My WWE Raw, January 30th 2012 Recap

We opened up to John Laurinaitis who was sucking up to all the fans and staff around the ring, and claimed that he was looking forward to his performance review because he felt he'd done a great job as the interim Raw GM. He also announced the participants for the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match, it will be CM Punk, Chris Jericho, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, The Miz and Dolph Ziggler. I'm really pleased to see Kingston in there, hopefully this means a potential new push for him? He deserves to be higher up on the roster with his talents in my opinion.
WWE Champion CM Punk then interrupted Laurinaitis as he began announcing the matches for the night and began singing "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye!" along with the audience. CM Punk got into the ring with Johnny and said that he just wanted to see his face one last time before he's fired by Triple H, and also began listing off the simple mistakes he's made since becoming an on screen personality. Also crediting him with the ability to both "suck and blow at the same time." Laurinaitis in another last ditch attempt to make amends extended his arm to Punk and start fresh with the champ, which he refused. 
The World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan then joined them both and claimed that no one cared about their "petty little differences" and began bragging about his title defence at the Royal Rumble. On the match booked for that Raw between him and Punk, Bryan also stated that "compared to what I went through last night, you're not really much of a challenge." Punk retorted with "You're right, all I am is the best wrestler in the world." After some more exchanged words they both agreed to put on a great wrestling match for the fans. 
The 2012 Royal Rumble winner Sheamus then came out to remind everyone that he won the Rumble and will be main eventing WrestleMania, and to also remind Laurinaitis that he could very well "be fired!"
Randy Orton defeated Dolph Ziggler in a solid encounter, it's like you just can't go wrong with these two in the ring. Orton applied the RKO for the one-two-three, withWade Barrett looking on from his own personal box in the arena. The only downside to the bout was that the rising Ziggler didn't get to look at competitive as he normally does against a top wrestler.
Brodus Clay defeated Tyler Reks in another routine squash match of his. I'm starting to grow a little tired of the same routine now. I still enjoy the 'Funkasaurus' but I want to see him put into a decent feud at this point. 
Daniel Bryan defeated CM Punk via disqualification when Chris Jericho attacked Bryan first and then Punk. The bout up until that point had been a technically superb and thrilling champion vs. champion match up. Both wrestlers were clearly giving it their all and wanted to really put on a show, knowing how technically gifted they are. Without a doubt the best match of the year so far in my opinion, and it'll take something special to outdo it. I'm sure we'll be lucky enough to see a rematch at some point in the future. 
'Iron' Mike Tyson was announced as the next inductee into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall Of Fame. Not surprised, he brought a lot of attention and excitement when he was involved in WrestleMania years ago. And who could forget the moment he helped Austin? 
Kofi Kingston defeated The Miz in an entertaining bout with a good effort by both men. And it was also yet another positive sign for Kofi as he got a clean win over The Miz.
Beth Phoenix (c) defeated Eve in a brief Unified Divas title match after applying her finisher the Glam Slam. Afterwards Kane appeared on the tron to talk to Eve. He asked her how it felt to know that all the pain Zach Ryder has endured could have been avoided if John Cena had "embraced the hate." He added that Cena would never be able to defeat him or The Rock until he does so. Kane then arrived at the ring to use Eve to send out a message to him, but Cena came charging in to her rescue and him and the 'Big Red Monster' began brawling. John eventually gained the upper hand and cracked Kane a few times in the head with steel steps. All the while Cena was looking excited and happy, which was a nice touch I thought. As he went to Attitude Adjust Kane through the announce desk he managed to escape out of it and get away.  
Before Triple H made his way for the performance review,  John Laurinaitis wanted to thank the fans for their appreciation. he also went on to congratulate himself on his 'great' performance as the Raw Interim General Manager. COO Triple H then made his way down and said that he thought Laurinaitis might have actually done a decent job as GM since he was spineless. But he admitted he was wrong and Laurinaitis was worse than any other before him because he abused his power to try and make himself "a star."
Laurinaitis then pleaded to the COO, claiming that he'd "do anything." Anything, eh? So Triple H  reminded him of the Kiss My Ass Club created by Vince McMahon. In a hilarious moment Laurinaitis even applied chap stick as he got down to his knees, but it was all a wind up by Triple H. As 'The Game' then was about to wish John well on his future endeavors, the lights went and that famous bell tolled. It was The Undertaker. And like last year, Taker looked up to the WrestleMania sign and performed his signature cut throat taunt, only to have Triple H put his hand on the 'Dead Man's' shoulder and walk away.
I felt it was an overall pretty strong Raw, with a healthy dose of solid action in the ring which makes a nice change for the red brand. And not only the return of The Undertaker but a very intriguing ending. My prediction is that the match between them will happen, but with the inclusion of Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee.     

