My WWE SmackDown, 29th June 2012 Recap

Layla defeated AJ in a fair match up. I wasn't expecting much here but AJ looked very competent in the ring. She's certainly come a long way this year, not just with her unpredictable character but in between the ropes too. During the bout AJ's ex Daniel Bryan amusingly raced around the ring screaming "Yes!" much like AJ has done during his matches as of late, causing her to be distracted and pinned by Layla. After the loss AJ began viciously attacking the Divas Champion.

Daniel Bryan explained to AJ that it was a bit of payback for her distracting him, and also called out guest GM Vickie Guerrero. After shouting "Yes!" at each other throughout the commercial break, Vickie eventually joined them both in the ring. After much kissing up to the GM, Bryan asked her to have AJ banned from his title match with CM Punk at Money in the Bank. Unfortunately for Bryan, Vickie revealed a poll from WWE.com asking what role AJ should play in the said WWE title match, and the fans voted for AJ to be the special guest referee. It was a good start to the show, with AJ and Bryan's characters on top form at the moment.

Damien Sandow defeated Zach Ryder in a Money in the Bank qualifying match. It was a good effort by both men, and a solid overall match. This is a very big step forward for Sandow too, let's hope the momentum keeps on going.

Tyson Kidd defeated Jack Swagger to qualify for the Money in the Bank match. It was an enjoyable enough contest between the two, with Kidd on his usual good form in the ring. Glad to finally see the talented Tyson Kidd also get rewarded with a PPV spot for his hard and consistent work.

Christian and Santino Marella defeated Cody Rhodes and David Otunga to qualify for the Money in the Bank match. It was a passable bout, the best part being the time between the two best performers in the match Christian and Cody.

Ryback defeated two rookies in a Handicap match. What else is there to say here that hasn't already?

Lord Tensai defeated Justin Gabriel to qualify for the Money in the Bank match. Not a shocking result. The bout itself was decent enough, not particularly outstanding but both men put on a solid display. During the match we were also informed that Cody Rhodes will be putting in a formal protest since it was his tag partner Otunga who was pinned not him, I can see Rhodes getting into the MITB match and winning it.

Sheamus (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in an enthralling Triple Threat match. The action rarely let up as all three wrestlers gave a great effort throughout, for me it was a PPV quality match up. I'm not sure who the next challenger for 'The Great White' (and I emphasise the 'Great' there, he has been on terrific form this year) is but I wouldn't object to a rematch of that Triple Threat at MITB. 

My Impact Wrestling, 28th June 2012 Recap

Rob Van Dam defeated Mr. Anderson in a mostly average Bound For Glory Series match up. The bout started off quite unremarkable, with both wrestlers just going for pinfall attempts and rather dull moves. Towards the end it got a bit better as the maneuvers became a bit more interesting, with RVD eventually grabbing the pinfall win with a quick roll up.  

Austin Aries came out and revealed that at Destination X where he will relinquish his title for the chance at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, there will be a tournament to determine a new X Division Champion. World Champ Bobby Roode then shortly interrupted AA and told him that what he held was the "real World Championship" because he's made it that way. After bragging some more Roode also added that the only reason Aries was receiving a title opportunity was because of Hogan, and demanded that AA leave his ring. Aries retorted by asking the World Champion to make him, but Roode simply smirked and backed away. It was a decent enough promo between the two, and it should be a solid title match next week.  

Sonjay Dutt defeated Rubix in a brilliantly entertaining bout to qualify for the X Division Title Tournament. From start to finish it was a blistering contest, and a great throwback to the older X Division matches (not to take anything away from the current talented roster).  

Samoa Joe defeated Bully Ray in an enjoyable contest. It wasn't anything out of this world but it was a fair match that I can't complain about. Samoa Joe latched on a Coquina Clutch for the ten points in the BFG Series after Joseph Parks distracted Bully on the ropes and slapped him. Parks admitted on a mic after that he'd been bullied his entire life and was sick of it, so he decided to settle things once and for all and challenged Ray to a match in two weeks time.

In between matches throughout the night we had to endure segments of an interview with Dixie Carter and Claire regarding this lame storyline of her being a former addict. Dixie should never be allowed in front of a camera, she just cannot act.

