My WWE Extreme Rules 2012 Recap

Randy Orton defeated Kane in an entertaining Falls Count Anywhere match. Both men went back and fourth in the heated battle as they travelled through the crowd, out to the backstage area and then finally ended things back in the ring where Orton pulled out an RKO on Kane onto a steel chair for the one-two-three. I was expecting a decent bout here, but it certainly exceeded my expectations. Once again the consistent Orton puts in a solid performance.

Whilst backstage in the match Zach Ryder also began attacking Kane, only to have his strikes have apparently no affect against the already beaten down Kane and be quickly swatted away. Things aren't looking great for Ryder at the moment, they should've had him make a real impact on Kane to exact a bit of revenge and give him some much needed momentum back. 

Brodus Clay defeated Dolph Ziggler in an average to fair match up, largely due to the efforts of Ziggler. Clay didn't really reveal any more of his talents then he normally would on a Raw or SmackDown on this important pay-per-view match for him, which is a sign that he really might be as limited as he's seemed in his squash matches unfortunately, although I hope I'm wrong. Fortunately Ziggler managed to pull out a half decent match with his standard hard working ethics in the ring, the same work ethic that prompted the majority of the always awesome Chicago crowd to cheer him on.

We were shown footage from the pre show on YouTube where a wheel was spun to reveal that it would be a Tables match between Big Show and Cody Rhodes.

Cody Rhodes defeated Big Show (c) to win the Intercontinental Championship in a quite brief Tables Match. Show had most of the offense going at the start, but Rhodes managed to get back a short bit of momentum after rebounding from a table and applying an impressive Disaster Kick. The finish came after Cody tripped Show on the apron, causing him to accidentally put one of his legs through a table on the outside. Show decided to retaliate afterwards by spearing his opponent, then choke slamming him through one table and throwing him through another. 

I'm just relieved Rhodes is champ again. Hopefully this will be the start of his rebuilding towards to the main event spot, this Big Show feud hasn't really done anything for him.

Sheamus (c) defeated Daniel Bryan to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in a thoroughly enjoyable and intense 2 Out of 3 Falls contest. 'The Great White' gained the first point via disqualification after Bryan continuously kicked his shoulder in on the ropes, causing the referee to count to five. Bryan then won the second fall after causing Sheamus to supposedly pass out from the Yes Lock (Bryan had been damaging his shoulder for most of the match at this point). Finally Sheamus got the winning pin after applying a surprise Brogue Kick. 

From start to finish both wrestlers put in a great performance, and I'd say this is probably the finest match Sheamus has had in the company so far. This was also proof that Vince McMahon was dead wrong by having their match at 'Mania only last eighteen seconds, but we already knew that right? Yes! Yes! Yes!

Ryback defeated two unknowns in a Handicap match. It was the usual squash match for him, taking out both guys with his dominant maneuvers. The crowd greeted him with chants of "Goldberg" quite amusingly. For me I'm quite liking Ryback's progression so far, I've been waiting for WWE to finally book an up and comer as simply a dominant force for a while now. I mean, it's simple booking right? And the sort of booking that will make much needed stars for the company. I just worry now that whenever someone is moving up the ranks, Vince will pull the plug and give up on them like he has done with so many wrestlers over the last few years. 

CM Punk (c) defeated Chris Jericho to retain the WWE Championship in a Chicago Street Fight. And what a title match it was! Back and fourth both wrestlers went in a heated and thrilling match up. Once again any wrestling fan could plainly see that both these professionals wanted to steal the show and have the best match on the card, and on this night they succeeded. There were smart use of weapons (including the top of the announcers tables) and some exciting near falls to keep the fans suspense of disbelief going. I for one wouldn't mind this feud carrying on another month at all.

Layla defeated Nikki Bella (c) to win the WWE Divas Championship. The match itself was decent enough, compared to the usual standard of a match involving a Bella anyway. Layla's return wasn't met with much enthusiasm from the fans in Chicago unfortunately, as chants of "We want Kharma" got going, along with a largely indifferent reaction to her winning the title. I'm personally glad to see her back in the ring, the division needs someone to make it a bit more interesting again (and I'm pleased for other reasons, wink wink).

John Cena defeated Brock Lesnar in an Extreme Rules match. Now this was a strange one. It began as an almost fake MMA scrap between the two, with Lesnar cutting Cena open with an elbow. It was a drab start really, this kind of thing doesn't work with pro wrestling fans. Now don't get me wrong I'm an MMA fan, but when I watch a pro wrestling company whoever it may be I expect to see pro wrestling, not MMA style fighting on the ground. 

Fortunately it then started to pick up a bit after the referee (who'd been calling for medical to check up on Cena's cut almost every ten seconds, which just looks plain absurd in a match billed as 'Extreme Rules') got knocked out by accident. Lesnar dominated Cena for the large majority of the bout, performing some German Suplexes and plenty of strikes. At one point he also tied Cena up onto the corner post with his own chain and beat on him, which was a nice touch I thought. Cena of course managed a comeback after striking Lesnar with said chain to the head and performing an Attitude Adjustment onto the steel steps that Lesnar had previously brought into the ring, then gaining the winning pin.

Overall it was entertaining once it got going and was an enjoyable affair, just maybe not quite what I was expecting. Afterwards Cena grabbed a mic and spoke as though Laurinaitis could well be firing him after the win, but stated that if it was his last match than he was happy it was in Chicago, a "wrestling city". And that it is. 

On the whole Extreme Rules was a solid pay-per-view, with the Orton Kane match, World Title bouts and main event being the highlights. Tomorrows Raw with Triple H's appearance and Lesnar's possible future should be interesting.

My WWE SmackDown, April 27th 2012 Recap

Daniel Bryan bragged about dumping AJ and also stated that his 18-second loss at WrestleMania doesn't count as it was AJ's fault. He also went on to show footage from his biased officiating as guest referee during the Mark Henry vs Sheamus bout and attack on 'The Great White' following it on this weeks Raw. 

