Okay, here we are at the end of 2010. The new year is coming fast and I for one can't wait. Before I go any further, I'd like to take care of some business. I'll be out of the country from Jan 3-10 and therefore won't be able to review Raw next week. I'll try to have at least one feature post up by the end of the week for you.
WZ Coverage
It's the last show of the year and it looks promising. Let's hope it delivers.
Oh great, Cena's in the ring. There goes that. He's jabbering on about the 2 attacks last week and I for one think he deserved both of them. I don't know what to think of this thing with CM Punk. On the one hand, I like Punk, but I don't want to see him in a feud with Cena because I know he'll get buried.
Punk is great on the mic tonight. Love to hear him talk.
He makes a lot of valid points as well, even though Cena does his best to spin them in his favour. Seriously, Cena is more annoying than a genital wart. This guy could shoot someone in the face, then try to talk the cops into thinking it was a suicide.
Time for our first match, thank God.
Match 1: Ted DiBiase vs. Santino
What the fuck did Ted do to deserve losing to Santino? Ted was supposed to be in the US Title picture and is supposed to be a credible contender, yet he's losing to the biggest joke champion since Cena. What's going on here?
The ending didn't help matter either. Overall a pretty bad match from both men. That's not to say that Ted didn't do well, it's just the match was terrible on every level but Ted's wrestling.
Rating: 5/10
Miz and Riley are a cool duo. I like the whole concept that Morrison presented here, and the stipulations were a good touch. I just don't like Morrison as a talker. Do we really need to see Lawler vs. Miz AGAIN?
Match 2: Morrison vs. Riley
I was expecting something different, but I think what happened could work. I was thinking Miz would get into the ring and hit Riley, which would make Morrison the loser and have to forfeit his #1 contendership. Oh well, a falls count anywhere match for the title will be fun to see next week.
Rating: 7/10
Miz again is doing a good job talking. I just hope the match with Lawler goes better than the last 2. Or better yet I hope it gets canceled.
I'm torn as to what to think about Punk making a big deal out of calling out Cena. Sure, I know he's got a big surprise, but at the same time, he's making Cena look like a big deal. I don't know. I guess I'll just say that it's cool and leave it at that.
Bryan Danielson still somehow has the Bellas with him. I'm jealous. Hell, give me either Bella and I'll be happy. Kidd is still working on his mic skills, but he's getting there. I think he'd do well in a feud with Danielson. The question I have is what will happen to Jackson Andrews after this angle is played out? Will they try to give him a singles career, or just stick him back on FCW?
Match 3: Henry vs. Kidd
Yeah, pointless loss for Kidd. They're trying to make him a title contender and they have him lose to the World's Fattest Man. It's bullshit. I called the finish, too. As soon as I saw Kidd go for the dive, I knew what was coming. Predictable and boring.
Rating: 5/10
Miz is on the mic again before his match and again he delivered a good promo. I like how he was able to improv that line about the people sounding like ducks. It's true, they do sound like ducks. Anyways, good job.
Match 4: Miz vs. Lawler
Well, the only upside here is that Lawler didn't get a pinfall victory. It still sucks that Miz lost, but at least he has some shred of credibility left.
Rating: 4/10
Punk is continuing to set up his thing with Cena which I still have conflicting feelings about, but oh well. Sheamus is looking good as the King too, although I liked his other crown better. Again, oh well.
Match 5: Melina and Alicia Fox vs. Gail Kim and Eve
There were a couple of decent parts but it wasn't that great. On a side note here, why was Miz on before the Divas?
Rating: 5/10
Melina is doing well as a heel so far which is nice to see. Finally a villain diva that isn't LayCool. Hopefully it lasts.
I'm hoping those EMT's that Punk is talking to are actually needed for Cena tonight. Maybe I'm vindictive, but c'mon, I think all of you readers want to see Cena get his ass handed to him.
Match 6: Danielson vs. Zack Ryder
I thought Ryder was cut in the last round of releases? Whatever. Decent match from these two. Nice backslide counter by Danielson for the victory as well.
Rating: 8/10
The GM's email came out of nowhere, and the content was way out in left field so I knew something was up. Overall though, good for Miz to beat up Lawler. It puts him over as a heel and is trying to restore some credibility by saying that he could have won his match earlier if it wasn't for Morrison.
Match 7: King Sheamus vs. Orton
Great match from 2 of WWE's best at the moment. It was really cool to watch because the athleticism was very impressive. Some of the best spots I've seen recently. All hail King Sheamus.
