My WWE Raw, 4th March 2013 Recap

The Deadman stares off with his future 'Mania opponent. Photo credit: WWE.com

The special edition 'Old School' Raw started off with The Undertaker himself walking out and simply raising his arms in front of the WrestleMania XXIX logo, looks like we'll be seeing him in five weeks time at the big event then.

CM Punk, accompanied by Paul Heyman, came out and blamed the fans for him not main eventing WrestleMania and claimed that there was no point even attending the event if he wasn't in the top spot on the card. But he then went on to challenge 'Taker to a match on said event to end his streak and take it away from all the fans in spite.

Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show then joined Punk and each staked their claim to face 'The Deadman' on the big stage. So to settle things Vickie Guerrero announced a Fatal Four Way between them all to determine who'll face 'Taker next month. It was a decent enough start to the show.  

Ryback pinned Antonio Cesaro in a passable outing. It was certainly watchable, with standard stellar work from Cesaro and a fair display from Ryback. Afterwards Mark Henry and Ryback stared off as he came out for his following match up. Guess we'll be seeing these two face off at 'Mania then, can't say I'm too hyped for that one myself.

Mark Henry beat Zack Ryder in a brief squash match. Not much more to add here to be honest.

Before his bout The Miz introduced Ric Flair, who was joining him in his corner. 'Naitch' predictably received a healthy reaction from the fans.

The Miz defeated Dolph Ziggler in a worthy enough effort from both men. Not either man's finest contest but it wasn't bad, a fun enough watch. Flair attempted to take out big E Langston at ringside after striking Miz, but failed as the big man simply stood there, which I was personally quite relieved at since it would've looked foolish having the far older Flair take out a much younger, bigger and tougher man.

Miz won via submission using the Figure Four Leglock (what else?), what has happened for Ziggler to deserve this? I've said it before but he should be having everything done to elevate him and make him a believable World Champion when he finally cashes in, but tapping out to Miz (who's lost numerous times to Cesaro as of late on PPV) is just making things worse for the 'Show Off'. Ziggler deserves far better treatment.

John Cena shortly interrupted The Rock's promo on arriving in Buffalo and his excitement for WrestleMania, and spoke about how worthless he felt after loosing to Rocky last year after claiming to everyone that he was going to be victorious. He also added that their WWE Championship match was his chance at redemption after all that.

'The People's Champ' told Cena that he wanted to face him because he knew how much it all meant to him, how much drive he had, but claimed that his own determination succeeded that. Cena retorted by explaining how he'd accomplished everything in WWE, except beat The Rock, who amusingly gave us a Lance Armstrong quote and told Cena that he was "full of crap" just like him. For me that was his best line since his return. I enjoyed the segment myself, it made a refreshing change having Cena take it seriously rather than with a goofy grin as he did with quite a few of their promos last year, it added to the intensity. 

Less than a minute into his match with Jim Duggan, Jack Swagger took him out with his own two by four, along with Sgt Slaughter and Dusty Rhodes. I was just relieved we didn't have to endure an actual match involving Duggan.

Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan & Kane) bested the Prime Time Players (Darren Young & Titus O'Neil) in a largely enjoyable tag bout. All four men gave decent displays and provided a fun watch. Afterwards the 'Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase stuck a one-hundred dollar bill down Young's mouth, which Bryan snuck back to take for himself.

Tensai and Brodus Clay beat 3MB (Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater) in an extremely brief contest with Tensai applying a quick roll up pin for the one-two-three. Afterwards the Honky Tonk Man began to celebrate with the victors but was interrupted by Slater, so he decided to crack his guitar over his head.

Fandango once again refused to make his in-ring debut against Kofi Kingston after announcer Justin Roberts didn't manage to announce his name to his high standards.

Triple H explained that after supposedly retiring from the ring last year, he still kept up his training in the gym every day and was just waiting secretly for an excuse to get back into the squared circle, and Brock Lesnar gave it to him when he took out his Father-in-law Vince McMahon a few weeks ago. He went on to then challenge Lesnar to an official fight at 'Mania. I'm personally quite looking forward to their match myself, should be a dramatic one.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Wade Barrett in an enjoyable encounter. Del Rio is on great form at the moment for me, and he carried it on here with a solid performance. Barrett also worked well and gave a worthy display. Not an outstanding match by any means but still above average.  

The New Age Outlaws, Billy Gunn and Road Dogg beat Epico and Primo in a largely average tag contest. The action was never great but fortunately the nostalgic element and passable work from the NAO was enough to make it worth a watch if you're a fan.

Just before the main event Mae Young celebrated her incredible 90th birthday, but it was soon spoilt when CM Punk and Heyman walked through and straight to the ring. What a git, eh? 

