My WWE Raw, 27th August 2012 Recap:

Jerry Lawler started things off by going over what happened on the previous weeks show when after apologising to CM Punk he was then kicked in the back of the head by the WWE Champion. So this week 'King' wanted an apology. CM Punk joined Lawler, but instead apologised for the commentator's years of poor work behind the desk (which is true) and the fact that his mediocre career is Hall of Fame worthy. Punk warned Lawler that if he wanted a fight after provoking him then it would be very unwise and he would leave embarrassed, so Punk left giving him the choice if he wanted to take him on or not.  

Ryback defeated Jack Swagger in an average match up. In Ryback's biggest one on one match to date against the official jobber of Raw Swagger he didn't look particularly convincing in the ring to me.

Layla beat Natalya in another uninspired bout. I wouldn't blame you if you went ahead and skipped this contest. It wasn't terrible by any means but it also wasn't terrific, as usual for the Divas division lately. To make matters worse we had Vickie Guerrero on ringside asking the two wrestlers to hurry it up so she could make an announcement, yawning and complaining as the match was happening. The Divas need as much help as they can get right now, much more then Vickie needs heat. This was an extremely stupid and damaging move on the bookers part, just like when Michael Cole would berate the Divas during their matches last year. 

Guerrero revealed her pointless announcement, which was that she thought her client Ziggler was treated unfairly by AJ when he had to put his Money in the Bank contract on the line last week. So the General Manager AJ came out and grabbed the mic, but then just mauled Vickie, scaring her off. The whole segment was pointless. 

We were then shown footage from the previous week of Daniel Bryan, who under the GM's orders was attending anger management classes. As Bryan sat there claiming that he was healthy and calm, a child walked in wearing a goat mask and of coure set him off. It was one of the most genuinely funny scenes I've seen in WWE for absolutely ages, Bryan really is the best thing about the company right now for me.   

Jerry Lawler defended his career and what Punk had said about him earlier, stating that only the worthy are inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He probably wasn't including Koko B. Ware and Drew Carey in that sentence. Lawler then announced that he accepted the WWE Champion's challenge of a fight. 

John Cena defeated The Miz in a pretty mediocre contest. Miz looked decent enough, and put on a fair display against Cena who just did his trademark play dead then miraculously comeback to win routine. Cena could even obviously be seen giving verbal instructions to his opponent, which looked very amateur.

We were taken back to Daniel Bryan's anger management class, where he went on a rant about his boss and ex-fiancee AJ. Kane also joined the group therapy. Amusingly everyone shuffled back a bit in their seats when he sat down. 

Santino Marella beat Heath Slater in a forgettable comedy match. The action was quite drab for the most part, which elicited chants of "Boring" form the fans. Cesaro's partner Aksana then came out in an attempt to distract Santino, but this time it didn't work as Marella's sock puppet struck Slater for the win. Just as things were looking up for the 'One Man Band' after his win last week.

Brodus Clay and Sin Cara defeated Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow in a passable tag team contest. All four men looked solid enough, nothing outstanding. I was quite disappointed with the result though, I think Rhodes and Sandow could've made an entertaining team together. And also because I've just grown really  tired of Clay.

Back in the anger management class Kane began to list off all the evil doings of his past from childhood. After the session had wrapped up a fellow member called Harold went to offer Kane a hug, which he refused. Again it was another great segment, and genuinely humorous    

R-Truth won via count out versus Daniel Bryan in a standard match up that was only really there to further Bryan's anger issues storyline. The action was limited and the count out came when Truth began chanting "Yes!" on the outside, causing Bryan to have a meltdown and begin a screaming contest with a fan.

Triple H came out to a great reception and revealed that he never wanted to become one of those pro wrestlers who go on past their sell by date, who just wrestle for the pay cheque and become too beat up and broken down. 'The Game' also gave an honest and heartfelt thank you to the fans for letting him do what he does best in the ring for all these years. It was a touching promo and felt genuine throughout, although I don't believe the 'Cerebral Assassin' has retired just yet.     

Dolph Ziggler copied Chris Jericho's entrance and bragged about causing the termination of Y2J's contract, claiming that was the last time he'll ever be seen in WWE. 

Sheamus and Randy Orton defeated Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio in a satisfactory tag bout. The action and efforts from all four men was solid enough, although the excitement didn't really kick in until Sheamus was tagged in and picked up the pace. I really think Orton has to switch heel soon, maybe they were planning to but didn't want to so close to Punk's turn.   

Zack Ryder beat David Otunga in an passable, if average contest. Afterwards Kane (who'd been on commentary, although he said nothing) went to choke slam Ryder, but instead went for Otunga to take out. Am I the only one confused by what they're doing with Kane? 

Josh Matthews announced that through an online vote on Twitter the fans had chosen for Lawler and CM Punk to face each other in a Steel Cage match next. GM AJ also revealed that at Night of Champions CM Punk will face John Cena for the WWE Championship. Wow, what a shocking announcement! They didn't really have to have her announce it, it was a given and could've just been put up on WWE.com. 

CM Punk defeated Jerry Lawler in the Steel Cage match. It was a fairly decent main event, with Lawler doing a good job for a man of his condition and ring rust (take note that's a rare Jerry Lawler compliment from me). It also did it's job in enhancing Punk's interest and heat with the fans.

After the WWE Champion forced 'King' to tap to the Anaconda Vice he locked the cage door with a chain and padlock and proceeded to demand that his fallen foe call him the "Best in the world." Lawler refused, so he received a further beating from Punk. John Cena then raced out to 'King's' aid and demanded the Cage be lifted. So no one else was bothered enough to elevate the structure and help Lawler until Cena asked them to? How does that make any sense? CM Punk then called himself the best in the world as he left the ring, holding his title proudly as Cena looked on.    

