My WWE Royal Rumble 2013 Recap

The Rock's heading to 'Mania. Photo credit: WWE.com

Antonio Cesaro (c) pinned The Miz to retain the United States Championship in a largely stellar pre show bout. It exceeded my expectations with more impressive action than I was expecting, credit is due to both men for putting on fine displays. Cesaro retained after pulling Miz into the steel around the ring on the outside, then applying the Neutralizer.

Before he went out for his title contest, Del Rio came across Bret Hart backstage, who claimed the champion reminded him of a "Mexican Bret Hart." Alberto was very flattered by 'The Hitman's' kind words.

Alberto Del Rio (c) defeated Big Show to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in a Last Man Standing match. Yet again these two delivered a terrific LMS match, giving efforts to be proud of as they dramatically battled back and fourth. In the best spot of the bout, Show chokeslammed his opponent from a section of the stage set onto and through a table below.

Del Rio grabbed the victory after he cracked the giant's arm with a chair onto steel steps, then applied his signature armbreaker as Ricardo Rodriguez taped Big Show's feet to the bottom rope, much like Cena did to Batista a few years back in their LMS battle. 

Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) (c) bested Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow) to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles in an enjoyable outing. From the opening bell it was simply a fun watch, with every man giving a worthy effort and making the most of their time, especially Bryan who as usual was on solid form. I wasn't expecting anything that memorable here,  but I'm pleased to say that it's definitely worth checking out. Good stuff.

Before the Royal Rumble began, the first entrant Dolph Ziggler claimed that the final scene of the match will be the same as the start, him standing on his own as the victor. But as the lights then went out, Chris Jericho made a very popular return as number two in the Rumble. As the match begun chants of "You still got it" reigned down on Y2J, to which he retorted "I never lost it baby!" Hard to argue with that.

Cody Rhodes was next in, who soon teamed with Ziggler to take out Jericho. Kofi Kingston was entrant number four, who helped even the odds. Is it worrying that I actually forgot about Kofi? His recent push really died out. Santino Marella was next to join in. After he attempted to eliminate all four men, they then turned their attention to the Italian for retribution and quickly eliminated him. 

Drew McIntyre and Titus O'Neil were the next two entrants, who received indifferent responses from the fans. McIntyre was the next one over the top rope after a missile dropkick from Jericho. Much to his brother Cody's dismay, Goldust then entered the RR to a big pop. Filler competitors David Otunga and Heath Slater were next out.

Last year's winner Sheamus then came out in force as he took down all the men in the ring, quickly eliminating Otunga and O'Neil. Big men Tensai and Brodus Clay were next to enter the hectic bout. Cody then eliminated his brother Goldust, which didn't go down well with the crowd in Phoenix.

Rey Mysterio entered next as number fourteen. Brodus Clay was then thrown over the top rope after a load of the participants joined up to get him out, followed by Tensai who was taken out by Kofi. Kingston was then chucked out by Ziggler, but once again gave us a memorable Rumble moment as he landed on the back of Tensai and onto the announce desk without touching the floor. But to make his way back he had to amusingly hop across on a chair, he then also eliminated Young by pulling down the top rope.

NXT regular Bo Dallas was next to join in after earning a spot by winning a battle royal at the Royal Rumble Fan Axxess. Unfortunately after all his effort Kofi was then taken out of the match after receiving a disaster kick from Rhodes. 

Another throwback in The Godfather was the following entrant, much to the pleasure of a jubilant JBL, but was then quickly eliminated in a  second after a dropkick from Ziggler. However he went out in style with his pimping outfit (yes, I said "pimping") and two girls in hand. Wade Barrett then came out to a decent response.

John Cena then made his anticipated (by some) entrance to a mixed response and in standard fashion for him began taking out everyone in his path, eliminating Rhodes and Slater. After a close call Barrett then pushed Mysterio out of the match. Rey hadn't been at his best, and still looks fairly out of shape.

Damien Sandow and Daniel Bryan were next out, with Bryan eliciting huge chants of "Yes!" as he kicked in a few fellow competitors. US Champion Cesaro next followed the countdown, then the stiff Great Khali. One of the all-time Rumble greats Kane then made his way down, along with Zack Ryder.

After eliminating Khali, Kane was then chucked overboard by his own tag partner Bryan, but he soon got payback as Bryan was thrown over the top rope and into his arms, so Kane dropped him. I imagine this is the start of a split between the two and a probable encounter at WrestleMania. 

One of my favourites to win, Randy Orton then exploded on to the scene and quickly eliminated Ryder. The final member of 3MB Jinder Mahal was next out, just before Cena eliminated Cesaro to the dismay of quite a number of fans. Just before Miz then made his way in he tanged a bit with his opponent from earlier in the night.

Jinder Mahal was next to be thrown out by Sheamus, with Sin Cara then making his return from injury as number twenty-nine. In a surprise exit Bo Dallas then took Barrett over the top rope, could this be his stepping stone onto the main roster and challenging for the IC Title? But before he could think about that, Barrett helped eliminate Dallas and cracked him with a Bull Hammer Elbow for good measure.

The final entrant Ryback then made his way out, taking Damien Sandow, Sin Cara and The Miz out of the match. Ziggler then made an unpopular elimination as he superkicked Jericho as he stood on the outside of the ropes. In quick succession Orton was then clotheslined over the top rope by Ryback and Ziggler taken out by Sheamus.

So then there were three. After Sheamus and Ryback then battled it out, Ryback managed to toss the Irishman over the ropes as he came in for a Brogue Kick. No consecutive RR win for him then. Cena then latched on an STFU onto Ryback, afterwards dragging his body over to the ropes. Ryback fought back a bit but Cena then managed to force him out to the floor and stand shocked as the 2013 Royal Rumble winner. Not a surprising victor but one that makes sense I guess.