CM Punk bested Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show in a solid enough Fatal Four Way main event to earn a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania. All four men used their time well here and predictably managed to each get in their signature maneuvers in turn. While not as exciting as I was maybe hoping for, I can't fault any of their displays. Afterwards 'Taker made an appearance and faced Punk from the stage. It's on! I'm expecting a very high standard from their encounter on the grand stage.

While most of the show was decent enough, there was no one part that was exceptional or that exciting for me, which was quite disappointing. My highlights were the Cena Rock promo, main event and Triple H segment. On the whole a watchable Raw with nice progressions for WrestleMania, but nothing special. 

My WWE SmackDown, 22nd February 2013 Recap

Del Rio strikes with a nice aerial kick. Photo credit: WWE.com

World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio kicked off the show by responding to his WrestleMania opponent Jack Swagger's claims that immigrants like himself are ruining the USA, and reminded him that it was also immigrants that helped build the country in the first place. He also went on to challenge Swagger to come out and face him man to man.

But instead Randy Orton joined him and accused Swagger of taking away his chance at main eventing 'Mania in the Elimination Chamber match last Sunday, going on to state that he wanted some retribution. So GM Booker T granted 'The Viper' his match with Swagger and also booked Del Rio versus Barrett for that night.

Sheamus pinned Damien Sandow in a decent outing. Both men gave worthy efforts here and provided solid wrestling throughout, nothing spectacular but it made for a fun watch.

Before her following match, Kaitlyn complimented Cody Rhode's moustache backstage, which he graciously accepted. Could a face turn be in Cody's near future?

Kaitlyn and Layla bested Tamina and Aksana in a mediocre tag bout. Layla was the only standout performer here for me, the rest of the match was quite messy and average.

Backstage Zeb Colter, accompanying Swagger, warned Wade Barrett to stay out of their way and do them a favour by going back to England, classing him as another immigrant taking a job from an American.

Jack Swagger defeated Randy Orton in a mostly stellar contest. While not exactly an edge of your seat bout, it still has solid action from both men who looked crisp in the ring.

Swagger gained the win after catching Orton with a thumb to the eye and applying a quick roll up pin for the one-two-three, much like the one he used on 'The Viper' to win the Elimination Chamber. Considering he's going to WrestleMania to contest for the World Title I would've thought Swagger might have beaten Orton cleanly here. 'The Viper' looked frustrated afterwards, here's hoping his rumoured heel turn is coming up soon.

The Miz beat Cody Rhodes in a fair match up. In keeping with the trend of the previous singles bouts of the show, the wrestling was solid enough but not necessarily that exciting. Quite a forgettable one this really. Miz forced Rhodes to tap to the Figure Four Leglock for the win. 

Alberto Del Rio defeated Wade Barrett in an enjoyable main event. Definitely the top match of the night, with nice displays from both men and finally something a bit livelier on an otherwise unremarkable show. Swagger viewed the match from the stage and made his way down to face off with Del Rio from the outside of the ring afterwards. They of course did the obligatory pointing and staring at the WrestleMania sign looming over them.

Overall it was a pretty pedestrian show for the majority. Most bouts were fine but not massively engaging, much like the only promo we received at the start. Fortunately the livelier main event redeemed it a bit, but this was still a poor offering for a show in the WrestleMania season. Rather than repeating two ten-minute segments from Raw they could've added in some Mark Henry, Jericho, Team Hell No or Big Show at least, just something to add some interest (that's not a dig at any of those talents either). 

My WWE SmackDown, 15th February 2013 Recap

Big Show started things off by reminding us that Del Rio has never pinned him ahead of their title clash at Elimination Chamber, and that all his rage from the World Champion's actions as of late have been bottled up just for that occasion. Chris Jericho then joined Show and warned him that if they both win their respective matches on Sunday then he's going to go on to WrestleMania to topple him. Seeing where this was all going, GM Booker T then booked the two in a bout that night. Amusingly Show mouthed the words "I hate you" to Booker afterwards. It was a fair start to the show.

Mark Henry won via DQ versus Randy Orton in a largely solid encounter. As usual these two worked well together and gave worthy displays. The disqualification came after Orton had enough and decided to clobber his future opponent in the Elimination Chamber with a steel chair, but Henry soon made a recovery and swatted away the weapon before applying a World's Strongest Slam on 'The Viper'.

Afterwards Henry told Stryker backstage that no one was going to stop his road to WrestleMania, reminding him of all the people he's taken down in the short time since returning. I'm still going with Orton to win the Chamber.

Tamina Snuka pinned Layla in a passable Divas outing. It was certainly above average compared to the standard of most female wrestling in WWE today, with both women putting in decent enough efforts.

