My No Way Out 2012 Recap

Sheamus (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in a solid enough opener to the show. As predicted both men who have been mostly consistent with the good quality of their matches over the last year provided yet another compelling bout from start to finish. There were a few slightly sloppy moments I'll admit but on the whole this was a good opener and certainly entertained me and the fans who were on their feet in the arena. Most of whom were cheering on Ziggler despite what the dopey Jerry Lawler claimed (he stated that the chants were all for Sheamus). 

Santino Marella defeated Ricardo Rodriguez in a Tuxedo match. It was just a lame comedy match up, even the crowd grew tired of it and began chanting "Boring." Which I concur. We should've had a real wrestling match here.

Christian (c) defeated Cody Rhodes to retain the Intercontinental title in a crisp and very enjoyable contest. Both Christian (in my opinion the most underrated performer in WWE) and Rhodes put in great efforts and were practically flawless with the action they provided here and they went back and fourth. The crowd maybe didn't quite get into as much as the opener but that's understandable I guess, the final few minutes had them going though.

Darren Young and Titus O'Neil defeated Primo and Epico, Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel and The Usos in a Fatal Four Way tag team bout to become number one contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championship. It was a fast paced and for the most part entertaining tag match, with Epico and Kidd giving the best performances for me. The best moment was clearly a hurricanrana that Kidd applied to Epico from the top rope to the outside on top of most of the participants, causing chants of "Holy Shit!" Manager AW also swerved on Primo and Epico as he helped O'Neil and Young get the win over them. Washington managing them does make more sense I think, better suited characters. It's also a big relief to see the tag team division represented on pay-per-view again, this should be a regular occurrence.   

Triple H came to the ring and challenged Brock Lesnar to a match at SummerSlam (not directly SummerSlam, but he hinted at it). It wasn't his greatest ever promo but the message was clear, he wanted to put aside all the law suits and just fight man to man in the ring. 

Layla (c) defeated Beth Phoenix to retain the WWE Divas Championship in an average bout. There were a few good moments here and there from both women, the match just didn't feel particularly remarkable on the whole though. Layla showed a bit more character, dancing around and teasing Phoenix with her tiara. Although you maybe felt that she was trying a bit too hard, still an improvement though.

Backstage throughout the night AJ had been wishing all three men involved in the WWE Championship match good luck. But when it came to Kane and she gave him a peck on the cheek, he held her arm and they then kissed properly once again. This provoked a decent reaction from the crowd too.

Sin Cara defeated Hunico in a fair, if unmemorable match up. Unfortunately for the two wrestlers the crowd soon lost interest and began chanting for Zach Ryder. Is it too late for Sin Cara to ever win over the fans now?

CM Punk (c) defeated Kane and Daniel Bryan to retain the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat match. It was a solid World title bout and exceeded my expectations. I mean I was expecting a decent match but it was more exciting and fast paced than I was predicting. The crowd were superb during it too. For the finish CM Punk accidentally threw Kane into AJ on the apron, chucking her off of the apron. As Kane went to check on her Punk applied a GTS for the one-two-three. So AJ's allegiances are still unknown, although you have to guess that it's Kane she'll end up with.

Ryback once again took out a couple of nobodies in a squash match. He claimed that he wanted three men instead next time during the match itself. I don't mind Ryback but I'd rather have seen the charismatic Damien Sandow here instead. 

John Cena defeated Big Show in the predictably mediocre Cage match. Up until the final five minutes or so the match just dragged, the action was slow and drab really. Who'd expect that from a Big Show match, right? Towards the end a few wrestlers who'd been on the end of a Big Show attack recently came down to halt the giant's chances of escaping the cage, Zach Ryder received the biggest pop for appearing here. Brodus Clay then grabbed John Laurinaitis as Cena managed to climb over the cage and escape before Show did. As per the stipulation Vince McMahon then uttered those trademark two words of his to Laurinaitis "You're fired!"

It wasn't a great bout and it should certainly not have been the main event, but the result was definitely the more interesting one. I mean, the firing stipulation has never effected Cena anyway so we knew even if Show won he wouldn't have been terminated anyway. This also begs the question of who takes over as GM now? Hopefully someone more capable on the mic and with more charisma, though that shouldn't be hard to find.    

