My WWE SmackDown, 19th July 2013 Recap

Teddy Long started things off by announcing that he would receive a job evaluation that very night, potentially earning the spot of SmackDown General Manager. But current GM Booker T then made his return, shortly followed by Vince McMahon who asked each man to book a match for the show to test them and see who deserves the position. Brad Maddox also joined them and tried to convince McMahon that he should have the job.

After contemplating it for a few seconds, Mr. McMahon announced Vickie Guerrero as the new GM for the blue brand, who first thanked him for appointing her and then screamed at the fans that she hated them. Did the fact that she lost her job on Raw due to the fans dislike of her not sink in? I'm still struggling to see the advantage of her back in a management position so soon, although it makes sense regarding how upset Vince was when she was terminated to bring her back so fast. Well it could've been worse, we could have had Laurinaitis back.    

Dolph Ziggler pinned Jack Swagger in a short but fair contest. Given a bit more time they could've had a far more remarkable encounter, as it was they both delivered passable performances. Ziggler grabbed the one-two-three after hitting Swagger with a Zig Zag after an ankle lock attempt. Afterwards Dolph said he was "sorry" to his ex AJ Lee, sorry for not dumping her sooner that is. Backstage a furious AJ began throwing a tantrum until Big E Langston consoled her, almost leaning in for a kiss but instead just pecking her on the forehead. 

Before their match could get underway The Usos and The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) began to brawl in the ring, with the Usos eventually being sent out. But then an angry Mark Henry marched down and helped Jimmy and Jey even the odds and send the trio on their way.

Daniel Bryan forced Wade Barrett to submit in an enjoyable enough outing. Again, like the Swagger versus Ziggler bout this was a bit brief for my liking, but Bryan as standard for him lately was on great form and made the most of the time allocated.

The Miz deemed his guest on the latest 'Miz TV' too contemptible to even question, so instead he simply allowed him to say whatever he wanted. Heyman warned CM Punk to "stay down," claiming that he still had love in his heart for him and knew it would be best for his well being, otherwise he will feel the wrath of his client Brock Lesnar once again. Miz was so disgusted with Heyman's double cross, and even more so with the fact that he swore on his children's lives while lying to Punk, that he had to leave. It was a decent segment, you can't really go wrong when Heyman has a mic in hand.

Curtis Axel (c) defeated Chris Jericho to retain the intercontinental Title in an engaging affair. Once again these two put on a stellar bout, each giving displays to be proud of as they went back and fourth. Afterwards Ryback decided to come on down and after Y2J clobbered him with a few strikes, managed to Shell Shock his Money in the Bank opponent and kick him in the gut for good measure. 

'Mr. Money in the Bank' Damien Sandow claimed that he did no wrong at Money in the Bank when he tossed former tag partner Rhodes from the ladder and grabbed the briefcase for himself, reminding everyone that it was every man for himself in that environment. He went on to ask Cody to join him so they could settle things in an orderly fashion.

Once Cody came out, Sandow forgave him for attacking him on Raw an offered him a consolation in the form of becoming the 'honorary' Money in the Bank briefcase protector. After feigning appreciation for this opportunity, Cody thrust the briefcase into Sandow's face and then began beating on him, eventually chasing him out of the ring. Hopefully this face turn will be just what Cody needs to get back on track, he's been a punching bag for too long now.  

Rob Van Dam beat Darren Young in an entertaining match up, largely thanks to the efforts of RVD. It wasn't an exceptional contest by any means, but you couldn't help but have fun watching Van Dam do what he does best.

Randy Orton bested Alberto Del Rio in a solid main event. I'll admit neither has the most exciting persona nowadays, but in-between the ropes they're two of the most consistent in the company next to the likes of Bryan, Ziggler and Christian. A clean pinfall over the World Champion must surely earn 'The Viper' a title shot in the near future? If he was to obtain the strap that could make a potential cash in on the WWE Title extremely interesting...

Overall it was a pretty satisfying show for the most part, with no bad match ups and some entertaining promos. My highlights were Axel versus Jericho, the 'Miz TV' segment and the main event. My only issue with the show was Vickie Guerrero brought back as the GM, I just see this as a step back, there's nothing more we can get from her in that position. Why not just have her return as Ryback's manager or something along those lines? 

My WWE Raw, 15th July 2013 Recap

Bryan a little happy at Cena's decision. Photo credit: WWE.com

Raw GM Brad Maddox kicked off the show by boasting that the Brooklyn fans will one day be able to tell their grandkids that they were there to witness the start of the "Brad Maddox era." WWE Champion John Cena soon interrupted him and admitted that he deserved a chance to prove himself as GM before he judged him. Maddox then informed Cena that he will get to pick his own opponent to defend the title against at SummerSlam.

Money in the Bank winner Randy Orton decided to join them both and warned Cena that when he cashes in he won't squander the opportunity like the champ did last year. If I hadn't watched the product in a while I would've sworn that Orton was a heel the way he put down Cena. Fandango then made his way out to a terrific reaction and claimed that the challenger the fans would like to see Cena face was himself. It was a hilariously delivered promo. Things soon turned physical however when Orton and Fandango began brawling in the ring, so Maddox booked them both in a match there and then. It was an entertaining start to the show.

Randy Orton pinned Fandango in a decent outing. There were worthy efforts provided by both men here, with this probably being Fandango's finest singles match to date. It may have started fairly slow but things soon picked up. Like many fans I'll admit that Orton's persona has grown a bit stale, but he's still one of the most consistent performers in the company for me and it's rare he doesn't deliver in the ring. 

Backstage Dolph Ziggler told AJ Lee that he was ending things between them. AJ was understandably distraught, but we'll get to more of that later...