The Rock came out and warned CM Punk that he was simply holding onto his championship belt after taking it on Raw until Sunday when he beats him and earns it back. CM Punk then appeared on the big screen and informed Rocky that he wants him to get wound up and beat on him at Elimination Chamber because then he'll be stripped of the WWE Championship. Rock responded by calling Punk's words "worthless" after he failed to beat him at the Royal Rumble and after he fails to beat him again at EC. It was one of the better promos from 'The People's Champ' as of late.

Brodus Clay & Tensai beat 3MB (Heath Slater & Jinder Mahal) in an average tag bout. There were some sloppy moments and the action was pretty pedestrian to be honest, but I wasn't expecting much here anyway. I've yet to really get behind the team of Tensai and Clay, they just haven't really impressed, but I'm hoping that'll change at some point. 

Afterwards The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) took out the two victors. Ambrose then warned Cena, Ryback and Sheamus, their opponents at Elimination Chamber, that their actions have consequences and that after their match nothing will change. 

The Miz defeated Cody Rhodes in a fair match up. Not the most exciting bout you'll see but there was solid wrestling from both men, and it was paced nicely as Cody aimed for Miz's injured shoulder which was attacked by Cesaro on this week's Raw, so I appreciated the consistency with the bandages on him.

Jack Swagger beat Zack Ryder in a pretty forgettable contest. Much like on Monday night, Swagger dominated Ryder for the most part and eventually forced him to tap to the Patriot Act. Afterwards Swagger introduced his good friend Zeb Colter, who bashed Ryder for caring more about his appearance than his country and accused many Americans of doing the same, claiming the country was "broken." I'm really interested in this storyline with Swagger and Colter and where it could lead.

Big Show pinned Chris Jericho in a great main event. I thought it'd be a decent enough match, but it definitely succeeded that. Both men gave terrific displays and worked hard to provide the top match of the night. Big Show grabbed the one-two-three after quickly applying a KO punch out of nowhere. Afterwards Del Rio appeared on the stage and they stared off intensely. 

Overall I found it a pretty enjoyable show, with some above average matches and a great main event. My highlights were Orton versus Henry, The Rock and CM Punk's segment and Jericho versus Big Show. Ambrose's promo was also decent. For a SmackDown I'll take three memorable parts. Unfortunately the other matches were quite average, and you wouldn't miss much by skipping them. 

My Impact Wrestling, 14th February 2013 Recap

Samoa Joe about to elbow Angle in a solid encounter. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Hulk Hogan kicked things off by announcing four matches that night that would determine his choice to face Jeff Hardy at Lockdown next month for the world title. He then went on to also announce a Lethal Lockdown match at the same event (obviously) pitting Aces & 8s against TNA team captain Sting and a unit of his choosing. 'The Stinger' himself then came out warned Aces that he will have retribution.

Magnus defeated Christopher Daniels in a fair outing. Both men looked decent enough, but the match seemed to lack that bit of excitement for me to really get into it. Magnus gave a worthy effort, although he's still nothing exceptional he's continuing to improve which is positive.

Kurt Angle versus Samoa Joe ended in a no contest after Garett Bischoff and Wes Brisco ran in and attacked both men, unfortunately for them Joe and Angle fought back and chased them off. The match itself had been a solid one, with both men as usual working well together and providing stellar displays as they fought back and fourth.

Gail Kim, Tara and Jesse bested the Blossom Twins and Party Marty in a largely average mixed-tag bout. The former TNA British Boot Camp contestants the Blossom Twins and Marty had decent moments but still looked a bit too inexperienced in the ring, which obviously brought down the quality of the match up. Kim was the only real standout performer for me, giving a fine display as standard for her.

Afterwards Kim warned Tara that she had what she wanted in the form of the Knockouts Title, and demanded a match for the strap. So Brooke Hogan came out and booked a four-way for Tara's belt next week, including Gail Kim, Velvet Sky and Brooke Tessmacher.

James Storm pinned Rob Van Dam in an enjoyable outing. It started off a little slow but once they hit their stride it became a fun watch, with counter after counter. Storm managed to capture the win after applying a Superkick. 

Before their match up, Bobby Roode and Austin Aries revealed that they intended to win every title in the company to bring back "prestige and honour" to them.

Austin Aries versus Bobby Roode ended in a double count out. After the bell rung the two argued over who should lay down to be pinned. Aries eventually agreed to be the bigger man and laid down, of course this was a ruse as he then went to pin his tag partner which instigated the actual wrestling. The bout itself was an entertaining one, with nice action and amusing bickering between the two, including an Eddie Guerrero-esque moment of pretending the other man had struck him with a chair. 