My WWE SmackDown, 15th June 2012 Recap

AJ came out and was about to explain her kiss with Kane on this weeks Raw but was quickly interrupted by Vickie Guerrero and her client (and number one contender to Sheamus' World title) Dolph Ziggler. 'The Showoff' bragged about how he stole the show on Raw (he did put in a great performance with Christian) and how he wasn't about to let AJ steal his spotlight. AJ stood up for herself, calling Dolph and his "grandma" delusional if they think he's going to become World Champion. Vickie retorted with a slap to the face, but soon backed off from the crazed looking AJ.

WWE Champion CM Punk then joined them all and stated that Vickie does the same routine each week and "Dolph never comes through." Daniel Bryan then also came out and told Punk that AJ had him wrapped around her little finger and he was completely unaware. World Champion Sheamus predictably made an appearance also and warned Ziggler that all Del Rio's injury has done is give him another chance to beat the 'Showoff' and asked for a referee to come down so they could start their tag team match right then. 

Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan defeated Sheamus and CM Punk in a great tag team match. The blistering action came fast towards the second half of the contest as all four men went all out. I give credit to every wrestler involved in the match, they all put in a solid display and proved that tag team bouts on the televised shows can be of a high standard regularly.

Afterwards AJ confronted Vickie in the ring and began attacking her until Vickie made a quick getaway. Kane then began to carry AJ away until Punk started attacking him from behind. Daniel Bryan also got involved, until he along with Punk was Choke Slammed by 'The Big Red Monster'.    

Brodus Clay revealed that if he went anywhere near Big Show then he'd be fired by Laurinaitis. So an annoyed Clay asked for some real competition at least, then Heath Slater's music hit. I have to admit though, Slater has grown on me over the last couple of months. He definitely has some charisma to him.

Brodus Clay defeated Heath Slater in a very, very quick squash match. An oiled up David Otunga then attacked his leg afterwards to add a bit of late hype for their bout in the No Way Out pre show slot. 

Beth Phoenix defeated Alicia Fox in a brief squash match. Two in a row? Not great scheduling, this match could've been a bit later on so it wasn't so close to the Clay one. Divas Champion Layla provided guest commentary and did okay.

John Laurinaitis came out and gave an insincere apology to Vince McMahon after he was accidentally knocked out by Big Show on Raw, advising him that at his age he shouldn't confront wrestlers like Show. He then introduced the man representing him on Sunday against Cena, Big Show. Show gave a good promo on how he moved from WCW to WWF years ago and having to be sidelined to guys like Punk and Orton in WWE, you know, wrestlers with more talent than him. I can't fault his promos since turning heel at Over The Limit, they've been mostly solid. I'm just tired of watching him in the ring and predict that his matches with Cena will be average at best affairs. Before him and the GM left Michael Cole warned them that John Cena was on his way to the arena that night. Uh oh!

Christian defeated Jack Swagger in a fair contest. It was actually surprisingly short. With the exception of the first tag team match they seemed to be racing through bouts on SmackDown. Christian always deserves more time in my opinion. 

Ryback defeated a couple more nobodies in another of his trademark squash matches. We know the story with him by now right?

Damien Sandow defeated Tyson Kidd in the apparent theme for the show, another squash match. He also berated Kidd on the mic beforehand, as he does. I'd much rather they'd cut the Clay versus Slater contest and added more time to this match, which could have been really good I reckon. 

John Cena came to the ring and called out Big Show, but was instead greeted by Laurinaitis who informed him that it was his fault that McMahon was struck and that he'd sent Big Show home. Cena then threatened to KO Johnny, knowing that the Steel Cage match on Sunday is going ahead no matter what. But the GM warned him that if he touched him then on next week's Raw he'll be fired. So Cena took his chances and punched Laurinaitis in the face. Since when has a being fired stipulation ever actually effected Cena? This doesn't add anything to the match. I'll give Cena credit though he was on form here on the mic. 

Overall SmackDown was a mixed bag. Far too many of the matches were way too short and just felt quite worthless, and considering this is supposed to normally be the real 'wrestling show' compared to the red brand it's a disappointment. On the plus side the tag team match and Cena's promo were both solid and actually entertained.  

