My WWE SmackDown, 1st February 2013 Recap

We first witnessed an angry Alberto Del Rio pacing outside, anticipating the arrival of Big Show who attacked Ricardo Rodriguez on this week's Raw.

In the ring GM Booker T announced that five men would have the chance to participate in an Elimination Chamber match for the World Title after Cena announced his intentions to challenge for the WWE Championship at 'Mania. Jack Swagger then made his return after a five-month absence and expressed his disappointment at where WWE was heading (along with many fans) and asked to be put in the EC match. 

But Dolph Ziggler wasn't feeling the same way, and announced that he had no intention of being a part of the Chamber bout since he already had a guaranteed World Title shot with his MITB contract. Just before 'The Show Off' left, Booker informed him that he'll face Del Rio later on. The GM also announced that all the men in the ring would have a match that night to try and prove that they deserved a spot in the EC. 

Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara defeated Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan & Kane) in a largely exciting and fun tag bout. It was a smart choice to start the show with too, something to get the fans going. Every man was on decent form, especially Mysterio and Bryan who provided the strongest period of the match together.

The Great Khali pinned Jinder Mahal in a drab and forgettable encounter. As usual it was a rather painful experience watching Khali slowly stumble around the ring. Mahal had a brief moment of attack but was soon taken out by the giant.

Backstage Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow informed Booker that they'd decided to disband Team Rhodes Scholars to concentrate on their singles career. In light of this the General Manager decided to book Sandow against Sheamus next. 

Sheamus versus Damien Sandow ended in a No Contest after The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) entered the ring and took out the 'Great White'. The bout itself had been fair, if fairly unremarkable. I'm starting to grow a bit tired of the same old routine from The Shield now, I'd like to see the talents have some actual matches now and then. I imagine the trio will face Cena, Sheamus and Ryback at Elimination Chamber. 

Randy Orton bested Wade Barrett in an average outing. Neither man looked bad, but it just felt all too familiar and I struggled to find the interest. Orton gained the one-two-three after applying an RKO. Backstage afterwards, during an interview Barrett spotted Bo Dallas (who'd beaten him this past Monday) and attacked the NXT regular from behind.

Jack Swagger beat Kofi Kingston in a worthy enough effort by both men. While it wasn't the most engaging match it was still watchable, and a decent return for Swagger to the ring, he desperately needed a rejuvenation of some kind after a worthless 2012. The All American American grabbed the submission win via the ankle lock after Kofi had accidentally kicked the announce desk. 

Alberto Del Rio and Big Show played an awkward game of cat and mouse in the parking lot as the World Champion chased Show around with a pipe in hand. Unfortunately for him the giant managed to get away in someone else's car.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Dolph Ziggler in a solid main event. Both men gave fine displays and as usual clearly took pride in their ring work as they battled back and fourth. The top match of the night, and far superior to any other singles contest.

Afterwards Big Show appeared on the big screen and revealed that he was holding Ricardo Rodriguez hostage, then applied a KO punch to the ring announcer.

Overall it was a pretty forgettable show for the most part. With the exception of the tag bout, main event and Swagger versus Kofi I'd say it's pretty safe to skip it, you wouldn't miss much.  

My WWE SmackDown, 7th September 2012 Recap

Alberto Del Rio, accompanied by the injured Ricardo Rodriguez and his attorney David Otunga started off the show by claiming that Sheamus' Brogue Kick is far too dangerous ('The Great White' accidentally injured Rodriguez with it) and should be illegal. An angered General Manager Booker T soon joined them and warned that their meeting about the Brogue Kick before the show was meant to be kept confidential. But since they decided to bring it to the people, Booker asked the fans what they thought and decided to not ban the Brogue Kick maneuver. 

Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara defeated The Miz and Cody Rhodes in a decent tag match. The action remained solid throughout and I can't fault the efforts of any of the wrestlers involved, although it wasn't the greatest tag team bout you're ever going to see. It felt like it was lacking that little something. I actually wouldn't mind seeing a Fatal Four Way between these men for the Intercontinental title at Night of Champions, would be a good match I reckon.

Zack Ryder won versus Daniel Bryan after the decision was reversed by the referee when Bryan refused to let go of his No Lock after forcing Ryder to tap. The actual bout itself had been fair, nothing special. Once again Bryan was thrown into a rage and started kicking off. Not too sure where they're headed with his anger issues now, I can't see what else they could do with it that'll enhance the brilliant Bryan character.

Before his following match Damien Sandow complained that he had been given insufficient time to prepare. He also went on to have a go at social media sites and the abuse he receives on them, stating that their users should do some more reading rather then going online. Which I actually agree with. Randy Orton then joined Sandow, informing him that through Booker T he'd decided to swap his original opponent for the night with Sandow.   

Randy Orton won via count out versus Damien Sandow in a mostly enjoyable contest. Both men put in fair efforts, although the charismatic Sandow still has to advance and become a little more interesting between the ropes. For the second week in row Sandow decided he'd had enough and legged it to the back. As Ziggler mocked Orton at ringside (as he had been on guest commentary also) Orton threw him into the ring and prepared for the RKO until Sandow made a return so he RKO'd him instead, allowing Ziggler to make a getaway. 