Rashad Cameron defeated Mason Andrews in a fair match up to qualify for the X Division Title Tournament. It wasn't quite as good as the Dutt vs Rubix bout but it had it's entertaining moments.

Two of the three Gut Check judges (Taz and Bruce Pritchard) voted in favour of Taeler Hendrix to be offered a TNA contract. She gave a heartfelt and believable promo during the segment and showed how capable she was in the ring last week, I like her and hope she does well. During the judges decisions, rejected Gut Check challenger Joey Ryan came through the crowd and shouted abuse at Taz. I'm really enjoying this storyline with Ryan, it's entertaining and he has a ton of charisma.   

Christopher Daniels and Kazarian defeated AJ Styles and Kurt Angle (c) to win the TNA Tag Team Championship in an entertaining main event. Although it wasn't as exciting as the last time both teams fought over the title it was still a very solid match, which is hardly surprising considering the talent involved.

Kaz looked to turn on his partner Daniels throughout the bout after claiming to not know the whole truth about the blackmailing of AJ and Carter, but he chose his real side as he struck Styles in the back with a chair, helping 'The Fallen Angel' grab the one-two-three and embracing in a celebratory hug. Daniels then revealed afterwards that the father of Claire's unborn child is AJ Styles. When are they going to end this storyline already?

My WWE Raw, 25th June 2012 Recap

AJ opened up the show by talking to Daniel Bryan, Kane and CM Punk, or so we were led to believe. As she described her feelings towards each the camera panned around to reveal that she was talking into a mirror.

Guest GM Vickie Guerrero came out and bragged about her managerial abilities and how on the 1000th Raw she wouldn't be surprised if she was named permanent General Manager. She also announced an Elimination Three Way bout as the first match.

Daniel Bryan defeated CM Punk and Kane in the Elimination Three Way match up. It was a solid enough bout, although not as entertaining as their previous efforts together. Kane was first eliminated after AJ once again skipped around the ring, causing him to have a GTS applied by Punk for a three-count. Straight after Bryan then kicked Punk in the head for the one-two-three. 

Big Show defeated Brodus Clay in a slow and largely average contest. Not much else to say, just a match that was pretty unmemorable really. As Clay was being assisted to the back afterwards Big Show gave him a knockout out punch for good measure.

Backstage Kane explained to AJ that he couldn't afford to have feelings for her as it's a weakness for him and amusingly claimed that even he finds her "mentally unstable." He also asked that they just stay out of each others way from now on.

Santino Marella (c) defeated Jack Swagger to retain the United States Championship in a mediocre title bout. It wasn't bad, just quite flat for a title match. Santino can be entertaining at times but I don't agree with him holding a singles title, he's not really doing anything for it like Christian is with the Intercontinental Championship.

John Cena came out and began comparing the downfall of John Laurinaitis to the Star Wars trilogy. It was his usual silly, childish stuff but it got the crowd going. As he was about to then make a big announcement Chris Jericho made his return and interrupted him. Y2J told Cena to hurry up with his announcement and get out of the ring. So Cena did, and announced that for the first time he would be participating in a Money in the Bank match for the WWE Championship contract.

Jericho mocked Cena's childish attitude and arrogance that he just expects to win the MITB match. He also then announced himself for the MITB match. Vickie Guerrero joined them both and informed that it will only be former WWE Champions that will participate in the MITB match (so no younger up and comers getting into the main event scene there? Great) including Jericho and Cena. She also booked Cena versus Jericho for the main event.   

Heath Slater interrupted a mystery introduction by Lilian Garcia and claimed that he didn't care about being embarrassed by various wrestlers of the past in celebration of the 1000th Raw because (according to him) he's the greatest wrestler on the roster. His opponent was then revealed as Sycho Sid. Sid predictably beat Slater rather easily in a novelty match.

Dolph Ziggler versus Alberto Del Rio in a Contract on a Pole match (or whatever it was called) ended in a draw after neither man had a complete hold of the number one contendership contract. It started off quite well, with both men working nicely together as they went back and fourth. But the ending just felt a little silly and lost the crowds interest a bit as both men scrambled around for the contract. It was just a bit confusing. Up until that point the fans had been really into it, with much more backing for Ziggler than Del Rio. I reckon the bookers were trying to test out the potential of a face turn for Dolph here myself.