My WWE Raw, 11th June 2012 Recap

John Laurinaitis came to the ring, but was soon interrupted by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, who received a very nice response. Laurinaitis pleaded with McMahon to let him keep his job. The Chairman then ripped apart many of the GM's decisions over his tenure, calling bringing back Big Show as "a horrible investment," amen to that.

Sheamus then also joined them and called Johnny the "worst general manger in WWE history." An angered Laurinaitis stated that he'd make the Irishman pay by booking him in a match against a mystery opponent. McMahon then warned Johnny before he left that if the show isn't good enough then at the end of the night he'll be fired.  

Sheamus defeated Lord Tensai in a fair match up. It dragged a little bit at the start but gradually picked up in quality towards the second half of the bout. Things aren't looking great for Tensai at the moment. Afterwards he took out his worshipper to a largely indifferent crowd. 

As R-Truth was giving an interview backstage, Big Show knocked him out with a punch.

Beth Phoenix and Ricardo Rodriguez defeated Layla and Santino Marella in a comedy tag team match. Afterwards Santino ripped open the always amusing Ricardo's shirt to reveal a Justin Bieber T-Shirt. 

Daniel Bryan came to the ring and bragged about he's going to win the WWE Championship at No Way Out on Sunday. The current title holder CM Punk also came out and claimed that outside the ring AJ is out of Bryan's league, and inside the ring he's out of Punk's league. Bryan told Punk how he's lost respect for him since he'd supposedly sold out after pandering to the fans. The WWE Champion stated that since his classic promo last year on the June 27th Raw, he hasn't changed at all. He rose to the top on his own terms, but claimed Bryan had drastically changed since shattering the glass roof.

Kane then joined them both and warned that his pipe bombs are actual pipe bombs after reminding us of what evil deeds he's performed in the past. AJ also came to the ring and said that when she looked into Kane's eyes last week she saw a heart. She also claimed that she wasn't totally over Bryan and that Punk was the coolest guy she's ever met. I couldn't tell if it was on purpose but she seemed really awkward on the mic here. Laurinaitis then booked Kane and Bryan against Punk and AJ in a tag team match.

Dolph Ziggler defeated Christian, Jack Swagger and The Great Khali in an Elimination Fatal Four Way match to become number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. The bout started off quite slow and dull, with Khali having most of the offense until he was eliminated. Fortunately it then picked up in pace and excitement as Swagger and Christian went toe to toe until Ziggler eliminated Swagger. The crowd then came alive for the final third of the match between Ziggler and Christian, with probably more chants for Ziggler oddly enough. It was a great ending to a highly enjoyable match for the most part, with Ziggler pinning the Intercontinental Champ.  

Ryback defeated another couple of nobodies in an okay squash match. Hopefully after No Way Out he'll move onto some real competition.  

Big Show defeated Kofi Kingston in an average Cage match. Show predictably dominated most of the match, slowly taking out Kingston, it was pretty drab. Towards the end Kofi mounted a short lived comeback where a win for him was taunted as he leapt to the top of the cage and then in an impressive spot jumped over Big Show. It was the only really decent and exciting part of the bout. I can't imagine that the Cage match this Sunday is going to be anything special either. 

Sin Cara defeated Curt Hawkings in an passable contest. Sin Cara just seems like another wrestler on the roster who's stuck in the same routine each week. 

Surprise guest Vader defeated Heath Slater in an average match. Although it wasn't anything outstanding it was a decent novelty act and a feel good moment for the fans.  

CM Punk and AJ defeated Daniel Bryan and Kane in a bit of a strange tag team bout. The action was quite good for the most part, with interactions between Punk and his two foes solid enough. But when AJ was inadvertently tagged in with Kane, she skipped around and then jumped around the 'Big Red Monster's' waist and snogged him. It was  an odd moment, but one that makes things a bit more interesting. Nice work by AJ here. Punk then got the winning pin on Bryan after applying a Macho Man Elbow Drop from the top rope.   

John Laurinaitis joined Vince McMahon in the ring and pleaded to him to "do the right thing" and not fire him. As Vince was about to utter those trademark two words of his, Big Show came to the ring and explained that if he was also terminated then he would have to be paid millions of dollars a year for doing nothing. Show went on to blame Vince for treating him as a joke for years, having to entertain people rather than being a "giant" like he truly is and can be now. I don't recall him ever entertaining anyone? 

