My WWE SmackDown, 22nd June 2012 Recap

Teddy Long informed everyone once again that John Laurinaitis had been fired and was then interrupted by Big Show, who came to the ring and claimed that he didn't care about Laurinaitis being terminated or the fans. He also called John Cena lucky after beating him in a Cage match at No Way Out. Show then threw his hat into the upcoming Money in the Bank match, stating that no amount of men could beat him, even though he's never won any MITB matches that he's participated in. Brodus Clay then interrupted him and began exacting some revenge until he was attacked from behind by David Otunga. This allowed Show to slowly beat down Clay.

Otunga then mocked 'The Funkasaurus' and his dance moves. It wasn't a bad start to the show, Big Show's promos are definitely a lot more interesting than they have been for years, just a shame his ring work hasn't improved.

Ryback defeated a couple more rookies in a Handicap match. I like him but I am just starting to grow tired of these now.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Christian in a great back and fourth contest. It's no shock that these two solid wrestlers put on a very good match up. Afterwards Cody Rhodes attacked Christian's already damaged arm.

Kane defeated Daniel Bryan in a surprisingly good bout. Don't get me wrong I was expecting an enjoyable match here, it just exceeded my expectations and is probably the best one on one match Kane's been involved in since his return. These two have put on solid bouts whenever they've worked together. Kane Choke Slammed Bryan for the winning pin after guest time keeper AJ rang the bell early, distracting Bryan.  

Guest GM Mick Foley began thanking the fans until he was shortly interrupted by Heath Slater, who warned that he was going to protest after his embarrassment on Monday's Raw. Foley then introduced his opponent for the night, Zach Ryder.

Zach Ryder defeated Heath Slater in a fair but short match up. Like I've said Slater has grown on me over the last couple of months, I just can't see him ever rising above his current position on the roster. But you never know.

Titus O'Neil and Darren Young defeated The Usos in an enjoyable tag team bout. It's great to see the tag team division get this brief revival, let's just hope Vince doesn't get bored with it like he normally tends to. Afterwards backstage Epico and Primo attacked the winning tag team.

United States Champion Santino Marella came out and thanked all the fans who had made and brought their own signs, asking the cameraman to highlight them. He then asked one female fan (obviously fake) holding a 'I heart Santino' sign to join him in the ring, she did, then snogged his face off. It was an odd segment, if a little amusing.  

Sheamus defeated Dolph Ziggler in a solid main event. I'm almost tiring of writing compliments for these two now ha ha, but they have just been putting in tremendous efforts over the last year with consistent performances. People have been asking and begging for a Ziggler push and even though he's been loosing to 'The Great White' he's getting into that main event scene and getting that deserved push. And with Vickie Guerrero as guest GM next week you can bet on Ziggler getting a World title match on Raw or SmackDown. I can't see him winning it just yet, but keep patient.

Overall it was a very good SmackDown in-ring wise with some great bouts, a big step up from last week. Outside the matches it wasn't so interesting, as a big fan of Foley's I was quite disappointed with his contributions and Big Show just repeated himself again really. Still, probably the best wrestling show of the week for me.

My WWE SmackDown, 1st June 2012 Recap

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus stated that he was just giving Del Rio a warning when he barged him last week for their title match at No Way Out, stating that the Mexican believes he's better than everyone else because of his fortune, but his money can't buy him the World title. David Otunga joined 'The Great White' and ordered him to apologise for barging John Laurinaitis two weeks ago on Raw. Sheamus refused, telling Otunga that the GM can come and collect the apology face to face.

Alberto Del Rio then came out and mocked the World Champion, calling him a "street hooligan" and such. Otunga decided to punish Sheamus by allowing Del Rio to choose his opponent. Sheamus then Brogue Kicked Otunga for good measure. It was a decent start to the show and the best interaction between Sheamus and Del Rio so far for me.  

The returning Sin Cara defeated Heath Slater in a passable if pretty forgettable match up. There's very few wrestlers that Sin Cara seems to work really well with in WWE, and as long as that's the case fans like me just aren't really going to be that fussed about seeing him to be honest.

Damien Sandow defeated Ezekiel Jackson in an average bout. Sandow looked decent here, it just didn't really last long enough for us to see a lot from him. Before the match he once again claimed that his opponent wasn't worthy of him and went to leave before being pulled back into the ring by 'Big Zeke'. I am really enjoying Sandow's persona, he's a brilliant new character for the blue brand.

Ryback defeated a couple of nobodies (I can't be asked to remember their names now) in a Handicap match. It was the usual squash match, with Ryback once again finishing off the opponents with his impressive backwards slam with both men on his back. I'm trying to think of what they could do next with this guy, maybe a feud with Cody Rhodes could be interesting? We'll see. I just hope they don't ruin this momentum he's on.

