Yeah, it's wednesday, but hey, at least it isn't thursday.
I want to say again like I did last week, that it really does not feel like Wrestlemania is less than a week away. It doesn't. I'm not seeing any hype outside of the small plugs they're doing on the shows. I'm not feeling it. I want to feel it, but I just.... don't. Oh well.
WZ Coverage
Win:
-- CM Punk's opening promo. Most of the opening promos in recent weeks have been good. This was no exception. He's really good on the mic and I like his character. I don't think anyone else could be a heel with the Straight Edge gimmick. Plus it did a good job building up their match.
-- Sin Cara next week on Raw. Fuck yeah.
-- Everything about the Taker/Trips/HBK segment. It was completely epic. I will say I'm getting sick of hearing him come out to Johnny Cash though. It's a good song, but it's like watching an edition of Unfitting Themes on Youtube.
-- HBK. I'm mentioning him separately just because it's too awesome not to.
-- Orton's backstage segment. It was pretty good to see that intensity from him. He did really well here.
-- 3 words: Homeless Power Ranger. The Rock was golden tonight. The whole segment was good, but the Rock deserves recognition for what he said tonight. Nobody else could get the crowd chanting "Cena sucks" the way he does. I felt again like Miz was an afterthought in this, but there was still some good hype happening.
Fail:
-- Snooki. Need I say more?
-- Lawler vs. Swagger. I'm not even putting this under "matches" that's how bad it was. It was one big fail.
-- Another great wrestler falls victim to the worst finisher ever.
-- Vickie imitating JoMo's entrance. Not a fan of that.
WTF:
-- Edge and Christian reunite and we don't get a 5 second pose?
-- Kane doing Santino's taunt? That was just messed.
-- Only 4 matches? What's going on here?
Matches:
E&C vs. Del Rio/Brodus -- Pretty awesome match. I'm looking forward to Edge and Del Rio's match on Sunday. Everyone involved did a great job, and I'm surprised by how well Brodus can move. He has potential, he just needs to drop some of his bodyguard habits.
Rating: 7/10
Gabriel vs. Santino -- The match was nothing special, and I absolutely hate the Cobra. It is the worst finisher in WWE right now and I don't like that people have to lose to it. It's saddening.
Rating: 5/10
Ziggler/Sheamus vs. Danielson/Morrison -- Second decent tag match of the night. The only gripe I have is that Danielson lost cleanly again. Other than that it was a solid match.
Rating: 7/10
Average Match Rating: 6.3/10 (+1.3)
Match of the Night: E&C vs. Del Rio/Brodus
Overall Show Rating: 6/10 (+1)
Not the best score for a go home show, especially Wrestlemania. That said it did a decent job hyping the matches but it wasn't great. I wish there were more matches, but the ones we did get were decent overall. They could have done so much more than they did and I can't help but feel just a little disappointed.
March 31, 2011
March 23, 2011
Monday Night Raw Review: March 21/11
Wow, it's tuesday and I'm doing my review. What's wrong with me? Anyways, I've rounded up the nominees for the greatest entrance theme and the list looks good. I want you guys to post here with your top 10 (from those nominees) for both the classic and modern category. Once you've done that, I'll finalize the brackets and present the weekly matchups. Whichever theme gets the least votes of each pair will be eliminated, all the way to number one.
So, on to Raw. I just want to say, is Wrestlemania really next weekend? For some reason I haven't seen as much hype as I have in years past. Where did the spirit of Wrestlemania go? Am I the only one that lost it?
WZ Coverage
Win:
-- Danielson's theme song. I love Ride of the Valkyries and I seriously thought it would make a great entrance theme for a long time. I was right.
-- Hearing from more people than just HBK on Taker vs. Trips.
-- Miz's closing promo. He did everything right here. Plus he made the WWE Title look better, even if it is only slightly so. Of course Cena had to ruin it. He's a bigger buzzkill than Buzz Killington.
-- Okay, Cena actually was there. He made me look like a fool. congrats. Don't get used to it.
Fail:
-- BOOMER SOONE -- Fuck you Cole!
-- Triple H, while he did a good job at working the crowd, repeated almost verbatim what he's been saying for the last couple of weeks. "If the streak dies, you die too" can only be said so many times, especially if he's going to keep saying it the same way over and over.
-- DiBiase getting beat down like a punk. This was a bad move on WWE's part. The kid has some talent and they aren't using him properly. I just don't like seeing it go to waste like this.
-- Practice what you preach Cena. Get your candyass out to the ring and deliver a real promo. Not that I'd care to see it either way.
-- More Lawler family bullshit from Cole. I'm sick and tired of it. This is one of the lowest bows you can throw and I thought that WWE was better than this.
-- Alex Riley being re-hired by Miz. I do like them as a pair, but at the same time this is basically what happened when Cena was "fired." He just showed up again and came back as if nothing ever happened. The rest of the promo was good.
WTF:
-- Orton has a big match at Wrestlemania, and we get to hear him talking about a bus.
-- Again, Snooki being in a match at WM. It's bullshit. The chick shouldn't be wrestling. It's not a business move, it's just stupid.
-- Not that I'm complaining, but was there only one email all night?
-- Can't even get the same girl to play Orton's wife again. Some people do notice these things. On the other hand she could be a Time Lord....
Matches:
Bourne vs. Sheamus -- Good match. I don't like that Bourne is losing, but I hope that it leads to him competing for the title down the road. It was a short match but it was pretty good for the time it was given.
Rating: 7/10
Maryse vs. Eve -- I don't know why, but I get bored with womens wrestling. The matches (especially lately) are all dull and generally useless. That said Eve is pretty good in the ring. She's doing alright but WWE needs to start using her (and the other women) properly. I honestly think this match was meant as filler until Cole's announcement.
Rating: 4/10
Santino and Kozlov vs. Slater and Gabriel -- WWE needs new tag teams like Charlie Sheen needs to be sedated. For those not informed, that's very badly. Slater and Gabriel are one of the best duos they have right now and I'd like to see some decent competition for them. I'm not usually a fan of random pairings as tag teams but honestly it's time to start trying. The match itself wasn't as terrible as some of the tag team matches can be. The Cobra is also one of the worst finishers ever and I'm glad to see it not winning as many matches as it originally did.
Rating: 5/10
Ziggler/Vickie/LayCool vs. Morrison/Stratus -- I'm just going to avoid this one. The men did well, Trish did well, but that's the end of anything decent. Nothing against the women per se, but when they give us women that can't wrestle, I start to lose faith. The match was underwhelming at best.
Rating: 4/10
Orton vs. Rey -- Potential for an okay match here. It was going alright until the whole thing with the tour bus. Yes, Punk did need to get some more heat and momentum going into next week but at the same time it was so obvious this was going to happen as soon as they started talking about the bus and showing Orton's (kayfabe) wife.
Rating: 5/10
Average match rating: 5/10 (-0.2)
Match of the Night: Sheamus vs. Bourne
Overall show rating: 5/10 (-1.5)
Not the best Raw by a long shot. The show has gone way downhill from where it was a couple weeks ago. They have one more week to impress before the big event. They'd better figure it out, and fast.
So, on to Raw. I just want to say, is Wrestlemania really next weekend? For some reason I haven't seen as much hype as I have in years past. Where did the spirit of Wrestlemania go? Am I the only one that lost it?
WZ Coverage
Win:
-- Danielson's theme song. I love Ride of the Valkyries and I seriously thought it would make a great entrance theme for a long time. I was right.
-- Hearing from more people than just HBK on Taker vs. Trips.
-- Miz's closing promo. He did everything right here. Plus he made the WWE Title look better, even if it is only slightly so. Of course Cena had to ruin it. He's a bigger buzzkill than Buzz Killington.
-- Okay, Cena actually was there. He made me look like a fool. congrats. Don't get used to it.
Fail:
-- BOOMER SOONE -- Fuck you Cole!
-- Triple H, while he did a good job at working the crowd, repeated almost verbatim what he's been saying for the last couple of weeks. "If the streak dies, you die too" can only be said so many times, especially if he's going to keep saying it the same way over and over.
-- DiBiase getting beat down like a punk. This was a bad move on WWE's part. The kid has some talent and they aren't using him properly. I just don't like seeing it go to waste like this.
-- Practice what you preach Cena. Get your candyass out to the ring and deliver a real promo. Not that I'd care to see it either way.
-- More Lawler family bullshit from Cole. I'm sick and tired of it. This is one of the lowest bows you can throw and I thought that WWE was better than this.
-- Alex Riley being re-hired by Miz. I do like them as a pair, but at the same time this is basically what happened when Cena was "fired." He just showed up again and came back as if nothing ever happened. The rest of the promo was good.
WTF:
-- Orton has a big match at Wrestlemania, and we get to hear him talking about a bus.
-- Again, Snooki being in a match at WM. It's bullshit. The chick shouldn't be wrestling. It's not a business move, it's just stupid.