John Cena then interrupted Big Show with a big goofy grin and lame childish jokes galore, which were totally out of place considering he's meant to be taking this wrestler he's facing on Sunday who's be tearing through everyone seriously. Wisely Cena then described Show as a dominant force who's the favourite for their match, but also asked him how he's going to react if he looses at No Way Out? Stating that he now has everything in his favour and no excuses for not succeeding.

Vince McMahon answered that question by announcing that if Big Show looses on Sunday than Big Johnny will be fired there and then. Cena and Show then began brawling until Big Show accidentally KO'd McMahon with a punch that looked so, so fake.  

My WWE SmackDown, 8th June 2012 Recap

Alberto Del Rio bragged about his attack on Sheamus on this weeks Raw and had Ricardo Rodriguez come out dressed as the World Heavyweight Champion, mocking his trademark beating chest and roaring taunt. Soon the real Sheamus came out and began attacking both men, eventually leading to the stage where Ricardo helped Del Rio gain the upper hand on his opponent at No Way Out. Teddy Long then made an appearance where he announced on behalf of the absent Laurinatis, Kane versus Sheamus and Del Rio versus The Great Khali for that night.

Alberto Del Rio defeated The Great Khali in a dull and unmemorable match up. Del Rio logically targeted Khali's arm and legs during the bout, which is about the only thing I can credit the match with doing well. Del Rio tried, but Khali is just far too limited in the ring.

Backstage Teddy Long informed Brodus Clay that he'd been drafted to SmackDown for his own safety from Big Show, according to Laurinaitis. Don't expect Clay's career to sky rocket anytime soon. 

Brodus Clay defeated Derrick Bateman in a squash match. Clay looked much more aggressive than normal here, which was a smart move considering his frustration from the attack from Big Show. This was something that suited Clay more too in my opinion, someone that big should be taken more seriously. Unfortunately afterwards that was all washed away after he started his regular routine of dancing with young members of the audience in the ring, which just ruined what he'd achieved in the match for me.

Sin Cara defeated Drew McIntyre in a fair contest. It wasn't anything outstanding but watchable. I've never been a big supporter of McIntyre, but even I have to say that he should be being better utilised than he has been. 

This might seem odd but for me when they have the two rookies that are about to face Ryback talk trash on the mic, I really enjoy it. They're just so awful (which I'm sure has to be intentional) that I find it hilarious. It's one of favourite parts of the show. Nonetheless Ryback sure enough defeated both of them in a squash match. 

As Christian's 'Peep Show' was being set up, Cody Rhodes came to the ring and started trashing the set. He claimed that Christian is the one who should be answering to him. not the other way round. The Intercontinental Champion soon enough joined Rhodes, and explained to him that his change in attitude since his return occurred after he inducted Edge into the Hall of Fame. He realised that his career could end in an instant and he didn't want to be remembered as a whiny guy always asking for "One more match." Cody called him a liar and bragged that he's going to win the title back at No Way Out, the Intercontinental Champion then understandably just told him to "shut up!"   

Christian defeated Dolph Ziggler in a highly enjoyable bout from start to finish. I never had any doubt that these two would provide in the ring and they certainly did. I'm just a little confused as to where they're going with Ziggler at the moment. After his split from Swagger and Vickie Guerrero I really thought a deserved push was in order for him, I guess not.

Hornswaggle came out dressed as JR and mocked Michael Cole after his comedy (I use the term lightly here) match with Cena on Raw. Fortunately the entertaining Damien Sandow came out and saved the woeful segment. He rightfully called the whole thing stupid and stated that he was once again saving us the masses, which was true. Tyson Kidd then ran out to Hornswaggle's aid and chased off Sandow, until he turned his back and Sandow took Kidd out.

Antonio Cesaro defeated Jimmy Uso in a brief match up. Once again Cesaro looked solid in between the ropes. I'd be surprised if this guy doesn't do very well for himself in WWE, he has the look and the skills in the ring.   

