off Daniels who then ran off into the crowd.  
Next an arrogant Gail Kim, accompanied with Karen Jarrett, Madison Rayne and Traci Brooks explained that she had attacked the Knockouts champ Velvet Sky the week before because she was sick of taking orders her entire career and had finally been given a chance by someone who had her "best interests at heart," the Knockouts VP Karen Jarrett. Jarrett also announced that it would be Velvet Sky versus Gail Kim for the Knockouts title at Turning Point. Kim as a heel could be interesting, especially aligned with Jarrett. I'm just relieved to see her back in the company and given the spot that her talent deserves.
Straight after that Gail Kim defeated Tara via pinfall in an entertaining match up, in fact probably the most entertaining Knockouts match in a while. Although it's a little disappointing that they used someone with the reputation of Tara as the cannon fodder for Kim.
Eric Young (c) defeated Robbie E in a quick and pretty worthless match up to retain the equally worthless Television title after he managed to score a quick pin. Afterwards Robbie E and his bodyguard Rob Terry beat down on Young for a bit. Eric announced after a quick recovery that he was bringing in Ronnie from the Jersey Shore as backup for Terry. I'm already tired of this rivalry.
Eric Bischoff then called out his son Garrett and told him how he'd let him and his family down by his actions of recent weeks (punching Eric last week and helping Sting win at Bound For Glory). He also gave his son the ultimatum of either apologising to him later on or he'll "kick his ass," as he put it. Backstage Ric Flair also had a word with Garrett about respect and threatened to also kick his ass, this only made Garrett look pathetic as he cowered from the 62-year old Flair's threats.  
Just before the  Jeff Hardy versus Bully Ray bout Jeff Jarrett once again berated Hardy for his no shows in the past for TNA and for the Victory Road debacle. Hardy and him began to brawl until Bully Ray smashed Hardy from behind and their match begun. After gaining the early advantage Ray predictably had most of the offense during the match until Hardy managed to valiantly fight back and eventually gained the one-two-three after a Swanton Bomb. The match was again okay, not awful but not anything to rave about. As Hardy was being interviewed afterwards he was attacked from behind by Jarrett. As he and Bully Ray attempted to put Hardy through a table Anderson came to the rescue and chased them off.
Bobby Roode defeated Samoa Joe in the exciting number one contenders main event match up. Both men went back and forth and there were some nice near falls, Roode eventually won with his fisherman's suplex. Unlike previous weeks Joe had someone with much more talent in the ring to wrestle with and to show off more of his technical ability. I just hope he gets to feud with someone else like this in the near future like he deserves. 
Eric Bischoff once again came out to the ring to call out his son to make his decision, why couldn't they have just gotten this over with earlier on in the show in one single segment? Instead of the apology that Eric was expecting Garrett refused and even threatened his dad by grabbing him. Flair then joined them and warned Garrett that he better apologise to them both. After two pathetic low blow attempts form both of them Bischoff and Flair began to attack Garrett (yes, the much younger and in shape Garrett was being beaten up by the way past it Flair and Eric Bischoff, geez...) Taz even said on commentary that Garrett was "well over his head," with Flair. What on earth are they on in this company? But of course in TNA Flair is as he most probably pictures himself, a"God".   

Monday 24 October 2011

My WWE Vengeance 2011 recap

We started off with Air Boom (c) defeating Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger to retain the Tag Team titles. It was yet again another good addition to their series of tag team bouts. Air Boom are looking the part of a solid and exciting team and have really helped in rejuvenating the tag team division. Now WWE need to build up another heel team for them to face next.
Immediately after the match it was Dolph Ziggler (c) versus Zach Ryder for the United States Championship. It was decent enough, the crowd were thoroughly behind Ryder as normal as he rallied up some offense in the bout. Even after just going through a tag team match Ziggler managed to pin Ryder after a distraction from Swagger at ringside. If Ryder was to ever win the title I imagine it would've been there and then against a weakened Ziggler, I think it's safe to say that WWE don't see Ryder as championship material right now. 
Next Beth Phoenix (c) defeated Eve Torres to retain the Divas championship. The match didn't last too long which suited it as it probably would've suffered had it gone any longer. It's definitely a step up having Eve challenging over Kelly, she has a more exciting move set compared to her in my opinion. There were some exciting near falls too, especially one from Eve after a Glam Slam attempt. Beth retained after applying the Glam Slam for the one-two-three.
Next Sheamus pinned Christian in my match of the night. Yet again we had another solid pay per view performance from Captain Charisma. Not that I'm giving him all the credit, both men looked good and put on an exciting and fast paced match. Maybe Sheamus should be next in line to face Henry for the title after a probable rematch with Big Show first.
We then had The Miz and R-Truth beat Triple H and CM Punk. The bout was pretty disappointing I found, and the build up should've been even better considering the competitors involved. The match wasn't all bad and had some moments of decent action but was fairly drab during some parts. For the finish Kevin Nash attacked Triple H (who was fighting R-Truth on the outside) from the crowd as the referee was distracted, Miz and Truth then applied their new finish which combines Miz's Skull-Crushing Finale and Truth's What's Up? And is named Little Jimmy Finale on Punk for the win.
Randy Orton then defeated Cody Rhodes in a bout that actually exceeded my expectations, and I was expecting good things from it already. The two exchanged a lot of decent counters and in a nice near fall Rhodes applied his Cross Rhodes to Orton after he'd been distracted by one of Rhode's bag men. Orton won after hitting Cody with the RKO. Granted Rhodes didn't win but this match and feud with Orton spell out good things for his future as far as I'm concerned. He's proven that he can compete with the main eventers of the company not just in the ring but with his mic work lately also.
Next Mark Henry (c) fought Big Show to a no contest after Henry superplexed Big Show from the middle rope and the ring collapsed (much like when Lesnar did the same to Big Show on SmackDown) which provoked a huge reaction from the crowd in attendance. The ending was exciting (if unoriginal) but the match itself was pretty mediocre, which was expected with these two involved. Although at least it was a step up from their match at Money In The Bank.
Then the main event where Alberto Del Rio (c) defeated John Cena in a Last Man Standing match to retain the WWE Championship. Both men had to battle on the collapsed ring, which made things a little interesting. The bout was the usual no selling affair from Cena, much like his I Quit match he had with Miz back at Over the Limit he came across as near unbeatable. After a while they both made their way backstage where Del Rio buried Cena under four walls of metal, where he of course made his heroic comeback after the count of 9. They then made their way back where Cena AA'd Del Rio through an announce table, but instead of counting Del Rio out the referee was distracted by Miz and R-Truth who had run in and taken out Cena. Del Rio recovered and clocked Cena across the head with his championship belt for the final ten count blow. 
Vengeance wasn't a bad pay per view, just not a particularly memorable one to be honest. Here's looking forward to no Cena in the title picture hopefully.