Titus O'Neil and Darren Young defeated The Usos and Epico and Primo in a Triple Threat tag match to become number one contenders to the WWE Tag Team titles. I was expecting a decent enough match here, but it turned out a lot better than I predicted. The pace was nice and quick and there was exciting action for the majority. The Usos especially looked good here I thought, it's about time they took that next step up. Solid tag contest.

Wade Barrett beat Yoshi Tatsu in a fairly short squash match. He appears to have adopted more of the 'Fight Club' style from the vignettes that promoted his return with his fighting style in the ring. After the bout he stated that he was tired of meaningless matches like this and declared himself "open for business." Not sure why he worded it like that but I definitely welcome his return, his new look and theme music also suit his slight change in persona.

Sheamus defeated David Otunga in an average main event. To be fair it was passable for a match involving Otunga, the action was satisfactory at least. As the World Champion set up the Brogue Kick Booker T informed him that he's decided to not risk having a lawsuit on his hands and banned the finisher. Why would he have told him during the match and not before? Pro wrestling logic I guess. So instead 'The Great White' forced Otunga to tap to the Texas Cloverleaf as Del Rio watched on from ringside.  

My Impact Wrestling, 14th June 2012 Recap

Austin Aries (c) defeated Zema Ion and Chris Sabin in a Triple Threat Ultimate X match to retain the X Division Championship. It was a highly entertaining bout, with the highlights being the superb exchanges between Aries and Sabin. The action rarely let up and all three men put in a worthy effort. 

Afterwards Aries grabbed a mic and spoke about his bold claims when he arrived in TNA about how great he was, and went on to state how the X Division title wasn't enough anymore and wanted to move to greater heights in the company. Hulk Hogan then joined him and boldly called AA the greatest thing he'd ever seen in the ring, that's a big statement. He then offered Aries the World title match at Destination X that he wanted, but on the ridiculous condition that he had to for some reason give up the X Division strap since he didn't want a champion in both divisions. 'The Hulkster' gave him a week to think it over. Why couldn't Aries just give up the title after he maybe won the World Championship? It all sounded stupid to me.

Devon (c) defeated Hernandez to retain the TNA Television title in an average contest. Devon looked okay here to be fair. So much for a big return for Hernandez, eh? 

James Storm won the Bound for Glory Series Battle Royal to earn himself 20 points. For a battle royal, which I don't usually get into until the final four are left, it was a solid and quite fun a match up. Although I'm still puzzled as to why Robbie E has been included in the BFG Series? We all know he's not going to win so it seems pointless. Samoa Joe and James Storm received the biggest ovations for their entrances into the bout, and were the final two to battle it out at the end where Storm Super Kicked Joe off the apron to win. D'Angelo Dinero also made his return in the match.

James Storm explained after that he didn't realise how much his wrestling career meant to his young daughter, and that he'd returned to become the World Champion by winning the BFG Series. It was a typically solid promo from Storm, who in turn received a strong reaction from the fans.  

Brooke Tessmacher defeated Madison Rayne in largely mediocre bout with a few fair moments. 

Bobby Roode (c) defeated Mr. Anderson to retain the TNA World Heavyweight title in a decent enough main event. I wasn't expecting a classic but it was a passable World title bout, with both men having their fair share of the offense. Roode won after forcing Anderson to tap to the Crossface. It looked good having the champion win a match cleanly like this too, he should look this dominant more often.  

Sting came out and claimed that Slammiversary where he was inducted into TNA's Hall of Fame was one of the greatest nights of his career. He also thanked the Jarretts but was then cut off as three masked men came out and attacked him. It makes me laugh how furious commentators get when this kind of thing happens but they don't do anything to help the person out. 

My TNA Slammiversary 2012 Recap

Hulk Hogan came out and thanked the fans for their support for TNA and also claimed that the next ten years for the company will be even better, well we'll see about that. He also announced the first match for the night, Samoa Joe versus Austin Aries.

Austin Aries (c) defeated Samoa Joe to defend the X Division Championship in a superb opener for the show. Both men went back and fourth in a thrilling contest, you knew this was going to be something worth watching but they both exceeded my own personal expectations here. The moves were crisp and the sequences were put together very nicely, plus the electric crowd certainly helped too. Smart choice to open the pay-per-view.

Hernandez defeated Kid Kash in a fair match up. It was a surprise but not unwelcome addition to the card. Hernandez managed to get the crowd on his side as the bout went on with his as always impressive aerial moves for a man his size. Kash put in a decent effort too.

Devon and Garet Bischoff defeated Robbie E and Robbie T in an average tag team bout. It wasn't awful, just nothing particularly special or memorable about the match. Garet, as usual, looked a bit out of his depth. Devon unsurprisingly had the crowds firm support throughout.  

Mr. Anderson defeated Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy in a blistering Triple Threat match to become number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight title. The action came fast and thick in this highly entertaining contest. All three men deserve credit here for their great efforts, definitely one worth checking out. Once again the crowd were also brilliant throughout this match.  

James Storm defeated Crimson in a short but passable match. 'The Cowboy' answered the previously unbeaten Crimson's call for an open challenge, managing to have most of the crowd rise to their feet as he set up his match-winning Last Call Superkick for the one-two-three. It was more of a squash match really with Crimson having very little offense, but it's just good to have the on form Storm back.