Overall it was a mixed show, with nothing particularly brilliant in-ring wise but a few enjoyable segments here and there, especially the anger management and Triple H's promo.

My WWE SmackDown, 24th August 2012 Recap

Randy Orton kicked off the show by claiming that he deserves the next shot at the World Heavyweight Championship after beating Del Rio on the previous Raw. The World title holder himself Sheamus soon joined 'The Viper' and welcomed the challenge of Orton for his championship. General Manager Booker T also came out and loved the idea.

Unfortunately for them Alberto Del Rio disagreed, as he entered the ring and once again claimed that he was cheated out of the World Championship at SummerSlam. After going on a rant that grew tiresome and went on for far too long, Del Rio was informed by Booker that he was going to receive a title opportunity until he came out and ran off his mouth. Now he would face Orton in a number one contenders match that night.

Ryback defeated Jinder Mahal in a fair match up. It wasn't anything particularly outstanding or memorable but not bad. By the way Ryback decisively won I'd say their feud is now over.

Layla beat Alicia Fox in an average bout. Once again it was a passable match but nothing to shout about. Kaitlyn (the number one contender to Layla's Divas Championship and guest commentator) congratulated the victor, strangely Eve also came out and did the same.

Heath Slater defeated Sin Cara in a largely average contest. For the most part the interest just wan't really there for me. The surprise win came after Cody Rhodes, who'd provided guest commentary, turned Sin Cara's mask around at ringside which allowed Slater to apply his lame finisher. It was actually kind of amusing.   

Sheamus won via disqualification versus Dolph Ziggler in a solid enough match up. Both men as usual put in decent displays and provided enjoyable action. The DQ came after Ziggler had enough and struck his opponent with his Money in the Bank briefcase. After the bell rang 'The Show Off' once again teased cashing in his MITB contract, but decided to leave it for now. I quite like these little taunts of Ziggler's of cashing in, although I hope it's not for a while yet just to make it that bit more exciting.    

The former United States Champion Santino Marella apologised for letting the fans down by loosing the title at SummerSlam to Cesaro, and then in a strange moment made amends with his cobra sock puppet. Antonio Cesaro soon joined Santino and rubbed in the fact that he was now champ, in five different languages no less. Marella quickly had enough and began fighting with Antonio on the ramp, but was once again distracted by Aksana which led to the US Champ gaining the upper hand and taking out the Italian. I think giving the strap to Cesaro was definitely the right way to go, he has a lot of potential with his abilities and look.  

R-Truth and Kofi Kingston defeated Epico and Primo in an enjoyable enough tag contest. While all four men looked good, it's hard to be as engaged when you've seen teams go against each so many times before. I also have to give some credit to Darren Young and Titus O'Neil who were on commentary and brought plenty of charisma and humour with Cole. AW who? Also in an interview with the Tag Team Champions afterwards other teams began to stake their claim for a title shot, which soon became an all out brawl between them all.

Alberto Del Rio beat Randy Orton in a mostly solid main event to become number one contender to the World Heavyweight title. In a superior effort to their match on Monday night Del Rio surprisingly managed to make Orton tap to his signature arm breaker. What a rare sight that is, not only Orton loosing cleanly but tapping. Del Rio must be a big priority to people in the back. Afterwards Ziggler raced out to once again tease cashing in his MITB contract, but Orton had different plans as he RKO'd 'The Show Off' to presumedly set up a bout between the two at Night of Champions. 

Overall SmackDown was an okay show. There wasn't anything that was really that exciting or had you at the edge of your seat. As usual the blue brand provided decent enough matches but predictable storylines.

My WWE SmackDown, 3rd August 2012 Recap

Vince McMahon started off the show by announcing Booker T as the new SmackDown General Manager. As Booker was thanking people, Alberto Del Rio soon interrupted him and congratulated the GM on his new position, but Booker saw past the phoniness. After Del Rio put down his SummerSlam opponent Sheamus, the 'Great White' himself joined the two and first congratulated Booker and then also put down his future opponent.

Booker decided to put the two in competition, but Del Rio reiterated his words from this weeks Raw where he stated that he will not compete until his World title match. The GM then forced his authority and booked Del Rio in a match with Orton and Sheamus against Lord Tensai. I personally think Booker is a great choice as the new GM. He has plenty of charisma and makes a fresh change from most General Manager's in recent years.     

Sheamus defeated Lord Tensai in a very enjoyable start to the show. In one of the best single bouts of Tensai's since his return to WWE this year both men put in solid efforts from start to finish as they went back and fourth. It may have started a little slow but as it picked up pace it became a lot more engaging. 

Antonio Cesaro beat Santino Marella in a passable match up. Although it wasn't anything spectacular, both men did a good job and Cesaro once again pinned the United States Champion. Surely the next time will be for the title? 

Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler and The Miz defeated Chris Jericho, Christian and Kane in a terrific tag contest. From the opening bell the action came thick and fast, with every man looking in good form. I was expecting a lot of quality from this match and I was not disappointed. Good stuff.

Ryback won via disqualification versus Jinder Mahal in a squash match for the majority of it. Once again Ryback had most of the offense but Mahal got in a few attacks and eventually struck his opponent with a microphone at ringside, causing the DQ and then running off. So for a second week in a row Mahal escapes Ryback's wrath. 

Darren Young defeated R-Truth in a match that was a bit too busy for my liking. There were interferences from O'Neil, Kofi Kingston and AW at ringside which just made a rather mediocre bout that bit more tainted in my opinion. 