Sheamus defeated Dolph Ziggler in a very enjoyable contest. Both men put in a solid effort and it paid off. I've mentioned it already but I feel Sheamus has really upped his game this year and put on better matches than ever in the company. And as I've mentioned about Dolph, well, he deserves a higher place in WWE after all the constantly hard work he's been putting into his matches.

Like on previous occasions Ziggler's talent was clear and appreciated with scattered chants of his name. Hopefully him entering back into singles competition and getting fed up of Swagger (who appeared briefly in the bout in an attempt to help Ziggler, but failed) and Vickie Guerrero means a push is imminent, and maybe even a face turn perhaps? 

Santino Marella and Zach Ryder defeated Titus 'O Neil and Darren Young in a short and mediocre bout. Marella managed to score the one-two-three with a quick schoolboy to Young. I honestly fail to see the point of this match, it did nothing at all for the team of Young and O'Neil, who as of late have been looking fairly good. Afterwards Big Show took out Santino and Ryder. Ryder received the majority of the attack as Show threw him around the ringside area and slammed him onto some steel steps. Why didn't they just have Show interfere during the tag match? At least then O'Neil and Young's momentum wouldn't have taken any damage?  

Like I said after Raw, while it makes sense having Big Show take out people like this, it just all feels too familiar to me. We've seen it all before and I'm already growing a bit tired of it.

Cody Rhodes defeated Tyson Kidd in a fun, if too short for my liking match up. It's a real shame that the talented Kidd wasn't given some more time to show off what he could against Rhodes here, if given the chance I think he could do really well. He just needs to work on his mic skills and connecting with the fans more in my opinion. 

CM Punk (c) versus Kane for the WWE Championship ended in a disqualification after Daniel Bryan attacked them both. While the bout had started off fairly flat and drab, it fortunately became much more enjoyable towards the final third as both men pulled out their signature moves for nice near falls to reel back in the fans interest.

After Punk and Bryan began fighting in the ring, Kane decided to make his move and Choke Slam both of them. This cued GM John Laurinatis' entrance and announcement that it will be a Triple Threat at No Way Out between the three wrestlers for the WWE Championship. What a shocker, eh? Why did they have to include Kane into this feud? I was really hoping for another one on one rematch between Bryan and Punk after their superb match at Over The Limit, it could've even been a Submission match or something along those lines to change it up a bit. Oh well, the Triple Threat should still be decent enough.    

My WWE SmackDown, May 18th 2012 Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My WWE Raw, April 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, April 9th 2012 Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My WWE Raw, March 2nd 2012 Recap

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My WWE SmackDown, March 23rd 2012 Recap

Daniel Bryan came to the ring and asked his girlfriend AJ what it's like "to be in love with a World Champion?" The smitten AJ went on to describe how great the experience was of being with him, even being prompted by the man himself to say what great "lover" he was. Shortly after the number one contender to Bryan's title Sheamus joined the lovebirds and called Bryan a "snivelling little coward," and went on to claim how he will be victorious at WrestleMania.    

Mark Henry defeated R-Truth in a drab contest, so usual stuff for Henry.

Backstage Zach Ryder convinced Teddy Long to add him and The Great Khali to his team at 'Mania. They're both logical choices for the team, even though I'm not a fan of Khali.

AJ defeated Brie Bella in a mediocre match up. As much as I like AJ, and the fact that she actually stands out from the rest of the Divas, she hasn't shown an awful lot of improvement in the ring to me. Afterwards Brie attempted to get a cheer going for team Teddy Long.

Zach Ryder defeated Jack Swagger in a decent enough bout between the two. The win came after Swagger was distracted by Hornswaggle at ringside, who'd been terrorising Vickie, and Ryder capitilised with a Rough Ryder for the one-two-three. 

Big Show won via disqualification versus Kane when Cody Rhodes ran in and struck him before running off into the crowd. The actual match had been nothing particularly special, pretty average really, with a slow pace (understandably) and signature power moves by both men. Afterwards Randy Orton also decided to pay Kane a visit and RKO'd him.   

Brodus Clay defeated Heath Slater in one of his usual squash matches, although I'll give Clay some credit he has seemed to have added a few new moves in there. I'd add him to Team Long if I had the choice, it'd make sense to me. And maybe that could lead on to a real feud between him and possibly Henry afterwards? He needs something like that for his character to advance a bit anyway, the act is getting stale now.

The Great Khali defeated Dolph Ziggler via count out in what was another rather drab and mediocre match for the night. Ziggler put in a decent enough effort but there's only really so much you can get back from Khali in the ring.

Sheamus and CM Punk defeated The Miz and Daniel Bryan in an entertaining and solid main event tag team match. All four wrestlers looked good and put on a great display here, which begs the question why aren't there more matches like this at the moment? You'd think there would be considering it's WrestleMania season.  

Overall SmackDown was a bit disappointing, with the action in the ring being largely average. Fortunately Bryan and AJ's segment at the start and the main event match saved the show a bit.   