Friday 21 October 2011

My iMPACT Wrestling, October 20th 2011 Recap


Sting kicked off iMPACT by expressing his delight at the events of Bound For Glory and the return of the 'real' Hulk Hogan after he turned on Immortal. Hogan joined him, with a huge ovation, and thanked the Stinger for helping him to realise the error of his ways. Dixie Carter and Kurt Angle also joined in. The man who got screwed for the World title in a ridiculous ending at Bound For Glory (mind you, Russo was behind it so no surprise) Bobby Roode came out to confront Kurt in the only entertaining part of the segment. He called what happened at BFG "absolute bullshit," which it was, especially after the great job they'd done in building Bobby up. Sting was about to set up a rematch between the two but Angle revealed that a clause in their contract at BFG halted that completely.
Storm also hit the ring and concurred that Roode had been screwed and challenged Angle for a match instead.  Sting, in his new position appointed to him by Carter as the manager of iMPACT or whatever (they didn't actually say), then much to Angle's displeasure made the match official between Storm and Kurt for the World title that night. This segment of them all just jabbering on went on for about fifteen-minutes, 'Wrestling matters' huh?
Finally we had the first actual bit of wrestling on the show with Tara and Tessmacher (c) versus Winter and Angelina Love for the Knockout Tag Team titles (remember that title?). The match was dull until Tara was tagged in and got the crowd interested. Tessmacher cross bodied Winter form the top rope for the pinfall victory, which was well executed and a nice finish in a pretty forgettable bout.
Jeff Jarrett, accompanied by wife Karen, once again called out Jeff Hardy. Jarrett gave him the ultimatum of either leaving the company or to face the wrath of the company founder. Hardy claimed that Jarret was jealous of the connection he had with the fans and they began to brawl in a replay from Bound For Glory.
Next there was even more talking (halfway through the show and there'd only been one match) as Gunner gave a promo on Abyss that sounded like a throwback to the early nineties, he even said "take out the trash," come on now...
Abyss versus Gunner followed. Abyss looked as clumsy as ever as Gunner decided to bail the match and scarper. Let's hope this doesn't mean another Abyss push.
The new Knockout champion Velvet Sky cut a promo on how proud she was to have gone through all she had and finally won the title. VP of the Knockouts Karen Jarrett interrupted her and had security escort Traci Brooks out of the building after the events of BFG. Karen (who is definitely suited to her role here) admitted she had been tempted to strip Velvet of the title but instead decided to put her through physical pain first. Just as Madison Rayne began to make her way out Gail Kim returned and took out Sky from behind. I for one am extremely happy to see Gail back in TNA, as I wrote last week I felt they should bring back Gail Kim to the company as a needed asset of real in ring talent for the Knockouts division.
Next we had, you guessed it! Even more talking in the ring! How exciting. Bischoff, with the ring surrounded by Immortal members called out Hogan. He expressed how disgusted he was that Hogan had turned his back on Immortal and especially himself, who, as he put it, is "the man solely responsible for making you the man that you are today." To quote the Miz, really Bischoff? Really? I know he was obviously exaggerating but still. Eric eventually slapped Hulk in the face, but before he could retaliate Immortal crept into the ring only to back off when Sting arrived and handed Hogan a bat. As Bischoff backed up down the ramp his son Garrett Bischoff halted him and punched his father right in the face. So after Immortal have lost control and Dixie Carter is supposed to eb back in charge we still have all these spots given to guys like Sting and Hogan rather then younger wrestlers with a future? What was the point?
Then came the main event pitting Kurt Angle (c) versus James Storm for the TNA World Heavyweight title. Storm in a shocking result got the one-two-three and the World title after less then a minute after hitting Angle with a super kick.
Kurt's had a lot of injury woes lately, hence him dropping the title like that. But obviously the thing that has seemed to frustrated most fans is why Storm and why didn't the man they've been building up for ages, who won the BFG tournament and was week after week made to look like the next main eventer Bobby Roode win the championship at the biggest PPV of the year for them rather then that crap finish? Again TNA continues to baffle it's fans who are giving up on the product more and more each month for reasons like this.
As fans once chanted at Angle during his entrances in WWE, Vince Russo "You suck!"

