My WWE SmackDown, 21st September 2012 Recap

Photo credit: WWE.com 

WWE Hall of Famer Edge kicked off the show by explaining that he now watches the WWE product as a fan, not a performer. He then showed a VT of Kane and Daniel Bryan hugging it out and then arguing on last Monday's Raw. 'The Rated R Superstar' said that he'd never seen anything like it and was perplexed by it all. Daniel Bryan himself then came out and claimed that Doctor Shelby had helped him find inner peace, this was short live though as Edge began having fun by winding him up with chants of "Yes!" and "No!" Kane then also joined them and began arguing with his tag partner.

A confused and frustrated Edge then began screaming at Kane, asking what had happened to the once 'Big Red Machine', also reminding him of all that they'd put each other through. Kane amusingly offered Edge a hug to make amends, so he accepted and even offered a left out Bryan a chance to get in on it. But instead Damien Sandow interrupted them and claimed that this kind of behaviour was ruining the company. Edge decided to settle things by setting up a match (that GM Booker T agreed to) between Sandow and Kane. It was one of the best opening segments to a pro wrestling show I've seen in a while. All four men were on form, especially the three in the ring. Bryan and Kane are the most consistently entertaining act in WWE right now for me.  

Damien Sandow defeated Kane in a fair match up that never really went beyond decent. Sandow is competent in the ring but he's still not quite there yet and has work to do. 'The Intellectual Saviour' picked up the one-two-three after Bryan distracted his tag partner at ringside, allowing Sandow to apply a Straight Jacket Neckbreaker. It's a big win for Sandow pinning Kane like that, a good sign for him.

Backstage an angered Kane hunted down Bryan, but instead came across Doctor Shelby. Bryan shortly popped up from a bin behind (which looked hilarious) and after both Tag Team Champions were calmed down by Shelby they agreed to make amends. Doctor Shelby also suggested getting Bryan a match to make up for causing Kane to loose, which he liked. It was another superb segment between them.   

Sheamus and Randy Orton beat Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio in an enjoyable tag team bout. All four men put in standard solid displays (typical for all of them really) and provided an entertaining contest, superior to the average tag team ones we get in WWE and the rather lacklustre main event of this weeks Raw.   

Cody Rhodes defeated Daniel Bryan in a passable match that never got the chance to get going. It's a shame it wasn't allocated a bit more time, could've been much better I reckon. Rhodes grabbed the winning pin after Kane had a little payback and distracted Bryan with his pyros, giving Rhodes the chance to apply the Cross Rhodes for the victory.

Backstage after the tag champs once again argued over who was better, but soon noticed Sandow and Rhodes laughing at them. Rhodes stated that they were a "spectacle" and a poor unit. Kane and Bryan defended themselves by challenging both men to a tag team match, causing them to walk away in separate directions.     

Brodus Clay won via disqualification versus Heath Slater in a rather nothing bout. The actual wrestling wasn't anything special, it was what happened after that was interesting. As the match was taking place Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal ran in and helped take out Clay with Slater. Hopefully this is the start of a new faction that are tired of being underutilised in the company and are taking action, giving these talents some much needed relevance and creating a hopefully interesting group. I'll be very disappointed if they drop the ball with this one.

Santino Marella beat Antonio Cesaro in comedy match for the most part, it was quite mediocre to be honest. Marella's cobra was once again distracted by Aksana, but this time she was accidentally pulled into the ring and damaged her foot. This caused the referee to be distracted and Marella to grab a quick pinfall win. Afterwards an angered Cesaro dumped the hurt Aksana. Hopefully this means the end of the awful acting skills of Aksana on our screens.  

Daniel Bryan and Kane won via DQ versus Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow in a fair tag contest. The match never really excelled at anything, but the entertaining part came after the bell rung. Bryan came to his partner's aid by snatching the steel chair that Rhodes had used on Kane (which caused the DQ) and him and his tag partner began taking out their opponents and various other teams that had been watching the bout, all the while with big smiles on their faces. It was a glorious end to the show as both men stood tall over the seas of bodies.