Overall it was an enjoyable Royal Rumble match. But I think I'm always going to say that about them. You had the drama, excitement and a lot of nice action and old faces returning to make up a match that every year I'm sure I will greatly anticipate. It was a step up from last years for me, but not quite as high a standard as the previous two before that. Still it was a fun ride and did not disappoint. People will no doubt complain about Cena winning but who come on now, who really believed he wasn't going to 'Mania anyway?

The Rock defeated CM Punk (c) to obtain the WWE Championship in a tremendous main event that lived up to the hype. The high quality and drama the match delivered was hardly a surprise considering the talent and how proud both men are of their work in the ring. Punk and Rock must have meticulously planned out the bout beforehand and paced it just right. 

Punk dominated for most of the first half, logically targeting Rocky's midsection which he had injured after The Shield attack last Monday night. Of course Rock made a comeback, also targeting  a part of the champ (his leg) which he had injured slightly as he came off the top rope for a flying dropkick. But as 'The Great One' was about to hit the people's elbow, the lights went out and we were informed by Michael Cole and Lawler that The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) had triple powerbombed Rock through the announce desk.

A smug Punk then dragged Rock's body into the ring and had the ref count the one-two-three. But this was far from other. Vince McMahon then came out, reminding the champion that he had added a stipulation to the bout that if the Shield interfered then he would be stripped of the title. But as he was about to do just that, a beaten down Rock told Vince  to instead restart the match and not end the night like that, so McMahon agreed. Once again The Rock then made a comeback and this time managed to finish off the people's elbow for the win and the strap.

Overall I felt Royal Rumble was a hugely successful show. I enjoyed every single bout, some weren't up to the standard of others but I still had fun watching them. The main event and actual Rumble match itself were the predictable highlights of the card, with the WWE Title contest especially bringing the excitement and drama. For me it was one of the best all round wrestling PPV's in a while. 

My WWE Royal Rumble 2013 Predictions

Pretty intense poster, no smiling Cena here. Photo credit: WWE.com

Pre show United States Championship Match - Antonio Cesaro (c) versus The Miz:

Should be a fairly enjoyable contest I reckon, it's rare Cesaro isn't on form so I'm looking forward to it. I'm surprised with the build up (not massive I know, but reasonable for a mid card title nowadays) that it's ended up on the pre show but hopefully it'll interest fans. Not expecting to be blown away but I'll take it. Cesaro to retain too, with the faith people backstage seem to have in him I can't imagine he'll drop the strap just yet to Miz.

Winner: Antonio Cesaro

WWE Tag Team Championship Match - Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan & Kane) (c) versus Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes):

Again I'm expecting a fairly fun outing here, but nothing outstanding. Bryan seems the obvious choice for the stand out performer. Hopefully whoever the victors are this feud will come to an end too, I feel it's gone as far as it can now and is dragging a bit. 

Winners: Team Hell No

Last Man Standing World Heavyweight Championship Match - Alberto Del Rio (c) versus Big Show:

I'm a bit confused as to why they're having a title rematch under the same stipulations they had a couple of weeks ago, but I'm not complaining, should hopefully be another stormer of a clash. So far Del Rio's face turn has been a big success in my opinion, and I never thought I'd type this but Big Show has also impressed me in the ring and out since his surprisingly solid feud with Sheamus last year. I'd also be surprised if Del Rio dropped the belt so soon, and I'm not envisaging Ziggler cashing in just yet either, I think it'd seriously diminish the World Title if he still entered the Rumble holding it. 

Winner: Alberto Del Rio

WWE Championship Match - (If The Shield intefer in this match, CM Punk will be stripped of the title) - CM Punk (c) versus The Rock:

Now onto the big one, which should be a superb bout and a have a very interesting outcome. I've been back and fourth with who I think will walk out the champion, thinking of all the possible repercussions of the WrestleMania card. But I see the 'People's Champion' being victorious. It may seem obvious to some, and even as I'm writing this I have my doubts, wondering if perhaps WWE have another plan up their sleeve? But it just seems the most feasible thing to happen. Rock wins. Retains at Elimination Chamber. Faces Cena in the main event of 'Mania and drops the strap before leaving. Leaving Punk to face 'Taker in what should be a tremendous build up if they allow 'The Deadman' to become more human again. But who knows? Maybe Lesnar will face Undertaker instead? It could all change. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride as always.

Winner: The Rock

30-Man Royal Rumble:

Now, here I have three possible men in mind to win the big match and go onto the WrestleMania. First of all the most likely, Cena. As I already said, it seems too well set up to have him win and get retribution on Rocky and win back the WWE Title after a long (and refreshing) period without it. But is that too obvious? 

Second is Ryback. With the monster push he's received since late of last year, I could imagine him outdoing twenty-nine other men and holding up the WWE or World Championship on the big stage as the icing on the cake. I may not be his biggest fan (I don't mind him) but he's proof that when Cena is absent, WWE can still push a wrestler the right way.

And finally third is Randy Orton. I have a sneaking suspicion that backstage they may fancy throwing everyone off by having someone win who isn't quite so obvious. This may sound daft considering he's a nine-time World Champion, but most people will be picturing a Cena victory with all the pyros and such, just like me. With rumours of a wise heel turn looming very soon it would make sense too, with Del Rio or Sheamus (or perhaps both?) the most likely candidates to face him at 'Mania.

Winner: John Cena

Hope everyone enjoys the show, there's always excitement when the Royal Rumble comes around at the start of the year, and I'll see you back here tomorrow with my review.  

My WWE SmackDown, 25th January 2013 Recap

Will Punk still be holding the strap come Monday? Photo credit: WWE.com

Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan & Kane) came out to address the rumours that they've somehow gone soft after their (brilliant) Anger Management Graduation ceremony from this week's Raw. Kane then went on to claim that he will win the Royal Rumble match this Sunday, to which Bryan naturally argued with him about, also claiming that he will be victorious in said match.