My WWE Raw, February 13th 2012 Recap

Raw began with a debate with all six participants in the forthcoming WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match. Which included CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, R-Truth, Chris Jericho and Kofi Kingston. But before it could begin John Laurinaitiscame out and thanked the WWE Board of Directors for letting him keep his job.

CM Punk simply stated that he would win the Chamber match because he is, you guessed it! The "best wrestler in the world." Dolph Ziggler bragged about how talented he is and claimed that R-Truth wasn't even aware of what State they were in. R-Truth, in his confused mental state believed they were running for Office and even called the host of the debate Jerry Lawler "Your Honour."

The Miz bragged about retaining the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania last year not once, but twice. He also carried on to put down all five of the other men, especially Jericho who he went on a nice little rant about. A Miz versus Jericho feud in the future could be, as Miz would say, Awwwweeeesoooome. I'm sorry I had to. Kofi Kingston claimed that it would be an advantage being considered an"afterthought" as Miz had described him, since he'll be overlooked. He added that in one night everything could change he could very well walk out the champ.

Chris Jericho claimed to have more success then all five of the other men combined, and reminded us that the last time he was in an EC Match he walked out with the World Heavyweight championship. He also told Punk that "the master has returned" and he might as well hand over the title to him now. He then pushed Kofi out of his way and made his way over to CM Punk where he began shouting abuse at him, only to turn and receive a Trouble In Paradise kick to the face from Kofi, right before their match up.

Chris Jericho defeated Kofi Kingston in an enjoyable bout, with solid ring work and the action very rarely letting up. These two have always seemed to work well together in the ring. If I were booking right now I'd start planning for Kingston to win the Money In The Bank Match at Mania, he's more then proven his talent in the ring in my opinion. Plus he can deliver on the mic when he has to, he may not be the best but he can only improve.    

Big Show versus Randy Orton ended in a disqualification after Daniel Bryan ran in and struck both with his World Heavyweight Championship belt. Up until that point the match had been okay, nothing special. The highlight being a Hangman DDT to Big Show from Orton as Show was leaning over the top rope.   

Hall of Famer, the icon, 'Mr. WrestleMania', HBK himself Shawn Michaels made his way to the ring and confessed to being shocked last week when good friend Triple H turned down The Undertaker's offer of a rematch at WrestleMania. But he then claimed to have figured out why 'The Game' turned it down, to bait The Undertaker, to draw him into the match. So Michaels brought out Triple H to admit it to everyone else right there. But Triple H once again announced that he had no intention of facing Taker again on the big stage after what he put him through last year. A confused HBK then asked Triple H if the suit he wore had changed him, if he had now "married that chick and became one of them?" 

Triple H claimed that Shawn wouldn't understand what it's like being in his shoes. Michaels confessed that was true but added that when a man challenges you to a fight and you back down, that makes you "a coward." Triple H then explained to him that one day all of the company will be his, and due to that he know longer looks at Undertaker like an opponent but as "a brand," and ending that brand would be bad for business. 'The Game' also added that he wasn't going to face Taker just so Michaels could live through him and accomplish what he never could. Shawn then asked him to look him in the eyes and tell him that he doesn't want to end The Undertaker's streak, and Triple H did. To end the segment another VT played featuring Taker going over their WrestleMania 27 match up, but this time he began cutting off his hair at the end. So this is how they're going to get around Undertaker's shaven head.

It was an awesome segment from start to finish. With a tremendous interaction between Triple H and Shawn Michaels that even exceeded what I had anticipated. I'm still hoping that Michaels is brought in to possibly referee to bout.

R-Truth defeated Dolph Ziggler in a match that never had the chance to get going unfortunately. Truth managed to score a roll up pin as Ziggler was applying some sit ups using his body. 

Tamina defeated Brie Bella in an average and forgettable Divas bout. Although I'll give Tamina credit she has certainly looked more competent in the ring lately. She'll face Beth Phoenix for the WWE Divas Championship this sunday at Elimination Chamber, I can only see Beth winning that one.

Backstage Kane attempted to kidnap Eve in the back of an ambulance, but fortunately for her John Cena managed to come to the rescue. Afterwards they shared a brief kiss, which of course Zach Ryder (who's infatuated with Eve, boy this is like writing a soap opera) saw all of. As Zach stormed off Eve tried to apologise and said that she still wants to be friends with him, which hilariously drew a massive boo from the crowd. 'Poor Zach' was even trending on Twitter afterwards. Could this possibly mean a turn for Ryder? I certainly don't think that'd be the right move at the moment. 

CM Punk defeated The Miz in an acceptable match up, albeit a bit bland to start off with. Punk managed to force Miz to tap out to the Anaconda Vice. 

John Cena attempted to publicly appologise to Zach Ryder for his kiss with Eve. He also admitted that this must have been Kane's plan all along, to turn his friends and the WWE fans against him (that happened a while back John). But Cena explained that he was proud of who he was, and that no amount of hate will change that.

