My WWE Raw, 29th July 2013 Recap

Bryan proving his popularity with the fans. Photo credit: WWE.com

Vince McMahon, accompanied by Raw GM Brad Maddox, kicked off the show by admitting that Maddox might've been onto something last week when he referred to Bryan as a "troll." Daniel Bryan himself then came out and accused Maddox of simply following orders from McMahon and repeating his own words. The COO retorted by claiming that Cena only chose to face Bryan at SummerSlam because he saw him as an easy challenger to the WWE Title, and that he'd manipulated him and all the fans.

McMahon went on to state that there was no way he could dethrone Cena and that it would be an embarrassment to the company if he did, but he'd also had enough of the champ who he felt walked around like he owned the place. Bryan responded by using McMahon's own words and telling him that it didn't matter what he thought but instead what the fans thought, who he received a resounding "Yes!" chant from when he asked if they wanted to see a new WWE Champion. It was an entertaining segment to open Raw.

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) defeated The Usos and Mark Henry in an enjoyable enough six-man tag contest. Like the majority of Shield matches it was worth a watch (although far from their best) with fair displays from all involved. Afterwards Henry continued to assault his new foes and threw the trio out of the ring.

We witnessed footage from earlier in the day where Ryback began picking on an unknown member of staff as they were grabbing some food, claiming that they looked like they were about to say something and slapping some food into their face. Ryback eventually put them through a table, hyping up his Tables Match with Cena later on. 

Rob Van Dam won via count out versus Fandango in a fun outing. RVD was on good form once again, and Fandango hit a few nicely executed moves himself too. The count out occurred after Fandango had enough and decided the match wasn't worth it and walked off with Summer Rae. 

Kaitlyn pinned AJ Lee in a pretty average bout that went on a bit longer than necessary. Most of the match was fine, if unremarkable, but unfortunately the final third of it began to drag, with the fans pretty indifferent to the whole thing. Kaitlyn gained the one-two-three after applying an uncharacteristically clumsy spear. Dolph Ziggler then joined them, congratulating AJ on her loss and challenging Big E Langston to a match right there and then.

Dolph Ziggler won via disqualification versus Big E Langston in a rather forgettable affair. Both men looked all right, nothing special to be fair. Unfortunately the match up just never engaged me. The DQ happened when AJ ran into the ring and began viciously clawing at her ex Ziggler. 

Christian bested Alberto Del Rio in a stellar contest for the most part. There were a few slight hiccups that let it down a bit but not enough to really spoil it for me. These two talents as usual delivered worthy displays in-between the ropes, with Christian finally catching the World Champion out with a quick roll up for the winning pinfall. 

Cody Rhodes beat Wade Barrett in a largely lacklustre outing. Neither wrestler gave a bad performance, but the match up never gave us much excitement until the final few minutes when Cody struck with a moonsault and nicely reversed a pumphandle slam attempt into a Cross Rhodes for the victory. 

Damien Sandow then stormed out and berated Rhodes for chucking his Money in the Bank briefcase into the Gulf of Mexico on last week's SmackDown, and went on to call his former tag partner's family a bunch of clowns, saying that "carnie folk are beneath my constitution."

Daniel Bryan defeated Kane in a decent back and fourth effort. It's worth a watch, just don't expect anything too incredible here. Bryan managed to reverse a Chokeslam to catch Kane in the winning small package. A furious Kane Chokeslammed Bryan after, and was shortly joined by Bray Wyatt and his 'family' Luke Harper and Erick Rowan who once again took him out.

Brie Bella pinned Natalya in a mediocre and unmemorable bout. Natalya did quite well considering what she had to work with. During the match Nikki Bella came out and distracted Natalya by making duck noises (backstage earlier they'd referred to her as an "ugly duckling") which of course cost her the match as Brie managed to grab the win with a roll up.