Big Show then joined them and warned the tag team not to challenge him at WrestleMania if they do happen to win the Rumble after predicting a World Title win against Del Rio this Sunday. Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes) also came out and told Team Hell No to be more concerned with their Tag Team Title defence against them rather than the RR. As Rhodes Scholars and Show were about to then take on the tag champs, Alberto Del Rio evened the odds in their favour and faced off with the giant. GM Booker T then (in a blue brand tradition) booked a six-man elimination tag match with everyone in the ring.

Sheamus defeated Wade Barrett in a fair, if a bit of a drab contest. The match had some decent moments towards the end, but the first half was fairly lacklustre. I just felt like I'd seen it all before between these two. Pretty unmemorable on the whole.

Natalya forced Rosa Mendes to submit in a mediocre affair. I'm not quite sure why this even took place except to fill up some time that I'm sure could've been better used on other talent. The match was also overshadowed by the guest commentary of Khali, Hornswaggle, Epico and Primo, with JBL getting in a few cracks at Hornswaggle's expense.

WWE Champion CM Punk came out and admitted that he was afraid of his own potential after his momentous title reign, and also of the fact that The Shield could cost him his strap if they interfere in his bout this Sunday against The Rock after Vince McMahon added the stipulation this Monday. So to clear things up and prove that he wasn't affiliated with them, Punk called out the trio of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, and sure enough they soon joined the champ. Punk simply told them all to stay out of his match at the Rumble, and without a word The Shield then left.

A cocky champion then once again stated that he will retain his title come Sunday because much like all the fans, Rocky is "inferior" to him. This cued The Rock's iconic theme and out stepped 'The Great One' to join Punk in the ring, where he warned his future opponent that when he hits the Rock Bottom in their clash time will stand still and he'll realise that "It's over." For me it was the strongest promo he's given in his feud with the WWE Champion.

Randy Orton won via disqualification versus Drew McIntyre after Jinder Mahal ran in to try and help his fellow 3MB member, unfortunately for him and Heath Slater it didn't work as 'The Viper' RKO'd them both. The match itself was brief and forgettable, but it did its job in pushing Orton as a possible Rumble winner I guess, which could very well happen.

The Miz bested Darren Young in an average bout, with passable action but little interest to be had. Fortunately it was kept relatively short. It wasn't terrible by any means but I wouldn't blame you for skipping it. Afterwards Miz faced off with his opponent this Sunday Antonio Cesaro, who'd provided guest commentary.

Alberto Del Rio and Team Hell No defeated Big Show and Team Rhodes Scholars in a highly enjoyable and engaging six-man elimination tag contest. Del Rio was the stand out performer for me, putting in a terrific and exciting display here. He really has taken on his face role well too.

Damien Sandow was first eliminated after receiving a Chokeslam from Kane, then Kane via count out after receiving a KO punch from Show, ditto for Bryan, then Del Rio gave Big Show some of his own medicine by kicking him whilst on the ropes, causing the giant to tumble out and also be eliminated via count out. Finally Del Rio then won via pinfall on Rhodes after applying an enzuigiri.
Afterwards an angry Big Show then speared and KO punched Del Rio, following up by tipping the announce table over him. He then counted to ten (they will be competing in a Last Man Standing match at the Royal Rumble). It was a nice ending I thought, good set up to their title bout.

It was an enjoyable SmackDown at parts, with solid promos from CM Punk and The Rock and a great main event, unfortunately no match (bar the six-man tag) felt particularly worthwhile at all, but more like filler. I'll take it though, after the show had ended I felt satisfied (which can be rare for the blue brand nowadays) and that bit more hyped for the Royal Rumble, so as far as I'm concerned it was a success, just don't expect much from most matches. 

My WWE SmackDown, 11th January 2013 Recap

An emotional Del Rio after his momentous World Title victory. Photo credit: WWE.com

General Manager Booker T announced that Big Show and Del Rio will clash over the World Title in a Last Man Standing match that night, which cued an upset Big Show to come out and accused the GM of trying to encourage the latino-heavy Miami crowd to embrace Del Rio. The champ then decided to convince Booker to change his mind by grabbing him round the throat, but halted once Del Rio raced out and kicked him out of the ring. 

Randy Orton versus Antonio Cesaro ended in a no contest after The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) attacked and triple powerbombed 'The Viper'. The match itself had been decent enough, with solid ring work from both men, it was just lacking that real excitement or intensity.  

We were then shown a message from WWE Champion CM Punk for The Rock that had been recorded at the Sun Life Stadium, where his aforementioned future opponent last wrestled and won against John Cena last year. The champ compared the Orange Bowl Arena (where Rocky played college football) which is now non-existent to the past WWE/F that was home to The Rock's prime years in pro wrestling, claiming that 'The Great One' was no longer the top dog, but he now was. As standard with him it was a terrific promo from Punk. 

AJ Lee and Dolph Ziggler bested The Great Khali and Natalya in a mediocre and quite forgettable tag outing. Ziggler was limited in the ring with the stiff Khali, and unfortunately we didn't get anywhere near the best from Natalya against AJ. For the finish AJ bit into Natalya's ear and applied a slow and quite awkward looking corner springboard cutter for the one-two-three. Big E Langston (who as usual had accompanied Ziggler and Lee) and Dolph then further attacked Khali and Hornswaggle afterwards.

Once again we witnessed a message from CM Punk at the Sun Life Stadium where he stated that he was "the best in the world" and far superior to 'The People' that The Rock stands for, adding that "the people can rot in hell" for all he cares, claiming it's what they deserve. This time Paul Heyman also chimed in by warning Rocky that his vision of conquering the evil CM Punk and taking the WWE Title to WrestleMania doesn't matter, since no one can surpass the champ.