Randy Orton won via DQ versus Alberto Del Rio in a contest that had been quite fair up until then, nothing outstanding but enjoyable enough. The DQ came after Ricardo Rodriguez ran in and attacked Orton, although 'The Viper' managed to get his own back and dropkicked Del Rio out of the ring. For good measure Sheamus then decided to sling Del Rio back into the ring to receive an RKO from Orton. 

My WWE SmackDown, 27th July 2012 Recap

The new Intercontinental Champion The Miz started off the show by thanking the fans who voted for Christian to defend his title on the 1000th Raw against him. 'Captain Charisma' himself then came out and informed the champ that he's invoking his rematch clause right there and then. 

The Miz (c) defeated Christian to retain the Intercontinental Championship. It was a great start to the show and a solid title match, one that was far superior to their encounter on this weeks Raw. Both men went back and fourth, exchanging counter after counter. For me this is one of the finest single bouts I've ever seen Miz compete in. Giving him the IC title is a smart move I reckon.

Ryback won via count out versus Jinder Mahal in a fair bout. Mahal was allowed to perhaps have the most offense I've seen anyone have against Ryback in a televised match, but decided he'd had enough as he left to take the count out. At least Ryback's getting more interesting matches and competition. 

Sheamus beat Cody Rhodes in an enjoyable contest from start to finish. I know I've already said it before but this year the quality of Sheamus' matches have been so consistent, I think he's made a very good World Champion. Afterwards Dolph Ziggler (who'd been at ringside for the match) teased cashing in his Money in the Bank contract, but decided to wait. He was then thrust back into the ring by Chris Jericho to be Brogue Kicked and Codebreakered by both men. I'm enjoying this face turn of Y2J and feud between him and Ziggler. I think he needed to change something up a bit.

Antonio Cesaro defeated Santino Marella in an okay match up. Cesaro was on his usual good form. Hopefully this'll also mean a future US Title run and moving up from Superstars and NXT for Cesaro.

Alberto Del Rio beat Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio and Kane in a Fatal Four Way to become number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. It was a great main event, with action that rarely ever let due to the tremendous lay out. Each man was given a period to shine (as they should) and a close near fall or teased a submission victory. Eventually Del Rio won when he pinned Bryan after Mysterio had applied a 619 to him. 

Overall it was a very successful SmackDown I thought, with the best in ring action in any American wrestling show this week. Certainly out shined the 1000th Raw wrestling wise.

My WWE SmackDown, 29th June 2012 Recap

Layla defeated AJ in a fair match up. I wasn't expecting much here but AJ looked very competent in the ring. She's certainly come a long way this year, not just with her unpredictable character but in between the ropes too. During the bout AJ's ex Daniel Bryan amusingly raced around the ring screaming "Yes!" much like AJ has done during his matches as of late, causing her to be distracted and pinned by Layla. After the loss AJ began viciously attacking the Divas Champion.

Daniel Bryan explained to AJ that it was a bit of payback for her distracting him, and also called out guest GM Vickie Guerrero. After shouting "Yes!" at each other throughout the commercial break, Vickie eventually joined them both in the ring. After much kissing up to the GM, Bryan asked her to have AJ banned from his title match with CM Punk at Money in the Bank. Unfortunately for Bryan, Vickie revealed a poll from WWE.com asking what role AJ should play in the said WWE title match, and the fans voted for AJ to be the special guest referee. It was a good start to the show, with AJ and Bryan's characters on top form at the moment.

Damien Sandow defeated Zach Ryder in a Money in the Bank qualifying match. It was a good effort by both men, and a solid overall match. This is a very big step forward for Sandow too, let's hope the momentum keeps on going.

Tyson Kidd defeated Jack Swagger to qualify for the Money in the Bank match. It was an enjoyable enough contest between the two, with Kidd on his usual good form in the ring. Glad to finally see the talented Tyson Kidd also get rewarded with a PPV spot for his hard and consistent work.

Christian and Santino Marella defeated Cody Rhodes and David Otunga to qualify for the Money in the Bank match. It was a passable bout, the best part being the time between the two best performers in the match Christian and Cody.

Ryback defeated two rookies in a Handicap match. What else is there to say here that hasn't already?

Lord Tensai defeated Justin Gabriel to qualify for the Money in the Bank match. Not a shocking result. The bout itself was decent enough, not particularly outstanding but both men put on a solid display. During the match we were also informed that Cody Rhodes will be putting in a formal protest since it was his tag partner Otunga who was pinned not him, I can see Rhodes getting into the MITB match and winning it.

Sheamus (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in an enthralling Triple Threat match. The action rarely let up as all three wrestlers gave a great effort throughout, for me it was a PPV quality match up. I'm not sure who the next challenger for 'The Great White' (and I emphasise the 'Great' there, he has been on terrific form this year) is but I wouldn't object to a rematch of that Triple Threat at MITB. 

My WWE Raw, 25th June 2012 Recap

AJ opened up the show by talking to Daniel Bryan, Kane and CM Punk, or so we were led to believe. As she described her feelings towards each the camera panned around to reveal that she was talking into a mirror.

Guest GM Vickie Guerrero came out and bragged about her managerial abilities and how on the 1000th Raw she wouldn't be surprised if she was named permanent General Manager. She also announced an Elimination Three Way bout as the first match.

Daniel Bryan defeated CM Punk and Kane in the Elimination Three Way match up. It was a solid enough bout, although not as entertaining as their previous efforts together. Kane was first eliminated after AJ once again skipped around the ring, causing him to have a GTS applied by Punk for a three-count. Straight after Bryan then kicked Punk in the head for the one-two-three. 

