My WWE SmackDown, 31st August 2012 Recap

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus opened the show by giving credit to past WrestleMania opponent Triple H, claiming that whatever he chooses to do next he has his respect. Damien Sandow then interrupted the champ, calling him a disgrace to his Irish heritage and an ignoramos. 'The Great White' simply told Sandow to shut up and challenged him to enter the ring, which he refused. General Manager Booker T then joined them and predictably booked a match between the two. I've become a big fan of Sandow, he's so effortlessly charismatic on the mic.    

Rey Mysterio defeated Cody Rhodes in an enjoyable match up. Both men looked in good form (pretty standard for Rey) as they provided a fun bout to watch. An upset Cody attacked Rey after he'd been pinned with a quick roll up and attempted to take his mask off until his nemesis Sin Cara came to Mysterio's aid and helped take out Rhodes. He then proceeded to put a copy of his mask on Cody as revenge.

Kaitlyn beat Natalya in a passable Divas bout. There wasn't anything particularly outstanding about it but it wasn't bad by any means. Kaitlyn caught Natalya out with a quick roll up pin for the one-two-three. Considering she isn't winning her matches on televised shows very convincingly I doubt Kaitlyn's chances in her Night of Champions match for the Divas title.

In an interview backstage Vickie Guerrero announced that she'd had words with WWE's Board of Directors regarding Raw GM AJ's attack on her on this weeks show, stating that if they don't take action she will. Could AJ be out of the door already? For me she's been a mixed bag in her new role so far, but I think there's still more that could be done with her as GM.

Sheamus won via count out versus Damien Sandow in a contest that ranged from fair to average. The actual wrestling was decent enough, I just felt it dragged a little at times and was a bit drab. To save face Sandow decided to leave up the ramp rather then take any more punishment from Sheamus, accepting the loss. 

Darren Young and Titus O'Neil defeated Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd in a fair tag team match. The most entertaining parts were contributed by the underutilised Kidd, I really think him and Gabriel should be given a push as a team.  

As Josh Matthews brought up Alberto Del Rio's losses against Sheamus in an interview with the number one contender, Del Rio began to threaten to attack him until Kane came out and scared him off. As part of his anger management classes (which were shown partly on Raw, and they were brilliant segments) he apologised to Matthews for attack him at SummerSlam. Teddy Long then booked Kane and Del Rio in a match up.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Kane in a good bout. I honestly wasn't expecting much here but both guys worked well together and put on displays to be proud of. After the bell rung Kane turned back to his destructive side and Choke Slammed Josh Matthews. I'm finding Kane far more interesting now than I have since he returned last year, I'm intrigued to see where they go with this.  

Randy Orton beat Dolph Ziggler in a solid enough main event. While not as exciting or engaging as their previous encounters it was still a fair match, it just didn't feel like a significant main event to end the show with for me. Maybe if Dolph had picked up a surprise win over Orton to give him the boost he needs a lot more than 'The Viper' does it might've been different. 

Once again the blue brand provided passable action in the ring, just nothing that exciting to take away. They need a dose of Daniel Bryan on the show each week I reckon, he's the best thing about the company right now.

My WWE SmackDown, 17th August 2012 Recap

An upset Alberto Del Rio demanded that his World title match with Sheamus be reinstated since General Manager Booker T cancelled it after Del Rio and his hired muscle attacked the World Heavyweight Champion on last week's show. Booker T joined Del Rio and explained that he'd crossed a boundary and had to be punished. Surprisingly Chris Jericho then came out and mocked Del Rio in both English and Spanish amusingly.

Y2J also proposed that after he is victorious against Ziggler at SummerSlam he should take his spot in the World title match. Instead Booker announced that since Sheamus won't be able to compete this Sunday then Jericho and Del Rio will face each other for the first time on the show that night.      

Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara defeated Cody Rhodes and The Miz in an enjoyable enough tag contest. Sin Cara suited the role of the limited tag team partner well, just pulling off a few exciting moves in short bursts now and then. 

Curt Hawkings and Tyler Reks beat a couple of rookies in a squash tag team match. Before the bell rung Hawkings and Reks performed a strip routine down to their new attire which looks like underpants. It was a strange routine but it should get them some attention I guess. 