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus then came out and informed both men that they will be involved in a Triple Threat for the World title instead on this Fridays SmackDown. Should be a good match.

AJ won the Divas Summertime Battle Royal. It was about as crappy as you're imaging right now, except getting to see Layla in that bikini. AJ was the logical choice as winner, considering her status and receptions at the moment. She last chased off Vickie Guerrero to win the match.

John Cena won via disqualification versus Chris Jericho in a passable, if unexceptional contest. The DQ came after Big Show attacked Cena during the match. Show then went on to latch on a Camel Clutch onto Cena for a while. It was a disappointing end to a match I was quite looking forward to.

It was also announced during the show that it will be Daniel Bryan versus CM Punk for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank and that Brock Lesnar will return to Raw next week to answer Triple H's challenge of a match at SummerSlam. Both announcements which I'm very much looking forward to.

My WWE SmackDown, 22nd June 2012 Recap

Teddy Long informed everyone once again that John Laurinaitis had been fired and was then interrupted by Big Show, who came to the ring and claimed that he didn't care about Laurinaitis being terminated or the fans. He also called John Cena lucky after beating him in a Cage match at No Way Out. Show then threw his hat into the upcoming Money in the Bank match, stating that no amount of men could beat him, even though he's never won any MITB matches that he's participated in. Brodus Clay then interrupted him and began exacting some revenge until he was attacked from behind by David Otunga. This allowed Show to slowly beat down Clay.

Otunga then mocked 'The Funkasaurus' and his dance moves. It wasn't a bad start to the show, Big Show's promos are definitely a lot more interesting than they have been for years, just a shame his ring work hasn't improved.

Ryback defeated a couple more rookies in a Handicap match. I like him but I am just starting to grow tired of these now.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Christian in a great back and fourth contest. It's no shock that these two solid wrestlers put on a very good match up. Afterwards Cody Rhodes attacked Christian's already damaged arm.

Kane defeated Daniel Bryan in a surprisingly good bout. Don't get me wrong I was expecting an enjoyable match here, it just exceeded my expectations and is probably the best one on one match Kane's been involved in since his return. These two have put on solid bouts whenever they've worked together. Kane Choke Slammed Bryan for the winning pin after guest time keeper AJ rang the bell early, distracting Bryan.  

Guest GM Mick Foley began thanking the fans until he was shortly interrupted by Heath Slater, who warned that he was going to protest after his embarrassment on Monday's Raw. Foley then introduced his opponent for the night, Zach Ryder.

Zach Ryder defeated Heath Slater in a fair but short match up. Like I've said Slater has grown on me over the last couple of months, I just can't see him ever rising above his current position on the roster. But you never know.

Titus O'Neil and Darren Young defeated The Usos in an enjoyable tag team bout. It's great to see the tag team division get this brief revival, let's just hope Vince doesn't get bored with it like he normally tends to. Afterwards backstage Epico and Primo attacked the winning tag team.

United States Champion Santino Marella came out and thanked all the fans who had made and brought their own signs, asking the cameraman to highlight them. He then asked one female fan (obviously fake) holding a 'I heart Santino' sign to join him in the ring, she did, then snogged his face off. It was an odd segment, if a little amusing.  

Sheamus defeated Dolph Ziggler in a solid main event. I'm almost tiring of writing compliments for these two now ha ha, but they have just been putting in tremendous efforts over the last year with consistent performances. People have been asking and begging for a Ziggler push and even though he's been loosing to 'The Great White' he's getting into that main event scene and getting that deserved push. And with Vickie Guerrero as guest GM next week you can bet on Ziggler getting a World title match on Raw or SmackDown. I can't see him winning it just yet, but keep patient.

Overall it was a very good SmackDown in-ring wise with some great bouts, a big step up from last week. Outside the matches it wasn't so interesting, as a big fan of Foley's I was quite disappointed with his contributions and Big Show just repeated himself again really. Still, probably the best wrestling show of the week for me.

My Impact Wrestling, 22nd June 2012 Recap

Hulk Hogan claimed that he will find out who the three attackers of Sting were last week and make things right for him. Hogan then babbled on a bit about the change coming in the company and called out Austin Aries for his decision on whether or not he'll take the World title match but have to give up the X Division Championship or turn it down. Or as Hogan put it "go for greatness, or go for broke," what a spit on the X Division title that was.