Dixie Carter came out and thanked all the fans and everyone else who's helped in the rise of TNA. She also asked out the Impact Wrestling roster to thank them too. Sting was then announced as the very first inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame. Now as I said before I personally feel that it's too early for TNA to have a Hall of Fame, but this was a very feel good moment as the VT dedicated to 'The Icon' played and Sting gave a short speech. 

Brooke Tessmacher defeated Gail Kim (c) to win the TNA Knockouts Championship. It was a surprisingly decent title bout and probably the best match that I've seen Tessmacher involved in. It was well planned out for the both of them. Unfortunately there were a few  sloppy moments here and there but on the whole I enjoyed it.   

Joseph Parks defeated Bully Ray in a mediocre No Disqualification match up. It wasn't bad for what it was I guess, namely the supposedly nervous and inexperienced Parks having the first ever fight in his life. During the match Joseph obviously crept under the ring and changed into the Abyss gear to Choke Slam Bully through a table, then went back under and changed back to Joseph to gain the winning pin. I hope they don't keep this up for long, it's just silly and a bit of an insult to the fans intelligence really.      

Hogan introduced surprise guest Christian out. Christian, or rather Christian Cage here,  and asked the fans to give themselves a round of applause for their support. He than also introduced the number one moment in TNA history (there'd been a count down of the top ten best moments in the companies' history throughout Impact Wrestling episodes and Slammiversary) which was Sting's return to pro wrestling years ago in TNA. I thought it'd be them going prime time on Spike. 

Kurt Angle and AJ Styles defeated Kazarian and Christopher Daniels (c) to obtain the TNA Tag Team Championship in the absolutely superb match of the night. This is without a doubt the best tag team match I've seen so far this year and probably the best TNA match so far too. The bout was captivating at the start but absolutely thrilling in the final third. With the crowd reactions and flawless action you couldn't help get sucked into this, like with any special wrestling match.

If you're someone that doesn't normally watch TNA then I urge you, please do yourself a favour and at least watch this match up. Trust me, you'll be grateful. And if you do then let me know what you thought.

Bobby Roode (c) defeated Sting to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. It was a fairly decent main event, definitely not up to par with the previous match and Aries vs Joe bout from earlier. As much as I realise Sting means to many fans, his main eventing days should have been long gone by now. He can still clearly entertain but he's best suited to short bursts in matches now. Roode retained after smashing a beer bottle over sting's head. And of course the referee completely ignored all the broken glass and other bottles left in the ring right next to Roode. It looked ridiculous was a poor ending to the main event an otherwise good PPV. Afterwards Sting threw over the ref and Scorpion Death Dropped Roode from the stage. 

Roode retaining once again felt anticlimactic considering all the build up for Sting during the night, and makes me wonder who they actually have in mind to finally topple the champion? Aries at Bound For Glory perhaps? He did hint at wanting to hit that main event scene earlier in an interview. We'll see.  

Overall Slammiversary was a solid pay-per-view, with some memorable matches to take away. Unfortunately the ending just felt wrong and spoilt it a little, just a little though. 

My Impact Wrestling, May 24th 2012 Recap

In a reality show style affair, Hulk Hogan discussed with Bully Ray, AJ Styles, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy who deserves the shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship that night. Although it had the over the top background music and came across as quite fake, I actually didn't mind this segment. It made a bit of a change and was quite amusing at parts with all four men arguing their pros and the others cons. At the end Hogan eliminated Bully Ray from contention, even though Hardy and AJ had already lost to Roode over the World title before.

Gail Kim bragged about being the most important woman in the entire company and her successful title reign. I certainly haven't had any complaints about her being the champ, and it was definitely a wise move for her to get out of WWE's Divas Division where she was completely squandered. She went on to then challenge the Knockout Tag Team Champions Eric Young and ODB, and as per the stipulations of Open Fight Night the title holders (or anyone for that matter) must accept the match.

Gail Kim and Madison Rayne defeated Eric Young and ODB (c) to win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship. It was an average bout for the most part, with a few amusing moments between EY and ODB. I think the wrong team also won. With Rayne distracted by her mystery love interest she should've been the one to accidentally loose her team the match, and in my opinion ODB and EY with their chemistry had brought a bit of interest back to the titles. I don't really see the need for them to have lost the titles so soon.

Rob Van Dam defeated Gunner after challenging him to a match. It was a fair contest, and wisely kept quite short which I feel always works more effectively for Gunner. RVD finished off Gunner after applying a Van Daminator and performing an impressive long range Five Star Frog Slash.

Devon (c) versus Garet Bischoff for the TNA Television title ended in a no contest after Robbie E and Robbie T ran in shortly into the match and attacked both men, only to then be thrown out by Devon and Garet. I was personally quite relieved we didn't have to see much of this bout.

In another backstage segment Hogan next eliminated Jeff Hardy from World title contention, claiming that he needed someone that will get the job done against Roode. 

Bully Ray came out and spoke about his annoyance at not being picked to face Roode, and then challenged Joseph Parks (who'd been watching in the audience) to get in the ring with him. A hesitant Parks pleaded with Bully not to get physical and reminded him that all he wanted was to find his missing brother. But eventually Ray did get physical, punching Parks in the gut and whipping him with his chain.

