My WWE Payback Recap

That it was. Photo credit: WWE.com

Sheamus pinned Damien Sandow in a fair pre-show contest. It was pretty unremarkable for the majority, but there were a few nice moments from each of the two talents. I can't see why Sandow (who received most of the support from the fans in Chicago) wasn't afforded even a cheap win here, he could've really used it.

Curtis Axel bested Wade Barrett (c) and The Miz to obtain the Intercontinental Championship in a decent Triple Threat once it got going. The first half of the bout had its moments, although it felt a little slow for me. But once the pace picked up so did my interest and the three men put together some nice sequences with effective near falls. Axel managed to finally gain the one-two-three on Barrett as he was stuck in a Figure Four Leglock from Miz. The choice of victor went down very well with the terrific crowd in attendance.

Backstage Triple H  blocked off the new IC Champion's path, until Vince McMahon walked in and enthusiastically congratulated both Axel and Paul Heyman on the win. Vince went on to ask his son-in-law if he fancied facing Curtis, but Trips still refused.

AJ Lee beat Kaitlyn (c) to obtain the WWE Divas Title in a suprisingly enjoyable outing. Maybe I'm being generous since I wasn't expecting anything substantial here, but I was actually impressed with both wrestlers efforts here, they seemed to want to deliver a memorable match with a lay out that made sense, which is rare from the female performers on the main WWE roster nowadays. Granted there were a few slightly sloppy moments but considering both ladies abilities I think they should be proud of their displays. 

Afterwards an upset Kaitlyn was supported by fellow divas Alicia Fox, Layla and Natalya backstage. 

Dean Ambrose (c) won via count versus Kane, thereby retaining the United States Championship. While this wasn't the most exciting match, the wrestling itself was stellar enough so I can't complain. Ambrose managed to DDT Kane on the outside, earning himself the count out win.

We then witnessed a VT fo the return of Rob Van Dam at next month's Money in the Bank event. I was never overly impressed by most of his TNA run but he looked decent towards the end, could be interesting. Hopefully another WWE run will reinvigorate him a bit. 

Alberto Del Rio defeated Dolph Ziggler (c) to obtain the World Heavyweight Championship in a strange title clash. During the bout Ziggler was knocked on the head, which Del Rio continuously (and logically) targeted. Ziggler already had the support of the fans but his battling back (which reminded me a bit of HBK actually) really brought him across as a face and Del Rio beating on him when the referee was checking on the champ was extremely heelish. It was a smart move if the roles were meant to be reversed here, which I'm sure they were.

The wrestling itself had been largely solid, with only a few sloppy moments here and there. The crowd occasionally lost interest and began chanting for RVD and CM Punk, but soon got back into it. Del Rio shockingly won with a swift kick to the struggling Ziggler's head.

I think a comeback win for Dolph would've made much more sense here and given him some much needed credibility. His reign had only just begun after a long, long wait holding the MITB briefcase, and Del Rio has been stale for a long time as a face and heel. The new opponents Ziggler could've competed against over the title was a much more interesting prospect. This must've been a massive blow for 'The Show Off' too, he deserved better. Afterwards Del Rio came back out and asked the (booing) fans for their support and bigged himself up as the new World Champion.

CM Punk pinned Chris Jericho in a solid affair. Punk understandably received a tremendous reaction from the crowd throughout. The back and fourth action was decent, with exciting near falls (which maybe went a little overkill at points) and a nice ending (Punk applied two GTS's on Y2J) but this was by no means a classic. Both men gave worthy efforts, and the atmosphere was great but I just felt like there was something lacking a bit.

Much like Punk's famous title match with Cena at Money in the Bank 2011, it was a memorable contest but not either man's best by a fair distance. Maybe I'm being a little harsh and may change my mind after watching it again at some point, but I won't be in a rush to do so just yet.

The Shield (Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) (c) bested Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton to retain the WWE Tag Team Title in an engaging bout. I'm struggling to think of new ways to type this about The Shield and Bryan's recent outings but to sum it up this was exciting and contained satisfying wrestling from the opening bell, so do yourself a favour and check it out. For the finish Orton moved out of the way of an oncoming spear which struck Bryan, then RKO'd Reigns but was chucked out of the ring by Rollins who applied a Blackout on Bryan for the winning pinfall.

John Cena (c) won the Three Stage of Hell match versus Ryback two to one, thereby retaining the WWE Championship. Ryback won the first stage Lumberjack match after Shell Shocking Cena after the champ had been tussling with the wrestlers on the outside. Cena managed to win the second stage Tables match after quickly reversing a Shell Shock attempt into an AA through a table in the ring. And finally Cena won the third stage Ambulance match by again Attitude Adjusting Ryback through the vehicle itself.