My WWE Royal Rumble 2012 recap

Daniel Bryan (c) defeated Mark Henry and Big Show to retain his World Heavyweight Championship in a Steel Cage Match. The bout itself was decent enough. Big Show and Henry were each allowed their spell of dominance during it, while Bryan would try and escape when he could and take advantage of the other two wrestlers when they were down, which suits his current character perfectly. Bryan won after escaping to the outside when Show had a hold of his wrists in an exciting moment as Bryan was just dangling there, but the champ was able to break out of it and land to the floor. The result seemed to please the crowd in attendance, and myself.  
Beth Phoenix, the Bella Twins and Natalya defeated Kelly Kelly, Tamina, Eve and Alicia Fox in an average Divas tag team match. The audience seemed indifferent towards the bout for the majority of it and like myself I imagine they were just waiting for it to end. At least Beth picked up the win, it's good to see her back in action.    
Kane versus John Cena ended in a double count out. The match itself was actually more entertaining then I had anticipated, maybe that was because Kane was given more offense during it I'm not sure. Afterwards they both carried on the fight into the back where 'The Big Red Monster' got the upper hand after a few chair shots to Cena's back. He then spotted Zach Ryder's dressing room, so he broke into it and choked out the former US Champion. Kane then wheeled out the injured Ryder into the ring, where he Tombstone Piledrivered him in front of a pleading Eve. A valiant Cena came racing back to the ring, only to then be Chokeslammed.    
Brodus Clay defeated Drew McIntyre in another one of his recent squash matches. Although to be fair Drew was made to look a little more competitive here then 'The Funkasaurus's' recent opponents. So the loosing streak that does nothing for McIntyre continues...
CM Punk (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler to retain his WWE Championship in an awesome contest between the two. Both men who clearly take pride in their craft put in a great effort here in this competitive bout, filled with nice action and near falls. Before the bell rang John Laurinaitis announced that he would not be officiating the match in the ring but outside it and also banned Vickie Guerrero from ringside to appear fair and impartial, with his impending evaluation coming up on tonights Raw.
Towards the end of the title bout Punk had Ziggler tapping to the Anaconda Vice, but unfortunately the referee was knocked out at ringside and Laurinaitis spent anunusually long time checking on his condition. The same happened again when CM Punk had Dolph in a roll up pin far exceeding the three count. Eventually the ref made his way back and as he counted for Punk's winning GTS on the challenger, Laurinaitis raced into the ring to also make the count along with him. I'll give him credit, the current Interim Raw GM is certainly making things interesting.   
The Miz kicked off the Royal Rumble Match with a mic in hand announcing that he was going to prove everyone wrong as he has done before and win the Rumble as the number one entrant. The Miz eliminated the second entrant Alex Riley after a decent period of action between them. Fourth entrant Cody Rhodes and The Miz began double teaming on the third entrant R-Truth until Justin Gabriel and Primo entered to fasten the pace a bit. The Miz then threw R-Truth over the top rope for a surprisingly quick exit for him. Mick Foley then entered to a huge ovation and quickly eliminated Primo.  
Then Alberto Del Rio's music hit, but as a much more crummier car appeared around the corner then we're used to seeing from the Mexican aristocrat, his ring announcerRicardo Rodriguez instead was the next entrant. As he entered the ring there were chants of "Ricardo!" sounding in the arena, it was a brilliant moment as the pale and a little out of shape announcer imitated his bosse's usual entrance, complete with the trademark white scarf. Him and Mick Foley then teamed up to eliminate Justin Gabriel. The next entrant Santino Marella then had a brief comedy period with Ricardo until he wedgied him and threw him over the top rope.
Then we had a genius moment with a face off between Foley's Mr. Socko and Marella's Cobra, which the crowd just ate up. They had a brief break as they used their trademark hand puppets to eliminate Epico. Cody Rhodes and Miz then teamed up to throw over Marella and Foley. Kofi Kingston next entered to an awesome and fast paced sequence, for some reason Booker decided to put on an awful Jamaican accent during this time. Cody Rhodes next eliminated Jerry Lawler from the Rumble. The Great Khali entered the bout (I really hope this doesn't mean he's back permanently)  and quickly eliminatedJinder Mahal and Ezekiel Jackson. In an extremely memorable Royal Rumble moment Kofi Kingston was thrown over the top rope by The Miz, only to then handstand his way on the outside back to the steel steps and into the ring. Needless to say, the fans were very impressed.
Cody Rhodes made another elimination as he threw over Jim Duggan, the winner of the first ever Royal Rumble. Khali and Booker were then simultaneously eliminated by The Miz and Cody. Booker and Lawler then helped eliminate surprise entrant Michael Cole as they both pulled him off of the apron after he'd ran off scared from the returning Kharma, it was a pleasant surprise to see her back. She managed to throw over (and I mean literally throw over) Hunico, but was then eliminated by Dolph Ziggler. The next entrant Sheamus managed to eliminate Kofi after a Trouble In Paradise attempt. 'Road Dogg' Jesse James then raced in and applied his trademark Pumphandle Slam and knee drop to chants of "You still got it!"
Wade Barrett made his way to the ring and made quick work of Road Dogg as he threw him over. Randy Orton entered and applied his trademark Powerslams and Hangman DDT's to Ziggler and Rhodes before eliminating Jey Uso and Wade Barrett. Chris Jericho then came out to a big ovation and for the first time since his return got physical in the ring and threw over David Otunga. The Big Show then arrived to a lukewarm reception and helped Sheamus eliminate Jack Swagger before he'd even entered the ring. He carried on to eliminate The Miz and Cody Rhodes simultaneously, then Dolph Ziggler.
So we were then down to the final four, Big Show, Sheamus, Chris Jericho and Randy Orton. 'The Viper' managed to chuck Show over the top rope after him, Sheamus and Jericho had triple teamed the giant. This was followed by a quick throw of Orton over the ropes by Y2J. The finishing sequence between Sheamus and Jericho was thrilling, with a few near eliminations for both wrestlers. But Sheamus managed to apply the Brogue Kick to Chris Jericho as he was on the apron and eliminate him to become the surprise victor.
Your Royal Rumble 2012 winner: Sheamus.                     

