My WWE Raw, 20th August 2012 Recap

Paul Heyman, accompanied by his client Brock Lesnar, opened up the show by bragging about how Lesnar was able to force Triple H, the same man that he had witnessed first hand tear a quadricep years ago and finished the match, tap out to a submission hold the previous night at SummerSlam. He went on to state that 'The Game' by accepting the match and loosing in such a fashion had let all of his friends, fans and family down.

He then called out referee Scott Armstrong who had officiated the bout so Lesnar could congratulate him on a "Good job" after Armstrong had been told by Triple H before the match up to regard it as a No Disqualification and No Count Out contest, thereby allowing Lesnar to destroy 'The Game'. Heyman then went on to announce his client as "The conquerer of the WWE" after defeating the COO, quite a cool title, and it was a solid promo to start the show. 

Sin Cara, Kofi Kingston and R-Truth defeated Cody Rhodes, Darren Young and Titus O'Neil in an average six man tag match. The action was okay, just a bit bland for the most part. Sin Cara and Kofi managed to fortunately liven it up a bit.

Ryback won via disqualification versus two rookies in a routine squash match. The DQ came after Jinder Mahal ran in and began attacking Ryback, but he managed to mount a comeback and scare off Mahal.

Backstage Dolph Ziggler demanded a rematch with Chris Jericho to prove he's the better man. So General Manager AJ granted the rematch, but with the stipulations that if Jericho wins then he obtains Ziggler's Money in the Bank contract, and if Ziggler is victorious then Y2J's contract with WWE will be terminated.

Alberto Del Rio complained about how he should be World Champion after his foot was under the rope when the referee counted Sheamus' winning pin against him the night before in their title match. As he demanded a rematch right there and then, GM AJ informed him that the World title scene was Booker T's deal over on SmackDown, but while he was able to compete on Raw she booked him against Randy Orton.  

Randy Orton beat Alberto Del Rio in a solid contest. Both men put in a good effort and provided a very enjoyable bout as they went back and fourth. Del Rio almost had the win but World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus (who's provided decent guest commentary) alerted the referee to Orton's foot being on the bottom rope. As a furious Del Rio had a go at 'The Great White' he was caught out with an RKO. Well it looks like they're setting up these three for a Triple Threat for the title at Night of Champions, should be a good match up.

Damien Sandow defeated Brodus Clay in a passable to drab match up. Clay dominated for the most part, with Sandow managing to grab the one-two-three with a quick roll up pin.  

When interviewed live via satellite, Shawn Michaels spoke about the possible retirement of Triple H and how there's no way to really prepare for it even when you know it's coming. An emotional Michaels also said how his long-time friend has nothing to be ashamed of, and how he and the fans will always love him and respect what he's accomplished. It was a nice segment and actually quite touching at times, it made a nice change of pace.

Big Show beat David Otunga in a fairly brief squash match. I'm guessing this wasn't the return Otunga was hoping for.

Daniel Bryan and The Miz versus Kane and Zack Ryder ended in a no contest after Bryan and Miz decided to leg it away from the deranged Kane. The actual match itself was solid enough, with the always entertaining Bryan on his usual good form.

Dolph Ziggler defeated Chris Jericho in a match that ranged from exciting to slightly sloppy here and there. But on the whole it was a worthy effort from both wrestlers. As per the stipulations this meant that Jericho was officially fired. A disgruntled Y2J then went to hand over Ziggler's Money in the Bank briefcase as a sign of good sportsmanship, but decided to instead attack the arrogant Ziggler with it and Codebreakered him before leaving.

Kaitlyn won a messy and quite forgettable Divas Battle Royal to earn a title shot against Layla. Looking at some of the talent in there it's hardly surprising that there's barely any attention on the Divas division anymore. Some of the others in the match include Eve, Natalya and Tamina.  

WWE Champion CM Punk came out to officially announce the next number one contender to his title, when he noticed Jerry Lawler at ringside and asked him to apologise for claiming that he had turned his back on the fans on the 1000th Raw when he attacked The Rock. But before Lawler could John Cena came out, so Punk reprimanded him by claiming that he couldn't have waited and just had to hog the spotlight.

CM Punk also brought up the fact that he's always asked by fans why it is that although he's WWE Champion he's not normally in the main event of PPV's. He explained that he hadn't minded because for him it was about respect and  wherever he was on a card that was the real main event anyway. Punk went on to tell Cena that a title match at Night of Champions was his if he can admit that Punk is the "best in the world". Cena retorted by claiming that his relationship with the fans wasn't built on holding a championship, but on respect. Something which Punk is so desperate to attain as the title holder.