Overall it was an entertaining main event that didn't disappoint, although I was personally hoping for a Ryback win to make things a bit more interesting. Much like Extreme Rules last month these two were smartly booked to utilise various weapons and outside elements to hide their limitations and keep things engaging.

Admittedly there was nothing particularly new to be found here, Cena's top rope body splash onto the lumberjacks and AA on Ryback through the Ambulance were exciting moments but nothing original. Still I came away from another Ryback versus Cena encounter having fun, and that's more than I was expecting when their feud started.

On the whole Payback was a passable pay-per-view, with no bad contests to speak of and some satisfying match ups to take away from it. My highlights were the IC Title Triple Threat, the Tag Team Championship bout, CM Punk's return and the main event. Despite a few fair matches that I'll probably forget about this time next month, it had its fair share of memorable moments which is fine with me for a lower level event. 

My WWE Payback predictions

Photo credit: WWE.com

Three Stages Of Hell WWE Championship Match:

Stage 1 - Lumberjack Match; Stage 2 - Tables Match; Stage 3 - Ambulance Match: John Cena (c) versus Ryback:

I'm quite optimistic about this one, especially after their entertaining outing at Extreme Rules last month. Considering the limitations of these two talents the bookers made a smart move by having them compete in stipulation bouts, with plenty of distractions and weapons to keep things interesting for the viewers. I've been going back and fourth but I can actually see an upset here and Ryback taking the title, to shake things up a bit and get people checking out Raw Monday night. If not then at least it's a suitable way to finalise their feud.

Winner: Ryback

World Heavyweight Championship Match -  Dolph Ziggler (c) versus Alberto Del Rio:

I can't see this being anything but stellar in the ring, but to be honest I've grown tired of their feud and Del Rio in general as of late so I can't say I'm too hyped for this one. But at least this should mean that Ziggler moves on to a more engaging and exciting rivalry over the World Title next. 

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Best In The World Match - Chris Jericho versus CM Punk:

The match me and I presume the majority fans are mostly anticipating tonight, not only is it the return of one of the companies top overall talents but it should be a terrific contest. I personally very much enjoyed their previous two pay-per-view encounters, so I'll be shocked if I fail to enjoy this one. I know some fans have predicted that Punk will fail to turn up, but I just can't see it. This is one of the big attractions of the event (well the biggest attraction of it) and I can't imagine that WWE would be foolish enough to short change all the many fans who are paying for the main reason of seeing the return of CM Punk. 

Oh, and the returning Punk to win, always bet on the returning wrestler, always.

Winner: CM Punk

Tag Team Championships Match - The Shield (Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) (c) versus Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton:

Well when you consider the fantastic form that these four men have been in as of late in match ups together, it's hard to imagine this match being anything but entertaining. Despite The Shield's first six-man loss on SmackDown last Friday, I can't see them dropping the tag straps just yet. Plus I see the slow burning Bryan and Orton feud developing with a big argument after their loss.

Winners: Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns

Triple Threat Intercontinental Championship Match - Wade Barrett (c) versus The Miz versus Curtis Axel:

Should be a decent enough match here, but nothing that special I reckon. With his recent run it's hardly a shock that I'm picking Axel to pick up his first singles strap, hopefully he'll add some much needed relevance to it.

Winner: Curtis Axel

United States Championship Match - Dean Ambrose (c) versus Kane:

My prediction to open the event. Quality-wise I expect this to be an enjoyable affair, not either man's finest but something worth checking out. As I typed earlier I can't see The Shield dropping any titles yet, and I think it'd be a daft move if they did. They still have quite a few significant feuds in them for a while to come and their strong booking needs to keep up.

Winner: Dean Ambrose

Divas Championship Match - Kaitlyn (c) versus AJ Lee:

I'm not expecting a great match here at all to be honest, but I am grateful for the thought that has actually gone into this rivalry, it's a lot more than any other Divas feud has received in a long time. I also see AJ picking up the belt, based on her current string of wins and Kaitlyn loosing her mind a bit. 

Winner: AJ Lee

Pre-Show - Sheamus versus Damien Sandow:

Should be okay to get the crowd going, but I don't foresee a technical marvel by any stretch of the imagination between these two. It would seem like a waste of their feud for me if Sheamus won, I have nothing against him but imagine the faith lost in any future Sandow push if he were to loose cleanly here in their first PPV outing. Plus Sheamus could quickly recover from a loss here. So considering all that I can see Sandow grabbing a cheeky win in a heel-like fashion somehow.