Zach Ryder then slowly made his way out on his crutches and knocked the microphone out of Cena's hand, then slapped him in the face and left. Kane appeared on the tron and congratulated Cena on finally embracing the hate after taking away his friend's"true love." As Cena went to grab a mic Kane appeared and pushed Ryder off of the stage. Cena raced to his aid and the show ended as him and Eve watched Ryder being stretchered off.       

My WWE Raw, January 23rd 2012 Recap

CM Punk started off the show by talking about his upcoming opponent at the Royal Rumble Dolph Ziggler, and the special guest referee for the WWE Championship match John Laurinaitis, who he called a "failure." A failure as a former pro wrestler, at life and at his current job. Punk also presented the footage from last weeks Raw where Laurinaitis admitted to Mick Foley that he will screw over Punk for the title as referee. CM Punk then invited Laurinaitis out to say that to his face in the ring. But instead of the interim Raw GM making an appearance, John Cena joined Punk. The WWE Champ explained that it wasn't this John he was after, to which Cena retorted with "Sorry, I was sick of hearing you ramble." Was that Cena with some attitude? Nice change. Cena also demanded that Laurinaits come out, plus give Zach Ryder his United States Championship rematch and also resign as General Manager.
John Laurinaitis claimed that he stood by what he had said the week before and that he wasn't going to be intimated by either of them. He also announced a Falls Count Anywhere match for later on between Zach Ryder and Kane, and warned that if Cena gets involved at all then Ryder will never get a Unites States Championship rematch again. Laurinaitis then also booked a tag team match for right then and there with Cena and Punk versus Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger.
Dolph Ziggler warned CM Punk before their match that it doesn't matter that Laurinaitis will be in his corner, because he's going to beat him anyway. Jack Swagger also threatened that Cena was "dead meat" after his attack on the United States Champion last week. It felt like an average way to start the show after last weeks strong finish. I don't think there was any need for Ziggler and Swagger to talk too, that could have been cut for how irrelevant it was.    
Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger defeated CM Punk and John Cena in an average tag team bout that at least picked up in quality once the bumbling Cena tagged in Punk. Ziggler managed to score a roll up pin on CM Punk after John Laurinaitis distracted the WWE Champion on the apron.
Afterwards CM Punk then once again challenged the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Interim General Manager of Raw to a match. Laurinaitis, then to the surprise and delight of the crowd in attendance accepted the match. 
Chris Jericho then appeared for the return of his Highlight Reel (without uttering a word of course) but quickly left to go grab a T-Shirt gun. After teasing shooting off a T-shirt into the crowd he instead then grabbed a camera from a nearby cameraman and began mucking about with it. After dropping that he then urged the audience to hush and played a VT of some of his greatest moments. Then, in a shocking moment that provoked a big reaction, he finally spoke since his return. Saying that "This Sunday at the Royal Rumble, it's going to be the end of the World as you know it." I certainly applaude the direction Jericho and the backstage team have gone in for this current storyline of his. Makes a nice change of pace that we're having something play out slowly rather then be rushed out like most story lines have been in WWE over the last year. 
Kane versus Zach Ryder in a Falls Count Anywhere match ended in a no contest.The bout itself that Kane largely dominated wasn't bad but also wasn't anything spectacular, it served its purpose of advancing the John Cena and Kane rivalry so it did its job. Ryder and Kane during the match ended up going through the crowd and eventually onto the stage where Kane Chokeslammed Ryder through the floor. Afterwards Cena joined Eve who had been ringside for most of the bout as Ryder was stretchered away into an ambulance. Just before they drove him away Eve told Cena that it was all his fault. 
Sheamus defeated Jinder Mahal in a fairly brief but entertaining match up. Sheamus has even added a standing rolling fireman's carry slam to his move repertoire, nice addition there. Wade Barrett had been on commentary during the bout, mainly to plug the Royal Rumble and the return of Randy Orton to SmackDown this Friday. After the match Sheamus warned Barrett, who had threatened to enter the ring but instead backed off, that he should get used to the sight of a victorious 'Great White' as he was going to win the Royal Rumble match on Sunday. Chris Jericho is still my current favourite to win it.
Backstage, in a bit of an amusing segment R-Truth (pretending to be a market researcher) began to antagonise The Miz  by calling him the number one "whiner" and such. An angered John Laurinaitis then interrupted them, saying that he couldn't even think with all the noise they were making. So he added a stipulation to their match stating that whoever lost would be the number one entrant in the Royal Rumble match.  
Brodus Clay defeated Heath Slater in another one of his squatch matches. I'm hoping after the Royal Rumble that Clay's put into a real feud with someone in the lead up to WrestleMania.
R-Truth defeated The Miz in a solid encounter between the two. I wasn't expecting a classic but these two certainly delivered in my opinion. Although after the way their feud has been building up it felt a little anticlimactic that it should end on a one on one televised match. Miz should be an interesting number one entrant into the Rumble match though.
Before CM Punk versus John Laurinaitis could commence, David Otunga was asked to read out a fax that had been sent to the Interim Raw GM. It stated that due to his recent actions, his status was under review and that next week on Raw it would be determined whether or not he stays on as General Manager. And the review will be conducted by COO, Triple H. Well that should prove interesting then, eh?
Laurinaitis called this a "wake up call" and formally apologised to CM Punk and all the fans. He also admitted to making a mistake last week and announced Mick Foley's entrance into the Royal Rumble match. CM Punk stated that he hopes that if Triple H has inherited anything from Vince McMahon, it's his trademark "You're fired!" 
Laurinaitis also announced that David Otunga would be stepping in for him as a substitute in their match up. CM Punk made quick work of Otunga and forced him to submit to the Anaconda Vice. Afterwards he gave Otunga a couple of kicks and applied the Go To Sleep to Mr. Laurinaitis. Ziggler then snuck in and not wasting any time Zig Zagged the WWE Champion for the final image of the show.
Overall Raw was more an advancement show for current rivalries and story lines. No matches were particularly outstanding, although they weren't bad. This is the edge SmackDown currently has over Raw right now, they're pulling off these solid story lines (such as the Bryan, Big Show and Henry triangle) and providing us with entertaining matches each week. I just hope they start to give a little more attention to the actual action in the ring after the Rumble on Sunday.