Thursday 20 October 2011

Jericho's possible return to WWE?

Posted by: Caylon Knox on Oct 20 2011

"WrestleZone.com, WrestleNewz.com, and several other sites are reporting that Chris Jericho may be in negotiations with WWE regarding a possible return in time for WrestleMania.
Chris Jericho left WWE for the second time about a year ago and has been touring with his band Fozzy, as well as outside projects such as 'Dancing With The Stars'."

It would be a very nice surprise to have Y2J back on our screens every week in WWE, especially considering how thin the main event scene is with such short sighted pushes every few months. I imagine he'll want to change his persona a bit again if he does return. 

Tuesday 18 October 2011

My Raw, October 17th Recap


The show began with the dull John Laurinaitis teasing the crowd in Mexico by promising the return of Mysterio (who's still out) and bringing back JR to team with John Cena to face Michael Cole and WWE champion Alberto Del Rio in a tag team match to determine the stipulation for their match on Sunday at Vengeance for the title. Why JR and Cole? We already had to suffer the awful feud between King and Cole earlier in the year and now this? Here's an idea, how about some younger up and comers with a future participate in the match up?
The first match of the night, coming from Mexico, was a six man tag team match featuring Sheamus, Orton and Morrison versus Cody Rhodes, Mark Henry and Christian. The match had some decent moments but it was mostly average, although there was a very lively crowd behind it. Things began to break down as Randy and Rhodes started to tussle outside the ring which led to them leaving the match entirely as they went backstage. The best part of the match was probably the exchanges between Morrison and Christian, who both looked solid out there. Henry did his usual boring, slow routine and ended up pinning Morrison with his World's Strongest Slam. No sign of his opponent at Vengeance Big Show though. Their match has 'dud' written all over it.
Next we had Eve Torres versus Natalya. Considering Eve is facing Beth Phoenix for the Divas title on Sunday it wasn't hard to figure out who was winning this one. The match was decent enough for a Divas bout nowadays, Eve is without a doubt a step up from Kelly and she showed it here. I still believe that Natalya deserves more then just being Beth's right hand woman, she's the best female wrestler they currently have.
CM Punk versus The Miz was again another all right match, both guys looked decent enough but it didn't really get me hyped for their match on Sunday. CM Punk came out to a huge ovation from the crowd in attendance, probably the biggest since Money In The Bank. Before the match began Miz and Truth put down Punk by claiming that he talks too much and how much they hate it. Punk didn't really take it to heart (it's hard to take R-Truth seriously). Triple H also joined Punk in his corner for the bout, that was until Laurinaitis arrived and claimed that there were some errors with Triple H's immigration papers and that he must leave immediately. Punk scored the win after quickly rolling Miz up for the three count after throwing him into his partner Truth at ringside. 
Afterwards Miz and Truth began to beat down Punk until the referees (why is this their job now?) separated them and they began to leave down the ramp, but changed their mind and ran back to the ring to each apply their finishers to Punk for good measure.
Vickie Guerrero and her two clients Ziggler and Swagger announced their tag team title match on Sunday against Air Boom. Ziggler looked great on the mic here I thought, he's proving himself more and more as a possible headliner in the future. 
Zach Ryder beat Jack Swagger in approximately 33 seconds after hitting him with the Rough Ryder. Didn't Jack once hold the World Heavyweight championship or did I imagine that? Straight after we had Ziggler versus Mason Ryan in a match which yet again showcased how limited Ryan is in the ring, but he is getting a positive reaction from the audiences. The match ended after Ryan got disqualified for refusing to stop beating on Dolph in the corner.
Next John Cena and JR beat Michael Cole and Alberto Del Rio in the usual Cena routine. After having the majority of the offense over Cena during the bout Del Rio was forced to succumb to Cena's awful come back routine where he pops back to life after playing dead and reminds everyone so obviously that pro wrestling is fake. A great match has your belief suspended as you're watching it and you loose yourself in it, like Michaels versus Undertaker at WrestleMania 25. Cena decides to ignore that and sell for virtually no one in his never ending quest to ruin a wrestlers chance at becoming a believable main eventer. This is why we very much dislike your wrestling John, you portray a cartoon character and ruin it for us. And the thing is, he's shown that he can put on an entertaining match on rare occasions but he decides to phone it in most weeks and give us the same thing over and over again. Anyway, after Cena applied the Attitude Adjustment to Cole he tagged in JR who made him tap to an ankle lock for the win and for Cena to choose the stipulation for his championship match.
Cena carried on attacking Del Rio afterwards and grabbed a mic to start counting up to ten in his obvious teaser for his choice of a Last Man Standing match at Vengeance, although we still had the fool Lawler on commentary asking himself "I don't know what John's doing." All the while the crowd who had been firmly behind Del Rio during and after the match were booing Cena as he smacked the steel steps into Del Rio's head. He carried on counting once again, this time to ten and officially announced that it will be a Last man Standing match up. It could be a decent match if done correctly, so in other words nothing like their match at Night Of Champions which Del Rio is still having to recover from. Del Rio must win this match, even if it means having someone interfere on his behalf, which I see as the most likely road they'll go down. If Cena wins again then I don't see how Del Rio could possibly be considered a worthy World champion again, it would take a hell of a lot for him to recuperate from that loss.  