Winner: Damien Sandow 

My WWE SmackDown, 14th June 2013 Recap

The three men that finally defeated The Shield. Photo credit: WWE.com

The always entertaining Daniel Bryan kicked off the show by first amusingly boasting about his accomplishments in the WWE and how he wasn't surprised he'd achieved them, and then called out his soon to be ex-tag partner Kane. After reminding him that at Payback he'll be challenging for the tag title with Orton, Bryan officially ended Team Hell No and broke up with Kane.

Bryan also went on to claim that he believes he and Orton could do what Team Hell No couldn't in beating The Shield, insinuating that Kane was the "weak link" of their unit. As an upset Kane grabbed his former tag partner by the throat, Randy Orton warned Kane that he couldn't stand back and let him attack his tag partner.

As arguments ensued between the three men, their rivals The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) appeared on the big screen and expressed their amusement at the their frustration and anger, putting it down to them maybe finally realising that after months of defeating various teams The Shield are an unstoppable force in WWE. They also claimed that that night was going to be like every other in that they'll fall to them in the ring. It was one of the best openings to a SmackDown in a long, long time, with strong mic work from all involved, and it was simply fun and engaging to watch.  

Sheamus pinned Antonio Cesaro in a decent back and fourth contest. Both participants gave solid efforts here, and it was enjoyable enough. Unfortunately for me I felt it was lacking that little bit of extra excitement to make it a memorable or great match up.

Before the match Sheamus' Payback Kickoff opponent Damien Sandow bragged about outdoing the Irishman both mentally and physically in the recent weeks, and claimed that he will do the same Sunday. After the bout Sandow also blindsided Sheamus from behind. It's nice to see the 'Intellectual Saviour' with a more substantial feud, and hopefully he'll gain the much needed win at Payback, he could use it a lot more than the 'Celtic Warrior'.

Heath Slater bested The Great Khali in a mediocre outing. The wrestling was average, which tends to be the trend with the very limited Khali. 

Alberto Del Rio and Chris Jericho defeated Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston in an enjoyable tag bout. Admittedly it didn't contain any of the four men's finest ever performance, or even great ones, but it was still entertaining for the most part. 

Kaitlyn versus Aksana ended in a no contest after the enraged Divas Champion slapped the referee and chased away her opponent after mauling her. Kaitlyn was still reeling from her humiliating set up by AJ Lee on this week's Raw when she duped her into believing that Big E was her secret admirer. I'm not expecting anything special in their title match but I can appreciate some thought finally going into a Divas feud, it's been a long time.

Before their following match up, Wade Barrett tried to convince Curtis Axel to cancel their bout and reduce the risk of picking up an injury before their Triple Threat this Sunday for the Intercontinental Title. But the third man involved in said contest The Miz reminded the two that the fans came to see a fight, which convinced them to carry on. 

Curtis Axel pinned Wade Barrett in a brief and forgettable affair. Both men looked decent, but they didn't have enough time to make a real impression, which was unfortunate. During the encounter Axel accidentally struck Miz at ringside, so afterwards he applied a Skull Crushing Finale on Curtis as retribution. 

Daniel Bryan, Kane and Randy Orton defeated The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) in a thrilling six-man tag main event. The first two thirds of the contest were stellar, with worthy efforts from ever man, but it was the final few blistering minutes that really turned it up and delivered a memorable end to the show, The Shield had finally lost a six-man tag team match.

The fast pace only heightened the intensity at the end as Kane managed to take out both Ambrose and Reigns on the outside, allowing him to then deliver Rollins into Orton for an RKO and then into No lock by Bryan where he tapped out. Terrific televised outing, and one that adds intrigue to the two title bouts that Shield will compete in at Payback, are they so unstoppable now? I still see them retaining but it does add a little question mark.

Overall it was an enjoyable show for the most part, and above the usual standard for the blue brand this year. My highlights were the opening segment, Del Rio and Jericho versus Ziggler and Big E and the exciting main event. I almost feel worried that I may start taking The Shield and Bryan for granted with the standard of matches they deliver every week. Like Raw the show also delivered a strong ending to go into Payback with, which isn't always the case with WWE with shows before pay-per-views. 

My WWE Raw, 10th June 2013 Recap

I wonder how many other wrestlers on the roster could do that? Photo credit: WWE.com

Curtis Axel won via disqualification versus Triple H after Vince McMahon strolled down and called for the bell to be rung. But 'The Game' wasn't having that as he then restarted the bout, much to the disappointment of Axel and Paul Heyman. But once again Triple H's Father-in-law came back out and this time had Axel announced as the winner via forfeit.

So Trips stormed out of the ring and had Justin Roberts announce that the two would compete in a sixty-minute Iron Man match, but Vince wouldn't be having it and took the bell and told Axel to leave the ring. Backstage Stephanie McMahon begged her husband not to get physical with her much elder Father, so Triple H agreed if she went to talk to him.

