My WWE SmackDown, 2nd August 2013 Recap

RVD wallops Christian with a nice kick. Photo credit: WWE.com

World Champion Alberto Del Rio started things off by thanking the fans, for nothing that is, reminding them that they turned on him when he was trying to be their champion. Which was true, but a lack of character will have that effect. He also sincerely thanked SmackDown GM Vickie Guerrero for allowing him to choose his own opponent for SummerSlam, just like John Cena. So after mentioning a few possible options, Del Rio revealed his personal announcer Ricardo Rodriguez as his hand picked challenger.

An upset Vickie Guerrero then stormed out and expressed her disappointment in Del Rio's choice so instead booked a Triple Threat between Christian, Rob Van Dam and Randy Orton to determine his opponent for the big event. I was most happy with that match line up, and they duly delivered, but I'll get to that later...

Cody Rhodes pinned Jack Swagger in a fair, if unmemorable bout. Both men looked okay in the ring, nothing that significant or remarkable to take away from it though. During an interview afterwards Damien Sandow attacked Rhodes from behind, eventually taking him out by slamming his head into a nearby container. 

Big E Langston beat Sin Cara in a pedestrian outing. Big E understandably dominated for the most part, with Sin Cara managing a few offensive moments in there. Unfortunately the whole thing lacked in excitement or interest.

CM Punk forced Fandango to submit in a decent contest. Both men gave stellar showings and delivered a match that exceeded my expectations. In a nice finish Punk rolled over after applying a superplex on his opponent and latched on an Anaconda Vice for the win. It's always a treat to see his signature submission move make a return.

AJ Lee (c) defeated Kaitlyn to retain the Divas Title in passable encounter. It wasn't a great bout by any means, but it was wisely kept short and at least had a twist (which you could admittedly see coming a bit) when Layla betrayed Kaitlyn by preventing a spear on the outside and revealing how friendly she was with the Divas Champion afterwards.  

Christian bested Randy Orton and Rob Van Dam in a Triple Threat to become number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. And what a tremendous main event this was, with engaging action and superb displays from the opening. Every man put in a great effort here, which is hardly a surprise considering the talent involved. For the finish Orton attempted to hit Christian with an RKO after taking out RVD with one, but failed when 'Captain Charisma' reversed it into a backslide pin for the one-two-three. As a sentimental favourite of mine I was very happy with Christian winning.

The victor shook hands with both of his competitors after, only to then be attacked by Del Rio and finally kicked in the head by the World Champion. 

Overall it was a mixed bag of a show, with a few fairly average match ups that felt more like filler and a couple of enjoyable ones, including the terrific main event. My highlights were CM Punk versus Fandango and (take a wild guess) the Triple Threat.   

My WWE SmackDown, 26th July 2013 Recap

Apparently he can't swim. Photo credit: WWE.com

Randy Orton pinned Damien Sandow in a fair outing. Both Money in the Bank holders gave worthy enough efforts, but I failed to engage in the match and find any excitement. Orton applied the RKO for the one-two-three after Cody Rhodes walked down and walked off with Sandow's MITB briefcase, distracting the 'Intellectual Saviour'. 

CM Punk came out and confirmed for us again that he will indeed face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam in a few weeks. He went on to also claim that Lesnar's biggest weakness was once his own, his trust in Paul Heyman, and Heyman's was and always has been his ego.

He also added that he will take everything away from Heyman when he stands up from Lesnar's attack and continuously kicks him in the head until he's unrecognisable. I'm a big Punk fan but I just struggle to believe it when he states he'll do this kind of thing to someone much larger and muscular in Lesnar. Amusingly Fandango then interrupted Punk and came out for some unknown reason, which prompted him to crack the dancer with his microphone and some punches before hitting him with the GTS. The segment was entertaining and Punk is always a welcome return on the blue brand for me. 

Mark Henry and The Usos bested the Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) and Wade Barrett in a passable six-man tag bout. It had decent moments, but was pretty forgettable to be honest. The winning teams upcoming match with The Shield should be far better.

Alberto Del Rio beat Rob Van Dam in a match that was far, far too brief. The World Champion managed to quickly pin RVD after a swift superkick after distracting the referee in the corner. I can only imagine (and sincerely hope) that they're planning to have these two face off for the strap at SummerSlam. That could be a terrific title match.

AJ Lee, accompanied by Big E Langston, explained that despite being dumped by Ziggler and loosing her best friend Kaitlyn she would be fine due to still being the Divas Champion and "saviour" of the division. She then revealed Dolph's keys to his house that he'd given her and claimed that she was ready to move on and get rid of them.

Dolph Ziggler then joined them and told his ex that he'd passed around plenty of sets of keys to girls and changed the locks just to be safe anyway, and also told Lee and Langston that they were both replaceable too, much like all his belongings in his suitcase which AJ began to destroy in the ring. As a furious Divas Champion left the ring Kailyn hit her with a spear, and Dolph took out Langston with a fameasser. Looks like we'll be having a mixed tag match with this lot at SummerSlam. It was an enjoyable segment, mainly due to Ziggler's great work on the mic which was possibly his strongest to date. His face turn has been very successful so far.

Luke Harper and Erick Rowan defeated Tons of Funk (Tensai and Brodus Clay) in a short squash tag contest. After watching the 'Wyatt family' for a while now on NXT their performance was pretty standard for them, they're never the most exciting but they do their job well enough. Afterwards Bray Wyatt said that he was welcoming Kane's return next Monday, seemingly having no fear over the possible ramifications of their beat down on him a few weeks ago.