Rating: 9/10
Great, Cena is in the ring saying he's calling out Punk instead of the other way around as planned earlier. Lovely.
Nexus is a sight for sore eyes to be sure. Barrett isn't in sight so Otunga does the talking. Honestly, when he started repeating himself, I thought someone missed their cue to come out. Maybe not, but that's how it came across to me. Anyways, I'd like to know where Barrett is.
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Cena get beat down by Nexus. This is one angle that will never get old. Too bad nobody will ever show it from 6 different angles and slow-mo.
Here comes Punk. This is the kind of promo I like. He didn't say anything, and he didn't have to. His actions spoke loud enough and I think, if done well, him leading Nexus could be the best storyline of 2011. Great ending to the show (and the year for Raw) with Cena flat on his face, with Punk and Nexus standing tall.
I don't know if I'm nit-picking here or if I actually picked up on something important, but it took Gabriel forever to raise his arm at the end there. Is this just bad timing, or is he the next person to leave Nexus?
Average Match Rating: 6.1/10 (+0.7)
Match of the Night: King Sheamus vs. Orton
Overall Show Rating: 7.5/10 (+1.5)
Magic 8-Ball:
Miz retains, through help of Riley, or Morrison wins, with help from Lawler. It's a toss up at this point.
Barrett starts a singles career after a brief power struggle that sees Punk kick him out of Nexus.
CM Punk brings all the gold to Nexus over the coming months.
That does it for this edition of Raw
Again, I won't be able to review Raw next week as I'll be sitting on a beach in Punta Cana. I'll try to have my post on the little things up before I leave, and if I'm sitting here on New Year's Eve with nothing to do (don't laugh, it's very possible) I'll post my hopes for 2011.
December 30, 2010
December 23, 2010
Monday Night Raw Review: Dec 20/10
WZ Coverage
To start off the show, Miz and his Christmas Carol promo were pretty cool, aside from Cole of course. Morrison isn't as good on the mic as he used to be which I find strange. I figured he'd only improve. Guess I was wrong.
The GM is really coming up with some dumb shit too. Honestly, a 6 man tag match featuring an old worn out announcer isn't exciting or cool.I don't know whose idea this was, but I want to smack them. King has no business wrestling anymore. Keep him away from the ring. Please.
Match 1: Alicia Fox vs. Melina vs. Eve
Yeah, typical Divas match. Some okay work here and there but for the most part it was uninspired. Melina was great as always and showed some good aggression. Awesome twist post-match with the slap to Natalya. Heel turn complete. Fuck yeah.
Rating: 6/10
It's definitely good to see a new top heel in the women's division. LayCool until this point were the only bad guys (girls) and that went south faster than senior citizens in October. Yeah, bad reference, I know.
Match 2: Brian Danielson vs. William Regal
I forgot Regal was on the roster still. Great match from 2 technically gifted athletes. Regal is underrated and I think he deserves more credit than he gets. Both men were solid in the ring tonight and I hope Regal gets something decent in the future.
Rating: 7/10
Looks like the Bellas are already starting the "he loves me more" thing. Can't say I didn't see it coming but I thought it would take longer. Kudos to WWE for actually being timely for a change. Question now is, who will he choose?
Morrison talking again isn't impressing me. He doesn't have the same energy he used to. I'd like to see him get it back. Orton is Orton, what else can I say? He's a good talker.
More of Santino being stupid. It honestly annoys me that the Tag Titles are now literally a joke. Anyways, keeping with what's going on, I did laugh when Maryse stood on Santino to get face to face with Tamina.
Match 3: Santino and Tamina vs. Ted DiBiase and Maryse
Sadly, Tamina is more skilled than Santino in the ring. At the same time that's good for the womens division. She's got some good moves, let's hope she gets a push.
Ted was good as he usually is and Maryse was pretty average, but as a whole I think they were the more solid team. Tamina may be great but even she can't make up for Santino.
Rating: 6/10
Here comes Cena. To start, his promo is based around seeing the same thing 6 times. Gee, sounds like his career, no? Anyways, Vickie Guerrero cut him off. I have never been happier to see her than I was the other night.
Seriously, fat jokes? Admittedly some of them were pretty funny, but at this point, they're not much better than "yo mama" jokes.
Dolph defending Vickie was obviously going to lead to a match, but I wish it hadn't. In fact, I wish this whole segment didn't happen.
Match 4: Cena vs. Ziggler
Yeah, not gonna bother.
Rating: 3/10
Now, that match rating is based on the fact that the match was a waste of time and Cena was worse in the ring than he usually is. I added a couple extra points because Dolph was still good.