Austin Aries defeated Joey Ryan in an enjoyable back and fourth contest. To me the Gut Check competitor Ryan looked liked he belonged here with a unique image, plenty of charisma and nicely executed wrestling in the ring. He's certainly a step up from the last Gut Check challenger Silva, who wasn't bad but you could tell was a bit nervous. I'd be very disappointed if they didn't sign him to a deal.

Hogan finally announced that AJ Styles would receive the World title shot, stating that it was mainly due to him knowing Roode better. Angle gracefully congratulated Styles.

Bobby Roode (c) defeated AJ Styles to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a match that started off quite drab but fortunately picked up towards the end with more exciting action and near falls. It was a solid enough performance from both men, with the fans in attendance certainly into it. 

Afterwards Roode celebrated his record breaking World title reign with confetti and champagne. He also invited Hogan to the ring to celebrate, only for 'The Hulkster' to then inform Roode that someone else would be joining them. That someone was the returning Sting, who it was revealed would be facing Roode next week in a Lumberjack match. I can't personally say I'm that excited by 'The Stinger's' return. I preferred him in the GM role as opposed to an in ring competitor, where he clearly can't bring it like he used to.

My WWE Over The Limit 2012 Recap

Before the show got going Christian won a Battle Royal to face either the United States or Intercontinental Champion that night on pay-per-view for the title. It was a decent enough match, with the highlights being the performances of Tyson Kidd and Christian and the many boos for William Regal being eliminated from the bout. Christian chose to face Santino Marella for the US Championship.

R-Truth and Kofi Kingston (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles. I was expecting a decent enough match here but it was actually a lot more enjoyable once it going than I was expecting. As usual Kingston and Dolph's work was solid. My only gripe I'd say is that I still don't buy Kofi and Truth as a team yet, Swagger and Ziggler I can accept as a unit and Kofi and Evan Bourne before. I just still see the current champs as a make shift team as opposed to a believable one, hopefully they'll turn me around.

Layla (c) defeated Beth Phoenix to retain the Divas Championship. It was a largely average contest, but I'll admit that the final third of it was actually a nicely executed sequence leading to a well applied neckbreaker by Layla for the one-two-three. The Divas Champion is still not being particularly well received by the fans, with scattered chants of "Tap!" when Phoenix had Layla in a Half Boston Crab. 

Sheamus (c) defeated Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and Alberto Del Rio to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in a Fatal Four Way. It was a thrilling title match, with the action coming thick and fast, plus plenty of edge-of-your-seat-near falls. All four men put in a great effort, I also credit everyone that was involved in the planning of how the match would play out because it was damn near perfect. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Backstage Cody Rhodes was bragging to Eve about how he would've easily defeated Christian if he'd chosen to face him for the Intercontinental Title, after just coming back from his injury. Of course 'Captain Charisma' overheard this and decided to instead face Cody for the IC Title, claiming Rhodes was "full of crap." So he's face once again? I'm all for that myself.

The Miz stated that the WWE fans had no idea about real dancing talent after cheering on Brodus Clay. So the awesome one decided to show off some dance moves, and some poor ones at that, before Clay interrupted him.

Brodus Clay defeated The Miz in an average and forgettable match up. Miz deserves a lot more than loosing to the limited Clay.

Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkings went through the crowd on Eve's behalf and removed any of the fans signs that were derogatory towards Laurinaitis.

Christian defeated Cody Rhodes (c) to win the Intercontinental Championship. It was an enjoyable title match, with both talented wrestlers putting in fair performances. This could be an interesting feud, and Christian is certainly a big step up from Big Show.

Before the WWE Championship match, CM Punk spoke about his and Daniel Bryan's rise from the indies to the top of the WWE, which was respectively received by the fans and rightfully so. AJ then once again, like on last Monday's Raw, wished Punk luck in his title defence. 

CM Punk (c) defeated Daniel Bryan to retain the WWE Championship in a superb bout that should have been the main event. It was a rare (in WWE) technical showcase as both wrestlers went back and fourth in a blistering contest. I'm honestly trying to think of a single fault with it but I'm really struggling. Along with Triple H vs 'Taker at WrestleMania I'd put this as one of WWE's best PPV  matches of the year so far.

The crowd were also electric during it as chants for both men rightfully erupted from the fans. Vince take note, the fans were chanting because this was real pro wrestling right here. Punk managed to grab the winning pin as he rolled over the Yes Lock to cover Bryan, just after the third count he tapped which I'm presuming and desperately hoping means we'll get a another rematch.

Ryback defeated Camacho in one of his usual squash matches. Nothing really to add here, you probably know the deal with him by now. I think the time for squash matches has passed, give him a real feud to get into.

John Laurinaitis defeated John Cena in a poor main event which I'd rather soon forget. For the first three quarters of the bout it was a comedy match, albeit without much comedy, with Cena mocking Big Johnny in various ways. But for the finish the previously fired Big Show dragged the attempting to flee Laurinaitis back to the ring, only to then turn on Cena and WMD him. Allowing the GM to gain the winning pin. So unfortunately we'll still have Laurinaitis in charge (although it was always pretty obvious he was going to somehow win) and the lump Big Show has already returned, I'm also dreading the likely Big Show Cena feud we'll have to endure once again. A pretty poor finish to an otherwise all right pay-per-view. 