CM Punk turns down a role in a WWE Studios film

Posted by: Kenny Williams of WrestlingNewsSource.com on Oct 17 2011

During a recent interview with media outlets in Australia, CM Punk revealed that he has turned down an offer to star in a WWE Studios film. This is the same offer that Punk received during contract negotiations when his original WWE contract expired.
Punk stated that Stephanie McMahon thought he would be the perfect fit to star in a film titled No One Lives, in which Punk would portray "a 30-something scumbag with dirtbag good looks and soulless eyes." He said that he felt the idea was interesting, but it came up during a time in which he was contemplating leaving WWE.
Sources report that WWE still wants to have Punk star in a WWE Studios film as part of their merchandising and branding push that they will soon be involving him in. Early word is that WWE officials and WWE Studios personnel are still looking for a scriot that they think would suit Punk and want to have him signed up for a role sometime next year.

I for one would be interested to see how Punk would tackle an acting role like this.

Monday 17 October 2011

My TNA Bound For Glory 2011 Recap


So I originally had this far longer review of last nights Bound For Glory when my bloody laptop decided to suddenly shut down so I lost all of it. Don't you just love it when that kind of thing happens?
So anyway here's a much quicker roundup of it. The majority of the PPV was pretty mediocre.
The first match of the night was Austin Aries versus Brian Kendrick for the X Division championship. Good action here with the crowd in attendance firmly behind Aries as he retained his title. Smart choice as opener to get the crowd hyped for the night.
The Knockout championship bout was pretty much a waste of time, with the crowd giving chants of "Boring" and even Taz admitting that Karen Jarret as special ref was"annoying". Velvet Sky pinned Madison Rayne to win the title. 
Samoa Joe got a  good reception in his triple threat match against Morgan and Crimson. I guess the crowd decided to get behind the guy with the most talent. I was hoping for him to get the in after his string of losses lately but Crimson pinned him after a spear. 
The Jerry Lynn versus RVD Full Metal Mayhem match was okay, a few mistakes by both here and there but some decent spots, Van Dam won after an awesome coast to coast while holding a steel chair with a ladder balanced in front of Lynn. Anderson versus Bully Ray in a Falls Count Anywhere bout was again decent in places, but I was never expecting anything special from this match anyway. Anderson won after missing a swanton from the top rope to Bully Ray who was on a table on the outside of the ring, he quickly recovered and Mic Checked Ray through the table instead for the one-two-three.
Christopher Daniels versus AJ Styles in an I Quit match was exciting and heated. As one of my most anticipated matches of the night it certainly lived up to the billing for me. Daniels quit as AJ threatened him with a screwdriver. But it wasn't over, as AJ walked down the ramp Daniels attacked him from behind and applied his Angel Wings to him on the stage. I guess the feud continues...
Jeff Jarrett also called out Jeff Hardy and claimed that no one in the organisation wants him around anymore. They began to brawl until security broke them up. I think waiting to have Hardy's televised in ring return since the Victory Road incident has actually been a smart move on TNA's part. 
Hulk Hogan versus Sting was predictably stale. We had to suffer the awful acting by the boring Dixie Carter and the return of the now useless Ric Flair. Although I'll give them credit, the crowd were seriously into it. Sting eventually made Hogan tap with the Scorpion Deathlock, forcing the referee (who had been revealed as Bischoff's son earlier) to call for the bell and announce Sting as the winner. Afterwards Immortal beat down Stinger until Hogan turned on them to an electric reaction and Hulked up to help Sting take them all out. As two men past their prime against much younger wrestlers can do of course...
Finally we had the superbly built up main event pitting Kurt Angle (c) versus Bobby Roode for the World Heavyweight championship. The match was solid and the exchanges between the two wrestlers were brilliant. It's just a shame that after all the build up to the main event that they had to go with such a bullshit ending with Angle getting the pinfall while Roode was holding onto the rope. This is meant to be the biggest match of the entire year for the organisation and it goes without saying that it should really have a definitive finish, not a screwy, Russo-esque one like this. Disappointing ending, although the match is definitely worth watching.