The count out came after Chavo Guerreo and Hernandez, each wearing a T-Shirt representing the Tag Champions, came out and distracted Aries and Roode, causing them to leave the ring and try (and fail) to beat their opponent to make the count.

As Hulk Hogan was about to announce the number one contender to the World Title, Aces & 8s members made their way out and surrounded the ring. Just then Bully Ray and Sting also joined Hulk to back him up and scare away the gang. It was a poor end to the show, and running away from two elderly men and Bully only made Aces look weak.

Overall it was a fair Impact, with a few solid matches. Unfortunately the show lacked any half decent promos, and the Aces & 8s and TNA feud is loosing serious steam now, I'm struggling to find any interest in a gang that are just looking weaker and weaker. As I said fortunately the Aries versus Roode, Joe versus Angle and Storm versus RVD bouts made up for the weaker rest of the broadcast. 

My WWE Raw, 11th February 2013 Recap

CM Punk stands proud with his mentor Heyman. Photo credit: WWE.com

Paul Heyman started things off by announcing that this was the last anyone would see of him in WWE, claiming that the McMahons would take out their revenge for him on CM Punk instead and he would rather leave before that happened. Unfortunately the majority of the largely clueless crowd continued to boo Heyman even when he spoke about making ECW the product it would be best remembered as.

CM Punk soon joined his mentor and said that he didn't have to leave, but Heyman told him to let him go. After some more convincing though, Heyman eventually agreed that he should be in Punk's corner on Sunday at Elimination Chamber and the two hugged. It was a decent start to the show, you know that Heyman is always going to be solid on the mic.

Mark Henry beat The Great Khali in a mediocre and forgettable contest. As expected both men slowly clobbered each other until Henry World's Strongest Slammed his opponent for the one-two-three. He then continued to smash Hornswaggle into the mat with the same finishing maneuver. 

Backstage Chris Jericho asked GM Booker T for a spot in the Elimination Chamber, so Booker agreed to put him in a match up with Daniel Bryan to earn a spot.

In Vickie Guerrero's office, Paul Heyman convinced Vince McMahon to add a stipulation to The Rock versus CM Punk where if 'The People's Champ' was counted out or disqualified he would be stripped of the WWE Championship.

Chris Jericho pinned Daniel Bryan in an exciting back and fourth bout. Both men worked tremendously together as they each put in great efforts to be proud of. With similar styles it was hardly surprise how well this turned out, with constant counters and effective near fall and submission attempts. Jericho managed to score the winning pin after a Codebreaker out of nowhere.

John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus bested 3MB ( Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal) in a six-man squash match. Each man on the winning side took their turn to make their opponents look worthless (much like the match itself) and then all applied their finishers for the finale. You can go ahead and fast forward this one. Afterwards all three men on the winning side each spoke about how they'll get their revenge on The Shield this Sunday. 

After mocking him backstage for having paint spilt on him from Del Rio on last Friday's SmackDown, Big Show KO'd Alex Riley and Yoshi Tatsu, then also KO'd Matt Stryker (unfortunately not for real) as he was about to interview him in the ring. After pacing around furiously, Show then left without saying a word.

Jack Swagger pinned Zack Ryder in a fair encounter. While unremarkable, it wasn't bad, and each man gave a worthy enough display with the time allocated.

Afterwards Zeb Colter (who'd accompanied Swagger, and no I'd never heard of him before this either)  then accused America of changing too much due to people immigrating from other countries. I certainly wasn't expecting that, but I have to say that I think this could be the start of something very interesting with Swagger. I just hope that WWE don't restrain him and Colter too much, if left to become quite controversial with these promos Swagger could become a terrific heel. And how perfectly suited would this be in a feud with Del Rio?

Dolph Ziggler demanded that Booker put him into the Elimination Chamber match to stop Jericho from winning it and going on to 'Mania. Booker decided to give 'The Show Off' a chance by competing against Kane for the last spot.

The Miz won via DQ versus Cody Rhodes in a passable outing. The match was never exceptional or particularly engaging but both men were competent enough. The disqualification came when Antonio Cesaro (who'd provided guest commentary) attacked Miz and then impressively swung him numerous times into the barricade. Expect a rematch at Elimination Chamber over the US Title.

Tensai and Brodus Clay beat Primo and Epico in an average tag bout. Tensai and Clay incorporated some of their usual bad dance moves and celebrated afterwards by (you guessed it!) dancing. 

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) came out and demanded Cena, Sheamus and Ryback to "come and get us!" after their words for them earlier. They then called Cena a failure, claiming that the standard he set has brought about people like Sheamus and Ryback, that he doesn't have to ever answer to his actions. The mic work of Rollins and Ambrose here completely eclipsed that of their three opponents on Sunday from earlier, you could actually believe in their hate and aggression towards their foes.

