November 27, 2010

WWE: The only place where "Fired" means nothing

With the fallout of John Cena's actions at Survivor Series still fresh in everyone's minds, people have differing opinions on what will happen in the future.

First off, as much as I wish this weren't so, Cena will continue to appear on TV "without actually being on the roster" or so they will have us believe. If I were fired from my job and started showing up on a weekly basis to stir shit up I'd be arrested for harassment.

It seems WWE can't even act like this is legit and have him off TV for a whole week. He's too big a draw for them I guess. The other question I have is, what the fuck does Barrett owe to Cena? Barrett said on Raw this past week that he "owed it to Cena" to allow him to appear and say goodbye.

Is Barrett thanking him for costing him the world title? Consistently hindering him and Nexus at every opportunity? Being the worst member of Nexus to date? Barrett owed nothing to Cena, and this was very out of character for Barrett.

Cena will somehow find a way back onto the roster in the coming months and we'll be back to where we started. It's worse than a bloody sitcom. What happened last week is suddenly forgotten by the next episode. The same way Kenny never dies, neither will Cena. Although nobody will scream "you bastard!" at the guy that kills Cena.

What I think this whole thing comes down to is money. WWE will see a drop in income if Cena is gone or is heel. He, being their top draw makes them the most money. The problem is, nobody else that I can see has been allowed that same spot as Cena. They didn't build anyone up to replace Cena as the top face and top draw and we are therefore stuck seeing Cena. Orton is close, and if WWE would give him enough of a chance he could pull it off. I'm not saying this will happen overnight (although that would be nice) but Orton can be the top face while Cena becomes a top heel and I believe that that would be the best solution for right now.

That doesn't mean put the belt on Cena again, because that would be more of the same again. Top people don't need titles. It seems that the main event is very narrow and constantly focused on the WWE Title. This is why there aren't more main eventers. The title picture -- which is where WWE seems to think every main event superstar should be -- isn't big enough for more than 4 people at any time. Titles aren't the only thing to feud over and the sooner Creative understands that, the better.

Survivor Series was a missed opportunity to do something big. Hell, I think anything would have been better than what happened. Cena could have turned heel, Cena could have turned on Barrett after letting him win. The list goes on. I'm working on the basis that no matter what would happen, Cena wouldn't be off TV at all.

On another note, it appears that certain things are just cast aside without explanation. Take for example, the "real reason Nexus helped Kane win at Bragging Rights" that Otunga was talking about way back when. Will we ever know that reason?

There are other unanswered questions but suffice it to say that WWE will never give us the logic that we as fans deserve.

November 24, 2010

Squash matches: what is the point?

I've mentioned my hatred of squash matches several times during my posts and I think I owe you all an explanation.

I fully understand the intent of squash matches. I know they are designed to make a star appear dominant.

I understand that top stars need to look dominant in order to be taken seriously as top contenders. Here's where my problem begins. Credibility. For every match someone wins, someone has to lose. In my eyes, a squash match doesn't make the winner look more dominant, it makes the loser look weak. The loser of this squash match may receive a push in the future, and if they continually do the job for other stars it's hard to take them seriously again when they start winning.

I know that doesn't happen that often but I like to hope that WWE will come to their senses and push those that truly deserve it.

If someone is going to lose, I would rather see a hard-fought victory that actually seems like it took effort. I think those wins mean more to a stars credibility if they can be in these tough matches and still come out on top. I like to see people work to be the best.

I think the other factor is that the star is automatically assumed to be at a higher level than his opponent. You don't look strong by beating those weaker than you. To be seen as powerful, you need to face those at your own level and do well at it.

I don't like seeing someone lose for no good reason. Perfect example of this is Kaval. He won his first match on SD this past week where WWE could have been building him up to look like a serious contender for Dolph Ziggler's title. Instead he looks like some cocky ass who thinks "hey, I won one match and now I deserve a title shot."

Yes Kaval is great in the ring but that doesn't change the way that this storyline came across to me. Yes he did earn the title shot by winning NXT, but he chose to use it after winning a single match on Smackdown. That's the part that bothered me. Granted, I did watch Kaval's matches intently hoping that each week would be the week he finally did win.

This is all perception and I'm not asking anyone to agree. Say whatever you want about squash matches, but I feel that they are a mistake and should be done away with.

Monday Night Raw Review: Nov. 22/10

Hot off the heels of a decent Survivor Series, it's time for Monday Night Raw.

Nexus hits the ring after an intro package talking about Cena's actions.

Barrett says that Cena looked him in the eye and told him that he knew exactly what he was doing. That means 2 things. 1, he was willing to sacrifice his entire career for what he felt was right. 2, Barrett didn't have a fighting chance because Cena was never going to let him win.

He says that that's unfair. No referee is allowed to put his hands on a wrestler. Cena did just that. He pushed Barrett into an RKO. Barrett wants a rematch, this time with a neutral ref.

Email. The GM agrees that there is some truth to what Barrett has said. Therefore, Barrett gets his rematch tonight.

Barrett thanks the GM for the match and says he's allowed Cena to appear here tonight. He feels he owes it to Cena. Bullshit.

Cole stands up and introduces the newest member of the Raw announce team, CM Punk. I like him on commentary. Too bad this means he's out of the ring for a while.

Match 1: Sheamus vs.R Truth

This is a King of the Ring qualifying match.

Sheamus wins after a High Cross.

Rating: 6/10. The right man won, but I think it could have been better.

LayCool is trying to get into the arena. The dude with the clipboard tells them that the entrance is for Raw superstars only. He says sorry, not on the list. Apparently LayCool is going to cause him so much trouble. Natalya is here now. Dude asks if she knows LayCool. Natalya says she's never seen them before. They get locked outside.

Santino talking to Kozlov. Santino says they were so close to winning (were they watching the same match I was?). Kozlov says tomorrow is a new day, and they'll win next time. But what if tomorrow doesn't come? Tomorrow isn't guaranteed. Is there anything that can make him feel better?

Tamina is playing him a love song on the ukulele. Full on kiss now that leaves Santino speechless.

Josh Matthews bothers Randy Orton in his locker room. Orton basically commends Cena for doing what was right and how much he respects Cena. As for his rematch tonight, Barrett won't leave the arena as the champion.

Match 2: Ezekiel Jackson vs. Alex Riley

Another KoTR qualifier. It was supposed to be Zeke vs. Miz, but Mr. Mizanin is suffering from an anxiety attack. Miz has authorized Riley to qualify for him.

Ezekiel Jackson wins after hitting the Book of Ezekiel on Riley.

Rating: 5/10. Meh. Truth be told if I didn't know what happened later in the show I'd say we got ripped off but Jackson works.

We have Cena's farewell address now.

He just drones on for a while. I'll spare you the details. The only thing I like is that he's self aware enough to know he gets as much heat as he does cheers. That and he called himself an idiot.

Orton hugs Cena before he walks out of the arena.

Goodbye Cena. I won't be missing you. Now where did I put my corkscrew? I've got a bottle of champagne that needs opening.

Match 3: Ted DiBiase vs. Bryan Danielson

Brie (Nikki?) Bella comes out and leads Danielson to the ring. Lol at Punk calling Maryse "Maurice." Good times.

A bit of back and forth before Danielson locks in the LeBell Lock and DiBiase taps.

Rating: 6/10. Far too short. I wanted to see a LOT more from these two.

Match 4: Natalya vs. Alicia Fox


Alicia does not look good as a blond but that's beside the point.

Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring and Alicia is forced to tap.

Rating: 6/10. For a divas match this was alright. Glad to see Natalya winning.