Friday 14 October 2011

My SmackDown, October 14th Recap


We opened up with the annoying Teddy Long and extremely dull John Laurinaitis (although he's managing to get plenty of heat form the crowds) announce that there would be an inter promotional battle royal to kick off SmackDown, and that the winner would receive a title shot of their choosing later on the same night.
The NXT and Superstars regulars predictably exited the crowded battle royal first. Daniel Bryan was eliminated far too early for my liking (before Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre for pity's sake) what is wrong with the booking when it comes to Bryan? This guy should be being built up a top wrestler on the blue brand. Instead he's still treated like a mid-carder. I would have had him reach at least the final five of the bout. I know I complain about this almost every week but it does frustrate me. 
Sheamus managed to take the most names during the match until Christian snuck back into it (he was eliminated by the 'great white') and eliminated him from behind. An understandably angry Sheamus gave chase to Christian all the way to the back. Shortly after Orton ran rough shot and threw over Swagger, Barrett and Mahal with ease. Leaving only him and the Miz who had earlier exited the ring under the bottom rope. Orton began to perform his usual match-ending routine until both men ended up on the outside of the ropes, The Miz rightfully looked like Orton's equal here as they battled to win the match. Randy pulled out an RKO and Miz clearly hit the ground first, although they did the old routine of "Which guy won? Who landed first?" As they do. 
Orton obviously revealed in an interview afterwards that he will challenge Henry for the World title later on. 
Much to my relief the match chosen for the 'From The Vault' part of the show was actually a decent one, hurray! I've recently complained about the selection of bouts they've used over the last few weeks, especially with the library they have access to.  It was a six man tag team match featuring Mysterio and Cryme Tyme versus Jeri-Show (Big Show and Jericho) and Dolph Ziggler. The best part of the match being when Mysterio (who is much missed in the company right now with his constantly solid performances in the ring) and Jericho tangled with each other. These two always seemed to work superbly with one another. It was an exciting match where in the end Ziggler picked up the win by pinning Mysterio after he had been KO'd by one of Show's punches. Let's have some more like this one from now on, eh?
Backstage we saw WWE champion Del Rio on his way out of the building when Teddy Long stopped him to inform him that he had a match booked against Sheamus later on. Much to Del Rio's displeasure. 
We then had Kelly Kelly versus Beth Phoenix for the Divas championship. Kelly was, as usual, flawed in places but the match was short so it was well suited for her. Phoenix grabbed the win after applying the Glam Slam on Kelly. Let's hope this is the last of their series, Beth deserves some new competition for the title.
Again we went backstage to witness the original Sin Cara being battered by the black Sin Cara. Once he was out the black Sin Cara stole his blue mask and put it on himself, to presumably steal back the identity. I was hoping this feud would've ended by this point, oh well.
The following match which had Justin Gabriel versus Sin Cara (the black one) was okay. It was mostly played out to a dead crowd who have most likely lost interest in this feud with the Sin Caras and don't really care what happens either way now. Justin Gabriel has seemed to have lost his place on the roster lately, which is a shame I think as I reckon he has something to offer the blue brand. Maybe he could feud with Rhodes over the Intercontinental title in the future?
Next up was Del Rio versus Sheamus. The bout was pretty mediocre. For the finish as the referee was distracted with Ricardo Rodriguez at ringside Christian pushed Sheamus while he was on the top rope, leaving Del Rio free to kick Sheamus in the head and grab the one-two-three. But Christian wasn't finished with the great white yet as he speared him not once, but twice.
The next match was a tag team bout featuring for the one night only, Evan Bourne replacement Zach Ryder and Kofi Kingston against Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler.The match was solid and another entertaining entrant into the series of tag team matches featuring these guys. In a strangely heel move while the ref was distracted with Swagger, Kingston crept in (Ryder was the legal man) hit Ziggler with the Trouble In Paradise and laid Zach on top for the win. Why wasn't Ryder allowed to beat Dolph cleanly? I'm guessing that he was given the win as a way for Ryder to challenge for the US title once again, maybe on next Mondays Raw. 
Then there was the main event for the World Heavyweight championship pittingRandy Orton against Mark Henry. Orton deserves credit for the hard work he's had to do with Henry in their bouts to make him look half decent, it can't be an easy task. Yet again it was a rather mediocre match on the card, Henry had most of the offense going during the bout but unfortunately for Orton as he began to mount a comeback Cody Rhodes interfered and the match ended on a disqualification. As he went to grab a paper bag to once again place on Orton the Big Show's music hit and he rushed out to take down Henry (it was a brief preview of their slow-mo match they're going to have at Vengeance) and also help set up Rhodes for an RKO courtesy of Orton. So I'll put money on a tag team match featuring the four men next week, which could actually be a decent match.
So SmackDown was all right, the most entertaining part being the tag team match with Ryder, Kingston, Ziggler and Swagger, which is a good sign once agan for the tag team division. I'm hoping the Big Show Mark Henry feud doesn't last too long, we don't deserve to suffer their upcoming matches for however long they have planned (two PPVs this year is enough). Nice to see Cody getting into a bigger feud with Orton too. I can't imagine him getting any kind of clean win over him but it's a good sign that he's been given a top tier opponent to clash with by the bookers.   