Curtis Axel versus R-Truth ended in a no contest after CM Punk came racing down and began attacking the IC Champion. Punk then turned his attention to his real target Paul Heyman, who managed to make a getaway after his client held off Punk long enough. The match itself was short, but was enjoyable enough while it lasted.

John Cena beat Ryback in a Tables Match. It was an entertaining main event. As standard when these two meet it was fun, just don't expect anything technically amazing. Cena managed to AA Ryback through a table propped up in the corner for the win. Bryan then came down and was about to hand over the WWE Title belt but instead teased him with it until an angry Cena snatched it back. There was a nice intense moment between the two, and I'm still just as excited about their title match next month. 

Overall it was a pretty average Raw, with most matches failing to be anything more than fair. The opening segment, RVD versus Fandango, Christian versus Del Rio, Bryan versus Kane and the main event were my highlights. Unfortunately there were also no more matches announced for SummerSlam, I can only presume that McMahon and Triple will have some kind of match (or representatives) with their positions on the line or something like that. 

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 Raw, 22nd July 2013 Recap

The red hot Bryan strikes with a mean kick. Photo credit: WWE.com

The Raw GM Brad Maddox opened the show by bringing out John Cena for his WWE Championship match contract signing for SummerSlam. Maddox questioned Cena's choice and asked him why he chose Bryan out of all the possible wrestlers to challenge for his strap. Before the champ could answer Daniel Bryan joined them, to a very healthy response from the fans.

Cena then mocked Maddox and claimed that the size of a wrestler doesn't determine their worth, but their talent and heart. Cena even called some of the people in the back idiots for sometimes not seeing the level of talent in front of them. I really struggled to buy into any of this speech, Cena has had the power and influence in the company for years to put over many up and coming pro wrestlers (most smaller than him) but has rarely ever done so. But Cena also went on to warn Bryan that while he's great, that won't be enough to beat him.

As Bryan was about to respond after signing the contract, Maddox interrupted him, so an angry Bryan warned him that he'd been waiting a long time for this moment and he wouldn't let him ruin it. The GM retorted by booking the number one contender against some unknown opponents to prove his worth later that night.

Alberto Del Rio pinned Sheamus in a fair outing. I can't really fault either man's performance here, but it still felt like the match was lacking in excitement. Del Rio managed to hook up Sheamus' still injured leg from Money in the Bank for the winning pinfall.

Christian defeated Titus O'Neil in a decent contest. Both men delivered worthy efforts, with Christian as usual on solid form. O'Neil once again proved he's got character here, especially when he began amusingly blowing a whistle as he kicked Christian in the corner.

Mark Henry came to the ring and stated that he was proud of his efforts against Cena at MITB, and also announced that he was ready to deliver a "whoopin'" to The Shield after their beat down of him last week. So sure enough The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) came down and began clobbering on Henry, that was until The Usos raced out and helped him chase off the trio. 

Dolph Ziggler bested Darren Young in a passable encounter. It wasn't anything that remarkable, but there were some nice moments of wrestling here and there. Afterwards Big E Langston, accompanied by AJ Lee, entered the ring and attempted to attack Ziggler but was outmanoeuvred by 'The Show Off' who managed a quick getaway. 

The Miz announced himself as the upcoming host of SummerSlam and introduced all the main Divas appearing in the new reality show (although I'm certain it'll be largely scripted) Total Divas, including two new faces in Eva Marie and Jo-Jo. Miz asked Jerry Lawler to join him in the ring, so after 'King' introduced himself to the two new Divas, Marie claimed she wanted to make an impression and slapped Lawler, sending him back to his seat. I can't say any of this got me interested in the upcoming show.  

Cody Rhodes pinned Fandango in a pretty forgettable bout. I just failed to find the interest here to be honest, not to say either wrestler looked bad on any level but they didn't deliver great displays either. For the finish Damien Sandow (who'd provided guest commentary) distracted Cody, but was then charged off of the apron when Rhodes managed to dodge an attack from Fandango and apply a Disaster Kick to them both, then hitting a Cross Rhodes for the one-two-three.