Melina wishes Morrison luck before his match which is next. Before he leaves, she smacks his ass.

Match 5: Morrison vs. Tyson Kidd

Starship Pain by Morrison and he picks up the victory.

Rating: 6/10. It was decent and Morrison looked good, but it was a little short. For two fairly athletic and agile guys, there could have been a lot more action.

Match 6: Orton vs. Barrett, WWE Championship

Before Orton even makes it to the ring, Nexus beats him down. He does eventually make it to the ring and the match starts.

Both men are getting some shots in before Cena comes in and ruins it by attacking Barrett. Of course he pulled the ref out of the ring to stop the pin count as well.

Here comes Nexus, thank God. they take care of Cena and the match continues. Barrett walks right into an RKO and Orton retains.

Rating: 4/10. We got ripped off here. Cena should not have been involved. On a related note, shouldn't the ref have called the match as soon as he came to after Cena pulled him out?

Here comes Miz.... and he's cashing in!!!

Match 7: Miz vs. Orton, Miz cashes in

Orton still limping and the men take a bit of time before Miz takes the first shot. Some great back and forth action. Orton with a big powerslam and he starts hunting for the RKO. Epic counter into the Skullcrushing Finale. MIZ WINS! MIZ WINS! MIZ WINS!

Rating: 8/10. Great work from both guys. Jakob I know you're bitching about this but quite frankly, it's what heels do. They take opportunities like this. Get used to it.

Average Match Rating: 5.9/10 (+0.3)

Match of the Night: Miz vs. Orton

Overall Show Rating: 8.5/10 (+0.5)

Magic 8-Ball:

All Hail King Sheamus
The Age of Awesome will not end any time soon
Natalya vs. Beth is impending

That's it for this edition of Raw. Next week will be my coverage of the KoTR 3 hour Raw. I'll have my rant on squash matches up sometime tomorrow night.

November 23, 2010

Survivor Series Thoughts

I came in part way through the Kaval/Ziggler match so I can't say anything about the first 2 matches.

Kaval/Ziggler was well done by both men. I don't see a reason for Kaval not to win, but I'll save my final verdict for Friday when I see the fallout on SD.

The tag match was kinda sloppy but it had a few good spots. I'm not overly a fan of these large tag matches but it was fun to watch. I was hoping Del Rio would come back claiming he wasn't eliminated and then toss Rey and Show out. Oh well, alright match aside from team Rey winning.

On a side note, remember when the teams would have names aside from "Team [captain's name]"? I miss that. I really do. It adds to the hype which is never bad, especially if it's a traditional match.

LayCool vs. Natalya, I was expecting the obvious. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised. Natalya looked great and McCool lost. Usually we see McCool run off and let Layla take the pounding but it's good to see McCool get it for once. Granted she never had any claim to the title at all because it was Layla who won the title originally

With Beth Phoenix returning after the match, the womens division is looking good. I can only hope it stays that way.

Kane and Edge had a good match but the fucked up finish ruined it. Why couldn't we have a clear winner? Are they just trying to find a way to keep the belt on Kane until Taker gets back? It's bullshit. I'm not complaining about Kane still being champ, I just don't like the reasoning behind it.

The tag title match was far too short and since Santino was goofing around it seemed like he didn't take the match seriously. If they want the titles to have credibility, challengers should take the matches seriously. There is a time and place for joking and it's not in the middle of a title match.

I have to say Orton and Barrett put on a great match. I don't know which I would rather see: Cena being fired or Cena turning heel. The former is what we got, and I have to say I like that he's gone for at least a bit, but a heel turn is badly needed.

Overall PPV Rating: 7.5/10

I'll have my Raw review up soon, and my rant on squash matches in the next day or 2.

November 22, 2010

I'm dropping Smackdown from my coverage

I do apologize to you guys for having to do this. I don't consistently have the free time as of right now to keep doing things the way I am. It's been a couple of months since I started writing again, and I think I'm just starting to find the best format or weekly plan. This is what I'll be trying for now.

Monday: PPV recap (if there was one)
Tuesday: Raw review (detailed as always)
Thursday: NXT review

I may do basic SD coverage (ie: quick results) along with my ratings as usual and I'll post random thoughts or rants as I think of them in between reviews.

That said, I'm planning to have my SSeries coverage up tomorrow and my rant on squash matches coming mid week or so.

Thanks for reading and thanks for putting up with me and my lack of direction.

November 18, 2010

WWE NXT Review: Nov. 16/10

It's elimination week and I know who I want to see go. Let's get this show on the road.

We start out with the remaining girls in the ring for our first competition. Striker congratulates AJ on winning last week's "how well do you know your pro" competition, which is just about to get underway now. Spoiler much?

Basically, it's like the match game. Question 1: When I first saw my rookie, I thought she was ______ Keep in mind this is PG.

AJ thinks that Primo's answer is that she was underage. Primo in fact wrote: 16 years old

Aksana thinks Goldust said "hot." Goldust said "sexy" which is close enough

Kaitlyn thinks Vickie said she is so much prettier than her. Vickie thought she was a man. If Kaitlyn is a man, I just might be gay

Naomi says Kelly thought she was athletic. She was right. She managed to spell athletic right which is good

Cole is holding up a sign that says "stop the pain"

Question 2: On a scale of 1-5 (1 being terrible and 5 being expert) how would you rate your rookies current in-ring ability.

In reverse order this time starting with Naomi. She says 5. Kelly agrees

Kaitlyn says Vickie thinks she's a 1. Vickie said 3

Aksana says it better be 5. It's a 3 from Goldust

AJ says 4. Primo said 4 as well.

Question 3: Who does your rookie think should be eliminated

AJ says Aksana. So did Primo

Aksana says Kaitlyn. Goldust says AJ

Kaitlyn says Naomi. Wow, Vickie was right

Naomi says Aksana. Kelly said Kaitlyn. I guess she didn't know how to spell Aksana.

Cole says he wants to be eliminated from the show. Same here. Cole needs to go home and stop my pain.

Match 1: Naomi vs. Kaitlyn

Naomi on the top rope. She hits a big splash on Kaitlyn and tries for a pin. Naomi into a sleeper hold. Kaitlyn lifts her up and spins her around into a backbreaker. Naomi kicks out of Kaitlyn's pin attempt. Naomi Irish whips Kaitlyn into the corner. She comes back out and right into Naomi's boot. Naomi picks up the win.

Rating: 6/10. Yeah, this match wasn't too bad. I think this is the best match yet this season.

Vickie is berating Kaitlyn all the way up the ramp.

We're reminded of what happened last week when Goldust was in Naomi's corner for Aksana's match. Aksana tries to apologize to Goldust. She poorly compares their marriage to LOTR. She even brought him gold and black flowers. Aksana says she needs his help for her match against AJ later on. He reluctantly agrees.

Match 2: AJ vs. Aksana

Aksana pulls AJ out of the corner by her foot and pushes her over. Aksana locks in a Mexican Stretch submission hold. Aksana breaks the hold to try for a pin. AJ kicks out and both girls are back on their feet. AJ ducks a clothesline, rebounds off the ropes and tackles Aksana. AJ with several clotheslines and a pin attempt. Aksana kicks out and is in control. She whips AJ into the ropes. AJ rebounds and catches Aksana in a head scissors. Instead fo the Hurricanrana I expected, AJ keeps the head scissors on and wrenches Aksana's arm. Aksana drops to her knees and taps out.

Rating: 7/10. I was impressed that much by these 2. This is the highest rated match of the season so far. Good athleticism from both girls. The submission ending was cool as well. No idea what that hold is called, but it has potential.

The girls are back in the ring for the second competition: Diss the Diva.