Kane won via DQ versus Dean Ambrose in a fair encounter. I have no major issues with the match, both men gave worthy displays as they went back and fourth but it felt like there was that bit of excitement missing from it to really gain my interest.

The DQ occurred after Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns ran in and attacked Kane. Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton then evened the odds and helped chase off The Shield. After Bryan and Orton argued backstage over their altercation on last week's SmackDown (Orton RKO'd Bryan after he'd accidentally dropkicked him) with Kane trying to calm them down, Vickie Guerrero informed them that at Payback Orton and Bryan will compete for the tag titles while Kane will challenge for the US Title. After Orton and Bryan went off in a huff, an appreciative Kane gave Vickie a hug. It was a decent segment, and I'm personally enjoying this slow burning feud between Orton and Bryan.

The Miz defeated Cody Rhodes in a passable contest. Both men worked well together and provided nice sequences here. Admittedly it wasn't a particularly memorable match up but it was better than I was expecting.

As the Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett (who'd provided guest commentary) was about to capitalise on Miz's leg injury afterwards, Paul Heyman came out and announced that this Sunday his client Curtis Axel will join them in making it a Triple Threat for the IC strap,  replacing Fandango after he suffered a concussion at last week's SmackDown taping. I think it's safe to say we'll be seeing Axel with the title this time next week. 

Chris Jericho claimed that out of all the great pro wrestlers he's faced in WWE, his opponent at Payback CM Punk was the one that brought out the best in him. While I'm a fan of both their previous pay-per-view outings, I would've said that Jericho has definitely had superior matches against the likes of Rey Mysterio, The Rock, Shawn Michaels (my personal favourite feud Y2J's ever had) and more.  

World Champion Dolph Ziggler then made his Raw return after suffering a concussion last month, and spoke about how close he was to having his strap taken away from him. In response Jericho challenged him to a match to shake off the ring rust, so Ziggler accepted, but with Big E Langston in his place.

Chris Jericho pinned Big E Langston in a largely average affair. Unfortunately more than a few sloppy moments hindered the match for me, although it picked up a bit towards the end. Alberto Del Rio decided to get some payback (no pun intended) by pushing his future opponent Ziggler into the ringside form behind (which seemed a bit cowardly and heel-like I thought). This caused Big E to become distracted and finally Codebreakered by Jericho for the one-two-three.

Antonio Cesaro bested Sin Cara in an enjoyable bout. Sin Cara and Cesaro managed to compliment each others styles and made it work well, and when Sin Cara comes across an opponent like that then we usually get something worth checking out, but unfortunately that's a rare occasion. 

Randy Orton versus Roman Reigns ended in a no contest after both Bryan and Rollins interfered. The match itself had been a fair one, there was nothing remarkable about it but Orton gave a solid enough performance. How many DQ's and no contests are WWE throwing out at the moment?

Daniel Bryan pinned Seth Rollins in a tremendous back and fourth encounter. I've already gone on and on about Bryan's great form as of late so I won't again, but he and Rollins really worked hard here and provided a thoroughly engaging match, with stellar wrestling and an electric crowd behind Bryan. For the finish Orton managed to swipe Reigns from ringside as he was about to attack Bryan, allowing the victor to catch Rollins in a small package for the win. Afterwards Bryan and Orton seemed to put their differences aside, for now...

Big E Langston came out and revealed to Kaitlyn that he was her secret admirer, but as he then went to kiss her it was all revealed to be a ruse as he dropped the Divas Champion and AJ Lee skipped out and stated that she was behind it all.

AJ claimed that she wanted Kaitlyn to feel low and worthless like she did when she'd "abandoned" her after failed relationships with Punk, Bryan and Cena, and that she was finally going to take away her title belt at Payback. After having enough (I'm surprised it took her so long) Kaitlyn lashed out on her former best friend. It was some nice mic work from AJ here, and at least we're getting a Divas feud with some substance behind it.  

Damien Sandow beat R-Truth in a pedestrian contest. I was struggling with the urge not to fast forward here to be honest, it was just pretty drab for me, with uninspiring action. Afterwards Sheamus came out and after congratulating Sandow, warned him that in the Payback Kickoff match they'll have he felt it perfect to kick off his head. See what he did there?

In an office backstage Stephanie managed to get Vince and Triple H together to figure things out. After some heated exchanges they then began to see each other's point of view, with Vince liking the idea of Axel versus his son-in-law and Triple H agreeing with Vince that he was probably bigger than a match with Heyman's client and didn't need to prove anything in the ring. So after a bit more arguing Stephanie returned and convinced everyone to have a group hug. I'm not sure even they know where they're heading with this storyline right now.