-- Not that I'm complaining, but was there only one email all night?
-- Can't even get the same girl to play Orton's wife again. Some people do notice these things. On the other hand she could be a Time Lord....
Matches:
Bourne vs. Sheamus -- Good match. I don't like that Bourne is losing, but I hope that it leads to him competing for the title down the road. It was a short match but it was pretty good for the time it was given.
Rating: 7/10
Maryse vs. Eve -- I don't know why, but I get bored with womens wrestling. The matches (especially lately) are all dull and generally useless. That said Eve is pretty good in the ring. She's doing alright but WWE needs to start using her (and the other women) properly. I honestly think this match was meant as filler until Cole's announcement.
Rating: 4/10
Santino and Kozlov vs. Slater and Gabriel -- WWE needs new tag teams like Charlie Sheen needs to be sedated. For those not informed, that's very badly. Slater and Gabriel are one of the best duos they have right now and I'd like to see some decent competition for them. I'm not usually a fan of random pairings as tag teams but honestly it's time to start trying. The match itself wasn't as terrible as some of the tag team matches can be. The Cobra is also one of the worst finishers ever and I'm glad to see it not winning as many matches as it originally did.
Rating: 5/10
Ziggler/Vickie/LayCool vs. Morrison/Stratus -- I'm just going to avoid this one. The men did well, Trish did well, but that's the end of anything decent. Nothing against the women per se, but when they give us women that can't wrestle, I start to lose faith. The match was underwhelming at best.
Rating: 4/10
Orton vs. Rey -- Potential for an okay match here. It was going alright until the whole thing with the tour bus. Yes, Punk did need to get some more heat and momentum going into next week but at the same time it was so obvious this was going to happen as soon as they started talking about the bus and showing Orton's (kayfabe) wife.
Rating: 5/10
Average match rating: 5/10 (-0.2)
Match of the Night: Sheamus vs. Bourne
Overall show rating: 5/10 (-1.5)
Not the best Raw by a long shot. The show has gone way downhill from where it was a couple weeks ago. They have one more week to impress before the big event. They'd better figure it out, and fast.
March 18, 2011
Monday Night Raw Review: Mar. 14/11
Happy St. Patty's Day everyone. Yes, late again. I've been busy with work as usual, but I have next tuesday off, to I should be able to post on time next week. Thanks for sticking with me even through all my lateness. Oh and one small change. Instead of good and bad, we now have win and fail. I'll leave you to the brain-busting task of figuring out which is which.
WZ Coverage
Win:
-- The Rock's opening promo. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. The kid did a pretty good impression of Cena and the Rock was spot on as always. I missed his promos. I'm honestly looking forward to his next promo.
-- Miz's promo was really good as well. He's continuing to improve his promos over the last couple of weeks, and it shows.
-- Lawler cutting off Cole. Well done, it's about damn time.
-- BOOMER SOONER! Fuck yeah, JR's in the house. It's good to see him again. He didn't really do much, but then he didn't have to. He's JR, he makes everything better.
-- Miz as the Rock. This was pretty funny. This is one of the more creative things I've seen in recent weeks. He did a good job with that Rock Bottom to boot. Miz definitely has what it takes to be a champion. I haven't seen anyone own Cena like this since Nexus destroyed him a while ago. Maybe creative is coming around, finally.
Fail:
-- Miz seeming like an afterthought in the Rock's promo. He's the WWE champion for fuck sake, give him SOME credit.
-- Snooki. What was the point? Why give her a match at WM? I don't care what kind of publicity it gets the event, she shouldn't be wrestling. I think that if you can't sell an event based on the wrestlers/matches on the card, you shouldn't be having events.
-- Grand Master Sexay. I liked Too Cool back in the day, but bringing family into this stuff has never sat well with me (aside from Cena's dad getting RKO'ed) and nobody knows who the fuck he is anymore. This segment bombed. Badly.
-- Cole butchering the Ankle Lock on JR. According to his blog, COle actually injured him. Some people have suggested that it's kayfabe to keep up appearances, but I don't think JR would bullshit his fans like that.
-- Nexus getting mangled in less than a month. WWE was doing pretty good with the group until they sent Barrett to SD. Sure, they'd been losing credibility since Cena was fired then rehired for no reason, but there was still hope. Now, it's all dead. The once great group has been reduced to a piled of punted corpses. WWE dropped the ball here.
-- Drew Carey in the HOF. Move over Pete Rose.
WTF:
-- Not that I'm complaining, but when did Cole decide to lock himself in a glass box?
-- Is it just me, or was JR's mouth barely moving? It's like watching an episode of Speed Racer.
Matches:
Miz vs. Khali -- This was very underwhelming. I can understand the DQ finish as it helps build Miz's heel status, but at the same time I feel ripped off. When they say "first time ever match" I expect something big and spectacular, not a slow Indian giant whose novelty has worn off.
Rating: 4/10
Sheamus vs. Danielson (US Title) -- This was a decent match. It's actually nice to see them doing something with the US Title. Both men did a great job in the match. I'm surprised it went as long as it did, but it left me wanting to see more. Not because it was lacking anything, but because it was a great match and I want to see them go at it again.
Rating: 8/10
Orton vs. Ryan -- Mason Ryan is still pretty green but he's got a ton of potential. I definitely see him going places. This was a good match, but not great. Sure, Orton was as solid in the ring as ever, but his Superman persona is continuing to inflate. The "flash" RKO is getting boring, and I'm not the only one who thinks so. I don't mind it every now and then, but every week? It's old news now. The last truly exciting RKO was when he nailed Bourne mid-air. The match was pretty predictable but it was still some good technical work. Like I said at the start, good but not great.
Rating: 6/10
Vickie vs. Trish -- I think this was total bullshit. I'm glad Vickie's win wasn't clean, but still. This match made a mockery out of an already laughable womens division. Trish is one of the greatest divas of all time and to do this to her is just stupid. I knew as soon as I heard it was no-DQ that there would be interference. It was not worth my time in any way.
Rating: 3/10
Del Rio vs. Cena -- Del Rio was looking good tonight. He did pretty good given what he had to work with. That said, I was not a fan of this match at all. Cena was just as bad as ever and it's really dragging everyone else down.
Rating: 5/10
Average match rating: 5.2/10 (-1.55)
Match of the Night: Danielson vs. Sheamus
Overall show rating: 6.5/10 (-1.5)
The next few weeks, I'll be rounding up your thoughts on which entrance theme is the best. Join the discussion on the ACA Facebook page.
WZ Coverage
Win:
-- The Rock's opening promo. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. The kid did a pretty good impression of Cena and the Rock was spot on as always. I missed his promos. I'm honestly looking forward to his next promo.
-- Miz's promo was really good as well. He's continuing to improve his promos over the last couple of weeks, and it shows.
-- Lawler cutting off Cole. Well done, it's about damn time.
-- BOOMER SOONER! Fuck yeah, JR's in the house. It's good to see him again. He didn't really do much, but then he didn't have to. He's JR, he makes everything better.
-- Miz as the Rock. This was pretty funny. This is one of the more creative things I've seen in recent weeks. He did a good job with that Rock Bottom to boot. Miz definitely has what it takes to be a champion. I haven't seen anyone own Cena like this since Nexus destroyed him a while ago. Maybe creative is coming around, finally.
Fail:
-- Miz seeming like an afterthought in the Rock's promo. He's the WWE champion for fuck sake, give him SOME credit.
-- Snooki. What was the point? Why give her a match at WM? I don't care what kind of publicity it gets the event, she shouldn't be wrestling. I think that if you can't sell an event based on the wrestlers/matches on the card, you shouldn't be having events.
-- Grand Master Sexay. I liked Too Cool back in the day, but bringing family into this stuff has never sat well with me (aside from Cena's dad getting RKO'ed) and nobody knows who the fuck he is anymore. This segment bombed. Badly.
-- Cole butchering the Ankle Lock on JR. According to his blog, COle actually injured him. Some people have suggested that it's kayfabe to keep up appearances, but I don't think JR would bullshit his fans like that.
-- Nexus getting mangled in less than a month. WWE was doing pretty good with the group until they sent Barrett to SD. Sure, they'd been losing credibility since Cena was fired then rehired for no reason, but there was still hope. Now, it's all dead. The once great group has been reduced to a piled of punted corpses. WWE dropped the ball here.
-- Drew Carey in the HOF. Move over Pete Rose.
WTF:
-- Not that I'm complaining, but when did Cole decide to lock himself in a glass box?
-- Is it just me, or was JR's mouth barely moving? It's like watching an episode of Speed Racer.
Matches:
Miz vs. Khali -- This was very underwhelming. I can understand the DQ finish as it helps build Miz's heel status, but at the same time I feel ripped off. When they say "first time ever match" I expect something big and spectacular, not a slow Indian giant whose novelty has worn off.