Mark Henry came to the ring and admitted that Cena was the better man the previous night in their title clash, and asked that he gave him one more chance at SummerSlam for the strap. The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) then walked out and after being repelled by the beastly Henry, managed to wear down the 'World's Strongest Man' and triple powerbomb him. So it looks like Henry's turning face, which could work.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Dolph Ziggler in an intense back and fourth affair. Once again these two delivered a terrific match up, with engaging action throughout and top displays from each of them. The finish came after the upset AJ Lee rang the ringside bell, causing Ziggler to become distracted and Del Rio to hit a swift kick to the head and gain the one-two-three.

As the former couple argued in the ring, Big E Langston snuck in and ran Ziggler over with a mean clothesline and applied a Big Ending. Guess we know who 'The Show Off' is facing at SummerSlam. 

Before their match could begin, Bray Wyatt's 'family' took out a surprised R-Truth. Wyatt then gave a cryptic promo on how heroes no longer existed and that people can no longer trust even their own flesh and blood, but he was still trustworthy. Truth then entered the ring again with a steel chair in hand, but was soon caught out and beaten up by Bray and his associates. Well Wyatt is certainly one of the freshest and most interesting acts in the company right now.

The Usos bested The Real Americans in a fair tag bout. The match was fun while it lasted, it's just a shame they weren't allocated a bit more time to really excel, especially after The Usos's solid Tag Team Title match the night before. 

Christian pinned Damien Sandow in an enjoyable enough encounter. Much like the previous match they weren't given too much time, but they made the most of it. Christian catching MITB victor Sandow with a pinfall win seemed like odd booking though, but this failed to phase him as he still announced himself as the "Intellectual Saviour of Money in the Bank" afterwards.

An enraged Cody Rhodes then began clobbering his former tag partner who stabbed him in the bank the night before, with Sandow managing a quick escape after some security held Rhodes back.  

Naomi beat Brie Bella in an unremarkable affair. To be fair it was okay compared to the usual standard of match they deliver, but it still wasn't anything to shout about. Naomi gained the winning pin after applying a cross body from the top rope.

A stern CM Punk demanded that Heyman and Lesnar, who he was aware were in the building, enter the ring with him. So Paul Heyman made his way out, claiming that he now fails to exist in his eyes and was no longer the best in the World since dumping him as his associate, which was also the reason that he double crossed him by manipulating him and at Money in the Bank when he slammed a ladder into him multiple times. He also added that his children made it all clear when they asked why Punk didn't follow his orders like Lesnar did, who he also stated Punk could not beat.

Punk retorted by warning Heyman that he will gain retribution on everyone associated with the double cross, leaving him for last so he can witness it all. A confident Heyman then brought out his client Brock Lesnar who began brawling with Punk. While Punk managed brief comeback strikes, he was overpowered by Brock at every turn and eventually F5'd onto the announce desk. It was an enthralling segment from start to finish, with tremendous mic work from Heyman and an entertaining scrap.

Rob Van Dam defeated Chris Jericho in an engaging contest. They've certainly had superior match ups in the past, but that's not to take away from this one which had a few slightly sloppy moments but was enjoyable on the whole and well received by the fans in Brooklyn. 

After asking for the crowds opinion on who he should face at SummerSlam for the championship, John Cena finally announced the hottest wrestler in the company today as his challenger, Daniel Bryan. The fans gave a very healthy response to that pick, and it should be an interesting match next month.

Overall it was a solid show, with some good storyline developments and most match ups and promos worth checking out. My highlights were RVD versus Jericho, Del Rio versus Ziggler and the Punk, Heyman and Lesnar segment. Good start to the road to SummerSlam, let's hope they keep up the momentum.  

My WWE Money in the Bank 2013 Recap

All six men go tumbling off of the ladders, crazy! Photo credit: WWE.com

The Shield (Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) (c) defeated Jimmy and Jey Uso to retain the WWE Tag Team Title in a solid pre-show bout. Surpassing my prediction of a decent tag match, this was a really fun watch with innovative action (which I would like to see more of from the WWE tag division) and a fast pace to keep you engaged. All four men deserve credit.

Damien Sandow bested Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett, Fandango, Dean Ambrose, Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger in the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match. In this exciting and highly entertaining opener every man gave us a memorable moment, whether it was Ambrose flipping from under a ladder to on top of it and then being chucked out of the ring by Cesaro and Swagger who were holding it, to Cody muscle busting Cesaro onto a ladder in the corner. I was expecting good things here but it definitely exceeded my expectations.

For the finish Ambrose was thrown from the top of the ladder onto everyone outside the ring by Rhodes (including his Shield teammates who had run down to help him but were soon attacked by the Usos and most of the other participants) but unfortunately for Cody as he climbed the ladder he was thrown off by his tag partner and 'best friend' Sandow, who had been hiding on the outside of the ring awaiting his chance to pounce and indeed did here as he managed to unhook the briefcase.

It was a surprising win which I did envisage happening in this MITB match, and a very nice set up into a Rhodes and Sandow feud. Cody had been a force towards the end of the match and had the fans behind him, acting every bit the face. I still don't think Sandow is quite ready to be World Champion but hopefully by the time he cashes in he will have improved in the ring.

The brand new Raw GM Brad Maddox came to the ring and first thanked Vince McMahon for appointing him as the General Manager and then Vickie Guerrero (who was up with the rest of the MITB panel in a box) for everything she'd done during her time in the WWE and presented a highlight package of her time there, which mainly included her falling over, screaming and generally embarrassing herself. It was a bit of a strange segment, but fortunately Maddoxs' charisma managed to save it.

Curtis Axel (c) pinned The Miz to retain the Intercontinental Championship in a largely stellar encounter. Both men were on good form here as they went back and fourth, providing well executed sequences and effective near falls and submission attempts, namely a Figure Four Leg Lock that was turned over a couple of times towards the end. Miz also managed to get Paul Heyman evicted from ringside early in the bout after falsely accusing him of striking him outside the ring to the referee. The fans in Philly were not amused by that.

