My WWE SmackDown, 26th October 2012 Recap

Randy Orton started off the show by explaining that he hasn't got a problem with Alberto Del Rio because he attacked him, but rather because he tried to make an example out of him. Del Rio himself soon came out and once again gave the same speech he's been giving for weeks that he's the new "apex predator." In response Orton accused Del Rio of being a coward and only talking big when he's at a safe distance. Del Rio decided then he'd had enough abuse and left. But just after Wade Barrett then ran in and clobbered 'The Viper', then quickly made a move. Because of this Booker T booked Orton and Barrett in a bout for later on.
Kane defeated Cody Rhodes in a decent enough match up. The action was solid for the most part, although it wasn't necessarily the most exciting bout ever. The most entertaining part was actually the great commentary with Damien Sandow and Daniel Bryan joining Matthews and JBL. Both Bryan and Sandow are always on form on the mic, and now behind the commentary desk too.
The Miz beat Yoshi Tatsu in a bit of a pedestrian bout. For the most part Miz controlled Tatsu, which he needed to after loosing three times in a row over the last week and a half. Miz looked good here, there was just nothing that special or memorable about the match. 
In Booker T's office Teddy long, Kaitlyn and Layla confronted him about Eve's mysterious text to Aksana asking her to take out Kaitlyn at Night of Champions. An unsure Booker decided to (finally) settle things by booking a Triple threat at Hell in a Cell for the Divas Title between Eve, Layla and Kaitlyn. Hopefully this will be the end of the storyline. 
Wade Barrett bested Randy Orton in a solid outing. Both men put on worthy displays here as they battled back and fourth. Good stuff. Barrett managed to catch Orton with his Souvenir finisher for the one-two-three (which I've become a fan of, a bit different to most finishers) after Del Rio distracted 'The Viper' at ringside. Although Del Rio distracted Orton this was still a big win for Barrett and a good sign for the fellow Englishmen, JBL rightfully emphasised this afterwards. 
Eve and Aksana beat Kaitlyn and Layla in a mediocre tag bout. It was just quite pedestrian for the most part to be honest, I lost interest quickly into it and nothing got it back. Why the untalented Aksana is still around I don't know, there are good-looking and talented female wresters available out there for WWE to bring in.
Backstage Kane warned Bryan that he better win his match against Sandow after he was victorious against Rhodes earlier, or he'd be proven to be the weak link of the team. As Bryan went to leave Kane gave him a cheeky slap on the bum for good luck, so Bryan hilariously turned and said "No!" I will be watching that moment for many, many years to come I'm sure.
Damien Sandow defeated Daniel Bryan in an enjoyable match up. Sandow did decent here, and Bryan was on his standard solid form as they went back and fourth. Sandow managed to catch Bryan out for the win after Cody threw Bryan into the ringpost when the referee was distracted by Kane approaching Sandow at ringside. Although Bryan's mounted up quite a few losses recently, he seems to be invulnerable to loosing momentum and reaction from the fans. He's bulletproof. 
Big Show bragged at his face to face with Sheamus (mind you there were a whole line of security separating the two) that his WMD punch is stronger than any other finishing maneuver ever. He also called Sheamus "delusional" if he thinks he can use the Brogue Kick against him. 'The Great White' then admitted that he couldn't wait to face Show at HIAC due to what a huge challenge he presented. He then claimed that "the time for fighting is now!" and forced his way to Show as they began brawling. Unfortunately for Sheamus, Big Show managed to escape the ring before he could hit the Brogue Kick. It was a decent enough segment to end the show on, and probably the best between these two since their largely drab rivalry has begun. I'm not expecting much from their match at HIAC to be honest, so hopefully I'll be surprised come Sunday. 
I'll see you later this week with my predictions for Hell in a Cell. Have a good weekend!

My Impact Wrestling, 25th October 2012 Recap

Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Hulk Hogan gave Jeff Hardy a speech in his office claiming that he'd "raised the bar" after obtaining the World Title at Bound for Glory, didn't he say the same thing to Aries when he won the title at Destination X? It certainly would've been more relevant then. We then heard an inner monologue from Hardy on each of the four possible men he could face for his championship next, it was a little different but I didn't mind it.