AJ is up first. She starts with Aksana. She tapped out. That's it. She says nobody would know Kaitlyn if it wasn't for Vickie. Also she stole a pair of AJ's shoes. Naomi is athletic as hell but her personality is like a leaky faucet.

Will someone please smack Cole?

Aksana's turn. She kicks off with "let me entertainment you" and goes right into the babbling. She says AJ looks like she's 12. That's all I got out of it.

Kaitlyn compares NXT to high school. Aksana is the weird foreign exchange student, Naomi is the jock and AJ is the nerd. That means Kaitlyn is the prom queen. She says that Aksana doesn't even know that USA stands for. Kaitlyn says it stands for U Suck Aksana. That starts a chant. Aksana jumps her. They get split up and she keeps going.

She's about to say something to AJ, but starts with the "you suck Aksana" again.

Naomi's turn. She says Kaitlyn has great legs (I concur). Too bad her wrestling isn't as good as her legs. She now mocks AJ's bouncy personality. She says Aksana is about to be eliminated.

Somewhere along the way, Cole's literally gotten up and started talking to someone in the crowd behind him.

The live crowd is, not surprisingly, the judges. AJ gets a mixed reaction. Heavy boos for Aksana. Naomi gets the best reaction and Kaitlyn gets mostly boos.

Naomi wins. AJ has earned immunity. The pros start deliberating.

Striker asks the pros what they're looking for from the rookies.

Brie says a few things before Nikki cuts her off. She essentially insults the rookies.

Alicia says she feels like an employee at Diva Daycare. She calls herself a piranha.

The girls are lined up outside the ring. The randomizer starts up, and ends on Aksana. She's out. Not shocking. Aksana says it was a mistake after she recovers from her fainting spell. She says she'll be back.

Goldust stops her as she's walking away. He says he has one more thing to say. He wants a divorce. Also not shocking. We have another elimination next week.

That's the end of the show.

Average Match Rating: 6.5/10 (+1.5)

Match of the Night: AJ vs. Aksana

Overall Show Rating: 7/10 (+1)

Magic 8-Ball:

AJ will finally tell Primo about her feelings for him
Naomi will be eliminated

I think that about wraps it up. Saturday is Smackdown Review day, and monday I'll recap the PPV. I'll try to have my feature post on squash matches up early in the week.

November 17, 2010

Old School Raw Review

So, for this post, I wanted to take the blog old school, but I don't quite know how to do that. So you're stuck with the same new school ACA-CT.

We open Raw with an old school intro. Can someone turn that siren off?

Old school stage which looks pretty cool. Everything is mid 80's-mid 90's era. Dear God what the fuck is Justin Roberts wearing? He introduces "Mean" Gene Okerlund. Gene has his own little interview area set up. He brings out "Cowboy" Bob Orton. He talks a bit about Randy and Survivor Series.

Barrett comes out and says that he doesn't owe anything to the old school. He's where he is because of his own initiative. Here comes Miz now. He talks about cashing in his money in the bank tonight, and how Barrett wouldn't be facing Orton for the title after that, which means Cena will be in Nexus forever.

Cena up on the tron now.Some lip flapping and it ends with Cena and Miz having a match later tonight.

Match 1: Dolph Ziggler vs. Sexual Chocolate

Powerslam by Chocolate. He misses on a pancake splash as Dolph rolls out of the way. Dolph to his feet first and hits the Zig Zag. Chocolate kicks out of Ziggler's pin. Another Zig Zag, another near fall. Ziggler locks in the Sleeper. Chocolate's arm falls and the ref calls the match.

Rating: 7/10. Average match, but Henry was way too slow as always. He has this habit of making any match drag and it bothers me, especially when he's in the ring with someone like Dolph.

Backstage and DH Smith is talking to Tyson Kidd. Smith says that his dad and the Dynamite Kid didn't see eye to eye but they were one of the greatest tag teams ever. Tyson agrees. They run into Tony Atlas who starts rambling about him and Rocky Johnson. Kidd and Smith walk away leaving Atlas babbling.

For some reason Tony rubs WD40 into his arms.

Match 2: Hart Dynasty vs. Nexus (Gabriel and Slater)

Slater and Smith are both trying to make it to their corners. Smith gets to Tyson, who kicks Smith in the head and walks out. Gabriel is tagged in and hits the 450 on a downed Smith.

Rating: 8/10. Excellent work from both teams as always. I'm disappointed that Hart Dynasty has been split up, as they were one of the last real tag teams in WWE. Other than that, it was great.

Gene is backstage with Randy Orton now. Before he can answer Gene's question, Truth cuts him off and starts defending Cena. He says that Cena's going to choose to be free at the PPV and Orton can either fight or just let it happen.

Back from commercials and Justin Roberts introduces the Fink. He introduces the Brooklyn Brawler and Harvey Wippleman. Brawler complains that he didn't get a standing ovation. Brawler issues an open challenge to the new school.

Match 3: Brooklyn Brawler vs. Ezekiel Jackson

Zeke with a chokeslam and the pinfall.

Rating: 4/10. You know my opinion of squash matches.

In the Nexus locker room, Otunga is telling someone to step up and take out R Truth. Barrett comes in and tells Otunga that that someone will be him. Fuck, I thought the old school was devoid of email. King agrees. The GM says Otunga won't be facing Truth because Otunga will be in a special match later. Instead, Barrett will face Truth. Cena walks in and asks for a "thank you" for taking care of Miz (who didn't really need to be taken care of).

Match 4: Cena vs. Miz


Miz says that Cena is wrong in that Cena thinks he won't have any problems if he takes Miz out. But there is a problem. The GM never sanctioned the match, so Miz decides to make a substitution.

Match 4.1: Cena vs. Alex Riley

AA, STF, that's that.

Rating: 4/10. It's Cena, what do you expect?

Miz in the ring now. Orton runs out and gets rid of Miz. HEre comes Nexus. Orton cleans house and stares down Cena. They trade a few punches before the refs break them up. The GM announces that Orton and Cena will be guests on..... Piper's Pit. This will either be really hilarious, or really bad.

The siren is blaring again. I know it's part of the old school thing, but it's annoying me.

Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff in the ring. Volkoff sings the Soviet anthem. Of all the times I didn't want an interruption, Santino gives us one. Although given who's in the ring, it makes sense. Kozlov joins the singing. According to Santino, it was "crushingly terrible." Santino says there's a song he wants everyone to hear.

Holy shit it's the Slickster! Seriously, I did just mark out a bit. Now THAT ladies and gentlemen is how you sing your own entrance music. Take note Truth. Jive Soul Bro FTMFW!

Sheik starts babbling about Hulkamania and USSR #1 and so on.

The Usos interrupt now. Here comes Jimmy Snuka.

Match 5: Santino and Kozlov vs. the Usos (#1 Contender match)

Kozlov with a hot tag to Santino. Santino is on fire as he downs Uso #1 (yeah, I can't tell them apart). Santino with a headbutt on Uso #1 and a pin attempt. Kozlov stops Uso #2 from breaking the pin up. Uso #1 kicks out anyways. Santino ducks Uso #1 and hits the Cobra for the victory.

Rating: 6/10. I think Santino is underrated in the ring. He's not the best by far, but he does deserve some credit. I don't take him and Kozlov seriously as title contenders though.

Sheamus runs in and Brogue Kicks Kozlov. Santino backed into a corner. Sheamus is literally just pushing Santino around. John Morrison to the rescue. Go figure. Morrison finally explains himself saying that Sheamus is a bully. When bullies feel threatened, they back away. Speaking from experience, that's not true.