Christian pinned Jack Swagger in a solid encounter and best one of the night. In one of Swagger's finest match ups since his return earlier in the year we received good displays from both men, with Christian especially on stellar form as usually expected from him. 

Damien Sandow stormed out after the main event and demanded that Rhodes return his MITB briefcase and that Vickie Guerrero fire him immediately. Cody then appeared on the big screen and revealed that he was right by the Gulf of Mexico with the briefcase in hand, telling Damien that all he had to do was come and get it.

So a frantic Sandow raced across the street, begging Cody not to chuck it into the river and complimenting him in almost every department. But that wasn't enough for Rhodes who tossed it in anyway. Sandow attempted to retrieve it but failed as he admitted that he couldn't actually swim. It was a fun end to the show. 

Overall it was a mixed bag of a SmackDown, with most of it being pretty unmemorable but a few entertaining offerings still to be had. My highlights were Punk's promo, the Ziggler and AJ segment, Christian versus Swagger and Sandow and Rhodes visit to the Gulf of Mexico. Outside of those parts it was unremarkable or fairly drab for myself.  

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 SmackDown, 17th May 2013 Recap

Orton clobbers Swagger in the solid main event. Photo credit: WWE.com

The Miz kicked things off with his show 'Miz TV', where he brought out his guests Randy Orton and Big Show. After showing footage from last Friday's SmackDown, the two Extreme Rules opponents each spoke about how they were going to win their match of the same name on Sunday, with Show talking about how the only weapon he required was his fist and Orton claiming that he refused to loose in his hometown of St Louis.  

Jack Swagger (or rather Zeb Colter), Mark Henry and Alberto Del Rio then each came out and stated how they would be victorious this Sunday in their respective match ups. It was all a bit drab. Sheamus then arrived and finally suggested that rather than talking, he fancied a fight instead and everyone began to brawl in the ring, with Orton, Sheamus and Del Rio chasing off their rivals. Teddy Long then (of course) strolled out and booked them all in a six-man tag main event. 

The Shield (Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins) bested Jimmy and Jay Uso in a fair tag contest. Everyone involved looked decent, but there was nothing exceptional about the match. Afterwards Kofi Kingston raced in to help the Usos as The Shield were about to finish them off, but was quickly tossed out of the ring. But the US Champion wasn't done as he then chased off the trio (including his opponent on Sunday, Dean Ambrose) with a steel chair in hand. 

Tons of Funk (Tensai and Brodus Clay) beat Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) in a pretty pedestrian and forgettable tag bout, much like their one on this Monday's Raw. I just can't really find the interest for either team. 

Chris Jericho defeated Antonio Cesaro in a largely stellar effort from both men. While it maybe didn't quite live up to my expectations (as a big fan of both talents, although I think that's just me being picky) it was an enjoyable back and fourth affair. After the bell rung Fandango attempted to attack Jericho from behind but was thwarted when Y2J saw him coming and beat him out of the ring. Jericho also applied a Codebreaker to Cesaro after he tried to attack him too.

The Miz bested Damien Sandow in a decent outing. I wasn't expecting much here so it was a pleasant surprise at what a fun watch it was, with a worthy display from both men. Cody Rhode's guest commentary was also a good listen at times.

Kaitlyn pinned Aksana in a drab encounter for the most part. The wrestling was unremarkable throughout, which wasn't a major shocker considering who's involved. Watching the female talent on NXT is a pretty big contrast, they actually look like they've got something to prove and want to impress. The most entertaining thing about the match was actually JBL and Michael Cole teasing Josh Matthews about being Kaitlyn's secret admirer on commentary, very funny.  

Randy Orton, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio beat Jack Swagger, Big Show and Mark Henry in an entertaining six-man tag main event. From the opening bell we had solid action, with every man using their time in the ring effectively. Orton managed to eventually gain the one-two-three after RKOing Swagger as he applied a Patriot Lock on Del Rio. Good end to the show, although nothing on the finale to this week's Raw.

Overall it was an unremarkable show for the majority, like most of the time with the blue brand this year there was nothing you could imagine yourself still thinking of a few months from now, with no inspiring feuds or storylines at all on the show at the moment. The highlights for me were Jericho versus Cesaro and the main event. Now onto Extreme Rules! Which I'm actually fairly optimistic about, should be decent. 

My WWE SmackDown, 10th May 2013 Recap

An intense Jericho locks on the Walls. Photo credit: WWE.com



Chris Jericho kicked things off with his signature show the 'Highlight Reel', where he called out Ryback and admitted that he actually agreed with his actions as of late to help him become WWE Champion. But Y2J also warned him that while he may win the strap at Extreme Rules against Cena, at the same time he'll loose all the fans respect.

Of course Ryback didn't care about any of that and as the two began to face off Teddy Long came out and booked the two in the main event. Ryback then took the opportunity to sucker punch Jericho before leaving. It was a pretty drab start to the show.

Kofi Kingston pinned Cody Rhodes in a fair encounter. Both men looked decent here, but they didn't really have the time to make a real impact. Kofi grabbed the one-two-three after applying a Trouble in Paradise as Cody came in for a Disaster Kick.