Rob Van Dam (c) defeated Zema Ion to retain the X Division Title. It was a fair match up. Ion looked decent and RVD as usual seemed to pull out his standard moves, which was fine. Nothing that special but watchable.

Afterwards Matt Morgan, accompanied by Joey Ryan, took out the champ with a clumsy Carbon Footprint. Morgan then warned Hogan that after wishing for a monster from him, he might just get it. Ryan meanwhile held the X Division strap in Van Dam's face, so I presume he's now next in line for a shot. I'm liking the more serious Morgan just taking out people, although once he steps back into the ring it'll be the same old bland wrestler I imagine. 

Kazarian complained about the unfair treatment him and Christopher Daniels had received from the GM Hogan, claiming that they'd lost the tag team titles "illegally" at BFG. Daniels then accused Dixie Carter of catering to the new title holders Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez to gain a larger latino audience, saying that they were typical looking Mexicans with their tattoos and poncho. He also amusingly suggested calling them "dos steriotypicos." It was a great promo from both members of one of the most solid overall tag teams going today.

Chavo and Hernandez then interrupted a petition Daniels and Kaz attempted to get going to gain them a rematch for the championship. Chavo stated that he and Hernandez would welcome a rematch anytime, anyplace, and they then chased the former title holders out of the ring and signed the petition themselves.

After Mr. Anderson was eliminated from a chance at the World Title by Hogan, Austin Aries was there waiting to berate the 'Asshole'. This of course led to a brief fight between the two, with AA eventually challenging Anderson to a match that night. Embarrassingly we then clearly heard the director shouting "Cut" at the end of the segment. Not particularly professional looking, eh?

We were then shown footage of Devon announcing to his fellow Aces & 8s members that they had to take out a random victim that night during the show. So they randomly picked by throwing a dart at a wall with photos of the roster, but we didn't see who their choice was.

Samoa Joe (c) beat Robbie T to retain the TNA Television Championship in a passable, if pretty average contest. The limited Robbie T did his usual move set, while Joe worked well with what he had, eventually locking on the Coquina Clutch after a few attempts to force Terry to tap. In an Undertaker-like fashion Joe rose up after being taken to the mat by Robbie to latch on the submission hold for a nice finish.

Austin Aries defeated Mr. Anderson in a worthy effort by both men. I wasn't expecting an awful lot here but it was quite enjoyable really, not the greatest match but fun enough to watch. The only thing that marred it was the strange ending. Aries would knock Anderson out with an illegal object, only to have Anderson then fall on top of him for a near count, then apply a submission hold when he was already clearly out. It just came across as a bit unnecessary. 

Tara (c) bested Brooke Tessmacher to retain the Knockouts Title in a passable bout.  The action was standard for the most part, but at least there was some heat to the match. Tara grabbed the win after her boyfriend Jesse caused Tessmacher to tumble from the ring and threw her back in to have a Widows Peak applied. Afterwards Brooke Hogan announced that at Open Fight Night next week ODB would be challenging Jesse. His reaction was pretty funny actually.

Bully Ray demanded that Devon come out and explain the real reason that he's joined up with Aces & 8s. So Devon came out and revealed that he joined the gang because they had his back after Hogan and Dixie Carter released him and never contacted him or made any effort to get him back like they had claimed to. He also warned Bully that Aces & 8s plan to get retribution against all of those in the company that have wronged them. 

Bully went on to reveal that after their retirement match last year, backstage Devon asked him why he was so worried "we're rich anyway" and that was why he'd turned on him. After Devon then backed out of a fight right there and then, Bully announced that next week he'd be taking him on in a fight, and also added that Devon has "no balls." The segment was okay, I was maybe expecting a bit more from their first encounter after Bound for Glory.

Hogan announced Kurt Angle as his pick over James Storm to face Hardy in the main event for the title. 'The Hulkster' also said to Storm that he didn't pick him because he had something else big planned for him. So why was he in the running at all if he had other plans for 'The Cowboy'? Where's the logic there?