Austin Aries joined 'The Hulkster' and rightfully told him that the strap he held was worth too much to just give up and it deserved better treatment than that. So he gave the GM an "option C" which was that he would give up the title belt, but in the future any wrestler that held the X Division title would also be able to give it up for a World title shot. Hogan agreed to his terms and shook on it. An irate Bobby Roode then joined them both and warned AA that he will definitively beat him at Destination X in their World title match. Aries had already had enough of Roode and they began to then brawl on the ramp until security and such separated them both.

Mr. Anderson came out for his signature entrance and informed both men that it doesn't matter who'll win between them because he's going to win the Bound For Glory Series and defeat them. He also called out Christopher Daniels to face as part of the Open Fight Night (where any wrestler can challenge any other wrestler and they must accept).

Mr. Anderson defeated Christopher Daniels in a fair BFG Series match up. It was kept to a sensible length of time too, keeping the crowds interest and not going too long. 

We were shown a backstage segment with Brooke Hogan discussing who should be the next number one contender to the Knockouts title with ODB, Madison Rayne, Mickie James and Velvet Sky. It's hard to take anything at all Brooke says about pro wrestling seriously. She eliminated Rayne from the equation first.   

Robbie E issued a challenge to anyone else from the BFG Series to a one on one match. Unfortunately for him Kurt Angle stepped up.

Kurt Angle defeated Robbie E in a brief squash match via submission, whoch earns him extra points in the BFG Series.

Magnus defeated AJ Styles in an enjoyable bout after calling him out, which also earned him seven points. I quite like the fact that all these matches are really meaning something. It wasn't that long but it was solid while it lasted, Magnus has come a long way since his debut in TNA.

Gut Check Contestant Taeler Hendrix lost to veteran Tara in a passable contest. Hendrix looked a little nervous here and there but on the whole I liked her, and she showed me more than the likes of Tessmacher, Sky and Rayne already. I'd like to see her stay on.

Samoa Joe challenged James Storm after 'The Cowboy' beat him to win the Battle Royal last week. it was some nice mic work by Joe.

James Storm defeated Samoa Joe in a decent, if quite disappointing BFG Series match. It wasn't bad, just considering the talent involved I expected more. 

In another backstage segment with the three Knockouts and Brooke Hogan, ODB was eliminated from title contention after some discussion. It was based on the flimsy excuse that she's been busy with her wedding and honeymoon, which have now passed. Huh? 

D'Angelo Dinero defeated Bully Ray to earn himself seven points in an average contest. Abyss appeared through the crowd during it, chasing Bully into the ring and straight into Dinero who applied his finisher for the one-two-three.

Brooke Hogan gave some cheesy rubbish about how proud she was of Mickie James and Velvet Sky and announced James as the one getting the title opportunity. At least they picked the better wrestler here.

Brooke Tessmacher (c) defeated Mickie James to retain the Knockouts Championship in a pretty drab bout for the most part. It wasn't bad, just not particularly memorable or remarkable, a bit like the current Knockouts Champ herself. The crowd weren't really sure who to root for either, although there were a few boos for Tessmacher when she was on the offense. James also had a heelish manner about her here much like last week, expect her to turn on Tessmacher soon I reckon.

Jeff Hardy defeated Rob Van Dam in a fun BFG Series match up. The action in the first half just felt like RVD's usual TNA routine of phoning it in a bit but the second half stepped up in quality and had an exciting finish. 

Dixie Carter came out with AJ Styles and attempted to explain their situation, but struggled and was convinced by Styles to just leave. As they were about to go, a mystery woman came down and announced herself as Claire Lynch. She revealed that she was a close friend of Dixie and AJ's and that they'd been helping her recover from her addiction issues, not having an affair. Her acting was awful and this is such an anticlimactic conclusion to this storyline. I just hope that this will all be over soon, I don't think I could handle anymore of Claire and Dixie's attempts at acting any longer. Christopher Daniels and Kazarian then came down to the ring but were both taken out by Styles. 