Before Jack Swagger versus Big E Langston could get underway, Alberto Del Rio decided to make things interesting by inserting a ladder into the ring. After a brief tussle over it, Swagger managed to gain the upper hand and chuck Langston out of the ring, with Ziggler then attacking Swagger and Colter. This then allowed Del Rio to use the ladder to take out the World Champion and Swagger, and finally stand tall on top of it with Ziggler's strap. Unfortunately Ziggler suffered a concussion here, here's hoping he makes a full recovery soon.

Dean Ambrose versus Daniel Bryan ended in a no contest after Kofi Kingston ran in and got some revenge after The Shield attacked him last Monday night, nice bit of continuity I thought. With Kane and Bryan's help the US Champion managed to clear the trio out of the ring. The actual match itself had unsurprisingly been a stellar one, with Bryan and Ambrose giving solid displays as usual. While it was a good watch, I was maybe expecting a bit more considering Bryan and Ambrose's history and past work together, but I feel petty complaining.  

In the parking lot Mark Henry broke a World record by dragging an incredible two tractor trailers. This was to help promote the strap match between him and Sheamus at Extreme Rules, which could be decent.

Big Show beat Tensai in a short and forgettable affair. Just as 'Sweet T' got in a bit of offense, Show managed to quickly apply a KO punch for the winning pin. Afterwards he then decided to also (clumsily) spear Tensai's tag partner Brodus Clay. Show's rival Randy Orton then appeared to gain some retribution in the form of an RKO. It's still yet to be announced what kind of match these two will have at Extreme Rules.

Chris Jericho won via disqualification versus Ryback in an enjoyable main event. For the second SmackDown in a row Ryback was involved in a solid one on one match, who'd have thought it? Granted it was largely thanks to the hard work of Jericho (and Bryan last Friday) but still. The DQ came after Ryback picked Y2J up and rammed him into the ringpost for a low blow. But he wasn't done as he then clotheslined Jericho over the announce table and roared "Ryback rules!" With Josh Matthews defiantly claiming that he'll beat Cena next Sunday. I doubt it myself.

Overall it was a fair show, with a few above average bouts for the blue brand. My highlights were Bryan versus Ambrose and the main event. Unfortunately like most SmackDowns I didn't come out of it thinking that anything was particularly must see, but the two aforementioned bouts were fun watches. 

My WWE Raw, 6th May 2013 Recap

Lesnar and Heyman during their 'invasion'. Photo credit: WWE.com

WWE Champion John Cena kicked things off by stating that he will be able to defend his title at Extreme Rules against Ryback, he also made a series of lame jokes, with Lawler as usual cackling from the desk. Finally Cena got serious again towards the end of his speech when Vickie Guerrero joined him and called out Ryback to determine the kind of match they'll have over the WWE Title. 

Unfortunately the champ then resorted to going back to making childish and unfunny jokes regarding Ryback's voice and Vickie wearing "Grandma pants" even though she'd just given him a fair chance to choose what kind of bout he'll have. Ryback retorted by claiming that he knew that despite his injured ankle, Cena's ego would cause him to still defend the title, and then logically chose a Last Man Standing match for Extreme Rules. It was a pretty weak start to the show.  

Randy Orton pinned Damien Sandow in a fair outing. As with their match on last Friday's SmackDown, the wrestling from both men was solid enough but the bout was just lacking in excitement. The most entertaining thing about this was actually Sandow's very funny version of Orton's theme he sung on the way to the ring (check out an edited version here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kgWUlU6N7f0). Afterwards Big Show then KO'd Orton with a punch as he was about to enter the back. 

Chris Jericho brought out Tons of Funk (Tensai and Brodus Clay) to help critique the performance of Fandango in his following match up.

R-Truth won via count out versus Fandango after he'd had enough and decided to leave with his dance partner. The match itself wasn't anything special, and the judging didn't really add anything to it either. In fact, you can safely skip all of this. Before the match Michael Cole gushed that Truth is a man that "can sing and dance!" Clearly Cole has some hearing and seeing difficulties. 

Alberto Del Rio won via disqualification versus Dolph Ziggler in an exciting back and fourth contest. Both men gave great displays, despite a few minor mistakes. The DQ came after Big E Langston dragged Del Rio out of the ring and threw him into Swagger (who'd come down during the bout with Zeb Colter who provided guest commentary). 

Swagger then exacted his revenge by taking out Langston by forcing him into a ringpost, then Ricardo Rodriguez, Del Rio and Ziggler with a ladder. This was by far the strongest segment (including the bout) promoting the Triple Threat Ladder match at Extreme Rules so far.

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) bested Kofi Kingston and Jimmy and Jay Uso in a decent six-man tag bout. Certainly far from their most exciting match, The Shield still delivered here with worthy efforts, as did their three opponents. Worth a watch.

Antonio Cesaro pinned Zack Ryder in a match the Swiss dominated. The action wasn't anything outstanding, but Cesaro as usual looked stellar. Afterwards Antonio questioned the level of competition he was receiving, and added that no one in the WWE could touch him when it came to ability in the ring. It was very well delivered, and you could believe each word he was saying. Now WWE should build on this and have him beat Orton on Main Event on Wednesday, maybe with Big Show making an appearance.  

Via satellite Paul Heyman presented his self-recorded footage of his client Brock Lesnar's little trip to WWE's Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, where he made his way up to COO Triple H's office and trashed it. It was a fun watch, and witnessing Lesnar intimidate the employees and destroy Trip's belongings didn't get old. There was also an interesting moment where Brock paused to observe a poster featuring The Rock for the Royal Rumble, a feud with those two could be potentially interesting if Rocky returns.