The lights then went out and once they came back up Cena, Ryback and Sheamus began brawling with The Shield, eventually going out into the crowd and chasing them off. Should be a decent enough match at Elimination Chamber between them, although not a touch on the superb TLC match from December I imagine. Unfortunately with Cena dded to the equation I worry for the treatment of the trio too, Cena only tends to bury up and coming talent like them, never enhance.

Damien Sandow berated the typical country music found in Tennessee,  the current destination. As usual he was quite amusing.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Damien Sandow in a brief but enjoyable outing that deserved more time in my opinion. Del Rio was on good form in the ring as usual, and Sandow also put in a fair display. Afterwards the World Champion stated that Big Show's earlier promo of saying nothing at all was the best of his career, agreeing that the time for talking was over and that he was heading to WrestleMania XXVIIII with his strap.

Before his following match up, Wade Barrett was attacked backstage by rival Bo Dallas, who the Englishman had beaten from behind on SmackDown a few weeks ago. Nevertheless the Intercontinental Champion went on to pin Kofi Kingston after the break in a worthy effort by both men.

Unfortunately like most matches that night though it never really grabbed your attention, but I can't complain about the action they provided. Considering Barrett's attack beforehand this also made Kofi look particularly weak, I guess his push towards the end of last year was another half hearted attempt by the bookers to enhance him. I can't see it ever happening for Kofi unfortunately.

Kane pinned Dolph Ziggler in a bout that ranged from decent to passable. Unfortunately a few sloppy moments hindered the match a bit, which is out of character for the two talents.

WWE Champion The Rock came out and told the story of how he and his family moved to Nasville in 1987, and at the age of fifteen bought a car from a crackhead in a bar, only to realise it was stolen so he dumped it in a car park. The moral of the story was that you have to take control of your life, which is what he did at age twenty-four when he had his first match in the WWF. It was a decent enough promo from the champ.

CM Punk and Paul Heyman then joined Rocky, with the champ warning them that he's going to "beat your punk ass this Sunday." Punk then ran into the ring and the two began going back and fourth. As Rock was about to then hit the People's Elbow, Heyman pulled his leg which led to Punk applying the GTS and walking away with the strap he felt he'd never lost.  

It was a largely average Raw for me this week, with a lot of forgettable matches and unremarkable promos. To be fair the Jericho versus Bryan encounter, Heyman's work on the mic, Punk and The Rock tussling and the possible interesting direction Swagger and Coulter may be taking gave the show something to remember, so at least there were a few exceptional parts. Bit disappointing though after the last couple of weeks efforts. 

My WWE Raw, 4th February 2013 Recap

CM Punk and Chris Jericho look up at the lights in their superb contest. Photo credit: WWE.com

For the second week in a row CM Punk stormed out to the ring, dragging with him announcer Justin Roberts, who he demanded announce himself as the "People's champion." Punk then went on to once again claim that he was "screwed" out of the WWE Title and that The Rock doesn't deserve to hold it, that he hadn't "paid the price." 

He also added that he wasn't even in the footage shown last week revealing that Heyman had been working with Brad Maddox and The Shield, and that it was most likely a doctored video from Vince McMahon so him and Heyman were therefore innocent. He also stated that Brock Lesnar's attack on McMahon last week was "kharma" for what he'd done to him.

SmackDown GM Booker T then joined Punk and after a bit of a stutter informed him that he'd let the fans decide his fate, allowing them to vote for a former WrestleMania opponent of his to face him that night. As usual  it was solid mic work from the former WWE Champion, but it just seems a bit daft to me that Punk would still try to claim the video was a fake, he claims he's a 'bad man' why not just admit what he'd done now?

Ryback pinned Antonio Cesaro in a contest that ranged from average to fair. Fortunately Cesaro gave a worthy effort and made the bout worth watching, rightfully being made to look competitive against Ryback, who gave an unremarkable performance. 

Jack Swagger beat Santino Marella in a brief squash match. I'm just relieved they've yet to drop the ball with Swagger's return, he's show in the past that he has the ability to be in the main event picture so I'm really hoping that they keep up with this push. 

Alberto Del Rio bested Cody Rhodes in a decent enough encounter. It was a fun watch with good displays from both men, but it was just missing that little extra to really engage me. Afterwards Del Rio admitted that he was wrong to look down on people in the past, adding that he appreciated all the support from the fans during his fights against Big Show, who he berated for being a "bully."

The man himself then appeared on the big screen, live from a nearby hotel, and asked for a World Title match against Del Rio at Elimination Chamber. A furious champ called Show a coward for not turning up in person.