Before Eve's match she was wished luck from William Regal, who in a funny segment reminisced about the time he was GM of Raw and the power that came with it before he was then ordered to take out the rubbish. He really deserves a more prominent role in WWE.

Eve defeated Kaitlyn to become Booker T's assistant in an average and forgettable bout. They looked capable enough, it was just a pretty skippable match up.

Randy Orton defeated Daniel Bryan in a solid encounter. Although maybe not the most exciting match ever it was a good display from both men and worth a watch. Orton managed to RKO Bryan for the win after Kane had his signature flames light up the ring posts to distract his foe on Sunday.

Antonio Cesaro beat Zack Ryder in a rather brief contest. Ryder managed to get in a bit of offense but not enough to see off the number one contender to the US title. Speaking of which, the US Champion himself Santino Marella provided guest commentary and unfortunately for him also got flung across the announce table by Cesaro after his victory. 

As Jericho was making his way out for the main event he was blindsided by Dolph Ziggler and taken out, then warned him that he is far too good to be overlooked. A very pleased Del Rio had his announcer Ricardo Rodriguez announce him the winner, but it was premature as Jericho's music hit and a battered Y2J came to the ring for his match.  

Alberto Del Rio defeated Chris Jericho in a fair main event bout. The efforts from both participants was up to standard and the action was solid enough too. Ziggler managed to assist Del Rio from ringside as he pulled down the ropes causing Jericho to tumble to the outside, helping Alberto to then grab the one-two-three with a swift kick to the head.

As Del Rio then applied the arm breaker after the match Sheamus made his way out and scared him and Dolph off. A concerned Booker T then asked 'The Great White' why he was already back from injury so soon. Sheamus just demanded that his match with Del Rio be booked once again so he could exact vengeance, and Booker complied and reinstated the World title match for Sunday. 

My WWE SmackDown, 3rd August 2012 Recap

Vince McMahon started off the show by announcing Booker T as the new SmackDown General Manager. As Booker was thanking people, Alberto Del Rio soon interrupted him and congratulated the GM on his new position, but Booker saw past the phoniness. After Del Rio put down his SummerSlam opponent Sheamus, the 'Great White' himself joined the two and first congratulated Booker and then also put down his future opponent.

Booker decided to put the two in competition, but Del Rio reiterated his words from this weeks Raw where he stated that he will not compete until his World title match. The GM then forced his authority and booked Del Rio in a match with Orton and Sheamus against Lord Tensai. I personally think Booker is a great choice as the new GM. He has plenty of charisma and makes a fresh change from most General Manager's in recent years.     

Sheamus defeated Lord Tensai in a very enjoyable start to the show. In one of the best single bouts of Tensai's since his return to WWE this year both men put in solid efforts from start to finish as they went back and fourth. It may have started a little slow but as it picked up pace it became a lot more engaging. 

Antonio Cesaro beat Santino Marella in a passable match up. Although it wasn't anything spectacular, both men did a good job and Cesaro once again pinned the United States Champion. Surely the next time will be for the title? 

Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler and The Miz defeated Chris Jericho, Christian and Kane in a terrific tag contest. From the opening bell the action came thick and fast, with every man looking in good form. I was expecting a lot of quality from this match and I was not disappointed. Good stuff.

Ryback won via disqualification versus Jinder Mahal in a squash match for the majority of it. Once again Ryback had most of the offense but Mahal got in a few attacks and eventually struck his opponent with a microphone at ringside, causing the DQ and then running off. So for a second week in a row Mahal escapes Ryback's wrath. 

Darren Young defeated R-Truth in a match that was a bit too busy for my liking. There were interferences from O'Neil, Kofi Kingston and AW at ringside which just made a rather mediocre bout that bit more tainted in my opinion. 

Randy Orton won via DQ versus Alberto Del Rio in a contest that had been quite fair up until then, nothing outstanding but enjoyable enough. The DQ came after Ricardo Rodriguez ran in and attacked Orton, although 'The Viper' managed to get his own back and dropkicked Del Rio out of the ring. For good measure Sheamus then decided to sling Del Rio back into the ring to receive an RKO from Orton. 