My WWE Raw, January 16th 2012 Recap

Mick Foley opened things up by saying that he would love to wrestle one more time in a WWE ring for his two youngest children Huey and Mickey, who were too young to see him wrestle the last time for the company. This news predictably went down very well with the crowd in attendance. He then added that he was officially a contestant in the 2012 Royal Rumble match.  
Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler then made their way out, where Dolph questioned Foley's spot in the Royal Rumble match. Claiming that he was taking away a precious place from a wrestler that's been working hard all year to earn it. But Foley responded by saying that he wasn't just in the Rumble for the sake of it, he was in it to "win it." Ziggler then bragged about his recent victories over Cena and WWE Champion CM Punk and said that he "couldn't think of a bigger let down" then if he were to win the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble and then Mick were to win the Rumble match and he'd have to face an "out of shape, has been, was never that good to begin with glorified stuntman, walking punchline" at WrestleMania (what a mouthful). Ziggler also demanded that Foley "just go away!" Dolph looked and sounded superb in this segment I thought, he's certainly come a long, long way with his mic skills over the last year.
WWE Champion CM Punk then joined them, with a big welcome for Mick. Punk listed off a few similarities between him and Foley, including the fact that they've both earned everything that they have achieved unlike Ziggler. He also added that he thought it would be "damn cool" if he were to go on to WrestleMania to defend his title against Mick Foley. John Laurinaitis then announced that he was refusing Foley's entrance into the Royal Rumble match and the segment ended with a cackling Vickie in Mick's face.
Primo and Epico (c) defended the WWE Tag Team Titles against Air Boom in a fast paced and entertaining match up. My only real gripe is that they should've given this bout some more time, these two teams deserve it. Unfortunately WWE have again dropped the ball with the tag division and haven't been building up anyone else to face Primo and Epico for the titles in the future. I wrote a couple of months back that they should be building up other teams outside of the title scene to give them more credibility when they fight for the championships.   
Jack Swagger defeated Zach Ryder (c) to win the United States Championship. It was a match dominated by Swagger, who understandably took advantage of the injured Zach Ryder in a forgettable title bout. But it was understandably more about selling Kane's attack on Ryder then having a decent title match. 
Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox defeated the Bella Twins in a worthless match where 'special' guest Perez Hilton assisted Kelly by dragging out one of the Bellas (I can't be asked to remember which one) after one of their signature swaps with each other.  
Wade Barrett interrupted R-Truth before he'd even begun talking. He once again claimed how he was going to be the victor of the Royal Rumble match in two weeks. I have to say that he's definitely one of my favourites to win it. He also called R-Truth a"lunatic" who'd be better off in a "straight jacket." R-Truth asked Barrett why he was so mad, and added that he missed his smile. Truth then presented a slideshow from his trip to Disneyland. In a funny moment we saw Pinocchio's nose grow after saying that Wade's going to win the Royal Rumble, to which R-Truth responded "I don't even know if that's PG!" The Miz then attacked Truth from behind as he snuck in form the crowd, but it didn't last long as Sheamus came to his aid. Teddy Long (we have to endure him on Raw now too?) then booked an Over The Top Challenge between all four men. This is probably the most entertaining R-Truth has been since his return as face, I'd like to see him make it work.
R-Truth won the Over The Top Challenge. It was more entertaining then I was expecting and a nice little touch as far as hyping the Royal Rumble goes. Wade Barrett was first eliminated, then Miz and Sheamus together as Truth tossed them both over.