Alberto Del Rio then joined the champion, along with the always amusing Ricardo Rodriguez (who gave his boss a chorus of "Si!" after his questions) and claimed that after Bryan versus Sheamus he will be the next World Heavyweight Champion. Big Show then came out and threatened both Del Rio and Bryan who both managed to escape, but unfortunately poor Ricardo didn't and received a choke slam. 

Big Show won via disqualification versus Alberto Del Rio after Cody Rhodes ran in and attacked him. The actual match had been brief but decent enough. Rhodes went on to attempt to take out Show with a kendo stick and steel chair, but failed at both attempts and ended up being whipped with his own belt. It's not getting much better for him is it?

Nikki Bella defeated Alicia Fox in an average Divas match. It played before an indifferent crowd who, like most fans now I imagine, have probably just given up on the almost worthless and drab Divas division.

Titus O'Neil and Darren Young defeated Yoshi Tatsu and Ezekiel Jackson in a fair to okay tag team match. I can't say I'm that excited by the prospects of the average O'Neil and Young.

Michael Cole held an interview with Randy Orton, where he first off reminded him that any wrestler will be suspended if they touch an announcer. Cole also went on to accuse Orton of creating the reborn monster Kane because of his "failures." Orton warned that at Extreme Rules he will make 'The Big Red Monster' suffer like never before in their Falls Count Anywhere match. Jinder Mahal then interrupted him, and claimed that he's the fastest rising star in the company and that he'll see Randy on the other side of Extreme Rules. I thought Mahal looked quite good here on the mic with Orton, like he wasn't out of place at all. Orton reciprocated by giving Mahal an RKO.

Antonio Cesaro (a.k.a. former ROH star Claudio Castagnoli) defeated Tyson Kidd in a squash match. Cesaro looked okay, the match was a bit disappointing considering the talent involved. Afterwards he snogged Aksana in front of a devastated Teddy Long. I know it wasn't meant to be but Long's upset face was comical to me.

The Great Khali defeated Cody Rhodes in a dull and forgettable bout. Although Rhodes put in a decent effort against the barely mobile Khali, even he couldn't pull anything decent from the match. 

Ryback defeated another nobody (I can't be asked to remember their names now) in a squash match, yet again. Now I like Ryback and have found his match ups since his return quite fun, but now the routines are almost identical in his bouts. I'm really hoping that he gets some real competition after Extreme Rules. 

Sheamus defeated Mark Henry in a rather drab main event. Like usual Henry didn't really bring much in terms of interest or excitement to the bout, hopefully we won't have to endure another World title run from him again. Afterwards Bryan came out and applauded the World champion's victory. Sheamus then grabbed a mic and warned him that at on Sunday he won't be able to escape as easily as he did at 'Mania due to it being a longer 2 out of 3 falls match.  

This Sunday should bring a decent pay-per-view I reckon. The card looks quite strong and the Chicago crowd are always a lot of fun, I'll probably have my predictions up on Sunday, if you're interested.

My Impact Wrestling, April 26th 2012 Recap

Backstage on the first ever Impact Wrestling Open Fight Night Hulk Hogan decided to pick Samoa Joe and Magnus to defend their Tag Team titles against an as yet unknown team of his choice. 

Before his title defence Devon explained once again that the TNA Television title will now be defended every week on Impact Wrestling. He then went on to choose former tag team partner (you may remember them, quite famous) Bully Ray. Bully refused to step into the ring with the champ, claiming that as a team he'd already made him a star and he wasn't going to give him that privilege once again by taking him on. But as he was leaving Devon chased him down and beat him back into the ring.

Devon (c) defeated Bully Ray in a fair contest to retain his Television title. It wasn't anything outstanding but it was solid enough, surprised Devon got a clean win over Bully though, considering his position in the company.

Backstage Christopher Daniels and Kazarian attempted to brag with Kurt Angle about his victory over AJ Styles last week, but he wasn't having any of it and warned both of them that he didn't need any help in his future matches (Kaz and Daniels distracted Styles in the bout last week, helping Angle score the roll up pin for the victory). 

Jeremy Borash took advantage of the Open Fight Night and decided to call out Eric Bischoff, who he called the "biggest prick to come along in the company" for many years. Eric obliged to Borash's demands and joined him. JB then went on a quite entertaining rant about Eric, with Bischoff congratulating him on showing some guts. But he had a trick up his sleeve and had Bully Ray low blow JB for him, then had a referee come down to count his pinfall win. 

Anarquia of Mexican America challenged anyone from the back, claiming no one could beat them. So Kurt Angle answered his call, but instead Anarquia then put Hernandez forward to face the Gold Medalist, only this was a ruse for Anarquia to get the upper hand with an attack form behind.

Kurt Angle defeated Anarquia in a brief squash match when he forced him to tap to the ankle lock. 

Al Snow introduced young talent Alex Silva, who was participating in the first ever Gut Check challenge, where he faces a TNA talent and is judged on whether or not he deserves a contract with the company.

Robbie E defeated Alex Silva in an average bout. Silva looked decent at times but also a bit sloppy and out of his depth at others. 

Tessmacher put out a challenge to Gail Kim after pinning her on Impact recently, claiming that she was more than just looks and wanted to prove herself in between the ropes.

Brooke Tessmacher defeated Gail Kim in a fair to mediocre non-title contest. Tessmacher showed signs of improvement in the ring, unfortunately I'm still not totally convinced by her yet.  

Hulk Hogan announced that Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson would be receiving the Tag Team title shot over Kazarian and Daniels. A choice which made no sense whatsoever. Why would you choose a pairing that were arguing only last week over the cohesive unit of Kaz and 'The Fallen Angel', and a heel cohesive unit at that to face the popular pairing of Joe and Magnus?   

Samoa Joe and Magnus (c) defeated Mr. Anderson and Jeff Hardy to retain the TNA Tag Team title. The main event itself was an enjoyable contest, with all four men looking solid in the ring and putting on a good display. The result made logical sense too. Afterwards the understandably angered Kazarian and Daniels took out the champions from behind, to most likely set up what should be a very good title match at Sacrifice.