My WWE SmackDown, January 6th 2012 Recap

Cody Rhodes (c) defeated Booker T to retain his Intercontinental Championship.The title bout was a solid and exciting encounter between the two, with some nice near falls towards the end. Definitely their strongest outing so far together in the ring. Rhodes, just like he did against Orton in the Street Fight towards the end of last year looked like he belonged with higher calibre talent here with the legend Booker T.

Backstage a brimming Cody once again had another encounter with his older brother Dustin Rhodes aka Goldust. He bragged about beating Booker, compared himself to their father Dusty (who he claimed he was well on his way to surpassing) and warned him that although he was a “joke” he wasn’t yet a “laughing stock. But that can change real quick.” I’m liking this storyline between the two, definitely got some interesting possibilities to it. I imagine if they do go all the way and face off at WrestleMania (which seems most likely) then it could well be Dustin’s final ever match at the Mania. What better way would there be for him to go out then to face his own brother at the biggest stage?

Hornswaggle defeated Heath Slater in an Over The Top Rope challenge comedy match, it was about as entertaining as you’d expect. Well It wasn’t like Slater’s career was exactly sky rocketing since his return anyway was it? Afterwards Slater booted Hornswaggle in the head, followed by Justin Gabriel coming to Hornswaggle’s rescue and applying the always awesome 450 Splash.  

Hunico defeated Ted DiBiase in a fast paced match with some superb action. With Orton out of action for as long as he’s going to be I think this is an opportune time to start pushing DiBiase once again. Give him a proper feud with Hunico to work on. 

Wade Barrett announced that Randy Orton’s wrestling career is now finished due to his fall down the flight of stairs on last weeks SmackDown. Since ‘The Viper’ was no longer a participant in the Royal Rumble, Barrett claimed that there were now no obstacles in his way to stop him from winning the match. Sheamus had something to say about that as he then joined Wade and warned him that “You are going to have some problems. And I’m going to be the biggest one.”

 Jinder Mahal also made his way out and slapped ‘The Great White’ in the face. So naturally Sheamus didn’t take too kindly to that and began to beat on Mahal until Barrett also began attacking the Irishman. Sheamus managed to fight his way back until Barrett applied the Winds Of Change to halt him. Mahal decided to take advantage of the downed wrestler and latched in a Camel Clutch for good measure. I quite like Jinder Mahal myself, I think he looks solid enough in the ring and has shown some personality as of late. He just needs to maybe get a fluke win over Sheamus to get things going. At least he’s involved in a decent feud right now, that’s a start.     

Santino Marella defeated Drew McIntyre in a quite forgettable and average bout. As per the stipulations Marella is now the assistant to GM Teddy Long on SmackDown. After the match Long warned McIntyre that this was “strike two” and if he looses next week he could very well be fired. I personally am not a fan of these loosing streak story lines, they do nothing at all for the person involved in them. I’m not McIntyre’s biggest supporter (find him rather boring and average in the ring, although he has improved) but with his return to the blue brand he could have instantly made an impact by destroying a big name and making himself relevant once again.  

Epico and Primo defeated Air Boom in a fast paced and decent tag team bout. Although it wasn’t the strongest match between these teams it was still worth a watch for sure. I always enjoy it when these two teams are facing off, I’d like to see a title match between them at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view myself. They deserve a spot on a big card like that.

Backstage during an interview with Big Show, Daniel Bryan interrupted and berated him for not winning a World Title for nine years previous to his championship win at TLC. He also mentioned how he’d actually worked hard around the World to become a great wrestler, as apposed to Big Show being born a “genetic freak.” I’m liking this new cocky, heelish side to Bryan. He’s always had the technical ability and skill on the mic (as proven with his feud with Miz and Cole last year) but now he’s showing a lot more character. It should also be interesting to hear Michael Cole on his side on commentary when he fully turns.     

Tamina defeated Natalya in a brief and rather average Divas match up. I’m still not totally convinced by Tamina, Natalya definitely deserves better treatment then this too.

Daniel Bryan won via DQ against the Big Show to retain his World Heavyweight Championship. The main event was a solid, back and fourth match up. The most exciting parts taking place when Bryan locked in a few submission holds on Show for a tense break out. The disqualification occurred when Bryan shouted abuse at Henry at ringside (Henry had been on commentary for the bout) causing Henry to push the World Champion in front of the referee. Afterwards Bryan elatedly celebrated with fans akin to how he’d done after his win at TLC for the World Title in another heel movement by the champ.