John Laurinaitis granted an irate John Cena a match against Jack Swagger as payback for Ryder, but before the bell had even had a chance to ring Cena ruthlessly took out Swagger. Dragging him out of the ring and onto the announce desk and Irish Whipping him into the steel steps. As he was about to slam the steps onto a helpless Swagger's head Kane appeared on the tron. He told Cena that he was impressed, and that by the time their match at the Royal Rumble comes around he would've "embraced the hate."  
Brodus Clay defeated JTG in another dominate and oddly entertaining performance from Clay. He's certainly become one of the most charismatic performers in the company today, and I'm all for it. It just works doesn't it?
Daniel Bryan came out and said that although most people see Big Show as a loveable giant, he's actually a "freak" that bowled over his girlfriend, AJ. He also accused Big Show of intentionally running over her to get to him and the World Heavyweight Title. He then warned Show that "you shouldn't ever show your face on SmackDown again. And if you do, I'm going to make you pay." In regards to his title match against Mark Henry on this Fridays SmackDown, he said that he was going to dedicate that victory to AJ.
It was a nicely executed speech by Bryan, he's really fitted brilliantly into the new heel role so far. Although I'd still not say that he's a fully blown out heel just yet. I always felt that Bryan had the character there even as a face (just look at his awesome segments with Cole back on NXT) but I guess the heel turn is what he needed to go up that next level in WWE.
CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho Mick Foley defeated David Otunga, Mark Henry and Dolph Ziggler in a mostly entertaining Six-Man Tag Team Match. The best part for me being the action between Punk and Ziggler. As Chris Jericho was tagged into the match to a huge ovation, he began his trademark celebration with the crowd and then left the ring. I'm still a big fan of this intriguing storyline involving Jericho and his refusal to talk or even wrestle in the ring. It certainly has people guessing anyway. As Bryan was tagged in and began to tangle with his opponent on Friday, Mark Henry, their fight ended up travelling backstage. Mick Foley then arrived and joined Punk on his team, claiming that Laurinaitis had given him permission to do so. Foley looked rather sloppy between the ropes to be honest, as much of a fan as I am I have to admit it. Mick ended up grabbing the win after applying the Mandible Claw to David Otunga.         
After the bout Laurinaitis charged out and reversed the decision after announcing that Foley had never cleared his participation in the match with him beforehand. CM Punk grabbed the mic out of his hand and told him to "Shut your mouth, you're gonna listen to me!" Which provoked a huge roar form the fans. Punk claimed that Laurinaitis acts the way he does because in the ring he never amounted to anything, he never had the ability and he was boring. All true. He also added that he can't stand the fact that in the past year CM Punk has achieved more in his career then he ever will in his entire life. Regarding the title match at the Royal Rumble where John Laurinaitis will be the special guest referee Punk stated that it doesn't matter what he does because "I'll still be better then you." And he ended by simply saying "You're pathetic." It was another superb and heated promo from the WWE Champion.
Laurinaitis picked up the mic and claimed that he wasn't pathetic, and that he wouldn't be intimidated by Punk. Mick Foley then told John to just admit what he is, and called him a "kiss ass," which is a perfect term to describe him behind the scenes. "Who the hell do you think you are Foley?" Asked Laurinaitis. He also admitted that he will screw CM Punk out of the Championship and that he was sick of everyone pushing him around and bullying him. Laurinaitis actually showed some real emotion and personality here as he vented at everyone. He then ended the show by striking Foley in the head with the microphone. 