Rating: 4/10
Sheamus vs. Danielson (US Title) -- This was a decent match. It's actually nice to see them doing something with the US Title. Both men did a great job in the match. I'm surprised it went as long as it did, but it left me wanting to see more. Not because it was lacking anything, but because it was a great match and I want to see them go at it again.
Rating: 8/10
Orton vs. Ryan -- Mason Ryan is still pretty green but he's got a ton of potential. I definitely see him going places. This was a good match, but not great. Sure, Orton was as solid in the ring as ever, but his Superman persona is continuing to inflate. The "flash" RKO is getting boring, and I'm not the only one who thinks so. I don't mind it every now and then, but every week? It's old news now. The last truly exciting RKO was when he nailed Bourne mid-air. The match was pretty predictable but it was still some good technical work. Like I said at the start, good but not great.
Rating: 6/10
Vickie vs. Trish -- I think this was total bullshit. I'm glad Vickie's win wasn't clean, but still. This match made a mockery out of an already laughable womens division. Trish is one of the greatest divas of all time and to do this to her is just stupid. I knew as soon as I heard it was no-DQ that there would be interference. It was not worth my time in any way.
Rating: 3/10
Del Rio vs. Cena -- Del Rio was looking good tonight. He did pretty good given what he had to work with. That said, I was not a fan of this match at all. Cena was just as bad as ever and it's really dragging everyone else down.
Rating: 5/10
Average match rating: 5.2/10 (-1.55)
Match of the Night: Danielson vs. Sheamus
Overall show rating: 6.5/10 (-1.5)
The next few weeks, I'll be rounding up your thoughts on which entrance theme is the best. Join the discussion on the ACA Facebook page.
March 9, 2011
Monday Night Raw Review: Mar. 7/11
Well, I'm back on a tuesday again. I hope I can keep this up. I'm trying to come up with a good idea for a feature post. Instead of doing something serious, I think I'll do something more light-hearted and funny. I'll figure something out. As always I'm open to suggestions. Anything you want to know my thoughts on, feel free to email me at ACA-CT@hotmail.com
The Good:
-- Taker's opening promo. I've liked every opening promo for the past few weeks now. I don't have a thing for the opening segments, WWE is just doing a good job delivering on them. Taker can still send a chill down my spine and that's what makes his promos awesome. Plus the match is now no holds barred. I don't see them doing anything huge with that, but it does leave room for hope.
-- Brodus Clay still getting a spot on the main roster. He may not have been my favourite and I don't disagree with the NXT results but I think he definitely has a future with WWE. Plus with Del Rio as his mentor he's going to be seen around the main event which doesn't hurt anyone.
-- Del Rio continuing to impress. He's got everything it takes to be a top heel and I'm glad WWE sees it too. Jakob complained about him being shoved down our throats. I don't see it that way at all. He needs the time to cement his on-screen presence, just like every other star.
-- Christian returning. I'm a die hard peep and it while it may be a little bit due to national pride, I'm still happy to see him.
-- The HOF is looking pretty damn good.
-- WWE's already hyping Sin Cara. I can't wait to see this guy in action. I've seen a few highlights and I've been inpressed. I think he's just what WWE needs right now.
-- I never liked JBL as a wrestler. Yes he was solid in the ring but I just wasn't a fan. That said, he's got a great character and he's good on the mic. I hope he comes back and does commentary. Granted I don't see any connection between him and Cole aside from both being from Texas. Other than that I have no complaints.
-- Stone Cold opening a can of whoopass on JBL and stealing the contract AND dumping beer all over Cole. Anything that makes Cole cry is good in my books.
-- Dolph Ziggler on Raw. This will be great.
-- Trish Stratus wrestling next week. I would be more excited if the circumstances were different and I wasn't so sure she'd have to lay down for Vickie.
-- Miz's ending promo. He really stepped it up tonight. Even Vardy agrees with me.
The Bad:
-- "Ain't No Grave" in itself is a great song but it doesn't suit Taker one bit. Well, it does and it doesn't. It's good for promos, but not theme music. PLEASE go back to Graveyard Symphony.
-- Cole talking over Taker's entrance. I'm sorry it's just annoying. I want to enjoy seeing the Deadman without useless blabbering, especially from that ass-miner.
-- Orton is starting to get his own Superman status. Granted he does deserve it a hell of a lot more than Cena, but I don't find it believable that anyone can come back from such attacks. The way I see it, while most people say it makes the face look strong I see a heel looking weak. If I'm to believe that Punk (or any heel) is credible I want to see their actions have negative consequences for the victim.
-- I'm torn about where to put this, but Sheamus' "win the US Title or quit" promise. In a way ti could be good because it's a storyline involving an often-forgotten title, but at the same time I don't like these stipulations. I decided to go with bad because I think this type of thing is way out of character for Sheamus and I don't like that he's back on the mid card after 2 successful WWE Title runs.
-- Why does Vickie have to come with to Raw too? Sure she has to fight for it, but we all know she'll win.
-- Cena's closing promo. I thought the shirt was funny but after that I stopped laughing. He's been good these last couple of weeks but he lost me tonight. The whole hip hop thing was dumb, but the overall point was okay. It's not really rap or hip hop either, it's more spoken word. But whatever, it wasn't as great as his other recent stuff was.
WTF:
-- Banning mention of WM17. I don't see why. I honestly don't. Someone said that it's good for the storyline but I don't see it. Trips is going to look like a credible threat no matter what because the fans will think he is.
-- Way to go, King. Orton is the Viper. Austin (or should I say "Autsin") is the Rattlesnake.
-- That "Autsin" sign. Really? Really?
-- Josh calling himself a Diva. Lol.
-- I could never understand the "MOO" in JBL's theme. It's funny in a weird way.
-- Vardy agrees with me?
The Matches:
Orton vs. Otunga -- This is a tough one. Orton was great, Otunga wasn't and again I don't know what to think of Orton's new Superman status. Decent match but nothing special.
Rating: 6/10
Christian vs. Brodus Clay -- Clay was very impressive. He still has room to improve but I think he's off to a great start. Christian was in good form tonight as well. Christian is long overdue for a push and I think this might be it. Brodus Clay will be a big player on the mid card in the future for sure.
Rating: 7/10
Brie (Nikki?) vs. Eve -- Yeah, no. What Cole did was bullshit, but I'd rather he do it here than another match. The match itself was a typical Diva match. Am I the only one that thinks the Bellas should be automatically DQ'ed if they're caught trying to switch?
Rating: 4/10
Danielson vs. Sheamus -- I liked the match but I'm not a big fan of countout endings. Other than that both men were superb. I just wish it had gone on a little longer. I think these guys will have a great program. It's good to see a US Title feud again. The belt is often forgotten about especially around WM. Good to see they have at least some kind of plan.
Rating: 7.5/10
Punk vs. Truth -- I really enjoyed this match. Punk was great and Truth looked decent for a change. It was great to see Punk use the Anaconda Vise again. I almost forgot he had a submission finisher.
Rating: 8/10
Ziggler vs. Morrison -- Great match. I think people underrate Morrison as a competitor. He's not quite there with his mic skills, but in terms of ring work he's doing fine. Yeah, he may rely a little more on high spots than some more technically gifted wrestlers but that's his style. Dolph is also well on his way to the main event.
Rating: 8/10
Average match rating: 6.75/10 (+1.75)
Match of the Night: Ziggler vs. Morrison
Overall show rating: 8/10 (+0.5)
I'll figure something out for a feature post at some point soon. Sorry for the delay on one, I'm having creative block again. As always, feel free to email me or hit me up on Facebook with any questions comments or suggestions. I'm always open to them.
The Good:
-- Taker's opening promo. I've liked every opening promo for the past few weeks now. I don't have a thing for the opening segments, WWE is just doing a good job delivering on them. Taker can still send a chill down my spine and that's what makes his promos awesome. Plus the match is now no holds barred. I don't see them doing anything huge with that, but it does leave room for hope.
-- Brodus Clay still getting a spot on the main roster. He may not have been my favourite and I don't disagree with the NXT results but I think he definitely has a future with WWE. Plus with Del Rio as his mentor he's going to be seen around the main event which doesn't hurt anyone.
-- Del Rio continuing to impress. He's got everything it takes to be a top heel and I'm glad WWE sees it too. Jakob complained about him being shoved down our throats. I don't see it that way at all. He needs the time to cement his on-screen presence, just like every other star.
-- Christian returning. I'm a die hard peep and it while it may be a little bit due to national pride, I'm still happy to see him.
-- The HOF is looking pretty damn good.
-- WWE's already hyping Sin Cara. I can't wait to see this guy in action. I've seen a few highlights and I've been inpressed. I think he's just what WWE needs right now.