Post match was great. Cena got Punk'd and I enjoyed every second of it. I think I pointed this out in the group, but the chair seemed to have magnetic properties. Cena lifted off the mat and flipped over instead of dropping straight down. The fuck? He got up far too soon afterwards as well. I counted, he was on his knees at 12 seconds and standing upright as if nothing happened at 15 seconds. Way to undersell, idiot.
Punk may be wrestling again sooner than I thought (although I do still like him behind the mic).
Sheamus lost a little bit of his talking ability tonight. I got confused with the whole "I'm the king and the king dies tonight. Long live the king" stuff. Again, Lawler in a match? This is driving my nuts. There is a locker room full of underutilized, underrated, underpushed talent, and they give us a fat old commentator? Never mind that he used to wrestle, he can't -- and shouldn't -- wrestle anymore.
Match 5: Miz, A-Ry and King Sheamus vs. Morrison, Orton and Jerry Lawler for some reason
A few good moments (when Jerry wasn't in the ring) but otherwise awful. The ending was even worse than I thought it could ever be. Orton does all the work and King gets the pin on Miz. Bullshit.
Rating: 5/10
Yeah, that wraps up another shitty Raw.
Average match rating: 5.4/10 (+5.4)
Match of the Night: Danielson vs. Regal
Overall Show Rating: 6/10 (+6)
I dunno if I want to keep reviewing Raw or not. It's getting boring again. I'll try to keep at it but the show doesn't keep my attention long enough.
I'll have a post up at some point about the little details in WWE right now that annoy me.
To start off the show, Miz and his Christmas Carol promo were pretty cool, aside from Cole of course. Morrison isn't as good on the mic as he used to be which I find strange. I figured he'd only improve. Guess I was wrong.
The GM is really coming up with some dumb shit too. Honestly, a 6 man tag match featuring an old worn out announcer isn't exciting or cool.I don't know whose idea this was, but I want to smack them. King has no business wrestling anymore. Keep him away from the ring. Please.
Match 1: Alicia Fox vs. Melina vs. Eve
Yeah, typical Divas match. Some okay work here and there but for the most part it was uninspired. Melina was great as always and showed some good aggression. Awesome twist post-match with the slap to Natalya. Heel turn complete. Fuck yeah.
Rating: 6/10
It's definitely good to see a new top heel in the women's division. LayCool until this point were the only bad guys (girls) and that went south faster than senior citizens in October. Yeah, bad reference, I know.
Match 2: Brian Danielson vs. William Regal
I forgot Regal was on the roster still. Great match from 2 technically gifted athletes. Regal is underrated and I think he deserves more credit than he gets. Both men were solid in the ring tonight and I hope Regal gets something decent in the future.
Rating: 7/10
Looks like the Bellas are already starting the "he loves me more" thing. Can't say I didn't see it coming but I thought it would take longer. Kudos to WWE for actually being timely for a change. Question now is, who will he choose?
Morrison talking again isn't impressing me. He doesn't have the same energy he used to. I'd like to see him get it back. Orton is Orton, what else can I say? He's a good talker.
More of Santino being stupid. It honestly annoys me that the Tag Titles are now literally a joke. Anyways, keeping with what's going on, I did laugh when Maryse stood on Santino to get face to face with Tamina.
Match 3: Santino and Tamina vs. Ted DiBiase and Maryse
Sadly, Tamina is more skilled than Santino in the ring. At the same time that's good for the womens division. She's got some good moves, let's hope she gets a push.
Ted was good as he usually is and Maryse was pretty average, but as a whole I think they were the more solid team. Tamina may be great but even she can't make up for Santino.
Rating: 6/10
Here comes Cena. To start, his promo is based around seeing the same thing 6 times. Gee, sounds like his career, no? Anyways, Vickie Guerrero cut him off. I have never been happier to see her than I was the other night.
Seriously, fat jokes? Admittedly some of them were pretty funny, but at this point, they're not much better than "yo mama" jokes.
Dolph defending Vickie was obviously going to lead to a match, but I wish it hadn't. In fact, I wish this whole segment didn't happen.
Match 4: Cena vs. Ziggler
Yeah, not gonna bother.
Rating: 3/10
Now, that match rating is based on the fact that the match was a waste of time and Cena was worse in the ring than he usually is. I added a couple extra points because Dolph was still good.
Post match was great. Cena got Punk'd and I enjoyed every second of it. I think I pointed this out in the group, but the chair seemed to have magnetic properties. Cena lifted off the mat and flipped over instead of dropping straight down. The fuck? He got up far too soon afterwards as well. I counted, he was on his knees at 12 seconds and standing upright as if nothing happened at 15 seconds. Way to undersell, idiot.