Rather than enter the ring for the booked 'Face to Face' with lumberjacks surrounding them, Ryback decided to stand on the stage away from John Cena, claiming it was for the champ's own safety. Ryback then went on to say that Cena never helped him against Shield attacks because he saw him as a threat to his position in the company.

Cena of course denied this and decided that enough was enough and attempted to chase his rival but was pushed back into the ring each time by the lumberjacks. This allowed Ryback to race into the ring and the two began brawling until the other wrestlers managed to seperate them. It was a decent and exciting end to the show, with nice work from Ryback on the mic I thought.

Overall it was an enjoyable show for the most part, with only a few quite forgettable or sloppy match ups letting it down a bit. My highlights were the opening and ending segments, Cesaro versus Sin Cara and the tremendous Rollins versus Bryan contest. And most importantly it had a strong finish heading into a PPV, something we haven't always seen from WWE this year on Raw.  

My WWE SmackDown, 7th June 2013 Recap

Bryan takes it to Reigns and Rollins. Photo credit: WWE.com

The Miz brought out Randy Orton and Team Hell No for his latest edition of 'Miz TV', where he started with Daniel Bryan who apologised to Kane and Orton for his argumentative attitude during this week's Raw.

But things soon turned ugly when Miz stirred the pot and Bryan once again expressed his insecurities about being seen as the "weak link" and him and Kane began a heated argument, ending with the 'Big Red Monster' having enough and storming off. The always unwanted Teddy Long (for me anyway) then popped out to book Orton and Bryan against Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins for later on. It was a decent segment to start the show, with Bryan on possibly his strongest form since joining WWE.

Curtis Axel pinned Chris Jericho in a decent outing. Both men looked good, with nice flowing action throughout. Axel managed to roll up Y2J for the one-two-three after Heyman had Jericho's Payback opponent CM Punk's theme music play and distract him. A furious Jericho then raced back into the ring afterwards and began beating and eventually applying a Codebreaker on Axel.

Before their following match could get started, 3MB (Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal) attacked Alberto Del Rio, but their beat down was short lived as Del Rio managed to make a fairly quick comeback and send them on their way, but not before his ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez helped out by launching himself to the outside of the ring from the top rope. Just when you thought it couldn't get worse for 3MB. Dolph Ziggler then appeared on the tron and informed the number one contender to his World Title that he'll be making his return next monday on Raw. 

Kane won via disqualification versus Ryback after he was sent through a table. The match itself had been quite decent actually, I wasn't expecting much here but it was a pretty fun watch. The wrestling was never great but it was fine, and I'll take that. I also have to admit that the quality of Ryback's match ups have certainly improved lately, his clash with Cena at Extreme Rules and his recent outings with the outstanding Bryan as prime examples. Let's hope it continues.

Damien Sandow bragged about outwitting Sheamus over the last couple of weeks and after also boasting about how much smarter he was than all the fans in attendance, moved his attention to the super computer Deep Blue. As Sandow began a chess game against the computer, Sheamus came out and claimed that he could defeat DB in one move, which was of course a Brogue Kick.

An enraged Sandow lept on the 'Celtic Warrior' and after clubbing him with punches then smacked his head repeatedly on a table. Hopefully this will be a turning point for the 'Intelectual Saviour' and he'll become more competitive in the ring against wrestlers with higher status. 

Fandango pinned Zack Ryder in a worthy effort by both men. Much like the earlier Kane versus Ryback affair I wasn't expecting much here, but largely thanks to Ryder's display it was actually quite entertaining at parts.

Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton won via DQ versus The Shield (Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) after Dean Ambrose ran in and attacked Bryan. The match itself had been an engaging one, with stellar back and fourth wrestling throughout. But once again the top performer was Bryan, I feel like that's my catchphrase now.

Towards the end Bryan accidentally struck Orton with a dropkick in the corner as Reigns moved out of the way, so this prompted 'The Viper' to RKO his teammate after Bryan had gotten rid of The Shield. Could this be the start of Orton's heel turn? 

Overall it was a decent enough show with no bad matches or promos to speak of but none that were particularly memorable, with the exception of the solid main event and quite amusing Sandow and Sheamus segment. It's worth a watch but don't expect anything to rave about. 

My WWE Raw, 3rd June 2013 Recap

Bryan out to prove he's not the weak link. Photo credit: WWE.com

Stephanie McMahon started the show off by announcing that she was cancelling her husband Triple H's booked match against Curtis Axel that night due to concerns over his health issues after he suffered a storyline concussion a couple of weeks back. She also asked that the fans not be so "selfish" and understand her point of view. 

Vince McMahon then joined his daughter and concurred her feelings, berating the fans for wanting to see 'The Game' pushed too far and suffer even more. Could either of these two have possibly drugged Triple H before his match with Axel in an attempt to stop him from competing further? it's a possibility, but I'd rather it was someone with an in-ring future in the company and something more to gain from the storyline. 