Like usual, it was a thoroughly entertaining Royal Rumble match. And it was nice to see the younger wrestlers get as much time as they did to really shine. I'll admit I was hoping for the returns of Christian and Alberto Del Rio but I'm sure they'll both be back in time for WrestleMania anyway so that's the important thing.  

My WWE SmackDown, January 27th 2012 Recap

Big Show started off SmackDown and apologised publicly for accidentally barging through AJ a couple of weeks ago on the show. He stated that AJ had forgiven him but was having trouble forgiving himself. He also told us how he'd always felt like an outcast, a "freak" until he'd found a home in WWE. But after the incident with AJ he admitted that he wasn't sure that he had the heart to carry on his career there. Daniel Bryan then joined Show and said that as a kid he believed that the WWE was a place for "athletes, not genetic freaks" and added that Big Show's remorse was false. That he had fooled everyone into believing how sorry he was. He then charged at him with a barrage of insults which eventually ended in him slapping Big Show. After which he screamed at him "You're not a man, you're a monster!" That was the boiling point for Show who then charged at the World Heavyweight Champion and gave him a stern warning before tossing him aside. 
This was then the cue for Mark Henry to arrive, who wanted to remind both men that at the Royal Rumble he was also joining them in the Steel Cage match for the World Heavyweight Title. He also got straight to the point and added that he didn't care about Big Show's hurt feelings or a "95 pound girl in a training bra," just the World Title. Teddy Long then informed them that Big Show would face Mark Henry on the show later on, much to Bryan's delight. It was a pretty decent start to the show,Daniel Bryan's heel promos are still being delivered very solidly.     
Cody Rhodes defeated Justin Gabriel in quite an entertaining match up. The only thing I would say is that it would have benefitted with maybe a little more time allocated. Rhodes has been mentioned as a possible victor of the Royal Rumble match, but I'm predicting that he'll face his brother Dustin Rhodes at WrestleMania instead.    
Sheamus defeated Drew McIntyre in a very enjoyable bout with both wrestlers putting in a good effort. I'm certainly not McIntyre's biggest fan, nor have I ever been but I have to admit that he looked pretty good here. I can see this storyline possibly leading to Drew getting a very big win fairly soon, and maybe turn face in the process.
Epico and Primo defeated Santino Marella and Yoshi Tatsu in a short but adequate tag team match. It was nice to see Yoshi appear on the blue brand for a change.    
Backstage Daniel Bryan advised Mark Henry to seriously hurt Big Show in his match before the Royal Rumble on Sunday. He used the times that Big Show had injured Henry and AJ to try and convince him.
Wade Barret spoke before his match with the returning Randy Orton and claimed that he had it on very good authority that Orton had "allowed his ego to get the best of him." That Orton was returning too soon form his injury and that his spirit had been broken by Wade himself. Then 'The Viper's' music hit and we saw Orton make his way from the backstage area (nice touch I thought) and race to meet Barrett on the ramp where they began exchanging punches before the bell had even rung.
The fighting continued with Orton gaining the upper hand, but for some strange reason they never commenced the match. Instead they had referees and then other wrestlers come down under Teddy Long's order and try to separate the two men. During this Barrett managed to escape, but Randy wasn't done as he then RKO'd all the wrestlers surrounding him. It was a nice return for Orton, and very well received by the crowd in attendance. It's also very well received by myself, who felt that Orton was one of the most consistent performers in the company last year. And someone who was also involved in the best in-ring feud of last year with Christian.      
Hunico defeated Ted DiBiasse in a fast paced and nicely executed bout. I've fast become a big fan of DiBiasse's work in the ring over the last few months. For me he's earned a push on SmackDown (along with the talented Hunico) possibly a feud with a top level heel?  And some more time on the mic wouldn't hurt either.  
After the match Hunico stomped on the injured hand of DiBiasse while his bodyguard Camacho held him down. An excuse for the time off Ted's most likely going to have now for the legit injury. 
Brodus Clay defeated Alex Riley in a squash match with his What The Funk finisher. The uber charismatic 'Funkasaurus' Clay had a little moment with Riley before the match where they compared dance moves, until he had enough and suplexed Riley. Boy has Riley's career gone downhill, he was the same guy that cleanly defeated former WWE Champion The Miz on pay-per-view last year, right?    
Aksana defeated Natalya with a quick roll up pin after Natalya went to the ropes to call out for Tamina. Afterwards Natalya applied the Sharpshooter on her until Tamina came to Aksana's rescue and then Superfly Splashed Natalya. Well at least Tamina's certainly gotten more interesting, even if that means ripping off her Dad's old gimmick.   
Big Show defeated Mark Henry via count out in a nothing match. Mark Henry collapsed during the bout and couldn't make it back to the ring in time. It's thought that as Henry swung for a punch he actually hyper-extended his knee at the taping, so they had to quickly finish the match up. 
Afterwards Daniel Bryan ran in and attacked Big Show with a steel chair. Unfazed by this, Show gave chase until Bryan managed to dropkick him in the knee and continue the attack with the chair. Once back in the ring, Bryan applied the LeBell Lock until Big Show powered out of it. Show then Chokeslammed the World Champion, leaving a warning sign for the triple threat on Sunday at the Rumble.  
Overall, yet again, it was an enjoyable show for the most part. SmackDown unlike Raw right now gives us a healthy dose of enjoyable and solid match ups. Plus the rivalry between Henry, Show and Bryan has progressed brilliantly. With the storyline making sense and not being rushed like most have over the last year. I'm sure the Cage match won't be any classic but it should have it's entertaining moments considering what Bryan's been able to do with Henry and Big Show in the ring so far.
Next up people: The Royal Rumble!  