Punk may be wrestling again sooner than I thought (although I do still like him behind the mic).
Sheamus lost a little bit of his talking ability tonight. I got confused with the whole "I'm the king and the king dies tonight. Long live the king" stuff. Again, Lawler in a match? This is driving my nuts. There is a locker room full of underutilized, underrated, underpushed talent, and they give us a fat old commentator? Never mind that he used to wrestle, he can't -- and shouldn't -- wrestle anymore.
Match 5: Miz, A-Ry and King Sheamus vs. Morrison, Orton and Jerry Lawler for some reason
A few good moments (when Jerry wasn't in the ring) but otherwise awful. The ending was even worse than I thought it could ever be. Orton does all the work and King gets the pin on Miz. Bullshit.
Rating: 5/10
Yeah, that wraps up another shitty Raw.
Average match rating: 5.4/10 (+5.4)
Match of the Night: Danielson vs. Regal
Overall Show Rating: 6/10 (+6)
I dunno if I want to keep reviewing Raw or not. It's getting boring again. I'll try to keep at it but the show doesn't keep my attention long enough.
I'll have a post up at some point about the little details in WWE right now that annoy me.
December 9, 2010
Monday Night Raw Review: Dec. 6/10
Yeah, it's a day late. I am legitimately working a shit ton (48 hours last week), so please forgive me.
WZ Coverage
To start, I really enjoy CM Punk on commentary. I know he'll go back to wrestling again as soon as his hip is healed up, but I'm going to enjoy him while he's here.
Michael Cole was just a little hypocritical with the whole "we're not supposed to make the news" thing, because that's exactly what he did by doing what he did last week and again this week. He's really grinding my gears at this point. Will they just fire him already, or at the very least could we not have to put up with his bullshit every week?
I think the GM enforced truce is a double edged sword. On the one hand, I'd love to see Cole get ground to a pulp by King, but on the other, if that truce wasn't there, chances are we'd see Cole in a match with Lawler.
Miz looked good as usual, but Riley needs some more time to develop his mic skills.
Orton is great on the mic, not to mention that is my second favourite RKO to date (the first being putting Cena through a chair at SNME). Overall an average opening segment.
Match 1: Brian Danielson and Brie Bella vs. Ted DiBiase and Maryse
It's good to see Danielson with some arm candy. Lucky bastard gets not only one but two smokin' ladies (although I can see Brie and Nikki forcing him to choose between them sooner or later).
The match was half good, half not so good. I'll let you figure out which is which. Again, the whole Nikki pulling Brie out of the ring crap is getting old. If they're going to split them up, do it already. Either shit, or get off the pot.
Please excuse the lower than usual rating for a Danielson match, but the women dragged this one into the dirt.
Rating: 6/10
More of David Otunga acting like the leader of Nexus followed by Cena beating his ass. What's new?
Match 2: Kidd w/ Big Freaky Dude vs. Smith
Big Freaky Dude is Jackson Andrews. Guess he's Kidd's new bodyguard.
Both men were impressive although I wish they'd had more time.
Rating: 7/10
Of course there's the expected beatdown by Andrews. It's predictable, but it kinda sets things up.
This whole Nexus thing is starting to bug me. It's all about Cena when it shouldn't be.
Match 3: Santino and Kozlov vs. Henry and Tatsu vs. The Usos vs. Slater and Gabriel
Tag titles on the line in this fatal 4 way elimination tag match. It was alright but there was nothing overly spectacular. Again, Cena ruined a perfectly decent match with his bullshit. I can't take Santino and Kozlov seriously as champs either. Santino is just too goofy and Kozlov isn't a monster anymore. It doesn't work.
Rating: 6/10
King Sheamus is looking good although his crown if it can be called that is weird looking. He cut a decent promo but Morrison ruined it.
Will someone please get LayCool away from the announce desk? I don't want to hear McCool talking any more than I want my prostate exams performed by Wolverine.
Match 4: Natalya vs. Melina
I actually agree with what Jakob said. This was a great match and if they had more time it would have been awesome.
Rating: 7/10
Ladies and gentlemen, the highest rated Diva's match in the history of this blog.
Match 5: Riley vs. Orton
It wasn't one of my favourite matches, but I guess it served its purpose. Miz interfering didn't surprise me at all. I'm looking forward to their match at TLC but this wasn't the best set up.