My WWE SmackDown, December 30th 2011 Recap

Booker first thanked the fans for an amazing 2011, from his Royal Rumble participation to defeating Cody Rhodes on this weeks Raw. The Intercontinental Champion, Rhodes inevitably interrupted. He listed off his accomplishments from the year (and what a year it's been for the champ) and credited himself for taking a "washed up" announcer in Booker and returning him to his "former glory." Booker claimed that Rhodes should be congratulating him for his win on Monday, to which he obliged and congratulated Booker. And even shook his hand. But you knew it was all too good to be true as Rhodes then claimed that Booker's career was now all over. That as an announcer he is incompetent (sure, but entertaining) and as an in-ring competitor he's now a "nostalgia act."
Then the theme for Goldust hit and sure enough, a suited up Dustin Rhodes came out to join his younger brother. He explained that he understood Cody's need to make a name for himself, but just not at his good friend Booker's expense. Cody responded that he didn't need Goldust's help, and proudly said that he had "restored the rhodes family name after you threw up all over it." An irate Booker challenged Cody to a match for his title right there and then to settle things, but Cody decided to arrange the match for next week instead. As he was then about to leave, he Disaster Kicked his brother Dustin for good measure. There's been a lot of rumours and tweets from Dustin himself about a match at WrestleMania between him and Cody. Which I think could be a tremendous bout, and the build up could be easily executed in an effective brother versus brother fashion. With Dusty Rhodes obviously getting involved in the storyline. I'd love to see it personally.
Jinder Mahal defeated Ted DiBiase in a pretty brief but decent enough bout. Mahal forced DiBiase to tap to the Camel Clutch. They really need to move both these guys onto new opponents from January, they've squeezed all they really can from this feud I reckon.
Alicia Fox and Kaitlyn defeated Natalya and Tamina in a sloppy-at-places-tag team match that fortunately didn't last too long. Although Fox is showing more character lately, I'm still not convinced by her in the ring. After the match Tamina superkicked Natalya and applied a Superfly Splash. I guess we now see the turn of Natalya, although I don't quite get why they didn't have Phoenix turn on her rather then Tamina. It would've meant a lot more, and come off much more effectively.    
Hunico defeated Justin Gabriel in an entertaining and fast paced match up. Both guys pulled off their fair share of impressive and well-executed aerial maneuvers, much to the crowds delight. If I were booking I would give Hunico a more prominent role in the Royal Rumble match, he deserves even more attention with his talents. Plus, with all the recent injury woes in the company he could really move up the ladder.  
Big Show defeated David Otunga in an average and pretty forgettable bout. Show scored the pinfall with a chokeslam after Daniel Bryan had lured Mark Henry away from ringside with a distraction. 
Ezekiel Jackson defeated Drew McIntyre in another quite average bout for the night. Although Drew did look like he'd added a few more moves to his repertoire since I'd last seen him in the ring. 'Big Zeke' got the roll up pin, along with a handful of McIntyre's trunks for a strangely heelish win.    
Sheamus expressed his desire and confidence at winning the Royal Rumble match next month. Hornswaggle joined him and also expressed the same hopes to win the Rumble, along with Heath Slater shortly after. Who was thrown over the top rope rather quickly by 'The Great White'.  
Sheamus defeated Heath Slater in an impromptu match made my Teddy (ugh) Long. Sheamus dominated most of it with his usual powerful move set, while Slater looked his normal average self in the ring. It wasn't anything special.
Backstage Teddy Long informed both Daniel Bryan and Big Show that they would tangle for the World Heavyweight Championship on next weeks SmackDown. Bryan showed some more character here and was quite amusing as he asked Show for a thank you for helping him out. He almost seemed a little more like a heel with his cocky demeanor towards Big Show, I've been saying a heel turn could really work well with Bryan for a while now. Maybe we'll be seeing a possible turn next week against Show? That or Henry interfering I'm predicting.   
Randy Orton versus Wade Barrett in a Falls Count Anywhere Match ended in a no contest after the cameramen managed to get through a door too late and discover Orton at the bottom of a flight of stairs with Barrett then running out of the building. Up to that point the match up had been quite a solid main event, with Orton and Barrett having an equal share of the offense. At one point they even fought in an elevator, with us watching in black and white through the camera inside.    
Overall SmackDown was a pretty mixed bag this week I thought. The Orton versus Barrett match was the highlight, while the cockiness of Bryan coming through makes things interesting with the World Champion.