Match 6: Otunga vs. Kofi Kingston

George Steele is here for some reason. He's eating the turnbuckle. Goody.

Kofi is dominating. Trouble in Paradise and Kofi wins.

Rating: 5/10. Glad Otunga lost. Brings him closer to leaving Nexus. Aside form that this match was a disaster. Why Steele? Seriously, I can't figure it out.

Morrison talking backstage with Arn Anderson and Jerry Briscoe. Sheamus Brogue Kicks Morrison and accepts his challenge to a mach at SSeries.

Aksana is walking around backstage with the $Million Title. HOOOOO!!!! Hacksaw's here. He says Aksana's mom is waiting for her just around the corner. Aksana walks over and she proclaims "mom, you've lost weight." Turns out, it's the American Dream Dusty Rhodes. Someone tosses a net over Aksana. Goldust wrestles the Title away from her. He returns it to Money Inc. DiBiase Sr. goes to give the belt back to Jr. who doesn't want it back. He wants something else that isn't a hand me down. I'd take the $Million Title if it were just handed to me.

Cody Rhodes comes in and talks to his dad and brother. Dusty admits to raising weird kids before breaking into a dance along with Tatanka and Hacksaw. Cue the Ron Simmons "Damn."

Match 7: Barrett vs. Truth

Wasteland by Barrett for the pinfall.

Rating: 6/10. Again, I don't like squash matches, but given who was involved I think it was a good thing for Nexus.

Holy Shit! Chavo Classic along with Alberto Del Rio make their way to the ring. Tito Santana cuts off Rodriguez and introduces Del Rio himself. Del Rio makes a few fat American jokes. Sgt. Slaughter is in the ring now. He calls Del Rio puke. They end up having a match.

Match 8: Slaughter vs. Del Rio

Several cobra clutch attempts fail. Del Rio with a nice kick to Slaughter's head and a pinfall victory.

Rating: 6/10. It was cool to see Slaughter again, but at the same time he didn't need to be in a match.

After the match Del Rio continues to attack Slaughter. This gets broken up by MVP. Maybe MVP is still getting a push....

Dear GOD It's Mae Young. Why won't she die?

I don't know if this is good or bad but here comes LayCool. They make a shit ton of "old" jokes before Mae demands a match with those sluts. Yes, she said sluts. Apparently she also wants the match to be no DQ. She called them bitches as well.

Match 9: Mae Young vs. LayCool

The bell rings and McCool and Layla are trying to decide who's going to fight. A few other divas come out and beat down Layla. They drag her over to Mae who pins her with her foot.

Rating: 2/10. Way to make your top heel divas look like shit. I may not like LayCool but at the same time if they're going to be pushed as the top heels they shouldn't be made to look inferior to someone who is 3x their age.

The Fink introduces our special guest announcer. Good Ol' JR. FUCK YEAH BOOMER SOONER! Are him and Cole wearing the same jacket?

Match 10: Brian Danielson vs. Jack Swagger

Cole getting ignored by King and JR. It's epic.

Swagger in control. Gutwrench powerbomb countered by Danielson. Swagger with a backbreaker instead. Another gutwrench powerbomb counter by Danielson and a nice kick to the head. Danielson picks up the win.

Rating: 8/10. Great work from both men. Would love to see a feud develop here.

After the match Ted DiBiase hits Dream Street on Danielson.

We have all of the legends on the stage now.

Jimmy Snuka
Bob Orton
IRS
Tito Santana
Sgt. Slaughter
Hacksaw
Brooklyn Brawler
Chavo Classic
Gene Okerlund
The Fink
Mae Young
Jerry Briscoe
Ted DiBiase Sr.
Slick
Tatanka
Tony Atlas
Arn Anderson
Ron Simmons
Dusty Rhodes
George Steele
JR
Iron Sheik
Nikolai Volkoff

Here comes Roddy Fucking Piper.

He says that old school isn't about nostalgia or happy feelings, it's about manning up. He talks about smashing Lou Albano with a gold record and smashing Superfly with a coconut. Now, without further ado, it's time for Piper's Pit.

Here comes Cena. I'm so excited. Piper essentially says that Cena's spitting in the face of all the legends by choosing to be free from Nexus.

Cena proceeds to kiss legend ass. Barrett comes out now and says that he doesn't need Cena to help him win but there's a reality Cena needs to face. If Cena doesn't raise Barrett's hand, if Barrett doesn't win the WWE Title, Cena is history.

Piper is getting pissed now. He says that if Barrett has Cena hand him the title, Barrett may have the championship, but he won't be a champion. Barrett forces Cena to put on a Nexus shirt. Barrett talks a little more about the implications this sunday before Orton comes out.

Orton says that ever since last week, he's been trying to put an to everything by kicking Cena in the skull.

Cena calls him out on it. Orton responds by saying he could either go after Cena, or....

He jumps Barrett. He has Barrett down and starts stalking him for an RKO. Small glitch in my feed and Orton tosses Barrett out of the ring. Cena's down as well. Cena avoids a punt and gets Orton with the AA. Afterward Cena looks so upset about it. Barrett gets back into the ring.

He forces Cena to raise his hand. Cena does, but then pulls Barrett in for the AA. Cena standing tall with Piper as the show fades out.

Average match rating: 5.6/10 (-0.1)

Match of the Night: Danielson vs. Swagger

Overall Show Rating: 8/10 (+1)

Magic 8-Ball:

DiBiase is looking to become the US Champion
DH Smith will try to reconcile with Tyson, but Tyson will blow him off
Otunga will be out of Nexus by next week
Cena will sadly still be with us

I think that given my strong dislike of squash matches, I'll rant about them for my next feature post. No promises on when it will be up, but I'll aim for around this time next week. As always regularly scheduled reviews will continue.

November 15, 2010

TV-14 Won't Save WWE

Let's face it: We're all begging for a return of the glory days of WWE known as the Attitude Era. While this in theory is sounds awesome there are a few fundamental problems with that as of right now. I could talk about trying to attract younger viewers and that whole thing, but I'm going beyond that.

Pro wrestling in recent years has been under scrutiny for injuries sustained by performers and their effects. The poster case for this is of course Chris Benoit. He received so many concussions and other head trauma that he had the brain of an 80 year old alzheimers patient by 2007. The fact of the matter is that WWE and wrestling promotions in general are trying to eliminate these types of injuries by banning chair shots to the head and similar measures.

Things have changed dramatically since I first started watching wrestling in 1996-7. Some people may say that WWE's current product is what the fans of today want to see. While I don't discount that possibility, I think it's just bad business to alienate older fans by changing everything and barely acknowledging the past existed. Yes, you need to stay current but at the same time you can keep aspects of the past and present them in a new way. Every generation will have its Hulk Hogans, Steve Austins, Bret Harts etc. and I get that. Just so long as they acknowledge the originals I'm cool.

The other problem WWE has is that they can't seem to find creative ways to book gimmick matches anymore. I remember a time when there were years between Hell in a Cell matches, Ladder matches were used to crown champions not contenders and the matches were actually exciting when they finally did happen. Now, everything is watered down and we can predict the next HIAC, TLC and ladder matches like we can predict what time it was an hour ago. We know that there will be these matches every year now and in that they have lost their novelty.

Though the novelty may be gone, there is still the chance to put on a great match. A chance that is rarely taken anymore. Yes, there have been a few great gimmick matches in recent years, most of them are scathing indictments of the current WWE environment.

I do understand that we need to worry about the health of the performers. I don't deny the risks they subject themselves to for the sake of entertainment. That is very real and I won't dispute it. WWE in their recent push to protect their employees has taken some of the real risks away, and in doing so removed some of the perceived risk.