Ric Flair introduced Eric Bischoff out to the ring for the celebration of his career along with Bully Ray, Gunner, Kazarian and Daniels. Flair went on to drivel (doesn't sound like him, eh?) about how much Bischoff has meant and done for the company, which isn't anything at all in terms of actually improving it as a product. They also handed over a Rolex watch as a parting gift.

Garet Bischoff then interrupted the proceedings, claiming that he, along with Jeremy Borash, Austin Aries, the Motorcity Machine Guns and RVD, also got Eric a parting gift. But unfortunately for him it was an induction into the shed of shame. After grabbing hold of his dad, Garet proceeded to put him into the shed (which was actually a portable  toilet) and turned it on its side, covering Eric in excrement.   

My WWE Raw, April 23rd 2012 Recap

John Laurinaitis started off Raw by ordering John Cena to leave the ring, who'd been led to believe that his contract signing with Lesnar was going to take place there and then. Big Johnny was then interrupted by Hall of Famer Edge, who received a huge ovation for his surprise return. 'The Rated R Superstar' (boy it feels good to type that again) tried to light a fire under Cena, to get back the Cena of old that he'd rivalled with years ago. He claimed that he needed to reach down if he had any chance against the 'War Machine' Brock Lesnar.

He went on to state that Cena wasn't just fighting for himself, but for everyone that carried the load when Lesnar had left the company like himself, Undertaker and Shawn Michaels.  

Chris Jericho defeated Kofi Kingston in a entertaining back and fourth contest. Both wrestlers pulled out most of their signature moves and had some nicely executed near falls. Jericho forced Kofi to tap to the more old-school Walls Of Jericho.

For me you can add Kingston to the list of up and coming talents that deserve more attention and a higher spot in the company, along with the likes of Ziggler and Rhodes. He showed he's capable of really getting a crowd going with a top talent during his feud with Orton a few years ago.

After the bout Jericho claimed that his victory was proof that he will win this Sunday at Extreme Rules against CM Punk. He also once again brought up Punk's family and called him "a failure as a champion and as a human being."

Backstage CM Punk revealed that Chris Jericho had sent him a gift in the form of a liquor basket, and then handed it off to Josh Matthews. Nice little touch there having Y2J send him that.

Lord Tensai defeated R-Truth in a squash match that once again, like most of Tensai's matches so far, played before a mostly indifferent crowd. I thought he might have received more reaction after beating Cena last week but I guess not. Maybe he just needs to vary his move set a bit more to keep the crowds interest, we all know he's more than capable of that.

Kane came to the ring and called Orton nothing more than a "scared little boy" after taking out both him and his father on SmackDown. Orton appeared on the big screen and decided to repay the favour from Kane and wheeled his father Paul Bearer into a giant freezer unit of some sort. But 'The Big Red Monster' simply laughed and claimed that he has no heart, and no intention of saving his dad. As he was leaving 'The Viper' then began attacking Kane, eventually chasing him off with a led pipe. It was a better segment than most for this rivalry and I'm expecting a fair match between the two on Sunday.

Big Show and The Great Khali defeated Cody Rhodes and Alberto Del Rio in an average tag team contest. It seems as thought Show and Khali are being built as a new tag team to challenge for the titles, while they're not a particularly great team in the ring (putting it kindly) at least they'll bring some much needed interest and television time back to the division.

As Josh Matthews attempted to interview Brock Lesnar, asking him if he'd still remain the face of the WWE if he looses to Cena, Lesnar grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the ground. It's nice having a bad ass back in the company. 

Before Nikki Bella versus Beth Phoenix could commence, Eve announced that it was now a lumberjill match. 

Nikki Bella defeated Beth Phoenix (c) to win the Divas Championship in a forgettable and mediocre match. When someone like Nikki Bella is defeating the talented Phoenix you know it's a sign that the division really has become surplus to the company, not that you needed any more evidence. 

Chris Jericho, after accusing CM Punk of being drunk earlier in the show, had permission from Laurinaitis to help monitor a public sobriety test on the WWE Champion. Punk, quite amusingly, came out acting as though he was under the influence and called the whole test "ridiculous," even accidentally calling the company WWF.

After failing to recite the alphabet backwards and walk a straight line Teddy Long was forced to hand the WWE title over to Jericho, but of course Punk then revealed that he was in fact sober and recited then alphabet backwards and walked the straight line before cracking Jericho with the mic and attacking him, with the number one contender eventually fleeing. It was yet another entertaining segment involving Jericho and Punk, with the champ finally getting one over on his nemesis. Their street fight should steal the show on Sunday in Chicago.

Mark Henry defeated Sheamus with a very quick pin from special guest referee Daniel Bryan. As per the stipulation from Laurinaitis, Sheamus will be fired if he touches a referee, so of course there was plenty of taunting from Bryan during the short match. Afterwards 'The Great White' began exacting his revenge on his opponent on Sunday but was distracted by Henry and ended up getting kicked in the head and having a Yes Lock applied by Bryan.  

Santino Marella and Zach Ryder defeated Epico and Primo in a decent enough tag team match. It's good to see the Tag Team Champions back on TV where they belong.

Backstage Kane found Paul Bearer, but after wheeling him out he informed his father that he was saving himself instead and put him back into the storage.

Brodus Clay and Hornswaggle won via disqualification against Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger in a comedy match up after Vickie Guerrero entered the ring and slapped Clay. After then realising her mistake and trying to make amends with 'The Funkasaurus' Vickie was met with Hornswaggle biting her backside and chasing her off. 

During the night we were shown highlights of Lesnar's memorable career in WWE, and every single one had him beating a member of TNA's current roster in Hardy, Angle and Hogan. Coincidence, eh?

As Lesnar and Laurinaitis prepared for the contract signing, there was no sign of Cena after his music hit.  So instead Lesnar gave Johnny a list of new demands that he had going into the match on Sunday. Stating that he was no longer the same "naive farm boy" that he was in WWE eight years ago he claimed to have realised that the company "needs Brock Lesnar." Can't argue there, WWE have failed to create enough new big stars for the company over the last few years, which is strange considering that they plan out everything that happens.