My WWE SmackDown, December 23rd 2011 Recap

Big Show announced that he wanted to call out the new World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan and personally congratulate him. But before he could do that ,Mark Henry interrupted him. Henry suggested that Show should take the week off and quit the business, he also announced that he wanted his rematch against Bryan for the title that night. The World Champion decided to enter the ring with the giants and admitted that although he's not the most charismatic or powerful wrestler in the company, he's a damn good wrestler. He speaks the truth. Big Show and Henry began to bicker once again until Teddy Long (ugh) announced a number ones contender match to the World Heavyweight Title between the two.  
Zach Ryder defeated Cody Rhodes in an average match up and great result for Ryder. Nice to see WWE wisely capitalising on Ryder's momentum at the moment. The win came after Booker distracted Rhodes with his own special Christmas carols just for the Intercontinental Champ.
Just before the Big Show versus Mark Henry match could commence, the assistant to the terminally boring John Laurinaitis, David Otunga announced that due to Henry's leg injury he was not medically cleared to compete that night. Show thanked him for the news by WMDing Otunga.     
Backstage The Miz confronted a confused Teddy Long, asking him who his opponent was that night. Long had no idea who had called Miz to SmackDown, so Miz decided to protest in the ring until an opponent made himself available to face him. Sheamus decided to accept the challenge.
Sheamus defeated The Miz in a decent enough bout. It actually made a bit of a nice change seeing Miz on the blue brand. Sheamus defeated Miz after executing the Brogue Kick for a clean win, which I wasn't expecting. 
Wade Barrett on the mic bragged once again about his win over Orton at Survivor Series and his Wasteland to Orton on this weeks Raw through a table. Barrett expressed his opinion that after his wins and actions on Orton, he should be next in line for a World title shot. As Wade was on his way out 'The Viper' halted him and chased him backstage to the parking lot where Orton hosed him down, then slammed and RKO'd him onto a car. It was a nicely executed segment I thought, bringing back more of the dangerous side of Randy.  
Kofi Kingston defeated Primo in quite an entertaining match. Although not as exciting as their previous match ups featuring Kingston and Bourne facing off against either Epico or Primo. 
Daniel Bryan versus Dolph Ziggler was a solid and intense encounter between the two talented wrestlers. Bryan has obviously had the ability to pull off these technically brilliant bouts for years but Ziggler has really upped his game this year and shown he belongs with the top tier performers in the company. Although I can't see him winning the Royal Rumble in January like some are predicting, I can definitely see a World Title around his waist next year. The match didn't end due to Big Show chasing Swagger into the ring and causing Teddy Long to instead create a tag team match between the four men. 
Daniel Bryan and Big Show defeated Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger in a solid and thoroughly enjoyable main event. I found it entertaining from start to finish with a nice pace of action throughout. Daniel Bryan grabbed the win via submission when he forced Swagger to tap to his patented LaBell Lock. Afterwards Josh Matthews even called Bryan, no, not a 'superstar' but "a great wrestler, and a great submission expert." Wow, maybe things are changing in WWE. I'm also relieved to see that they haven't just decided to turn Big Show heel for the sake of his match with Bryan for the title. I'm much more intrigued to see how it progresses as a face versus face feud. 

My WWE TLC 2011 Recap

Zach Ryder defeated Dolph Ziggler (c) to win the United States championship in an exciting and genuinely feel good opener to the pay-per-view. The bout itself kicked off with a faster pace but slowed down during the middle when Ziggler took control, applying some impressive maneuvers to the 'Long Island Iced Z', including an Angle slam and a set of ten elbow drops in a row. Ryder inevitably made a valiant comeback towards the end, which included a nice hurricanrana from the top rope and a lot of intense near falls for both men. But all during this you just couldn't help but believe that this was Ryder's night, his moment, his well-deserved first ever singles title. And it was. All his hard work this year, from being a regular on Superstars (which is never good security for your job in WWE) to becoming a Raw regular who gets a huge reaction every single broadcast, even when he's not there. The finish came when Ryder executed the Rough Ryder and got the one-two-three on Ziggler.