Big Show defeated Brodus Clay in a slow and largely average contest. Not much else to say, just a match that was pretty unmemorable really. As Clay was being assisted to the back afterwards Big Show gave him a knockout out punch for good measure.

Backstage Kane explained to AJ that he couldn't afford to have feelings for her as it's a weakness for him and amusingly claimed that even he finds her "mentally unstable." He also asked that they just stay out of each others way from now on.

Santino Marella (c) defeated Jack Swagger to retain the United States Championship in a mediocre title bout. It wasn't bad, just quite flat for a title match. Santino can be entertaining at times but I don't agree with him holding a singles title, he's not really doing anything for it like Christian is with the Intercontinental Championship.

John Cena came out and began comparing the downfall of John Laurinaitis to the Star Wars trilogy. It was his usual silly, childish stuff but it got the crowd going. As he was about to then make a big announcement Chris Jericho made his return and interrupted him. Y2J told Cena to hurry up with his announcement and get out of the ring. So Cena did, and announced that for the first time he would be participating in a Money in the Bank match for the WWE Championship contract.

Jericho mocked Cena's childish attitude and arrogance that he just expects to win the MITB match. He also then announced himself for the MITB match. Vickie Guerrero joined them both and informed that it will only be former WWE Champions that will participate in the MITB match (so no younger up and comers getting into the main event scene there? Great) including Jericho and Cena. She also booked Cena versus Jericho for the main event.   

Heath Slater interrupted a mystery introduction by Lilian Garcia and claimed that he didn't care about being embarrassed by various wrestlers of the past in celebration of the 1000th Raw because (according to him) he's the greatest wrestler on the roster. His opponent was then revealed as Sycho Sid. Sid predictably beat Slater rather easily in a novelty match.

Dolph Ziggler versus Alberto Del Rio in a Contract on a Pole match (or whatever it was called) ended in a draw after neither man had a complete hold of the number one contendership contract. It started off quite well, with both men working nicely together as they went back and fourth. But the ending just felt a little silly and lost the crowds interest a bit as both men scrambled around for the contract. It was just a bit confusing. Up until that point the fans had been really into it, with much more backing for Ziggler than Del Rio. I reckon the bookers were trying to test out the potential of a face turn for Dolph here myself.

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus then came out and informed both men that they will be involved in a Triple Threat for the World title instead on this Fridays SmackDown. Should be a good match.

AJ won the Divas Summertime Battle Royal. It was about as crappy as you're imaging right now, except getting to see Layla in that bikini. AJ was the logical choice as winner, considering her status and receptions at the moment. She last chased off Vickie Guerrero to win the match.

John Cena won via disqualification versus Chris Jericho in a passable, if unexceptional contest. The DQ came after Big Show attacked Cena during the match. Show then went on to latch on a Camel Clutch onto Cena for a while. It was a disappointing end to a match I was quite looking forward to.

It was also announced during the show that it will be Daniel Bryan versus CM Punk for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank and that Brock Lesnar will return to Raw next week to answer Triple H's challenge of a match at SummerSlam. Both announcements which I'm very much looking forward to.

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 18th 2012 Recap

John Laurinaitis complained about the WWE Board of Director's decision to have him face John Cena one on one this Sunday at Over The Limit. As he went on to ask the fans to say a prayer for him WWE Champion CM Punk joined the GM and stated that everyones prayers have already been answered in the form of Big Johnny most likely loosing to Cena and getting terminated. Punk also asked Laurinaitis what it felt like to be on the other side of the stick after unmercifully firing Big Show on Monday and making everyone's life in the company miserable. As a bit of revenge Big Johnny booked the champion into a match with Kane that night, after Punk left he also told the fans to "go to hell!" after their treatment of him.  

R-Truth and Kofi Kingston defeated Titus 'O Neil and Darren Young in a fair tag team bout. The champions looked solid here and should have a good match against Swagger and Ziggler at Over The Limit. This unfortunately won't help the recent bit of momentum that O' Neil and Young have gained since their move to the blue brand, I think they were pitted against the champs too soon.

Before his proposed match with Yoshi Tatsu, Damien Sandow once again refused to face an (according to him) inferior opponent. As he walked away Tatsu called him a "chicken" and began clucking in the ring until Sandow raced in and attacked him from behind, leaving him lying in the ring. I'm really liking this character of Sandow, from the way he holds the mic and presents his promos to his aggressiveness in the ring, although we obviously haven't seen much of that just yet. 

Daniel Bryan defeated Zach Ryder in an enjoyable contest after forcing him to tap to the Yes Lock. Just like Shawn Michaels used to, and Randy Orton most of the time, Bryan has a tendency to really bring out the best in his opponents in the ring. Bryan joined the commentary for the following match up.

Kane won via disqualification versus CM Punk after Daniel Bryan smacked Kane with a steel chair, leading the 'Big Red Monster' to believe that it was actually the WWE Champion and legging it. Kane went on to then attack Punk with the same chair and choke slam him in the ring. The actual match had been solid and surprisingly entertaining. Bryan also did a good job on commentary I thought, finally mentioning him and Punk's similar paths into WWE. I've been waiting to hear either of them speak of their past time on the indies and ROH together leading into their World title match, hopefully this feud will continue after Sunday and we'll be given what could be some superb promos between the two (I know I already mentioned this after Raw, but still).

Santino Marella defeated Cody Rhodes in a brief and average bout. Marella caught Rhodes with a surprise Cobra for the victory. Marella has been made to look much more competitive over the course of the year so far, I'm just not sure how much higher WWE could really push him?