My WWE Extreme Rules 2012 Recap

Randy Orton defeated Kane in an entertaining Falls Count Anywhere match. Both men went back and fourth in the heated battle as they travelled through the crowd, out to the backstage area and then finally ended things back in the ring where Orton pulled out an RKO on Kane onto a steel chair for the one-two-three. I was expecting a decent bout here, but it certainly exceeded my expectations. Once again the consistent Orton puts in a solid performance.

Whilst backstage in the match Zach Ryder also began attacking Kane, only to have his strikes have apparently no affect against the already beaten down Kane and be quickly swatted away. Things aren't looking great for Ryder at the moment, they should've had him make a real impact on Kane to exact a bit of revenge and give him some much needed momentum back. 

Brodus Clay defeated Dolph Ziggler in an average to fair match up, largely due to the efforts of Ziggler. Clay didn't really reveal any more of his talents then he normally would on a Raw or SmackDown on this important pay-per-view match for him, which is a sign that he really might be as limited as he's seemed in his squash matches unfortunately, although I hope I'm wrong. Fortunately Ziggler managed to pull out a half decent match with his standard hard working ethics in the ring, the same work ethic that prompted the majority of the always awesome Chicago crowd to cheer him on.

We were shown footage from the pre show on YouTube where a wheel was spun to reveal that it would be a Tables match between Big Show and Cody Rhodes.

Cody Rhodes defeated Big Show (c) to win the Intercontinental Championship in a quite brief Tables Match. Show had most of the offense going at the start, but Rhodes managed to get back a short bit of momentum after rebounding from a table and applying an impressive Disaster Kick. The finish came after Cody tripped Show on the apron, causing him to accidentally put one of his legs through a table on the outside. Show decided to retaliate afterwards by spearing his opponent, then choke slamming him through one table and throwing him through another. 

I'm just relieved Rhodes is champ again. Hopefully this will be the start of his rebuilding towards to the main event spot, this Big Show feud hasn't really done anything for him.

Sheamus (c) defeated Daniel Bryan to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in a thoroughly enjoyable and intense 2 Out of 3 Falls contest. 'The Great White' gained the first point via disqualification after Bryan continuously kicked his shoulder in on the ropes, causing the referee to count to five. Bryan then won the second fall after causing Sheamus to supposedly pass out from the Yes Lock (Bryan had been damaging his shoulder for most of the match at this point). Finally Sheamus got the winning pin after applying a surprise Brogue Kick. 

From start to finish both wrestlers put in a great performance, and I'd say this is probably the finest match Sheamus has had in the company so far. This was also proof that Vince McMahon was dead wrong by having their match at 'Mania only last eighteen seconds, but we already knew that right? Yes! Yes! Yes!

Ryback defeated two unknowns in a Handicap match. It was the usual squash match for him, taking out both guys with his dominant maneuvers. The crowd greeted him with chants of "Goldberg" quite amusingly. For me I'm quite liking Ryback's progression so far, I've been waiting for WWE to finally book an up and comer as simply a dominant force for a while now. I mean, it's simple booking right? And the sort of booking that will make much needed stars for the company. I just worry now that whenever someone is moving up the ranks, Vince will pull the plug and give up on them like he has done with so many wrestlers over the last few years. 

CM Punk (c) defeated Chris Jericho to retain the WWE Championship in a Chicago Street Fight. And what a title match it was! Back and fourth both wrestlers went in a heated and thrilling match up. Once again any wrestling fan could plainly see that both these professionals wanted to steal the show and have the best match on the card, and on this night they succeeded. There were smart use of weapons (including the top of the announcers tables) and some exciting near falls to keep the fans suspense of disbelief going. I for one wouldn't mind this feud carrying on another month at all.

Layla defeated Nikki Bella (c) to win the WWE Divas Championship. The match itself was decent enough, compared to the usual standard of a match involving a Bella anyway. Layla's return wasn't met with much enthusiasm from the fans in Chicago unfortunately, as chants of "We want Kharma" got going, along with a largely indifferent reaction to her winning the title. I'm personally glad to see her back in the ring, the division needs someone to make it a bit more interesting again (and I'm pleased for other reasons, wink wink).

John Cena defeated Brock Lesnar in an Extreme Rules match. Now this was a strange one. It began as an almost fake MMA scrap between the two, with Lesnar cutting Cena open with an elbow. It was a drab start really, this kind of thing doesn't work with pro wrestling fans. Now don't get me wrong I'm an MMA fan, but when I watch a pro wrestling company whoever it may be I expect to see pro wrestling, not MMA style fighting on the ground. 

Fortunately it then started to pick up a bit after the referee (who'd been calling for medical to check up on Cena's cut almost every ten seconds, which just looks plain absurd in a match billed as 'Extreme Rules') got knocked out by accident. Lesnar dominated Cena for the large majority of the bout, performing some German Suplexes and plenty of strikes. At one point he also tied Cena up onto the corner post with his own chain and beat on him, which was a nice touch I thought. Cena of course managed a comeback after striking Lesnar with said chain to the head and performing an Attitude Adjustment onto the steel steps that Lesnar had previously brought into the ring, then gaining the winning pin.