CM Punk admitted that last week Brock Lesnar man handled him, claiming that his biggest weapon has always been "fear," but he was not afraid of Heyman's monster and he was still able to stand after Lesnar's brutal attack last week. Punk also went on to warn Heyman once again that he will make him pay for his double cross, and challenged his client to a match at SummerSlam. Paul Heyman then appeared on the big screen and reminded Punk of how beat up he still was and how foolish the challenge was, but nonetheless accepted on Brock's behalf. As usual a segment involving these two was one of the highlights of the broadcast.

Rob Van Dam beat Wade Barrett in an entertaining affair. Much like his previous few match ups since returning to the company, RVD looked to be on fine form and is still receiving terrific responses from the fans. I know he's facing Del Rio on SmackDown this week but I was personally hoping he'd have a shot at the World Title at SummerSlam to add a bit more interest to the strap.

Daniel Bryan forced Jack Swagger to submit in an enjoyable first match in the series. Given more time they could've made even more of it, but it was fun as it was. 

Next up Bryan pinned Antonio Cesaro in a tremendous back and fourth contest. From the very start you were hooked here, with such high quality wrestling from two top talents in probably Cesaro's finest outing in WWE to date. Bryan finally caught Cesaro with an impressive small package as the Swiss attempted a European uppercut in the air. A great end to a great bout.

Finally Daniel Bryan won via disqualification versus Ryback in a satisfying match up for the most part. Granted it was always going to be tricky for them to outdo that previous outing, but they both did decent jobs and had a solid final third to the match after a little bit of a drab period of Ryback dominating. The DQ came after Ryback powerbombed Bryan through a table he'd pulled out from under the ring earlier on. Cena then came racing out to chase off Ryback and challenged him to a Tables Match next week, which Ryback agreed to.

Backstage Vince McMahon then convinced Maddox to book Bryan against his former tag partner Kane for next Monday's Raw, as part of his ruse to take out Bryan as he doesn't deem him the right type to be WWE Champion.

Overall it was a pretty fair Raw for the majority, with the CM Punk/Heyman segment, RVD versus Barrett and Bryan's three match ups (especially the superb one against Cesaro) being my highlights. I agree with JR's recent assessment that with his talent Bryan would've shone in any era of the business. Outside of those the show wasn't anything that remarkable, although to be fair we had some more advancements on feuds leading into SummerSlam at least. And what happened to the return of Big Show? Guess that's been moved on.  

My WWE SmackDown, 19th July 2013 Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My WWE Raw, 15th July 2013 Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My WWE SmackDown, 12th July 2013 Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My TNA Impact Wrestling, 11th July 2013 Recap

The new Main Event Mafia are forming nicely. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

World Champion Bully Ray, accompanied by his fellow Aces & 8s members, addressed the new X Division Champion Chris Sabin, who he warned would be wise not to cash in his strap for a World Title opportunity at the special Destination X edition of Impact Wrestling next week, adding that he was a "bad, bad man." He also went on to reject the Main Event Mafia's match proposal, saying that they only did things on their own terms. 

The Mafia themselves then appeared, with Kurt Angle informing Bully that next week they will systematically take out every Aces members so the champ would be all on his own when he defends his strap.

AJ Styles and Samoa Joe defeated Joseph Parks and Jeff Hardy to qualify for the Bound for Glory Series Joker's Wild Gauntlet (bit of a long name, right?) later that night. The bout itself was an enjoyable one, although maybe a little disappointing considering most of the talent involved, I'd personally liked to have seen it given some more time. Samoa Joe caught Parks in a rear naked choke for the submission victory. 

Magnus and Mr. Anderson bested Hernandez and Jay Bradley to qualify for the BFG Joker's Wild Gauntlet in a passable tag contest. To be fair it was pretty unremarkable for the most part, and for some reason Anderson kept refusing to tag in, even though he had nothing to gain from screwing Magnus over here and everything to gain from winning. No logic. But despite that Magnus managed to catch Hernandez in a roll up for the one-two-three after Bradley accidentally grabbed his partner's leg without looking. 