I'm not cold-hearted and I do think that there needs to be some safety for the performers, but I also expect things to look dangerous. I expect things to look like they hurt. The point is that the moves can be as safe as possible while still looking like they do real damage. Yes, accidents happen and people get injured but there is no need to completely strip out everything that is potentially hazardous from the ring. Some things do make sense, like banning chair shots to the head. That was a good call and while I do miss them I understand the purpose. That said, banning head shots still leaves back shots, body shots, arm/leg shots, etc. yet we barely ever see those. For the lack of use they may as well be banned at the same time.

I think the choice to expose the performers to these risks lies with the performers themselves. Let them make the choice to step into the ring and subject themselves to the use of weapons. It's as simple as a little check box on their contracts saying "yes I'm willing to have weapons used on me" or "no I'm not willing." WWE can still provide good medical care and inform their performers of the risk for injury and whatnot.

While some superstars won't be willing -- and I'm cool with that -- some will be. With that we could still see the extreme action some of us love, and keep everyone else happy. I'm not saying violence for the sake of violence is the answer. There is no need for everyone taking chair shots every week and I recognize that. I would rather see well written storylines that eventually culminate in the extreme matches.

Sadly, that will never happen. A TV-14 rating may allow for more violence, but we will never see an increase. The best we can hope for from a TV-14 rating in this new safer atmosphere is more extreme characters, more extreme promos and scantily clad divas (well, more scantily clad). In a way, those are all good things, but the wrestling will still be weak and unimpressive.

November 12, 2010

WWE NXT Review: Nov. 9/10

Striker is interrupted in the ring by Goldust. He calls Aksana out. She answers and she basically says that it's a greencard marriage. She says that when they divorce, she gets half the $Million Title. It's the American way. Fail "USA" chants by Aksana.

Naomi involved now. She wants a match. Aksana asks Goldust for advice. He says she should face Naomi.


The rookies are in the ring now. Challenge 1: arm wrestling. Kill me now.

AJ loses to Aksana. Naomi loses to Kaitlyn. Aksana loses to Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn wins by DQ. Cole is napping.


Match 1: AJ vs. Nikki Bella

*Ding* Virus database has been updated. I'm not kidding, that played over the PA.

Nikki tries to switch places with Brie, but Brie won't have it. Nikki gets back into the ring and argues a bit with Brie. AJ with the roll up and pinfall victory.

Rating: 6/10. I love AJ as a competitor, she has the most talent on NXT. The Bellas killed this match. I'm glad the shenanigans with the switching places seems to be coming to an end.

The girls are all in the ring again. Challenge 2: High school yearbook photo recognition.

In order:

Eve (she was uuugggllyyyy)
Jack Swagger (painfully obvious)
Cena (he looked like a twat then, too)
Chavo
Jerry Lawler (looks like Cody Rhodes)
Mark Henry (fat fuck)

AJ and Kaitlyn tie. They face off in sudden death. AJ wins by correctly identifying John Morrison.

Stupid challenge. But at least it wasn't based on their abs like the last superstar identification challenge.

Backstage with Kaitlyn and Vickie. Long story short, they both say Dolph told them he'd leave the other one.

Match 2: Naomi vs. Aksana

Goldust comes to ringside and stands with Kelly Kelly in Naomi's corner.

Naomi counters an Irish Whip attempt into a boot to Aksana's face for the pinfall.

Rating: 4/10. While the match was technically decent, it wasn't exciting in any way.

That's the end of the show for this week. Next week will be the next elimination.

Average Match Rating: 5/10 (--)

Match of the Night: AJ vs. Nikki

Overall Show Rating: 6/10 (-1)

That does it for this week's review. The feature post is coming along nicely and I'll have it up tomorrow night if all goes well.

November 10, 2010

Monday Night Raw Review: Nov. 8/10

John Cena is in the ring to start the show. There's a podium with the Nexus logo on it. Cena reads a statement introducing Wade Barrett, who, along with Nexus comes to the ring. Barrett talks about his impending title reign a bit before addressing some issues from last week.

He tells Otunga he'll deal with him leading Nexus to Smackdown after he deals with Cena's refereeing last week. To recap, Cena was a guest ref in a tag match between Barrett, Otunga, Orton and Truth. Cena was trying to keep Orton in his corner and missed a tag from Otunga to Barrett. Cena forced Barrett out of the ring, thus missing an RKO on Otunga. He turned around in time to see Truth pinning Otunga and made the 3 count.

Barrett tells Cena to make the announcement that Barrett is the new WWE Champion.

Orton cuts them off. Long story short, there's 2 stipulations added to the match at SSeries. Pinfall or submission only, and Nexus is banned from ringside.

The main event for tonight is announced as Nexus vs. Team Orton (as chosen by the GM). Oh yeah, Cena's the ref, AGAIN.

Match 1: Eve and the Bellas vs. Maryse, Alicia Fox and Tamina

Apparently this match has something to do with soccer?

The Bellas switch places (again) and the fresh Bella wins.

Rating: 4/10. The wrestling was bad, and the soccer uniforms only made it worse. The significance of the uniforms is lost on anyone who doesn't follow soccer.

Backstage, Otunga is talking to the rest of Nexus before Barrett interrupts. Barrett tells Otunga he's facing Cena tonight.

Match 2: Hart Dynasty vs. Samoan Cryme Tyme

Wow, the Usos are actually wrestling. I'm shocked.

Kidd is down outside the ring and Smith is down inside the ring. Jey(?) with a splash off the turnbuckle for the pin.

Rating: 7/10. I'm glad they're finally pushing the only other tag team on the brand, but at the same time how can this go anywhere if they're only ever facing the Hart Dynasty?

Backstage with Randy Orton. Striker asks him about Team Orton and who he thinks will be on the team. He says he has no idea, but they'd better be the best of the best. In walks Miz. He says he's just talked to the GM and he's on the team.

In the Nexus locker room, we have Slater and Gabriel admiring their tag titles before Otunga comes in. Otunga says he's going to show how a leader really acts. He's going to beat Cena tonight.

Match 3: Goldust vs. DiBiase w/Maryse

Looks like Goldust is trying something different with his face paint tonight. I kinda like it.

Maryse grabs the $Million Title from ringside and tries to run off, but Aksana sprints out and stops her. They wrestles for the title before Aksana gets the upper hand and runs back up the ramp.

In the confusion, DiBiase gets distracted long enough for Goldilocks to roll him up for the victory.


Rating: 8/10. Great ring chemistry between these 2. I like that Maryse figured out she could get away with the title during the match. I mentioned that a while back. Glad they tried it but at the same time I'm glad it failed if that makes any sense.

Match 4: Otunga vs. Cena

Nexus walks out with Otunga, but quickly exit again.

Cena with an FU and STFU. Otunga taps.


Rating: 4/10. I understand why they had this match. Barrett is trying to humiliate Otunga by putting him up against his lackey. The point is essentially that Cena is a better member of the group than Otunga. That said, the match was terrible. Good concept, horrible execution.

Otunga is backstage with a bag of ice on his neck. Barrett joins him. Barrett basically calls Otunga an embarrassment, but he has a chance to redeem himself. Otunga is to take Nexus back to SD where he will face Edge. Oh, and if he doesn't beat Edge, he's done. Out. No longer Nexus and ergo against us.

Santino and Kozlov make their way to the ring, dressed like a couple of stereotypical British chaps (you know, to blend in). Their guest, all the way from "Irish Land" is Sheamus. Santino says that they got off on the wrong foot, and this tea party is to get them back on the right foot.

They have green tea and Ginger beer.