Daniel Bryan defeated Rey Mysterio in a thoroughly enjoyable and blistering outing. Both men as usual gave stellar efforts and worked very well together, complimenting each other's styles and not disappointing. For the finish Mysterio was about to come in with a flying headbutt but Bryan moved out of the way and applied the No Lock for the submission victory. 

But the celebration was short lived as Mark Henry then made his return. Bryan and Mysterio tried to each take him on but Henry barged through them both and Sin Cara when he raced out to Rey's aid. Am I one of the only fans who wasn't bothered if Henry came back or not? I'd personally rather see a younger and more interesting talent get that spot.

Backstage Bryan asked Kane why he didn't just back him up, so his tag partner reminded him that he'd previously asked him to stay in the back during his match up, no matter what. Bryan then also asked for an apology, but Kane refused. This all seems to point towards a match between the tag team champions at 'Mania, as further proved by what happened next too...

Sheamus pinned Kane in a passable, if a fairly drab at places bout. Both men looked okay, but the action was never particularly exciting. Sheamus applied the Brogue Kick to Kane for the one-two-three after Daniel Bryan had run down and distracted his tag partner. In a brilliant touch Bryan then had a very slight smirk on his face as he walked away, claiming that he was sorry.

Paul Heyman interrupted The Miz shortly into the latest 'Miz TV' segment and claimed that he wished the best on Vince McMahon's recovery after his hip surgery that day. Heyman went on to announce that he had absolutely no idea about Lesnar's return last week. After some heated words between the two men Vickie Guerrero came out and admitted that Heyman was "telling the truth" that she was the one that negotiated a new deal with Lesnar in an attempt to impress McMahon. 

Miz then accused them both of lying, claiming that they'd orchestrated the Lesnar attack as part of revenge for crushing ECW and for not promoting Vickie to GM. This cued the entrance of Brock Lesnar, who made his way to ring and faced an unflinching Miz, and tossed him out of the ring. But as the beast then threw out all of the 'Miz TV' set the host returned and managed to get in a few punches before Brock took him out with an F5, screaming that the ring was his house.

Randy Orton beat Wade Barrett in a pretty forgettable affair. There was no aspect of the match that was bad as such, and both men were certainly competent in the ring, but these two have seemed to have faced off so many times now that it all starts to blur together a bit.

CM Punk bested Chris Jericho in a tremendous contest. Both men battled back and fourth with some red hot action, providing exciting near falls and submission attempts. Amusingly Punk also answered some of the critics of their title match at last years WrestleMania (of which I was a big fan of) when told the "marks" to sit down that were chanting "This is awesome!" during the bout. Top match of the night.

Bruno Sammartino was announced as the next inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. After years of wondering if it would ever happen, it finally is. Some would argue that Sammartino is the most deserving ever of the accolade, now I can't claim to know the full history of the former WWWF Champion, but I think that's hard to argue against. 

Back in his hotel room, Big Show answered the door to a courier and signed his contract for the Elimination Chamber World Title match. But Del Rio also turned up and after receiving a fair beating from Show for a while, used a fire extinguisher to KO the giant. I'm still quite enjoying this feud to be honest.

Brad Maddox tried to convince everyone that Heyman had used him at Hell in a Cell last year due to his honesty and up and coming career, calling himself an "innocent victim." He then went on to call out The Shield himself to dish out his own form of justice. Sure enough the trio of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns made their way down and claimed that Maddox couldn't compare himself to them after they'd all worked for Heyman.

Soon enough Brad was taken out by The Shield and triple-powerbombed right before John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus made their way out through the crowd. Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns tried to get away but were cut off by a load more wrestlers from the locker room. Retreating to the ring the trio were subject to a beating until they managed an escape. A pretty weak ending I felt, predictable and unremarkable.

Overall it was a decent Raw I thought. There were memorable moments, much like last week, and a few above average match ups. The highlights were the 'Miz TV' segment, Mysterio versus Bryan and especially the great Punk versus Jericho encounter. We also had some nice set ups for future bouts, including one between Kane and Bryan at 'Mania, DB's smirk after Kane lost was brilliant. 

My WWE SmackDown, 1st February 2013 Recap

We first witnessed an angry Alberto Del Rio pacing outside, anticipating the arrival of Big Show who attacked Ricardo Rodriguez on this week's Raw.

In the ring GM Booker T announced that five men would have the chance to participate in an Elimination Chamber match for the World Title after Cena announced his intentions to challenge for the WWE Championship at 'Mania. Jack Swagger then made his return after a five-month absence and expressed his disappointment at where WWE was heading (along with many fans) and asked to be put in the EC match. 