Jeff Hardy (c) defeated Kurt Angle to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a tremendous main event match. Were you expecting anything less from it? Both men put in great efforts and didn't put a foot wrong. Solid stuff that's worth checking out. Afterwards Aries struck Hardy from behind with his title belt and announced that he would be invoking his rematch clause at Turning Point for the World Championship.  

We then went backstage to see Aces & 8s members attacking and taking out Angle. 

Overall it was a decent enough Impact, my only let down was the quality of most of the matches compared to recent weeks. Fortunately Aries versus Anderson, the entertaining promos from Kaz and Daniels and the brilliant main event helped save the broadcast. Also disappointed in the Bully Ray and Devon encounter, not that it was bad by any means but I was personally expecting more from it myself. 

The Undertaker not appearing at WrestleMania 29?

Photo credit: WWE.com

Posted by: Ben Kerin of WrestlingNewsSource.com on Oct 24 2012

Source: PWInsider.com

'The Undertaker's "end of an era" match from this year's WrestleMania against Triple H may really have been the end for a big time WrestleMania match featuring The Deadman. PWInsider.com is reporting that The Undertaker is not in good shape and the hip replacement he had a few years ago is badly damaged which has left him back at square one with the possibility of more surgical work down the line. Currently he is seeing specialists in New York but he is so beat up now that WWE has been flying the doctors to his home in Texas instead.

WWE would like to use Taker at January Royal Rumble, as a surprise entrant and perform a few memorable spot before being eliminated but that is far from being set in stone. As it stands there are no plans for Taker to work WrestleMania 29 and he may choose to skip the event however, WWE will make room for him should he wish to wrestle.'

If given the choice I, along with most other fans, would much rather see Taker at WrestleMania than the Royal Rumble. But of course if he's in as bad a shape as their saying then I don't believe it's worth risking his poor condition for either event. But if he is than I'd personally like to see him maybe win the Rumble match and go on to WrestleMania to obtain the World Title and retire there and then.  

New backstage role for William Regal

Source: PWInsider.com

William Regal is being recognized now as one of the most important people in WWE when it comes to evaluating and hiring new talent. He's been visiting different high profile wrestling facilities around the country. His next visit being Harley Race's school in Missouri.

So while we unfortunately won't see so much of Regal on screen, he seems like a smart choice for his new role.

My WWE Raw, 22nd October 2012 Recap

Photo credit: WWE.com

Team Rhodes Scholars defeated Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara to earn a tag team title shot at Hell in a Cell. The match was enjoyable for the most part, with a few sloppy moments here and there but not enough to spoil it. The finish was very nicely executed too, with Mysterio almost grabbing the winning pin after a top rope body splash onto Rhodes. Throughout the crowd seemed split with their loyalty for both teams. 

Afterwards Daniel Bryan and Kane congratulated Sandow and Rhodes, but also warned them that they had no chance in beating them this Sunday. As far as their usual promos go, this was sub par for the charismatic duo.

Kofi Kingston beat Michael McGillicutty in a fair bout. It's a nice change seeing McGillicutty on Raw, I really think he has more to offer if given the chance. The action throughout was hard to fault to be honest, unfortunately you could only see one outcome so the excitement was drained a bit.

John Cena came out and once again promoted the number one contender to the WWE Championship Ryback in a attempt to help win him over with the fans. As he went on to claim that at HIAC the face of the WWE will change, CM Punk joined Cena. The champ claimed that Cena's speech was predictable, and named him the personal cheerleader for Ryback. Cena responded by announcing that he was now medically cleared and challenged Punk to a fight, so he came to the ring, but as any typical heel does he soon turned around and left. Cena's dancing around the ring and fake shadow boxing looked embarrassing. It wasn't the best segment considering the roll CM Punk's been on recently.

Justin Gabriel bested Antonio Cesaro in a worthy enough effort from both men. The action was passable as it played before an indifferent crowd, where some of the minority chanted "Boring" and "We want Ryder" which I felt was unfair treatment for these two and the bout. The ending was the only big downfall as they had to sloppily recover the ending sequence from the top rope. Michael Cole rightfully rammed down out ears how important a win this was for Gabriel, which it was.