Heyman then explained that after being Pedigreed on last week's Raw he was now going to stop holding back and instead encourage Lesnar in his attacks, and especially in maiming 'The Game' in their Steel Cage match. Triple H then came out and accused Heyman of knowing full well that he wouldn't be in his office that day, and called the ring his other office and dared Lesnar to enter it with him and try and do what he did to his other one in Stamford. It was a strong segment on the whole, from Heyman's superb promo work to Lesnar just being Lesnar.

Kaitlyn, Cameron and Naomi beat AJ Lee and the Bella twins in a mediocre and forgettable tag match. There was just no interest to be found here, plus couple that with some of the clumsy wrestling and you get the idea of the quality of this affair.

Mark Henry presented footage of his attacks on Sheamus over the last month and then challenged him to a match at Extreme Rules, so the Irishman joined him and also showed footage of his attacks on Henry recently and decided to challenge him right there and then to a fight. The two were about to square off until Wade Barrett made his way out for his scheduled contest with Sheamus.

Sheamus pinned Wade Barrett in a largely pedestrian encounter. I feel a lesser wrestler than Barrett would've been a better choice for this match, it did no favours to the IC Champion (almost forgot about that, didn't you?) that he was overshadowed by the feud with Henry and fairly easily beaten here. The bout wasn't terrible but there was nothing remarkable about it.

Afterwards Henry gave a convincing beat down on Sheamus after the 'Celtic Warrior' had taunted him by pretending he was going to chuck Barrett into him during their bout. Henry had grabbed a leather belt from an official at ringside and began whipping Sheamus, finally finishing him off by World's Strongest Slamming him. 

Ryback beat Kane in a rather average main event. It may have just been me but Kane looked like he was struggling a little at parts here. I wasn't expecting much here and didn't receive it, both men did okay but I just failed to engage in it at all. The match came about after Ryback refused a match with Daniel Bryan due to his attack from The Shield, so Kane stepped up to take his tag partner's place.

After the main event The Shield made an appearance, so Daniel Bryan and John Cena raced out to repel them. As Ryback looked as though he was then helping, he attacked the WWE Champion with a few chair shots to end the show. Maybe that'll stop Cena's lame jokes about him.

Overall it was a passable Raw for the majority, with Del Rio versus Ziggler (plus the subsequent attack), The Shield's six-man tag bout and Lesnar's invasion of the WWE Headquarters being the highlights and helping make the show worth watching. The other match ups were average or forgettable for the most part, and I'm still not that interested in the Cena and Ryback feud. But at least Extreme Rules is looking to be an enjoyable event. 

My WWE SmackDown, 26th April 2013 Recap

Jack Swagger pinned Alberto Del Rio in a No Disqualification match. It was enjoyable for the most part, and definitely the best match in their series, with the weapons adding some much needed interest and excitement. Swagger also needed to redeem himself with a win here, which he gained after a Gutwrench Powerbomb onto a ladder.

Layla bested Aksana in a passable Divas outing. To be fair to her, Aksana did give a better display than normal, which isn't saying much I know.

Fandango toppled Justin Gabriel in a pretty forgettable affair. The wrestling was okay, nothing special. The London fans in attendance were at least still 'Fandangoing'.

Wade Barrett pinned William Regal in a disappointedly short and average match up. As a Regal fan (not just because I'm English) I was hoping for his televised bouts to last a little longer this week. Ah well.

Big Show beat Sheamus in a fair bout. Both men put in worthy efforts, but the match just failed to grab me like their great PPV ones last year. Show grabbed the win after Henry distracted the Irishman, allowing him to KO Sheamus with a trademark punch.

Mark Henry won via disqualification versus Randy Orton in a decent enough encounter after Sheamus gained some retribution by Brogue Kicking Henry. It was never anything remarkable but it wasn't bad.

The Undertaker defeated Dean Ambrose in a mostly stellar main event. Undertaker did seem a bit limited here but nonetheless both men delivered a good watch, with decent action throughout. 'Taker won via his Hells Gate (triangle choke) submission hold. Afterwards Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns then attacked the 'Dead Man' and put him through the announcer's table with the trio's signature triple powerbomb. Good decision here, leaving Shield to go out on a strong note.

Overall it was rather pedestrian SmackDown, containing matches that were decent enough but never must see. The only real highlight I'd recommend to people would be the main event, which was a good watch. And where was Ziggler? The World Champion was absent for the second week in a row on the blue brand, which is just baffling to me. 

My WWE SmackDown, 19th April 2013 Recap

Photo credit: WWE.com

Fandango kicked things off by dancing/flirting with Lilian Garcia, but soon dropped her and claimed how bad her dance skills were. His opponent Santino Marella then joined him and and made a few lame jokes then danced to Fandango's theme. It wasn't a great opening to the show.

Fandango pinned Santino Marella in an average outing. Unlike his dancing Fandango showed little flair in the ring and both men gave rather pedestrian displays.

Kofi Kingston bested Wade Barrett in a largely pedestrian contest. There were a few decent moments but to be honest the match ups between these two tend to start to blur together for me, there's never anything remarkable or that exciting that seems to occur when they lock up. Plus the amount of times Kofi's had a push killed off has almost numbed me to him getting a win because I just don't see it leading to anything significant. 