My WWE Raw, January 9th 2012 Recap

Kane started things off by accusing all of the fans of living lives that they really "hate"and despise. With families and jobs that they really cannot stand. He also then claimed that when the fans look at John Cena they see "hope" and "success," when really they should be viewing what they'll never achieve, and what's out of their grasp. Kane always reminded us of how close he was to dragging Ryder down with him on last weeks Raw and warned that "I always get what I want, and what I want are consequences! Consequences for refusing to embrace hate."    
Before the 'Big Red Monster' finished his sentence John Cena's music hit and he raced out to brawl with Kane. The fight ended up going backstage, and then moved on to the parking lot. After a big uppercut slap from Kane which sent Cena into a pile of boxes, he soon recovered only to discover that Kane had disappeared.     
Santino Marella and Sheamus defeated Wade Barrett and Jinder Mahal in an average tag match that picked up a bit once Sheamus entered the fray. Just when I think Mahal is making some progress he goes and gets pinned by Santino's Cobra finisher, that's never a good sign for a wrestler. 
Edge was then announced as a more then deserving inductee into the WWE 2012 Hall Of Fame. I can't help but still feel so disappointed that one of the most all-rounded talented wrestlers I've ever seen was forced to retire earlier then expected. But of course it was clearly for the best and the most intelligent move on Adam Copeland's part. Once again, thank you Edge.
Daniel Bryan defeated Kofi Kingston in a brief but entertaining bout that really deserved some more time I feel. Bryan won after making Kingston tap to his signature LeBell Lock.
After the match Big Show made his way out to confront Bryan. Before Big Show could finish a sentence the World Champion cut him off and admitted that he already knew what Show was thinking, that "I hated how that World Title match ended." He also added that he was a fighting champion and claimed that "I will give you a World Title match whenever you want." Big Show informed Bryan that Teddy Long agreed with him and that on this weeks SmackDown he would be defending the championship against him in a No Disqualification, No Count Out Match.  
Then, after weeks and weeks of anticipation, Brodus Clay finally made his Raw debut as the 'Funkasaurus' Brodus Clay. Yes, you read that right. He arrived with two dancers and a 70s disco theme to his entrance. I don't believe anyone was expecting this.
Brodus Clay briefly defeated Curt Hawkings. The bout was brief but not bad, this wasn't just because of Clay and Hawking's efforts but also due to the random remarks 'The Funkasaurus' made during the match. Such as "My bad!" after he knocked over Hawkings. Certainly an interesting direction for Clay that's for sure, and I can't deny that he was entertaining.
CM Punk defeated Jack Swagger a pretty solid encounter between the two. Just before the bell had rung John Laurinaitis, to prove that he'll be impartial as the special guest referee in the WWE Championship match between Punk and Dolph Ziggler at the Royal Rumble, announced that if Punk won then Vickie Guerrero and Jack Swagger would be banned from ringside for that match. 
Backstage The Miz threatened that he would add Ricardo Rodriguez to the injured list if he didn't go out to the ring and say something offensive about R-Truth to draw him out, so Rodriguez left to make his way out.
Then the next inductees into the WWE 2012 Hall Of Fame was announced, The Four Horsemen. Does this mean we'll be seeing Ric Flair at the induction then? 
A very nervous Ricardo Rodriguez then began (mildly, but quite amusingly) insulting R-Truth, which successfully drew him out. Truth said that Ricardo had him all wrong, and that he was now a "goood R-Truth." The deranged Truth then asked if Rodriguez would "sing me and Little Jimmy a song?" So Ricardo agreed and began to sing, and even remix at one point, a song for Truth. Much to the crowds delight, it was pretty entertaining actually. I can definitely see a successful face turn in the future for him. After R-Truth asked him to sing again, Rodriguez accidentally knocked the mic out of his hand causing Truth to apply a  What's Up? to Rodriguez. Afterwards The Miz arrived and began assaulting Truth, until he turned it around and chased Miz off into the crowd.    
Chris Jericho then made his way out and began to celebrate in the same fashion as he had done last week on his return. As his music stopped and he held a mic on his hand, he then began to look emotional and overwhelmed by the reaction. This carried on until he once again left the arena without uttering a single word. I'm not sure about everyone else but I'm really enjoying these new segments involving Jericho. It's certainly a bit different and intriguing, and it's got everyone guessing as to what he's really up to.
As Eve Torres awaited Beth Phoenix's arrival for a one on one match, Kane's music hit so Zach Ryder raced out to save her. They both left the building but discovered that a tyre on Ryder's car had been let down so he began replacing it.
John cena versus Dolph Ziggler ended in a no contest after Cena left the match to help Ryder. The bout up until that point had been fairly decent, Ziggler had actually been given the majority of the offence to help build him up for the title match at Royal Rumbe. As the match proceeded, footage on the tron showed Kane attacking Ryder from behind by the car. He then Chokeslammed him onto the ground a few feet below. Cena abandoned the match and raced out to help the United States Champion, but was ambushed by 'The Big Red Monster' and once again choked out.    
Overall Raw felt like a pretty average show to me considering the in ring action, but it was more of a broadcast to help build up certain storylines and feuds.   