Vince McMahon accompanied Raw GM AJ Lee out to the ring, where she announced that due to allegations of her fraternising with a certain talent she was forced to resign as General Manager. The fans in New York weren't happy with the decision. She went on to give an emotional speech on how she grew up with hard beginnings, and managed to become the boss of Raw, and thanked the fans for accepting her.

Paul Heyman then joined her and Vince, and suggested to the Chairman of the Board that he be the new General Manager. The fans liked the offer, and so did I, but unfortunately McMahon turned him down and named Vickie Guerrero the new  managing supervisor of Raw, not the permanent GM. Heyman attempted to persuade Vickie to reverse the decision McMahon made last week when he chose CM Punk's opponent for HIAC, but she wasn't having any of it and waved him off. She then went on to book Sheamus versus CM Punk in the main event. Heyman threw a hissy fit and left. 

Guerrero then turned her attention to AJ, and explained why she is superior to her. She also then claimed that AJ had an affair with an unnamed talent according to the allegation from the Board of Directors. In response AJ attacked Vickie in an awful looking brawl that went on for too long. It wasn't a bad segment, Heyman was the clear highlight on the mic, which is hardly a surprise.

Ryback defeated The Miz in an average contest. It was just pretty unmemorable and sub par as Ryback dominated Miz for the most part, who certainly didn't look like a former WrestleMania main eventer here. 

Backstage Kaitlyn confronted Eve regarding a mysterious email she had on her iPad that's linked to her attack from behind at Night of Champions. Eve retorted with a slap to Kaitlyn's face and the two began brawling until Layla forced Kaitlyn away, only to be pushed by Eve so she began also attack the Divas Champion. I'm just hoping they get this storyline over soon, it's dragging now.

Dolph Ziggler defeated Daniel Bryan in the brilliant match of the night. Both men put in terrific displays as they battled back and fourth, with exciting and crisp action. I was expecting an enjoyable bout here, but it was better than I'd predicted. During the contest Kane came down to support his tag partner by getting some "Yes!" chants going, but this annoyed Bryan who as then caught out with a Zig Zag by Ziggler from the second rope for the winning pinfall. On his way out Bryan also received the biggest ovation of the show.

Afterwards the Tag Team Champions argued, until Matt Stryker joined them and announced on behalf of Vickie Guerrero that both men will compete in a therapeutic game show against Team Rhodes Scholars. Unfortunately Rhodes and Sandow refused to compete in something so beneath them, and left. Amusingly Daniel Bryan happily celebrated a win via forfeit. A smug Stryker then left the ring, and once within a safe distance claimed that he hopes Team Hell No loose on Sunday. But Big Show didn't care, and tossed Stryker across the stage with ease on the way to his match with Kane. Bryan and Kane were once again on good form here during the segment. 

Big Show beat Kane in a rather pedestrian bout. It was just fairly drab and unmemorable really. During the match Sandow and Rhodes came out, distracting Kane and costing him the match as Big Show WMD'd him, they then took out Bryan and stood tall in the ring. While the match was quit slow paced and run of the mill as far the wrestling went, it at least elevated Show and the Team Hell No and Rhodes Scholars feud, so it was a success as far as that goes I guess.    

As Cena said goodbye to AJ Lee, she admitted to him that he was the man she was accused of having an affair with. She also accused Guerrero of being the one to fabricate the story. 

Alberto Del Rio bested Zack Ryder in a standard outing. Del Rio made fairly quick work of Ryder as he forced him to tap to the arm breaker. It wasn't anything special, and like the previous match you could skip it and not miss much. 

As Cena stormed into Vickie Guerreo's office to confront her she reminded him that he publicly asked AJ out on Raw and claimed that they'd been on a date, therefore costing her the role of GM.

CM Punk defeated Sheamus in a solid main event Lumberjack match. The intense contest kept me engaged from start to finish, with a nice pace and worthy displays from both men. In the superior bout to their one on Main Event a few weeks ago (which was a decent watch) 'The Great White' was thrown into the heels at ringside on a few occasions, and as any good face he fought back to take on the WWE Champion. But in the end it wasn't to be for the Irishman as he was Chokeslammed at ringside by Big Show and pinned by Punk.