My iMPACT Wrestling, October 13th 2011 Recap

The show opened with Angle on the mic calling out Bobby Roode, who obliged to Angle's request. Angle congratulated Roode on beating his Fortune teammates, but reminded him that he's a step above them all and will prove a much greater challenge at Bound For Glory. He also called himself "The greatest wrestler to ever lace up a pair of boots," well I'd consider him one of the all-time best for me personally. Roode commended Angle on his accomplishments and his heart, and said that at BFG he wants to find out who has the "bigger heart." He also issued Kurt the challenge of no games, interference or Immortal and Fortune at BFG, just a straight one-on-one match between the two men to determine who is the superior competitor. Angle agreed and shook Bobby's hand, but as he leaving down the ramp he admitted that he'd almost forgotten to mention something to Roode, that he was booked into a handicap match against Jarrett and Gunner later on in the night. It was an all right segment, I just hope they keep to their word and have a simple one-on-one match this Sunday. If they do I'm sure it'll be something special.
We were then taken backstage where Jerry Lynn and Christopher Daniels were brawling with AJ Styles and Rob Van Dam. This continued to the ring where Daniels and Lynn had managed to gain the advantage and drag Styles out there, until Van Dam raced out to his aid and the tag team match between the four commenced. It was a pretty decent bout, the most exciting part came when AJ performed an always awesome flip dive to the outside onto the three other wrestlers involved (including RVD which was a little odd). He also grabbed the win after performing the Styles Clash on Lynn for the three count as Daniels abandoned his partner and decided to leave.
Next up was Samoa Joe versus Matt Morgan, I think Joe deserves a more exciting in-ring competitor then Morgan really. The match was pretty drab, in the end Morgan scored the win after a schoolboy roll up. So for the second consecutive week Joe's lost in singles competition, he deserves better then that in my opinion. But Joe didn't take it lying down as he began the attack on Morgan. This was until Crimson made his way out for the save as Joe left the ring. Samoa Joe then issued the challenge of a triple threat match up between the three at Bound For Glory to settle things.  
We then had another call out as Mexican America asked Ink Inc to make their way to the ring (where they got a pretty good reaction from the crowd actually). They began to mock Mexican America until they'd had enough and began to beat down Neal and Moore. But then an unknown woman made her way out and helped Ink Inc by taking out Rosita and Sarita, this gave Ink Inc enough leverage to then clear house and stand tall in the ring. With this new addition to the team I'm predicting a win for them on Sunday for the Tag Team titles.
The next match of the night pitted Kendrick and Sorensen against Aries and Kid Kash. This was the most exciting match of the night (if not flawed at places) with some solid action, Sorensen especially impressed me here. After a disagreement between Kash and Aries after Kid had inadvertently elbowed Aries, Sorensen speared Kash and they left the ring. I believe the referee was meant to be distracted here (but it's TNA booking so who knows?) as Aries grabbed his X Division title belt with clear intent to hit Kendrick, even though he clearly was looking at the action. Anyway Kendrick managed to duck it and apply his sliced bread maneuver onto the belt for the win.  
Assembled in the ring for the next segment were the majority of the Knockouts division along with the President of the Knockouts Karen Jarrett. She berated them for a while, calling them classless and even "street walkers" at one point, she especially had a go at Velvet Sky. Though Sky didn't take it lying down, she stood up to Jarrett and claimed that she would "respect her" when she becomes the next Knockout champion. As Karen continued Velvet and Traci Brooks then childishly tripped her up as a fight between the knockouts then ensued until security broke it up. Can't say I'm particularly eagerly anticipating the Knockout title match on Sunday myself. I'm predicting Velvet Sky to pick up the title for the first time.
Then we had Mr. Anderson versus Scott Steiner (he's still around in TNA? Why?) with Bully Ray as the special enforcer. I'll give Ray credit, I never thought he'd pull it off successfully in the singles division but he's lost a lot of weight (which he needed to) and made a success of it in my eyes.
The match was actually a little better then I had anticipated, at least to begin with. Steiner had most of the offence early on until Anderson began to pick things up, he even left the ring for a moment to clothesline Bully Ray, who had been winding him up from ringside during the bout. Steiner then low blowed Anderson clearly in front of the ref, no DQ there no? The slow Abyss then joined them with a chain in hand. As Steiner prepared Anderson for Abyss' attack Anderson managed to duck it, leaving Abyss to level Scott instead. Anderson, grabbing the chain, then attacked Abyss and threw him out of the ring. At least we didn't have to witness too much of 'The Monster', at least I'd hoped. Anderson then pinned Steiner for the win in a confusing bout.
Jarret and Gunner then joined Bully Ray in berating Abyss ad blaming him for Anderson's win and claiming that he had "Screwed up". Eventually enough was enough as Abyss then attempted to choke slam Ray, but the numbers game were against him as the Immortal members began to beat him down. Bully Ray then grabbed a table from under the ring, much to the audiences excitement, and set it up. Anderson then returned to help Abyss but like him, he fell to Immortals numbers as they attacked him also. Bully Ray finally Bubba Bombed him through the table and gloated in his face. I'm not expecting much from their match at BFG, mainly stunt spots with weapons I'm guessing (much like the Lynn vs RVD bout) not a classic by any means.
Backstage Angle then spoke to James Storm regarding his match with Roode the previous week and how Angle had charged Storm into the steel steps but claimed that Roode had taken advantage of that and picked up the win anyway. Kurt then left a frustrated Storm to brew. After there was another in the terrific series of VT's involving Roode and Angle talking about their match for the TNA World championship.   
Then the last match of the night, Bobby Roode versus Gunner and Jeff Jarrett. Before Bobby even entered the ring he grabbed a steel chair, to which the referee grabbed it off of him and left Roode to race into the ring and begin the match with both men. Bobby started off well but soon fell prey to the numbers game as Jarrett and Gunner gained the advantage. Jarrett and Gunner continued the assault, until Roode made an electrifying comeback on them both and got the win when he made Gunner tap to the crossface. Now I feel WWE do a great many things better then TNA, but this, this is how to build up a wrestler the right way. Take note Vince, it's been a while since you've done that.
But it wasn't over yet, Roode and Jarrett continued to battle until Bully Ray and Steiner came out to help. Storm also attempted to help his former tag team partner but to no avail as he was beaten and thrown out of the ring by Immortal. Angle then walked out and was just about to punch Roode when Hardy hit the scene and began to either scare off or take out members of Immortal in the ring. How was it Storm failed to do this but Hardy could? The audience loved it, especially when Hardy Twist Of Fated Jarrett. Afterwards Hardy put out his hand for Roode to shake, Bobby was reluctant but accepted Hardy's offer and they shook hands. As Jeff went to leave Storm didn't seem so forgiving and blocked his way, until he and Roode both raised Hardy's arms. 
Backstage Hardy was interrupted by Jeff Jarrett and warned that he was not welcome into the company anymore and that he better not turn up at Bound For Glory. Hardy then said that he had to leave to get his ticket for the event. Guess we'll be seeing him Sunday then...
The final part of the show was the contract signing segment between Sting and Hulk Hogan. They both signed in silence, then Hogan opened his mouth and spurted out crap about what he'd done for the company. He even at one point had the guile to say that him and Bischoff when they first arrived had to "get this company back on track,"I do worry that Hogan actually might very well believe some of the rubbish he says sometimes. Hogan agreed with Sting to make the match just about them two without interference, just man on man at BFG. Bischoff then interrupted them as a distraction for Hogan as he slammed Sting with a chair and began to pound on him in slow motion and choke him as the show ended.
As usual iMPACT just seemed like a jumbled up broadcast. Racing form one thing to the next without leaving much time for the viewer to actually digest what had just happened. Some may find it exciting but for me I believe they need to pace their segments a lot more carefully, thereby giving them more relevance and importance. I'll give my predictions for Bound For Glory on Sunday most likely, an event which'll range from the great to the plain awful I imagine. 