Rating: 6/10
I dislike this whole thing with Nexus turning on Barrett. It seems like a set up for something totally lame like Cena becoming the leader of a face Nexus. That way, WWE probably thinks they're pleasing everyone. Oh how wrong they are. Anyways, Nexus walking off and then saying they'll only stay with Barrett if he rehires Cena is confusing on a few levels.
Mainly, if Cena were really in this to get at Barrett, why not just go straight to Barrett in the first place? You'd think that Barrett wouldn't care about Nexus because if you look at their history, they've been treated as more expendable than Imperial Stormtroopers. Why would he start to care now?
Granted, I can kinda see where Nexus is coming from because they wouldn't want to be attacked either. However, why would Barrett want to rehire someone who has openly admitted to wanting to kick his ass? It makes no sense.
In the long run, Barrett doesn't need Nexus. It's a cool concept for now, but he's going to have to go solo at some point. Keep Slater and Gabriel together for sure, Harris and McGillicutty can be another team, Otunga can fuck off and Barrett can become a top heel.
On another note, how does Cena keep getting into the arenas? Sure he can buy tickets, but where is security to stop him jumping the barrier? You'd think that as a "former" employee he'd be outright banned from the events and if not, there should be security guards swarming him when he gets near the barricades.
I dunno, maybe being fired means something totally different in the alternate universe that WWE seems to exist in.
Average Match Rating: 6.4/10 (-0.2)
Match of the Night: Natalya vs. Melina/Kidd vs. Smith (tie)
Overall Show Rating: 6.5/10 (-1.5)
Magic 8-Ball:
Ted starts dating another gold digging bitch to make Maryse jealous
The Bellas will put Danielson in the middle of their little tiff that's developing. They'll force him to choose between them
I'd love to see Smith get his own giant bodyguard and they can have an "arms race" of sorts with Kidd and Andrews where they constantly try to one-up eachother
I can see Sheamus vs. Morrison being added to TLC with some kind of stupid stipulation where the loser kisses the winner's feet
I just read that Melina may turn heel. Good call. I think it'll work
Cena will show up next week and take out all of Nexus, then appear at the PPV and be rehired there for an impromptu match with Barrett.
I'll do some more rambling at some point and I may offer quick thoughts on the new season of NXT.
WZ Coverage
To start, I really enjoy CM Punk on commentary. I know he'll go back to wrestling again as soon as his hip is healed up, but I'm going to enjoy him while he's here.
Michael Cole was just a little hypocritical with the whole "we're not supposed to make the news" thing, because that's exactly what he did by doing what he did last week and again this week. He's really grinding my gears at this point. Will they just fire him already, or at the very least could we not have to put up with his bullshit every week?
I think the GM enforced truce is a double edged sword. On the one hand, I'd love to see Cole get ground to a pulp by King, but on the other, if that truce wasn't there, chances are we'd see Cole in a match with Lawler.
Miz looked good as usual, but Riley needs some more time to develop his mic skills.
Orton is great on the mic, not to mention that is my second favourite RKO to date (the first being putting Cena through a chair at SNME). Overall an average opening segment.
Match 1: Brian Danielson and Brie Bella vs. Ted DiBiase and Maryse
It's good to see Danielson with some arm candy. Lucky bastard gets not only one but two smokin' ladies (although I can see Brie and Nikki forcing him to choose between them sooner or later).
The match was half good, half not so good. I'll let you figure out which is which. Again, the whole Nikki pulling Brie out of the ring crap is getting old. If they're going to split them up, do it already. Either shit, or get off the pot.
Please excuse the lower than usual rating for a Danielson match, but the women dragged this one into the dirt.
Rating: 6/10
More of David Otunga acting like the leader of Nexus followed by Cena beating his ass. What's new?
Match 2: Kidd w/ Big Freaky Dude vs. Smith
Big Freaky Dude is Jackson Andrews. Guess he's Kidd's new bodyguard.
Both men were impressive although I wish they'd had more time.
Rating: 7/10
Of course there's the expected beatdown by Andrews. It's predictable, but it kinda sets things up.
This whole Nexus thing is starting to bug me. It's all about Cena when it shouldn't be.
Match 3: Santino and Kozlov vs. Henry and Tatsu vs. The Usos vs. Slater and Gabriel
Tag titles on the line in this fatal 4 way elimination tag match. It was alright but there was nothing overly spectacular. Again, Cena ruined a perfectly decent match with his bullshit. I can't take Santino and Kozlov seriously as champs either. Santino is just too goofy and Kozlov isn't a monster anymore. It doesn't work.