Kazarian and Bobby Roode beat Austin Aries and Christopher Daniels to qualify for the BFG Joker's Wild Gauntlet in a terrific tag outing. All four men gave stellar displays in the match of the night here, especially Aries who was on great form. The added intrigue of tag partner vs tag partner also added another interesting element to the bout. Kaz grabbed the victory with a small package on Daniels without realising he was pinning his Bad Influence compadre.  

Backstage Mr. Anderson was voted in favour against Doc by fellow Aces members to become the new Vice President for the gang.

Gail Kim defeated Taryn Terrell in an entertaining Ladder match to become number one contender for the Knockouts Title. Much like their previous Last Knockout Standing encounter both women provided worthy efforts and although it wasn't always technically sound (and maybe slightly sloppy on occasions) it was a fun watch and certainly stands out from most female wrestlers matches in the US. 

Magnus outdid Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe, Mr.Anderson, AJ Styles and Kazarian to win the BFG Joker's Wild Gauntlet. As a result of the victory the leader of the BFG Series earned himself twenty-five more points. The contest itself had been a decent one, with fine outings for most of the wrestlers, but the most engaging period was the final sequence between Magnus and Roode where the Englishman managed to gain that all important pinfall. 

Hulk Hogan introduced the X Division Champion Chris Sabin, who was about to hand over his belt in return for a World Title match but was interrupted by said champion, Bully Ray. Bully warned Sabin once again that he would regret cashing in the strap, but Sabin stood up for himself and admitted that while he's always considered the underdog he's come back from a potential career-ending injury and this was his dream and he wasn't going to be intimidated by him.

After handing over the belt and making their Wold Title clash next week official, Bully had Aces & 8s come out to put the fear into Sabin and teach him a lesson, but the Main Event Mafia decided to back them up, with Sting announcing Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson as their latest addition. I think that's an interesting acquisition for the MEM, and hopefully this will mean more regular appearances from Rampage too, I could see him flourishing on the mic given more of a chance. 

Overall it was a satisfying show for the most part, with only the Hernandez and Bradley versus Magnus and Anderson letting it down a bit, but even that wasn't terrible by any means. The announcement of Rampage joining the Mafia was intriguing too, and most of the match ups were solid encounters so I'm very pleased with Impact this week. Now onto Destination X, which should be a fun show.  

My WWE Raw, 8th July 2013 Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My WWE SmackDown, 5th July 2013 Recap

CM Punk kicked things off by explaining what the fourth of July meant to him personally, that being independence which was something he strongly lived by. He also added that his current two goals were to get his hands on Brock Lesnar after he F5'd him a few weeks back and to win the WWE Championship contract at Money in the Bank next week. World Champion Alberto Del Rio then joined him and claimed that Americans squandered their freedom by scanning the internet and sitting around watching TV.

After a few more heated words were exchanged (including Punk pointing out how daft it was that Del Rio was no suddenly berating Americans, although to be fair Del Rio explained that it was due to them turning on him in his bout against Ziggler on Raw a while back) Teddy Long predictably booked them in the main event against each other. Backstage Paul Heyman tried to convince Punk to get out of the match with MITB only next week, but he refused.

The Usos defeated Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes) in a fair tag bout with a nice finish where the Usos double body splashed Sandow from the top rope. The match was kept short but the action was decent enough, nothing outstanding. Afterwards The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) appeared on the big screen and warned the Usos that at Money in the Bank they'll need more than luck and momentum to take the tag titles from them. Ambrose also added that he's going to obtain the World Title MITB at the event too.

Alicia Fox pinned Kaitlyn in an average outing. During the contest AJ Lee skipped around the ring and distracted Kaitlyn, allowing Fox to catch her in a quick roll up for the one-two-three. Lee then hurried out of the arena, convincing Big E Langston to escort her away and abandon her boyfriend Ziggler.  