Overall it was a very enjoyable show, thanks mainly to the inspired duo of Kane and Daniel Bryan. Edge's surprise appearance was a pleasant surprise too and his segment with the tag champs was fun. We also had a solid outing involving Sheamus, Orton, Del Rio and Ziggler. Compared to most SmackDown's recently I'd call it a big success.    

My WWE Raw, April 23rd 2012 Recap

John Laurinaitis started off Raw by ordering John Cena to leave the ring, who'd been led to believe that his contract signing with Lesnar was going to take place there and then. Big Johnny was then interrupted by Hall of Famer Edge, who received a huge ovation for his surprise return. 'The Rated R Superstar' (boy it feels good to type that again) tried to light a fire under Cena, to get back the Cena of old that he'd rivalled with years ago. He claimed that he needed to reach down if he had any chance against the 'War Machine' Brock Lesnar.

He went on to state that Cena wasn't just fighting for himself, but for everyone that carried the load when Lesnar had left the company like himself, Undertaker and Shawn Michaels.  

Chris Jericho defeated Kofi Kingston in a entertaining back and fourth contest. Both wrestlers pulled out most of their signature moves and had some nicely executed near falls. Jericho forced Kofi to tap to the more old-school Walls Of Jericho.

For me you can add Kingston to the list of up and coming talents that deserve more attention and a higher spot in the company, along with the likes of Ziggler and Rhodes. He showed he's capable of really getting a crowd going with a top talent during his feud with Orton a few years ago.

After the bout Jericho claimed that his victory was proof that he will win this Sunday at Extreme Rules against CM Punk. He also once again brought up Punk's family and called him "a failure as a champion and as a human being."

Backstage CM Punk revealed that Chris Jericho had sent him a gift in the form of a liquor basket, and then handed it off to Josh Matthews. Nice little touch there having Y2J send him that.

Lord Tensai defeated R-Truth in a squash match that once again, like most of Tensai's matches so far, played before a mostly indifferent crowd. I thought he might have received more reaction after beating Cena last week but I guess not. Maybe he just needs to vary his move set a bit more to keep the crowds interest, we all know he's more than capable of that.

Kane came to the ring and called Orton nothing more than a "scared little boy" after taking out both him and his father on SmackDown. Orton appeared on the big screen and decided to repay the favour from Kane and wheeled his father Paul Bearer into a giant freezer unit of some sort. But 'The Big Red Monster' simply laughed and claimed that he has no heart, and no intention of saving his dad. As he was leaving 'The Viper' then began attacking Kane, eventually chasing him off with a led pipe. It was a better segment than most for this rivalry and I'm expecting a fair match between the two on Sunday.

Big Show and The Great Khali defeated Cody Rhodes and Alberto Del Rio in an average tag team contest. It seems as thought Show and Khali are being built as a new tag team to challenge for the titles, while they're not a particularly great team in the ring (putting it kindly) at least they'll bring some much needed interest and television time back to the division.

As Josh Matthews attempted to interview Brock Lesnar, asking him if he'd still remain the face of the WWE if he looses to Cena, Lesnar grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the ground. It's nice having a bad ass back in the company. 

Before Nikki Bella versus Beth Phoenix could commence, Eve announced that it was now a lumberjill match. 

Nikki Bella defeated Beth Phoenix (c) to win the Divas Championship in a forgettable and mediocre match. When someone like Nikki Bella is defeating the talented Phoenix you know it's a sign that the division really has become surplus to the company, not that you needed any more evidence. 

Chris Jericho, after accusing CM Punk of being drunk earlier in the show, had permission from Laurinaitis to help monitor a public sobriety test on the WWE Champion. Punk, quite amusingly, came out acting as though he was under the influence and called the whole test "ridiculous," even accidentally calling the company WWF.