The crowd were obviously firmly behing Ryder during the match and genuinely happy for him after. I can't honestly remember the last title win that felt this good in the company, I mean a genuinely feel good title win. It was a satisfying, if predictable, victory anyhow. WWWYKI.

Backstage while Booker T was talking to Alicia Fox, Cody Rhodes once again attacked him from behind.

Air Boom (c) defeated Primo and Epico to retain their WWE Tag Team titles. The tag bout was even and picked up with the excitement towards the end when Kofi Kingston was tagged in with crisp high flying moves from him and Bourne. Kingston grabbed the win after a Trouble in Paradise to Primo. Maybe not the best match involving Air Boom but it was decent and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing both teams tangle again in the future, which I'm sure they will. 

Randy Orton defeated Wade Barrett in an enjoyable and well paced tables bout. Both men went back and fourth with some nicely executed sequences, especially one on the outside of the ropes as each man threatened to put the other through a table on the outside until Orton turned it to his advantage as he performed his signature hangman DDT into the ring. Orton won after RKOing Barrett through a table in the ring as Wade came flying down with an elbow drop for an effective finish. Although Orton won Barrett certainly looked his equal and had a lot of offence, he didn't come out of it damaged in my opinion and the 'Barrett Barrage' should continue.

Beth Phoenix (c) defeated Kelly Kelly to retain her Divas championship. The match was actually fairly decent considering it involved Kelly, and wasn't kept too long which suits their match ups more effectively. The crowd were indifferent throughout most of it, perhaps like me they were also tired of seeing these two tussle over the title once again on pay-per-view. They really need to give Phoenix some new competition that she deserves, like Natalya who's face turn is surely impending.  

As Booker made his way out to face Rhodes, he was once again attacked from behind by the Intercontinental champion. I feel this was a bit overkill having two attacks in one night. What was the point in having Rhodes attack Booker earlier if he was just going to take him out before their match then? Strange booking.

Triple H defeated Kevin Nash in the Sledgehammer on a ladder match. The actual bout was pretty intense with a predictably slow pace. For the most part it was quite average for a ladder match, with the crowd for a second match in a row quite indifferent and quiet for the majority of it. Although I'll give Nash credit, he took more bumps then I was expecting him to in the shape he's in. For the finish Triple H struck Nash with the sledgehammer (which was still hung up) at the top of the ladder, sending him crashing into a table. Trips then Pedigreed Nash and approached him with the sledgehammer slowly. Nash pleaded with 'The Game' by signalling the old Kliq sign, but he wasn't having any of it and he mercifully cracked Nash with the weapon and got the one-two-three.     

Sheamus defeated Jack Swagger in a decent enough bout. Swagger was once again booked to look competitive against one of SmackDown's top faces, just like he had been against Big Show on last weeks SmackDown. Although he gained another loss things seem to be looking a bit more positive for the 'All American American' lately. 

Big Show defeated Mark Henry (c) to win the World Heavyweight title in a Chairs match. The actual bout was average and thankfully kept quite short. Big Show got the pinfall victory after applying a WMD to Mark Henry. After the match Henry knocked Show in the leg with a chair and then DDT'd him onto a pile of steel chairs that had been left in the ring.

And as if cued by chants of "Daniel Bryan" from the crowd in attendance, the 'American Dragon' raced out and cashed in his Money In The Bank contract and pinned Big Show to win his first ever World title in WWE. It was once again another well received and feel good title win on the pay-per-view. No one has deserved to win a World title for the first time this year more then that man Daniel Bryan (I still count the ROH title as a World championship but you get what I mean.) If I were booking this, I'd use Bryan cashing in on Big Show as an excuse to turn him heel and go on to WrestleMania to face a major face for the title.