Randy Orton bested Christian in a stellar back and fourth affair. The high standard of the bout was hardly a surprise considering how solid their feud was back in 2011, which was massively underrated in my opinion. I couldn't ever get tired of watching these two lock horns.

Before his following match up Dolph Ziggler spoke about the great feeling he had when he cashed in and obtained the World Title, and the gutting feeling when he lost it after suffering a concussion and Del Rio targeted his head. But he finally claimed that he will win back the strap next Sunday in his rematch. It was a fair promo, nothing tremendous.

Dolph Ziggler pinned Drew McIntyre in a passable encounter. Both men looked fine, but I just struggled to really find the interest, it felt like it was lacking something. Afterwards the 'Show Off' taunted 3MB (who attempted to beat hin down after he'd picked up the winning pin with a Zig Zag) by racing into the ring and out again, swerving the trio's attempts at catching him.

Fandango beat Justin Gabriel in a forgettable and brief contest. I can't say either wrestler looked bad, but they failed to leave a lasting impression here, maybe it was due more to their time allocated, but saying that it's hard to think of a time Fandango has ever actually really impressed in-between the ropes.

CM Punk versus Alberto Del Rio ended in a no contest after both men were counted out. The count out occurred after Del Rio punched Heyman at ringside (who'd provided guest commentary) so a furious Punk began pounding on his opponent and eventually GTS'd him in the ring after the bell had rung. The match itself had been a very enjoyable one, with solid displays from both men.  

Overall it was an average show for the most part with a lot of run of the mill match ups that failed to grab my attention, with the exception of Christian versus Orton and Punk versus Del Rio which managed to salvage the show and make it worth watching. 

My WWE Raw, 1st July 2013 recap

The all-star lineup for the WWE Title Money in the Bank match. Bar RVD of course. Photo credit: WWE.com

Daniel Bryan came to the ring and spoke about finally proving people wrong by forcing Orton to submit on last Monday's show, and said that he planned on carrying that momentum on into Money in the Bank where he intends to earn a place with the greats such as Austin and Sammartino and win the WWE Championship contract and the strap itself. Sheamus and Randy Orton then joined him and each spoke about how desperate they were to be a champion again after a long absence without a title belt around their waist.

Kane also came out and began bickering with Bryan over who was going to win the MITB match after he reminded him that partners didn't exist in the aforementioned match and it was anyone for themselves. Christian and CM Punk also entered the proceedings and reminded everyone of their impressive records when it came to Ladder matches.

As Punk was then talking about the strengths of each man in the ring (and RVD) Bryan interrupted him and threatened to make him tap faster than Orton. This ticked off 'The Viper' who RKO'd Kane as he went to protect his former Team Hell No tag partner, causing everyone to disband from the gathering. It was an entertaining segment to start the show, with Punk, Bryan and Christian especially on good form on the mic.

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) defeated Christian and The Usos in a solid six-man tag bout. The length was just right and the action was kept at a fast pace throughout, with solid displays all round.  

Dolph Ziggler pinned Jinder Mahal in a passable contest. Unfortunately it was too brief to really make a lasting impression, although both men looked decent enough. Afterwards the rest of 3MB, Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre, attempted to attack Ziggler but failed as 'The Show Off' managed to thwart them and take them both out. 

Kane pinned Randy Orton after a restart by special guest referee Daniel Bryan. Bryan restarted the match after initially disqualifying Orton for pushing him, but changed his mind after Kane and Orton argued with him.

The winning pin after a big boot from Kane was also very quickly counted, causing the upset victor to grab Bryan by the throat, but instead decide to walk away. However Orton wasn't quite so calm and RKO'd Bryan for screwing him over. The match itself had been fair, nothing particularly special and not as entertaining as their encounter on SmackDown last week.

Sheamus won via count out versus Fandango in a forgettable outing. Both men gave competent displays and never looked bad by any means, but it lacked excitement and I just failed to find the interest. The count out occurred after Fandango had enough of Sheamus' beating and decided to leave. 