My Impact Wrestling, January 26th 2012 Recap

We kicked off Impact with Jeff Hardy and Bully Ray brawling with each other backstage. The Bully Ray and Hardy fight felt a little too fake and lacked intensity for my liking. It then carried on to the outside where TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode jumped out of his car and helped Ray take out Hardy. James Storm then came to Hardy's aid, but this was short lived as he was also taken out by the duo. But never fear as Sting then jumped in and chased off Bully and Roode, baseball bat in hand. 
Tara defeated Velvet Sky and Mickie James in a Triple Threat Match to determine the number one contender to Gail Kim's Knockout Championship at Against All Odds. The bout itself was rather sloppy, and at times almost looked like they weren't sure what they were supposed to do next. Disappointing, considering the high standard of Knockout matches we've had recently.
In the ring 'The Stinger', accompanied by Hardy and Storm, called out Roode and Bully Ray. The brawling continued briefly as they arrived but was halted by Sting. After a suggestion from 'The Cowboy', Sting decided to book a tag team Tables match between the four that night.
Alex Shelley defeated Zema Ion in a solid and thoroughly enjoyable X Division bout. It's certainly nice to see the talent of Shelley back, not just to freshen up the X Division but for Impact Wrestling in general. As per the agreement with X Division Champ Austin Aries last week this also means that Shelley will face Aries for the title at Against All Odds, which should be a superb encounter.  
We were then shown footage of Eric Bischoff paying a visit to his son Garrett Bischoff's regular gym where he trains to discover who his secret trainer is. But as a shocked Eric discovered who it was, he forced the cameras away so we couldn't see. Drat! 
ODB and Eric Young defeated Winter and Angelina Love in an average comedy tag bout.
Matt Morgan defeated Samoa Joe in an entertaining match up. Fortunately for our sakes, Morgan's offence was limited and the superior Joe lead the bout. Afterwards a sour Magnus and Samoa Joe once again took out Crimson and Morgan.
AJ Styles came to the ring and voiced his confusion over the hold that Christopher Daniels has over Kazarian. Kaz and ''The Fallen Angle' then joined Styles and Kazarian was about to talk, but was ordered by Daniels to hand over the mic. Daniels lectured AJ on once again coming to the ring and "complaining" about something. He also explained that "Frankie Kazarian doesn't owe you a damned thing." Styles asked Kazarian to come into the ring and shake his hand all all will be forgotten. But Daniels refused Kaz permission to do so and then proposed a match for Against All Odds between AJ Styles and Kazarian, ordering Kaz to ask Sting for the match. To be honest I'm growing a little tired of this storyline, I'm hoping they end it quite soon and move on.     
James Storm and Jeff Hardy defeated Bobby Roode and Bully Ray in a solid and worthy main event tag team Tables match. The sprawling action was well executed and nicely paced. The finish came when Storm elbow dropped Roode through a table in the ring. 
Afterwards Bully Ray brought in a steel chair and continued the assault on Storm and Hardy. He then powerbombed Jeff into a table from the top rope for a nice finish to the show.

My WWE Raw, January 23rd 2012 Recap

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

News regarding the Money in the Bank ladder match

Source: F4WOnline.com

It's being reported that WWE may be dropping their Money In The Bank pay-per-view event this July and replacing it with their Tables, Ladders and Chairs PPV, which usually takes place in December. As for the MITB, WWE is considering bringing it back as a WrestleMania exclusive match once again.

I'm personally more than happy that they shifted the MITB match away from WrestleMania and gave it it's own pay-per-view. For the last couple of years it's been one of the few match themed PPV's that's actually worked for me and pulled off an entertaining show. 