The Rock finally came out to a great reception from his home of Miami, and confessed his disappointment that CM Punk hadn't turned up to the show to receive some further pain from 'The Great One'. He also went on to say that home for him isn't just Miami or SmackDown, but kicking CM Punk's ass and obtaining the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. 

Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes) then interrupted Rock and asked him to leave, telling him that it was now their time, not his. Rocky admitted that it took guts with the way the duo were dressed to come down to the ring and tell him to go. After some amusing back and fourth with Cody involving his moustache, Sandow issued a challenge to Rock to answer three general knowledge questions correctly, and if not then he would have to leave. So after answering the first two correctly, Rock turned the tables and asked Rhodes Scholars a question. Sandow of course answered correctly, and as a special prize received a Rock Bottom, and not forgetting about Rhodes who received a People's Elbow for his troubles. It was an entertaining segment, with all three men being genuinely amusing.  

Sheamus defeated 3MB (Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre) in a brief Handicap match. The trio decided to leave Sheamus at the start, only for Slater to then attempt a sneak attack from behind and instead receive a Brogue Kick and a look up at the lights as the Irishman pinned him, with a tepid McIntyre and Mahal looking on. 

Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan & Kane) beat the Prime Time Players (Darren Young & Titus O'Neil) in a passable tag bout. As usual the PTP didn't bring anything special or particularly exciting to the match, but they were okay, and fortunately a solid performance from Bryan brought the interest and excitement up.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Big Show (c) to obtain the World Heavyweight Championship in a Last Man Standing match. And what a main event this was. From start to finish both men put in more than worthy efforts and provided an engaging and dramatic title battle. Del Rio took his fair share of battering from the giant, but as any good face does he managed to scrape and claw his way back and cracked Show with some steel steps and buried him under the announce desk, with no way back up Del Rio was announced the new champion. His and Ricardo Rodriguez's face was a look of pure joy and relief when the bell rung, and bloody genuine looking, if he was acting he did a superb job there. 

If I'm honest I wasn't expecting anything that outstanding here, and certainly not a new champion being crowned, but boy was I glad I was proven wrong. Definitely one worth checking out if you normally skip the blue brand.

Overall it was an enjoyable (and at times very engaging) SmackDown for the most part, which makes a nice change from the usual pedestrian broadcast we get. CM Punk's promos, the main event and The Rock and Rhodes Scholars segment were the highlights of the show for me. Above average SmackDown for sure, but unfortunately I can't help shake that feeling that next week will all be back to normal. 

My WWE TLC 2012 Recap

My insane spot of the night, Rollins crashing into the tables behind. Photo credit: WWE.com

Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes) defeated Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara in a Tables Match to become number one contenders to the Tag Team Title. Good choice to start the show with here, a solid match with a decent amount of weapon use but not too much to make it overkill and wear off the effect of it.

While it maybe wasn't as exciting as I thought it'd be, the action was consistent throughout and I can't fault the efforts of any of the four wrestlers. They managed to keep things interesting with just use of the tables too. For the finish Rhodes ran in and pushed Sin Cara from the top rope as he was about to spring off at Sandow, causing him to fall back into one of the two tables left behind at ringside.

Antonio Cesaro (c) bested R-Truth to retain the United States Championship in an enjoyable enough contest, if a bit pedestrian. In their best match to date both men worked well together, although it wasn't anything that out of this world. Afterwards Cesaro turned the tables on the fans in Brooklyn by claiming that by booing him as US Champion, they're booing their own country. He has really brought that title back to relevance. 

The Miz brought out 3MB (Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre) as his guests on 'Miz TV'. After Miz mocked the fairly amusing trio, 3MB announced that they would finally be performing their debut song live at the Slammy Awards on Monday night. They then made their way to the Spanish announce desk, taking offense at them for not speaking English.

Ricardo Rodriguez then came out to the commentators aid, but unfortunately for him began getting beaten up by the band. This cued Alberto Del Rio to race out to protect his personal ring announcer, which again led to him getting beaten on by the trio, until Miz decided to lend a hand when Slater pushed him aside. After chucking them out of the ring, 3MB challenged Del Rio and Miz to find a third man to face them in a six-man tag match that night. Miz and Del Rio accepted. The fans also chanted for Ryder to be that third man later on. The reception for the possible face turn for Del Rio was positive, and he certainly needs a big shake up with his stale persona. It's good to see 3MB getting some time on PPV too, they've been fading a bit as of late. 

Kofi Kingston (c) defeated Wade Barrett to retain the Intercontinental Title in a largely stellar bout. Both men worked hard here and provided an engaging match up once it got going in the second half, with Barrett particularly impressing with an above average performance for him. The bout also contained impressive maneuvers and nice near falls. 

WWE Champion CM Punk addressed all the fans from his own personal sky box in the arena, where he spoke of his disgust for Brooklyn and its inhabitants. He went on to also claim that TLC was his environment and that had he been competing he would have easily defeated Ryback.

The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) beat Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) and Ryback in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. And what an awesome match this was. From the opening bell the action came thick and fast, with every weapon utilised well and the excitement coming at you with terrific spot after terrific spot. Every man delivered here, even Reigns who I wasn't too convinced with from what I've seen of him so far. But the most insane moment went to Rollins who was thrown from the tope of a huge ladder by Ryback onto some stacked tables behind. The winning pin came after Ambrose and Reigns powerbombed Bryan through a table in the ring. Very satisfying match, great stuff.

Eve (c) bested Naomi to retain the Divas Championship in a forgettable and pretty worthless match up. Naomi showed off some of her athletic skills but there was no substance behind it and she looked quite uncomfortable and nervous when actually wrestling. So the Divas division is poorer than it's ever been and what do they do to improve it? Nothing. They just make it worse by throwing in an opponent for Eve to easily defeat for no good reason. At least if they'd had Natalya or Tamina face Eve it would've been a half decent outing.