Lesnar went on to demand that any ideas that Laurinaitis has for himself or the show in general in the future he has to run by him first. He listed off various other demands, including being immune to being fined and using Vince McMahon's private jet, all of which Laurinaitis agreed to. Cena finally joined them, sporting his old school chain around his neck, and was accused of being scared by 'The War Machine'. So in response Cena signed the contract and threw it at his rival. Lesnar and Cena just shared a glare as they parted ways.

The segment had its entertaining moments, although Lesnar still doesn't look completely comfortable on the mic just yet. But saying that I am still very much enjoying the refreshing change Lesnar has brought with him to Raw, with a character much like Punk's who you can believe in. Unfortunately it was never going to live up to the brilliant CM Punk and Vince McMahon contract signing from last year, what with the far less charismatic Laurinaitis in McMahon's place. Extreme Rules should be a largely entertaining show I reckon.   

My WWE SmackDown, April 20th 2012 Recap

Daniel Bryan berated Sheamus for his recent aggressive actions against referee Jack Patton, himself and others. He went on to reveal that he plans on once again "shocking the World" in the city of Chicago (where he won the Money in the Bank match) by defeating Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship. The crowd were mostly behind Bryan with chants of "Yes!"

Bryan's ex AJ then made her way down, to boos funnily enough, and once again asked him to take her back, which he refused. But he also went one step further this time and claimed that he wish he'd never gone out with her and harshly stated that "I wish you were never even born." Ouch. It was another strong promo between the two, and more effective then any Bryan's had with his future opponent Sheamus.

Natalya won via disqualification after a distraught AJ snapped and began veraciously mauling her opposition. Upset she then immediately left afterwards. It was some nice acting on AJ's part and a logical step in the storyline for her to act this way.

Brodus Clay defeated Hunico in one of his routine squash matches. I was personally hoping he'd moved beyond these after WrestleMania but I guess not. This time 'The Funkasaurus' was accompanied by Hornswaggle, who tadpole splashed Hunico after the bout.

Titus 'O Neil and Darren Young defeated The Usos in a fair to average tag team contest. Although I'll give 'O Neil credit for gaining a bit more charisma since turning heel on NXT, I still find both him and Young quite average talents overall, I definitely believe there are more deserving talents for their spot on SmackDown e.g Tyson Kidd.  

Alberto Del Rio defeated Big Show in an average and forgettable match up after Cody Rhodes Disaster Kicked Show when the referee wasn't looking, helping Del Rio gain the one-two-three. I'm surprised Del Rio is still floating about like this since his return, he should have been put into a feud straight away.    

Ryback defeated nobody Danny Lerman in another of his squash matches. He keeps screaming after his bouts that he wants more, I'd like to see him finally get a real opponent.

Before the main event six-man tag team match Cody Rhodes took out The Great Khali by attacking his knee on the apron, so instead of replacing him with an up and coming talent who could use the exposure they chose Big Show to take his place.

Randy Orton, Big Show and Sheamus defeated Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan in an enjoyable and largely solid main event. Fortunately the less mobile Show and Henry were utilised well here and given limited time in the ring to make an impact or the role of making the hot tag after being beaten down. 

Overall it was another mostly lackluster SmackDown, with only the Bryan AJ segment and main event saving it. I really think Ryback could add more to the show if given a real opponent to play with in the ring.  

My Impact Wrestling, April 19th 2012 Recap

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode, finally sporting a new and much more up to date shorter hair cut, bragged about how proud he was at still remaining the World Champion. He went on to list off all the men he'd defeated during his reign until Mr. Anderson interrupted him and challenged him to a fight. Jeff Hardy was next out, who began arguing with Anderson regarding who deserves a title shot more. To settle things Hulk Hogan booked a match between the two to determine the number one contender for Sacrifice. Roode was more charismatic than normal here I thought, and Anderson as usual was solid on the mic, shame he can't be as consistent in the ring. 

Bully Ray and Crimson defeated Austin Aries and Matt Morgan in a mostly average and forgettable tag match. The quality and interest managed to pick up a bit when Aries made the hot tag but apart from that it was mainly the limited Morgan being worked on by the other team.

Garett Bischoff, accompanied by his Lethal Lockdown teammates, congratulated himself and his team for their victory last Sunday. Ric Flair soon interrupted them all and called Garett a "disrespectful disgrace" and also nonsensically claimed that the talent in the ring wouldn't be there if it wasn't for Eric Bischoff, this is only true for Garett who isn't exactly much of a talent right now. 'The Nature Boy' went on to announce a party he will be holding in Eric Bischoff's honour next week on Impact.   

Kurt Angle defeated AJ Styles in a match that was kept far too short for my liking, I mean whenever you have these two in the ring together you want it to last. Angle scored a quick roll up pin for the victory after AJ had been distracted by Christopher Daniels and Kazarian at ringside who handed him an envelope with his supposed secret we've been hearing about for far too long now. Can't they just hurry up and end this storyline soon?

Backstage Hogan decided to add Rob Van Dam into the number one contenders match later on before coming out to the ring.

Surrounded by all the current champions in TNA, Hogan announced that once a month at a special Impact Wrestling called 'Open Fight Night' a talent from outside of TNA's roster would be brought in to wrestle and then judged on whether or not they deserve a contract with the company. He also added that on that night if someone is challenged to a match then they'll have to accept, including any champion. Roode and Gail Kim disputed this, while Devon was more then happy with it. Hogan also informed Devon that every week on Impact the TNA Television title will be on the line, no matter what. It sounds like it could be an interesting concept, but we'll see, this is TNA after all...

Tessmacher, Tara, Velvet Sky and Mickie James defeated Gail Kim, Rayne, Sarita and Rosita in an average Knockouts tag bout. Tessmacher got the pin on Kim which means she's most likely next in line for a title shot, at least it'll be someone new to face Kim.

Devon (c) defeated Gunner to retain his TNA Television title in a fair contest, although like most of the other matches on the show it wasn't essential viewing. 