My WWE Raw, January 2nd 2012 Recap

John Cena kicked off Raw to a chorus of boos and chants of "You suck!" to wish everybody a "Happy new year." He went on to list a few of his New Year resolutions, one of which was to to beat The Rock at WrestleMania and prove he has no "lady parts." Cena also further confirmed his feelings towards the fans by admitting that they have every right to say what they want after paying their hard earned money to attend the show. "I will continue to enjoy any emotional response that I get" he also remarked, which seemed really genuine and I can believe it. Kane soon interrupted him and claimed that on that night he would learn to "embrace the true power of hate."    
Daniel Bryan defeated Cody Rhodes in a solid encounter when he applied a small package for the one-two-three. Finally WWE have been building Bryan up properly as of late and giving him these consecutive wins since winning the World Title. Although I can see a heel turn approaching for Bryan in the very near future, possibly against Big Show in their match on Friday possibly.
Wade Barrett came out to brag about taking Orton out on last weeks SmackDown after he threw him down a flight of stairs during their Falls Count Anywhere match. He also went on to talk about how his "Barrett barrage" will continue to Royal Rumble, and then on to WrestleMania to become a World Champion. I have to say, right now Barrett is my pick to win the Royal Rumble at the end of the month. Santino Marella then joined Barrett before their match and bragged about how he lasted longer in last years Rumble bout and intends to do the same this year. He also urged the fans to join his own version of the 'Barrett Barrage' with the "Santino Marella choo choo trains, all aboard!" As usual, Santino was quite amusing and brought in a good reaction from the crowd.  
Wade Barrett defeated Santino Marella in a brief bout that was more of a comedy match at moments. But it did the job in continuing to make Barrett look dominant, so it was a success.
Backstage we witnessed R-Truth stalking a paranoid Miz before his match with Sheamus, which ended as a no contest after The Miz ran off into the crowd. But unknown to him his old partner R-Truth was also in the audience waiting for him. The deranged Truth consulted with Little Jimmy about Miz and announced that Jimmy said that "you need to get got" to him. As Truth gave chase Sheamus halted Miz with a Brogue Kick and Truth once again smacked him in the head with a water bottle. R-Truth went back into the crowd and announced that this was another "weekly Miz beat down," I quite like the idea that he's going to torment Miz every week for revenge. It suits his unstable persona.
Dolph Ziggler defeated CM Punk (c) via count out in their WWE Championship bout. The match was a solid effort by both wrestlers and was filled with some nicely executed near falls towards the last third of the match up. For the finish CM Punk accidentally removed a turnbuckle pad as he held on to avoid the Zig Zag from Dolph. This cued John Laurinaitis to race out and inform the referee, thereby distracting him from seeing Punk make Ziggler tap to the Anaconda Vice. As the challenger decided to make the most of the distraction and attempt pounce on Punk, the champ reversed it and threw Dolph into Laurinaitis on the ropes. As Punk was then irish whipped into his direction, John Laurinaitis purposely held down the ropes causing Punk to land hard on the outside and give Ziggler the count out victory.
I can see this storyline leading to Laurinaitis eventually causing Ziggler to win the WWE Championship from CM Punk at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Although I don't envisage Ziggler's reign lasting all the way to WrestleMania.    
The Bella Twins defeated Kelly Kelly and Eve Torres in a usual forgettable Divas tag team match up. At least the superior Eve had more time in the ring then Kelly Kelly.
Backstage CM Punk expressed his anger at Laurinaitis for causing his loss against Ziggler and almost costing him the title. Laurinaitis informed Punk that due to Ziggler's win he will get another title shot at the Royal Rumble, and that he would be the special guest referee. Punk viciously warned the Interim General Manager of Raw that if he screws him out of the WWE Championship then he'll get done for animal cruelty because "I'm going to beat you like a bitch!" Which provoked a tremendous reaction from the crowd in Memphis, and many fans such as myself I'm sure. At least Laurinaitis has been showing a little more character lately, I'll give him that. 
Then, we finally had the answer to who was behind all the 'End of the World' vignettes that have been playing for weeks now. Now my guess was the Undertaker, it seemed like the most logical choice and the promos seemed to suit his style. But I was wrong. It was in fact the man who has been constantly refusing any association with WWE via Twitter for the last few weeks, Chris Jericho.Which understandably provoked a huge reaction. He continued to race around near the crowd, high-fiving people and then entered the ring with a mic, but dropped it and continued to scream and celebrate with the fans. Without saying a word to anyone he then made his way back up the ramp, and with a smile on his face just left. In my opinion I thought this was a brilliant idea. Rather then having him talk straight away, Jericho keeps us guessing as to why he didn't say anything. Is he a face as he first appeared or was it all a ruse to fool us fans? The rumours of a CM Punk versus Jericho match at Mania seems like a very likely possibility right now.      
Then we had the main event, the six-man elimination tag team match pitting John Cena, Big Show and Zach Ryder against Mark Henry, Jack Swagger and Kane.Unfortunately for Swagger and Henry, Kane didn't turn up. Big Show was first eliminated via disqualification after striking and taking out Henry with a steel chair. Cena then pinned glorified jobber Swagger after an Attitude Adjustment for the win. The match was pretty entertaining at parts, didn't really live up to the main event billing though.
Kane's music then hit so Cena decided to go down the ramp to greet 'The Big Red Monster'. But Kane had different ideas as he rose up from the middle of the ring and attacked Ryder. As Cena realised what had happened Kane struck him and once again choked him out. Kane continued his havoc as he went back into the ring and attempted to drag Ryder down with him through the hole he'd risen from, but Super Cena managed to just save Ryder and drag him out of Kane's grasp. For the final image of the show we witnessed fire rise up from the same hole. Keeping the red lighting and footage of fire on the tron was a nice touch for the segment. It was an effective ending to the show I thought, much better then the promo between Kane and Cena from the ending of last weeks Raw anyway.     
Overall Raw was decent. Jericho's return is very much welcome in my eyes, as we know Taker will be back in time for Mania anyway. I was originally disappointed that his return hadn't been left until the final part of the broadcast, but to be honest I feel they made the right choice by switching it with Kane's own opening to Hell.