But Dolph Ziggler wasn't feeling the same way, and announced that he had no intention of being a part of the Chamber bout since he already had a guaranteed World Title shot with his MITB contract. Just before 'The Show Off' left, Booker informed him that he'll face Del Rio later on. The GM also announced that all the men in the ring would have a match that night to try and prove that they deserved a spot in the EC. 

Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara defeated Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan & Kane) in a largely exciting and fun tag bout. It was a smart choice to start the show with too, something to get the fans going. Every man was on decent form, especially Mysterio and Bryan who provided the strongest period of the match together.

The Great Khali pinned Jinder Mahal in a drab and forgettable encounter. As usual it was a rather painful experience watching Khali slowly stumble around the ring. Mahal had a brief moment of attack but was soon taken out by the giant.

Backstage Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow informed Booker that they'd decided to disband Team Rhodes Scholars to concentrate on their singles career. In light of this the General Manager decided to book Sandow against Sheamus next. 

Sheamus versus Damien Sandow ended in a No Contest after The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) entered the ring and took out the 'Great White'. The bout itself had been fair, if fairly unremarkable. I'm starting to grow a bit tired of the same old routine from The Shield now, I'd like to see the talents have some actual matches now and then. I imagine the trio will face Cena, Sheamus and Ryback at Elimination Chamber. 

Randy Orton bested Wade Barrett in an average outing. Neither man looked bad, but it just felt all too familiar and I struggled to find the interest. Orton gained the one-two-three after applying an RKO. Backstage afterwards, during an interview Barrett spotted Bo Dallas (who'd beaten him this past Monday) and attacked the NXT regular from behind.

Jack Swagger beat Kofi Kingston in a worthy enough effort by both men. While it wasn't the most engaging match it was still watchable, and a decent return for Swagger to the ring, he desperately needed a rejuvenation of some kind after a worthless 2012. The All American American grabbed the submission win via the ankle lock after Kofi had accidentally kicked the announce desk. 

Alberto Del Rio and Big Show played an awkward game of cat and mouse in the parking lot as the World Champion chased Show around with a pipe in hand. Unfortunately for him the giant managed to get away in someone else's car.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Dolph Ziggler in a solid main event. Both men gave fine displays and as usual clearly took pride in their ring work as they battled back and fourth. The top match of the night, and far superior to any other singles contest.

Afterwards Big Show appeared on the big screen and revealed that he was holding Ricardo Rodriguez hostage, then applied a KO punch to the ring announcer.

Overall it was a pretty forgettable show for the most part. With the exception of the tag bout, main event and Swagger versus Kofi I'd say it's pretty safe to skip it, you wouldn't miss much.  

My WWE SmackDown, February 21st 2012 Recap

The World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan started things off by accusing all the fans of doubting his chances of ever main eventing WrestleMania. He then went on to claim that he'll spoil Sheamus's WrestleMania moment when he defeats him on the big stage, along with CM Punk that night.

Former NXT Pro to Bryan The Miz then joined the champ and confessed to allegedly always believing that he would one day be a World Title holder. He added that they should at some point even form a tag team, but The Miz was then interrupted by the Royal Rumble winner Sheamus. 'The Great White' congratulated Bryan also, but for being an "arse" instead. He also added that after Mania people wil no longer be congratulating him, but saying that he got exactly what he deserved. Bryan retaliated by hitting him with a cheap shot and legging it. This left Miz and Sheamus to brawl, which then led to a match up between the two.

Sheamus defeated The Miz in an average bout, not terrible but pretty forgettable really. On commentary they spoke about Miz not having a place at WrestleMania yet, and to be honest I'm struggling to figure out where he'll feature at the moment.       

Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger defeated Kofi Kingston and R-Truth in an entertaining tag match, with the action rarely letting up. Ziggler grabbed the winning pin after poking Kingston in the eyes when the referee wasn't looking and then applying the Zig Zag. I can see all four of these men in the Money in the Bank Match at Mania.  

The Great Khali defeated Drew McIntyre in a worthless squash match. I'm just waiting for the awful Khali to once again disappear from WWE television.  

Mark Henry won via count out versus Big Show after Show gave chase to Cody Rhodes during the bout. Up until that point the match had been the usual mediocre, boring and slow-paced match up these two provide us with. Just like we had to endure last year. The only relatively entertaining part was when Rhodes made his way out and mocked Big Show for his Mania record and presented a VT of when he lost at WrestleMania 21 against Akebono in a Sumo Match.  

I'm quite surprised they're going with a Rhodes vs Big Show feud which will predictably lead to a match on the big stage. I really thought they'd go with a Goldust versus Cody bout, it'd certainly be a better match and have a better build up.