After failing to recite the alphabet backwards and walk a straight line Teddy Long was forced to hand the WWE title over to Jericho, but of course Punk then revealed that he was in fact sober and recited then alphabet backwards and walked the straight line before cracking Jericho with the mic and attacking him, with the number one contender eventually fleeing. It was yet another entertaining segment involving Jericho and Punk, with the champ finally getting one over on his nemesis. Their street fight should steal the show on Sunday in Chicago.

Mark Henry defeated Sheamus with a very quick pin from special guest referee Daniel Bryan. As per the stipulation from Laurinaitis, Sheamus will be fired if he touches a referee, so of course there was plenty of taunting from Bryan during the short match. Afterwards 'The Great White' began exacting his revenge on his opponent on Sunday but was distracted by Henry and ended up getting kicked in the head and having a Yes Lock applied by Bryan.  

Santino Marella and Zach Ryder defeated Epico and Primo in a decent enough tag team match. It's good to see the Tag Team Champions back on TV where they belong.

Backstage Kane found Paul Bearer, but after wheeling him out he informed his father that he was saving himself instead and put him back into the storage.

Brodus Clay and Hornswaggle won via disqualification against Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger in a comedy match up after Vickie Guerrero entered the ring and slapped Clay. After then realising her mistake and trying to make amends with 'The Funkasaurus' Vickie was met with Hornswaggle biting her backside and chasing her off. 

During the night we were shown highlights of Lesnar's memorable career in WWE, and every single one had him beating a member of TNA's current roster in Hardy, Angle and Hogan. Coincidence, eh?

As Lesnar and Laurinaitis prepared for the contract signing, there was no sign of Cena after his music hit.  So instead Lesnar gave Johnny a list of new demands that he had going into the match on Sunday. Stating that he was no longer the same "naive farm boy" that he was in WWE eight years ago he claimed to have realised that the company "needs Brock Lesnar." Can't argue there, WWE have failed to create enough new big stars for the company over the last few years, which is strange considering that they plan out everything that happens.

Lesnar went on to demand that any ideas that Laurinaitis has for himself or the show in general in the future he has to run by him first. He listed off various other demands, including being immune to being fined and using Vince McMahon's private jet, all of which Laurinaitis agreed to. Cena finally joined them, sporting his old school chain around his neck, and was accused of being scared by 'The War Machine'. So in response Cena signed the contract and threw it at his rival. Lesnar and Cena just shared a glare as they parted ways.

The segment had its entertaining moments, although Lesnar still doesn't look completely comfortable on the mic just yet. But saying that I am still very much enjoying the refreshing change Lesnar has brought with him to Raw, with a character much like Punk's who you can believe in. Unfortunately it was never going to live up to the brilliant CM Punk and Vince McMahon contract signing from last year, what with the far less charismatic Laurinaitis in McMahon's place. Extreme Rules should be a largely entertaining show I reckon.   