Big Show (c) defeated Sheamus to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in a Chairs Match. And yet again these two delivered on PPV with a solid back and fourth battle. Although maybe not as exciting as their last match up it was still solid throughout, and a high note to end their feud on if it is now over.

For the finish Show brought out a huge steel chair and walloped 'The Great White' on the back with it for the one-two-three. I'm glad to also see a clean win here for the giant, just gives the champion and the title itself more worth. My only issue was the fact that this wasn't the main event. It's the only World Title match on the card, it should without a doubt be the main event of the show, and you can't argue that it didn't deserve that slot. I was also personally hoping for Ziggler to cash in here and then have to (and successfully) defend the World Championship in the main event against Cena, that would've made sense.

The Miz, Alberto Del Rio and The Brooklyn Brawler beat 3MB (Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre) in a mostly drab six-man tag bout. Just before the match Miz announced Brooklyn Brawler as their third man, which received a fair response from the crowd, although I'm certain Ryder would've been a more popular (and smarter) choice. It was just all very average really, nothing that engaging or exceptional to take away from it. 

Dolph Ziggler defeated John Cena to retain his MITB contract in a Ladder Match, and a disappointing main event. Now don't get me wrong it wasn't a bad match, I was just personally expecting a lot more from this one. I thought this was going to be the match of the night, but I just didn't find myself getting as excited or engaged by it as the great TLC match from earlier. Both men put in worthy efforts so I feel a bit guilty for slating it a bit, it was enjoyable and is worth a watch, just don't expect a classic ladder match. 

For the finish Vickie Guerrero came down to the ring to halt Cena from getting up onto a ladder, this cued nemesis AJ Lee to then take out Vickie by imitating Cena's usual routine, awfully, I mean it was cringe-worthingly bad, and send her on her way. But as Cena then went to grab the briefcase AJ pushed the ladder over which allowed Dolph to superkick Cena and grab his MITB briefcase back. If I'm honest, I'm not even that interested in AJ's reason she'll come up with tomorrow night for doing this, I would've rather seen another wrestler that could gain something here screw Cena over myself.

Overall TLC was a pretty enjoyable event for the most part. With all the weapons-related match ups providing good entertainment, especially the terrific TLC match itself. The Divas contest just felt like a waste of time and did absolutely no favours for the division. The US and IC Title clashes were decent enough, with the Kofi versus Barrett encounter edging it. 

My WWE TLC 2012 Predictions

Photo credit: WWE.com

Pre show Divas Battle Royale - Layla versus Kaitlyn versus Alicia Fox versus Natalya versus Tamina Snuka versus Aksana versus Rosa Mendes versus Cameron versus Naomi:

Expecting the usual forgettable battle royale here, but with the current crop of Divas, so even more forgettable, and possibly uncomfortable to watch. The only thing eventful I could see happening here is if there's a surprise entrant (AJ?) turning up, otherwise Kaitlyn's the only one I really see winning it with her current run. 

Winner: Kaitlyn

#1 Contendership Tables Match - Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow) versus Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara:

My guess for opener of the night, with a solid tables match to get the crowd going. I'm expecting good things here, and possibly a horribly entertaining botch from Mr. Cara at some point. While there has been no actual build up between the two teams leading into the event I'm looking forward to it, with four guys (especially Rhodes and Mysterio) that should put on good displays here and work an exciting tag match. Team Rhodes Scholars are the obvious choice to win and face Team Hell No next month at Royal Rumble for me. 

Winners: Team Rhodes Scholars

Intercontinental Championship Match - Kofi Kingston (c) versus Wade Barrett:

Should be a worthy enough contest over the title, with Kofi's recent good form and hopefully some hard work from Barrett (not having a go, his matches just don't always deliver with excitement). The result was tricky for me to predict, but I'm going with Kofi to retain. To be honest there's no particularly reason I just see that as most likely.

Winner: Kofi Kingston

United States Championship Match - Antonio Cesaro (c) versus R-Truth:

Again should be a decent title clash, but going by their recent outings I'm not expecting anything that spectacular. I'm hoping, and think that Cesaro will retain here. He's been on great form lately and deserves to move beyond the frankly quite stale R-Truth now. 

Winner: Antonio Cesaro

Money in the Bank Ladder Match - Dolph Ziggler versus John Cena:

I'm quite optimistic for this one, and I can see both men delivering the goods on the night. To be fair to Cena he has had a good track record with ladder matches in the past, and I expect something typically "Holy sh*t!" from the 'Show Off'. Ziggler needs to retain the contract here on PPV after loosing to Cena over the last few weeks, although I can no way see him winning fairly. Never. Someone is going to aid Dolph. The Shield? The possibly returning Mark Henry? I'm not too sure, but someone. 

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

World Heavyweight Championship Chairs Match - The Big Show (c) versus Sheamus:

Again I'm quite looking forward to this bout, with both men delivering surprisingly entertaining matches on the last two pay-per-views. This feud has far exceeded what I expected it to be, and Big Show has been a great heel for me. In fact I can't remember him being on better form. Quite a lot of fans have speculated that Ziggler will cash in here to mirror last year when Daniel Bryan memorably cashed in to become World Champion at the same event. I can't see it myself, or I possibly think that Ziggler will attempt to but once again be thwarted somehow. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait for Dolph to finally do it, I just don't see it happening here but at WrestleMania next year to really make a statement. What better stage for 'The Show Off'? Oh, and Show to win via dubious circumstances once again.

