My WWE Raw, 26th August 2013 Recap

The champ looks on at his handiwork. Photo credit: WWE.com 

Triple H kicked things off by reminding us of his actions towards Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam and on last week's Raw, explaining that what he did at SS was for "business" but the beat down he orchestrated on the former champ last Monday was "personal" after the way he'd spoken about his family. 'The Game' then claimed that the ratings and social media scoring were through the roof last week due to their new WWE Champion that he brought out, Randy Orton.

The COO rewarded Orton for grabbing the brass ring and running with it (in his words) by gifting him a brand new Cadillac payed for out of his own pocket. Daniel Bryan then also came out and first thanked all the fans for supporting him, John Cena for giving him the title match at SummerSlam and finally Triple H for revealing his true self when he Pedigreed him at the aforementioned event. He also added that he'll most certainly be recapturing the WWE Title come Night of Champions. 

Trips retorted by claiming that in the real world dreams don't always come true and then booked Bryan in a Gauntlet Match against The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) who'd also been guarding the ring during the enjoyable opening segment.  

Cody Rhodes pinned Fandango in a brief and unremarkable encounter that existed only to lead on to another match up afterwards. Rhodes caught Fandango in a roll up for the one-two-three after the ballroom dancer was distracted by The Miz reenacting/mocking his entrance. 

Damien Sandow (who'd provided guest commentary) took this chance to attack his rival Rhodes along with Fandango, so Miz saved Cody from the double team attack and helped send them packing. Raw GM Brad Maddox then predictably booked all four men in a tag team match, amusingly even mentioning that fans should see what's coming here. 

Cody Rhodes and The Miz bested Damien Sandow and Fandango in an average to fair tag bout. The wrestlers did fine, but you wouldn't miss a great deal by fast forwarding through this one. Miz gave the only real worthwhile performance, and also gained the win with a Skull Crushing Finale on Sandow after Fandango had abandoned his partner and walked up the ramp.

CM Punk defeated Curtis Axel in a stellar back and fourth contest. As usual these two delivered top displays in the ring, never putting a foot wrong. As per the stipulation (as voted for online by the fans) Paul Heyman had to then enter the ring with Punk, at first he tried to run away but he was then dragged into the ring by officials much to Punk's delight. 

But as the victor was about to get his hands on his former mentor, Axel popped up with a low blow and handcuffed him. Punk made a brief comeback and got in a few kicks on Heyman and the IC Champion but once again Curtis came to the rescue of his manager and cracked him with a steel chair. Heyman then received a kendo stick and began viciously beating on Punk in and outside the ring to end the dramatic segment, screaming that he once loved him and he broke his heart.

Brie Bella beat Natalya in a forgettable outing. Natalya did the best she could but unfortunately some sloppiness and instructions clearly being told by Brie spoilt it a bit. Much like their last match their fellow Total Divas counterparts tangled outside the ring.

Divas Champion AJ Lee then addressed the divas and their 'reality' show, receiving support from the fans for putting down the show that's been rammed down our throats every week, thereby encouraging more Bellas in the ring unfortunately. She added that all they were to her were "cheap, interchangeable, expendable, useless women," which for all of them bar Natalya, I agree with. She went on to claim that she'd done more in a year than all of them in their collective careers, which again is true for most of them. It was the strongest promo AJ's ever given, and I agreed with every single word of it. It was funny to see the sour reactions from the rest of the female wrestlers too.

Rob Van Dam pinned Alberto Del Rio in a passable, if a bit of a disappointing affair. I was personally expecting a bit more here from these two talents. Don't get me wrong it wasn't bad but there were a few botched moments and I never really got into it like I did with the far superior bouts the World Champion has had with Christian recently. I can see Ricardo Rodriguez turning on RVD come Night of Champions in the title match which Van Dam earned with the win here. 

During an interview Ryback grabbed Josh Matthews by the head and chucked him to the ground after being questioned about his bullying antics backstage as of late. 

Randy Orton beat Christian in an entertaining effort. Much like the brilliant series they had back in 2011 both men worked very well together. Granted there were a few off moments, but the tight wrestling and effective near falls more than made up for it. Orton gained the win after poking Christian in the eye unknown to the referee, then struck with an RKO. Afterwards Bryan appeared on the big screen and sarcastically congratulated him on the win, then revealed that he'd spray painted 'Yes' all over his brand new Cadillac.