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Update on Mick Foley's return to WWE, plus Austin responds to Lesnar.

Boy this week has been pretty filled with possible WWE comebacks talk. First Lesnar (segment from the interview is also here on the blog) who I definitely see as a possible return to the company at some point in the future, and someone I would definitely welcome back with open arms. Austin also retaliated to Lesnar's 'challenge' to face him if he had one more match in the squared circle via Twitter when he tweeted "So @DCBROCKLESNAR was talking trash about me...very interesting. Gonna finish my beverage and mull this one over...catch y'all tomorrow." And later on with "Trying to go to sleep..but this @DCBROCKLESNAR thing is winding me up a bit...relax....breath...relax...breathe....no use..to be continued.." Interesting, although as big a fan as I am of Lesnar, I'd personally rather see a CM Punk versus Steve Austin match if he were to wrestle once again. Although obviously either match would be huge. How about Lesnar versus Undertaker and Steve Austin versus Punk along with The Rock versus John Cena on the WrestleMania card next year? What an absolutely huge event that would be.  


Anyway, back to the point of this post. Interesting news regarding Foley:


WrestlingNewsSource.com has learned that Mick Foley will in fact be making a return to WWE sometime within the next few weeks. According to backstage sources, there is talk that Foley's return may take place around the time Survivor Series rolls around. Foley himself has also been teasing his return via Twitter and interviews.
Sources are also reporting that with The Rock returning to action at Survivor Series, as well as making an appearance on the final WWE RAW before the event, it's expected that Foley will make numerous appearances both leading up to and after Survivor Series.

Apparently some fans aren't too keen on the return of Mick to WWE after his rather lackluster run in TNA. I don't really think this is fair, after all he had to work with Vince Russo's writing, which isn't pleasant (to be kind). I think the way to bring him back is to have John Laurinaitis and his evil schemes revealed and have him removed as Interim General Manager, thus leaving a job that can then be filled by former GM Mr. Foley. I for one am looking forward to his return to the company anyway. 

The Rock returning for special three-hour Raw

WWE issued the following-


Finally, The Rock Returns to Boston
WWE(R) announced today that “the most electrifying man in entertainment,” The Rock, will return to the city of Boston at the TD Garden on Monday, November 14 for a special three hour Raw(R) SuperShow that will air live on USA Network at 8 PM ET/7 PM CT.

What will happen when “The People’s Champion” The Rock and John Cena(R) meet in Cena’s hometown in their first face-to-face encounter since the spring? Ever since the announcement of the epic main event of Rock vs. Cena at WrestleMania(R) XXVIII on April 1, 2012, the two Superstars have engaged in a war of words. Can these two Superstars get along six days before they team up at Survivor Series(R)?

Brock Lesnar announced for WWE 12


I cannot wait to play as Lesnar once again in a WWE game. For me since SmackDown: Here Comes The Pain he's always been one of the most exciting wrestlers to be in any WWE video game, with his raw power and great move set.

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Would Brock Lesnar ever return to WWE?

Originally Posted by Kenny Williams of WrestlingNewsSource.com-


Following the announcement of his reveal as a playable character in the upcoming WWE '12 video game, IGN.com asked Brock Lesnar whether or not he would ever consider returning to WWE. Below is Lesnar's answer:

"It would have to be under the right circumstances. I don't know if Mr. McMahon and I could come to the right circumstances. If it was good for me and good for him I think that we could do something. At the end of the day, my life, my character and my profession - I take them very seriously. At the end of the day, if it doesn't help me or my family out, and it doesn't make sense for me to do, then I don't do it. Everything would have to fall in the right place, but would I consider it? Absolutely." 

I'm not sure, it's just hard to imagine Brock back in a WWE ring to be honest. Not that I wouldn't love to see it happen, I've been a huge fan of his for years and he's the reason I got into mma in the first place. It'll only happen if he retires from mma I reckon. Still an interesting interview though.