Sheamus defeated Randy Orton in a match with a rather flat first half and nice second. As I said it was a bit bit disappointing to start with, with an indifferent crowd watching on with a dull routine between the two, not bad just dull. Fortunately both men upped the pace and quality and had a finish worthwhile of a main event, with the World Champion grabbing a quick roll up pin for the victory. Afterwards in a rather heelish fashion Orton RKO'd Sheamus after shaking hands, with the look on 'The Viper's' face I wouldn't rule out a possible heel turn in the near future. I reckon this would be a wise move, freshen his character up again. 

My WWE Raw, April 9th 2012 Recap

John Laurinaitis started off the show by introducing the "new face of the WWE" Brock Lesnar. The reaction for Brock, who thanked Laurinaitis so is clearly a heel, was mixed. John Cena soon joined them both and slapped Lesnar in the face. Obviously this didn't go down so well and they began to brawl in the ring until a large group of the locker room and officials separated them. Lesnar even caused Cena to bleed from the mouth somehow, possibly a broken tooth which only added to the drama. Not a bad way to start the show.

Brodus Clay and Santino Marella defeated Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger in a fair enough tag team match. Clay was finally forced to be more competitive and has also finally been put into a real feud which has already made him a bit more interesting again, which I've been begging for for months now. My only gripe with the bout was that Clay pinned Ziggler, I would've had him pin the man without a major future in the company, Swagger. This didn't do any favours for Dolph who was on a great roll earlier in the year.  

Backstage John Cena confronted an angered Laurinaitis, who wanted an explanation for slapping Lesnar, and warned him that he's not afraid to get his hands dirty and would happily face any opponent that night. The fact that the blood was still on Cena's face was a nice touch and added more belief to his statement.  

R-Truth defeated Cody Rhodes in a very short bout after Big Show once again distracted Cody. This isn't really doing anything at all for Rhodes, who I hope will be put into a new rivalry soon.

Lord Tensai defeated Yoshi Tatsu in a squash match. Tensai looked solid enough here, although he's still not getting a major reaction from the crowd. 

CM Punk defended his choice of choosing a straight edge lifestyle, stating it was never something he thought would make him "cool" or help get him over in the company, but a personal choice of life he wanted to live. He went on to accuse Chris Jericho of taking things "one step too far" after smashing a bottle of Jack Daniels over his head on last weeks Raw, he claimed the smell from the alcohol reminded him of his father.

Chris Jericho appeared on the big screen and claimed Punk was looking a little hungover, and stated that the fans were now witnessing Punk as a "looser." The WWE Champion said that he planned on using the dark place Jericho had put him in and warned Y2J that this rivalry between them was no longer about who the best in the world was, but about "kicking your ass!" It was another brilliant segment between the two, especially Punk's display on the mic which was damn near perfect with its aggression.        

Mark Henry won via disqualification versus CM Punk (c) with the WWE Championship on the line. The match was kept brief (which is always good with the dull Henry involved) as the irate Punk snapped and attacked Henry with a television monitor from the announce desk. Jericho then made his way out, distracting Punk and allowing Henry to then get his own back on the champ with some World Strongest Slams. Y2J Codebreakered Punk and once again poured alcohol all over him.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Zach Ryder in a decent enough effort from both men. Unfortunately this was also another nail in the coffin of the supposed 'Ryder Revolution' from last year. It's so disappointing to see WWE drop the ball so badly with the once over and seriously popular Ryder, a man who managed the near impossible and made the United States Championship relevant again.

The celebrity guests the Three Stooges performed a boring and forgettable skit where Curly morphed into Hulk Hogan. The fans reacted in the right way by either booing or just sitting in silence. When will Vince realise that wrestling fans don't tune into Raw to see celebrities shamelessly promote their products in boring segments? Fortunately Kane came out and chokeslammed Curly.

In a backstage interview Brock Lesnar spoke about how proud he was of everything he's accomplished, and was even allowed to mention winning the UFC Heavyweight title and (rightfully) claiming that Cena could "never hold my jockstrap in a million years," both of which provoked a good reaction. He also conformed that he is what we have been needing in WWE as of late, an "ass kicker" and a bad ass. 

John Cena defeated David Otunga in a mediocre match up, which was better then I was expecting from Otunga vs Cena to be honest. In between Otunga's powerful moves he stopped to flex his muscles for added heat.

Afterwards the 'War Machine' Lesnar low blowed and F5'd Cena. Laughing as he left the victor in a heap.  

Overall it was a decent enough Raw, although there unfortunately weren't any particularly outstanding matches. CM Punk and Jericho's segment was without a doubt the highlight for me, this feud could certainly last a little while yet.

My WWE Raw, March 2nd 2012 Recap

As the new General Manager of both Raw and SmackDown John Laurinaitis began addressing the locker room, CM Punk interrupted him and called Johnny a "giant toolbox."  Laurinaitis retaliated by putting Punk in a WWE Championship match against the boring Mark Henry. 

The Rock came out to chants of "You still got it" (which he does) and reminded us of his classic win over John Cena at WrestleMania, claiming that it wasn't until then that he could truly say that he'd "come back...home." He also gave Cena credit for pushing him to his limit "like never before." He went on to also thank 'The People' for all their support. He also claimed that this was not the end of his WWE run, but "just the beginning," well we know he'll be at SummerSlam and WrestleMania 29 at least.

Rocky finished up by saying that his final vision for his wrestling career is to become "WWE Champion." Well that's certainly some vision.     

Santino Marella (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger to retain the United States Championship. The bout itself was quite average, the heels predictably turned on each other and Santino capitalised by applying a Cobra on Swagger for the win.