Sheamus says Santino isn't a bad guy, just misunderstood. He knew a guy like Santino back home. His only friend was a donkey and everyone called him the village idiot. But how can people call a donkey the village idiot?

Now, does Sheamus take his tea dark or milky?

Santino says that Sheamus has so much rage because he was either exposed to gamma rays or excluded from playing with the other kids when he was young. Santino won't do that. He won't exclude Sheamus, he won't treat him like a ghost.

Sheamus says he can't remember why he hates Santino, who can't remember either. Kozlov reminds him that Sheamus hates Santino because the latter beat the former in the "biggest upset in double double E history."

For added fun, turn this segment into a drinking game. Take a shot for every ginger reference.

Santino is shaking so much he spills tea on Sheamus, who flips the table over. Email from the GM.

There's a match coming up now.

Match 5: Sheamus vs. Santino

Kozlov has been banned from ringside.

Santino ducks out of the ring and gets partway into the crowd. Email again. Santino can get back in the ring and compete, or be immediately suspended.

He chooses to get back in the ring.

Santino gets himself disqualified with a low blow.

Rating: 5/10. For what it was, it was good. Santino is underrated on the mic and although not that skilled in the ring he can entertain.

Sheamus beats down Santino before John Morrison breaks it up. Morrison lays out Sheamus and helps Santino to the back.

Backstage with Cena and Barrett. Cena's watching WM highlights on a TV. Barrett asks Cena if he'd like to experience that again. All he has to do is raise Barrett's hand as the victor in 2 weeks.

Match 6: Orton, Miz, Danielson, Mark Henry and Truth vs. Nexus

I can tell you this right now: I want to see more of Danielson vs. Gabriel. They were great in the ring against each other.

Team Orton clears Nexus out of the ring as Otunga makes his way down.

Nexus is cleared out, Orton and Barrett are legal. Otunga distracts Cena long enough for Miz to hit Orton with the MITB briefcase and the Skullcrushing Finale. Cena, none the wiser, counts the pinfall and Nexus wins.

Rating: 6/10. There were some great pairings in there, but it turned into a bit of a clusterfuck. Nice reminder that Miz still has the MITB case.

That's the show for this week. Tune in next week for a 3 hour special edition of Old School Raw.

Average Match Rating: 5.7/10 (+0.1)

Match of the Night: Goldust vs. DiBiase

Overall Show Rating: 7/10 (+2)

Magic 8-Ball:

Goldust and DiBiase will face for the title at SSeries. Aksana will say something to the effect of Goldust cares more about that belt than he does about her.

The Usos will face the Hart Dynasty in a #1 contender match and win. Hart Dynasty will continue to crumble.

Otunga will turn on Nexus at SSeries.

John Morrison will explain his actions next week. He'll face Sheamus at SSeries.

Cena will continue being Cena. I can't say more than that.

That does it for this review. I'll have the feature post up this week. I'm thinking about renaming the blog, but I have no thoughts. I'm always open to suggestions so hit me up on Facebook or email me at ACA-CT@hotmail.com.

November 7, 2010

Smackdown Review: Nov 5/10

Wow, this is the earliest a match has ever started.

Match 1: Edge vs. Del Rio

Great back and forth action until Nexus interferes. There was actually an awesome match before the end. I didn't type the match out because it's late and I'm tired. Sorry.

Rating: 8/10. Good match, bad ending. I know I'm supposed to hate that they made the attack, but I hate it because it broke up a great match and not because it was unprovoked.



The interference leads to Big Show, Rey and Kane coming out. After that, we learn our main event will be the 5 SD guys vs. Nexus.


Match 2: Dolph vs. JTG

Typical squash. JTG gets in a couple of good shots before Dolph locks in the sleeper.

Rating: 5/10. I like Dolph, but honestly he doesn't need a squash match to show his dominance.

Kaitlyn comes out to congratulate Dolph. Dolph tries to keep her back. Vickie comes out now screaming "EXCUSE ME" like she always does. Bit of a cat fight before the refs and Dolph split them up. Note that Dolph is holding Kaitlyn back. To me that says it all.

Hornswoggle backstage with Teddy before Vickie comes in and demands justice. Teddy tells her if she wants justice, she'll get it in the ring. She's facing Kaitlyn tonight.

We see Nexus attacking Rey in the backstage area now. On a side note here, the camera runs past a guy that's just standing there watching. You'd think that fit his were to be believable, you'd want those people to scream about getting help or trying to break it up themselves. Just saying.

Josh comes to talk to Nexus. Apparently Barrett is in jolly old England visiting friends. Does that mean Cena's with him? Otunga says they attacked Rey because they can. He also says that Nexus isn't just about Cena and Barrett. Sure.

Match 3: MVP vs. Rhodes vs. Drew, #1 contendership (IC Title)

I hate that they aren't doing Drew's epic video/real life fade through anymore.

MVP with a quick shot on Rhodes. Drew surprisingly helps Rhodes. Drew says that they should take out MVP and settle things between them. That doesn't last long. MVP with a super-superplex on both men.

Rhodes breaks up a futureshock before getting sent back out of the ring. Drew draped over the second rope, MVP kicks him in the skull and gets the pin.

Rating: 7/10. Decent match. Good to see MVP getting a push. New theme,. new beginnings?

Match 4: Vickie vs. Kaitlyn

According to Todd, this is Wrestlemania come early. To me, it's a piss break come at the exact right time.

Vickie wins via a dirty pin (feet on the ropes).

Rating: 0/10. Do I need to explain? The only upside (and even then it wasn't enough to warrant a rating) was seeing Vickie get the shit kicked out of her.


Nexus now beats down MVP backstage.

Match 5: Masters vs. Reks

Bit of back and forth before Reks hits the Burning Hammer for the victory.

Rating: 6/10. Again, a squash match but it looks like Reks is going places.

Match 6: Nexus vs. SD

Since Rey is injured he's been replaced with Kofi.

Del Rio walks out partway through.

Kane and Show clean house before Kane chokeslams him. Edge tags himself in. Spears all around. He gets the pinfall for his team.

Rating: 7/10. I couldn't really follow the ending and aside from that it wasn't a great match.

That's the end of the show.

Average Match Rating: 5.5/10 (-0.7)

Match of the Night: MVP vs. Rhodes vs. Drew

Overall Show Rating: 6/10 (-1.5)

Magic 8-Ball:

Dolph will end up being forced to choose between Vickie and Kaitlyn, opting for neither and walking away
MVP will win the IC Title, only to lose it shortly after
Rhodes and Drew will settle things at SSeries
Reks will be the one to win the IC Title from MVP

I'll get the feature post up at some point soon. I'm too anal about my writing when it comes to voicing my opinions so bear with me. I'm just trying to make it as eloquent as possible.

November 4, 2010

WWE NXT Review: Nov 2/10

It's elimination week here on NXT and I for one can't wait. You think I'd be upset to see a supposedly hot woman leave, but let's face it, AJ is the only looker in the group that isn't 90% plastic. Kaitlyn is a close second, and yes I recognize that she's got fake funbags.

We open the show with a vignette on tonight's wedding between Goldust and Aksana.

Striker calls the girls to the ring for the first challenge. Aksana is excused because she needs to prepare for her wedding. Aksana should be thanking her lucky stars she got out of this kissing contest. 3 guesses who the judge is. That's right, Hornswoggle. Dammit why didn't WWE call me? I left them my email address.

Maxine of course says she's not going to kiss Horny. She claims that they picked Hornswoggle just to mess with her. She shows Hornswoggle the door.