Cody Rhodes defeated Booker T in an average match up. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad and I did enjoy parts of it, but it didn't really live up to what I'd hoped it would. I wasn't expecting a classic by any means but with Booker's return to action and Cody's great form as of late I was expecting a solid and exciting bout between the two. Unfortunately it didn't quite get up to that standard for me, which is a shame. Although I still have belief in the feud, and they're definitely capable of putting on a better match together I believe.

CM Punk (c) defeated The Miz and Alberto Del Rio to retain his WWE Championship in a triple threat TLC match. The actual match up was a worthy and exciting main event to the pay-per-view. Each man was on form and gave a great effort, even Ricordo Rodriguez who fell from a ladder inside the ring straight through a table on the outside. At one point when Punk was handcuffed ( the handcuffs which Rodriguez had brought into the fray earlier on in the match) to the corner turnbuckle I was expecting R-Truth to possibly return and take out Miz. But fortunately they didn't go down that route as it would have tarnished the match a bit I reckon and distracted fans from the three main competitors here, and Miz's current reputation of taking out these wrestlers. My only complaint about the match is that you never really believed that Punk wasn't going to retain here. The Miz and Del Rio weren't built up well enough before the pay-per-view, you just couldn't see them toppling the current champ.     

It made perfect sense that Punk won. He's the man on fire in the company right now and as he's promised before, he wants to make the championship interesting once again. Which I believe he's succeeding in. They should keep this title run going all the way to Mania in my opinion and give him a major wrestler to take on on the big stage. A major marquee match up that he deserves, can you give me a  "hell yeah" to that?   

My SmackDown, December 9th Recap

SmackDown opened up to news that on his way out to the announce table, Booker T had been attacked from behind by Cody Rhodes. We also had the return of Lilian Garcia as a full time ring announcer, which was a pleasant surprise. But as she began talking Rhodes (who had stuck around) interrupted her, explaining how he enjoyed the symmetry of the departure of one announcer and the return of another. He also announced that he would be taking over Booker T's position as announcer for the night.
Wade Barrett defeated Ezekiel Jackson in the Beat The Clock Challenge for a time of 7:53. The challenge was between Barrett and Randy Orton and whoever got the quickest time would be able to choose the stipulation for their bout at the TLC pay-per-view. The actual match itself was average really.
Barrett grabbed a mic afterwards and bragged some more about his wins over Orton. Wade also claimed that he had the psychologically advantage over 'The Viper' "Randy, there's only one voice in your head right now. Mine."
Josh Matthews then conducted an interview with Daniel Bryan regarding his loss to Mark Henry last week. Bryan began to explain his disappointment at letting people down until his long time adversary Michael Cole interrupted him. As the argument began to get more and more heated Bryan approached the announce desk and threatened to make Cole "tap out," until Rhodes raced to Cole's aid and knocked over the MITB holder. He continued the assault until WWE official escorted him away. 
Zach Ryder defeated Heath Slater in a brief but not bad match. It wasn't a classic but it did the job in helping build up Ryder so it was a success. 
Ted DiBiase defeated Jinder Mahal in a decent bout. Both guys are looking solid enough in the ring, now they just need to actually move on to some fresh new opponents to get them interesting once again.
Big Show spoke about the last time he won a World title when he beat Brock Lesnar nine years ago at Madison Square Garden. He also spoke about the carnage that will ensue in his match with Mark Henry at TLC and threatened that the doors to Henry's 'Hall of Pain' are "gonna get slammed closed!" Mark Henry predictably joined Show and asked as a courtesy that he not touch him as he's injured while he was in the ring, Show agreed. He began to talk about their match at TLC and in a preposterous statement claimed "We're gonna have a fight that people are gonna be talking about for decades!" Hm, possibly for how dull or bad it will be. As they were almost done and after they grudgingly shook hands after Henry said "lets let bygones be bygones. Let the best man win," Henry sucker punched Big Show. But Show turned it around and began to beat down the World champion to the outside of the ring and continued the assault with a steel chair.   
Sheamus defeated David Otunga in an average match. Otunga's offence was limited, which is a wise move with his limited ability in the ring. Sheamus got the one-two-three after a Brogue kick.
Daniel Bryan versus Cody Rhodes ended as a no contest after Booker T raced in and began attacking Rhodes. The actual bout before then was a solid encounter between the two wrestlers. 
Randy Orton defeated Dolph Ziggler in an exciting and intense main event. Ziggler has really hit some superb form as of late and Orton has been on great form all year as far as I'm concerned. The finish came when Orton managed to just about avoid being counted out after an attack from behind by Wade Barrett, and then quickly hit Ziggler with an RKO to beat Barrett's time by two seconds.
After the match Barrett again attacked Orton from behind and suggested helping him out in choosing a stipulation for their match at TLC. But as Barrett was about to Wasteland Orton through a table Randy wriggled out and Wade ran off after an attempt by Orton to put him through the table instead. Orton realised that his previous opponent Ziggler was still nearby and instead powerbombed him through the table with Barrett looking on.