Sheamus won via disqualification versus Kane in a contest that ranged from decent to fairly drab. It was watchable, just not the most exciting thing in the World. The DQ came after Ricardo Rodriguez ran in and attempted to attack Sheamus, which the World Champion thwarted, only to then be struck by Kane. 'The Big Red Monster' was then distracted by the strange AJ, who once again shared a flirtatious look with him. This caused Kane to be distracted long enough to be Brogue Kicked by Sheamus. But 'The Great White' wasn't done, he also Brogue Kicked Ricardo as Del Rio watched.

Overall SmackDown had it's ups and downs. The positives for me mainly being the Christian versus Ziggler bout and the up and coming prospects Cesaro, Ryback and Sandow. They all look like they're on their way to bigger and better things over the next year, hopefully. The lack of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk was disappointing but at least this meant we had more attention focused on the Del Rio Sheamus feud, which certainly helps them out.  

My WWE SmackDown, 1st June 2012 Recap

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus stated that he was just giving Del Rio a warning when he barged him last week for their title match at No Way Out, stating that the Mexican believes he's better than everyone else because of his fortune, but his money can't buy him the World title. David Otunga joined 'The Great White' and ordered him to apologise for barging John Laurinaitis two weeks ago on Raw. Sheamus refused, telling Otunga that the GM can come and collect the apology face to face.

Alberto Del Rio then came out and mocked the World Champion, calling him a "street hooligan" and such. Otunga decided to punish Sheamus by allowing Del Rio to choose his opponent. Sheamus then Brogue Kicked Otunga for good measure. It was a decent start to the show and the best interaction between Sheamus and Del Rio so far for me.  

The returning Sin Cara defeated Heath Slater in a passable if pretty forgettable match up. There's very few wrestlers that Sin Cara seems to work really well with in WWE, and as long as that's the case fans like me just aren't really going to be that fussed about seeing him to be honest.

Damien Sandow defeated Ezekiel Jackson in an average bout. Sandow looked decent here, it just didn't really last long enough for us to see a lot from him. Before the match he once again claimed that his opponent wasn't worthy of him and went to leave before being pulled back into the ring by 'Big Zeke'. I am really enjoying Sandow's persona, he's a brilliant new character for the blue brand.

Ryback defeated a couple of nobodies (I can't be asked to remember their names now) in a Handicap match. It was the usual squash match, with Ryback once again finishing off the opponents with his impressive backwards slam with both men on his back. I'm trying to think of what they could do next with this guy, maybe a feud with Cody Rhodes could be interesting? We'll see. I just hope they don't ruin this momentum he's on.

Sheamus defeated Dolph Ziggler in a very enjoyable contest. Both men put in a solid effort and it paid off. I've mentioned it already but I feel Sheamus has really upped his game this year and put on better matches than ever in the company. And as I've mentioned about Dolph, well, he deserves a higher place in WWE after all the constantly hard work he's been putting into his matches.

Like on previous occasions Ziggler's talent was clear and appreciated with scattered chants of his name. Hopefully him entering back into singles competition and getting fed up of Swagger (who appeared briefly in the bout in an attempt to help Ziggler, but failed) and Vickie Guerrero means a push is imminent, and maybe even a face turn perhaps? 

Santino Marella and Zach Ryder defeated Titus 'O Neil and Darren Young in a short and mediocre bout. Marella managed to score the one-two-three with a quick schoolboy to Young. I honestly fail to see the point of this match, it did nothing at all for the team of Young and O'Neil, who as of late have been looking fairly good. Afterwards Big Show took out Santino and Ryder. Ryder received the majority of the attack as Show threw him around the ringside area and slammed him onto some steel steps. Why didn't they just have Show interfere during the tag match? At least then O'Neil and Young's momentum wouldn't have taken any damage?  

Like I said after Raw, while it makes sense having Big Show take out people like this, it just all feels too familiar to me. We've seen it all before and I'm already growing a bit tired of it.

Cody Rhodes defeated Tyson Kidd in a fun, if too short for my liking match up. It's a real shame that the talented Kidd wasn't given some more time to show off what he could against Rhodes here, if given the chance I think he could do really well. He just needs to work on his mic skills and connecting with the fans more in my opinion. 