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) defeated Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan & Kane) and Randy Orton in a solid six-man tag bout. As usual Shield were involved in a highly enjoyable match up, with consistently stellar wrestling from every man involved. Daniel Bryan was the top performer though, as has been the case with every tag match he's been involved in over the last few weeks.

Backstage an intense and upset Bryan argued with Orton and Kane, screaming that they both believed that he was the weak link and that he was going to find an opponent and earn their respect. 

Triple H stormed into his Father-in-law's office and told Vince and Stephanie that he would be proceeding with his match that night, no matter what. After a face off with Vince, who urged 'The Game' to think things through, he was then left with his wife.

Jimmy and Jay Uso bested The Prime Time Players (Darren Young & Titus O'Neil) in a rather pedestrian tag contest. There was nothing memorable to take away from this to be honest, while none of the action was bad it was all just pretty unremarkable.

Alberto Del Rio pinned Big E Langston in a fair encounter. It was enjoyable at parts, but I won't be in a rush to watch it again. Hopefully now after a fifth straight televised match these two will get a break from each other for a bit.

Sheamus beat Cody Rhodes in a decent outing. Both men gave worthy efforts here, providing a fun watch as they went back and fourth.  Afterwards Sheamus extended his hand to Damien Sandow (who'd provided guest commentary) but the 'Intellectual Saviour' refused to shake it, so the Irishman responded by slapping him in the head.

An irate Triple H decided to leave the arena, due to his urge to want to take on his Father-in-law. But he informed Stephanie that he'll be on Raw next week and he'll be in the ring facing Axel.

Daniel Bryan came across Ryback backstage, and challenged him to a match after Ryback mocked his size and bragged about taking out Kofi Kingston on last week's SmackDown. 

The Great Khali beat Fandango via count out after the ballroom dancer decided he'd had enough and left. But as he made his way down the ramp The Miz blocked his path, only to then receive a Bull Hammer to the face by a lurking Wade Barrett. I was quite relieved when Fandango left actually, the match had been very mediocre.

The Miz defeated Wade Barrett in a passable, if unremarkable affair. As usual both men were capable enough in the ring, but I failed to find the interest. Miz caught Barrett in a figure four leglock after Fandango distracted the Intercontinental Champion by making his way out again.

Jerry Lawler introduced both Chris Jericho and Paul Heyman for the Payback contract signing for CM Punk versus Jericho. After signing for his client, Heyman asked y2J if he was really ready to face the 'Best in the World' in his hometown of Chicago next Sunday, reminding him of his huge hometown advantage and list of accomplishments. So Jericho responded by mockingly suggesting other places to hold the match, then just signed anyway, claiming that it didn't matter where their bout took place Punk would still be a "jackass." 

Jericho then rolled up the contract and asked Heyman to stand up, placing it in his pants before leaving. Like last week it was another entertaining segment between these two, with strong mic skills as expected. 

Kaitlyn, Naomi and Cameron bested AJ Lee, Nikki and Brie Bella in a largely average tag bout. To be fair it was passable for the current standard of the Divas division of today.

Daniel Bryan won via disqualification versus Ryback in an exciting contest once it got going. Once again Bryan managed to help the limited Ryback to one of his most enjoyable one on one matches so far. The start was fairly drab really, but when Bryan picked up the pace the intensity grew and it was very engaging as he put everything into trying to take down the beast.

The DQ came when Ryback decided enough was enough and put Bryan through a table to send a message to John Cena, who then came running out to prevent Ryback from putting him through a second one.

Curtis Axel won via count out versus John Cena in a No Disqualification match after Ryback came back out and charged the champ through a table on the outside. The match itself was a bit of a mixed bag, there were some nice periods involving Axel's offense (especially a nice running one-armed swinging neckbreaker onto a chair) but unfortunately we had to also suffer the usual standard of selling from Cena e.g. being cracked on the head with a tablet a few times but then immediately hoisting Axel up for an AA. To be honest it wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either, and at least Axel gained the win.

Overall it was a fair Raw, with the six-man tag bout, Sheamus versus Rhodes, Bryan versus Ryback and the Heyman and Jericho contract signing segment being my highlights. Outside of those moments it was pretty unremarkable, with match ups ranging from average to passable. At least the Triple H concussion storyline advanced a little too, although now I'm worried it'll turn out to be Stephanie and Vince who drugged him, which I don't really see the point or advantage of. 