As Ziggler and Swagger went to double team the US Champ after, Brodus Clay came to his rescue and head butted Dolph, thereby scaring away Swagger. Santino then joined the 'Funkasaurus' in a dance. I'm just relieved that Clay is finally involved in a real feud and not just performing the same routine each week, well that's how it's looking anyway.    

Lord Tensai (aka A Train, Giant Bernard) defeated Alex Riley via referee stoppage. The match played before an indifferent crowd, except for the scattered chants of "A Train" at the start. Tensai looked solid enough here, he just needs a more relevant opponent to destroy to get peoples attention. He could've maybe come out and destroyed Cena on the show, imagine how big that would've been?

A very annoying part of the bout was the fact that Lawler and Cole refused to acknowledge it was obviously a former WWE performer, event the fans were chanting his name for pity's sake. They could have just mentioned his former monicker and stated that he'd trained in Japan since his departure.    

Mark Henry won via count out versus CM Punk (c) in a match for the WWE Championship. The contest was largely dull, as usual with anything involving Henry, Punk fortunately managed to save the match a bit after going on the offense towards the end. The crowd were clearly fed up of it too, as they began entertaining themselves with chants of "Daniel Bryan" "Randy Savage" and "Yes!" (paying homage to Bryan).

After the title match Chris Jericho came out through the crowd and suggested having a drink to toast their brilliant bout at 'Mania last night. He continued to abuse Punk by reminding him of his families history, pouring whisky all over the WWE Champion and eventually smashing the bottle over Punk's head. It was a nice segment between the two and proved that this feud still has some life in it yet.  

Just before Sheamus was able to celebrate his World Heavyweight Title win, Alberto Del Rio interrupted him in his return. Del Rio announced himself as the new challenger to the Irishman's title. All the while there were strong chants of "Daniel Bryan" and "We want Bryan" raining down as these two exchanged words. Finally Sheamus ended the dull segment by Brogue Kicking Del Rio as he went to grab another mic.   

Shortly into Cody Rhodes versus Kofi Kingston, the Big Show gained a bit of payback as he presented his own "Embarrassing WrestleMania Moment of Cody Rhodes' and showed photos of his WMD on Rhodes from 'Mania that won him the Intercontinental title. Kingston capitalised on this and struck Rhodes with a Trouble In Paradise for the one-two-three. 

Eve bragged about manipulating Zach Ryder and her low blow to him last night. She also added that she was proud that Laurinaitis was now in charge.

The Miz defeated Zach Ryder in the best bout of the night in a fair match up. Ryder had the majority of the offense, along with the fans strongly behind him, which is a great sign considering how much the lame Kane Cena feud put him back. Both men put in a good effort here, maybe this could develop further? It's not like either man is involved in anything else right now.     

John Cena came to the ring and explained that he never thought he'd loose the match with The Rock because that's never the right mentality to have, but he owned up and admitted defeat "like a man." He went on to thank all his supporters, and claimed that he was going to wipe the slate clean now and move on to become an even better performer. Cena then invited Rock down to the ring to give him the respect he was due after their huge bout.   

Then that classic music hit, and out came the beast Brock Lesnar. The fans understandably went nuts as he made his way down to the ring, with chants of "Holy shit!" After milking the huge reaction, Cena extended his hand to Brock only to then be F5'd. What a return. And a return of a real powerful badass that the company needs. WWE were worried that they had a lot to live up to in their post 'Mania Raw, don't worry guys, you did good. You did real good here.

My WWE SmackDown, March 9th 2012 Recap

SmackDown General Manager for the night John Laurinaitis started off the show by announcing a Steel Cage Match for the United States Championship. Not a bad start 'Mr. Excitement'. 

Santino Marella (c) defeated Jack Swagger in a Steel Cage Match to retain the United States Championship. It was a more entertaining match then I was expecting and quite decent overall, it certainly gave the US Title some much needed exposure. It was also ten times better then Swagger and Marella's awful match on Monday which was hindered by way too much going on outside of the match. For the finish Vickie Guerrero accidentally slammed the door in Swagger's face thinking it was Marella behind her, allowing the champ to crawl out of the cage.  

Backstage Teddy Long pleaded with Laurinaitis not to go through the proposed Kane versus Aksana match. Laurinaitis made a deal that if Long beats him in a match that night then Aksana will have to face Kane. What a git, eh? 

Drew McIntyre announced that although he'd been fired the week before, Laurinaitis was giving him another chance to keep his job if he won against his mystery opponent. This then cued the Great Khali to make his way to the ring, but David Otunga then asked Khali to exit the ring and announced Hornswaggle as McIntyre's real opponent. Booker on commentary claimed correctly that "the ratings are about to plummet right now."    

Drew McIntyre defeated Hornswaggle in a predictably worthless bout that only served to explain Drew getting his job back on the blue brand. Afterwards Khali entered the ring and took out McIntyre, why is the useless Khali still around again?

Mark Henry defeated Ezekiel Jackson in a brief and quite drab match up.

Teddy Long refused to lay down for Laurinaitis in their match up so Laurinaitis called Kane down to the ring to face Aksana, but he didn't make it as Randy Orton attacked him from behind. As a livid Laurinaitis screamed at Orton, Long snuck in a roll up pin and beat Laurinaitis. All the while this segment took place we had to endure the absolutely awful acting skills of Aksana. She brings nothing to the table except her looks for WWE, why they promoted her from NXT I don't know. 

R-Truth and Kofi Kingston defeated Epico and Primo in a decent enough tag team match, although not as entertaining as the match ups involving Air Boom from last year.  I was hoping Kofi may start building up his singles career once again but it looks like he's entering the tag team division once again, which means he's at least adding some more interest to it along with R-Truth.  