My WWE Raw, 18th June 2012 Recap

Mick Foley started things off by announcing that he will be hosting both Raw and SmackDown this week after John Laurinaitis' firing. He also introduced the former GM to say his farewells. Laurinaitis called the fans in Long Island rude after a frosty reception, and booked John Cena in a Handicap match as his final move as a General Manager.   

Sheamus and CM Punk defeated Daniel Bryan and Kane in a decent tag team match. It wasn't a match that was going to set the World alight but it had good efforts from all four men involved. During the bout AJ came skipping around the ring in a fairly close replica of Kane's attire, complete with the mask. As Kane was distracted by this Punk and Sheamus grabbed the win over a solo Daniel Bryan. I'm quite enjoying the strange activities of AJ as of late, she's definitely become more interesting.

Backstage Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler argued with each other over who was better and who deserved the management of Vickie Guerrero, who then informed both wrestlers that they'll be facing each other to determine who deserves her services.  

Dolph Ziggler defeated Jack Swagger in a fair, if a bit drab at times contest. It was slow paced bout where Swagger was allowed to dominate the majority, working on Ziggler's leg that he'd injured and forcing the Ankle Lock on him. Ziggler managed to grab the winning pin after escaping the submission hold and quickly applying a Zig Zag.  Him and Vickie shared a prolonged kiss afterwards.

Paul Heyman came out as Brock Lesnar's representative and informed Triple H that both him and Lesnar will not drop their lawsuits and that Lesnar will not face 'The Game' at SummerSlam. Triple H himself then joined Heyman and told him that he will only accept an answer from Lesnar in person and then presented a prototype for a SummerSlam poster featuring Lesnar, telling Heyman that he'll give the 'War Machine' what he wants in the form of the face of the big event. Heyman simply told the COO to go back to his "ivory tower" where everyone caters to him and stop pretending to be the ass-kicker he used to be.

Heyman also warned Triple H that he's always one step ahead of him and that the 'Cerebral Assassin' has met his match, so 'The Game' retorted with a punch to Heyman's face. It was a great segment between the two and the best part of the show, Heyman has certainly not lost his touch and is still one of the best on the mic.     

Layla introduced Cyndi Lauper and Wendi Richter as part of the 1000th episode of Raw celebration. The fans in attendance were about as into it as I was as they began chanting for Zach Ryder. Heath Slater then interrupted proceedings and asked the three ladies to leave the ring and began to sing. There were yet more chants for Ryder. 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper then came out to a great reception and asked Slater to leave the ring. An slightly emotional 'Hot Rod' also presented Lauper with framed copy of a gold record. Slater amusingly told them all to get over it and then had the record smashed over his head by Lauper herself. I was just watching this segment waiting for it to end really. 

Primo and Epico defeated Darren Young and Titus O'Neil via count out in a passable tag team match. The crowd once again lost interest.

John Laurinaitis complained about what happened at No Way Out, resulting in him loosing his job. He also called the fans losers since they won't get to see him anymore. Big Show and David Otunga joined their former boss and Show also complained about the events from the previous night. Big Show went on to then tell both his partners that they were on their own against Cena as he didn't have to answer to anyone now.   

John Cena defeated John Laurinaitis and David Otunga in a Handicap match. It was predictably mediocre, but was successful in its own right of giving the fans and Cena their last bit of retribution against the former GM. As Big Johnny tagged in he revealed that his crutch and neck brace were all part of a ruse as he wasn't actually injured at all. This rubbed his partner Otunga the wrong way as he refused to then tag back in and help his former boss, much to the crowds delight. Cena went on to AA Laurinaitis a few times before he pinned him.

My No Way Out 2012 Recap

Sheamus (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in a solid enough opener to the show. As predicted both men who have been mostly consistent with the good quality of their matches over the last year provided yet another compelling bout from start to finish. There were a few slightly sloppy moments I'll admit but on the whole this was a good opener and certainly entertained me and the fans who were on their feet in the arena. Most of whom were cheering on Ziggler despite what the dopey Jerry Lawler claimed (he stated that the chants were all for Sheamus). 

Santino Marella defeated Ricardo Rodriguez in a Tuxedo match. It was just a lame comedy match up, even the crowd grew tired of it and began chanting "Boring." Which I concur. We should've had a real wrestling match here.