AJ Lee (c) forced Kaitlyn to submit to retain the Divas Championship in a passable contest. Much like their title clash last month this was decent at parts but it was still lacking a bit for me. My favourite part was actually the nice selling of a shoulder injury from Kaitlyn, which was logically used  when she failed to reach the champ for a pin attempt after hitting a spear and in order for her to have to tap out once AJ latched on her Black Widow submission hold.

Ryback beat Chris Jericho in a decent enough affair. Both men gave fine displays, and while it will admittedly never go down as one of either's greatest matches it was enjoyable enough. Ryback caught Jericho after a Lionsault attempt with a quick roll up for the one-two-three.  

Alberto Del Rio (c) won via disqualification versus Dolph Ziggler, thereby retaining the World Heavyweight Championship. What a tremendous title match this was, and for me the finest bout these two have ever had. Both men were on top form as they went back and fourth, with smooth wrestling and edge of your seat action as the near falls kept on coming.

The DQ occurred when Ziggler's partner AJ came down to the ring and ignored his cries to go to the back and ended up racing into the ring and cracking Del Rio with her title belt as he was preparing for a Zig Zag. An understandably frustrated Dolph had to leave her after a heated argument.

John Cena (c) defeated Mark Henry to retain the WWE Championship in a match that took a while to get interesting but finished nicely. Henry dominated for the most part, with the majority of fans firmly behind him as he manhandled the champ. Of course Cena made his comeback as any good title holder does and he managed to finally catch Henry in an STF for the submission victory. While the match had satisfying parts, I can't say a rematch would have me all that excited unless it was under the right stipulations.

Randy Orton bested Rob Van Dam, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Christian and CM Punk to obtain the WWE Championship Money in the Bank contract in an enthralling main event Ladder Match. This one had my firm attention from start to finish, with sterling performances from all involved. As with any previous MITB Ladder Match there were more than your fair share of impressive spots, although not as mental as the one earlier in the night.

We also had another betrayal much like the earlier MITB contest when Paul Heyman smashed a ladder into Punk's back multiple times as he was clear to grab the briefcase. This happened after Axel had run down and taken out Bryan as he was close to winning, but an unhappy Punk GTS'd the IC Champion for interfering, with Heyman also acting angry at his client. Many fans (and myself) were hoping that this was going to instigate an appearance from Lesnar, but that wasn't to be. This left things open for Orton to unhook the case and walk away with a guaranteed WWE Title match at any time he pleases. Hopefully this could be the start of the long rumoured heel turn for 'The Viper', we shall see.

Overall it was a solid and very fun event, with some memorable match ups and nice developments to take away from it. Heyman and Sandows' betrayals make things interesting going forward into SummerSlam next month, and a face turn for Rhodes can only be a good thing for him at this point really. Looking at the actual matches on the card I can't say there were any bad ones at all, and we had three high quality bouts in the two MITB Ladder Matches and the World Heavyweight Title contest, so I'd definitely put this PPV down as a big success and one of the best of the year so far. Just a shame there was no Bray Wyatt, but we only have to wait until tonight... 

My WWE Money in the Bank 2013 predictions

Photo credit: WWE.com

WWE Championship Match - John Cena (c) versus Mark Henry:

While this feud started off strongly, with Henry delivering the promo of his career, I've started to loose interest fairly quickly since. I feel like we've received the same old template speeches from both men in the two weeks leading up to this. But putting that all aside I'm expecting a passable title contest, nothing that spectacular but fun enough. I also see Cena retaining, I just can't imagine Henry taking the belt from him tonight.

Winner: John Cena

WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match - CM Punk versus Rob Van Dam versus Daniel Bryan versus Sheamus versus Randy Orton versus Christian versus ?:

My prediction for match of the night, and looking at the solid line up potentially one of the finest MITB match ups we've ever seen (although it'll take some to outdo my personal favourite at WrestleMania XXIV). As for the man to unhook the coveted briefcase, I have to go with the wrestler with the most momentum and that's Bryan. With his significant wins as of late and terrific reactions from the fans, it all seems to be building to him obtaining the contract and cashing in on Cena in the near future, well that's what I reckon anyway. And plus we also have that mystery guest spot. Some have mentioned Bray Wyatt taking it, but I'm not so sure, it's intriguing though...

Winner: Daniel Bryan

World Heavyweight Championship Match - Alberto Del Rio (c) versus Dolph Ziggler:

While the action should be stellar here, I'm just really tired of this feud now and hope it nears its end tonight, mainly due to my lack of interest in Del Rio and his rather drab persona. I'm still torn between who I see coming away with the strap, so I'm just going with Ziggler for now as he's the wrestler I feel has a much more potentially interesting reign ahead.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match - Wade Barrett versus Damien Sandow versus Antonio Cesaro versus Cody Rhodes versus Jack Swagger versus Dean Ambrose versus Fandango:

While the line up here is a bit of a mixed bag, this should still be an exciting match with the younger wrestlers itching to leave an impression in this environment. This is also a tricky one to call. While you can almost rule out Rhodes and Sandow winning here, you never know if WWE fancy surprising the fans with a shock victory. Who can forget Bryan grabbing the briefcase a couple of years back at this event? Now who honestly expected that? But I'm going with who seems the most likely and logical, and that's Ambrose. He's been on very good form and clearly impressing the right people in the back, plus it would be the next step up for The Shield. I mean where do they go from their current position? But as I said there could well be a shock win so I could be way off.

Winner: Dean Ambrose

Chris Jericho versus Ryback:

This could potentially be a very enjoyable outing, although with Ryback it can be tricky to tell. Jericho's been on solid form since returning at the Royal Rumble and I'm sure we'll get a fine performance from him, but while Ryback's been involved in some very entertaining encounters (his series with Cena, the tremendous TLC match versus Shield with Team Hell No) he's not consistent. Considering Y2J will be leaving on tour fairly soon it would seem foolish to have him victorious here, and Ryback really needs a significant PPV win.