My Impact Wrestling, January 19th 2012 Recap

'The Cowboy' James Storm opened up Impact by giving Bobby Roode a heads up that when he faces him for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship "I am going to whoop your ass." Jeff Hardy soon joined the number one contender and explained that "no one is getting a title shot against Roode until I have my final encounter,"after being screwed against Roode for the title at both Genesis and on last weeks Impact Wrestling. Bobby Roode then explained to James Storm that since his match with Hardy last week had no official winner, that made Storm's number one contendership null and void. Sting as the authority figure then booked a number one contenders match up between Storm and Hardy to settle things. 
Gunner defeated AJ Styles in a solid enough bout. AJ was his usual impressive self, it's just Gunner that still isn't wowing me between the ropes. I haven't seen anything particularly outstanding from him as of yet. Gunner scored the win with a DDT afterKazarian clotheslined Styles from the apron, as ordered to by Christopher Daniels.
After the match Gunner, along with his accomplice Ric Flair, attempted to DDT AJ onto some exposed concrete flooring at ringside as he's done to RVD and others. But AJ was fortunate enough to break away form it and escape. My only complaint here is that AJ looked a little cowardly with his escape, he should have fought back a bit in a more heroic fashion in my opinion.    
Crimson defeated Magnus in a brief and pretty worthless encounter. After Crimson got the one-two-three Samoa Joe and Magnus began to double team him. This carried on until Matt Morgan raced in to his tag partner's aid. But his offence didn't last long as Joe and Magnus began to get the upper hand on him, eventually leaving the Tag Team Champions out on the floor after performing their new signature double team maneuvers.    
We were then presented with a VT of Garrett Bischoff in pro wrestling training. There's definitely a lot of potential for Garrett if he can prove himself in the ring. 
Mickie James defeated Madison Rayne in a surprisingly entertaining cage match. Both women put in a superb effort and really upped the heat towards the final third of the bout. Probably the most impressive performance I've seen out of Rayne in the company too. Very enjoyable and definitely worth checking out.
The charismatic X Division Champion Austin Aries once again complained that there is no competition for him, that no one is at the 'AA' level. But just as he was about to depart the ring, Alex Shelley (with a new look) came out to a huge reception and challenged Aries to a title match. Aries then accused Shelley of "latching on" to Chris Sabin's coattails for the last few years, and that before that he was "a nothing." Aries decided that if Shelley could go to the locker room and find another X Division wrestler and defeat them then he would accept his challenge of a title match. But Shelley wanted to go one better and asked the champion to pick a challenger for him. It was a nice segment between the two most charismatic wrestlers in the division right now. Should be a terrific feud.   
Backstage Winter and ODB began to brawl until Winter cracked ODB in the stomach with a lead pipe and began whipping her with a belt.  
Eric Young won vis disqualification against Angelina Love after Love low blowed him. It was a forgettable comedy match. Afterwards Winter and Love began beating on EY until ODB came to his rescue. Together they took out the duo of Love and Winter. 
James Storm versus Jeff Hardy ended in a no contest. It was a solid main event that had action that very rarely let up at all during it. The match ended when Bully Ray crept in and took out the referee Brian Hebner with his chain, along with Hardy and Storm. As referee Brian's dad Earl Hebner made his way out to check on his son Ray struck him with a big blow to halt him. He also spat out some of Storm's beer into his own face for good measure and carried on the assault a little more. This carried on until 'The Stinger' chased him off with his signature baseball bat.
Never missing an opportunity, World Champ Bobby Roode then entered the ring and KO'd both Hardy and Storm with his Title belt. Gloating in this, he grabbed a mic and announced the match a no contest and himself the most dominant TNA World Champion ever.    