Triple H ordered Brad Maddox to bring out every WWE wrestler to the stage and watch Bryan's match later on as a lesson, and if any of them interfere they're immediately fired.

Titus O'Neil bested Jack Swagger in a fair but unmemorable bout. It was watchable, but there was nothing remarkable about it. It felt more like filler than anything, although I understand utilising Darren Young with his current popularity.

Backstage a furious Punk demanded a match with Heyman from Brad Maddox. So the GM booked him in an elimination handicap one against Heyman and Axel at Night of Champions, and if Heyman tries to get out of it he'll never be seen again.

Before the main event Renee Young tried to interview Big Show, Dolph Ziggler and The Miz on the Handicap Match they were about to witness and the current situation with Triple H, but they refused to answer in fear of loosing their jobs. 

Daniel Bryan won the Gauntlet Match versus The Shield (Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose). Daniel Bryan first defeated Seth Rollins in a superb contest. It was gripping stuff from the opening bell, and the best one on one match Rollins has had on the main roster. Both men deserve credit for top efforts here.

Bryan went on to win via disqualification versus Rollins and Ambrose after each of them would break up his Yes Lock attempts on the other Shield member. The trio continued to assault Bryan after, spearing him and then triple powerbombing him with the nod from Triple H. The COO looked on at the wrestlers on the stage, checking if anyone wanted to say something, but no one did. Orton also came out and RKO'd Bryan for good measure. Big Show looked desperate to do something but refused to, which struck me as odd considering he has an iron clad contract anyway, he couldn't have gotten fired? 

Overall it was an enjoyable Raw, with a few solid and above average bouts for TV and significant progress in the bigger storylines. Plus that tremendous (and truthful) promo from AJ. Admittedly it wasn't as strong as last week's show, but that was pretty exceptional. my highlights were CM Punk versus Axel, Christian versus Orton, AJ Lee's speech and the lively Gauntlet Match.    

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 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, 31st May 2013 Recap

Orton and Kane celebrate with an explosive Bryan. Photo credit: WWE.com

Kane pinned Seth Rollins in a fine effort by both men. Granted, it won't be a match you'll be looking up a year from now, but it was still enjoyable and the best contest these two have put on together so far. 

Roman Reigns won via disqualification versus Daniel Bryan after Kane was provoked into slapping Reigns in the face, this caused the former tag champs to argue all the way down the ramp. The match itself had been a stellar one, largely thanks to the hard work of the superb Bryan.

Roman also played his part well here, although I worry when he eventually goes on his own his shortcomings will be more visible, but hopefully I'm proven wrong and he's more capable by then. And I do appreciate what he's done so far, but he still has a bit of work to do in the ring.

Damien Sandow reminded us all of Sheamus' brutish actions last week when he attempted to untie the Gordian knot, and then revealed his latest challenge in the form of the shell game. Soon Sheamus came out and decided to try the game so he could hurry and get Sandow out of the ring and shut him up, so the 'Intellectual Saviour' accepted.

Unfortunately for "Damo" (as Sheamus calls him) he was caught cheating the 'Celtic Warrior' as he had removed the ball he had to find under the cup, so Sheamus responded with a Brogue Kick. Much like their segment last week I enjoyed it, it was a bit of simple fun and Sandow is always entertaining on the mic. Hopefully the feud can develop and deliver Damien a much needed win against the Irishman on PPV.

Before his following match Curtis Axel bragged about his wins against Cena and Triple H, claiming that no one had made an impact like him in such a short time in WWE (we're obviously meant to forget his first few years there, right?). Axel was solid on the mic, and is definitely showing more charisma than when he was first introduced by Heyman.   

Curtis Axel beat Sin Cara in a fair encounter. It was a fun enough watch, although nothing outstanding about it. Hopefully Axel moves on to defeat more varied opponents on the blue brand in the near future. I also hope he brings back his running swinging neckbreaker finisher as apposed to the bridging cradle suplex he's adopted from his dad, he's his own man and should have a more unique finisher like the neckbreaker.