Christian (c) defeated Cody Rhodes to retain the Intercontinental title in a crisp and very enjoyable contest. Both Christian (in my opinion the most underrated performer in WWE) and Rhodes put in great efforts and were practically flawless with the action they provided here and they went back and fourth. The crowd maybe didn't quite get into as much as the opener but that's understandable I guess, the final few minutes had them going though.

Darren Young and Titus O'Neil defeated Primo and Epico, Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel and The Usos in a Fatal Four Way tag team bout to become number one contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championship. It was a fast paced and for the most part entertaining tag match, with Epico and Kidd giving the best performances for me. The best moment was clearly a hurricanrana that Kidd applied to Epico from the top rope to the outside on top of most of the participants, causing chants of "Holy Shit!" Manager AW also swerved on Primo and Epico as he helped O'Neil and Young get the win over them. Washington managing them does make more sense I think, better suited characters. It's also a big relief to see the tag team division represented on pay-per-view again, this should be a regular occurrence.   

Triple H came to the ring and challenged Brock Lesnar to a match at SummerSlam (not directly SummerSlam, but he hinted at it). It wasn't his greatest ever promo but the message was clear, he wanted to put aside all the law suits and just fight man to man in the ring. 

Layla (c) defeated Beth Phoenix to retain the WWE Divas Championship in an average bout. There were a few good moments here and there from both women, the match just didn't feel particularly remarkable on the whole though. Layla showed a bit more character, dancing around and teasing Phoenix with her tiara. Although you maybe felt that she was trying a bit too hard, still an improvement though.

Backstage throughout the night AJ had been wishing all three men involved in the WWE Championship match good luck. But when it came to Kane and she gave him a peck on the cheek, he held her arm and they then kissed properly once again. This provoked a decent reaction from the crowd too.

Sin Cara defeated Hunico in a fair, if unmemorable match up. Unfortunately for the two wrestlers the crowd soon lost interest and began chanting for Zach Ryder. Is it too late for Sin Cara to ever win over the fans now?

CM Punk (c) defeated Kane and Daniel Bryan to retain the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat match. It was a solid World title bout and exceeded my expectations. I mean I was expecting a decent match but it was more exciting and fast paced than I was predicting. The crowd were superb during it too. For the finish CM Punk accidentally threw Kane into AJ on the apron, chucking her off of the apron. As Kane went to check on her Punk applied a GTS for the one-two-three. So AJ's allegiances are still unknown, although you have to guess that it's Kane she'll end up with.

Ryback once again took out a couple of nobodies in a squash match. He claimed that he wanted three men instead next time during the match itself. I don't mind Ryback but I'd rather have seen the charismatic Damien Sandow here instead. 

John Cena defeated Big Show in the predictably mediocre Cage match. Up until the final five minutes or so the match just dragged, the action was slow and drab really. Who'd expect that from a Big Show match, right? Towards the end a few wrestlers who'd been on the end of a Big Show attack recently came down to halt the giant's chances of escaping the cage, Zach Ryder received the biggest pop for appearing here. Brodus Clay then grabbed John Laurinaitis as Cena managed to climb over the cage and escape before Show did. As per the stipulation Vince McMahon then uttered those trademark two words of his to Laurinaitis "You're fired!"

It wasn't a great bout and it should certainly not have been the main event, but the result was definitely the more interesting one. I mean, the firing stipulation has never effected Cena anyway so we knew even if Show won he wouldn't have been terminated anyway. This also begs the question of who takes over as GM now? Hopefully someone more capable on the mic and with more charisma, though that shouldn't be hard to find.    

My WWE SmackDown, 15th June 2012 Recap

AJ came out and was about to explain her kiss with Kane on this weeks Raw but was quickly interrupted by Vickie Guerrero and her client (and number one contender to Sheamus' World title) Dolph Ziggler. 'The Showoff' bragged about how he stole the show on Raw (he did put in a great performance with Christian) and how he wasn't about to let AJ steal his spotlight. AJ stood up for herself, calling Dolph and his "grandma" delusional if they think he's going to become World Champion. Vickie retorted with a slap to the face, but soon backed off from the crazed looking AJ.