Backstage Sheamus gained some payback on Mark Henry when he barged him through a railing during an interview. Just before that when quizzed as to why he'd been attacking Sheamus as of late, Henry replied with "Because it's what I do" well at least that's all cleared up then. What a nonsensical feud. 

Alberto Del Rio beat Jack Swagger in a decent enough encounter. As with each of their contests there is solid wrestling but just a lack of real interest there. Swagger's lost momentum fast since Elimination Chamber and Del Rio has a lack of any character, and it's hard to invest in a match when you have little interest in the participants themselves.

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) appeared on the big screen and  claimed that Ryback looking on at them taking out Cena on this week's Raw was evidence that he realised they were delivering real justice. They also said that while The Undertaker has an unbeaten streak at WrestleMania, they have an unbeaten streak period and that his  time "is up" come next Monday when they face him and Team Hell No in a six-man tag bout. I'm very much looking forward to that one.

The Great Khali, Hornswaggle and Natalya bested Epico, Primo and Rosa Mendes in an average mixed tag match. The quality of the bout was hardly a surprise, I mean Epico and Primo could only do so much with the limited Khali and Hornswaggle. 

Big Show and Mark Henry toppled Randy Orton and Sheamus in a pretty unremarkable tag bout for the most part. There were fair periods but unfortunately they were overrun by pedestrian action and dull submission holds. Afterwards Show and Henry celebrated together and seemed pretty close-knit, could they be forming a new team? The tag division could use more relevant teams right now.

Overall it was a mediocre and forgettable show for the majority, with only the Shield promo and Del Rio versus Swagger encounter bordering above average, and even they weren't anything that special. Poor offering form the blue brand this week, and that's saying something. 

My WrestleMania XXIX Recap

The Undertaker rises from the dead. Photo credit: WWE.com

The Miz bested Wade Barrett (c) to obtain the Intercontinental Title in a fair pre-show match up. To be fair it slotted nicely into the pre-show slot, with decent enough efforts from both men and a title change to get people interested, although a Cesaro bout would've still been far more appreciated.

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) defeated Sheamus, Randy Orton and Big Show in an enjoyable six-man tag bout. Smart choice for the opener, with nice sequences and displays throughout. Once again Shield delivered a largely rewarding match, granted it wasn't as good as their previous outings but still a fun watch.

Towards the end Orton decided to cut into a potential tag to Show and get himself into the match, but things didn't end too well as he soon got speared and pinned as an angry Big Show looked on. After arguing Show then KO'd both his partners. Looks like we'll be getting a Triple Threat or Orton versus Show at Extreme Rules next month. 

Mark Henry toppled Ryback in an average affair. As expected it was the typical powerhouse versus powerhouse match up, so tests of strength and pedestrian action for the most part. For the flat finish (pun not intended) Henry fell onto Ryback as he attempted a Shell Shock, allowing him to gain the one-two-three. But afterwards Ryback got some payback by successfully applying an impressive Shell Shock to Henry.

Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) beat Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship. The match itself was decent, but nothing outstanding. I can't fault any man's efforts, they all delivered but unfortunately it was just lacking that little something for me. 

Fandango pinned Chris Jericho in a passable encounter with a few sloppy moments that let it down. Fortunately the in-form Jericho managed to provide some entertaining moments, and while Fandango had a few nice maneuvers in him (such as a swift kick as Y2J went for his signature springboard dropkick) he still looked out of depth here. For the finish Fandango was positioned too near the ropes as Jericho went for a Lionsault, which he blocked as Y2J then went for the Walls which was turned into the winning roll up pin. It was a poor ending sequence to the contest. 

Before the World Title match, Zeb Colter once again claimed that all real Americans felt the same as he and Swagger regarding immigrants in the US, but were too afraid to take a stand like they do. As usual most fans weren't too fussed by what he had to say.

Alberto Del Rio (c) defeated Jack Swagger to retain the World Heavyweight Title in a mixed bag of an outing. While the action was stellar for the majority, there was little to really get me engaged and a lack of genuine excitement, which is not good enough for a World Championship match. Remember the quality of bouts when Edge and 'Taker and Batista and 'Taker would face each other on the grand stage for the same strap? We haven't had that at 'Mania for a while.

The Undertaker pinned CM Punk in the very memorable and thrilling match of the night. I was expecting this to be a great collision, but it succeeded even my estimations. Both men gave superb displays and provided an awesome encounter filled with effective near falls and dramatic action. This was everything you expect and should receive from a big WrestleMania match up. I also want to mention Paul Heyman at ringside, who's stellar managerial work cannot be understated and really added that bit extra to the match. Was this 'Taker's last match though? I'm personally hoping for one more from the 'Dead Man'. 

Triple H pinned Brock Lesnar in a No Holds Barred contest. Now after reading a fair bit of feedback I can tell that this one split quite a lot of fans, but as for myself I enjoyed it. I felt it told a good story and was well planned out, with solid wrestling from both men. My only gripe was that certain periods did feel like they were played out longer than than necessary, such as Triple H's multiple kimura attempts on the steel steps, which just seemed a bit daft after a while when you figure Lesnar had to simply roll away to avoid it.

Admittedly the crowd did loose interest here, but in my opinion that was more due to following the outstanding 'Taker versus Punk match, I mean one upping that was going to be a major challenge for any pair of wrestlers. So yes, there have been far better 'Mania matches in this spot, but i feel it's harsh to call it poor on any level and I personally still look forward to seeing either man in the ring again.