My WWE Raw, 27th May 2013 Recap

Jericho gets in Heyman's face. Photo credit: WWE.com 

WWE Champion John Cena made his Raw return and admitted that even though Ryback deserved a title rematch after the no contest end to their Last Man Standing match, he accused his rival of not thinking things through after challenging him to an Ambulance match at Payback next month. So to make sure there was a definitive end to their next championship clash, he announced that they would compete in a 3 Stages of Hell contest, starting with a Lumberjack match, then a Table match and finally the Ambulance match. 

Ryback then marched out and welcomed the challenge, claiming that he'd already deliberately tried to take Cena out at Extreme Rules so he'd have no quarrels doing it again. After Ryback had left, Paul Heyman introduced his latest client Curtis Axel, and challenged the WWE Champion to a match on behalf of Axel. Cena stated that Curtis had guts, but that he should stay away from Heyman and accepted the match. I was personally hoping that they'd save Axel and Cena's first confrontation for a little later down the road, make it a bit more memorable. 

Alberto Del Rio pinned Big E Langston in a fair encounter, and one of Big E's better match ups since joining the main roster. Both men gave decent enough displays, but there was nothing outstanding here. Del Rio managed to roll up Big E for the winning pinfall after he'd gone head first into a turnbuckle that AJ Lee had exposed earlier.

Backstage Kane tried (but failed) to calm down a frustrated Daniel Bryan, who was still paranoid about being called the "weak link" in their team. It took the kind words of Bret Hart (who unsurprisingly received a huge reaction from his hometown of Calgary) to put Bryan at ease, who explained that Kane saying the same thing to him failed because he was "just Kane."

Dean Ambrose (c) defeated Kofi Kingston to retain the United States Championship in an enjoyable back and fourth affair. Once again these two worked well together, with well executed sequences. Kofi was clearly being booed by the strong fans in attendance too, his persona really needs a shake up soon I reckon.

Afterwards Team Hell No then stormed down as The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reign) were about to attack Kofi, which instigated the Tag Team Title match. 

The Shield (Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) (c) bested Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship in an awesome bout. Once again these two teams provided an exciting and thoroughly engaging contest, with the action crisp and fast. Bryan was especially on red hot form. These two teams have provided better tag team matches than we've had in years in WWE.

Fandango pinned Wade Barrett after Special Guest referee The Miz was pushed by Barrett, so he applied a Skull Crushing Final to the IC Champion and counted Fandango's winning pinfall. The bout itself was kept brief, but it was better than I'd anticipated to be fair to both men. Afterwards Miz then booted Fandango in the head for good measure.

Tons of Funk (Brodus Clay and Tesnai) and The Great Khali beat 3MB (Drew McIntyre, Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal) in an average and forgettable six-man tag outing. McIntyre was the only stand out performer for me. Afterwards the victors then celebrated Natalya's birthday by singing Happy Birthday along with the fans.

Chris Jericho introduced Paul Heyman for his latest edition of the Highlight Reel, where he mentioned Curtis Axel and admitted that Heyman had a knack for discovering top talent in pro wrestling, including himself.

Y2J then went on to quiz his guest about the exit of CM Punk after WrestleMania XXIX, but Heyman had no answer for him. So Jericho then challenged Punk via Heyman to a match at Payback, which happened to be taking place from Punk's hometown of Chicago. So after aggravating Heyman, he accepted on behalf of his client. It was a strong segment, with solid mic work from both men.

Nikki and Brie Bella bested Natalya and Kaitlyn in a mediocre and occasionally sloppy tag bout. Natalya gave a decent enough showing to be fair to her, but unfortunately for her she was accidentally speared by Kaitlyn and then pinned by one of the Bellas (I forget). Maybe this is the start of Natalya turning on Kaitlyn.

We then witnessed a VT for the arrival of Bray Wyatt to the main roster. If you're not aware of the current NXT talent, you should go and check out his promos online. He's a cult-like leader, and a very interesting character and solid in the ring too. This is a very exciting prospect.

Sheamus and Randy Orton defeated Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes) in a passable tag affair. The wrestling was consistent throughout, but it just lacked that bit of excitement needed to really gain my interest.

I think a win for Rhodes Scholars would've been a smarter way to go too, those two had far more to gain from a victory than Orton and Sheamus here and this essentially kills off a potential feud between Sandow and the Irishman after the clean win. It almost seems Sandow and Rhodes are destined to float around the midcard position for the rest of their careers, although I hope I'm proven wrong.

Curtis Axel won via count out versus John Cena in a mixed bag of a main event. While Axel looked solid here, unfortunately Cena contributed his bare minimum and was visibly mouthing instructions at certain points, as he has a tendency to do. The count out occurred when Cena left the ring to inspect a suspicious ambulance that had parked up at the stage. Ryback then attacked Cena from behind, and was about to send him through the LED display (as he did at Extreme Rules) when the champ made a comeback, so Ryback decided to leave him for now.  