My WWE Raw, January 16th 2012 Recap

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

My Impact Wrestling, January 12th 2012 Recap

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode proclaimed that he had become the"most dominate World Heavyweight Champion in the history of Impact Wrestling."He also admitted his admiration for Jeff Hardy for the way in which he's turned his life around over the last several months. All the while Roode was on the mic the majority of the crowd were firmly chanting for 'The Charismatic Enigma'. The champ then asked for Hardy to come on out and humbly accept his defeat, but instead Sting decided to join him. 'The Stinger' announced that after getting himself intentionally disqualified to retain his World Title, Roode would have to defend it once again against Jeff Hardy that very night. It was quite a decent segment, Roode certainly suits his role right now and I can see them building up to a probable Sting versus Roode match for the World Heavyweight Title at some point.   
Matt Morgan and Crimson defeated Robbie E and Rob Terry in an average tag team bout. Nothing really spectacular or memorable about it to be honest, it was a match mostly dominated by the TNA Tag Team Champions. Afterwards Samoa Joe and Magnus raced in and took out Morgan and Crimson in a nicely orchestrated beat down. So theyare heel, good I'm glad that's finally cleared up then. I'm actually quite relieved that they haven't given up on the Joe Magnus team, I see definite potential there.
Eric Bischoff informed his son Garrett that "he has no future in this business" after Sting handed him a pair of wrestling boots last week and officially told Garrett that he's now a professional wrestler. Eric also added that it would be too dangerous for him and that "your dreams are going to get you hurt." Nice of him eh? His son Garrett then entered the ring and grabbed the mic off of his dad and let him know that "I'm not going anywhere." 
ODB defeated Winter in an okay Knockouts match up. The action wasn't bad, just not up the standard of other matches from the division recently. The most entertaining parts were probably the involvement of the wacky Eric young during it. 
AJ Styles confronted Kazarian in the ring about him turning his back on him in their tag bout last week. Kaz claimed that he couldn't admit why. Christopher Daniels then cockily walked out and announced that he knew why. He told Styles that Kazarian thought of him as "a lost cause" after his recent losses in the company. AJ greeted the news by throwing a microphone at the 'Fallen Angel's' back along with a series of punches until Kazarian pulled him to safety. I don't get why they've unearthed the AJ Styles and Daniels feud, for me we've gotten all we really can from it and it's had its' time.  
James Storm (with yet even more talking and no action on the show) gave us the understatement of the century when he came out and said that "things here in Impact Wrestling are starting to get a little sketchy." It's been like that for a while now 'Cowboy'. He also called out Kurt Angle and said that he knows that Kurt is the kind of competitor that will get a win any way he can, someone who his daughter would call a"cheater." Storm then challenged Angle to a fight and to set a record of the fastest person to have kicked "a man so fast in his mouth that he swallows his teeth and poops them out, right here in the Impact Zone." Nice line I thought, but then Storms promos are always worth listening to. Angle declined the offer and informed Storm that he will get no more rematches with him, since he proved he was the better man and better wrestler at Genesis. 
Sting interjected on the conversation between Angle and Storm and announced that if Roode gets himself intentionally disqualified in the main event then Hardy will win the World Heavyweight Championship. He also decided to have 'The Cowboy' versus Kurt Angle right there and then to determine who will face the winner of the Roode versus Hardy match for the title.
James Storm defeated Kurt Angle in a superb and intense contest. Not only was it the match of the night but the televised match of the year so far for me. The pace and match were set out brilliantly. For the finish Angle fooled the referee by bringing in Storm's beer bottle but swallowing some of it before he entered the ring again, unknown to Hebner. He then spat out the beer in Storm's face while the ref was disposing of the bottle and superkicked him in an attempted and exciting near fall pin. 'The Cowboy' then turned it around and applied his Last Call superkick finisher for the one-two-three.   
Backstage Madison Rayne attempted once again to convince Sting to make her the new Knockouts VP. But instead Sting went in a rather different direction and booked a Cage Match on next weeks Impact between Rayne and Mickie James.
Jeff Hardy versus Bobby Roode (c) for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship ended in a no contest after Bully Ray took out the referee. It was a solid and entertaining main event with a good effort by both men, it's just a shame the finish was so utterly ridiculous. Wrestling fans have seen referees been struck and knocked out countless times before, with a replacement one almost always taking their place because it makes sense. Of course there would be a referee available to jump in if needed, it'd be absurd otherwise right? Well welcome to Vince Russo's world, where if a referee is taken out then that's it. Over. The match is done. I've almost gotten to the point now where I'm just tired of typing about how inept a job Russo does and how he deserves no place in the wrestling business, but then I could say the same about Dixie Carter who was stupid enough to bring him into the company. Oh TNA, what you could and should be...  