My SmackDown, November 19th Recap

Mick Foley kicked of the Christmas holiday special SmackDown dressed in a full Santa outfit. He then introduced the rest of the announce team who had also dressed up for the occasion, Michael Cole was Rudolph, Booker T was Santa and Josh Matthews was an elf. Cody Rhodes interrupted them to halt what he called a "farce" because he felt this was time being taken away from people who were still active in ring competitors, which was actually a fair enough point I thought. Rhodes also added that Booker T was jealous of him because he will never be a champion again like himself. Mick Foley stopped Cody and decided to set things straight by making a match up between Rhodes and Booker later on in the show.   
Brie Bella won a Divas mistletoe on a pole match where she earned the right to be able to kiss any wrestler of her choosing from now up until Christmas. The match was pretty worthless as you'd expect but at least it was quick.
Justin Gabriel defeated Jinder Mahal in a brief but decent bout. Justin Gabriel got the win with his signature 450 splash after Jinder was distracted by Ted DiBiase who began handing out presents to members of the audience. Jinder looked quite solid here in the ring, at least he's in a real feud now with Ted DiBiase too rather then just appearing on Superstars which is obviously a step in the right direction for both men.
There was then a backstage segment which included the likes of the Usos, Foley and Hornswaggle. In an entertaining moment Dusty Rhodes claimed that "There are some weird people here" only to turn to see his son Dustin Rhodes dressed up as Goldust. David Otunga arrived and decided that to play it safe and to not violate any laws that the party should be closed down. foley decided that since Otunga was technically on the blue brand he was SmackDown talent so he put him in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight match against Randy Orton.    
We then got another nice new teaser for the return of Kane with the simple words 'Kane resurrected' now appearing at the end of it. I don't think he is coming back with the mask on myself, although a lot of people are swaying that way. 
During an interview with Matt Stryker, Booker T was attacked from behind by Cody Rhodes. I thought it was a bit too soon to have them face off in a match just yet. I'd personally have it saved until the Royal Rumble.
Kofi Kingston defeated Tyson Kidd in an enjoyable and quite fast paced match up. For the finish Kinston had grabbed the Rudolph head from Cole's costume and wore it as he performed the winning maneuver, a cross bosy from the top rope.  
Randy Orton defeated David Otunga in a surprisingly entertaining Miracle on 34th Street Fight. I know I've already said it a few times now but for me Orton has been on great form this year. Wade Barrett predictably interfered by big booting Orton during the bout and leaving Otunga to pick up the pin, but that wasn't enough to stop 'The Viper' who struck with an RKO for the victory.   
Hornswaggle won the Christmas battle royal to earn himself a wish from Santa. He last eliminated Sheamus after tricking him and pushing him from the outside of the ropes. Backstage afterwards he wished to be able to talk and sure enough he began to talk perfect English. So at least we won't have to hear those annoying noises he comes out with anymore, it's a Christmas miracle!
Mark Henry (c) defeated Daniel Bryan to retain the World Heavyweight championship in an exciting Steel Cage match. Although Bryan lost he still looked like a real competitor here and this recent storyline involving him and Mark Henry has been a definite step in the right direction for the Money In The Bank holder. After he won MITB he wasn't really doing much of anything and he didn't look like a future World champ at all, but now he's gained a lot of credibility and the booking team have finally stepped up for him. The actual bout was executed well, with Bryan logically targeting Henry's injured leg and a nice finish with Henry World Strongest Slamming Bryan off of the top rope. I'm just hoping that Henry retains the title at TLC and moves on from this feud with Big Show.