Big E Langston pinned Alberto Del Rio in a worthy enough effort from both men. For me this was the best bout in their series so far, and surprisingly enjoyable, maybe that's just because I wasn't expecting much from it. For the finish AJ Lee attacked the eyes of Del Rio, allowing Big E to ram him skull first into a ringpost and apply the Big Ending for the big (no pun intended) win.

Ryback beat Kofi Kingston in an uninspiring and pretty forgettable match up. Kofi as usual was decent enough, but the match just felt flat for me. Afterwards Ryback decided to send a message to Cena and put Kofi through not one, not two, but three tables. Now that was memorable. Maybe WWE could make the most from this for Kofi and actually reinvent him or turn him heel after he makes his return, he really needs something to change.

Chris Jericho defeated Cody Rhodes in a passable contest. Unfortunately I was a bit disappointed here, as a fan of both men and their talents I was expecting a bit more but it never seemed to going, with the sequences feeling too forced and unnatural. Maybe I'm being more critical than normal, but I just didn't really get into to be honest.

Randy Orton won via DQ versus Dean Ambrose in a solid main event and match of the night. Both men gave worthy efforts here and worked well together, with the US Champion more than holding his own against 'The Viper' as they battled back and fourth.

The disqualification occurred when Rollins and Reigns ran down and attacked Orton. This cued Team Hell No to also come out and help take out The Shield trio, with Bryan becoming a one-man tank as he tore through all three men in a ferocious fashion, it was awesome. And the fans loved it too as they almost all chanted along with his signature "Yes!" chants. I'm really liking this new aggressive direction Bryan is taking as of late, and hoping it'll bring him a World strap again at some point. 

Overall it was a pretty unremarkable show for the most part, but fortunately Orton versus Ambrose, the Sandow and Sheamus segment and anything involving the very much in-form Bryan made it worth watching. And to be fair there weren't any terrible matches outside of the ones mentioned, so I'll take that for a SmackDown. 

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 Raw, 20th May 2013 Recap

Apparently Kane enjoyed that missile dropkick. Photo credit: WWE.com

Ryback kicked things off by arriving in the back of an ambulance, challenging Cena to an Ambulance match at Payback next month after the champion had refused to enter one the previous night after Extreme Rules. He went on to then call all the fans "weak" and "pathetic," living their lives with no direction or purpose. 

Chris Jericho and The Miz beat Fandango and Wade Barrett in an amusing tag bout. The action was okay, but it was Fandango that made the match memorable by leaving his partner Barrett halfway through the match and dancing with his usual dance partner Summer Rae. Afterwards Jericho and Miz then chased off Fandango, leaving Y2J to dance a little with Summer and get some retribution by putting his hand in her face and embarrassing her. 

Sheamus pinned Titus O'Neil in a fair outing. There were some drab periods but on the whole it was a watchable match up, with O'Neil being made to look very competitive against the Irishman.

Paul Heyman came to the ring and boasted about his client Brock Lesnar being remembered forever as a beast, while Triple H a "looser" after their Steel Cage match the previous night. He then revealed his brand new client Curt Axel (formerly Michael Mcgillicutty) and claimed that he hadn't already earned a main event spot because his families legacy, saying that management in the back didn't appreciate it. 

Triple H then joined them and stated that he wasn't embarrassed by his loss to Lesnar, that he was proud that he took the fight to and went to war with him. Axel then fronted 'The Game', warning him that things had changed, so Trips responded with a punch and announced that he'll face him in a match that very night.

Heyman's terrific mic work would normally be my highlight for most segments involving him, but to be honest this time it was just the fact that a young talent (and one that's proven to be more than capable in the ring) received a worthwhile spotlight. A rare thing in WWE as of late.

Big E Langston bested Alberto Del Rio in a largely pedestrian contest. There were a few decent moments but it was never any remarkable. Langston grabbed the win after AJ Lee had distracted the referee, allowing him to thumb Del Rio in the eye and apply a Big End.

AJ Lee beat Layla in an average and forgettable affair. Neither lady gave a display to boast about, which was a bit disappointing for Layla who's never outstanding but reliable. AJ grabbed the submission victory with her Black Widow octopus hold. 