Overall it was entertaining once it got going and was an enjoyable affair, just maybe not quite what I was expecting. Afterwards Cena grabbed a mic and spoke as though Laurinaitis could well be firing him after the win, but stated that if it was his last match than he was happy it was in Chicago, a "wrestling city". And that it is. 

On the whole Extreme Rules was a solid pay-per-view, with the Orton Kane match, World Title bouts and main event being the highlights. Tomorrows Raw with Triple H's appearance and Lesnar's possible future should be interesting.

My WWE Raw, April 23rd 2012 Recap

John Laurinaitis started off Raw by ordering John Cena to leave the ring, who'd been led to believe that his contract signing with Lesnar was going to take place there and then. Big Johnny was then interrupted by Hall of Famer Edge, who received a huge ovation for his surprise return. 'The Rated R Superstar' (boy it feels good to type that again) tried to light a fire under Cena, to get back the Cena of old that he'd rivalled with years ago. He claimed that he needed to reach down if he had any chance against the 'War Machine' Brock Lesnar.

He went on to state that Cena wasn't just fighting for himself, but for everyone that carried the load when Lesnar had left the company like himself, Undertaker and Shawn Michaels.  

Chris Jericho defeated Kofi Kingston in a entertaining back and fourth contest. Both wrestlers pulled out most of their signature moves and had some nicely executed near falls. Jericho forced Kofi to tap to the more old-school Walls Of Jericho.

For me you can add Kingston to the list of up and coming talents that deserve more attention and a higher spot in the company, along with the likes of Ziggler and Rhodes. He showed he's capable of really getting a crowd going with a top talent during his feud with Orton a few years ago.

After the bout Jericho claimed that his victory was proof that he will win this Sunday at Extreme Rules against CM Punk. He also once again brought up Punk's family and called him "a failure as a champion and as a human being."

Backstage CM Punk revealed that Chris Jericho had sent him a gift in the form of a liquor basket, and then handed it off to Josh Matthews. Nice little touch there having Y2J send him that.

Lord Tensai defeated R-Truth in a squash match that once again, like most of Tensai's matches so far, played before a mostly indifferent crowd. I thought he might have received more reaction after beating Cena last week but I guess not. Maybe he just needs to vary his move set a bit more to keep the crowds interest, we all know he's more than capable of that.

Kane came to the ring and called Orton nothing more than a "scared little boy" after taking out both him and his father on SmackDown. Orton appeared on the big screen and decided to repay the favour from Kane and wheeled his father Paul Bearer into a giant freezer unit of some sort. But 'The Big Red Monster' simply laughed and claimed that he has no heart, and no intention of saving his dad. As he was leaving 'The Viper' then began attacking Kane, eventually chasing him off with a led pipe. It was a better segment than most for this rivalry and I'm expecting a fair match between the two on Sunday.

Big Show and The Great Khali defeated Cody Rhodes and Alberto Del Rio in an average tag team contest. It seems as thought Show and Khali are being built as a new tag team to challenge for the titles, while they're not a particularly great team in the ring (putting it kindly) at least they'll bring some much needed interest and television time back to the division.

As Josh Matthews attempted to interview Brock Lesnar, asking him if he'd still remain the face of the WWE if he looses to Cena, Lesnar grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the ground. It's nice having a bad ass back in the company. 

Before Nikki Bella versus Beth Phoenix could commence, Eve announced that it was now a lumberjill match. 

Nikki Bella defeated Beth Phoenix (c) to win the Divas Championship in a forgettable and mediocre match. When someone like Nikki Bella is defeating the talented Phoenix you know it's a sign that the division really has become surplus to the company, not that you needed any more evidence. 

Chris Jericho, after accusing CM Punk of being drunk earlier in the show, had permission from Laurinaitis to help monitor a public sobriety test on the WWE Champion. Punk, quite amusingly, came out acting as though he was under the influence and called the whole test "ridiculous," even accidentally calling the company WWF.

After failing to recite the alphabet backwards and walk a straight line Teddy Long was forced to hand the WWE title over to Jericho, but of course Punk then revealed that he was in fact sober and recited then alphabet backwards and walked the straight line before cracking Jericho with the mic and attacking him, with the number one contender eventually fleeing. It was yet another entertaining segment involving Jericho and Punk, with the champ finally getting one over on his nemesis. Their street fight should steal the show on Sunday in Chicago.

Mark Henry defeated Sheamus with a very quick pin from special guest referee Daniel Bryan. As per the stipulation from Laurinaitis, Sheamus will be fired if he touches a referee, so of course there was plenty of taunting from Bryan during the short match. Afterwards 'The Great White' began exacting his revenge on his opponent on Sunday but was distracted by Henry and ended up getting kicked in the head and having a Yes Lock applied by Bryan.  

Santino Marella and Zach Ryder defeated Epico and Primo in a decent enough tag team match. It's good to see the Tag Team Champions back on TV where they belong.

Backstage Kane found Paul Bearer, but after wheeling him out he informed his father that he was saving himself instead and put him back into the storage.

Brodus Clay and Hornswaggle won via disqualification against Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger in a comedy match up after Vickie Guerrero entered the ring and slapped Clay. After then realising her mistake and trying to make amends with 'The Funkasaurus' Vickie was met with Hornswaggle biting her backside and chasing her off. 