As the WWE Champion celebrated Ryback made his way out and attacked him each time he was thrown back into his clutches by the lumberjacks. This included a very impressive and effective looking powerbomb, and a throw onto all the heel lumberjacks. 

Overall it was a mixed bag of a show. The main event, Team Hell No game show segment and especially Ziggler versus Bryan were the highlights. I'm hoping Ziggler and Guerreros separation is permanent, Dolph will go further without her in my opinion. CM Punk and Ryback's feud progressed well enough, although it still seems a little daft to me having Cena promoting the number one contender rather than the man himself. But I guess Ryback needs the extra support. Other than that there wasn't an awful lot that was memorable to take away from Raw. 

My WWE SmackDown, 19th October 2012 Recap

'Miz TV' opened the show, with The Miz informing Kofi Kingston that he will be invoking his rematch clause for the Intercontinental Title (that he lost on this weeks Main Event in a gripping match that's worth checking out) at Hell in a Cell. He then went on to introduce his guests Team Hell No, and accused them of being "egomaniacs" after having separate entrances. He also accused Daniel Bryan of being the probable reason they'll loose the Tag Team straps, due to his attitude with Kane. Kane defended his team by claiming that if Bryan is the problem, than he's the solution.

Bryan retorted by calling himself the real backbone of the team and the "World's toughest vegan!" Yet another golden catchphrase, love it. Big Show then also joined in the show, and warned Bryan to shut up about bragging about the time he cashed in on him last year at TLC or he'll force him to. Bryan amusingly shifted behind his tag partner, who told Show that they didn't have to wait until next weeks Raw to face off. Dolph Ziggler then also came out and claimed that he plans to cash in his MITB contract against either Show or Sheamus after their HIAC match. So by stating that you can bet that we won't see Ziggler cash in next Sunday.

As everyone began arguing, GM Booker T halted them and booked Ziggler and Big Show against Team Hell No, and The Miz against Randy Orton. It was an enjoyable start to the show, with Team Hell No once again proving why they're one of the most entertaining acts in pro wrestling today.

Randy Orton defeated The Miz in a decent match up. Both men put in a worthy effort, and Orton showed a little more character than normal which was nice to see. During the match we also witnessed Alberto Del Rio watching on from a luxury box, and unfortunately had to hear one of his trademark dull promos on how Orton's scared of him. 

Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow beat Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel in an exciting tag team contest. The fast pace kept up throughout as all four men gave a good display.  This is probably the best performance I've seen from both teams since they've been together.

Team Hell No bested Dolph Ziggler and Big Show in a largely decent tag bout. For the most part the action was solid here, but unfortunately when Big Show was in the ring it just seemed to drag and was pretty drab. Afterwards as Bryan and Kane were arguing Rhodes Scholars attacked them both from behind. I'm looking forward to their probable match up at HIAC.

Antonio Cesaro beat Ted DiBiase in a rather enjoyable outing. Cesaro just can't seem to provide a bad match at the moment, and he's definitely the right man to bring relevance back to the US Title (after the bookers dropped the ball with Ryder's run). DiBiase also gave a solid performance here, and deserves a better spot on the roster in my opinion.

Heath Slater defeated Brodus Clay in a passable match up. Either someone backstage is loving 3MB or Clay really annoyed someone because this was an important win for Slater. Like I've said before there's something about the trio of McIntyre, Mahal and Slater as 3MB that I enjoy, they're definitely a lot more relevant and interesting now.

Layla beat Natalya in an average and pretty unmemorable contest. There was just nothing engaging or that special about it really, and both women are good talents.

Sheamus defeated Wade Barrett in a fair main event Lumberjack Match. The action was okay, I can't fault their efforts I just never really got that into it. I still also think they should've saved Sheamus versus Barrett for a World Title feud. Inevitably all the lumberjacks began brawling as they also do, with Kane and Daniel Bryan also joining in and chasing off Rhodes Scholars into the crowd, which was a nice touch. As Ziggler applied a Zig Zag to Sheamus and was about to cash in his MITB contract, Big Show KO'd him with a WMD and warned 'The Great White' that he has the same fate awaiting him at HIAC.