Rating: 6/10
King Sheamus is looking good although his crown if it can be called that is weird looking. He cut a decent promo but Morrison ruined it.
Will someone please get LayCool away from the announce desk? I don't want to hear McCool talking any more than I want my prostate exams performed by Wolverine.
Match 4: Natalya vs. Melina
I actually agree with what Jakob said. This was a great match and if they had more time it would have been awesome.
Rating: 7/10
Ladies and gentlemen, the highest rated Diva's match in the history of this blog.
Match 5: Riley vs. Orton
It wasn't one of my favourite matches, but I guess it served its purpose. Miz interfering didn't surprise me at all. I'm looking forward to their match at TLC but this wasn't the best set up.
Rating: 6/10
I dislike this whole thing with Nexus turning on Barrett. It seems like a set up for something totally lame like Cena becoming the leader of a face Nexus. That way, WWE probably thinks they're pleasing everyone. Oh how wrong they are. Anyways, Nexus walking off and then saying they'll only stay with Barrett if he rehires Cena is confusing on a few levels.
Mainly, if Cena were really in this to get at Barrett, why not just go straight to Barrett in the first place? You'd think that Barrett wouldn't care about Nexus because if you look at their history, they've been treated as more expendable than Imperial Stormtroopers. Why would he start to care now?
Granted, I can kinda see where Nexus is coming from because they wouldn't want to be attacked either. However, why would Barrett want to rehire someone who has openly admitted to wanting to kick his ass? It makes no sense.
In the long run, Barrett doesn't need Nexus. It's a cool concept for now, but he's going to have to go solo at some point. Keep Slater and Gabriel together for sure, Harris and McGillicutty can be another team, Otunga can fuck off and Barrett can become a top heel.
On another note, how does Cena keep getting into the arenas? Sure he can buy tickets, but where is security to stop him jumping the barrier? You'd think that as a "former" employee he'd be outright banned from the events and if not, there should be security guards swarming him when he gets near the barricades.
I dunno, maybe being fired means something totally different in the alternate universe that WWE seems to exist in.
Average Match Rating: 6.4/10 (-0.2)
Match of the Night: Natalya vs. Melina/Kidd vs. Smith (tie)
Overall Show Rating: 6.5/10 (-1.5)
Magic 8-Ball:
Ted starts dating another gold digging bitch to make Maryse jealous
The Bellas will put Danielson in the middle of their little tiff that's developing. They'll force him to choose between them
I'd love to see Smith get his own giant bodyguard and they can have an "arms race" of sorts with Kidd and Andrews where they constantly try to one-up eachother
I can see Sheamus vs. Morrison being added to TLC with some kind of stupid stipulation where the loser kisses the winner's feet
I just read that Melina may turn heel. Good call. I think it'll work
Cena will show up next week and take out all of Nexus, then appear at the PPV and be rehired there for an impromptu match with Barrett.
I'll do some more rambling at some point and I may offer quick thoughts on the new season of NXT.
December 1, 2010
Monday Night Raw Review: Nov. 29/10
Okay, this marks the first review in my new format. Hope y'all enjoy it.
WZ coverage
The opening bit with Alex Riley was alright. He's good on the mic, and I like that he was able to poke fun at himself and his DUI. He's got potential.
Match 1: Del Rio vs. Danielson
As soon as I saw the pairing, I knew Danielson wasn't going to win. That said, it was still a great match. I found it interesting that the ending saw Del Rio submit Danielson. Lots of good spots and Del Rio really has my interest. Hopefully he continues to be pushed and hopefully this means they have other plans for Danielson.
Rating: 8/10
Truth jabbering about Cena for the hundredth time is getting old. We get it, Cena didn't want to leave but he had to. Enough already. It appears they introduced "Juan" Cena as well with the attack on McGillicutty. This looks grim.
Match 2: Rhodes vs. Morrison
Morrison was the right choice to win this. I think Rhodes is better suited to tag wrestling, he just needs the right partner. I'm surprised Morrison didn't use an aerial move to end the match. Instead it was a running knee to the head. Decent match overall.
Rating: 7/10
Match 3: Drew vs. Zeke
Another good match, until the double countout. I dislike endings like this in tournaments, yet there always seems to be one. What was the point? I feel like we cheated out of a good match between whoever won this and Sheamus (who got a bye because of this ending).
Rating: 7/10
The Bellas and Danielson make an odd combination but it's nice to see them doing something other than escorting guest hosts.
Again, Alex Riley does good promo work. He's got talent and I hope this leads to a feud with Danielson for the US Title. It would make sense, because they were both paired with Miz on their seasons of NXT which Riley did mention in his promo.