James Storm apologised to all his friends and family for failing to defeat Roode at Lockdown, and stated that it was his ego that got in the way of him getting the job done against the champion and that it was his all his own fault that he lost. An emotional Storm went on to thank all the fans for their support but claimed that maybe Roode was right and maybe his luck had run out before dropping the mic and leaving.

One of the most consistent promo deliverers in the business today duly delivered here once again with this speech. It sounds like he's going to be taking some time off for now though, maybe until Slammiversary in June. 

Rob Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson to become number one contender to the World title. The match itself was solid enough, although rather then any flowing sequences it was mostly signature move after signature move. RVD quickly pinned Hardy for the win.  

My TNA Lockdown 2012 Recap

First of all, I apologise for this recap being a bit late. I have other stuff to attend to, you know? So we good? Cool.

Backstage Garett Bischoff asked the other members of his team to allow him to be the first entrant into the Lethal Lockdown match due to his determination to prove himself to them all, so they accepted his decision.  

Gunner and Garett started off the Lethal Lockdown with half decent exchanges. Gunner did well considering he had to work with the inexperienced Garett. Bully Ray then entered the fray, where he and Gunner just knocked about their opponent and genrally wasted time until Austin Aries joined them (to a solid reaction from the fans). Fortunately Aries upped the pace and quality of the bout briefly before Bully took the offence to him. Kazarian was next in, sporting a now shaved head. The time then just dragged a bit as Eric Bischoff's team slowly kept Garett and Aries down with strikes.

AJ Styles then entered the cage and managed to get the crowd excited once again with some of his signature maneuvers. Unfortunately this was short lived as Eric's team nonsensically managed to get the upper hand once again, even though the teams were now even. Garett's team should've used AJ's momentum here and started to gain the upper hand before the next participant Christopher Daniels entered and once again helped out his fellow heels in taking control. Mr. Anderson then entered and clumsily clobbered the other team. 

Strangely Eric Bischoff then gave his team the edge once again as he came in, even though Ric Flair had been named the fifth member of the unit on Impact. Bischoff held back his son as Bully Ray applied some nasty looking chops. Rob Van Dam was the final entrant as he performed his usual routine of moves that he has done for pretty much every match since joining TNA. The roof of the cage then lowered and Garett's team began taking out Eric's with various weapons attached to it. Shortly after things started to become even again as the wrestlers started performing their signature moves on each other for the strongest part of the match. 

As Garett then had Daniels down for a pin his father halted it and whipped him with a kendo stick multiple times. Of course he then made a heroic comeback and smashed his Dad in the head with a prop guitar for the one-two-three and a well received win by the fans in attendance. Not by me so much unfortunately, if it were my choice I wouldn't have either Bischoff in TNA. Overall it wasn't the greatest Lockdown match by a fair distance, but it had it's moments towards the end as the pace picked up and the moves went beyond simple strikes. 

Samoa Joe and Magnus (c) defeated Motorcity Machine Guns to retain the TNA Tag Team titles in one of the best tag bouts I've seen in a while. Both teams looked solid here and presented a thoroughly enjoyable match from start to finish, with plenty of nice double team moves. My only gripe was with the quiet fans during it, although I guess they were maybe confused as to who they were meant to be cheering for.

Devon (c) defeated Robbie E to defend his TNA Television Championship in a mostly average contest. Both guys looked decent enough, it just wasn't a match that blew me away. Afterwards Robbie T entered the cage and beat down Devon. 

Gail Kim (c) defeated Velvet Sky to retain the TNA Knockouts title in a solid enough encounter. As ever Kim clearly put in her all and wanted to give everyone a worthy title match, and fortunately Sky looked like she also had the same mindset and put in a performance above her usual standard. Kim gained the win with a roll up pin that the referee should've counted faster on, it wasn't believable that Velvet wouldn't have kicked out quicker.

A suited up Ric Flair entered the cage and expressed his anger at Hulk Hogan not leaving him alone and helping end Eric Bischoff's career. Hogan then joined 'The Nature Boy', who claimed he didn't like the way he was running Impact Wrestling. After some more exchanged words Hogan had enough and punched Flair. I'm not quite sure what this segment was meant to achieve, if anything. Hopefully we won't have to witness these two in the ring together again.     

Crimson defeated Matt Morgan in a fair match. Morgan had the majority of the attack going but got his leg caught up on the ropes, allowing Crimson to escape from the cage for the win. Judging by the finish I'm guessing this drab feud will continue.  

Jeff Hardy defeated Kurt Angle in a thrilling match that lived up to the billing. As expected this was a special bout, but what else would it be with these two involved, and inside a steel structure? I'll admit I wasn't too sure how serious Angle's injury was going into this, so I was predicting him having to take it a little easier then usual, but he certainly didn't let up and both men gave a great performance. 

For a mental and exciting finish Hardy performed a Swanton Bomb from the top of the cage onto Angle for the pinfall victory.  

ODB and Eric Young (c) defeated Rosita and Sarita to retain the TNA Knockouts Tag Team titles. The match was a largely drab and forgettable affair, with EY remaining on the ropes while his newly wed bride took care of the Mexican America members. 

Bobby Roode (c) defeated James Storm to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a heated and worthy main event. Both men have proven to me since disbanding Beer Money that they are just as effective in the singles division and are two proud performers who went out to put on a World title match that people would remember, and they succeeded. 

Now as much as I enjoyed the bout, the result was once again the completely wrong one just like back at Bound For Glory, the fans were screwed. After a brilliant build up for the hometown hero and in form Storm to finally be the man to end Roode's title run, they have him Last Call Superkick the champ out of the cage and give him another screwy win. This was the perfect opportunity for the run to end, everything was set just right, I just cannot fathom why the writers decided to have Roode the victor here.

My WWE Raw, April 16th 2012 Recap

CM Punk (c) defeated Mark Henry in a no disqualification and no count out match to retain the WWE Championship. The bout itself was fair enough, Punk worked hard, but then he had to considering what he had to work with. The use of the steel chair was also welcomed as they needed to add some kind of variety to the match considering they've tussled for the last two weeks straight.  