Winner: Big Show

Tables, Ladders and Chairs Tag Team Match - Ryback and Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) versus The Shield (Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose): 

Ah the main event, and an interesting one for sure. Shield have to be victorious here, have to. It would seriously cut their momentum short if they were defeated here I reckon. I can see a new member possibly joining them tonight too, maybe Brad Maddox? I can see Shield someone preventing Ryback from coming out straight away, beating on Bryan and Kane and then taking on the wrath of their hungry nemesis. Then again I could see this as a simple back and fourth encounter, who knows? This one is really an open book. Plus we have WWE Champion CM Punk at ringside, so he'll be playing a part here somehow. 

Winners: The Shield

My WWE SmackDown, 14th December 2012 Recap

Big Show beat R-Truth in a largely drab match up. The bout didn't really get interesting until the final few minutes, and it wasn't a great effort by either man. During the match Sheamus pushed over Antonio Cesaro (they both provided guest commentary) as he was about to strike Truth, so after the bell rang Cesaro barged the Irishman into Show, causing the World Champion to complain to Booker T backstage that Sheamus had broken the no contact clause of their TLC contract. But the GM was having none of it and accused Show of being scared of 'The Great White'.

Damien Sandow announced that he was ending his search for an apprentice since his friend Cody Rhodes was back from injury, then reintroduced his Team Rhodes Scholars partner. I'm quite disappointed, I really enjoyed his apprentice search segments. The Usos then interrupted Rhodes speech for their upcoming tag bout.

Team Rhodes Scholars defeated Jimmy & Jey Uso in a fair tag team contest. The wrestling was solid throughout, there was just a lack of genuine interest in the match.

Big Show enlisted the legal advice of David Otunga and came to the ring to dispute Booker's decision in not cancelling the World Title match this Sunday, with Otunga threatening to take it to the WWE Board of Directors. Booker soon came out and told them to go right ahead and waste the Board of Director's time with the issue. Sheamus also stormed on out to the ring with a steel chair in hand and was ready to strike a startled Big Show, who suddenly decided to then change his mind and take back his charges. A happy Sheamus then decided to Brogue Kick Otunga for good measure. 

Backstage we witnessed The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins) take out Randy Orton before a scheduled interview. I guess this gives them an excuse for Orton to be off the TLC card.

Kaitlyn bested Aksana in a forgettable and mediocre bout. The crowd were indifferent to it, as were the commentary team of JBL and Josh Matthews as they bickered throughout the match.

The Miz introduced his guests for the latest installment of 'Miz TV', Team Hell No, with both Kane and Daniel Bryan promising to deliver retribution in their TLC match against The Shield this Sunday. The duo wer then interrupted by another message from The Shield on the big screen. Once again Ambrose and Rollins delivered well here, but Reigns still seems a bit stiff. Kane eventually challenged the trio to come to the ring right there and then, so they accepted, but as they made their way down Ryback appeared, which scared them off.

Tyson Kidd, Just Gabriel, Hornswaggle and The Great Khali beat Epico, Primo, Titus O'Neil and Darren Young in a pedestrian eight-man tag match. Kidd, Epico and Primo were about the only decent performers in the ring here, with some worthless comedy sequences involving Hornswaggle and awful action as usual from Khali. Afterwards the victors managed to clear the ring of their opponents. 

Kofi Kingston defeated Alberto Del Rio in a solid encounter. Both men gave worthy displays here and worked hard to provide a very enjoyable bout, pulling out moves you don't tend to see often from them too. It was the best match of the night, although that wasn't that hard an achievement. Afterwards Wade Barrett attempted to clothesline Kofi, but the IC Champion instead ducked and applied a Trouble in Paradise to his TLC opponent. 

Antonio Cesaro won via count out versus Sheamus in a fair main event. The match itself had been a fun watch for the most part, much like the last time they fought it contained solid action and nice exchanges. The only downside was the contest being cut short when Big Show beat down Sheamus' good friend William Regal with a chair on the stage, causing 'The Great White' to leave the ring to check on him and be counted out.

Just before this they repeated the whole of Sheamus' match with Ziggler from this weeks Raw. Don't get me wrong, it was an entertaining match, but why not instead give Sheamus and Cesaro more deserved time and have Show beat down Regal later on? Strange.

Overall it was a pretty lacklustre show, which is extremely poor considering you're heading into a PPV two days later. The only matches worth noting are Kingston vs Del Rio and Team Rhodes Scholars vs The Usos, apart from them, the very end and the 'Miz TV' segment it was a very forgettable broadcast. I feel like I've been saying that far too much about the blue brand lately.

My WWE Raw, 29th October 2012 Recap

Photo credit: WWE.com

A clearly struggling CM Punk made his way out and called all the fans in attendance "wrong" for incorrectly predicting his loss the previous night at Hell in a Cell. He went on to then list off all of the men he's defeated in the company, and also claimed that he had nothing to do with the referee aiding his win against Ryback after they low blowed him and made a very fast three-count.

Mick Foley then made a surprise appearance to a healthy reception from the crowd and stated that Punk had embarrassed himself at HIAC and tarnished the tradition of the match. In response the WWE Champion suggested a traditional Survivor Series match between Team Foley and his own team to settle things between them. Just after Foley accepted the challenge, an angered Ryback made his way out and scared CM Punk into the crowd. It was a decent start to the show, although nothing on Foley's previous promo with Punk but this was obviously just to set up their SS match up. The crowd in Carolina had already been louder and more responsive than the one in Atlanta the previous night.

Ryback defeated JTG in a mediocre squash match.

Randy Orton beat Wade Barrett in a solid enough bout. Although not as engaging as some of their previous efforts you can't fault the displays of both men.

Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) bested the Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) in a enjoyable enough tag contest. Although it wasn't anything outstanding it was still fun to watch, with the chemistry between Team Hell No still going strong. For the finish Kane Chokeslammed Young, only to be tagged out by Bryan who locked on the No Lock for the victory via submission. 