Winner: Ryback 

Intercontinental Championship Match - Curtis Axel (c) versus The Miz:

I'm not anticipating anything extraordinary with this contest, but it should be decent enough and Axel has looked very good in-between the ropes lately, plus Miz almost always gives a worthy effort. Although Axel lost to Y2J on SmackDown this week (loosing his temper afterwards) I imagine he'll retain the belt here, I wouldn't see the point of him dropping it just yet to Miz.

Winner: Curtis Axel

Divas Championship Match - AJ Lee (c) versus Kaitlyn:

The contract signing segment on SmackDown got me interested in this feud again a bit, but I'm going to be realistic and admit that this will most likely be another fair and unremarkable bout between the two. It's a relief to see WWE investing time and actually building a relevant feud in the Divas division, but they really still need to invest in some female talent with experience and that are much more capable and exciting in the ring. Oh, and AJ to retain, seems most likely.

Winner: AJ Lee

Pre-Show WWE Tag Team Championships Match - The Shield (c) (Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins) versus Jimmy and Jey Uso:

Good choice to have in the pre-show slot, should be a lively affair to get the Philly crowd going, plus with the titles on the line it adds that bit more significance. While Usos have been on a fair push as of late, I struggle to see them outdoing Shield tonight.

Winners: The Shield

My WWE SmackDown, 12th July 2013 Recap

Daniel Bryan forced Christian to submit with the Yes Lock in a terrific back and fourth opener and match of the night. Both men as usual provided stellar showings here, with great sequences and smooth wrestling.

Seth Rollins pinned Jay Uso in a decent enough contest. Like I normally do with both Usos I found Jay competent enough in the ring, but I still feel like there's something lacking there that fails to grab me and get me really engaged in the match up. Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso also attacked each other outside the ring as the bout took place. These four should put on a fun tag match at Money in the Bank I reckon, with Shield most likely retaining. 

Chris Jericho won via count out versus Curtis Axel in a solid affair. Like Monday night these two worked well together, with Axel starting to look very impressive in the ring and certainly not out of place against someone of Jericho's experience and talent. The count out occurred after Jericho Codebreakered Axel as he was about to reenter the ring. Afterwards an upset Axel began to throw a tantrum and chuck around various ringside items until manager Paul Heyman calmed him down.

Ryback beat The Miz in a fair, if unremarkable encounter. Miz gave a decent enough effort here, and Ryback looked all right but the match lacked in excitement and was pretty forgettable. Ryback clobbered Miz with a meat hook clothesline and hit him with the Shell Shock for the one-two-three after exaggerating a knee injury and almost having the ref end the bout.

Before they each signed the contract for the Divas Title match on Sunday, AJ Lee boated to Kaitlyn how since she won the strap from her people cared about the Divas division again (not really) and how she was going to beat her once again at MITB. Fortunately Teddy Long did us a favour and told AJ to hurry things along and just sign the contract.

After Kaitlyn also signed it, AJ revealed some private texts of Kaitlyn's from the time she believed to have a secret admirer. Eventually a fuming Kaitlyn claimed that she'd had enough and would regain her title on Sunday and then pushed AJ (and the table and chair from the set that the champ was still on) into the corner and began beating on her until Big E Langston grabbed her, so she responded by slapping him and then applying an awesome spear on AJ that sent her spinning. The segment ended strongly, although I'm still not expecting much from their title clash. 

Fandango bested Wade Barrett in an average bout that only existed to remind us of the World Title Money in the Bank Ladder match. The match had too many outside distractions and not enough time to really make any kind of impression. Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes) came out to confront Zeb Colter (who'd unfortunately provided guest commentary), Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger after their argument on Raw this week. 

As Alberto Del Rio was preparing to face Sin Cara, the masked wrestler was instead replaced by Dolph Ziggler wearing his attire who aggressively beat on the World Champion and struck him with a Zig Zag before leaving. Vickie Guerrero then appeared from the crowd and screamed that she'd been unfairly treated since being fired on Monday night and demanded that Teddy Long be fired for being a liar, lying about what exactly? So Long came out and had security escort Vickie out of the building. 

Randy Orton versus Sheamus ended in a no contest after Daniel Bryan ran down and rammed both men with a ladder from under the ring. As he attempted to climb the ladder and grab the MITB briefcase above the ring, Christian and Sheamus also each battled to grab it, with Orton finally unhooking it after RKO'ing Bryan. The actual main event had been fairly forgettable. Don't get me wrong, both wrestlers gave good performances but I just felt like I'd seen the same match a ton of times before and struggled to find the interest.

Overall it was a passable show, with Bryan versus Christian and Axel versus Jericho being my highlights. Outside of those there was nothing that memorable or special to speak of, although the ending of the Divas Title contract signing was nicely executed. While I'm still looking forward to Money in the Bank, which tends to be one of the better pay-per-views of the year, this SmackDown heading into it didn't really promote the event as strongly as it maybe could have. An appearance (even briefly at the end) from Punk once again on the blue brand might've been a nice touch, or another attack from the Wyatt family would have been interesting.

My WWE Raw, 8th July 2013 Recap

The Wyatt family have arrived on Raw. Photo credit: WWE.com

Vickie Guerrero, accompanied by assistant Brad Maddox, climbed up a ladder placed in the ring with a Money in the Bank briefcase above it, talking about how it represented her proverbial climb up the ladder each year she's been in the company. 

Jerry Lawler then interrupted the Managing Supervisor and revealed that there would be an online poll for the fans to determine whether she's passed or failed in her role, with the McMahons job evaluation of Vickie later on that night. After then sucking up to the fans, Vickie announced the matches that night involving all the participants in the All-Star MITB match this Sunday. It was a pretty drab start to the show. 

Daniel Bryan pinned Sheamus in an enjoyable back and fourth contest. Both men gave worthy efforts, with effective near falls, submission attempts and exciting action for the most part. Bryan grabbed the one-two-three with a quick roll up on the Irishman.