-- I never liked JBL as a wrestler. Yes he was solid in the ring but I just wasn't a fan. That said, he's got a great character and he's good on the mic. I hope he comes back and does commentary. Granted I don't see any connection between him and Cole aside from both being from Texas. Other than that I have no complaints.
-- Stone Cold opening a can of whoopass on JBL and stealing the contract AND dumping beer all over Cole. Anything that makes Cole cry is good in my books.
-- Dolph Ziggler on Raw. This will be great.
-- Trish Stratus wrestling next week. I would be more excited if the circumstances were different and I wasn't so sure she'd have to lay down for Vickie.
-- Miz's ending promo. He really stepped it up tonight. Even Vardy agrees with me.
The Bad:
-- "Ain't No Grave" in itself is a great song but it doesn't suit Taker one bit. Well, it does and it doesn't. It's good for promos, but not theme music. PLEASE go back to Graveyard Symphony.
-- Cole talking over Taker's entrance. I'm sorry it's just annoying. I want to enjoy seeing the Deadman without useless blabbering, especially from that ass-miner.
-- Orton is starting to get his own Superman status. Granted he does deserve it a hell of a lot more than Cena, but I don't find it believable that anyone can come back from such attacks. The way I see it, while most people say it makes the face look strong I see a heel looking weak. If I'm to believe that Punk (or any heel) is credible I want to see their actions have negative consequences for the victim.
-- I'm torn about where to put this, but Sheamus' "win the US Title or quit" promise. In a way ti could be good because it's a storyline involving an often-forgotten title, but at the same time I don't like these stipulations. I decided to go with bad because I think this type of thing is way out of character for Sheamus and I don't like that he's back on the mid card after 2 successful WWE Title runs.
-- Why does Vickie have to come with to Raw too? Sure she has to fight for it, but we all know she'll win.
-- Cena's closing promo. I thought the shirt was funny but after that I stopped laughing. He's been good these last couple of weeks but he lost me tonight. The whole hip hop thing was dumb, but the overall point was okay. It's not really rap or hip hop either, it's more spoken word. But whatever, it wasn't as great as his other recent stuff was.
WTF:
-- Banning mention of WM17. I don't see why. I honestly don't. Someone said that it's good for the storyline but I don't see it. Trips is going to look like a credible threat no matter what because the fans will think he is.
-- Way to go, King. Orton is the Viper. Austin (or should I say "Autsin") is the Rattlesnake.
-- That "Autsin" sign. Really? Really?
-- Josh calling himself a Diva. Lol.
-- I could never understand the "MOO" in JBL's theme. It's funny in a weird way.
-- Vardy agrees with me?
The Matches:
Orton vs. Otunga -- This is a tough one. Orton was great, Otunga wasn't and again I don't know what to think of Orton's new Superman status. Decent match but nothing special.
Rating: 6/10
Christian vs. Brodus Clay -- Clay was very impressive. He still has room to improve but I think he's off to a great start. Christian was in good form tonight as well. Christian is long overdue for a push and I think this might be it. Brodus Clay will be a big player on the mid card in the future for sure.
Rating: 7/10
Brie (Nikki?) vs. Eve -- Yeah, no. What Cole did was bullshit, but I'd rather he do it here than another match. The match itself was a typical Diva match. Am I the only one that thinks the Bellas should be automatically DQ'ed if they're caught trying to switch?
Rating: 4/10
Danielson vs. Sheamus -- I liked the match but I'm not a big fan of countout endings. Other than that both men were superb. I just wish it had gone on a little longer. I think these guys will have a great program. It's good to see a US Title feud again. The belt is often forgotten about especially around WM. Good to see they have at least some kind of plan.
Rating: 7.5/10
Punk vs. Truth -- I really enjoyed this match. Punk was great and Truth looked decent for a change. It was great to see Punk use the Anaconda Vise again. I almost forgot he had a submission finisher.
Rating: 8/10
Ziggler vs. Morrison -- Great match. I think people underrate Morrison as a competitor. He's not quite there with his mic skills, but in terms of ring work he's doing fine. Yeah, he may rely a little more on high spots than some more technically gifted wrestlers but that's his style. Dolph is also well on his way to the main event.
Rating: 8/10
Average match rating: 6.75/10 (+1.75)
Match of the Night: Ziggler vs. Morrison
Overall show rating: 8/10 (+0.5)
I'll figure something out for a feature post at some point soon. Sorry for the delay on one, I'm having creative block again. As always, feel free to email me or hit me up on Facebook with any questions comments or suggestions. I'm always open to them.
March 2, 2011
Monday Night Raw Review: Feb. 28/11
Yeah, it's late again, but earlier than it was last week. I guess that's something.
WZ coverage
The Good:
-- HHH's opening promo. He hasn't missed a beat. I'm not as much of a fan as I used to be, but he's still able to capture an audience. He's got great delivery, and he can draw people into what he's saying. Not a lot of people can do that. That said, I didn't like Sheamus coming out. It was good to see the Pedigree through the announce table but other than that I don't think it was necessary.
-- Lawler calling Cole "cold sore." That was awesome.
-- Punk vs. Orton at WM. That will be a great match. I just don't understand the point to the matches against Nexus members. Why not just get it over with and ban them all? We all know none of them will win against Orton so why bother?
-- The escape-only cage match. This is the way they should all be. Otherwise, there's no point to the cage and they may as well just have a normal match.
-- I love how they didn't even try to censor the Rock this week. The entire promo was gold.
The Bad:
-- Sheamus getting beat down so Evan Bourne can return and win. I know that's the only reason they did the match when they did, because they don't think Bourne beating Sheamus is believable otherwise.
-- Cole vs. Lawler at WM. This is going to be one of the worst matches in WM history. I have this awful feeling that Cole will win for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is the clause that says Lawler can't touch Cole. I think it won't be mentioned between now and WM, then suddenly brought back up seconds before the match starts.
-- Miz's promo. I didn't like the fact that he's pissed off about the Rock not answering him. He really shouldn't care. I can just hear him saying "what about me? What about Miz?" This whole promo was a flop, which is a rarity for Miz. I think Cena somehow made it better which is something I never thought I'd say. Miz came up with the worst "if I -- or rather Riley -- wins" stipulation ever.
-- Rock not appearing in person. The promo itself was good, but I wish he'd done it live. The fact that it was pre-taped showed through in the timing of it as he talked over the crowd a couple of times which would never happen live (at least not intentionally). Plus I could have sworn he was in front of a green screen.
-- Miz attacking Danielson for no good reason. I didn't see the point to it at all but maybe I missed something. Oh, well there you go. He did it because he can. What the fuck?
WTF:
-- King saying "I don't think Undertaker's WM streak is in more jeopardy than it is right now." Don't they say that every single year?
-- What was up with that dance Cole did? He looked like an epileptic rat.
-- Cena: Learn to grammar. The apostrophe in "doctor's note" was unnecessary. Back to grade 3 for you.
-- Worst. Toilet joke. Ever. Thank you A-Ry for proving that you shouldn't be talking.
-- Will they ever explain why Alex Riley is carrying that briefcase around?
The Matches:
King Sheamus vs. Evan Bourne -- Good to see Bourne back. I missed the kid. The shooting star was epic as it always is, but this did nothing for either man involved. It was a quick "hey I'm back" match that in the end only hurts Sheamus and doesn't put Bourne further ahead.
Rating: 5/10
Orton vs. McG -- Solid performance from both men, but I don't think McG is quite there yet. He's come a long way, but he's still lacking in the charisma department. He's not at the stage where he can have an exciting match yet. Almost, but not quite. All the excitement here came from Orton.
Rating: 7/10
Divas battle royal -- Uh, pass.
Rating: 2/10
Cena vs. Riley -- Cena was useless as ever. I knew something was up when Riley slowed way the hell down when he was on top of the cage. I love the cover-up Cole tried to do for it as well. "Maybe he's afraid of heights." Yeah well maybe Cena needs to get his monkey ass up and do something right for a change. I liked Miz taking the picture of Cena. For those interested in seeing it, it's the ACA's group photo right now. Pretty funny stuff.
Rating: 6/10
Average match rating: 5/10 (-0.3)
Match of the Night: Orton vs. McG
Overall show rating: 7.5/10 (-0.5)
Overall a good show but a lack of matches and too much talking made it a little boring. It didn't have the same feel the last couple of weeks did. It wasn't as exciting which with a month until Wrestlemania is not something you want to skimp on. The show definitely had its moments, but there weren't as many of them as I would have liked.
WZ coverage
The Good:
-- HHH's opening promo. He hasn't missed a beat. I'm not as much of a fan as I used to be, but he's still able to capture an audience. He's got great delivery, and he can draw people into what he's saying. Not a lot of people can do that. That said, I didn't like Sheamus coming out. It was good to see the Pedigree through the announce table but other than that I don't think it was necessary.
-- Lawler calling Cole "cold sore." That was awesome.