Vickie Guerrero brought out John Cena, the man behind the apparent affair scandal with AJ Lee that she brought to the WWE Board of Directors. Vickie presented footage from previous Raws (which proved nothing) of the two and of someone filming them entering an elevator in a hotel. Cena stated that all he did was walk her to her door and that was it, but of course Guerrero wasn't convinced.

Dolph Ziggler then came out and also claimed that the 'affair' was obvious to everyone, so in response Cena grabbed him and warned 'The Show Off' never to mention their names in the same sentence again and left. I really don't believe a feud with Cena will do Dolph any favours at all. If he wasn't allowed to defeat Orton convincingly (as he should have done on PPV) then what chance has he got against Cena? Cena has never enhanced anyone, just buried potential talent. 

Kofi Kingston won via disqualification versus Antonio Cesaro after The Miz attacked him at ringside. The bout itself had been pretty pedestrian, nothing that special. Given more time I'm sure they'd put on something worth a watch. Miz went for Kofi after he'd hurled Cesaro into him at the commentator's desk. As both men attacked the IC Champion R-Truth raced out to his former tag partner's aid and chased them off. 

After refusing to give up her dignity for the sake of getting her job back by admitting anything happened with Cena, Vickie agreed to hire AJ back anyway under the condition that she couldn't lay a finger on her. The acting really wasn't good during the segment.  

In an amusing VT we went behind the scenes with 3MB (Slater, Mahal and McIntyre) as they discussed their band and what they represent, making no sense at all. I'm liking the new group, even Mahal had charisma here.

3MB (Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal) beat Santino Marella and Zack Ryder in a largely average tag bout. The match just felt pretty run of the mill really, no exceptional performances. At least Slater showed some character in the ring.

AJ Lee defeated Beth Phoenix in a brief match where she managed to catch Phoenix out with a quick inside cradle, which the referee oddly counted at a slow pace. Vickie Guerrero announced after that AJ's performance wasn't good enough and demanded that the match be restarted. So Beth Glam Slammed AJ for the one-two-three.

Former World Champ Sheamus came out and admitted that Big Show was the better man in their HIAC match. But he also went on to claim that the war was "far from over" and he couldn't wait for their rematch. Big Show predictably joined 'The Great White' and stated that behind Sheamus' smile he was afraid of the fact that he brought everyone he could against the giant and still couldn't win, and never will. So Sheamus retorted with a White Noise, and left with a smile.

Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes) beat Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara in an enjoyable tag match. The pace was kept nice and fast to keep things interesting, and all four men gave decent efforts. Successful bout.

John Cena, along with a selection of the WWE roster on the stage, revealed a one-million dollar cheque for the Susan G. Komen for the cure breast cancer charity from the WWE. Both representatives for the organisation seemed overwhelmed with the amount. 

Alberto Del Rio defeated Justin Gabriel in a fair outing, if rather unmemorable. I can't fault the displays of either wrestler, they both looked decent but the match was just lacking heat and real interest. Once again Gabriel was also involved in a match that played before an indifferent crowd, I'm surprised he's not getting a reaction with his style in the ring.

Paul Heyman revealed that he'd recruited Team Rhodes Scholars, The Miz and Alberto Del Rio (would've much rather seen Barrett in his place) for CM Punk's Survivor Series team. Punk revealed that it would be a celebration at SS, and a chance to cut Foley's attempt at the spotlight short. Mick of course joined the champ and questioned his manhood as of late, and his tactics in recruiting a crooked referee at HIAC. Foley then went on to announce Orton, Kingston and Team Hell No as part of his SS team.

He also turned things around on Punk as he revealed that  he wasn't actually a part of the team but just managing it, and out came Ryback as the final member. This then instigated a brawl between the teams, with the horrified WWE Champion making a quick getaway. 

Overall it was an average show, and pretty underwhelming. By the end I was hoping for a Ric Flair appearance, that's how much interest I was loosing. Most matches were okay but no outstanding or must-see like you should really have on every show. Other than that the CM Punk material was solid enough as usual, although I was a little disappointed with Foley's contributions compared to his superb promo on his last Raw appearance, but oh well. The first official Survivor Series match should be a good'n anyway I reckon. 

My WWE Hell in a Cell 2012 Recap

Photo credit: WWE.com

Randy Orton defeated Alberto Del Rio in an enjoyable opener to the show. Smart choice to get the event going with with this largely solid match up. As standard Del Rio targeted Orton's left arm for most of the bout, but 'The Viper' managed to battle back and applied an impressive RKO as Del Rio came over the ropes after his signature head kick for the one-two-three. Unfortunately there were a few sloppy moments here and there but on the whole I enjoyed the match.

Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow) won via disqualification versus Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan & Kane) (c) with the WWE Tag Team Titles on the line in a decent tag bout. I was expecting more here to be honest, with the nice build up and talent involved. I'm certainly not saying it was bad by any means, just not outstanding. All four men gave worthy displays throughout. The DQ came when Kane refused to stop beating on Sandow and Rhodes after he lost his temper with his team mate Bryan when he accidentally applied a flying knee to him on the outside. Bit of a poor ending, and the crowd in Atlanta agreed.

Kofi Kingston (c) bested The Miz to retain the Intercontinental Championship in a fair contest, with decent efforts from both men. Kofi was the right choice to win here, loosing the strap that quickly would've set him back big time. Although it wasn't as exciting as their title bout on Main Event it's still worth a watch.

Antonio Cesaro (c) best Justin Gabriel to retain the United States Championship in a passable match up. Unfortunately just like on Raw the fans in attendance seemed to be largely indifferent to the two wrestler's efforts here. I felt this was harsh treatment as Gabriel and especially Cesaro looked solid here, the US strap holder has been on great consistent form lately.

Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara defeated The Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) in a mostly solid tag contest. If I'm honest I wasn't going into this one expecting anything that special, but once it got past the first initial few minutes it was actually quite fun to watch. Sin Cara and Mysterio gave good efforts (Sin Cara has proven to be better suited to a tag team environment for me) while Young and O'Neil were okay, you don't normally get much more than pedestrian displays from them anyway. Pleasant surprise.

Big Show defeated Sheamus (c) to obtain the World Heavyweight Title in a match that started off quite slow but had an edge of your seat ending. Show dominated for the majority of the contest, slowly taking the Irishman out and even hurling him over the announce desk. Of course as any good face does Sheamus managed to battled back, and in the final few minutes both men exchanged their signature finishers for great near falls. But it wasn't to be for 'The Great White' as Big Show applied a nice looking WMD as he came running in for a second Brogue Kick for the winning pinfall. Well this certainly turned out better than I'd predicted, with respective efforts from both men. 

Eve (c) bested Layla and Kaitlyn to retain the WWE Divas Title in a surprisingly okay Triple Threat contest. Compared to most women's bouts we witness in WWE this one was above standard, with some real effort by the competitors to make it feel a bit different. Kaitlyn also gave her best performance to date here (although she still needs work) and pleasantly surprised me with some of her work. Eve grabbed the win after an overhit swanton onto Layla and Kaitlyn. Eve was the top choice to win here as the most interesting female performer in the company right now.

CM Punk (c) defeated Ryback to retain the WWE Championship in a Hell in a Cell match. The bout itself was dramatic and enjoyable at parts, and I'd say successful and memorable on the whole. As expected Ryback used his strength for some nice moments, especially after the match (but we'll get to that soon) and Punk worked hard as usual as he attempted to thwart his dominant foe. For the surprise finish, which certainly got a healthy response from the fans, the referee low blowed Ryback as he attempted a Shell Shock on Punk and then made a very fast three count. 

As CM Punk and the referee attempted to make a quick getaway Ryback managed to recover and began taking out his frustration on the crooked official, which included a very nice military press slam from inside the ring into the outside cage. It looked awesome. The champ almost made it out but Ryback pounced on him too, which led to a chase up to the top of the cell structure. Once at the top Ryback applied a Shell Shock to Punk as rightful retribution. It was an exciting end to the event, and one I won't forget anytime soon. The end of the match also makes sense for their feud (give me a chance) people will still claim that Punk has to prove himself and Ryback will surely receive a rematch of some kind at next month's Survivor Series. 

Overall it was a decent pay-per-view, with most matches above average and providing worthy action, although unfortunately the crowd in attendance were apparently asleep for most of the night. The World Heavyweight Championship contest was pleasantly better than expected, with an exciting and well executed finishing sequence. The HIAC match was also enjoyable enough, with Punk's hard work and playing to Ryback's strengths. Still split on the finish but it at least makes sense for the Ryback/Punk feud to continue. Now on to Raw tomorrow, wooo... 

My WWE Hell in a Cell Predictions

Photo credit: WWE.com

Randy Orton versus Alberto Del Rio:

My prediction for the opening match of the night, and one that should be pretty solid. I can't really see past Orton here, I reckon 'The Viper' has the win in the bag. Considering they're also both booked in a tag match on Main Event next week I can see an attack from Del Rio afterwards to extend their feud. Hopefully it doesn't go on too much longer though, I'm already tiring of Del Rio's same old lame promos on Orton every week.

Winner: Randy Orton

Triple Threat Divas Championship Match - Eve Torres (c) versus Layla versus Kaitlyn:

Not expecting anything that special here. Eve to grab a cheeky win over Kaitlyn somehow I'm guessing.

Winner: Eve

Intercontinental Championship Match - Kofi Kingston (c) versus The Miz:

I'd personally be disappointed to see Kofi's title reign end already, and I can't see that happening tonight. I'm expecting a good match here, hopefully it'll be up to the standard of their very entertaining title bout on Main Event. Kofi to retain cleanly.

Winner: Kofi Kingston

Tag Team Championship Match - Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan) (c) versus Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes):

In one of the most well built up pay-per-view tag team matches in a long, long time in WWE I'm expecting good things. Both teams have been working well together and I hope stick around for a while to come. With the exceptional roll they're on I expect Team Hell No to retain, with Bryan grabbing the win to shut up his nay sayers. I'm the tag team champions!

Winners: Team Hell No

World Heavyweight Championship Match - Sheamus (c) versus The Big Show

As I said with the Divas contest, I'm not expecting much here to be honest. I have failed to be drawn into their feud at all, and although I don't normally like too many gimmick matches on a card, I feel this would have really benefitted from being another Hell in a Cell match to gain some much needed interest. While I've been quite split on who I think will win, I'm going with Sheamus to retain with a Brogue Kick after bringing the giant to his knees. I originally also thought that Dolph Ziggler would cash in here, but after clearly announcing it on more than one occasion I predict that he'll attempt to but somehow fail. Which would be a shame because the World Heavyweight Championship scene really needs a shake up at the moment. I think a WrestleMania cash in would be a nice move for 'The Show Off'.

Winner: Sheamus

WWE Championship Hell in a Cell Match - CM Punk (c) VS Ryback

And finally the main event of the evening. And what a lot of interest this bout has been building up, eh? More evidence that the Cena character has grown stale, since Extreme Rules when has one of his PPV matches built up intrigue like this? I've seen a lot of fans split on the possible result here, but personally I can only see CM Punk retaining his title. I actually think this will be an entertaining HIAC contest, remember they'll be very carefully planning it out considering Ryback's limitations (I'm not having a dig at him, it's true). I also believe we're going to see someone come to Punk's aid and help take out the always-hungry Ryback. And I wouldn't rule out Lesnar being that very man. How exciting would that be? Either way I'm looking forward to this.

Winner: CM Punk