The Miz beat Ryback after Ryback informed the referee that he couldn't continue due to a leg injury. The match itself had been pretty average, which was hardly a shock. Jericho (who'd provided okay guest commentary) crept in afterwards and Codebreakered Ryback, which seemed a bit heelish to me.

Mark Henry gave a speech that started fairly drab when he spoke about paying his dues for years and "doing the right thing for the business" which got him nowhere but earned him the right to be World Champion. But it picked up a bit when Henry claimed that he'd been held back by jealous wrestlers in the back and finally warned Cena that at Money in the Bank he was "gonna beat your ass!"

Curtis Axel and CM Punk bested the Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) in an enjoyable tag team affair. I'll admit that it won't blow you away on any level but it was a fun watch mainly due to the friction between Axel and Punk after Heyman's client tagged himself in at the start and refused to tag Punk back in, and then tagged himself back in at the end again to gain the winning pinfall after Punk had applied the GTS to Young. Paul Heyman tried to convince Punk to celebrate with them afterwards but instead he justifiably stormed off.

Kaitlyn pinned Alicia Fox in an unremarkable outing. The wrestling was competent enough, but failed to hold the crowds attention who quickly lost interest and began to entertain themselves. AJ Lee then came out and once again called her rival "trash" and presented a bizarre image of an obese Kaitlyn. Much like last Monday's segment involving AJ it just failed to entertain me at all, it wasn't amusing and it felt like a lot of recycled material on her part. This feud had quickly lost steam since Payback. 

Backstage Stephanie McMahon reminded Vickie that she'd warned her to stop AJ's antics, and after sympathising with her tough spot having to choose between Triple H and Vince McMahon's directions for the show Stephanie informed the Managing Supervisor that next week she'll have a public job evaluation. I've personally grown a little tired of this storyline, and struggling to see the actual point of it all? It's not exactly riveting to watch Vickie being told what to do.

Before Cesaro's following match, Zeb Colter introduced the returning Jack Swagger after drivelling on about the state of the US again. I'm going to be down on the product again here but I'm looking forward to seing the back of Colter, he doesn't add anything of value to the shows or his accomplices for me.

Antonio Cesaro defeated Cody Rhodes in a good effort by both wrestlers. My only issue was the time allocated, if this bout had been given a bit more we could've had a far better match up that would've given both men more of a chance to show what they can do. Damien Sandow looked completely confused by the loss, could this be the beginning of the end of Rhodes Scholars? Cody's become the WWE's punching bag over the last few months so I wouldn't mind seeing him turn face in the near future, I could see him pulling it off.

John Cena beat Alberto Del Rio in a mixed bag of a main event. There were periods of stellar action (largely thanks to the work of del Rio) and effective near falls and submission attempts, but unfortunately the start was a bit slow and there were a few sloppy moments which spoilt it a bit. Throughout the night we'd seen highlights of various World Heavyweight and WWF/E Champions leading up to the match, which was a nice touch I felt and added something extra to it, it's just a shame the contest didn't live up to the build up.  

During the match up Henry walked out and stood by the ring, distracting Cena while he had Del Rio in an STF. Ziggler also made an appearance later on and distracted Del Rio from the top rope, allowing the WWE Champion to apply an AA for the one-two-three. Afterwards Henry then strolled into the ring afterwards with the WWE Title, chucking the belt over to the champ and taunting him before walking away.

Overall it was a fair show, nothing that special or memorable to take away from it. My highlights were the opening segment, The Shield versus Christian and The Usos, Punk and Axel versus the Prime Time Players and most of the main event. 