Miz did a good job on the mic during his promo. Lawler getting involved bothered me. I don't mind so much that he said something, but I don't like that he got a WWE title shot out of it.
Match 4: Sheamus vs. Kofi
I think these two did a good job. Kofi did well with his high spots and Sheamus was great as always. I liked that Sheamus won because I can see him as King, but not so much for Kofi. I don't know why, I just don't think this tournament is the best way to get Kofi a push.
Rating: 8/10
Match 5: Yoshi Tatsu and Mark Henry vs. Slater and Gabriel
Wasn't a fan of this match as a whole, and I don't see what they need to keep pairing Henry with these little guys. I was never a fan of random singles guys as tag teams, but this is just ridiculous. It's good to see Tatsu in a match again though.
Rating: 6/10
Of course Cena gets involved. I mentioned this in my last rant, but I'll say it again. If I continually showed up and caused shit at my former employers, I'd be arrested for harassment. It's bullshit.
Match 6: Del Rio vs. Morrison
Great match until Rey showed up and distracted Del Rio. I was hoping Del Rio would win this one so that he'd face Sheamus, but I guess that was wishful thinking. Del Rio could be a big star if WWE would get him away form Rey Mysterio.
Rating: 7/10
Barrett was great as always but Cena ruined it for me. The best part of the segment was seeing someone slammed onto a car, even if it was done by Cena. That's more violence than we've seen in weeks, so I'll take it.
Match 7: Maryse Tamina and Alicia Fox vs. Melina Gail Kim and Natalya
Well, this was a typical divas match. Not much more to say than that. Natalya looked good but that's about it. As for Santino singing to Tamina, while it was funny, it didn't add anything to the show.
Rating: 5/10
Ted and Maryse are going to split up soon. Ted won't win a title and Maryse will leave him because of it. She's a golddigger and not a good one at that.
Match 8: Sheamus vs. Morrison
Pretty good work in the KOTR finals. Wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped, but it's what I was expecting given WWE's penchant for underwhelming its fans. Sheamus winning only sets up the return of HHH.
Rating: 8/10
Match 9: Miz vs. Lawler
Suffice it to say that this was the worst match of the night (aside from the divas). Miz was playing his part well, but Lawler not so much. The fact that Cole had to help Miz win over an aging veteran who has never been in a TLC match before let alone wrestled in months is a surefire way to make your champ look weak. This did nothing but damage Miz's credibility as a champ and I sincerely hope that this never happens again.
Rating: 4/10
That closes out the show for this week.
Average Match Rating: 6.6/10 (+0.7)
Overall Show Rating: 8/10 (-0.5)
Overall it was a decent Raw. There were some great matches and promos, but there were spots where the show was lacking. The King of the Ring was a nice change of pace, and I hope it becomes an annual event again.
Sheamus winning King of the Ring will bring about the return of Triple H as I mentioned earlier on. I don't think it's the best way to do it, but hey, it'll be a good change I hope.
It doesn't look like I'll be able to cover the remainder of the shows this week, but I'll have some kind of rant up in the coming days.
WZ coverage
The opening bit with Alex Riley was alright. He's good on the mic, and I like that he was able to poke fun at himself and his DUI. He's got potential.
Match 1: Del Rio vs. Danielson
As soon as I saw the pairing, I knew Danielson wasn't going to win. That said, it was still a great match. I found it interesting that the ending saw Del Rio submit Danielson. Lots of good spots and Del Rio really has my interest. Hopefully he continues to be pushed and hopefully this means they have other plans for Danielson.
Rating: 8/10
Truth jabbering about Cena for the hundredth time is getting old. We get it, Cena didn't want to leave but he had to. Enough already. It appears they introduced "Juan" Cena as well with the attack on McGillicutty. This looks grim.
Match 2: Rhodes vs. Morrison
Morrison was the right choice to win this. I think Rhodes is better suited to tag wrestling, he just needs the right partner. I'm surprised Morrison didn't use an aerial move to end the match. Instead it was a running knee to the head. Decent match overall.
Rating: 7/10
Match 3: Drew vs. Zeke
Another good match, until the double countout. I dislike endings like this in tournaments, yet there always seems to be one. What was the point? I feel like we cheated out of a good match between whoever won this and Sheamus (who got a bye because of this ending).
Rating: 7/10
The Bellas and Danielson make an odd combination but it's nice to see them doing something other than escorting guest hosts.
Again, Alex Riley does good promo work. He's got talent and I hope this leads to a feud with Danielson for the US Title. It would make sense, because they were both paired with Miz on their seasons of NXT which Riley did mention in his promo.