Cody Rhodes pinned Zack Ryder in a filler match up. Neither man gave a bad display but they didn't exactly go out there to set the world alight either. Afterwards Ryback stormed out and attacked Ryder further, eventually Shell Shocking him and putting him into the parked ambulance which drove away. 

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) came out and bragged about taking out The Rock, The Undertaker and pushing Ryback so far he snapped, and added that the fans had no choice but to believe in them now after obtaining the WWE Tag Team and US Titles at Extreme Rules. For me they're the most entertaining act in the company right now.

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) defeated Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) and Kofi Kingston in an enthralling six-man tag bout, and probably the best Raw match of the year so far. The action in the second half was blistering, especially from a superb Bryan, with an exhilarating final sequence. For me it's one of The Shield's top outings to date. I can't really recommend this match much more, just do yourself a favour and watch it.

Randy Orton beat Jack Swagger in a decent enough outing. Both men provided stellar wrestling, but there was a lack of drama or excitement and I was struggling to find the interest to be honest. Orton grabbed the one-two-three after applying an RKO. Looks like Swagger's hopes of gaining the World Title anytime soon are quickly vanishing. 

Triple H versus Curtis Axel ended as a No Contest after Triple H seemed to apparently suffer a concussion and have to be dragged away. Up until that point the match had been okay, with 'The Game' dominating for the most part and Axel getting in a fair bit of offense. I think a win over a suffering Triple H would've been the way to go for Axel myself, even a cheap win would've helped him out that bit more.

Overall it was a pedestrian show for the most part, but fortunately Heyman's Curtis Axel announcement and the terrific Shield versus Kofi and Team Hell No contest made it worth watching. Plus Triple H's concussion gave us an intriguing ending, was he drugged by Heyman perhaps? Here's also hoping Axel gets the same dedication as The Shield from the booking team, although I would've loved Cesaro to have been in that spot too, but Axel is capable.  

My WWE Extreme Rules 2013 Recap

The Shield celebrate with the gold. Photo credit: WWE.com

The Miz beat Cody Rhodes in a rather lacklustre and sloppy pre-show bout. Miz looked a bit out of sorts here and made more than a few errors, while Cody gave a pretty unremarkable showing too. 

Chris Jericho pinned Fandango in a fair encounter. Much like their WrestleMania match Jericho did most of the hard work, while Fandango looked alright, but still has some work to do in the ring. Jericho gained the one-two-three after applying a nicely executed Codebreaker as Fandango came off the top rope in the highlight of the match.

Dean Ambrose defeated Kofi Kingston (c) to obtain the United States Championship in a solid contest. Both men gave worthy efforts, albeit a few slightly sloppy moments but that wasn't enough to spoil an otherwise enjoyable match up. Afterwards the new champ's Shield teammates joined him to celebrate. 

Sheamus bested Mark Henry in a Strap match. Perhaps not the most exciting match of this kind but it was decent enough for the most part, with both men giving passable displays. 

Before Swagger versus Del Rio kicked off, Zeb Colter started blaming the government and the people for the state of America in this day and age, confusingly then bringing up the poor showings from St. Louis' baseball teams. The promo felt like a waste of time and dragged on far too long, I'm hoping this whole gimmick is killed off soon.

Alberto Del Rio beat Jack Swagger in an I Quit match, thereby becoming number one contender to the World Title. The action was decent enough, although it lacked that extra drama that you normally get from far superior I Quit bouts from the past. The referee had to restart the match after discovering that Colter framed Ricardo Rodriguez for throwing in the towel for Del Rio, so a struggling Del Rio heroically managed to apply his signature armbreaker to force Swagger to scream "I quit!"  

Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns defeated Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) (c) to obtain the WWE Tag Team Championship in a Tornado Tag contest. Wisely the match wasn't kept too long, which kept the action exciting and at a fast pace throughout. A fun watch, and nice work from every wrestler involved. Afterwards Ambrose joined his teammates and the trio posed with their new gold, I'm so glad the WWE have kept the momentum going for this great young act.