Cody Rhodes now interrupts and volunteers himself as the new judge. There's some "kissing" (aka bad porno) music playing as Cody starts playing tonsil tennis with the ladies. After spritzing her in the mouth with breath freshener, Maxine makes Cody kiss her hand. Naomi says she wouldn't kiss Cody if he was the last man on earth. He calls her fat.

AJ pretty near tackles Cody as she kisses him. She wins. I knew she would. God, I can only imagine... (fapping, brb)

Backstage with AJ and Primo. AJ says she has something to tell him. They look for somewhere private. Door #1 reveals Dusty Rhodes and the Bellas.


Match 1: Alicia Fox vs. Kelly Kelly

Kelly hits Alicia with what I assume is her finisher for the pin.

Rating: 5/10. As always with the divas, I'm looking for quality above which they can provide. You say lower my standards, I say improve your wrestling.

AJ and Primo still looking for privacy. Door #2 holds Maxine frenching Hornswoggle. But it's not what it looks like apparently.

Looks like we have another competition. This one involves opening wedding gifts to find a flag before your opponents. Wow this is pathetic. Over mercifully quick with Kaitlyn winning. Since this was our last competition for the evening, Naomi has clinched immunity.

Back from commercials and the ring is being decorated for the wedding. Backstage with AJ and Primo again. They stop next to a shipping container or something. AJ is about to say something when the container starts shaking. They walk around to the open side to reveal Kaitlyn and Dolph going at it like horny teenagers.

Here comes Vickie. Cat fight, lots of screaming. In the end Vickie takes a cake to the face.

Looks like the wedding is up now. Apparently Johnny Ace was the coordinator. Cody Rhodes comes out first, followed by the American Dream. Hornswoggle is the ring bearer. Cole says that apparently Fozzy is playing at the reception. For those unaware (or just ignorant of good music) Fozzy is Chris Jericho's band.

My word, Goldust is wearing a Tux. Aksana looks like either a showgirl or a mail order hooker.

It gets better: they wrote their own vows. Now if nobody objects, wait -- the pastor objects, because everybody has a price. Here come Ted and Maryse with the immigration officer. There is one thing that Goldust can do to save the wedding and that is to give back the $Million Title.

Dusty apparently foresaw this and got himself a southern minister. He got himself Ted SR. who is actually an ordained minister. Jr. asks why he's doing this. Sr. says it's because the look on Jr's face is priceless (hahahahahaha). The ceremony continues.

Old Man Rhodes steals the first kiss from Goldust. Goldust leans in and SMACK! Aksana storms out after laying a slap on Goldilock's cheek. No explanation is given. I guess they are still "legally" married.

It's time for the elimination. It's Maxine.

That's the end of the show for this week.

Average match rating: 5/10 (-0.7)

Overall Show Rating:  7/10 (+2)

Magic 8-Ball: Aksana will explain why she slapped Goldust

AJ will tell Primo what she wanted to say this week

Vickie will set up some ridiculous match for Kaitlyn, and stay with Dolph because it was Kaitlyn's fault he cheated

Maxine will be caught with either Hornswoggle again or a different guy

I'll have my feature post up some time over the weekend for you guys. If there's any feedback or suggestions you have, drop me a line either on Facebook or at ACA-CT@hotmail.com

November 3, 2010

Monday Night Raw Review: Nov. 1/10

Due to my idiocy and deleting my recording of Raw from my PVR after watching it last night, this week's review will be done using WZ's coverage. Keep in mind I did see everything that happened, so I can still add my own commentary.

Randy Orton comes out and is smiling (and it looks kinda weird), then says he doesn't think there is anyone who could take his title, but he couldn't accept losing it because of a crooked referee. Orton calls out Cena and he marches right to the ring and tells Orton to cut him some slack. He says he is in a situation, and says he is supposed to call it down the middle, but if something happens... he doesn't know what he is going to do. Orton says if he screws him at Survivor Series, he keeps his job but he will be a huge phony, and it would disrespect everyone to hold the WWE Title. Cena says he doesn't like what he is doing, but Barrett might have enough skill to compete for the title, he just shows no class and won't try to win straight up.

Nexus comes out and Barrett thanks Cena for what he just said, but says actions will speak louder than words. Cena says when this is all over, he is going to beat the hell out of Barrett, but Orton says he doesn't have to wait until Survivor Series, and he challenges Barrett to come to the ring alone to prove himself. Cole reads a GM email and it says everyone wants to know what Cena will do at Survivor Series, so tonight they will get a preview of what he is about. Tonight's main event will be Randy Orton and a partner of his choice against Wade Barrett and a partner of his choice, and Cena will be the special guest referee.

 I don't like where this is going already. I thought they saved the pre-PPV tag matches for the go-home shows. Seriously, it's as predictable as the Leafs not making the playoffs.

Match 1: Gabriel and Slater vs. Hart Dynasty

Kidd gets an armdrag on Slater and tags in Smith, and works on Slater's arm then hits a delayed suplex for two. Gabriel blind tags in and hits Smith from behind, then he and Slater kick Smith in the corner while Kidd shakes his head. Smith fights off Gabriel by hitting a powerslam then crawls to get the tag to Kidd, and he hits a neckbreaker but Slater breaks it up. The action spills outside and Slater slides out of a powerslam and shoves Smith into Gabriel, and Smith gets hit by Kidd with a somersault dive on accident. Back in the ring, Gabriel kicks Kidd in the back of the head, then hits the 450 Splash for the win. Nexus celebrates on the turnbuckles while Kidd and Smith argue about what just happened.

Rating: 6/10. Technically solid work, but I dislike what's going on with the Hart Dynasty

Sheamus comes out and says he is not going to throw a temper tantrum, because Santino didn't beat him, he beat himself. He has given Santino a week to enjoy his fluke victory and tells Santino to come out. Santino comes out and says he is a fan of Sheamus, but he can't face Sheamus tonight because he ate too much Halloween candy, and the doctor said he might throw up on him. He says he found Sheamus a suitable replacement, and introduces Vladimir Kozlov.

Match 2: Sheamus vs. Kozlov

Both guys club away at each other then Kozlov kicks Sheamus and throws him to the mat. Sheamus reverses it and hits knees to the back of the head, but Kozlov powers back with headbutts and kicks. Sheamus gets up and hits an axe handle smash, then hits the Brogue Kick for the win.

Rating: 5/10. I'll admit I didn't think Sheamus would win, but I'm surprised. Low rating is because it was a squash match. I hate squash matches.
Sheamus catches up with Santino and stalks him up the ramp, and Santino tries to get out of it with candy and money. Sheamus just throws it down, and shoves Santino at the top of the ramp, then picks him up for the Irish Curse. John Morrison runs out and kicks Sheamus in the stomach to break it up, then kicks him in the head to knock him off the stage while Santino thanks him.

R-Truth catches up with Orton in the back and says him and Cena are friends, but he doesn't like what he heard from him. He thinks Cena already made up his mind and he will look Orton right in the eye while he is counting the pin for Barrett. Orton says he has never seen eye to eye with Cena, so he wants Truth to be his partner so they can show the world that Cena has no friends.

Mark Henry is telling Pee Wee Herman that things haven't been the same since Evan Bourne got hurt, and he asks Pee Wee for a hug. Pee Wee says he knows what will cheer him up and calls for a game of Diva Twister and gets them started then talks to the camera. He puts over tonight's show, then introduces Lita, who makes a cameo. She helps Pee Wee knock over the Divas playing Twister and walks away with Pee Wee as we go to a commercial.

Anyone else notice that Mark Henry apparently can't tell the difference between left and right. Pee Wee  said "left hand" and Henry used his right.