My WWE Raw, January 9th 2012 Recap

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

My TNA Genesis 2012 Recap

Austin Aries (c) retained his X Division Title in the Fatal Four Way Elimination Match against Zema Ion, Kid Kash and Jesse Sorensen. It was a fast paced and entertaining enough opener to the pay-per-view, just let down a bit by the ending sequence. As you expect from the talent involved the action was pretty much non stop throughout, with a healthy dose of near falls and your typically entertaining X Division maneuvers. Austin Aries won after Sorensen (who was on top rope) had been distracted by an sore Zema Ion who had refused to leave after being eliminated by Jesse. This allowed Aries to apply his patented Brainbuster to Sorensen from the middle rope for a nice finisher to the match.
I personally felt it was a big mistake having Ion remain hidden at ringside from when he was eliminated, it just made it obvious to everyone (well if you're a wrestling fan you should've realised) that Ion was going to interfere and cost Sorensen the match. They should've had Ion go to the back after he'd been pinned, then had a lengthier period of Aries and Sorensen going at it with each of them pulling out their signature moves for near falls. Then when it looked like Jesse was going to the top rope for the win, Zema could've raced out to distract him as more of a surprise.      
Devon defeated D'Angelo Dinero in an average but occasionally heated bout. During the match up 'The Pope' called in Devon's two sons Terrence and Terrell and asked them to look at their beaten down father on the ground. They both clearly looked uncomfortable at the sight of this (even though they'd previously attacked their Dad with a steel chair with no quarrels strangely) so Dinero threw one of them out (I forget, they're twins remember?) and slapped the other. This gave Devon time to recover enough to make his heroic comeback and avenge his sons by defeating 'The Pope' one-two-three. Afterwards Devon also made up with his twins sons.
To quote The Miz, really? Really? I just feel like this storyline was ended far too soon. Dinero could've had Terrence and Terrell as his backup for a long while before they eventually turned on each other. All the build up to them turning on their own Father, only to have them then suddenly turn back once again this quickly. Cheers, Russo.  
Well that makes two finishes that were pretty weak in my view, let's see how the rest panned out then...
Gunner defeated Rob Van Dam in a passable but ultimately forgettable (usual for these two nowadays) bout. The match was back and fourth until Ric Flair (who'd accompanied Gunner) distracted the referee towards the end, allowing Gunner to DDT Van Dam onto some flooring he'd exposed on the outside and roll him back into the ring for the pinfall victory. It's quite a big win for Gunner, maybe TNA have big future plans for him? Not sure why, Gunner isn't bad, I just don't see anything particularly spectacular about the wrestler to be honest. But hopefully he'll prove me wrong. Afterwards RVD had to be stretchered out.
Okay, this ending I could get behind a bit more then the previous two if they really sell this RVD injury for a realistic length of time. It'll certainly make the fans take Gunner more seriously to take out a big name like Van Dam and only enhance his character.
Gail Kim (c) won via disqualification against Mickie James to retain her Knockouts Championship in a solid enough bout that just felt a little sloppy at places and an ending that gave it a bit of a tainted feel. Before the match began Velvet Sky had suggested to Sting backstage to add what she called a 'Velvet Touch' by having Madison Rayne locked inside of a cage for the duration of the title match to halt any interfering she may have planned, which 'The Stinger' agreed to. But towards the end Rayne threw down some knuckle dusters for Kim to use which the referee spotted. When he left to discard them Madison threw down another pair for the champ, but James thwarted the attempt and kicked her in the gut. Then, for a completely stupid and baffling finish (welcome to todays TNA folks!) James decided to use the knuckle dusters herself on Gail Kim right infront of the ref. Once again, really?
Abyss defeated Bully Ray in a surprisingly awesome Monsters Ball Match. The action and hardcore spots were constant but unlike many TNA hardcore match ups where they're just spot after spot for the sake of it, the action here was well planned out and not too over the top. The crowd in attendance certainly voiced their appreciation for it also. Abyss pinned Ray after Black Hole Slamming him onto a barbed wire table, although that wasn't as bad as Abyss being sandwiched between two barbed wire tables and then having Bully Ray come crashing down on top of him earlier on.
Matt Morgan and Crimson (c) defended their TNA Tag Team Titles against Samoa Joe and Magnus. The match up was mediocre for the most part, although there were moments of solid sequences in there. The most entertaining part for me was when the crowd began to chant  "We want Morgan!" with other fans then responding back with"No we don't!" Very funny. During the match we were also shown backstage footage of Bully Ray attacking Abyss.      
Kurt Angle defeated James Storm in the match of the night. From start to finish the bout was enthralling and technically superb. Certainly their best match together too in my opinion. The finish came after Angle low blowed Storm after using the referee to protect him from a Last Call Superkick, and applying his own superkick for the pin.
Tenay in his trademark move sent us backstage where someone queried a bloodied Bully Ray to Abyss' whereabouts. Ray answered with "I don't know. Where's he at?"
Jeff Hardy won via DQ against Bobby Roode (c) in a match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. This was very almost match of the night, the structure and pace were brilliantly executed. Both men put in a very good effort and worked hard to provide a worthy main event. For the finish Roode purposely low blowed referee Hebner to avoid loosing his World Title.
The crowd, which had been thoroughly into the bout, chanted "We want Sting!" after the finish. I don't blame them, it did feel like a bit of a let down after such a solid match. I can excuse one or two finishes of this fashion on a TNA pay-per-view card (it's come to be expected from that muppet Russo) but for the majority of the matches to end on screwy finishes is just inexcusable really. It's a shame, but I'd add that the last two matches are still worth checking out along with the Monsters Ball. 

My WWE SmackDown, January 6th 2012 Recap

Cody Rhodes (c) defeated Booker T to retain his Intercontinental Championship.The title bout was a solid and exciting encounter between the two, with some nice near falls towards the end. Definitely their strongest outing so far together in the ring. Rhodes, just like he did against Orton in the Street Fight towards the end of last year looked like he belonged with higher calibre talent here with the legend Booker T.

Backstage a brimming Cody once again had another encounter with his older brother Dustin Rhodes aka Goldust. He bragged about beating Booker, compared himself to their father Dusty (who he claimed he was well on his way to surpassing) and warned him that although he was a “joke” he wasn’t yet a “laughing stock. But that can change real quick.” I’m liking this storyline between the two, definitely got some interesting possibilities to it. I imagine if they do go all the way and face off at WrestleMania (which seems most likely) then it could well be Dustin’s final ever match at the Mania. What better way would there be for him to go out then to face his own brother at the biggest stage?

Hornswaggle defeated Heath Slater in an Over The Top Rope challenge comedy match, it was about as entertaining as you’d expect. Well It wasn’t like Slater’s career was exactly sky rocketing since his return anyway was it? Afterwards Slater booted Hornswaggle in the head, followed by Justin Gabriel coming to Hornswaggle’s rescue and applying the always awesome 450 Splash.  

Hunico defeated Ted DiBiase in a fast paced match with some superb action. With Orton out of action for as long as he’s going to be I think this is an opportune time to start pushing DiBiase once again. Give him a proper feud with Hunico to work on. 

Wade Barrett announced that Randy Orton’s wrestling career is now finished due to his fall down the flight of stairs on last weeks SmackDown. Since ‘The Viper’ was no longer a participant in the Royal Rumble, Barrett claimed that there were now no obstacles in his way to stop him from winning the match. Sheamus had something to say about that as he then joined Wade and warned him that “You are going to have some problems. And I’m going to be the biggest one.”