WWE Champion CM Punk then joined them all and stated that Vickie does the same routine each week and "Dolph never comes through." Daniel Bryan then also came out and told Punk that AJ had him wrapped around her little finger and he was completely unaware. World Champion Sheamus predictably made an appearance also and warned Ziggler that all Del Rio's injury has done is give him another chance to beat the 'Showoff' and asked for a referee to come down so they could start their tag team match right then. 

Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan defeated Sheamus and CM Punk in a great tag team match. The blistering action came fast towards the second half of the contest as all four men went all out. I give credit to every wrestler involved in the match, they all put in a solid display and proved that tag team bouts on the televised shows can be of a high standard regularly.

Afterwards AJ confronted Vickie in the ring and began attacking her until Vickie made a quick getaway. Kane then began to carry AJ away until Punk started attacking him from behind. Daniel Bryan also got involved, until he along with Punk was Choke Slammed by 'The Big Red Monster'.    

Brodus Clay revealed that if he went anywhere near Big Show then he'd be fired by Laurinaitis. So an annoyed Clay asked for some real competition at least, then Heath Slater's music hit. I have to admit though, Slater has grown on me over the last couple of months. He definitely has some charisma to him.

Brodus Clay defeated Heath Slater in a very, very quick squash match. An oiled up David Otunga then attacked his leg afterwards to add a bit of late hype for their bout in the No Way Out pre show slot. 

Beth Phoenix defeated Alicia Fox in a brief squash match. Two in a row? Not great scheduling, this match could've been a bit later on so it wasn't so close to the Clay one. Divas Champion Layla provided guest commentary and did okay.

John Laurinaitis came out and gave an insincere apology to Vince McMahon after he was accidentally knocked out by Big Show on Raw, advising him that at his age he shouldn't confront wrestlers like Show. He then introduced the man representing him on Sunday against Cena, Big Show. Show gave a good promo on how he moved from WCW to WWF years ago and having to be sidelined to guys like Punk and Orton in WWE, you know, wrestlers with more talent than him. I can't fault his promos since turning heel at Over The Limit, they've been mostly solid. I'm just tired of watching him in the ring and predict that his matches with Cena will be average at best affairs. Before him and the GM left Michael Cole warned them that John Cena was on his way to the arena that night. Uh oh!

Christian defeated Jack Swagger in a fair contest. It was actually surprisingly short. With the exception of the first tag team match they seemed to be racing through bouts on SmackDown. Christian always deserves more time in my opinion. 

Ryback defeated a couple more nobodies in another of his trademark squash matches. We know the story with him by now right?

Damien Sandow defeated Tyson Kidd in the apparent theme for the show, another squash match. He also berated Kidd on the mic beforehand, as he does. I'd much rather they'd cut the Clay versus Slater contest and added more time to this match, which could have been really good I reckon. 

John Cena came to the ring and called out Big Show, but was instead greeted by Laurinaitis who informed him that it was his fault that McMahon was struck and that he'd sent Big Show home. Cena then threatened to KO Johnny, knowing that the Steel Cage match on Sunday is going ahead no matter what. But the GM warned him that if he touched him then on next week's Raw he'll be fired. So Cena took his chances and punched Laurinaitis in the face. Since when has a being fired stipulation ever actually effected Cena? This doesn't add anything to the match. I'll give Cena credit though he was on form here on the mic. 

Overall SmackDown was a mixed bag. Far too many of the matches were way too short and just felt quite worthless, and considering this is supposed to normally be the real 'wrestling show' compared to the red brand it's a disappointment. On the plus side the tag team match and Cena's promo were both solid and actually entertained.  

My Impact Wrestling, 14th June 2012 Recap

Austin Aries (c) defeated Zema Ion and Chris Sabin in a Triple Threat Ultimate X match to retain the X Division Championship. It was a highly entertaining bout, with the highlights being the superb exchanges between Aries and Sabin. The action rarely let up and all three men put in a worthy effort. 

Afterwards Aries grabbed a mic and spoke about his bold claims when he arrived in TNA about how great he was, and went on to state how the X Division title wasn't enough anymore and wanted to move to greater heights in the company. Hulk Hogan then joined him and boldly called AA the greatest thing he'd ever seen in the ring, that's a big statement. He then offered Aries the World title match at Destination X that he wanted, but on the ridiculous condition that he had to for some reason give up the X Division strap since he didn't want a champion in both divisions. 'The Hulkster' gave him a week to think it over. Why couldn't Aries just give up the title after he maybe won the World Championship? It all sounded stupid to me.