My Raw, October 10th Recap

We opened up to Triple H making his way to the ring and addressing the wrestlers protesting outside in the parking lot. He mocked them by accusing them of being weak and complaining that it's "Too hard for them" in the company. He also said that he's not a quitter and that he's not resigning from his position as COO. Cena joined him and said that he had not addressed the walkout from the previous weeks Raw and that every person that participated in it had contacted him personally to join them. He also ran down a list of bosses that he had worked for during his time in the company and claimed that he didn't care who he worked for and that he just wanted to perform for the fans that tune in. Sheamus and Punk also participated in the segment and explained that they were both staying too. CM Punk seemed to get the biggest reaction out of the three.
Triple H then decided to do what they do best and put on a fight, so he pitted Sheamus against John Cena and gave himself the role of special referee and Punk the role of commentator. In an amusing moment Punk asked if he could even wear Triple H's blazer for the role, to which he obliged. The match went on for a little while (nothing really worth noting form it) until Vince McMahon marched out and explained to Triple H that on behalf of the board he was relieved from his duties as COO of the WWE. He also introduced the charisma-free John Laurinaitis as the Interim General Manager of Raw. Much to the audiences (and many at home I'm sure) displeasure. 
John Laurinaitis then welcomed back all the formerly protesting wrestlers, including John Morrison who told him that "You absolutely suck," Laurinaitis retaliated by putting him in a match straight away against a very pleased Christian, who was ecstatic about Laurinaitis' new position.
Christian versus John Morrison should've run a bit longer I felt. The two could have put on a much better match given time. Christian was joined by his new entourage of Rhodes, Ziggler, Vickie Guerrero and Swagger. After some distractions from ringside Christian managed to spear Morrison for the three count. They continued the assault on Morrison after the bout and each gave him their finisher.
We then had to sit through a boring promo by Mark Henry regarding the attack from Big Show on last Fridays SmackDown and their upcoming match at Vengeance (which I'm dreading).
Randy Orton versus Mark Henry was next on the card. Rather dull for the most part, except when Orton got some offense going. During the battle Cody Rhodes came out and distracted Randy who then countered a Worlds Strongest Slam attempt by Henry and applied an RKO. As he went to cover him Rhodes raced in and began to attack Orton. Randy started to fight back but it was short lived as Henry gave him a couple of Worlds Strongest Slams for good measure while Rhodes applied the Cross Rhodes and put one of his paper bags on Randy's head afterwards. I'm predicting a Rhodes versus Orton bout at Vengeance then.
Next up was the seriously flawed tag team match between Kelly Kelly and Eve Torres versus Rosa Mendes and Tamina. The only thing worse then having to witness Kelly in the ring is having to also witness Rosa Mendes as the same time, it wasn't pretty. All four divas looked awkward. In the end Kelly mounted a Lou Thesz press onto Tamina on the outside while Eve moonsaulted Mendes for the one-two-three. They really need to bring in some actual talent for this division. Gail Kim was wasted here, no wonder she was frustrated.
We then had the displeasure of having to have the boring Laurinaitis join us again when he came out and fired Jim Ross. Laurinaitis in real life took over Jim Rosses position as Talent Relations Manager in the company a while ago, so I bet he and Vince McMahon were howling with laughter at this segment. He even called JR a "Redneck, Oklahoma, ingrate," which I'm predicting was scripted by, you guessed it, Vince. But JR just stood there and took it like he always does. It's a joke that we have to suffer Lawler's inept announcing (he should've been fired years ago) yet they again remove JR form the desk.
Then was probably the best match of the night. It was a six-man tag team bout with Ziggler, Swagger and David Otunga against Air Boom and Mason Ryan. It had it's exciting parts here and there (Air Boom mainly, who I'm becoming a big fan of). Kofi and Bourne are looking solid to me and have brought some much needed excitement back to the tag team division. Ryan and Otunga didn't really do anything special, as usual. For the finish Mason got the pin on Ziggler, which means we may have him challenging for the US Title next so Jack Swagger and Dolph can concentrate on the Tag Team championships. I'd like to see the Usos used a bit more on SmackDown too to build them up for a possible shot in the future.
Alberto Del Rio versus CM Punk in a non-title bout was next up. At least Del Rio didn't have any mic time (his major weakness in my opinion and something he needs to work on). The match was all right, nothing spectacular. The crowd in attendance was mostly dead and indifferent during the match, not a positive sign for Punk who was a few months ago getting huge reactions. Like I said the match was okay, I reckon these two need a break form one another for the time being. It's been a little overkill the amount they have wrestled each other in matches over the last couple of months. 
But the match was cut short as Laurinaitis announced that he had reinstated Miz and R-Truth and that they would now be facing Punk and Del Rio in a tag team contest. He looked uncomfortable on the mic. I really don't believe he was the right choice at all to bring in as General Manager. Why not Foley?
So Miz and R-Truth versus CM Punk and Del Rio commenced. This match was more exciting and the crowd were getting behind it a bit more and especially behind Punk. Unfortunately for Punk though, Alberto seemed to have knocked his knee and abandoned him. Miz and R-Truth then began to dominate Punk until he made a valiant comeback and even went up top and performed his elbow drop on Miz. As he set up Miz for the GTS R-Truth retuned and they both beat on Punk until the ref called for the bell. Triple H would then come racing out and began to brawl with Miz and Truth as Punk made a recovery and helped him. Triple H and CM Punk eventually stood tall in the ring afterwards as Truth and Miz had each made their getaway. We then witnessed Laurinaitis backstage with Otunga announce that it would be Triple H and CM Punk versus The Miz and R-Truth at Vengeance, which should be a very exciting tag team match. Although I can't imagine Triple H putting over Truth or Miz.
Overall Raw wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped it was going to be after the walkout last week. I also think Laurinaitis is an awful choice as GM and I just hope it doesn't last. I also hope there's actually some more wrestling next week.
That's all for now, I'll be back on Friday for my Smackdown and iMPACT recaps.

Monday 10 October 2011


Again another little piece from WWE Magazine. This time some of the wrestlers who would most likely make the cut as the faces of the WWE Ice cream Bars.
Taken from a WWE Magazine article on the nerds of the WWE. Considering I am both a nerd and a big WWE fan this pixelated beauty brought a tear to my eye. Not literally of course…