-- Punk vs. Orton at WM. That will be a great match. I just don't understand the point to the matches against Nexus members. Why not just get it over with and ban them all? We all know none of them will win against Orton so why bother?
-- The escape-only cage match. This is the way they should all be. Otherwise, there's no point to the cage and they may as well just have a normal match.
-- I love how they didn't even try to censor the Rock this week. The entire promo was gold.
The Bad:
-- Sheamus getting beat down so Evan Bourne can return and win. I know that's the only reason they did the match when they did, because they don't think Bourne beating Sheamus is believable otherwise.
-- Cole vs. Lawler at WM. This is going to be one of the worst matches in WM history. I have this awful feeling that Cole will win for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is the clause that says Lawler can't touch Cole. I think it won't be mentioned between now and WM, then suddenly brought back up seconds before the match starts.
-- Miz's promo. I didn't like the fact that he's pissed off about the Rock not answering him. He really shouldn't care. I can just hear him saying "what about me? What about Miz?" This whole promo was a flop, which is a rarity for Miz. I think Cena somehow made it better which is something I never thought I'd say. Miz came up with the worst "if I -- or rather Riley -- wins" stipulation ever.
-- Rock not appearing in person. The promo itself was good, but I wish he'd done it live. The fact that it was pre-taped showed through in the timing of it as he talked over the crowd a couple of times which would never happen live (at least not intentionally). Plus I could have sworn he was in front of a green screen.
-- Miz attacking Danielson for no good reason. I didn't see the point to it at all but maybe I missed something. Oh, well there you go. He did it because he can. What the fuck?
WTF:
-- King saying "I don't think Undertaker's WM streak is in more jeopardy than it is right now." Don't they say that every single year?
-- What was up with that dance Cole did? He looked like an epileptic rat.
-- Cena: Learn to grammar. The apostrophe in "doctor's note" was unnecessary. Back to grade 3 for you.
-- Worst. Toilet joke. Ever. Thank you A-Ry for proving that you shouldn't be talking.
-- Will they ever explain why Alex Riley is carrying that briefcase around?
The Matches:
King Sheamus vs. Evan Bourne -- Good to see Bourne back. I missed the kid. The shooting star was epic as it always is, but this did nothing for either man involved. It was a quick "hey I'm back" match that in the end only hurts Sheamus and doesn't put Bourne further ahead.
Rating: 5/10
Orton vs. McG -- Solid performance from both men, but I don't think McG is quite there yet. He's come a long way, but he's still lacking in the charisma department. He's not at the stage where he can have an exciting match yet. Almost, but not quite. All the excitement here came from Orton.
Rating: 7/10
Divas battle royal -- Uh, pass.
Rating: 2/10
Cena vs. Riley -- Cena was useless as ever. I knew something was up when Riley slowed way the hell down when he was on top of the cage. I love the cover-up Cole tried to do for it as well. "Maybe he's afraid of heights." Yeah well maybe Cena needs to get his monkey ass up and do something right for a change. I liked Miz taking the picture of Cena. For those interested in seeing it, it's the ACA's group photo right now. Pretty funny stuff.
Rating: 6/10
Average match rating: 5/10 (-0.3)
Match of the Night: Orton vs. McG
Overall show rating: 7.5/10 (-0.5)
Overall a good show but a lack of matches and too much talking made it a little boring. It didn't have the same feel the last couple of weeks did. It wasn't as exciting which with a month until Wrestlemania is not something you want to skimp on. The show definitely had its moments, but there weren't as many of them as I would have liked.
February 25, 2011
Monday Night Raw Review: 2/21/11
Yeah, I knew the tuesday thing wouldn't last. Sorry to get your hopes up.
WZ Coverage
The Good:
Cena's promo. I'm glad he dusted off the PhD in Thuganomics. It was literally the only thing he could do to get the fans back on his side after the Rock totally owned him last week. I can't wait to hear the backlash from the gay jokes.
Orton/Punk. This is going places, and I like it. This is a great angle, mostly because everyone had forgotten about Orton punting him. I know I did. Now we have a revelation that this might be why Punk went heel. I hope they don't drop the ball with this.
Del Rio/Kofi. I hope this leads to a title feud. Maybe with Kofi's kayfabe injury, there'll be a tournament that Del Rio will win, then Kofi will return to seek revenge. It's been done before, but it's the most likely scenario. That, or a straight up title match.
Taker AND Trips returning in one night. While I'm not a big Triple H fan anymore, Raw needs him the way SD needs Taker. Plus I dig Taker's new entrance. I don't know much about pyrotechnics so I always find it cool when they can perfectly aim lightning.
Hacksaw in the hall of fame. I think he's a good addition.
The Bad:
Only showing pictures from the PPV's. This bothers me every time. I don't really watch PPV's so I kinda want to be able to see some highlights that aren't stills. I can understand why they do it, because they want people to spend the money to see it, but at least give those that can't or don't want to pay for it a chance to see at least something.
Punk's ass scrape. I'm all for some violence, but that just looks painful. I don't like seeing guys get legitimately hurt.
The 2/21/11 hype. We know who it is, just get it over with. Plus, it's supposed to be a surprise. Don't put a time on it. Honestly, I think it would have been better to do for Taker what they did for the Rock. Just shut off every damn light in the place and do it that way. Maybe I'm being too critical because I'm glad Taker's back, but they could have done it a lot better.
Cole interviewing Lawler. Well, just Cole's half. I liked Jerry's part. I'm more upset about the fact Cole was able to bash Jerry's recently deceased mother on air. I guess it wouldn't have happened if Jerry wasn't cool with it, but I just don't think it's right.
Cole vs. Lawler at WM. I want to see Cole get his ass handed to him, but I just don't think WM is the place and nor is King the person to do it.
WTF:
Cena on my good list? AGAIN? Is this the apocalypse?
Miz having trouble saying "unquestionably, undoubtedly....etc" he's usually good on the mic but this was just funny.
This one isn't so much WTF but I still laugh at it: Punk using Orton's full name. I giggle every time and I don't know why. Maybe it's because Orton is supposedly this cool, tough, hardened SOB, then to her his name is Randall kinda kills that persona.
Why did they put Taker and Trips in the middle of the show?
Did Taker just break character? I have NEVER seen any flicker of emotion on his face until now.
Why put the belts on Cena and Miz for literally 5 minutes? What did it accomplish?
Only 4 matches? C'mon, you can do better than that.
The Matches:
Morrison vs. Punk -- Great match. I loved the way they sold their injuries from last night (take notes, Cena). I wish it had gone on a little longer, but it was pretty good for the length. Both guys had some great moves here tonight. Morrison is continuing to get a good push. I hope they have him face Danielson for the US Title.
Rating: 8/10
Bellas vs. Eve and Gail Kim -- I don't overly like divas matches, and I don't overly like tag team matches. Put them together and we have a clusterfuck. Don't get me wrong, when done right, they're both great. This was not one of those cases. I'm getting sick and tired of seeing the whole twin schtick as well. Yeah, we get it, they look enough alike that the ref can't tell the difference. It's old. Do something else.
Rating: 5/10
Sheamus vs. Mark Henry -- I said I wanted them to do something other than give Mark Henry random tag partners, but this is not what I had in mind. Henry looked sweaty -- I mean sloppy, well maybe both -- as ever. Add to that they stopped Sheamus' push dead in its tracks (assuming that he doesn't feud with Danielson) and we have a pretty shitty match.
Rating: 5/10
Miz/Cena vs. Slater/Gabriel -- Yeah, This was pointless I'm not even going to bother. This goes for both matches.
Rating: 3/10
Average Match Rating: 5.3/10 (-1.2)
Match of the Night: Morrison vs. Punk
Overall Show Rating: 8/10 (+0.5)
I gave the show an 8 for it's surprisingly decent promos and the returns of Taker and Triple H. There was some great setups for things to come, but at the same time the show was lacking a little bit. I think this is the highest rated Raw I've reviewed.
WZ Coverage
The Good:
Cena's promo. I'm glad he dusted off the PhD in Thuganomics. It was literally the only thing he could do to get the fans back on his side after the Rock totally owned him last week. I can't wait to hear the backlash from the gay jokes.
Orton/Punk. This is going places, and I like it. This is a great angle, mostly because everyone had forgotten about Orton punting him. I know I did. Now we have a revelation that this might be why Punk went heel. I hope they don't drop the ball with this.
Del Rio/Kofi. I hope this leads to a title feud. Maybe with Kofi's kayfabe injury, there'll be a tournament that Del Rio will win, then Kofi will return to seek revenge. It's been done before, but it's the most likely scenario. That, or a straight up title match.
Taker AND Trips returning in one night. While I'm not a big Triple H fan anymore, Raw needs him the way SD needs Taker. Plus I dig Taker's new entrance. I don't know much about pyrotechnics so I always find it cool when they can perfectly aim lightning.