David Otunga defeated Ezekiel Jackson in another average contest between the two. Although I'll give Otunga some credit he has looked fairly more competent in the ring over the last few months. I'm guessing both wrestlers will probably both be involved in a Teddy Long versus John Laurinaitis match at WrestleMania.  

CM Punk defeated Daniel Bryan in another awesome and technically sound match up, where Bryan methodically worked on Punk's arm. It's quite a rare thing to see in WWE when a wrestler will work down a body part in a match. As Bryan decided he'd had enough and wanted to leave during the bout, his forthcoming opponent Sheamus decided to throw him back into the ring where Punk then got the one-two-three. But then Laurinaitis showed up and demanded that the match be restarted after Sheamus's interference.   

Daniel Bryan then defeated CM Punk after pinning him while holding onto the ropes, which Laurinaitis at ringside had no quarrel with. Teddy Long then arrived and demanded that the match be restarted once again. 

Finally, CM Punk versus Daniel Bryan ended in a no contest after both men had each other down for the three count. It was a blistering back and fourth contest between them and although the three endings may seem a little TNA-esque, at least it didn't put down any of the two deserving World Champions. 

Overall SmackDown wasn't anything special really, with mostly average to drab match ups on the card. The only real saviour of the show was the brilliant three main events between the champs. 

My Impact Wrestling, February 2nd 2012 Recap

Impact Wrestling, taped for the first time in Wembley Arena kicked off with Bully Ray and TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode. Ray first informed the fans in London that Jeff Hardy would not be there that night because him and Roode on the previous weeks Impact had "made sure you wouldn't see Jeff Hardy tonight!" Bit mean, eh? Roode also went on to mistake England for Ireland and added that they weren't completely finished by just taking out just Hardy, so he called out James Storm. Who sure enough made his way out, along with Sting. 'The Stinger' announced a Fatal Four Way for the Against All Odds pay-per-view between Storm, Roode, Ray and Jeff Hardy for the World Title. He also added that James Storm would get to face both Roode and Bully Ray on that very Impact.

Before we had the Buckingham Brawl (I have no idea either) match up between Samoa Joe and Magnus (who understandably got a great ovation on the way out) versus Crimson and Matt Morgan, there was a coin toss to determine which team would get a one man advantage in the ring all the time (like a handicap match basically) which Joe and Magnus won. 

Samoa Joe and Magnus defeated Matt Morgan and Crimson in a pretty average contest. Although the crowd were superb during it, thoroughly behind fellow countryman Magnus and partner Joe. 

Eric Bischoff entered the ring and called out his son Garrett, who he said needed a "good shot of reality." Garrett sure enough joined his Dad, who warned him that his new mystery trainer is a poor choice and will never be there for him. Garrett told his Dad that he should take it up with him, which Bischoff scoffed at and claimed that he would never come all the way to England for him. Garrett had to then stop his Dad for a moment as he answered his phone, it was the trainer calling him to let him know that he was in the building and would like to see Eric later on that night.  

Austin Aries defeated hometown prospect Mark Haskins in an enjoyable and fast paced X Division bout. Both wrestlers put in a good effort and the action never really let up, which included a dangerous Shooting Star Press from Haskins where he seemed to land a little awkwardly on his head. As usual, X Division Champion Aries was on great technical form.

Bobby Roode defeated James Storm in an intense match that gained momentum towards the final third of it. It began a little slow but once the signature moves and near falls began commencing the crowd were loving it, as was I. Bobby Roode pinned Storm with a Spear after Bully Ray had snuck to ringside and pulled on Storm's foot as he was preparing for a Last Call Superkick. Afterwards Bully Ray slammed Storm onto the World Title belt, with Sting racing in to 'The Cowboy's' aid.

Tara defeated Knockout Champion Gail Kim in a bout that started off slightly disappointingly and sloppy but at least picked up in terms of the quality of the action towards the end. For the finish Madison Rayne ran in to help the champ but accidentally struck her in the head instead, so Tara threw her out and applied the Widows Peak to Kim for the one-two-three.  

Garrett Bischoff thanked the fans for their support and was about to introduce his mystery trainer until his Dad, accompanied by Gunner interrupted him. Eric tried to convince him to give it up, but then the trainer was revealed, Hulk Hogan. Shocker, right? Together him and Garrett took out Gunner, and were about to do the same to Bischoff until he was saved by Gunner.       

James Storm defeated Bully Ray in a solid enough main event, though not as entertaining as the previous Roode versus Storm match from earlier on the show. Bully dominated the 'injured' Storm for the majority of the match until 'The Cowboy' made a valiant comeback and eventually pinned Ray after a Last Call.