Cena went on to inform Punk that he'll not call him the best in the world even if it means loosing out on a title shot, as he believes that each wrestler has to believe that they are the best to succeed. After he left CM Punk called Lawler into the ring to once again apologise, so Lawler did. But the champ wasn't done, as he also asked Jerry to call him the best in the world. Lawler proclaimed that he couldn't do that, and as he went to leave he was met with a kick to the head by Punk. It was an entertaining segment, with solid mic work from all the men involved. The more serious Cena is always much more engaging then the childish, jokey one we normally get.   

My WWE SmackDown, 20th July 2012 Recap

Rey Mysterio came out and spoke about how good it felt to be back after his year long absence due to injury but was soon interrupted by Alberto Del Rio, the man he attacked on Monday's Raw. Del Rio warned Mysterio that he made a mistake going after him and ordered him to leave the ring. Mysterio naturally refused. Dolph Ziggler also joined them both and claimed that Del Rio had ruined his chance of cashing in on the World Heavyweight title at Money in the Bank with his won contract.

After Ziggler and Del Rio exchanged some more words, they then turned on Mysterio only to have World Champion Sheamus come out to predictably even the odds and help chase off the two heels. Not a bad starting segment for the show, it makes a nice and much needed change for the blue brand to have Mysterio back.

Darren Young, Titus O'Neil, Hunico and Camacho defeated Primo, Epico, R-Truth and Kofi Kingston in an fair tag match. The display of the underrated Primo especially stood out for me. Afterwards Big Show came out and took out all men involved in the bout (bar O'Neil and Young).

Damien Sandow beat Zack Ryder in a fair contest that was maybe a bit too brief to show off what they could really do together in the ring.

Daniel Bryan and AJ joined Christian as his guests on the Peep Show and first presented a amusingly sickly VT of their wedding shopping for next weeks 1000th Raw. After the happy couple confirmed to Christian that they were doing the right thing, he asked the audience in San Diego who seemed to disagree. After an aggravated AJ slapped Christian, 'Captain Charisma' informed Bryan that he would next be facing an ex of his fiancee, Kane. My bets on Bryan dumping AJ as they're about to be wed next week.

Kane won via disqualification versus Daniel Bryan in an enjoyable bout. As usual with these two they performed well together, putting in worthy efforts. The DQ came when AJ leaped on Kane in defense of her partner. As Kane turned her around there was a brief moment where they looked as though they were about to kiss, but AJ left with Bryan.

Heath Slater lost to Legion of Doom's Animal in one his usual novelty squash matches in the lead up to the 1000th Raw.

Sheamus and Rey Mysterio won via DQ versus Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler in a good main event tag bout. Mysterio looked in great form as he tangled with Ziggler and Del Rio, I wouldn't have guessed he'd just returned from injury. To be fair all four wrestlers looked decent. The disqualification came after Ricardo Rodriguez grabbed Sheamus' leg as he prepared for the Brogue Kick. As the World Champion lay on the ground after a swift kick from Del Rio, Ziggler once again teased a possible Money in the Bank cash in until Mysterio helped take him out. 

So who else is ready for the 1000th Raw? Should be a good'n.

My WWE SmackDown, 13th July 2012 Recap

Zack Ryder, the guest General Manager of SmackDown for the week, came out and boldly claimed that it would be the greatest broadcast of the show ever. He was soon interrupted by Alberto Del Rio, who called Ryder running the show a joke. So in retaliation Ryder announced that Del Rio would be facing the man he attacked on Raw a couple of weeks ago, Sin Cara, right there and then.  

Alberto Del Rio defeated Sin Cara via submission in a decent enough opener. Both men put on a fair performance, although there were a few hiccups here and there as expected with a match involving Sin Cara. When Sin Cara is pitted against wrestlers of a certain style (Del Rio, Tyson Kidd, etc) he can put on a good bout, he's just not very compatible with most of the roster and that's a big issue.

Primo defeated Darren Young in a passable match up. Primo looked solid as usual, Young to me still looks like he could be on NXT still, although putting him in a team with Titus O'Neil was certainly a smart move for them both. Their manager Abraham Washington was also barking orders to Young on a headset during the bout, which added a nice Jimmy Hart-esque touch I thought.

Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes defeated Santino Marella and Christian in an enjoyable tag team contest. All four men (yes, even Santino) were entertaining in the ring and put in decent efforts. The World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match could be the most exciting match on the card on Sunday, although considering CM Punk and Daniel Bryan's bouts in the past it's hard to look past them for match of the night. 

Big Show beat The Great Khali in a drab and missable match that was fortunately kept short.