Michael Cole introduced World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan and his WrestleMania opponent Sheamus for an exclusive interview. Cole first asked both men how luck had played a part in their careers in WWE. Bryan claimed he hadn't had any luck at all and his success was due to his skill and knowledge in the ring, which was a very honest answer. Sheamus said that he'd made in own luck in working his way back to the top, and felt lucky to just be wrestling in the company. In one of the funniest moments I can remember in WWE, Bryan then took the mic away from AJ's mouth as she was talking to Sheamus and said "AJ, shut up," it was priceless.

Sheamus ended the interview by stating that at WrestleMania Bryan's luck will run out as he's going to win the World Heavyweight Championship. I am quite looking forward to their match more and more, their encounters last year over the US Title were entertaining and now they'll be battling on the big stage over a World Title which should be even better. My only gripe with their feud so far is that it doesn't have much depth to it, there's no real storyline happening with them like you normally get for a World title match at 'Mania, like with CM Punk and Jericho.

Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show defeated The Miz, Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan in a solid and action packed main event. The crowd were especially into it once 'The Viper' entered the ring and finally scored the winning pin over Miz after applying an RKO. 

Afterwards Kane began attacking Orton as payback. Their brawl travelled through the crowd as SmackDown came to an end.

My WWE Raw, February 20th 2012 Recap

Backstage Eve told the Bellas how she'd just used Zach Ryder to get people talking about her. She also claimed how she was going to do the same to John Cena, but unfortunately for her he'd overheard the whole thing. 

Eve tried to explain herself in the ring to Cena, claiming she was just "joking around,"and that she never meant what she said. Cena then told her that she should wait forThe Rock instead since they're both "disingenuous, egomaniacal," and  "scandalous bitches." Which certainly got a reaction from the crowd in attendance, I thought it was an awesome line too. Eve attempted to kiss Cena who rejected her, just before he left he added that "I'm disease free and I'd like to keep it that way." Wow, this is certainly a Cena I'm enjoying a lot more in this promo. The Cena with some attitude once again.  

Sheamus defeated Mark Henry in a passable match up, which is always an achievement with Henry involved. Now I'll admit that I was a little unsure at first about the World Heavyweight Championship Match at WrestleMania between Daniel Bryan and Sheamus, but I'm definitely coming around to the idea. And the push Sheamus has been receiving the last couple of months has been a very smart move on WWE's part. They need to encourage the fans to get into the up and coming talent.   

Backstage Teddy Long and John Laurinaitis argued once again over which man would be better to run both Raw and SmackDown. I can see this leading to a tag team match at Mania involving Christian, Mark Henry and Alberto Del Rio taking on a team of Long's choosing to determine the new GM of both brands. Teddy Long also claimed that David Otunga couldn't beat anyone on the SmackDown roster, so they set up a match for Otunga to face Long's choice of wrestler from the blue brand.    

Kofi Kingston and R-Truth defeated Epico and Primo in a decent enough tag team bout, although not as good as the Tag Team Champions usual match ups. As much as I like to see Kofi being pushed more (with his talents he thoroughly deserves it) I would've like to have seen the champions grab a win here on a rare Raw appearance. It would've really helped solidify their status as champions that bit more.

Ron Simmons was announced as the next inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. I'm guessing 'The Macho Man' Randy Savage will also be quite soon.

David Otunga defeated Ezekiel Jackson in an average match up. What else did you expect? 

The Undertaker entered the ring and admitted that it had been a "living hell" relieving the beating he'd received from Triple H at last years WrestleMania. He added that he wanted to end the uncertainty and that's why he challenged 'The Game' to another match at Mania, but was shocked when he turned him down. He also claimed that the Apocalypse of their era of pro wrestling was coming, that it was far bigger then either of them.

Triple H joined Taker but was quickly cut off by 'The Dead Man' who said it was "pitiful"all the excuses the COO had come up with to not have a rematch at WrestleMania. Triple H again explained that it would be bad for business if Undertaker was gone, but Taker then asked if he was worried if he'd be gone after the match, or if Triple H would be. 'The Game' claimed that in order to defeat Taker he would have to take him out and end him, and suggested that this was what Undertaker really was after. As Triple H went o leave Undertaker said that "You can put any spin you want on this, but at the end of the day when you look in the mirror, all you'll see is a coward." But 'The Cerebral Assassin' didn't fall into Undertaker's lure.  

As Triple went to once again leave, 'The Dead Man' theorised that he didn't want to face him again because he knows he can't do what his good friend Shawn Michaels also couldn't do, because he knows Shawn was always better then him. Triple H, now at boiling point, said it was nothing to do with Michaels, that he can do what HBK couldn't and end The Undertaker once and for all. So Triple then accepted the match offer at WrestleMania, but under the condition that they compete in a Hell in a Cell Match. Taker accepted.

The segment involving these two was once again solid, and a very surprising announcement with Hell in a Cell. I for one really enjoyed their match at Mania last year anyway and was happy for a rematch, unlike a lot of fans, so hopefully this awesome announcement will bring them around too. Should be a brilliant match up.

Daniel Bryan once again called himself the fans "role model" after yet another title defence at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view before his match with Marella.

Daniel Bryan defeated Santino Marella in a surprisingly short match where Bryan forced Marella to tap to the LeBell Lock. After the reaction Marella received in the Chamber match, and even getting down to the last two in it, I'm confused as to why he'd suddenly be put down like this already. At least it was to Bryan who's going into a World Title match at WrestleMania.    

The Bella Twins defeated Kelly Kelly and Aksana in a drab and forgettable Divas bout, where was the actual champ Beth Phoenix who could really make use of the air time leading into Mania?