Afterwards Chris Jericho appeared on the big screen (as he does) and congratulated the champ on retaining. He also went on to announce that at Extreme Rules they will compete in a Chicago Street Fight for the WWE Championship. Punk claimed he was relishing the chance to kick Jericho's "ass" in front of his family and friends in his hometown. Jericho then showed footage of Punk walking into a pub earlier in the day, the champion explained that he was just meeting a friend in there. Y2J went on to call Punk's straight edge lifestyle a "facade" as he claimed he was getting closer to alcoholism like his father. The segment between them was decent enough, just felt quite similar to past material though.

Santino Marella (c) defeated David Otunga to retain the United States Championship in a clumsy and forgettable title match. Why out of all the up and coming talent do we have to endure Otunga being pushed? 

Brock Lesnar gave a candid and entertaining interview where he spoke of his past accomplishments, including winning the UFC Heavyweight title (complete with images, surprisingly enough). He also added that unlike Cena he wasn't fake, he was a genuine "ass kicker" who didn't come back to the WWE for the fans or anyone else but himself.   

Before Zach Ryder versus Kane could even begin Kane took out Ryder, thereby making the already weakened Ryder character look even more pathetic after being duped by Eve and loosing consecutively over the last few weeks. Kane then grabbed a mic and bragged about taking out Randy Orton and his father Bob Orton on last weeks SmackDown.

Backstage Daniel Bryan interrupted AJ and Kofi Kingston as they were talking and announced that he was formally changing the name of the LeBell lock to the Yes lock, as he claims he's better then Gene LeBell ever was. The crowd in England were thoroughly behind Bryan with strong chants of "Yes!" to go along with his own. 

John Cena stated on the mic that after a year of "catchphrases" and "wanting to put on a good show" (talking about The Rock obviously) Lesnar has come back and "simply stands for destruction." He went on to claim that when he faces Lesnar he will prepared for a fight. John Laurinaitis then booked Cena in a Extreme Rules match for that night.    

Daniel Bryan defeated Kofi Kingston in a solid enough match up. Considering the talent involved I was maybe expecting a little more, but it was entertaining don't get me wrong and definitely match of the night. The crowd were also thoroughly behind Bryan throughout the contest, which made it even more entertaining. After the bout Bryan locked on the Yes Lock (which had won him the match) until Sheamus raced down and chased him off.

Brodus Clay won via disqualification versus Dolph Ziggler after Jack Swagger entered the ring, only to be taken out by 'The Funkasaurus'. Ziggler deserves better treatment than this, he should be in a high profile match heading into Extreme rules after his showings earlier in the year. 

Big Show and The Great Khali defeated Primo and Epico in a worthless match that did nothing at all for the talented tag team champions and promoted the out of shape and barely talented duo of Big Show and Khali. The only reason I can imagine for this burying was Vince still being annoyed over Primo rightfully saying that he and Epico deserved a higher spot in the company as the champions on Twitter.  

Lord Tensai defeated John Cena in an Extreme Rules match. The bout itself ranged from average to pretty enjoyable, with interferences from both David Otunga and Tensai's assistant, or whatever he is. Although there were obstacles in Cena's way, the face that Tensai was allowed to pin Cena like this is a good sign for his future. 

My Impact Wrestling, April 12th 2012 Recap

Eric Bischoff announced his team representing him in the Lethal Lockdown match this Sunday. It includes Bully Ray, Kazarian, Gunner and Christopher Daniels, so a decent enough line up. Bully claimed how proud he was to be a part of Bischoff's unit, but claimed he'd made one mistake, that being his "bastard son" Garrett. Bischoff then also announced that they'd be having a best of three series to determine who will have the one man advantage at Lockdown.

Sure enough Garrett Bischoff made his way out and announced the first member of his team Mr. Anderson.

Gunner won via disqualification versus Mr. Anderson in a mediocre and forgettable match up. The referee DQ'd Anderson after he refused to commence choking Gunner in the corner.

The Motorcity Machine Guns questioned the current TNA Tag Team Champions Samoa Joe and Magnus' credentials as title holders, warning them that they were a step above their usual competition so far in the company, which is true. Samoa Joe and Magnus decided to join the number one contenders to their titles, where Magnus credited the Machine Gun's success and Sabin's recovery from injury, but also warned them that he and Joe were now the top team in the industry.

Mexican America decided to interrupt the two teams but were soon taken out by all four wrestlers.   

Austin Aries defeated Christopher Daniels in a brilliant back and fourth contest with crisp action from both men. It's no shock when you get a match of this quality from two professionals who clearly take pride in their craft, it's just a shame we don't see more of it in a company that promotes the mediocre likes of Anderson and Garrett Bischoff. Aries scored the winning pin after applying a brainbuster.   

Jeff Hardy gave a very brief warning to Kurt Angle that there will be no escape for him at Lockdown, and that they were going to make history. It was almost as if Hardy couldn't be asked to be there, although I may be being a bit unfair and he might have only been allocated a short amount of promo time.

During the quite strange, albeit rather amusing wedding ceremony of Eric Young and ODB, Sarita and Rosita interrupted the proceedings and offered Young the chance to be with them instead. But EY would not be tempted as he (and ODB) stripped down and married each other to chants from the crowd of Daniel Bryan's patented "Yes!" Now, I wasn't expecting much from this segment, but it was actually quite fair considering, and strangely a feel good moment. Don't judge me.   

Bully Ray defeated AJ Styles in a decent bout, although there were inevitable distractions from members of both teams at ringside the action in the ring stayed solid. Ray grabbed the one-two-three after striking AJ in the head with a chain wrapped around his fist.  

Hulk Hogan came out and announced that the Lethal Lockdown match will now be "five on five, brother." A rushed Eric decided to pick the out of shape Ric Flair, who hasn't been involved in a decent match in God knows how long. Meanwhile Garrett, who'd been given prior warning from Hogan, chose the returning Rob Van Dam as his final teammate.    

Velvet Sky and Mickie James defeated Gail Kim and Madison Rayne in an entertaining tag team bout. The quality of matches the likes of Kim and James put on really do put the majority of interchangeable WWE Divas to shame.  