John Cena bested The Rock (c) to obtain the WWE Championship in an uneven main event. For the most part the wrestling was pretty unremarkable, with average moves being exchanged for far too long. Plus the fact both men were also visibly and clearly calling the next spots more than a few times also took away from loosing yourself in the action. But on the plus side (yes, there were some) the crowd were thoroughly into it, with each red hot near fall towards the end having everyone on their feet. And I have to admit I started to get towards the edge of my seat at the end too.

For me the rematch was superior to last year's effort with a more exciting finale, which admittedly was just filled with finishing move attempts which we've seen plenty of times, but unfortunately like last year's bout it was also very average for the most part when you pull away all the build up and crowd reactions. And one big positive is that hopefully this should be the end of Cena versus Rock, and we can move on to two more deserving wrestlers (here's pulling for Punk) to wrestle in the 'Mania main event spot.

Overall WrestleMania was very much a mixed bag of a show, with the Triple H versus Lesnar, the six-man tag bout and especially Undertaker versus CM Punk being the highlights for me. Unfortunately the rest failed to grab me like 'Mania matches should, and didn't live up to the calibre you've come to expect over the years.

Granted it's unrealistic to believe that any WrestleMania will provide a card largely filled with top bouts, with the exception of the revered X-Seven or XXIV (one of my personal favourites) but I guess at least we can take away a few memorable matches that I know I'll probably watch again in the future. It certainly wasn't one of more successful WrestleMania's, but it also wasn't one of the worst. Here's to next years! 

My WWE Raw, 1st April 2013 Recap

CM Punk poses over the fallen 'Dead Man'. I'm looking forward to this one! Photo credit: WWE.com

John Cena kicked off the pre-WrestleMania XXIX Raw by claiming that his rivalry with The Rock was far more serious then last year, due to the WWE Championship being on the line. He went on to also warn Rocky that after having to stand by and watch him unveil a brand new title belt and "usher in a new era" (really?) he will strive to reclaim the strap and prove that he is superior to 'The Great One'. Cena was greeted with chants of "Boring" afterwards, granted it was an unremarkable promo but that was a little harsh I felt.

Big Show, Randy Orton and Sheamus bested 3MB (Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal) in an average and at times sloppy six-man tag bout. At least it was kept brief. Afterwards The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) warned the their 'Mania opponents that come Sunday they won't be celebrating after they beat them, and also added that they weren't fooling them by pretending to be a cohesive unit like themselves.   

We were presented with a VT featuring Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter in Washington DC, talking about the change that Swagger will bring come this Sunday when he obtains the World Title, calling their fellow Americans weak in this day and age due to them accepting all the immigrants that had entered the US over the years.

In response Alberto Del Rio admitted that Swagger was free to say whatever he pleased with the freedom of speech, but that didn't mean he had to like it and would at least get a chance to gain some retribution in their title clash.

Dolph Ziggler pinned Daniel Bryan in a solid back and fourth encounter. These two worked hard and provided an enjoyable bout from the get go with crisp action. During the match AJ Lee distracted Kane, allowing Big E Langston to tear through him with a mean-looking clothesline. Ziggler then took advantage of Bryan kicking Big E through the ropes and gained the one-two-three with a quick roll up. 

Shawn Michaels made a special Raw appearance and warned Triple H that while he was retired by 'Taker at WrestleMania, they still held the upmost respect for each other and he never bragged about ending HBK's career, unlike Brock Lesnar who would relish it. Michaels went on to admit that he wasn't in Washington to talk his good friend out of his match on the grand stage, but order him to "kick Brock Lesnar's ass!"

Lesnar, along with Paul Heyman then made his way out. Heyman went on to list all the people that Triple H will disappoint after his client defeats him, and claimed that he wasn't "man enough" to beat Lesnar. As usual Heyman was on top form on the mic.

Wade Barrett beat Zack Ryder in a passable outing. While most of the match was fairly pedestrian, there were some engaging moments to be found, and it wasn't a bad effort by either man.

Mark Henry flattened Santino Marella in a short squash match. Santino was booked against Henry after playing an April Fools prank on Vickie Guerrero and Brad Maddox. An angry Ryback then made his way out to confront Henry, who smugly reminded him that they had a no contact clause to their contract. So to get around this Ryback decided to hurl Santino at his 'Mania foe to take him down.

As Alberto Del Rio's match with Zeb Colter begun, he was soon distracted by Swagger at ringside who'd begun attacking Ricardo Rodriguez, this then allowed Colter to start smacking the champion with one of Ricardo's crutches. Swagger soon joined his accomplice and together they took down Del Rio.

The WWE Champion The Rock said that his match with Cena wasn't about retribution for him, but the "the will of the people" and his connection with the fans. He also reminded us that at every turn he'd topped Cena, and it would be no different in their contest for the championship. It was a decent enough promo from Rock, with the crowd in the palm of his hand, which was a stark contrast to Cena earlier. 

Chris Jericho defeated Antonio Cesaro in a decent contest. For the most part it was a fun watch and the wrestling was stellar, but I couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed, maybe I was expecting more form these two talents facing off. During the match Fandango appeared and began judging Jericho's moves out of ten with scorecards. After Y2J had forced Cesaro to tap to the Walls of Jericho, Fandango ran in and after beating down his rival then landed a couple of flying leg drops. I'm definitely intrigued by their WrestleMania match.