Randy Orton pinned Big Show in an Extreme Rules match. It was fair enough for the majority, although I was personally expecting a bit more excitement from it. Neither man did a poor job on any level but for an Extreme Rules match it didn't really live up to the name, Big Show's body splash onto a ladder balanced on two chairs was the only remotely 'Extreme' thing that happened. I can't help feel two other wrestlers would've made more from this stipulation. Orton finished off Show with a punt kick, which was a nice touch.

John Cena (c) versus Ryback in a Last Man Standing match for the WWE Championship ended in a No Contest after Ryback forced the champ through part of the stage display. The fans in attendance booed the unresolved ending to the bout. The match itself had been a dramatic and engaging one, with both men playing to their strengths and utilising weapons and the outside ring environment to keep the interest going.

For me this was a much more entertaining WWE Title clash than the one at WrestleMania last month, and definitely exceeded my expectations. The ending did feel like a bit of a cop out, but it was a fair way of preserving both men's status and keeping the feud going into Payback next month.  

Brock Lesnar defeated Triple H in a Steel Cage match. As expected it was an intense and drama-filled main event, filled with effective near falls and battling till the bitter end. I know there are many fans out there who weren't particularly into Lesnar versus Triple H at 'Mania, but I was, so it's hardly a surprise that I ate this up and enjoyed it from the opening bell when 'The Game' skipped his entrance altogether and attacked his rival from behind.  

Paul Heyman of course also played his part as manager superbly, low blowing Triple H and taking a Pedigree along the way and keeping the support for his client going vocally throughout. For me he's certainly the finest manager I've ever seen in pro wrestling. Going into this I already knew I was going to enjoy it, and it didn't disappoint. I can understand people's issues with Triple H and his style of matches he plans out, but there's always excitement and there's always a story to be told, which is more than can be said for most bouts you'll see on a Raw or SmackDown. Lesnar grabbed the winning pinfall after cracking Trip's sledgehammer into his head and then applying an F5.  

Overall it was an enjoyable card for the majority, with a few dips along the way. My highlights were Ambrose versus Kofi, The Shield versus Team Hell No, the WWE Title match and the main event. The last two bouts mentioned especially salvaged the event for me, giving it some much needed drama and excitement. But the biggest thing I'm probably taking away from Extreme Rules is the continued push of The Shield, it's a relief that the most exciting young act in the company is still getting the attention they deserve.    

My WWE Raw, 13th May 2013 Recap

Triple H and Lesnar battle it out in the cage. Should be a great one on Sunday. Photo credit: WWE.com

Jerry Lawler kicked things off by bringing out Fandango and Chris Jericho for a dance off. But as Fandango got started his partner Summer Rae accidentally tripped and couldn't continue. A furious Fandango then decided to abandon his dance partner, but made a quick return to cheap shot Jericho, eventually taking him out of the ring and cracking a bit of the flooring from their contest into Y2J's head. It was then revealed that it was all a ruse as Summer jumped up and danced away with Fandango.  

Ryback pinned Zack Ryder in a brief and forgettable squash match. Nothing much to see here.

Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) bested Tons of Funk (Brodus Clay and Tensai) in a short and average tag bout. It was passable, but there were no remarkable performances to be found. O'Neil grabbed the winning schoolboy pin after Young had struck Clay in the throat. I can't say a feud between these two teams will exactly set my World alight.  

Teddy Long announced that due to Dolph Ziggler's injury (he suffered a concussion during last week's SmackDown taping) he would not be able to defend the World Championship at Extreme Rules, so instead there would be a number one contenders match for the title pitting Del Rio against Swagger in an I Quit match. The announcement was met with indifference and boos, fans grew tired of seeing these two face each other a long while ago. 

Kofi Kingston defeated Damien Sandow in a fair encounter. I'd personally like to see the US Champion do well, but he's had pushes stopped and started so often it's hard to invest in him, nevertheless he's on good form at the moment. 

After a brief interview, Mark Henry used Josh Matthews as an example of how to win a Strap match after pushing him over and dragging him around the ring, then letting him go. Henry then asked Sheamus to join him in the ring to get an taste of what's to come this Sunday, which the 'Celtic Warrior' did, but not before grabbing his own strap and managing to whip Henry out of the ring. 