CM Punk (c) versus Kane for the WWE Championship ended in a disqualification after Daniel Bryan attacked them both. While the bout had started off fairly flat and drab, it fortunately became much more enjoyable towards the final third as both men pulled out their signature moves for nice near falls to reel back in the fans interest.

After Punk and Bryan began fighting in the ring, Kane decided to make his move and Choke Slam both of them. This cued GM John Laurinatis' entrance and announcement that it will be a Triple Threat at No Way Out between the three wrestlers for the WWE Championship. What a shocker, eh? Why did they have to include Kane into this feud? I was really hoping for another one on one rematch between Bryan and Punk after their superb match at Over The Limit, it could've even been a Submission match or something along those lines to change it up a bit. Oh well, the Triple Threat should still be decent enough.    

My WWE Raw, May 28th 2012 Recap

Big Show informed the fans that he no longer had to put on a fake smile to please them all since he'd obtained an "iron clad contract" meaning he could do whatever he wanted. He went on to claim that there was no other sportsmen that was in his league, maybe weight wise that is. He then showed footage of Brodus Clay dancing in the ring mere moments after he'd been fired on Raw, which was utterly ridiculous at the time, and rightfully shared his anger at that.

He also presented footage of Cena being his goofy and childish self when he was making fun of Laurinaitis a couple of weeks back instead of demanding Show get his job back. He also stated that he's going to embarrass Cena at No Way Out. It was a decent promo from Show, and to be fair I actually agreed with all his grievances he expressed. They made sense to me. 

Alberto Del Rio defeated Santino Marella in a senseless squash match. I can understand having Del Rio as the number one contender to the World title win dominantly, but I don't believe it should've been at the United States Champion's expense. Doesn't exactly do much for the title. 

Backstage after Alex Riley was done chatting up Eve, Big Show was informed that he'd have his choice of opponent later on and then decided to send a message to the locker room in the form of slamming Riley into the wall.

Kofi Kingston and R-Truth (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship. It was a mostly fair match up, with a few exciting moments but unfortunately a few sloppy ones too. Kingston certainly doesn't click with Truth like he did with Bourne. Afterwards a frustrated Ziggler walked away from Vickie and Swagger, claiming he was "better than this," which he is. 

Backstage Big Show threatened an injured Sanino Marella, but was then interrupted by Brodus Clay who challenged him to a match, so Show obliged. 

John Laurinaitis announced that the match between Big Show and John Cena will be contested inside a steel cage at No Way Out. He then also presented a phoney cover to the new WWE '13 game with himself on it, amusingly claiming that it will be "bigger than Pac-Man!" Michael Cole's sly mocking of Big Johnny was one of the best things about this promo. WWE Champion CM Punk then halted the proceedings and presented the real cover to WWE '13 which of course features himself. 

After some more mocking of Big Johnny, Punk warned the GM that the Board of Directors are carefully monitoring him so he ought to be careful what he does. He also kicked in the fake cover with Laurinaitis on it. It was a decent segment with a few funny moments, although these promos are still no patch on Punk's must see ones of last Summer.

Daniel Bryan defeated CM Punk in a highly enjoyable and intense bout. As with Over The Limit these two had another brilliant match of the night, going back and fourth with solid exchanges and wrestling. AJ, sporting a CM Punk tee, came down to ringside to support the World Champion. Unfortunately she also inadvertently distracted the referee as Bryan removed the padding from a turnbuckle which he would later use to bounce Punk's head off of and gain the one-two-three. Afterwards Kane attacked Bryan with a steel chair and Choke Slammed him onto it, but then also received a chair shot of his own from Punk as retribution.   

Christian defeated The Miz in fairly short but decent contest. As per usual the hard working and reliable Christian delivered in the ring, credit also to the underutilised Miz for his performance here. Afterwards Miz remained in the ring and complained about his drop in status within the company. He was then halted by Randy Orton who casually walked out and RKO'd him.

Backstage Dolph Ziggler asked Vickie Guerrero to get him out of the tag team with Swagger and back into singles competition like Orton. I totally agree, hopefully this will be the start of Ziggler's deserved push in WWE. 

Sheamus defeated David Otunga in an average and forgettable bout. 