The Bella Twins beat Naomi and Cameron in a fair Divas tag match. I was actually pleasantly surprised here, there were some nice moments of action to be found amongst most of the pedestrian wrestling. 

The Undertaker warned CM Punk that the pain he's going to put on him will "last an eternity" after the disrespect he's shown to Paul Bearer. A line up of druids then appeared, along with Paul Heyman dressed as Bearer. As a furious 'Taker marched down he began to take out some of the druids, only for CM Punk to reveal himself as one of them and take out 'The Dead Man' with Bearer's urn.

But then the gripping moment came as Punk poured the ashes of Bearer over Undertaker and on himself. While many will find this segment extremely disrespectful of Moody (which I get) I couldn't help but be completely engaged by it. Punk has really thrown himself into this feud and clearly has no restraints with the material he's used. For me this has been the strongest segment leading into WrestleMania.

Overall Raw was a fair show for the most part, more memorable than most as of late. Ziggler versus Bryan, Jericho versus Cesaro, the Heyman promo and especially the closing segment were my highlights. Outside of them it was pretty pedestrian for me, with a lot of material and bouts feeling a bit too familiar. Still, despite the disappointing build up to 'Mania this year I'm still looking forward to the big event, with more than a few matches that should be very entertaining I reckon.  

My WWE Raw, 25th March 2013

The Rock delivers the final blow of the show. Photo credit: WWE.com

CM Punk kicked things off by claiming that it's only his opinion that matters, and not those of people who believe in Undertaker's mystic powers and such. He also went on to state that 'The Dead Man' should've retired last year after going 20-0 at WrestleMania but now he's pushed his luck because he is taking on someone that will not loose on the grand stage.

After emulating 'Taker's trademark pose with Bearer's urn, The Undertaker himself then appeared and got a few strikes in on Punk before he managed to escape. This for me was the strongest segment for this feud yet, and the fans understandably went wild for 'Taker's appearance. 

As Fandango was announcing himself, Chris Jericho raced out and got some retribution in the form of some strikes after Fandango's attack on Y2J on last week's SmackDown. It was nicely executed.

Chris Jericho defeated Dolph Ziggler in an enjoyable encounter. It's hardly a shock that these two talents provided worthy efforts here, not their finest one on one match but a stellar one nonetheless. Y2J won via the Walls of Jericho. Afterwards Big E Langston applied a Big Ending to Jericho, leaving him to receive a beating from Fandango, who also landed a diving leg drop to finish him off. 

During an interview backstage The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) attacked Sheamus, but Randy Orton and Big Show came to the Irishman's aid and chased them off.

Mark Henry bested Jimmy and Jay Uso in a fair Handicap match. Nothing outstanding to be found here but it was fun for the most part. Afterwards Henry continued the assault on the two brothers.

Antonio Cesaro won via count out versus Alberto Del Rio in a contest that unfortunately wasn't given enough time to really get going. The action was solid while it lasted, until Jack Swagger made his way out and began once again attacking the leg of Ricardo Rodriguez.

This soon prompted Del Rio to run out and eventually chase off his WrestleMania opponent, but also costing him the match after being counted out. As Cesaro then celebrated, the World Champion decided to finish him off and applied his signature arm breaker for good measure. 

Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) toppled the Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) in a passable tag bout. While the action was always decent enough, it was just pretty pedestrian and unmemorable on the whole, like most match ups involving Young and O'Neil.

Triple H explained that while his career was on the line at WrestleMania XXIX versus Brock Lesnar, it made no difference since he'd always wrestled as if it was anyway. He also added that he wasn't planning to simply fight Lesnar, but kick his "ass." On his way out Wade Barett told him to hurry up, so 'The Game' retorted with a swift kick to the nether regions.

The Miz beat Wade Barett in a match that started off quite average, but had an entertaining finish. Once the two managed to hit their stride after an uninspiring beginning, we got some decent displays from them and the crowd begun to get into a bit more. Miz won via the figure four leglock.

Backstage Kaitlyn interrupted Bryan and Kane when arguing over who gets distracted more by AJ, unknown to them AJ Lee then overheard the Divas Champion talking about how unstable she was. This caused AJ to snap and attack her former friend until the Tag Team champions dragged her away.

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) defeated Justin Gabriel, Zack Ryder and The Great Khali in quite an enjoyable six-man tag bout, mainly due to the efforts of Rollins and Ambrose. Afterwards Orton, Sheamus and Big Show joined them and managed to send the trio packing. Should be an entertaining six-man between them all at 'Mania.

Jericho revealed backstage that Vickie Guerrero had granted him a match with Fandango on the grand stage next month.

Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes) bested Brodus Clay and Tensai in largely mediocre tag contest. The wrestling was just average for the majority to be honest, nothing special. During the bout the Bella Twins and Naomi and Cameron also got into a scuffle on the outside.

Ryback toppled 3MB (Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre) in a Handicap match with some fun moments here and there. It was the usual routine from Ryback, but I'll admit that he and his three opponents did provide some nice moments of action. 

AJ Lee won via count out versus Kaitlyn after the Divas champ accidentally landed a hard spear into the barricade. That was about the only interesting moment of the match up, outside of that it was Kaitlyn dominating for a minute or so.