James Storm spoke to Bobby Roode in the ring about how their relationship had evolved from their memorable Beer Money days. Roode admitted that he was very proud of those days, but also reminisced about them going into singles wrestling and his journey to becoming the TNA World Champion. But the reminiscing soon turned into aggression and intensity as the one to one slowly (and effectively) grew more and more heated. 

Towards the end Roode claimed that he and Storm never liked each other during their time as a tag team, that it was their individual passion for the business that brought them success. He also brought up Storm's deceased brothers and father as the show went off the air. It was a superbly intense segment between the two and probably the finest promo I've seen either men ever give. Sunday in Nashville should bring a very entertaining Cage Match between the two.

My WWE SmackDown, April 10th 2012 Recap

In a special Legends themed show Mean Gene Okerlund asked World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus out to the ring. 'The Great White' spoke about touching the referee in a match last week, and publicly apologised for his actions. John Laurinaitis soon joined him and asked Sheamus to apologise once again, which Sheamus obliged to. Unfortunately this wasn't good enough for Johnny who warned the champ that if he touched any official again then he would be fired and also put him in a tag team match with Mean Gene against Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio.  

Randy Orton versus Mark Henry ended as a no contest after Kane revealed on the big screen that he'd taken out Orton's father 'Cowboy' Bob Orton. The actual match had ranged from quite fair to average, although I'll give Orton credit for at least getting a bit of something out of the drab Henry. 

Orton raced backstage to aid his father but was also taken out by 'The Big Red Monster' with a led pipe.

Ryback defeated Benny Camer in a squash match. Although it was brief Ryback looked solid here. Once again we were shown people backstage (this time legends the likes of Tony Atlas and Ted DiBiasse) watching Ryback's bout, although fortunately they had the sense this week to admire Ryback's strength instead of just laughing at his opponent.

The Usos defeated Heath Slater and Tyson Kidd in an okay tag team contest that was just too overcrowded. The match had become overtaken a bit by Jimmy Hart guest managing Kidd and Slater, along with Mick Foley on commentary. I would've also like to have seen more of the talented Kidd in the ring myself.     

Afterwards Foley gave Hart the Mr. Socko treatment with a mandible claw, which played before an indifferent crowd who clearly weren't really bothered by the legends in the ring.

Roddy Piper brought out Daniel Bryan for a special Piper's Pit. Bryan announced that his rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship will be a Two Out Of Three Falls Match at Extreme Rules. Piper then also introduced Bryan's ex AJ. Rowdy tried persuading AJ that Bryan was not a "nice guy" but she wasn't having any of it as she stated that it was her fault that Bryan lost at WrestleMania. Bryan had enough of both of them and told AJ that she's leave the ring of she really loved him, so she left.

Piper roared at Bryan as he was about to leave that he wasn't finished with him. Roddy told Bryan the correct way to treat a lady, and also added that he was a coward. Bryan retaliated by slapping Piper in the face and rushed away. While it wasn't a bad segment, it certainly wasn't as good as last weeks between Bryan and AJ.

Alicia Fox, The Great Khali and Natalya defeated The Bella Twins and Drew McIntyre in a nothing match that was fortunately kept short. I struggle to see the point of this match even appearing on the show except to fill up a bit of time. 

'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan got himself disqualified against Hunico when Sgt Slaughter came to his aid and gave him his signature two by four to strike him with. I know it's a 'Blast from the past' special but it just felt like another waste of time on the show to me and did nothing for Hunico. Yet again WWE failing to help promote their younger wrestlers correctly. 

Cody Rhodes came out and called the show so far "a waste of our collective time, why not turn our attentions to the future?" I could not agree more with that sentence right there. Cody's father Dusty Rhodes soon interrupted him and questioned his taunting of Big Show in the last month. Cody amusingly warned his father "You're embarrassing me" like a young teen.

Big Show then joined them and presented another VT of a clip from Rhodes 'Dashing' days. Yet again this segment with Show did nothing for Rhodes. 

Sheamus and Gene Okerlund defeated Alberto Del Rio and Daniel Bryan in a brief and mediocre bout. Shortly into it the legends, led by Roddy Piper, matched down and scared off Del Rio, leaving Sheamus able to Brogue Kick Bryan for the win. Afterwards the legends then took a turn each in attacking Ricardo Rodriguez and took out Michael Cole.

Overall it was a pretty forgettable SmackDown, with average action in the ring. 

My WWE Raw, April 9th 2012 Recap

John Laurinaitis started off the show by introducing the "new face of the WWE" Brock Lesnar. The reaction for Brock, who thanked Laurinaitis so is clearly a heel, was mixed. John Cena soon joined them both and slapped Lesnar in the face. Obviously this didn't go down so well and they began to brawl in the ring until a large group of the locker room and officials separated them. Lesnar even caused Cena to bleed from the mouth somehow, possibly a broken tooth which only added to the drama. Not a bad way to start the show.

Brodus Clay and Santino Marella defeated Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger in a fair enough tag team match. Clay was finally forced to be more competitive and has also finally been put into a real feud which has already made him a bit more interesting again, which I've been begging for for months now. My only gripe with the bout was that Clay pinned Ziggler, I would've had him pin the man without a major future in the company, Swagger. This didn't do any favours for Dolph who was on a great roll earlier in the year.  

Backstage John Cena confronted an angered Laurinaitis, who wanted an explanation for slapping Lesnar, and warned him that he's not afraid to get his hands dirty and would happily face any opponent that night. The fact that the blood was still on Cena's face was a nice touch and added more belief to his statement.  

R-Truth defeated Cody Rhodes in a very short bout after Big Show once again distracted Cody. This isn't really doing anything at all for Rhodes, who I hope will be put into a new rivalry soon.

Lord Tensai defeated Yoshi Tatsu in a squash match. Tensai looked solid enough here, although he's still not getting a major reaction from the crowd. 

CM Punk defended his choice of choosing a straight edge lifestyle, stating it was never something he thought would make him "cool" or help get him over in the company, but a personal choice of life he wanted to live. He went on to accuse Chris Jericho of taking things "one step too far" after smashing a bottle of Jack Daniels over his head on last weeks Raw, he claimed the smell from the alcohol reminded him of his father.