Before their match could even start Big Show mocked Brodus Clay on the mic, claiming that he just shamelessly danced for the fans like a clown and had no talent. He then speared Clay and beat him down. Kofi Kingston and R-Truth tried to help but Show just quickly swatted them away. That's two other champions made to look weak on the show. Show carried on to attack all three men further, including throwing Kofi through the barricade in a nice looking spot. The closing segment served its purpose in making Show look dominant, although it does all feel just a bit similar doesn't it?

My WWE SmackDown, May 25th 2012 Recap

Eve came to the ring and announced that John Laurinaitis will not be in attendance due to an international matter elsewhere and that she was also in charge for the night. So she demanded that Sheamus issue a public apology for bumping into Laurinaitis on Monday later on. Eve was then interrupted by Alberto Del Rio who asked to be the new number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship at No Way Out. Randy Orton and Kane also followed in trying to convince Eve for the chance at the 'Great White', so predictably she decided to have a Triple Threat to determine the challenger at No Way Out.

Christian defeated Hunico in a decent match up. It wasn't anything particularly outstanding but as usual the new Intercontinental Champion Christian was solid in the ring and provided a good bout. It's great having him back. Afterwards Cody Rhodes claimed that no one cares about Christian and therefore no one cares about the IC Championship now, but he'll apparently be winning it back soon. Sorry Cody but I can't see that happening. 

Titus O'Neil and Darren Young defeated Jimmy & Jay Uso in another fair match between the two teams. It's a smart move finally having some new teams being promoted on the blue brand, hopefully we'll see O'Neil and Young challenging for the titles in the fairly near future. Although I still feel they have some work to do in the ring.

We were then shown a VT promoting the return of Sin Cara next week on SmackDown. Not too sure how I feel about that, can't say I'm overly excited really. 

Ryback defeated nobodies Brian Edwards and Kevin Bendl in a, what? That's right! Another squash match. Don't get me wrong I like the guy, and to be fair he performed his regular finisher with both men on his back which looked pretty impressive. I just feel like it's maybe time for his level of competition to take a step up. Or perhaps the booking team are planning something big for him, who knows?  

Santino Marella defeated Ricardo Rodriguez in a rather amusing comedy match. The entertaining Rodriguez was as funny as ever.

Sheamus came to the ring to apologise for what he stated was an accidental push into Laurinaitis on this weeks Raw, but instead said sorry "for John Laurinaitis being a massive arse!" 'The Great White' went on to claim that given the choice he'd like to face Randy Orton for his title, he was then interrupted by Vickie Guerrero who informed him that he'll be facing Jack Swagger. 

Sheamus defeated Jack Swagger in an enjoyable contest. It was also surprisingly competitive considering Swagger's usual record, and because he was allowed to be more competitive he was involved in a much more superior match then his usual one on ones. That being said I must also give Sheamus a lot of credit, not just for this performance but for his big improvement in the ring over the course of this year. He's always been solid enough but he's really earned the main event spot now in my opinion.

Damien Sandow defeated Yoshi Tatsu in a squash match, and gave a solid performance both in the ring and out as he gave another one of his entertaining promos about his superiority over just about everyone around him. If booked correctly I see Sandow being a big name for the company in a years time. 

Big Show came out and explained that he was devastated when he was fired on Raw a week back, and explained that he returned to help Laurinaitis because he genuinely loves what he does. The promo was basically everything we'd already heard him say on Monday, nothing new except that he stated he now doesn't care about the fans after their lack of support for him. It felt like a waste of time to me, not that Show didn't do a decent job of delivering it, it was just all a rehash. They might as well have shown a clip of his promo from Raw. 

Before the main event Daniel Bryan snuck up behind Kane and viciously attacked him with a steel chair. So I'm guessing he will be added to Bryan and CM Punk's inevitable rematch for the WWE Championship, something that just isn't necessary considering how they stole the show at Over The Limit. 

Alberto Del Rio defeated Randy Orton and Kane in a Triple Threat to become number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. It was an enjoyable enough main event, not exactly a classic but still a fun watch. Daniel Bryan distracted Kane a few times during the bout, causing 'The Big Red Monster' to be RKO'd by Orton and then covered by a capitalising Del Rio. Afterwards Sheamus greeted the victor with a clothesline on the ramp.