Jerry Lawler hosted a WWE Hall of Fame panel of Mick Foley, Bret Hart, Booker T and Dusty Rhodes, who each got to ask The Rock and John Cena a question each, such as what they wanted from their WWE Title match at 'Mania and how they'd deal with a loss on the grand stage. After things got a bit more heated in Philly, Rocky asked Cena to bring it right there and then, so after a little tussle Rock managed to apply a Rock Bottom and flatten his future challenger. It was a strong segment to end the show on, and the best since the revival of their feud I felt.

Overall it was a mixed bag of a show, with some decent moments mixed in with more than a few forgettable ones. My highlights were Jericho versus Ziggler, the Shield six-man encounter and the Hall of Fame panel segment. Unfortunately as I said most of the show was fair if average, but at least this week's Raw was an improvement on the last couple. 

My WWE Raw, 25th March 2013

The Rock delivers the final blow of the show. Photo credit: WWE.com

CM Punk kicked things off by claiming that it's only his opinion that matters, and not those of people who believe in Undertaker's mystic powers and such. He also went on to state that 'The Dead Man' should've retired last year after going 20-0 at WrestleMania but now he's pushed his luck because he is taking on someone that will not loose on the grand stage.

After emulating 'Taker's trademark pose with Bearer's urn, The Undertaker himself then appeared and got a few strikes in on Punk before he managed to escape. This for me was the strongest segment for this feud yet, and the fans understandably went wild for 'Taker's appearance. 

As Fandango was announcing himself, Chris Jericho raced out and got some retribution in the form of some strikes after Fandango's attack on Y2J on last week's SmackDown. It was nicely executed.

Chris Jericho defeated Dolph Ziggler in an enjoyable encounter. It's hardly a shock that these two talents provided worthy efforts here, not their finest one on one match but a stellar one nonetheless. Y2J won via the Walls of Jericho. Afterwards Big E Langston applied a Big Ending to Jericho, leaving him to receive a beating from Fandango, who also landed a diving leg drop to finish him off. 

During an interview backstage The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) attacked Sheamus, but Randy Orton and Big Show came to the Irishman's aid and chased them off.

Mark Henry bested Jimmy and Jay Uso in a fair Handicap match. Nothing outstanding to be found here but it was fun for the most part. Afterwards Henry continued the assault on the two brothers.

Antonio Cesaro won via count out versus Alberto Del Rio in a contest that unfortunately wasn't given enough time to really get going. The action was solid while it lasted, until Jack Swagger made his way out and began once again attacking the leg of Ricardo Rodriguez.

This soon prompted Del Rio to run out and eventually chase off his WrestleMania opponent, but also costing him the match after being counted out. As Cesaro then celebrated, the World Champion decided to finish him off and applied his signature arm breaker for good measure. 

Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) toppled the Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) in a passable tag bout. While the action was always decent enough, it was just pretty pedestrian and unmemorable on the whole, like most match ups involving Young and O'Neil.

Triple H explained that while his career was on the line at WrestleMania XXIX versus Brock Lesnar, it made no difference since he'd always wrestled as if it was anyway. He also added that he wasn't planning to simply fight Lesnar, but kick his "ass." On his way out Wade Barett told him to hurry up, so 'The Game' retorted with a swift kick to the nether regions.

The Miz beat Wade Barett in a match that started off quite average, but had an entertaining finish. Once the two managed to hit their stride after an uninspiring beginning, we got some decent displays from them and the crowd begun to get into a bit more. Miz won via the figure four leglock.

Backstage Kaitlyn interrupted Bryan and Kane when arguing over who gets distracted more by AJ, unknown to them AJ Lee then overheard the Divas Champion talking about how unstable she was. This caused AJ to snap and attack her former friend until the Tag Team champions dragged her away.

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) defeated Justin Gabriel, Zack Ryder and The Great Khali in quite an enjoyable six-man tag bout, mainly due to the efforts of Rollins and Ambrose. Afterwards Orton, Sheamus and Big Show joined them and managed to send the trio packing. Should be an entertaining six-man between them all at 'Mania.

Jericho revealed backstage that Vickie Guerrero had granted him a match with Fandango on the grand stage next month.

Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes) bested Brodus Clay and Tensai in largely mediocre tag contest. The wrestling was just average for the majority to be honest, nothing special. During the bout the Bella Twins and Naomi and Cameron also got into a scuffle on the outside.

Ryback toppled 3MB (Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre) in a Handicap match with some fun moments here and there. It was the usual routine from Ryback, but I'll admit that he and his three opponents did provide some nice moments of action. 

AJ Lee won via count out versus Kaitlyn after the Divas champ accidentally landed a hard spear into the barricade. That was about the only interesting moment of the match up, outside of that it was Kaitlyn dominating for a minute or so.

Jerry Lawler hosted a WWE Hall of Fame panel of Mick Foley, Bret Hart, Booker T and Dusty Rhodes, who each got to ask The Rock and John Cena a question each, such as what they wanted from their WWE Title match at 'Mania and how they'd deal with a loss on the grand stage. After things got a bit more heated in Philly, Rocky asked Cena to bring it right there and then, so after a little tussle Rock managed to apply a Rock Bottom and flatten his future challenger. It was a strong segment to end the show on, and the best since the revival of their feud I felt.

Overall it was a mixed bag of a show, with some decent moments mixed in with more than a few forgettable ones. My highlights were Jericho versus Ziggler, the Shield six-man encounter and the Hall of Fame panel segment. Unfortunately as I said most of the show was fair if average, but at least this week's Raw was an improvement on the last couple.