Chris Jericho appeared on the big screen and claimed Punk was looking a little hungover, and stated that the fans were now witnessing Punk as a "looser." The WWE Champion said that he planned on using the dark place Jericho had put him in and warned Y2J that this rivalry between them was no longer about who the best in the world was, but about "kicking your ass!" It was another brilliant segment between the two, especially Punk's display on the mic which was damn near perfect with its aggression.        

Mark Henry won via disqualification versus CM Punk (c) with the WWE Championship on the line. The match was kept brief (which is always good with the dull Henry involved) as the irate Punk snapped and attacked Henry with a television monitor from the announce desk. Jericho then made his way out, distracting Punk and allowing Henry to then get his own back on the champ with some World Strongest Slams. Y2J Codebreakered Punk and once again poured alcohol all over him.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Zach Ryder in a decent enough effort from both men. Unfortunately this was also another nail in the coffin of the supposed 'Ryder Revolution' from last year. It's so disappointing to see WWE drop the ball so badly with the once over and seriously popular Ryder, a man who managed the near impossible and made the United States Championship relevant again.

The celebrity guests the Three Stooges performed a boring and forgettable skit where Curly morphed into Hulk Hogan. The fans reacted in the right way by either booing or just sitting in silence. When will Vince realise that wrestling fans don't tune into Raw to see celebrities shamelessly promote their products in boring segments? Fortunately Kane came out and chokeslammed Curly.

In a backstage interview Brock Lesnar spoke about how proud he was of everything he's accomplished, and was even allowed to mention winning the UFC Heavyweight title and (rightfully) claiming that Cena could "never hold my jockstrap in a million years," both of which provoked a good reaction. He also conformed that he is what we have been needing in WWE as of late, an "ass kicker" and a bad ass. 

John Cena defeated David Otunga in a mediocre match up, which was better then I was expecting from Otunga vs Cena to be honest. In between Otunga's powerful moves he stopped to flex his muscles for added heat.

Afterwards the 'War Machine' Lesnar low blowed and F5'd Cena. Laughing as he left the victor in a heap.  

Overall it was a decent enough Raw, although there unfortunately weren't any particularly outstanding matches. CM Punk and Jericho's segment was without a doubt the highlight for me, this feud could certainly last a little while yet.

My WWE SmackDown, April 6th 2012 Recap

John Laurinaitis, accompanied by David Otunga, called out former SmackDown GM Teddy Long to officially thank him. But Teddy wasn't having any of it and told Johnny to "go to hell!" Along with thanking the fans for their support. David Otunga then informed Teddy that a College education fund started up for his grandchildren would be revoked if he left and refused a new job offer from Laurinaitis in his administration. Long reluctantly accepted the offer, as if he wouldn't have enough money to help his grandkids after all these years as General Manager? 

David Otunga and Mark Henry defeated R-Truth in an average Handicap Match that only remotely excelled when Truth had the offense going against Otunga. Otunga grabbed the one-two-three after Henry had World Strongest Slammed Truth and made Henry tag him in. 

Randy Orton defeated Kane in a No Disqualification Match. I have to say this feud is definitely surprising me, not only did these two have a fair contest at 'Mania but they surpassed it in this very enjoyable match here. Both men went back and fourth with various uses of steel chairs and the outside environment, with Orton grabbing the win after an RKO. Orton was always the logical choice to win this rematch between the two after loosing last Sunday.

I complained that Orton deserved better after a superb 2011, and while the promos have been a bit ropey the actual action has been quite decent.

Ryback defeated unknown Barry Stevens in a predictable squash match. Ryback (former Nexus member Skip Sheffield) looked far more competent here then he did before his injury last year, and seemed to receive a fair reaction from the fans.

We were shown various NXT and Superstar regulars watching the match, but rather then be in awe of the aggression and power of Ryback the were nonsensically laughing at Steven's expense, it would've done far more for Ryback if they'd shown fear of him.   

AJ tried to encourage disappointed boyfriend Daniel Bryan after loosing the World title in just 18 seconds (don't get me started on that again) by reminding him of all the fans supporting him at 'Mania and Raw. But instead Bryan accused the fans of mocking him. He went on to viciously tear AJ apart, from her clinginess to her "kiss of death" that supposedly cost him the championship. He then added the icing to the cake and dumped her right there and then.

It was a brilliant promo from Bryan, who sounded like he meant every single word he aggressively spat out at the poor and defenseless AJ. So although I feel WWE missed out by not capitalising on Bryan's popularity and "Yes!" chants, he's still proving that he is one of the strongest heels going in the company today, if not the strongest.

Big Show defeated Heath Slater in a forgettable squash match where Show managed to botch a spear, when was the last time you saw a wrestler do that? Cody Rhodes provided pretty dull commentary for the bout. Hopefully their feud is coming to an end soon, it really hasn't done much for the talented up and comer Rhodes.

Nikki Bella defeated Beth Phoenix in a shock result. The actual match was nothing special, as usual with most Divas matches nowadays. Nikki grabbed the win after the untalented Kelly Kelly distracted Phoenix at ringside, which means we'll most likely have to endure another feud between these two.

Phoenix should've been booked, along with Natalya, as a major force in their division, taking out other female wrestlers left and centre. They could have really rejuvenated women's wrestling in WWE (which is desperately needed) and built up to a major showdown with the return of Kharma. Instead they dropped the ball massively and now have Beth loosing to the likes of Nikki Bella. 

Alberto Del Rio won via disqualification versus Sheamus in a solid and for the most part very entertaining main event. It was a nice return for Del Rio who showed no signs that he'd been away from the ring for as long as he has, and Sheamus put in a good effort also. For the finish the referee spotted the World Champion with a steel chair that Del Rio had been handed by his highly amusing ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez and presumed Sheamus had used it on the Mexican aristocrat. An angered Sheamus then Brogue Kicked the ref, which will no doubt lead to repercussions from Laurinaitis.