Hacksaw in the hall of fame. I think he's a good addition.
The Bad:
Only showing pictures from the PPV's. This bothers me every time. I don't really watch PPV's so I kinda want to be able to see some highlights that aren't stills. I can understand why they do it, because they want people to spend the money to see it, but at least give those that can't or don't want to pay for it a chance to see at least something.
Punk's ass scrape. I'm all for some violence, but that just looks painful. I don't like seeing guys get legitimately hurt.
The 2/21/11 hype. We know who it is, just get it over with. Plus, it's supposed to be a surprise. Don't put a time on it. Honestly, I think it would have been better to do for Taker what they did for the Rock. Just shut off every damn light in the place and do it that way. Maybe I'm being too critical because I'm glad Taker's back, but they could have done it a lot better.
Cole interviewing Lawler. Well, just Cole's half. I liked Jerry's part. I'm more upset about the fact Cole was able to bash Jerry's recently deceased mother on air. I guess it wouldn't have happened if Jerry wasn't cool with it, but I just don't think it's right.
Cole vs. Lawler at WM. I want to see Cole get his ass handed to him, but I just don't think WM is the place and nor is King the person to do it.
WTF:
Cena on my good list? AGAIN? Is this the apocalypse?
Miz having trouble saying "unquestionably, undoubtedly....etc" he's usually good on the mic but this was just funny.
This one isn't so much WTF but I still laugh at it: Punk using Orton's full name. I giggle every time and I don't know why. Maybe it's because Orton is supposedly this cool, tough, hardened SOB, then to her his name is Randall kinda kills that persona.
Why did they put Taker and Trips in the middle of the show?
Did Taker just break character? I have NEVER seen any flicker of emotion on his face until now.
Why put the belts on Cena and Miz for literally 5 minutes? What did it accomplish?
Only 4 matches? C'mon, you can do better than that.
The Matches:
Morrison vs. Punk -- Great match. I loved the way they sold their injuries from last night (take notes, Cena). I wish it had gone on a little longer, but it was pretty good for the length. Both guys had some great moves here tonight. Morrison is continuing to get a good push. I hope they have him face Danielson for the US Title.
Rating: 8/10
Bellas vs. Eve and Gail Kim -- I don't overly like divas matches, and I don't overly like tag team matches. Put them together and we have a clusterfuck. Don't get me wrong, when done right, they're both great. This was not one of those cases. I'm getting sick and tired of seeing the whole twin schtick as well. Yeah, we get it, they look enough alike that the ref can't tell the difference. It's old. Do something else.
Rating: 5/10
Sheamus vs. Mark Henry -- I said I wanted them to do something other than give Mark Henry random tag partners, but this is not what I had in mind. Henry looked sweaty -- I mean sloppy, well maybe both -- as ever. Add to that they stopped Sheamus' push dead in its tracks (assuming that he doesn't feud with Danielson) and we have a pretty shitty match.
Rating: 5/10
Miz/Cena vs. Slater/Gabriel -- Yeah, This was pointless I'm not even going to bother. This goes for both matches.
Rating: 3/10
Average Match Rating: 5.3/10 (-1.2)
Match of the Night: Morrison vs. Punk
Overall Show Rating: 8/10 (+0.5)
I gave the show an 8 for it's surprisingly decent promos and the returns of Taker and Triple H. There was some great setups for things to come, but at the same time the show was lacking a little bit. I think this is the highest rated Raw I've reviewed.
February 17, 2011
WWE Needs Competition
We've all said it, we all know it: Competition drives people to create/put out better products. A lot of us have said that WWE needs competition. The way I figure it, the only company at WWE's level is, well, WWE. With that in mind, I'd like to propose that WWE creates their own competition.
There are currently 2 brands, with 2 rosters. While ideally they would be unified again, in their current state there is the opportunity to start a massive brand warfare angle. Basically, have some kind of trigger that starts everything, and then have one of the GM's announce that it will be taken as an act of war if a superstar from the other brand sets foot on their show. Then have both shows try to one-up one another on a weekly basis.
Yeah, I've been a big supporter of a unified WWE, but if the brands are going to be separate, I say use it to your advantage. I know it wouldn't be legit like the Monday Night Wars, but I think it's the best we'd be able to get at this stage in the game.
Maybe even have it headed up by Shane vs. Stephanie in a fight to prove to Vince who the more worthy heir is. This, if done well, could also lead to the unification of the brands. WWE needs an overhaul on a lot of levels and I think this is a great starting point.
I do realize that WWE could still continue to give us crap on top of crap because they're their own competition, so we're giving them ratings either way, but I hope they're smart about it and give us real reasons to watch. Here's something else that would be neat to see, heels and faces only exist within each brand, because as soon as you show up on the other brand you'll get booed back to the stone age.
It would definitely add an awesome new dynamic to the shows, it would drive merchandise sales for both brands and stars and create the competition WWE so clearly needs. Like I said above, even if it's not legit, it would still be better than what we're getting now.
There are currently 2 brands, with 2 rosters. While ideally they would be unified again, in their current state there is the opportunity to start a massive brand warfare angle. Basically, have some kind of trigger that starts everything, and then have one of the GM's announce that it will be taken as an act of war if a superstar from the other brand sets foot on their show. Then have both shows try to one-up one another on a weekly basis.
Yeah, I've been a big supporter of a unified WWE, but if the brands are going to be separate, I say use it to your advantage. I know it wouldn't be legit like the Monday Night Wars, but I think it's the best we'd be able to get at this stage in the game.
Maybe even have it headed up by Shane vs. Stephanie in a fight to prove to Vince who the more worthy heir is. This, if done well, could also lead to the unification of the brands. WWE needs an overhaul on a lot of levels and I think this is a great starting point.
I do realize that WWE could still continue to give us crap on top of crap because they're their own competition, so we're giving them ratings either way, but I hope they're smart about it and give us real reasons to watch. Here's something else that would be neat to see, heels and faces only exist within each brand, because as soon as you show up on the other brand you'll get booed back to the stone age.
It would definitely add an awesome new dynamic to the shows, it would drive merchandise sales for both brands and stars and create the competition WWE so clearly needs. Like I said above, even if it's not legit, it would still be better than what we're getting now.
February 16, 2011
Monday Night Raw Review: Feb. 14/11
Wow, Tuesday again. I must be picking up my slack.... Naw. I just had free time on tuesdays for the last 2 weeks for the first time in seemingly forever. Hopefully this trend continues. Also, I promise I'm working really hard on my next feature post. It's taking longer than I'd hoped because of work and other things in my life.
WZ Coverage
The Good:
-- Cena making fun of Cole. If there's one person I like less than Cena, it's Cole. Way to go Cena, you managed to make me laugh.
-- Alberto Del Rio again does well on the mic. He is one of the next big heels without a doubt.
-- Miz's post-match promo. Yes, his delivery was a little off, but yours would be too if you just finished a match. Other than that it was great. He knows what he's doing both in the ring and on the mic.
-- FUCK YEAH ROCKY! Loved his promo tonight. Too awesome to be PG. That was some of the best Cena bashing I've ever heard. Plus, he kept the censors busy which is always cool.
The Bad:
-- Vickie Guerrero. I absolutely hate this bitch. She can't talk for shit.
-- The Bellas beating down Eve. I don't know why this bugs me, it just does.
-- The fact that Mark Henry still has a job. Can they find something for this guy to do that doesn't invlove being on TV?
-- Well, there goes any suspense that may have been left with the 2/21/11 videos.
WTF:
-- Cena's on the good list?
-- Who was that random girl and why is she doing a kiss cam?
-- R Truth didn't make the WTF list? WTF?
The Matches:
Cena vs. Punk -- Wow, this was semi decent. Cena wasn't nearly as bad as he normally is. I guess I'm still riding the high from him bashing Cole, but this maybe Cena's highest rated match ever. There were some decent moves by Punk, and like I said, Cena wasn't as bad as usual.
Rating: 6/10
Natalya vs. Eve -- Yeah, not a big fan of this one. It was alright, but nothing special. The lumberjills didn't do anything to add to the match.
Rating: 5/10
Miz vs. Danielson -- Great match. I don't care what anyone says, Miz is well on his way to being a top heel. Danielson is only going to go higher up the ladder as well. Both men were very impressive. This is how a match is done. Nice to see Miz trying a submission or two. Great match from 2 top superstars.
Rating: 8/10
McG and Otunga vs. Morrison and Truth -- This tag match was surprisingly okay. I'm normally not a huge fan of tag matches, but this one was good. There were some nice spots and overall it was well done. Not the best by any means, but it was solid.
Rating: 6/10
Orton vs. Sheamus -- Another awesome match. Both guys did a great job tonight. Some pretty great technical work, and the match got me excited. Let's hope these guys get some time together in the Elimination Chamber.