The Shield (Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) beat Tons of Funk (Brodus Clay and Tensai) in a largely average and unmemorable tag bout. The match was given too much time and began to drag for me, with uninspiring wrestling for the most part. But fortunately there was a strong finish as Rollins applied a nice enzuigiri to Tensai, then tagged in Reigns before performing a diving flip to the outside onto Clay, allowing his tag partner to spear Tensai for the win.

WWE Champion John Cena came out and was soon joined by his MITB opponent Mark Henry, who explained just how desperate he was to take the strap from him, even willing to sell out his own family as he did a few weeks back when he feigned his retirement. Cena retorted be claiming that if Henry looses on Sunday then he'll loose the respect of the fans and it would've been "seventeen years for nothing" for him. Does Henry's World Title reign not count for anything then?

After a few more exchanged words Cena challenged Henry to cross the line, but he refused, that was until Cena went to grab his belt and he clobbered him with a clothesline. Cena made a brief comeback as he attempted an AA, but Henry's weight was too much and he fell on top of him and then applied a World's Strongest Slam to the champ. It was a pretty poor segment to be honest, neither man was great on the mic and the action was quite awkward (which doesn't bode well for their title clash). It's a shame really considering how strong the feud started.  

Chris Jericho defeated Curtis Axel in a solid outing. Each wrestler looked good here as they provided fine displays. It may not have been as exciting as the earlier Bryan versus Sheamus encounter but it's worth checking out. Jericho grabbed the victory with a Codebreaker after Miz (who'd provided guest commentary) had distracted Axel at ringside.

Alberto Del Rio versus Sin Cara ended in a no contest after Dolph Ziggler (who'd come down to mock the World Champion during the match up) and him began brawling until Sin Cara applied a flying cross body from the top rope onto Del Rio. The bout itself had been fair, nothing that special about it. 

Vickie Guerrero pleaded her case to Triple H, Stephanie and Vince McMahon as to why she deserves to keep her spot on Raw. Unfortunately for her while Vince supported her work, Triple H did not, with 'The Game' stating that the fans deserved better. So the final decision fell to Stephanie, who decided to make things fair by deciding Vickie's fate with the online fans poll, who voted seventy five percent in favour of Vickie failing as the Managing Supervisor, so Stephanie fired her.

A furious Vickie threw a temper tantrum in the ring, while Vince consoled her and announced Brad Maddox as the new GM of Raw. As Maddox thanked Vince backstage, an upset Vickie began attacking him. I'm definitely in favour of this, Maddox has shown plenty of charisma and personality on commentary and in various segments, more than most regulars in WWE today.

Kane pinned Christian in a decent effort. As usual the two professionals gave stellar showings, although the match was lacking a little excitement. But the big story from the match came afterwards when Bray Wyatt and his 'family' finally made their Raw debut and beat down Kane. The eery entrance was particularly nice as Bray slowly walked down the ramp in darkness as his two associates followed behind him in goat masks with only Wyatt's lantern lighting the way. 

Kaitlyn and Layla versus Alicia Fox and AJ Lee ended in a no contest after Kaitlyn as the illegal participant refused to stop attacking AJ, with Fox and Layla having to separate them. But Kaitlyn wasn't done as she then speared AJ on the outside. The bout itself had been a uninspiring one, with average action. The Bella twins boated on commentary how dull the match was and how the ratings had gone up since they returned. Yes, the same Bellas who have been dire for the most part since returning and added nothing to the struggling Divas division. 

CM Punk defeated Randy Orton in an entertaining main event. The wrestling was well executed throughout, with nice sequences and a good pace. Punk gained the winning pinfall after applying a GTS to Orton. Afterwards Bryan then ran down and took out both men, charging into 'The Viper' with a ladder from under the ring and then climbing up it to unhook the Money in the Bank briefcase. Could we be seeing that same scene on Sunday? I wouldn't be surprised with his current form.

Overall it was a fair show, with more than a few unremarkable segments and matches. My highlights were Bryan versus Sheamus, Jericho versus Axel, Vickie's job evaluation (mainly due to Maddox stepping into the GM position), the Wyatt family's debut and the main event. For myself it was a disappointing way to head into the PPV, but despite that most of the card looks promising and it should be a fun show. 

My WWE Raw, 24th June 2013 Recap

Priceless faces. Photo credit: WWE.com

Daniel Bryan started things off by talking about having to deal with his treatment as a smaller man (being asked if he was in The Hobbit, being accused of having little man syndrome, etc) and people not believing in his ability because of his image since he debuted in WWE, but he was still confident in what he could do and wanted to defeat Orton definitively and not by count out (which happened on last week's SmackDown). 

Randy Orton then joined him and told him to shut up and the two began their match. Unfortunately their bout was short lived and soon ended in a double disqualification after Bryan collided with the referee and the two continued to brawl on the outside of the ring. The match was exciting and heated while it lasted. A furious Bryan stormed into Vickie Guerrero's office and demanded a rematch with Orton, or else he'd face her assistant Brad Maddox. So she agreed to the match up.

Sheamus and Christian defeated Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow) in an enjoyable tag bout. While not as technically impressive as the tag outings involving The Shield recently, this was still a fun watch with fine displays from every man. 

Kaitlyn pinned Aksana in a forgettable contest with average action. During the bout AJ Lee came out dressed up as Kaitlyn and along with Big E Langston mocked the former Divas champion when she was duped by believing that Big E was her secret admirer. It was a very lame skit that lacked any entertainment for me. I've quite liked their feud so far but this was just poor all round.

Chris Jericho won via DQ versus Alberto Del Rio in a solid and engaging back and fourth encounter. The wrestling was stellar for the majority (there were a few slightly off moments, but that's probably just me being picky) and I wouldn't mind another rematch, which is always a good sign.