My WWE Raw, January 9th 2012 Recap

Kane started things off by accusing all of the fans of living lives that they really "hate"and despise. With families and jobs that they really cannot stand. He also then claimed that when the fans look at John Cena they see "hope" and "success," when really they should be viewing what they'll never achieve, and what's out of their grasp. Kane always reminded us of how close he was to dragging Ryder down with him on last weeks Raw and warned that "I always get what I want, and what I want are consequences! Consequences for refusing to embrace hate."    
Before the 'Big Red Monster' finished his sentence John Cena's music hit and he raced out to brawl with Kane. The fight ended up going backstage, and then moved on to the parking lot. After a big uppercut slap from Kane which sent Cena into a pile of boxes, he soon recovered only to discover that Kane had disappeared.     
Santino Marella and Sheamus defeated Wade Barrett and Jinder Mahal in an average tag match that picked up a bit once Sheamus entered the fray. Just when I think Mahal is making some progress he goes and gets pinned by Santino's Cobra finisher, that's never a good sign for a wrestler. 
Edge was then announced as a more then deserving inductee into the WWE 2012 Hall Of Fame. I can't help but still feel so disappointed that one of the most all-rounded talented wrestlers I've ever seen was forced to retire earlier then expected. But of course it was clearly for the best and the most intelligent move on Adam Copeland's part. Once again, thank you Edge.
Daniel Bryan defeated Kofi Kingston in a brief but entertaining bout that really deserved some more time I feel. Bryan won after making Kingston tap to his signature LeBell Lock.
After the match Big Show made his way out to confront Bryan. Before Big Show could finish a sentence the World Champion cut him off and admitted that he already knew what Show was thinking, that "I hated how that World Title match ended." He also added that he was a fighting champion and claimed that "I will give you a World Title match whenever you want." Big Show informed Bryan that Teddy Long agreed with him and that on this weeks SmackDown he would be defending the championship against him in a No Disqualification, No Count Out Match.  
Then, after weeks and weeks of anticipation, Brodus Clay finally made his Raw debut as the 'Funkasaurus' Brodus Clay. Yes, you read that right. He arrived with two dancers and a 70s disco theme to his entrance. I don't believe anyone was expecting this.
Brodus Clay briefly defeated Curt Hawkings. The bout was brief but not bad, this wasn't just because of Clay and Hawking's efforts but also due to the random remarks 'The Funkasaurus' made during the match. Such as "My bad!" after he knocked over Hawkings. Certainly an interesting direction for Clay that's for sure, and I can't deny that he was entertaining.
CM Punk defeated Jack Swagger a pretty solid encounter between the two. Just before the bell had rung John Laurinaitis, to prove that he'll be impartial as the special guest referee in the WWE Championship match between Punk and Dolph Ziggler at the Royal Rumble, announced that if Punk won then Vickie Guerrero and Jack Swagger would be banned from ringside for that match. 
Backstage The Miz threatened that he would add Ricardo Rodriguez to the injured list if he didn't go out to the ring and say something offensive about R-Truth to draw him out, so Rodriguez left to make his way out.
Then the next inductees into the WWE 2012 Hall Of Fame was announced, The Four Horsemen. Does this mean we'll be seeing Ric Flair at the induction then? 
A very nervous Ricardo Rodriguez then began (mildly, but quite amusingly) insulting R-Truth, which successfully drew him out. Truth said that Ricardo had him all wrong, and that he was now a "goood R-Truth." The deranged Truth then asked if Rodriguez would "sing me and Little Jimmy a song?" So Ricardo agreed and began to sing, and even remix at one point, a song for Truth. Much to the crowds delight, it was pretty entertaining actually. I can definitely see a successful face turn in the future for him. After R-Truth asked him to sing again, Rodriguez accidentally knocked the mic out of his hand causing Truth to apply a  What's Up? to Rodriguez. Afterwards The Miz arrived and began assaulting Truth, until he turned it around and chased Miz off into the crowd.    
Chris Jericho then made his way out and began to celebrate in the same fashion as he had done last week on his return. As his music stopped and he held a mic on his hand, he then began to look emotional and overwhelmed by the reaction. This carried on until he once again left the arena without uttering a single word. I'm not sure about everyone else but I'm really enjoying these new segments involving Jericho. It's certainly a bit different and intriguing, and it's got everyone guessing as to what he's really up to.
As Eve Torres awaited Beth Phoenix's arrival for a one on one match, Kane's music hit so Zach Ryder raced out to save her. They both left the building but discovered that a tyre on Ryder's car had been let down so he began replacing it.
John cena versus Dolph Ziggler ended in a no contest after Cena left the match to help Ryder. The bout up until that point had been fairly decent, Ziggler had actually been given the majority of the offence to help build him up for the title match at Royal Rumbe. As the match proceeded, footage on the tron showed Kane attacking Ryder from behind by the car. He then Chokeslammed him onto the ground a few feet below. Cena abandoned the match and raced out to help the United States Champion, but was ambushed by 'The Big Red Monster' and once again choked out.    
Overall Raw felt like a pretty average show to me considering the in ring action, but it was more of a broadcast to help build up certain storylines and feuds.