Rating: 7.5/10
Average Match Rating: 6.5/10 (+1.2)
Match of the Night: Miz vs. Danielson
Overall Show Rating: 7.5/10 (+1.5)
This show was actually decent. I'm surprised. Vince managed to deliver on his promise from last week. Having the Rock host Wrestlemania was a great move, at least for the fans old enough to remember him. The matches seemed better too. I hope this upward trend continues next week.
WZ Coverage
The Good:
-- Cena making fun of Cole. If there's one person I like less than Cena, it's Cole. Way to go Cena, you managed to make me laugh.
-- Alberto Del Rio again does well on the mic. He is one of the next big heels without a doubt.
-- Miz's post-match promo. Yes, his delivery was a little off, but yours would be too if you just finished a match. Other than that it was great. He knows what he's doing both in the ring and on the mic.
-- FUCK YEAH ROCKY! Loved his promo tonight. Too awesome to be PG. That was some of the best Cena bashing I've ever heard. Plus, he kept the censors busy which is always cool.
The Bad:
-- Vickie Guerrero. I absolutely hate this bitch. She can't talk for shit.
-- The Bellas beating down Eve. I don't know why this bugs me, it just does.
-- The fact that Mark Henry still has a job. Can they find something for this guy to do that doesn't invlove being on TV?
-- Well, there goes any suspense that may have been left with the 2/21/11 videos.
WTF:
-- Cena's on the good list?
-- Who was that random girl and why is she doing a kiss cam?
-- R Truth didn't make the WTF list? WTF?
The Matches:
Cena vs. Punk -- Wow, this was semi decent. Cena wasn't nearly as bad as he normally is. I guess I'm still riding the high from him bashing Cole, but this maybe Cena's highest rated match ever. There were some decent moves by Punk, and like I said, Cena wasn't as bad as usual.
Rating: 6/10
Natalya vs. Eve -- Yeah, not a big fan of this one. It was alright, but nothing special. The lumberjills didn't do anything to add to the match.
Rating: 5/10
Miz vs. Danielson -- Great match. I don't care what anyone says, Miz is well on his way to being a top heel. Danielson is only going to go higher up the ladder as well. Both men were very impressive. This is how a match is done. Nice to see Miz trying a submission or two. Great match from 2 top superstars.
Rating: 8/10
McG and Otunga vs. Morrison and Truth -- This tag match was surprisingly okay. I'm normally not a huge fan of tag matches, but this one was good. There were some nice spots and overall it was well done. Not the best by any means, but it was solid.
Rating: 6/10
Orton vs. Sheamus -- Another awesome match. Both guys did a great job tonight. Some pretty great technical work, and the match got me excited. Let's hope these guys get some time together in the Elimination Chamber.
Rating: 7.5/10
Average Match Rating: 6.5/10 (+1.2)
Match of the Night: Miz vs. Danielson
Overall Show Rating: 7.5/10 (+1.5)
This show was actually decent. I'm surprised. Vince managed to deliver on his promise from last week. Having the Rock host Wrestlemania was a great move, at least for the fans old enough to remember him. The matches seemed better too. I hope this upward trend continues next week.
February 9, 2011
Monday Night Raw Review: Feb. 7/11
Holy shit. I'm actually doing this on tuesday for a change.
WZ Coverage
The Good:
-- The opening segment with Nexus and Orton. Continuity is a big factor here, even if it is 3 years later. There was some great mic work as always from these 2.
-- CM Punk calling Orton "Randall." I dunno why I like it, I just thought it was fitting.
-- Is it just me, or were there less emails this week than before?
-- "5 move Cena" sign seen during Josh's interview of Sheamus.
The Bad:
-- McMahon's announcement about an upcoming announcement. It was a waste of time and a huge letdown. I was hoping it would be something big instead of just saying we have to tune in next week to find out. It's bullshit. That, and I don't think the host will be anyone to get excited about.
-- The new 2/21/11 promo. They absolutely murdered any suspense behind it. Had they not included the music, it would have still worked. That was my biggest issue with it. On the other hand, did I or did I not insist it was Taker?
-- Jerry Lawler on the mic. Please give him back his sanity pills and stick him back at the announce desk.
-- Punk's legit broken nose. I hope he's okay. Although it does throw a new twist into things. If done properly, WWE could play off of this with a decent payoff.
WTF?
-- Is it just me, or does the crowd chant "Cena" at random times for no apparent reason?
-- Truth don't know where he at. 2 weeks of this segment and 2 weeks Truth makes the list.
-- Cena covering for Truth's slip up by implying he got intoxicated. Way to be PG, guys.
The Matches:
Mason Ryan vs. R-Truth -- The reversed decision was annoying to say the least, but the stretch muffler by Ryan was awesome. Not much to say other than that.
Rating: 6/10
Gail Kim, Eve and Tamina vs. The Bellas and Melina -- Melina was the only real standout in the match and I think the Bellas just got in the way more than anything. Another wasted Divas match.
Rating: 5/10
Morrison vs. McG -- Decent match, if a little short. I don't understand why Punk sprayed stuff in Morrison's face. Why not just go straight for the beatdown? Why was the spray necessary?
Rating: 7/10
King and Danielson vs. Miz and DiBiase -- There was nothing good about this match. Sure, 3/4 of the guys were doing well from a technical aspect, this match wasn't exciting. It was all around terrible.
Rating: 4/10
King Sheamus vs. Otunga -- What is this I don't even.....
Rating: 4/10
Santino vs. Del Rio -- FINALLY, someone who doesn't fall victim to the worst finisher in history. Other than that, nothing spectacular. Del Rio looked great as he usually does and like I said it's nice to see someone not lose to the Cobra.
Rating: 6/10
Cena vs. Punk -- Yeah, where do I start? The blatant low blow that would get anyone else booed back to the stone age, the fact that Punk now looks weak despite efforts to build up him and Nexus as a threat, the always shoddy ring work from Cena, it all adds up to bullshit.
Rating: 5/10
Average Match Rating: 5.3/10 (-0.3)
Match of the Night: Morrison vs. McG
Overall Show Rating: 6/10 (--)
The wrestling was shit tonight, but the rest of the show was okay. 7 matches is higher than average, but I'd rather quality over quantity (both at the same time would be ideal). Feature post is still in the works. I have a couple days off after tomorrow, I'll look at it then.
WZ Coverage
The Good:
-- The opening segment with Nexus and Orton. Continuity is a big factor here, even if it is 3 years later. There was some great mic work as always from these 2.
-- CM Punk calling Orton "Randall." I dunno why I like it, I just thought it was fitting.
-- Is it just me, or were there less emails this week than before?
-- "5 move Cena" sign seen during Josh's interview of Sheamus.
The Bad:
-- McMahon's announcement about an upcoming announcement. It was a waste of time and a huge letdown. I was hoping it would be something big instead of just saying we have to tune in next week to find out. It's bullshit. That, and I don't think the host will be anyone to get excited about.
-- The new 2/21/11 promo. They absolutely murdered any suspense behind it. Had they not included the music, it would have still worked. That was my biggest issue with it. On the other hand, did I or did I not insist it was Taker?
-- Jerry Lawler on the mic. Please give him back his sanity pills and stick him back at the announce desk.
-- Punk's legit broken nose. I hope he's okay. Although it does throw a new twist into things. If done properly, WWE could play off of this with a decent payoff.
WTF?
-- Is it just me, or does the crowd chant "Cena" at random times for no apparent reason?
-- Truth don't know where he at. 2 weeks of this segment and 2 weeks Truth makes the list.
-- Cena covering for Truth's slip up by implying he got intoxicated. Way to be PG, guys.
The Matches:
Mason Ryan vs. R-Truth -- The reversed decision was annoying to say the least, but the stretch muffler by Ryan was awesome. Not much to say other than that.
Rating: 6/10
Gail Kim, Eve and Tamina vs. The Bellas and Melina -- Melina was the only real standout in the match and I think the Bellas just got in the way more than anything. Another wasted Divas match.
Rating: 5/10
Morrison vs. McG -- Decent match, if a little short. I don't understand why Punk sprayed stuff in Morrison's face. Why not just go straight for the beatdown? Why was the spray necessary?
Rating: 7/10
King and Danielson vs. Miz and DiBiase -- There was nothing good about this match. Sure, 3/4 of the guys were doing well from a technical aspect, this match wasn't exciting. It was all around terrible.
Rating: 4/10
King Sheamus vs. Otunga -- What is this I don't even.....
Rating: 4/10
Santino vs. Del Rio -- FINALLY, someone who doesn't fall victim to the worst finisher in history. Other than that, nothing spectacular. Del Rio looked great as he usually does and like I said it's nice to see someone not lose to the Cobra.
Rating: 6/10
Cena vs. Punk -- Yeah, where do I start? The blatant low blow that would get anyone else booed back to the stone age, the fact that Punk now looks weak despite efforts to build up him and Nexus as a threat, the always shoddy ring work from Cena, it all adds up to bullshit.