Match 3: Zack Ryder vs. Big Zeke

Ryder kicks Zeke in the leg, then Zeke smiles and clotheslines Ryder twice, hits a press slam and finishes with the Uranage Slam to pick up the win.

Rating: 4/10. See above about squash matches.

Pee Wee Herman comes out to the ring and thanks everyone and says he is totally feeling RAW. He brings up the secret word, which is 'ring', and tests the audience to see if they know what to do. Miz and Riley interrupt him and Pee Wee tries to shake his hand, but Miz refuses and says he doesn't like Pee Wee. Miz tells him to get out of the ring and everyone screams, and Riley tells him not to say the secret word, but Miz doesn't get it. Pee Wee mocks Miz, then mimics Riley, until Miz threatens to beat him up, but Pee Wee says he isn't scared and tells them not to anger him, because he has his cousin backstage.

Miz tells him to bring him out, and Big Show comes out in a Pee Wee suit. Show chokes Riley and Miz and dumps them over the top rope, and Pee Wee jumps into Show's arms. They say the secret word again and everyone screams, then Cole reads another email. He says Miz isn't getting out of this so easily, and tonight's word is pain. Miz will face Show, and it will be next.

Match 4: Miz vs. Show

Show punches Miz then chops him in the corner, and tries to punch Miz but Miz holds the ropes and ducks out of the ring. Miz gets back in and walks into a big hip toss, and then gets kicked in the ribs and stepped on. Miz makes a comeback and dropkicks Show's left leg, but Show powers back and slams him to the mat then hits an elbow drop off the ropes.

Miz tries to crawl out of the way and continues to kick away at Show's leg, then runs the ropes and dropkicks the same leg to drop Show to the mat. He punches Show in the chest and puts him in a sleeperhold, and SHow stands up with Miz hanging on, and falls backwards to crush Miz. Show is limping a bit, but he headbutts Miz and goes up top to hit a Vader Bomb, but Riley distracts him. Miz rolls out of the way and goes up top and hits a three axe handle smashes, but still only gets a two count.

Show hits some clotheslines and a back body drop to make a comeback, then rushes Miz in the corner, but no one is home. He grabs Miz by the throat but Riley gets on the apron, and Show throws Miz into him. Miz picks up the briefcase and hits Show in the stomach with it, and the referee calls for the bell.

Rating: 5/10. Not that exciting to me. Normally I like Miz's matches but this didn't do anything to satisfy.

Barrett and Cena are in the locker room, and he tells Cena that after he wins, he is making Cena clean the locker room, then scrub his back. Barrett walks away and Otunga comes up to Cena and tells him that he won't have to do any of that, because he won't be raising Barrett's hand tonight. Cena will raise Otunga's, because he is the most talented guy in Nexus, Cena included. Otunga leaves and Cena shakes his head and looks confused as to what is going on.

Match 5: DiBiase vs. Danielson

Bryan ducks DiBiase and kicks him in the corner, but DiBiase fights back and kicks him in the corner. DiBiase whips him into the opposite corner and eats a boot, but shoves Bryan off the middle rope and puts him in a headlock on the mat. Bryan reverses DiBiase running the ropes and gets a few close pin attempts, then kicks him in the chest repeatedly. DiBiase retaliates and hits a sitout powerbomb and goes for Dream Street, but Bryan counters and makes DiBiase tap out to the LeBell Lock.

Rating: 7/10. Danielson looked a little awkward tonight. No idea why. Still a decent match.

LayCool comes out and says they are sorry for upsetting the WWE Universe, because they want the fans to like them, and think they got off on the wrong foot. They are going to be nice to Natalya, and give her one last shot at Survivor Series, if she can beat Michelle tonight. They say that won't happen though, because they are the best there is, was and ever will be.

Match 6: McCool vs. Natalya

Natalya hits a fireman's carry takeover and hits a reverse flapjack as Michelle calls for a time out. Natalya goes right after her and Michelle gets a near fall, then elbows her on the ropes and drives her knee into Natalya's back. Michelle keeps the match on the ground with a bodyscissors, but has to break the hold when Natalya reaches the ropes. Michelle tries to kick Natalya, but she catches her foot and goes for a Sharpshooter. Layla pulls her out of the ring and Natalya knocks Michelle down with a big forearm shot, then slingshots Layla into Michelle to knock them both down on the ringside floor. Natalya throws Michelle back in the ring, and kicks Layla back down to the ground outside the ring, then rolls up Michelle to pick up the win and the title shot.

Rating: 6/10. Natalya looked great again and I'm glad she won. It was nice to see Layla get nailed in the jaw as well.

A doctor (Freddie Prinze Jr) is checking on someone and asks how his favorite patient is. He says he is still in a coma and says it's a shame he will miss the election, then the camera shows an unconscious Vince McMahon in a hospital bed. He says he would be glad knowing his wife visits him all the time, even when she is running for Senate. The doctor says she has spent $50 million and Vince comes out of his coma and starts screaming about the money. The doctor tells him all the things going on in WWE now and he can't believe it, then Vince jumps out out bed and says he needs to go to the bathroom. As he struggles to walk away he has a Blumenthal (Linda's opponent) poster on his butt and makes his way to the bathroom. The screen goes black then Stephanie McMahon wakes up and asks her husband (Triple H) if Vince is still in a coma. He says yes, and they think he is brain dead, and a relieved Stephanie goes back to sleep as she realized it was just a dream.

Match 7: Barrett and Otunga vs. Orton and Truth, Cena as ref

Otunga kicks away at Orton in the corner then Orton starts taking him apart. Barrett gets the tag and Orton pounds away at him until Cena makes them break at 5. Orton gets pissed off then goes back to work on Otunga and throws him out of the ring. He tries to whip Otunga into the steps, but Otunga reverses it and Cena tells them to get back in the ring. Barrett tags in and hammers away at Orton, but Orton fights back and gets the hot tag to Truth. Truth catches Otunga with a heel kick for a two count, then whips him off the ropes and Barrett blind tags in. He hits a spinning side slam on Truth then picks him up and drops him with a right hand. Barrett misses a top rope elbow drop then both guys tag out, but Cena makes them get out because he didn't see it.

Orton flips out as Barrett and Otunga work over Truth in the corner, then Cena sees the legal tag. Truth and Otunga collide mid ring, and they crawl to make tags, but this time Cena won't allow Barrett in because he didn't see it. Orton RKO's Otunga behind Cena's back, and unloads on Barrett to keep him busy as Truth makes the cover. Barrett flips out on Cena over the tag, and Cena explains what happened as Orton stares them both down from the ring.

Rating: 6/10. Decent work from those involved but it was more of the same old Nexus shit. It's getting old. Hopefully it'll pick up once Cena's out of the group.

That's the end of the show.

Average Match Rating: 5.6/10 (+0.4)

Match of the Night: Danielson vs. DiBiase

Overall Show Rating: 5/10 (--)

Magic 8-Ball: Cena will have to do Wade's bidding while Otunga becomes more frustrated and eventually leaves the group. My guess is turning on Barrett at SSeries.

Sheamus will be able to beat everyone but Santino. They will have their little segments every week until SSeries where they will face off.

DiBiase will get his title back from Goldust either on NXT or at SSeries. Danielson will face Ziggler again at the PPV in a title unification match.

Natalya will continue to be a thorn in LayCool's side. The pair will split and face eachother for the Diva's title.

McMahon will return to TV in a larger role starting next week and Trips won't be far behind. I don't see him wrestling though. More than likely the GM.

Feature post this week will discuss how going back to TV-14 won't help WWE improve. Regular reviews will continue as normal. Again, drop me a line if you have a subject you'd like me to write about.