The DQ came after Ricardo Rodriguez attacked Y2J with his trademark bucket as he'd latched the World Champion into the Walls of Jericho. Dolph Ziggler then once again raced out and began attacking Del Rio until he managed to get away, he also Zig Zagged Jericho after a face off between the two (Ziggler cost him a match against Del Rio on last week's SmackDown so Jericho Codebreakered him).

After Vickie and Brad Maddox introduced their attempts the new WWE 2K14 cover, Jerry Lawler finally presented the real one with The Rock on the cover. A wrestler we're going to barely see over the year is on the cover, I'd have even taken Cena over Rocky to be honest, he'd be more deserving.

Ryback beat The Great Khali in a mediocre affair. It was slow, drab, and had nothing eventful about it bar Ryback's Shell Shock on Khali for the one-two-three, but that wasn't enough to salvage it.

WWE Champion John Cena spoke about how the chase of the WWE Title can drive men to all sorts, including Henry's fake retirement speech last week. He then expressed how infuriated it made him and how he'd made a mockery of men that had given genuine retirement speeches such as HBK, Edge, and Ric Flair (although his wasn't genuine either). But he warned Henry that at Money in the Bank he still had to go through him to win the strap and he wouldn't go down easily. it was better than most of Cena's promos, since he was serious and didn't have to include any childish jokes.

The Usos bested Tons of Funk (Brodus Clay and Tensai) and 3MB (Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal) in passable three-way tag contest to earn number one contendership for the WWE Tag Team Title. The wrestling was fairly drab for the most part, but it wasn't a terrible match. Afterwards The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) appeared in the crowd and stared down their future opponents.

Paul Heyman came out and asked CM Punk to join him so they could publicly discuss Brock Lesnar's attack on him last week, so Punk did just that. After retelling their history in the company together dating back to 2005 when their relationship began in OVW, Punk asked Heyman to be honest with him despite his reputation and asked him if he had anything to do with Lesnar's actions last Monday night.

Heyman swore on his children's life that he had nothing to do with it and that he loved Punk as a friend and believed that one day he would walk him down to the ring once again. Punk apologised for doubting him and they hugged. It was terrific mic work from both men, plus material (or in this case most likely truth) taken from real events always heighten the interest and drama.

CM Punk pinned Darren Young in a fair match up. While the action was okay, it wasn't the most memorable or engaging outing. Afterwards Young's tag partner Titus O'Neil joined him to begin clobbering Punk, that was until Heyman's latest client Curtis Axel ran down to help chase them off. A confused Punk was told by Heyman that he had no choice but to send Axel out.

Stephanie McMahon announced that CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Kane, Sheamus, Christian and the returning Rob Van Dam will be participating in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank match. That's a very impressive lineup, I'm leaning towards Bryan or RVD to take it at the moment.

Backstage Ryback and Chris Jericho staked their claims for participating in the WWE Title match and WWE Title MITB match respectively, so after arguing with each other Vickie decided to settle things by booking them in a match at Money in the Bank next month. 

Mark Henry boasted about fooling all the fans last week when he claimed that he was retiring, adding that since then he's been offered various roles from famous directors. He stated that he wouldn't apologise to anyone because he'd spent most of his life being told what to do and was sick of it. Henry then turned his attention to Money in the Bank where he promised that he'd be coming home with the WWE strap after beating Cena.

Daniel Byan forced Randy Orton to submit in an engaging Street Fight main event. The action was stellar throughout, and above average for a televised main event. A submission win like this for Bryan against Orton is a big victory too, and a sign that WWE are paying attention to his contributions and reactions from the fans he's been receiving over the last few months. Afterwards both men shook hands, although 'The Viper' had a stern look on his face as he walked down the ramp.

Overall it was a decent enough Raw, a step down from last week's great offering but it had it's entertaining moments. Unfortunately more than a few average promos and match ups let it down. My highlights were Heyman and Punk's segment, Jericho versus Del Rio and both outings between Orton and Bryan. 

My WWE SmackDown, 21st June 2013 recap

Bryan goes flying towards Orton in a great pic. Photo credit: WWE.com

Daniel Bryan kicked things off by accusing the officials and medical staff (who stopped his match on Raw due to an injury on his behalf) of only ending his bout with Orton because they saw him as the "weak link." He also claimed that Orton's pat on his back was patronising. So Randy came out and explained that it was out of respect, but Bryan wasn't having any of it and called him a liar. A frustrated Orton retorted by saying that Bryan was loosing it and had enough of him before storming away. 

Sheamus beat Cody Rhodes in a passable, if forgettable outing. Both men were competent in the ring, but it lacked any real excitement or interest for me. Boy, hasn't Cody become a real punching bag over the last year? Afterwards Damien Sandow ran in and savagely clobbered his rival Sheamus.

Curtis Axel (c) pinned Wade Barrett to retain the Intercontinental Championship in a decent back and fourth encounter. Once again Axel looked solid here, and Barrett also gave a respectable display. Afterwards The Miz (who'd provided guest commentary) had a brief face off with the champ until his manager Paul Heyman convinced him to back off.

AJ Lee bested Natalya in a fair Divas bout, largely thanks to the effort of Natalya. AJ looked okay here, but pretty unremarkable as usual.  Backstage Aksana called Kaitlyn "trash" so the former Divas Champion launched herself at Aksana. It was atrocious acting all round as they were eventually split up.

Alberto Del Rio won via disqualification versus Chris Jericho in a solid contest. As expected both wrestlers were on stellar form, with nicely executed action from the opening bell. The DQ occurred when an enraged Dolph Ziggler ran in to attack Del Rio.

After the World Champion managed to escape the ring, an upset Jericho Codebreakered Ziggler for costing him the match. Del Rio then snuck back into the ring to swiftly kick Ziggler in the head, as he had done to finish him off at last Sunday's Payback event to win the title.