Rating: 5/10
Average Match Rating: 5.3/10 (-0.3)
Match of the Night: Morrison vs. McG
Overall Show Rating: 6/10 (--)
The wrestling was shit tonight, but the rest of the show was okay. 7 matches is higher than average, but I'd rather quality over quantity (both at the same time would be ideal). Feature post is still in the works. I have a couple days off after tomorrow, I'll look at it then.
February 2, 2011
WWE Monday Night Raw Review: Jan. 31/11
It's that time of the week again, folks. I'm going to be tinkering with my new format a little bit. First a couple of notes on it: Cena and Cole will never appear under the bad section, unless there is something in particular worth mentioning specifically. Other than that, they are a given on the list.
As with the above, matches won't appear under the good or bad, unless again there is something worth singling out. They have their own section and will be reviewed there.
Introducing a new section, "WTF?" This will cover the things that don't fit into either category, and made me go "huh?" or what have you.
Let's get this rolling.
WZ Coverage
The Good:
--Alberto Del Rio's opening promo. He pulls of the arrogant douchebag gimmick very well. Plus, he insulted Justin Bieber. Can't argue with that. Actually, I'm going to change this and say the entire opening segment, minus the mention below in "the bad." Everyone did a great job here.
-- Maryse walking out on DiBiase. I think that she was weighing him down. Hopefully this brings an end to them. Maryse is hot, but she does nothing for Ted. Unless they play the gold digger angle, this is going nowhere.
-- The 2/21/11 video. It's done something that the WWE product has done recently. It has people talking. I even watched it frame by frame to see if there were subtle hints. I'm leaning towards Taker myself, despite what someone has said about Taker's videos being extremely conspicuous. I for one think that this is a gimmick alteration that Taker does from time to time.
-- Morrison is impressive yet again. hanging from the bottom rope by his feet and hauling himself back up was sweet. Between this and last night during the Rumble, he's on a bit of a roll. That, and he was able to get a few good shots on Cena for good measure.
The Bad:
-- Finding out who Del Rio is facing so soon. I honestly prefer the long buildup in this case. They kinda blew a good month of hype with that. On the other hand, they now have a definitive match to push. Does that balance out? Not quite.
-- Husky Harris being taken out. I would have much rather seen Orton punt Otunga, but oh well. Harris and McG were one of the few viable tag teams left and with one of them gone, I question not only Nexus, but the tag team division as a whole.
-- Jerry Lawler as the #1 contender. This guy shouldn't be in the ring, let alone a WWE title match. It's a waste of, well, everything.
-- Putting both top champions on the middle card for the second night in a row. I said it in my random rant the other night and I'll say it again. It doesn't make the titles look as important as they should. If they're the 2 things that everyone is gunning for, why have them so low on the card?
-- Danceoff. What the hell was that. The world's fattest man and the Punjabi teddy bear dancing against the Usos. Well, at least it wasn't a Cena match.
WTF?
-- Was one of Del Rio's mariachi players Asian?
-- How the hell did someone get in a sign that said "hell" on it?
-- When you go for a tandem move, make sure both people can actually do it. Third time is the charm though, right Truth?
The Matches:
Santino/Kozlov vs. Harris/McGillicutty -- To quote Miz for a second, really? Really? Nexus is supposed to be stronger than ever, yet they're losing to a joke of a finisher. It's total BS. That said, Harris and McGillicutty (I'm sick of typing that out, from now on, I'm calling him McG) did alright. Good work from them, but that was the only good part of the match.
Rating: 6/10
Bryan Danielson vs. Tyson Kidd -- Too short, plus the Bellas on commentary made for a boring match. Danielson is normally highly rated, but this week is an exception. I think he and Kidd did a good job in terms of technical ability, but the match didn't draw me in.
Rating: 6/10
Edge vs. Miz -- Great match, until Cena came along of course. He has this uncanny ability of ruining everything, including himself. It's total bullshit that we should have to see Cena sticking his ugly mug into everything that makes a show good. The was one of the few decent matches tonight, and he killed it.
Rating: 7/10
Eve/Natalya vs. LayCool -- Not a fan of this one. The only standout was Natalya as seems to be the case every week, but Layla was still hot as ever. Not much to say here.
Rating: 5/10
Raw Rumble -- It had its moments, but overall it was dumb. It was at best a very poor man's Rumble. I didn't understand why it was necessary. I don't have anything else to say about this.
Rating: 4/10
Average Match Rating: 5.6/10 (+0.4)
Match of the Night: Edge vs. Miz, minus the finish
Overall Show Rating: 6/10 (+1)
I was honestly hoping for more matches, but the Raw Rumble ate up way too much time. There were good promos as there usually is, but there was nothing overly spectacular. I'm working on a post about how WWE can draw people back in through internal means and I should have that up in a few days.
As with the above, matches won't appear under the good or bad, unless again there is something worth singling out. They have their own section and will be reviewed there.
Introducing a new section, "WTF?" This will cover the things that don't fit into either category, and made me go "huh?" or what have you.
Let's get this rolling.
WZ Coverage
The Good:
--Alberto Del Rio's opening promo. He pulls of the arrogant douchebag gimmick very well. Plus, he insulted Justin Bieber. Can't argue with that. Actually, I'm going to change this and say the entire opening segment, minus the mention below in "the bad." Everyone did a great job here.
-- Maryse walking out on DiBiase. I think that she was weighing him down. Hopefully this brings an end to them. Maryse is hot, but she does nothing for Ted. Unless they play the gold digger angle, this is going nowhere.
-- The 2/21/11 video. It's done something that the WWE product has done recently. It has people talking. I even watched it frame by frame to see if there were subtle hints. I'm leaning towards Taker myself, despite what someone has said about Taker's videos being extremely conspicuous. I for one think that this is a gimmick alteration that Taker does from time to time.
-- Morrison is impressive yet again. hanging from the bottom rope by his feet and hauling himself back up was sweet. Between this and last night during the Rumble, he's on a bit of a roll. That, and he was able to get a few good shots on Cena for good measure.
The Bad:
-- Finding out who Del Rio is facing so soon. I honestly prefer the long buildup in this case. They kinda blew a good month of hype with that. On the other hand, they now have a definitive match to push. Does that balance out? Not quite.
-- Husky Harris being taken out. I would have much rather seen Orton punt Otunga, but oh well. Harris and McG were one of the few viable tag teams left and with one of them gone, I question not only Nexus, but the tag team division as a whole.
-- Jerry Lawler as the #1 contender. This guy shouldn't be in the ring, let alone a WWE title match. It's a waste of, well, everything.
-- Putting both top champions on the middle card for the second night in a row. I said it in my random rant the other night and I'll say it again. It doesn't make the titles look as important as they should. If they're the 2 things that everyone is gunning for, why have them so low on the card?
-- Danceoff. What the hell was that. The world's fattest man and the Punjabi teddy bear dancing against the Usos. Well, at least it wasn't a Cena match.
WTF?
-- Was one of Del Rio's mariachi players Asian?
-- How the hell did someone get in a sign that said "hell" on it?
-- When you go for a tandem move, make sure both people can actually do it. Third time is the charm though, right Truth?
The Matches:
Santino/Kozlov vs. Harris/McGillicutty -- To quote Miz for a second, really? Really? Nexus is supposed to be stronger than ever, yet they're losing to a joke of a finisher. It's total BS. That said, Harris and McGillicutty (I'm sick of typing that out, from now on, I'm calling him McG) did alright. Good work from them, but that was the only good part of the match.
Rating: 6/10
Bryan Danielson vs. Tyson Kidd -- Too short, plus the Bellas on commentary made for a boring match. Danielson is normally highly rated, but this week is an exception. I think he and Kidd did a good job in terms of technical ability, but the match didn't draw me in.
Rating: 6/10
Edge vs. Miz -- Great match, until Cena came along of course. He has this uncanny ability of ruining everything, including himself. It's total bullshit that we should have to see Cena sticking his ugly mug into everything that makes a show good. The was one of the few decent matches tonight, and he killed it.
Rating: 7/10
Eve/Natalya vs. LayCool -- Not a fan of this one. The only standout was Natalya as seems to be the case every week, but Layla was still hot as ever. Not much to say here.
Rating: 5/10
Raw Rumble -- It had its moments, but overall it was dumb. It was at best a very poor man's Rumble. I didn't understand why it was necessary. I don't have anything else to say about this.
Rating: 4/10
Average Match Rating: 5.6/10 (+0.4)
Match of the Night: Edge vs. Miz, minus the finish
Overall Show Rating: 6/10 (+1)
I was honestly hoping for more matches, but the Raw Rumble ate up way too much time. There were good promos as there usually is, but there was nothing overly spectacular. I'm working on a post about how WWE can draw people back in through internal means and I should have that up in a few days.
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