The biggest cheer during the bout was actually to do with a fight that broke out in the crowd. Apparently a few fans who'd been drinking a fair bit and giving abuse to people were finally escorted out by security after swinging a punch at one of them. Some people, eh? I've also heard that they shouted stuff at a young kid wearing a Cena T-Shirt, I sincerely hope that isn't true. A lot of fans, young and old just want to come and enjoy the show and have fun, there's no excuse for that kind of behaviour. 

Overall it was a decent show, with a few average segments but enjoyable enough on the whole. My highlights were Ambrose versus Kingston, Team Hell No versus The Shield, Jericho's Highlight Reel and the news that Bray Wyatt will be joining the main roster soon. Outside of those aforementioned match ups there were pretty average or drab outings. 

My WWE SmackDown, 24th May 2013 Recap

Ambrose plants Kofi en route to the win. Photo credit: WWE.com

'Miz TV' kicked things off, with The Miz introducing guests Fandango and Summer Rae, and quizzed them about abandoning Fandango's tag partner Wade Barrett on Monday's Raw. But Fandango simply corrected Miz's pronunciation of his name and claimed that he bored him. Wade Barrett then came out and warned Fandango that if their paths cross again he'll be sorry, and after some heated words with Miz began brawling with his upcoming opponent. It was an average start to the show.    

Wade Barrett (c) versus The Miz for the Intercontinental Title ended in a no contest after Fandango attacked Miz. Previous to that Miz had kicked Fandango due to him inappropriately dancing during their contest. Barrett also received some retribution on Fandango by applying a Bull Hammer to the dancer. The actual match itself was pretty average, with unremarkable wrestling from both men.  

Daniel Bryan defeated Jack Swagger in a decent outing. Both men gave stellar showings, especially Bryan who's on great form at the moment. A crazed Bryan forced Swagger to tap via the No Lock after a few vicious kicks to the head, then applied the hold again after the bell had rung until Kane and the referee forced him off. I'm predicting the first in a series of matches between the Team Hell No members at Payback next month. 

Damien Sandow  berated Mark Henry and Sheamus for their test of strengths in recent weeks, stating that the test of a real man was with his intelligence. He then challenged Matt Stryker to untie a Gordian knot, which he failed to do, so Sheamus then joined them and asked if he could have a go. After the 'Celtic Warrior' also failed, Sandow untied the knot by cutting it open.

Sheamus admitted he'd outsmarted him, and went for a Brogue Kick but the 'Intellectual Saviour' saw it coming and got out of the ring. So as an example of Newton's law of gravity Sheamus threw Stryker at Sandow. It was an enjoyable segment, with Sandow on strong form on the mic as usual. Hopefully he can get into a proper feud with Sheamus and elevate himself a bit.

Chris Jericho won via count out versus Big Show after applying a Codebreaker and sending the giant over the barricade. A seething Big Show then stormed to the ring with a steel chair, but Y2J kicked it out of his hand and smacked him with it, sending Show packing. The bout itself had been a solid one, with worthy efforts and nice back and fourth action.

Paul Heyman, accompanied by his latest client Curtis Axel, came to the ring and listed off his respectful accomplishments as a manager, proving that when he calls Axel the next "A lister" in the company, he knows what he's talking about. Axel then claimed that last Monday he accomplished more than his father and grandfather combined when he defeated Triple H.

Curtis Axel pinned Sin Cara in a fair encounter. I can't complain it was a decent enough showing, but it was also quite forgettable and uninspiring. But Axel is certainly capable in the ring and I have faith in a successful run from him.

Dean Ambrose (c) versus Kofi Kingston for the United States Championship ended in a DQ after Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins ran in and attacked the challenger. But Randy Orton and Sheamus then came to Kofi's aid, so Teddy Long booked a six-man tag between them all. It'd been an entertaining contest before the DQ, I wouldn't mind seeing them face off one on one again in the near future.

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) bested Sheamus, Randy Orton and Kofi Kingston in a great six-man main event. Much like their terrific (admittedly superior) tag bout on this week's Raw, the action came fast and each man deserves credit for a stellar display. I'd say that it's like Shield can do no wrong but I'm scared I my jinx it. 

Unfortunately the only issue with the match was Reigns appearing to pick up some kind of knee injury half way through when Superman punching Orton. He had to apparently be helped away before the dark match after the main event. Fortunately he was able to finish the tag match so hopefully it's not too bad, this would be a devastating time for him to be out injured. 

Overall it was an enjoyable show for the most part, and above average for the blue brand. My highlights were Bryan versus Swagger, Damien Sandow's Gordian knot segment, Jericho versus Big Show, Heyman's mic work and the exciting main event. Outside of that it was okay, not terrible, so I'll take that for a 2013 SmackDown.