Miz did a good job on the mic during his promo. Lawler getting involved bothered me. I don't mind so much that he said something, but I don't like that he got a WWE title shot out of it.
Match 4: Sheamus vs. Kofi
I think these two did a good job. Kofi did well with his high spots and Sheamus was great as always. I liked that Sheamus won because I can see him as King, but not so much for Kofi. I don't know why, I just don't think this tournament is the best way to get Kofi a push.
Rating: 8/10
Match 5: Yoshi Tatsu and Mark Henry vs. Slater and Gabriel
Wasn't a fan of this match as a whole, and I don't see what they need to keep pairing Henry with these little guys. I was never a fan of random singles guys as tag teams, but this is just ridiculous. It's good to see Tatsu in a match again though.
Rating: 6/10
Of course Cena gets involved. I mentioned this in my last rant, but I'll say it again. If I continually showed up and caused shit at my former employers, I'd be arrested for harassment. It's bullshit.
Match 6: Del Rio vs. Morrison
Great match until Rey showed up and distracted Del Rio. I was hoping Del Rio would win this one so that he'd face Sheamus, but I guess that was wishful thinking. Del Rio could be a big star if WWE would get him away form Rey Mysterio.
Rating: 7/10
Barrett was great as always but Cena ruined it for me. The best part of the segment was seeing someone slammed onto a car, even if it was done by Cena. That's more violence than we've seen in weeks, so I'll take it.
Match 7: Maryse Tamina and Alicia Fox vs. Melina Gail Kim and Natalya
Well, this was a typical divas match. Not much more to say than that. Natalya looked good but that's about it. As for Santino singing to Tamina, while it was funny, it didn't add anything to the show.
Rating: 5/10
Ted and Maryse are going to split up soon. Ted won't win a title and Maryse will leave him because of it. She's a golddigger and not a good one at that.
Match 8: Sheamus vs. Morrison
Pretty good work in the KOTR finals. Wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped, but it's what I was expecting given WWE's penchant for underwhelming its fans. Sheamus winning only sets up the return of HHH.
Rating: 8/10
Match 9: Miz vs. Lawler
Suffice it to say that this was the worst match of the night (aside from the divas). Miz was playing his part well, but Lawler not so much. The fact that Cole had to help Miz win over an aging veteran who has never been in a TLC match before let alone wrestled in months is a surefire way to make your champ look weak. This did nothing but damage Miz's credibility as a champ and I sincerely hope that this never happens again.
Rating: 4/10
That closes out the show for this week.
Average Match Rating: 6.6/10 (+0.7)
Overall Show Rating: 8/10 (-0.5)
Overall it was a decent Raw. There were some great matches and promos, but there were spots where the show was lacking. The King of the Ring was a nice change of pace, and I hope it becomes an annual event again.
Sheamus winning King of the Ring will bring about the return of Triple H as I mentioned earlier on. I don't think it's the best way to do it, but hey, it'll be a good change I hope.
It doesn't look like I'll be able to cover the remainder of the shows this week, but I'll have some kind of rant up in the coming days.
Raw Coverage Update
Okay, I know you're all expecting my review of Raw to be up any time now. I'm going to wait until my day off tomorrow just so I'm better rested and not rushed. Also, I'm going to change my format a fair bit. Instead of writing everything up, I'm just going to offer my opinions on everything, along with a link to WZ's full results.
I'll be able to write everything up faster and get my thoughts organized more clearly. I'll go in chronological order, from the start of Raw to the end, and offer my commentary on what I saw and where I see things progressing.
I may throw other random thoughts on the shows as well. Hopefully I'll be able to do this for all 3 WWE shows and not just Raw.
Why I'm changing this now is because my hours at work have increased yet again (46 from yesterday until sunday), and I think it's safe to assume that you guys have watched or have an idea of what happened on each show. Again, the links to results will be provided if anyone needs to be filled in.
Thanks once again for putting up with my shit.
I'll be able to write everything up faster and get my thoughts organized more clearly. I'll go in chronological order, from the start of Raw to the end, and offer my commentary on what I saw and where I see things progressing.
I may throw other random thoughts on the shows as well. Hopefully I'll be able to do this for all 3 WWE shows and not just Raw.
Why I'm changing this now is because my hours at work have increased yet again (46 from yesterday until sunday), and I think it's safe to assume that you guys have watched or have an idea of what happened on each show. Again, the links to results will be provided if anyone needs to be filled in.
Thanks once again for putting up with my shit.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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