Randy Orton beat Antonio Cesaro in a decent outing. Both men looked solid in the ring, with crisp action as expected from these two talents. It just needed a bit more time to make more of a lasting impression.

Absurdly during the match we had Michael Cole urging us to get the WWE app so we could see a live interview with Big Show, amongst other things while the show's going on. Where's the sense in having other segments happening at the same time match ups are taking place? Just daft.

The Miz beat Heath Slater in a passable contest. Miz gave a decent effort here, and Slater looked okay, but the wrestling never reached a particularly high standard. Miz gained the submission victory after applying the Figure Four Leglock. I don't mind him using the move like a lot of fans, but I'd like to see him break down the legs of his opponent a bit more beforehand.   

John Cena and Team Hell no (Daniel Bryan and Kane) won via disqualification versus The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) in a stellar six-man elimination tag match. The contest contained plenty of exciting action and some terrific displays, especially from Bryan, Ambrose and Rollins.

Kane was first eliminated via DQ after he assaulted Ambrose on the outside with the covering for the announce desk. An angered 'Big Red Machine' ran rampant through the trio just before he was sent to the back. Next his Team Hell No teammate Daniel Bryan was eliminated after being pinned by Ambrose. Rollins was then pinned after a poorly executed AA from Cena, and Reigns next DQ'd for shoving the referee.

As Cena then looked to make Ambrose tap with the STFU, the other two Shield members ran in to attack the WWE Champion and Triple Powerbomb him, causing the ref to ring the bell for another disqualification and end the bout. Ryback then marched out and looked to leave Cena alone, but decided otherwise and then smashed a steel chair onto his injured ankle.

Jack Swagger won via count out versus Big E Langston in a pretty pedestrian encounter. Swagger was selected over Del Rio to face Big E via a vote on the WWE app, which did surprise me a little. To be fair the match was certainly watchable, which exceeded my expectations, and Big E looked like he'd improved a bit in the ring, although he still has a fair way to go. As Big E dominated on the outside he was caught out by the wily Swagger, who managed to get back into the ring before the ten count. 

Alberto Del Rio then ran out and after tussling with Big E and Swagger, managed to lock on his signature armbreaker on the 'All American'. To be honest Del Rio's actions were more heel-like here than anything.

AJ Lee bested Natalya in a drab affair up until the very end when AJ pulled out a nice submission for the win as Natalya went for a sidewalk slam.

Rightfully Divas Champion Kaitlyn asked on commentary during the bout why Nikki and Brie Bella were even out there. They have nothing to do with the current title picture and it did seem quite odd, plus it overshadows AJ and Kaitlyn's feud. Add all that to the Divas champ receiving another gift from her secret admirer during all this and it seemed overkill.   

Triple H stood in a steel cage and stated that earlier in his pro wrestling career he was advised to "hate" in order to succeed and advance himself, and had learnt to hate and damage people because of it, which he claimed he would do at Extreme Rules. He then dared Lesnar to join him in the cage right there and then, Paul Heyman then came out with Brock Lesnar and urged his client not be lured by 'The Game'.

Heyman went on to state that "hate" was an appropriate word for the COO's situation, since he would hate facing all his loved ones after loosing to Lesnar this Sunday and failing them. Triple H had enough and claimed that Heyman was holding Lesnar back because he was his meal ticket and he couldn't afford for him to loose his mystic by falling to him once again, and finally asked if Lesnar was the beast, or if he was "Brock Lesnar, the bitch." This was enough excuse for Lesnar to storm down to the ring, where the two had a heated brawl until Triple H managed to send Lesnar through the cage door and into Heyman. It was a strong end to the show, with the fans well into it.

Overall it was a decent enough show, and above average for this year. The highlights were the entertaining six-man tag, Orton versus Cesaro and the heated battle between Lesnar and Triple H, now that is how you end a Raw heading into a PPV. The only poor periods for me were the divas match (with way too much going on), the Prime Time Players versus Tons of Funk and the constant mention of the WWE app. That kind of thing doesn't normally bother me, but when they're telling you to check out what's happening backstage when a match is actually taking place it's just ridiculous.