Ryback defeated Tyler Reks in an average but brief bout. At least Ryback's competing in more competitive match ups, he really needed to.

Damien Sandow beat Justin Gabriel in a good showing from the 'Intellectual Saviour'. Sandow has fast become one the highlights of the week for me as far as wrestling is concerned, with his charisma and ability in the ring. It's hopefully a good sign for his future that he's appearing on pay-per-view at Money in the Bank this week.

Sheamus defeated Chris Jericho in a solid main event. Both men were on great form as they went back and fourth, with Jericho edging the offense towards the end only to be caught out with a Brogue Kick by 'The Great White' for the one-two-three. Afterwards Del Rio kicked Sheamus in the head and locked on his signature arm breaker on the stage as a warning for their MITB contest. 

My WWE SmackDown Great American Bash, 3rd July 2012 Recap

The show kicked off with the scene of a big barbecue outside the arena with various wrestlers and divas celebrating Independence Day, with Kane himself igniting the BBQ with his signature entrance taunt. 

Alberto Del Rio came to the ring and bragged about receiving his World title match at Money in the Bank against Sheamus and how he's going to beat him. He then went on to accuse the fans in Texas of entering America illegally and began harassing an obviously planted member of the crowd until Sheamus made his way out and they began brawling. As the World Champion was taking it to Del Rio, Ricardo Rodriguez helped his boss gain the upper hand and Alberto attacked 'The Great White' using the bot of his car. They even showed Sheamus bleeding from the attack after the break, guess they have no problem with using blood at all now. Used correctly it can add a lot of drama and excitement to a match.

Layla and The Great Khali defeated Aksana and Antonio Cesaro in a mediocre tag team match. Cesaro wasn't really given much chance to shine against Khali and Layla looked okay against the untalented Aksana. I just really cannot understand why Aksana is still in the company, she can't wrestle and has no acting skills. I hope the talented Cesaro can move on from this quickly.

Backstage Cody Rodes informed guest GM Teddy Long that he had been granted another qualifying match for the MITB by the Board of Directors, and in turn Long informed Rhodes that he had chosen Christian as his opponent in said match.

Cody Rhodes defeated Christian to qualify for the Money in the Bank match. It was a very enjoyable contest, with both men putting in solid efforts from start to finish. 

Dolph Ziggler defeated Alex Riley to qualify for the MITB Match. It was another good qualifying bout for the night, with Riley and Ziggler both looking decent. I'd be putting my money on Dolph winning the MITB match too.

Shortly into an interview Michael Cole was conducting with AJ he asked her "What the hell were you thinking?" regarding pushing CM Punk into Daniel Bryan and a table on this weeks Raw. He then went onto call her a "troubled little girl" and shouldn't be the guest referee for a WWE Championship match. He then cringe worthily asked AJ if she instead would want to be with a "real man" such as himself instead of Punk or Bryan.

Daniel Bryan himself then fortunately interrupted Cole and called him a sexist bully, he also accused the commentator of making up stories like the rest of the media. After Bryan complimented AJ for a while, WWE Champ CM Punk joined them all and told Cole to get out of the ring. Punk went on to tell AJ that he's not going to suck up to her like Bryan, but instead seriously advised her to seek medical help. Bryan called Punk a liar and then received a snog from AJ, who left the ring to also kiss Punk and then skipped off. Her character is definitely one of the more interesting things in the company right now.

Santino Marella, Jim Duggan and Sgt Slaughter defeated Hunico, Camacho and Drew McIntyre in a tag match. It was passable for what it was, a novelty bout. It's quite funny, as Santino was celebrating with Duggan and Slaughter I could imagine him in twenty years time in the same position. 

Back at the party Damien Sandow attempted to halt proceedings, only to began brawling with Zack Ryder. In retaliation Ryder then attempted to throw a bowl of punch at Sandow only to miss and soak Eve instead, much to everyone's delight.

Ryback defeated Curt Hawkings in a squash match. At least it was a bit more interesting than Ryback's usual routine, and with more relevant competition he's taking a step up finally. Unfortunately the crowd weren't really getting into it as they began entertaining themselves with chants of "Goldberg" once again.

Zack Ryder won the Great American Bash Battle Royal to earn the right to be the General Manager of SmackDown next week. The match itself  (which included the likes of CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, John Cena and Big Show) wasn't bad, just the usual you expect from a battle royal. Zack Ryder last eliminated Kane as he pulled the ropes down to win the bout. The result was well received by the fans and hopefully this could be the revival Ryder has desperately needed since the awful Cena and Kane rivalry and his involvement in it.