 Jinder Mahal also made his way out and slapped ‘The Great White’ in the face. So naturally Sheamus didn’t take too kindly to that and began to beat on Mahal until Barrett also began attacking the Irishman. Sheamus managed to fight his way back until Barrett applied the Winds Of Change to halt him. Mahal decided to take advantage of the downed wrestler and latched in a Camel Clutch for good measure. I quite like Jinder Mahal myself, I think he looks solid enough in the ring and has shown some personality as of late. He just needs to maybe get a fluke win over Sheamus to get things going. At least he’s involved in a decent feud right now, that’s a start.     

Santino Marella defeated Drew McIntyre in a quite forgettable and average bout. As per the stipulations Marella is now the assistant to GM Teddy Long on SmackDown. After the match Long warned McIntyre that this was “strike two” and if he looses next week he could very well be fired. I personally am not a fan of these loosing streak story lines, they do nothing at all for the person involved in them. I’m not McIntyre’s biggest supporter (find him rather boring and average in the ring, although he has improved) but with his return to the blue brand he could have instantly made an impact by destroying a big name and making himself relevant once again.  

Epico and Primo defeated Air Boom in a fast paced and decent tag team bout. Although it wasn’t the strongest match between these teams it was still worth a watch for sure. I always enjoy it when these two teams are facing off, I’d like to see a title match between them at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view myself. They deserve a spot on a big card like that.

Backstage during an interview with Big Show, Daniel Bryan interrupted and berated him for not winning a World Title for nine years previous to his championship win at TLC. He also mentioned how he’d actually worked hard around the World to become a great wrestler, as apposed to Big Show being born a “genetic freak.” I’m liking this new cocky, heelish side to Bryan. He’s always had the technical ability and skill on the mic (as proven with his feud with Miz and Cole last year) but now he’s showing a lot more character. It should also be interesting to hear Michael Cole on his side on commentary when he fully turns.     

Tamina defeated Natalya in a brief and rather average Divas match up. I’m still not totally convinced by Tamina, Natalya definitely deserves better treatment then this too.

Daniel Bryan won via DQ against the Big Show to retain his World Heavyweight Championship. The main event was a solid, back and fourth match up. The most exciting parts taking place when Bryan locked in a few submission holds on Show for a tense break out. The disqualification occurred when Bryan shouted abuse at Henry at ringside (Henry had been on commentary for the bout) causing Henry to push the World Champion in front of the referee. Afterwards Bryan elatedly celebrated with fans akin to how he’d done after his win at TLC for the World Title in another heel movement by the champ.

My Impact Wrestling, January 5th 2012 Recap

Sting called out Jeff Hardy and congratulated him on his progress since his return to the company and remarked on the similarities between them both, with the 'Stinger' mentioning a time when he was "dealing with my own demons," too. He also gave Jeff his own "personal endorsement." As he said that the TNA World Champion Bobby Roode made his way out with Kurt Angle and Bully Ray. Roode queried Sting as to why he doesn't endorse himself, Ray or Angle rather then Hardy. As Roode continued to abuse Hardy, James Storm, accompanied by Abyss then joined them. 'The Cowboy' commented that Angle wasn't the same man he was a few months ago, and that he was looking a "little scared." Abyss then snatched the mic off of Angle and told Bully Ray that he and Immortal used and exploited him, and that they still need him but "I don't need Immortal anymore." In the same vein as Teddy Long, Sting made a main event for the night pitting all six men against each other in a six-man tag team bout. 
Gail Kim and Madison Rayne (c) defended their TNA Knockouts Tag Team titles against Mickie James and Traci Brooks. The match up itself was quite average for the most part, although it started off pretty excitingly and heated. I quite like the idea of Kim and Rayne holding on to the titles for a little while longer, they're a believable unit to me.
Gunner versus Rob Van Dam ended in a double count out. The action wasn't bad but as with most of these two wrestlers matches in TNA the bout was ultimately quite forgettable. After the bell rang Gunner attempted to piledriver Van Dam onto some exposed flooring (his trademark as of late) but was thwarted on both his attempts. First by RVD himself then by members of the backstage staff. 
Jesse Sorensen and Zema Ion defeated Kid Kash and Austin Aries in a solid and fast paced tag team bout. There seems to be a rivalry brewing between Ion and Sorensen so I wouldn't be shocked to see them tangle over the title in the near future.  
Backstage we witnessed AJ call his tag partner Kazarian for their match up next. As they left, Christopher Daniels (unknown to Styles) appeared from a hidden spot in the dressing room where he'd been obviously talking to Kaz.  
Samoa Joe and Magnus defeated AJ Styles and Kazarian after Kaz abandoned AJ during the match and joined Christopher Daniels on the ramp, leaving him to be attacked and pinned by Joe. The final match of the Tag Team tournament to determine the number one contenders for Genesis was entertaining at parts, although maybe a slight disappointment considering the calibre of talent involved. AJ's time in the ring was the definite highlight for myself. 
Abyss, James Storm and Jeff Hardy versus Bobby Roode, Kurt Angle and Bully Ray ended in a no contest after all six men began brawling with one another. Up until that point the match had been strong at times with a heated (if not a bit baffling) ending to the match and the show.  

My WWE Raw, January 2nd 2012 Recap

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