My WWE Raw, 30th July 2012 Recap

WWE Champion CM Punk kicked off the show by confronting Jerry Lawler regarding his statement as last weeks 1000th Raw went off the air after Punk had just GTS'd The Rock, when he said that the WWE Champion had turned his back on the WWE Universe. Punk explained that The Rock had earlier in that show shown him as champion a lack of respect by first ignoring him to mock Daniel Bryan, then by acting as if he's going to just take the WWE title from whoever's holding it at the Royal Rumble and then trying to steal the show by attacking Big Show later on. It was a good promo, and all true really.

Big Show then came out and tried to claim that the ending of last weeks show was focused mainly on him, it never is Show. He also took credit for CM Punk still holding the WWE title after interfering in his title match with Cena. Speak of the devil, John Cena then came out and started attacking Big Show with his trademark awful and fake looking offense. The new Raw General Manager AJ then joined them all and announced Cena versus Show in a WWE Championship number one contenders match.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Santino Marella in an average to fair match up. Marella was surprisingly given more offense against Del Rio than I was expecting. Afterwards Del Rio told the fans that he will not compete unless it is a World title match.

Vickie Guerrero interrupted Brodus Clay's entrance to perform a purposely awful dance routine. Fortunately the charismatic Damien Sandow halted it and after playing the VT of his attack from DX last week began pommeling Clay. It's a good sign for Sandow seeing him regularly on Raw, hopefully it keeps up.

Daniel Bryan stormed into AJ's office and confronted her about leaving him at the altar last week. She retorted by claiming that she saw men from a mental institute last week and realised that Bryan wanted to marry her so she could be legally committed. She also informed him that he'll be facing Sheamus later on.

Sheamus beat Daniel Bryan in a Street Fight. It was an enjoyable bout, with solid enough action and not an overkill use of weapons but enough to give it a different feel from the rest of the shows card. After the bell had rung Bryan refused to leave the ring until he saw a doctor so Kofi Kingston and R-Truth came out and asked him to leave. Bryan responded by pretending to kick the imaginary Little Jimmy and calling out his group of mental health workers to take Truth away. But instead AJ told them to take away Bryan instead. It was a bit of a bizarre segment and I'm not sure what it achieved exactly. The loss would've been enough to add to Bryan's recent woes.

Titus O'Neil defeated Kofi Kingston in an average and quite forgettable contest. Once again O'Neil and Young's manager Abraham Washington was one of the more entertaining things about the match with his ringside pep talk. 

Heath Slater, after being embarrassed by past WWE wrestlers for weeks, decided to instead challenge any current member of the roster. So the returning Randy Orton answered his call and beat Slater in a rather quick match. I wonder who he'll face at SummerSlam?

Chris Jericho and Christian defeated The Miz and Dolph Ziggler in an largely entertaining tag bout. All four men put in good efforts and provided the best match of the night. I'm very much looking forward to the forthcoming Jericho vs Ziggler match up, should be great.

Tyson Kidd won via disqualification versus Lord Tensai in a squash match for the most part. Tensai took out Kidd for the majority of the contest, eventually pinning him. But as he continued the assault after the bell had rung the referee decided to reverse the decision and award Tyson the win. This infuriated Tensai, who decided to take out his anger on his assistant? Protege? Who is that guy that follows him around again? 

After a series of short segments with Daniel Bryan being evaluated by a doctor, with a few amusing parts here and there, the doctor deemed Bryan mentally healthy. But things once again went against Bryan as Kane then attacked him.

John Cena versus Big Show ended in a double DQ. The bout had been quite fair up until then which was far better then what I was expecting from the match, with the crowd largely behind Cena throughout. Although my personal favourite part came when CM Punk (who'd been on guest commentary) rightfully called Jerry Lawler "rubbish" at commentary, which is so, so true. Towards the end Big Show avoided an attack from Cena on the outside which led to him flying into CM Punk at the commentary desk. This caused Punk to take out both men in the ring and bring on the disqualification. 

Punk then grabbed a mic and called both wrestlers "losers" before leaving. AJ also predictably announced that at SummerSlam it will be a Triple Threat between Big Show, Cena and CM Punk for the WWE Championship, which angered the WWE Champion.