Overall it felt like a pretty pedestrian show, with nothing that memorable that I'll be taking away from it really. The opening segment with Team Hell No was decent enough, and most matches were enjoyable to be fair. It's just a bit of a let down when you're failing to get into the main feud on the show over the World Championship though.

My Impact Wrestling, 18th October 2012 Recap

Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Aces & Eights kicked things off by presenting a live video of their masked leader thanking Devon (who'd been revealed as a member of the group by Hogan at Bound for Glory) for his help in them gaining free access to TNA. Devon himself then joined his fellow members in the ring and explained that when no one else was there for him when he was released from TNA, Aces & Eights were. He went on to also state that his attack on Bully Ray was payback for his betrayal last year.

Sting then arrived, along with a handful of the roster and a brawl broke out between the two groups, with Aces & Eights eventually leaving. Hogan also came out and announced that Devon will face Sting that night, and if he refuses then he'll have to leave the building. There were heavy chants for Bully Ray during the booking. It was an exciting start to the show.

Samoa Joe beat Robbie E in a watchable squash match. While it wasn't anything outstanding, it went the way it should with the superior and larger Joe taking out Robbie with ease.

Backstage during a photo shoot Tara and her partner Jesse (from the American Big Brother, apparently) told the photographer to get lost and then bragged about their celebrity lifestyle. Everything about this storyline and these segments just annoys me, so I suppose the couple are doing their job successfully as heels.

ODB defeated Tara in a largely average affair. There were a few comedy spots here and there involving ODB, including shoving Jesse's head into her chest half way through. She was also distracted by a phone call from her absent husband Eric Young throughout the contest. For the finish ODB barged Tara into Jesse (who was standing at ringside supporting his girlfriend) and then applied the Bam for the one-two-three. This didn't really do any favours at all for the new Knockouts Champ Tara, especially with ODB distracted for a lot of the match. Confusing booking here.

Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez bested Kid Kash and Gunner in a decent enough tag bout. Hernandez has always benefitted from more limited time in the ring in a tag team, and that was no exception here as he came across very effectively and gave a good display. There weren't any particularly memorable performances but I can't really fault any one.

Next we had Jeff Hardy's World Title win celebration, where he first thanked all his fans that had stuck with him. Former champ Austin Aries then joined him and congratulated him on his win at BFG, and also presented him with some balloons (that ended up floating away) and a plate of cookies (which Hardy tipped out of his hand). Aries went on to take a took at Hardy's new title belt with a replica of his face on the front, and spat on it before making a quick getaway. As usual AA was on solid form on the mic. 

Kurt Angle defeated Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles in a terrific Triple Threat to move forward for a chance at Hardy's World Title. While the match wasn't as exciting or fast paced as I was hoping, the action was faultless, which is hardly unexpected considering the standard of talent in the ring. Angle grabbed the victory after pushing Daniels inadvertently into Styles on the ropes and Angle Slamming him for the winning pin.

James Storm spoke about his brilliant brawl with Roode at Bound for Glory, and how after gaining revenge on his rival his new aim is to win back the World Championship. Bobby Roode soon joined 'The Cowboy' and admitted that he'd finally gained redemption against himself, and that his win moved him way up the ladder in TNA. But despite the victory, Roode claimed that he would always be "the better man." Storm retorted by Last Call Superkicking Roode in the face. It was a decent segment.

Sting won via disqualification versus Devon in a fair main event. The first half was fairly drab for the most part, but luckily the pace picked up and the match had a strong ending as both men put in solid efforts. To be honest I wasn't expecting much from this match, but it was better then expected and I enjoyed it. The DQ came when Aces & Eights members ran in to help their fellow member and started taking out 'The Stinger'. As expected members of the TNA roster also ran out to even the odds and chased away the gang.

Overall it wasn't a bad Impact, nor was it an outstanding one either. There were a few enjoyable match ups and segments but it just wasn't consistent enough throughout the show. My personal highlight was the triple threat between Styles, Angle and Daniels.