Christian defeated Drew McIntyre in a brief match up. The wrestling was fine, but unfortunately they didn't have enough time to make a real impact. That being said I'm still just grateful we have Christian back, he's one of the most consistent performers in the company. As 'Captain Charisma' was talking about how glad he was to be back in the ring, The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) came down the ramp (rather than through the crowd, which looked odd) and attacked Christian, finally finishing him off with a triple powerbomb.  

Daniel Bryan won via count out versus Randy Orton in an engaging main event. The count out occurred after Bryan struck Orton with a suicide dive to the outside, however an irate Bryan refused to let the match end that way and demanded that the bout be restarted so he could beat Orton definitively, but the referee refused. The match of the night had been very entertaining, with top wrestling from both men and plenty of excitement. 

Overall it was a decent show, with most matches being enjoyable enough. However after a great Raw you couldn't help but feel a bit deflated after the momentum had dropped, but that's often the case with the blue brand this year. My highlights were Axel versus Barrett, Del Rio versus Jericho and the great main event. 

My WWE Raw, 17th June 2013 recap

Henry delivers a WSS after a superbly delivered turn. Photo credit: WWE.com

The new World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio started things off by questioning the fans poor reaction to him winning the title after beating down an already hurt Ziggler at Payback the previous night, reminding them that 'The Show Off' did the same when cashing in his MITB contract a while back on him. His temperament soon turned to anger when Del Rio  berated the fans for supporting a "coward" like Ziggler. 

As Del Rio was going to give the fans another chance to show him some respect, CM Punk joined him (to a very healthy response from the crowd) and despite advise from his manager Paul Heyman, challenged the World Champion to a match that night. Vickie Guerrero liked the idea and came out to make it official. 

Backstage CM Punk warned Heyman about interfering in his affairs, including the previous night where he almost cost him the match against Jericho, and asked him to stay out of his business from here on out.  

Instead of receiving his Intercontinental Title rematch, Vickie Guerrero informed Wade Barrett that he'll be facing the returning Christian. As a big fan of 'Captain Charisma' I was very pleased to see him finally back. 

Christian pinned Wade Barrett in a decent encounter. As standard for him Christian looked stellar in the ring, and Wade looked okay when he managed to get in a little bit of offense. I'd personally love to see Christian victorious in one of the Money in the Bank matches next month.

Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes) defeated Sheamus in an average Handicap match. The action was fair at best to be honest, and not very memorable. Sandow grabbed the winning pin with a quick roll up, so in retaliation an annoyed Sheamus Brogue Kicked Rhodes.

Randy Orton won via referee stoppage after Daniel Bryan could not continue in a No Disqualification match. Up until Bryan picked up the injury it'd been a solid affair, with well executed back and fourth wrestling from both men.

The new Divas Champion AJ Lee bragged about breaking Kaitlyn's spirit and toppling her for the strap at Payback. She also went on to claim that she was the strongest and most courageous woman in the whole arena and the locker room. This cued Stephanie McMahon to come out and first congratulate AJ on overcoming a lot in her life and finally becoming the champion, but also added that what she did to Kaitlyn was degrading to women everywhere.

After a few more heated words were exchanged, Kaitlyn came out, accompanied by a few fellow divas and after being warned by Stephanie not to ever interrupt her again, warned AJ that she was going to break her too and began brawling with her former friend. Big E Langston eventually got AJ out of the ring and carried her off. It was a fun segment, and interesting to see Steph interact with AJ a bit. As I've already said it's also nice to see the Divas division get some much needed attention, most likely due to their new reality show coming out soon I'd imagine. 

Kane won via DQ versus Dean Ambrose after Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns ran and beat down the 'Big Red Monster', eventually triple powerbombing him. The match hadn't really been given time to make an impression. Backstage as Vickie was about to reprimand the trio under Triple H's earlier orders, Vince McMahon came along and congratulated The Shield on their success and even said their ruthlessness and aggression reminded him of himself. 

Zeb Colter once again drivelled on about the state of the US and the immigrant situation, then introduced Antonio Cesaro as the newest member to his cause.

Antonio Cesaro beat William Regal in a brief squash match. The action was decent, but it's a shame these two weren't given more time to really deliver a top class contest. 

WWE Champion John Cena came out and thanked all the fans for their support for the company, and admitted his respect for the one that jeer him for their honesty. It was all pretty drab until Mark Henry joined him and asked him to stay for his speech. An emotional Henry went on to thank the fans and his family and announced his retirement. 

It was a touching moment, and delivered so convincingly that what came next was a genuine shock. As Henry went in to hug Cena he then turned it into a World's Strongest Slam, much to the delight and surprise of the fans in attendance, and myself. Backstage afterwards he officially challenged Cena to a championship match. It was without a doubt the finest promo of Henry's career, and my personal favourite moment of his ever. I'm admittedly not a massive fan of his but even I'm interested in a title match between him and Cena now.

Chris Jericho pinned Heath Slater in an enjoyable enough bout. In probably Slater's finest singles match to date, both men gave worthy displays and delivered a fun watch. Afterwards fellow 3MB members Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal attempted to take out Y2J but quickly failed and were chucked out of the ring.

Curtis Axel bested Sin Cara in a fair, if forgettable outing. The bout was never terrible by any means but you wouldn't miss a great deal by skipping it. Axel as usual looked good in the ring, gaining the one-two-three after applying a modified DDT.

CM Punk won via count out versus Alberto Del Rio in an exciting main event. From the opening bell the fans delivered a great atmosphere, and the wrestling itself was thoroughly entertaining. Both men gave PPV-level efforts here as they effectively and smoothly went move for move. It's not quite up there with the best televised bouts of the year, most including The Shield and Bryan, but it was a solid outing.

Afterwards an enraged Dolph Ziggler brutally attacked Del Rio from behind before giving chase to the champ behind the stage. I can envisage Ziggler being a very effective face. Then Brock Lesnar strolled out, smiled a little at Punk and applied a well executed (almost realistic) F5. It was a strong end to a strong show on the whole.