John Cena announced that The Rock will be addressing him on next weeks Raw. He also went on to have a pop at 'The People's Champ', claiming that he has his own little entourage of goons, that he's no longer a champion of the people since going into movies. He added "This is the part where I'm supposed to say that I look forward to WrestleMania because I personally respect The Rock. I don't." An honest Cena who doesn't suck up to everyone? I'm much preferring this. He went on to say that after The Rock's done next week he should "kick it back to Hollywood," since that's what he'll be doing anyway. 

Cena also stated that the thing that helps him sleep at night is that, unlike The Rock, he never left the WWE and the fans and that the only reason Rocky came back was to promote Fast Five and his Twitter account. He also stated that the best part about their match will be the Monday after when The Rock's back on a movie set laughing at his stunt double.

This was for me without a doubt one of the best promos of Cena's career. The raw honesty and blistering attack on The Rock was executed perfectly by him. You can tell it's something he believes in too which only made it stronger. Why can't we have this much, much more entertaining Cena around more often?     

Chris Jericho predictably won the Battle Royal to determine the number one contender to CM Punk's WWE Championship at WrestleMania. The actual match itself was okay, Santino managed to eliminate both Wade Barrett and R-Truth in quick succesion causing a big cheer for him. So is he being pushed or not? I'm confused. Unfortunately Barrett landed on his arm awkwardly afte he went out, The Wrestling Observer is reporting that Wade Barrett is believed to have suffered a dislocated elbow. Barrett was taken to a Minneapolis hospital after the RAW main event. 

After the match CM Punk, who'd been providing commentary (which is always worth a listen) entered the ring and extended his hand to Jericho. But Y2J turned him down and left the ring. This should be an interesting build up to their match on the big stage.

Overall Raw was a quite entertaining show, but more for the promos and build up to WrestleMania matches then the actual action inside the ring. I imagine tomorrow night on the live SmackDown we'll have the reverse, especially with CM Punk versus Daniel Bryan in the main event, which should be another superb contest between the two World champions.  

My WWE Elimination Chamber 2012 recap

CM Punk (c) won the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match to retain his title. The Chamber match started off a little drab and sloppy but definitely ended strongly with an exciting second half. R-Truth was first eliminated after a big elbow drop from Punk. Next was Dolph Ziggler after a Codebreaker from Jericho, then Jericho also eliminated Kofi Kingston via submission after applying the Walls Of Jericho.

Chris Jericho himself was next eliminated after a kick from CM Punk which sent him flying through the Chamber door after it was still open for Kingston's exit. Jericho went tumbling, tripped up and landed head first onto an item of machinery on the floor which supposedly knocked him out. There was a fairly long period as EMTs and such checked on him, which left CM Punk to then eliminate The Miz after a GTS and retain his championship. This was definitely the match of the night.

As I said it started of sloppy at places but definitely got more intense with the entrance of Jericho, who had nice back and fourth action with Punk. Kingston also provided that"Holy shit" moment when he managed to dive off of the chamber and perform a tornado DDT (which almost went wrong) on Dolph Ziggler.

We were then shown another nice VT with John Cena where he spoke about his training and the gym he trains he trains at. Where he not only works out but also helps out younger up and coming wrestlers from the developmental system, who when interviewed said hoe approachable and down to Earth a guy Cena is, which to be fair he does come across as. 

Beth Phoenix (c) defeated Tamina to retain her WWE Divas Championship in a solid, if a little drab at times match up. Beth gained the one-two-three after applying a Glam Slam. 

John Laurinaitis made his way out to make his big announcement, but was shortly interrupted by the returning Alberto Del Rio, who suggested that Laurinaitis should not only become the permanent General Manager of Raw, but of SmackDown too. Mark Henry also joined them and called Teddy Long a "bully" and complained about his suspension. He also agreed with Del Rio that Laurinaitis should be GM of both brands.Christian also made his comeback to a good reception, and also complained about Teddy Long forcing him to compete when he was injured and echoed Henry and Del Rio's words.

Daniel Bryan (c) won the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber Match to retain his title. The Great Khali was first eliminated after a fortunately very short spell when Big Show speared him. In a clever moment Big Show managed to break into Daniel Bryan's unopened pod after breaking off the chains above which got a big reaction from the fans.   

Big Show was then eliminated after a series of attacks and an elbow drop from Barrett.Cody Rhodes was next out after a roll up pin from Marella, who then also eliminatedWade Barrett in a surprising moment after a diving headbutt from Bryan. The last part of the match with the teasing of a previously unthinkable Santino Marella World Title win was brilliantly done and provided some nice drama for the finish before Bryan forced him to tap to the LeBell Lock. After the match Sheamus made his way into the Chamber, taking out the World Champion and making his choice for WrestleMania quite clear.

Jack Swagger (c) defeated Justin Gabriel to retain his United States Championship in a rather average and brief bout. Nothing particularly memorable to take away from it. Swagger won via submission using the anklelock.         

John Cena defeated Kane in an Ambulance Match. It was actually quite a heated contest, with some nice use of their surrounding environments. Cena managed to apply the Attitude Adjustment to Kane form the top of the ambulance and chuck him into the vehicle for a memorable finish (although it did bear a strong resemblance to the ending to his match with Batista from the 2010 Over The Limit PPV). Unfortunately for a lot of the bout it was fairly unremarkable, with the usual routine from Cena.     

Overall Elimination Chamber felt like a bit of a roller coaster of a pay-per-view, with the odd memorable moments and entertaining Chamber matches (especially the WWE Championship one, which should have been the main event) to help save it, but also forgettable parts like the US and Divas title matches.