During the night we were shown highlights of Lesnar's memorable career in WWE, and every single one had him beating a member of TNA's current roster in Hardy, Angle and Hogan. Coincidence, eh?

As Lesnar and Laurinaitis prepared for the contract signing, there was no sign of Cena after his music hit.  So instead Lesnar gave Johnny a list of new demands that he had going into the match on Sunday. Stating that he was no longer the same "naive farm boy" that he was in WWE eight years ago he claimed to have realised that the company "needs Brock Lesnar." Can't argue there, WWE have failed to create enough new big stars for the company over the last few years, which is strange considering that they plan out everything that happens.

Lesnar went on to demand that any ideas that Laurinaitis has for himself or the show in general in the future he has to run by him first. He listed off various other demands, including being immune to being fined and using Vince McMahon's private jet, all of which Laurinaitis agreed to. Cena finally joined them, sporting his old school chain around his neck, and was accused of being scared by 'The War Machine'. So in response Cena signed the contract and threw it at his rival. Lesnar and Cena just shared a glare as they parted ways.

The segment had its entertaining moments, although Lesnar still doesn't look completely comfortable on the mic just yet. But saying that I am still very much enjoying the refreshing change Lesnar has brought with him to Raw, with a character much like Punk's who you can believe in. Unfortunately it was never going to live up to the brilliant CM Punk and Vince McMahon contract signing from last year, what with the far less charismatic Laurinaitis in McMahon's place. Extreme Rules should be a largely entertaining show I reckon.   

My WWE Raw, March 2nd 2012 Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Impact Wrestling, March 8th 2012 Recap

After being presented with a VT of Garrett Bischoff's journey in TNA over the last couple of months and a clip of him arriving at the arena, admitting that the target on his back "just got bigger" after refusing to heed Ric Flair's words last week and quit pro wrestling. Eric Bischoff then in the ring announced that he had earlier asked Sting for a tag team match that night between Gunner and a partner of his choosing versus his son Garrett and a partner of his choosing in a bid "to hopefully put an end to this saga." 

Bischoff also thanked Flair for his previous warnings, and threats to Garrett to leave the business. He then went on to talk about Garrett's mystery partner when Kurt Angle joined them and volunteered to tag with Gunner, the main reason being that he "hated" Garrett for the way he'd disrespected his father.

In a funny moment backstage Eric Young confronted a deranged Sting, who was talking to himself in front of the mirror. Sting agreed to give Young's girlfriend ODB a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot with Eric as her partner. 

Eric Young and ODB defeated Gail Kim and Madison Rayne (c) to win the TNA Knockout Tag Team Championship. The bout itself was largely average, with some comedy moments involving Young, including the finish where after being knocked out by Rayne (she struck Eric with the championship belt) Young then fell on top of Kim for the one-two-three.  

After the match Young got sown on one knee and proposed to ODB, much to the crowds delight. But instead of saying yes ODB instead grabbed the ring and proposed to Eric, who said "yes."

Zema Ion won via disqualification versus Austin Aries in an X Division Championship match. The bout had been entertaining enough, with a typical display of impressive moves by both men. It was unfortunately a little short, which was a shame since it really deserved more time, unlike the tag team title match from earlier in the show. Aries was disqualified after using Ion's hair spray against him in front of the referee. 

A mysterious man in a suit that had been shown entering the building earlier was then shown questioning Velvet Sky about the disappearance of Abyss. He was claiming to be his brother, although it should be quite obvious who he really is, right people?

Bully Ray bragged on the mic about kicking a steel chair into James Storm's head on last weeks Impact. He also added that he deserves to be the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Title, and demanded that Sting come out and make him such. 'The Stinger' sure enough came out and gave Bully a match with Bobby Roode, after also complimenting his calves and saying that "no one does bully like you," but the match was a non title one. 

Bully Ray versus Bobby Roode ended as a no contest after James Storm chased away Bully and Last Call Superkicked Roode, which was a very nice way to set up Storm's match with Bully Ray at Victory Road and also Bobby Roode at Lockdown. Smart booking there by TNA, which I don't get to say very much.

The actual match up was heated and had moments of excitement towards the end after a bit of an unremarkable start. At least Bully Ray was kept safe here by not being pinned by Roode too.

Crimson and Matt Morgan defeated Robbie E and Robbie T in a passable tag team contest, which isn't bad considering my expectations for the match.

This is a time when TNA should be building up their future competition for the Tag Team Champions Samoa Joe and Magnus, although maybe they're just thinking of using Crimson and Morgan until Chris Sabin returns and we'll have what should be a very entertaining series between the Motor City Machine Guns and the champs.

As AJ Styles reminisced in the ring about his memories in the company, since TNA is approaching its tenth anniversary, Christopher Daniels interrupted him and explained that he'd left AJ as a friend so that he could further his career and put himself first, the same thing he'd encouraged Kazarian to do. Kaz theorised that the reason Styles has had so many friends turn their backs on him is his own fault. Styes then introduced the returning Mr. Anderson, who helped AJ take out Daniels and Kazarian. Anderson's return felt a bit underwhelming, and to be honest I haven't really missed him that much personally.