This was one of the best Raws of the year for me, with mostly enjoyable match ups and very memorable segments. Plus there were new and interesting feuds being kicked off and a nice development with Ziggler and Del Rio's (who was actually engaging, who'd have thought?). My highlights were the main event, Henry's promo and turn (superb), the opening and closing segments and the return of Christian. How can next week live up to this I wonder? 

My WWE Payback Recap

That it was. Photo credit: WWE.com

Sheamus pinned Damien Sandow in a fair pre-show contest. It was pretty unremarkable for the majority, but there were a few nice moments from each of the two talents. I can't see why Sandow (who received most of the support from the fans in Chicago) wasn't afforded even a cheap win here, he could've really used it.

Curtis Axel bested Wade Barrett (c) and The Miz to obtain the Intercontinental Championship in a decent Triple Threat once it got going. The first half of the bout had its moments, although it felt a little slow for me. But once the pace picked up so did my interest and the three men put together some nice sequences with effective near falls. Axel managed to finally gain the one-two-three on Barrett as he was stuck in a Figure Four Leglock from Miz. The choice of victor went down very well with the terrific crowd in attendance.

Backstage Triple H  blocked off the new IC Champion's path, until Vince McMahon walked in and enthusiastically congratulated both Axel and Paul Heyman on the win. Vince went on to ask his son-in-law if he fancied facing Curtis, but Trips still refused.

AJ Lee beat Kaitlyn (c) to obtain the WWE Divas Title in a suprisingly enjoyable outing. Maybe I'm being generous since I wasn't expecting anything substantial here, but I was actually impressed with both wrestlers efforts here, they seemed to want to deliver a memorable match with a lay out that made sense, which is rare from the female performers on the main WWE roster nowadays. Granted there were a few slightly sloppy moments but considering both ladies abilities I think they should be proud of their displays. 

Afterwards an upset Kaitlyn was supported by fellow divas Alicia Fox, Layla and Natalya backstage. 

Dean Ambrose (c) won via count versus Kane, thereby retaining the United States Championship. While this wasn't the most exciting match, the wrestling itself was stellar enough so I can't complain. Ambrose managed to DDT Kane on the outside, earning himself the count out win.

We then witnessed a VT fo the return of Rob Van Dam at next month's Money in the Bank event. I was never overly impressed by most of his TNA run but he looked decent towards the end, could be interesting. Hopefully another WWE run will reinvigorate him a bit. 

Alberto Del Rio defeated Dolph Ziggler (c) to obtain the World Heavyweight Championship in a strange title clash. During the bout Ziggler was knocked on the head, which Del Rio continuously (and logically) targeted. Ziggler already had the support of the fans but his battling back (which reminded me a bit of HBK actually) really brought him across as a face and Del Rio beating on him when the referee was checking on the champ was extremely heelish. It was a smart move if the roles were meant to be reversed here, which I'm sure they were.

The wrestling itself had been largely solid, with only a few sloppy moments here and there. The crowd occasionally lost interest and began chanting for RVD and CM Punk, but soon got back into it. Del Rio shockingly won with a swift kick to the struggling Ziggler's head.

I think a comeback win for Dolph would've made much more sense here and given him some much needed credibility. His reign had only just begun after a long, long wait holding the MITB briefcase, and Del Rio has been stale for a long time as a face and heel. The new opponents Ziggler could've competed against over the title was a much more interesting prospect. This must've been a massive blow for 'The Show Off' too, he deserved better. Afterwards Del Rio came back out and asked the (booing) fans for their support and bigged himself up as the new World Champion.

CM Punk pinned Chris Jericho in a solid affair. Punk understandably received a tremendous reaction from the crowd throughout. The back and fourth action was decent, with exciting near falls (which maybe went a little overkill at points) and a nice ending (Punk applied two GTS's on Y2J) but this was by no means a classic. Both men gave worthy efforts, and the atmosphere was great but I just felt like there was something lacking a bit.

Much like Punk's famous title match with Cena at Money in the Bank 2011, it was a memorable contest but not either man's best by a fair distance. Maybe I'm being a little harsh and may change my mind after watching it again at some point, but I won't be in a rush to do so just yet.

The Shield (Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) (c) bested Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton to retain the WWE Tag Team Title in an engaging bout. I'm struggling to think of new ways to type this about The Shield and Bryan's recent outings but to sum it up this was exciting and contained satisfying wrestling from the opening bell, so do yourself a favour and check it out. For the finish Orton moved out of the way of an oncoming spear which struck Bryan, then RKO'd Reigns but was chucked out of the ring by Rollins who applied a Blackout on Bryan for the winning pinfall.

John Cena (c) won the Three Stage of Hell match versus Ryback two to one, thereby retaining the WWE Championship. Ryback won the first stage Lumberjack match after Shell Shocking Cena after the champ had been tussling with the wrestlers on the outside. Cena managed to win the second stage Tables match after quickly reversing a Shell Shock attempt into an AA through a table in the ring. And finally Cena won the third stage Ambulance match by again Attitude Adjusting Ryback through the vehicle itself.

Overall it was an entertaining main event that didn't disappoint, although I was personally hoping for a Ryback win to make things a bit more interesting. Much like Extreme Rules last month these two were smartly booked to utilise various weapons and outside elements to hide their limitations and keep things engaging.

Admittedly there was nothing particularly new to be found here, Cena's top rope body splash onto the lumberjacks and AA on Ryback through the Ambulance were exciting moments but nothing original. Still I came away from another Ryback versus Cena encounter having fun, and that's more than I was expecting when their feud started.

On the whole Payback was a passable pay-per-view, with no bad contests to speak of and some satisfying match ups to take away from it. My highlights were the IC Title Triple Threat, the Tag Team Championship bout, CM Punk's return and the main event. Despite a few fair matches that I'll probably forget about this time next month, it had its fair share of memorable moments which is fine with me for a lower level event.