Jeff Hardy and Garrett Bischoff defeated Kurt Angle and Gunner in a mainly solid main event match. The strongest parts of action were definitely the periods with Hardy and Angle in the ring. Unfortunately Garrett still looked out of his depth, which I'm betting is annoying even more guys in the locker room who feel they rightfully deserve that spot in the main event (and I don't blame them) not Garrett who's been handed it due to his Dad. Here's hoping he does improve and earns that spot in the near future. 

Update on Del Rio's return

Originally posted by Caylon Knox on the The Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 

“Former two-time WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio has been medically cleared to compete after recovering from his recent groin injury, and there is a possibility that Del Rio will be brought back as a member of Team Laurinaitis in the ongoing battle between John Laurinaitis and SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long.”

It makes sense to get him involved in the storyline, although I would’ve rather seen Del Rio maybe face Orton at WrestleMania myself. 

Jericho's possible return to WWE?

Posted by: Caylon Knox on Oct 20 2011

"WrestleZone.com, WrestleNewz.com, and several other sites are reporting that Chris Jericho may be in negotiations with WWE regarding a possible return in time for WrestleMania.

Chris Jericho left WWE for the second time about a year ago and has been touring with his band Fozzy, as well as outside projects such as 'Dancing With The Stars'."

It would be a very nice surprise to have Y2J back on our screens every week in WWE, especially considering how thin the main event scene is with such short sighted pushes every few months. I imagine he'll want to change his persona a bit again if he does return. 

Update on Mick Foley's return to WWE, plus Austin responds to Lesnar.

Boy this week has been pretty filled with possible WWE comebacks talk. First Lesnar (segment from the interview is also here on the blog) who I definitely see as a possible return to the company at some point in the future, and someone I would definitely welcome back with open arms. Austin also retaliated to Lesnar's 'challenge' to face him if he had one more match in the squared circle via Twitter when he tweeted "So @DCBROCKLESNAR was talking trash about me...very interesting. Gonna finish my beverage and mull this one over...catch y'all tomorrow." And later on with "Trying to go to sleep..but this @DCBROCKLESNAR thing is winding me up a bit...relax....breath...relax...breathe....no use..to be continued.." Interesting, although as big a fan as I am of Lesnar, I'd personally rather see a CM Punk versus Steve Austin match if he were to wrestle once again. Although obviously either match would be huge. How about Lesnar versus Undertaker and Steve Austin versus Punk along with The Rock versus John Cena on the WrestleMania card next year? What an absolutely huge event that would be.  


Anyway, back to the point of this post. Interesting news regarding Foley:


WrestlingNewsSource.com has learned that Mick Foley will in fact be making a return to WWE sometime within the next few weeks. According to backstage sources, there is talk that Foley's return may take place around the time Survivor Series rolls around. Foley himself has also been teasing his return via Twitter and interviews.

Sources are also reporting that with The Rock returning to action at Survivor Series, as well as making an appearance on the final WWE RAW before the event, it's expected that Foley will make numerous appearances both leading up to and after Survivor Series.

Apparently some fans aren't too keen on the return of Mick to WWE after his rather lackluster run in TNA. I don't really think this is fair, after all he had to work with Vince Russo's writing, which isn't pleasant (to be kind). I think the way to bring him back is to have John Laurinaitis and his evil schemes revealed and have him removed as Interim General Manager, thus leaving a job that can then be filled by former GM Mr. Foley. I for one am looking forward to his return to the company anyway. 

The Rock returning for special three-hour Raw

WWE issued the following-


Finally, The Rock Returns to Boston

WWE(R) announced today that “the most electrifying man in entertainment,” The Rock, will return to the city of Boston at the TD Garden on Monday, November 14 for a special three hour Raw(R) SuperShow that will air live on USA Network at 8 PM ET/7 PM CT.

What will happen when “The People’s Champion” The Rock and John Cena(R) meet in Cena’s hometown in their first face-to-face encounter since the spring? Ever since the announcement of the epic main event of Rock vs. Cena at WrestleMania(R) XXVIII on April 1, 2012, the two Superstars have engaged in a war of words. Can these two Superstars get along six days before they team up at Survivor Series(R)?

Brock Lesnar announced for WWE 12

I cannot wait to play as Lesnar once again in a WWE game. For me since SmackDown: Here Comes The Pain he's always been one of the most exciting wrestlers to be in any WWE video game, with his raw power and great move set.

Would Brock Lesnar ever return to WWE?

Originally Posted by Kenny Williams of WrestlingNewsSource.com-

Following the announcement of his reveal as a playable character in the upcoming WWE '12 video game, IGN.com asked Brock Lesnar whether or not he would ever consider returning to WWE. Below is Lesnar's answer:

"It would have to be under the right circumstances. I don't know if Mr. McMahon and I could come to the right circumstances. If it was good for me and good for him I think that we could do something. At the end of the day, my life, my character and my profession - I take them very seriously. At the end of the day, if it doesn't help me or my family out, and it doesn't make sense for me to do, then I don't do it. Everything would have to fall in the right place, but would I consider it? Absolutely." 

I'm not sure, it's just hard to imagine Brock back in a WWE ring to be honest. Not that I wouldn't love to see it happen, I've been a huge fan of his for years and he's the reason I got into mma in the first place. It'll only happen if he retires from mma I reckon. Still an interesting interview though.