Devon (c) defeated Hernandez to retain the TNA Television title in an average contest. Devon looked okay here to be fair. So much for a big return for Hernandez, eh? 

James Storm won the Bound for Glory Series Battle Royal to earn himself 20 points. For a battle royal, which I don't usually get into until the final four are left, it was a solid and quite fun a match up. Although I'm still puzzled as to why Robbie E has been included in the BFG Series? We all know he's not going to win so it seems pointless. Samoa Joe and James Storm received the biggest ovations for their entrances into the bout, and were the final two to battle it out at the end where Storm Super Kicked Joe off the apron to win. D'Angelo Dinero also made his return in the match.

James Storm explained after that he didn't realise how much his wrestling career meant to his young daughter, and that he'd returned to become the World Champion by winning the BFG Series. It was a typically solid promo from Storm, who in turn received a strong reaction from the fans.  

Brooke Tessmacher defeated Madison Rayne in largely mediocre bout with a few fair moments. 

Bobby Roode (c) defeated Mr. Anderson to retain the TNA World Heavyweight title in a decent enough main event. I wasn't expecting a classic but it was a passable World title bout, with both men having their fair share of the offense. Roode won after forcing Anderson to tap to the Crossface. It looked good having the champion win a match cleanly like this too, he should look this dominant more often.  

Sting came out and claimed that Slammiversary where he was inducted into TNA's Hall of Fame was one of the greatest nights of his career. He also thanked the Jarretts but was then cut off as three masked men came out and attacked him. It makes me laugh how furious commentators get when this kind of thing happens but they don't do anything to help the person out. 

My WWE Raw, 11th June 2012 Recap

John Laurinaitis came to the ring, but was soon interrupted by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, who received a very nice response. Laurinaitis pleaded with McMahon to let him keep his job. The Chairman then ripped apart many of the GM's decisions over his tenure, calling bringing back Big Show as "a horrible investment," amen to that.

Sheamus then also joined them and called Johnny the "worst general manger in WWE history." An angered Laurinaitis stated that he'd make the Irishman pay by booking him in a match against a mystery opponent. McMahon then warned Johnny before he left that if the show isn't good enough then at the end of the night he'll be fired.  

Sheamus defeated Lord Tensai in a fair match up. It dragged a little bit at the start but gradually picked up in quality towards the second half of the bout. Things aren't looking great for Tensai at the moment. Afterwards he took out his worshipper to a largely indifferent crowd. 

As R-Truth was giving an interview backstage, Big Show knocked him out with a punch.

Beth Phoenix and Ricardo Rodriguez defeated Layla and Santino Marella in a comedy tag team match. Afterwards Santino ripped open the always amusing Ricardo's shirt to reveal a Justin Bieber T-Shirt. 

Daniel Bryan came to the ring and bragged about he's going to win the WWE Championship at No Way Out on Sunday. The current title holder CM Punk also came out and claimed that outside the ring AJ is out of Bryan's league, and inside the ring he's out of Punk's league. Bryan told Punk how he's lost respect for him since he'd supposedly sold out after pandering to the fans. The WWE Champion stated that since his classic promo last year on the June 27th Raw, he hasn't changed at all. He rose to the top on his own terms, but claimed Bryan had drastically changed since shattering the glass roof.

Kane then joined them both and warned that his pipe bombs are actual pipe bombs after reminding us of what evil deeds he's performed in the past. AJ also came to the ring and said that when she looked into Kane's eyes last week she saw a heart. She also claimed that she wasn't totally over Bryan and that Punk was the coolest guy she's ever met. I couldn't tell if it was on purpose but she seemed really awkward on the mic here. Laurinaitis then booked Kane and Bryan against Punk and AJ in a tag team match.

Dolph Ziggler defeated Christian, Jack Swagger and The Great Khali in an Elimination Fatal Four Way match to become number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. The bout started off quite slow and dull, with Khali having most of the offense until he was eliminated. Fortunately it then picked up in pace and excitement as Swagger and Christian went toe to toe until Ziggler eliminated Swagger. The crowd then came alive for the final third of the match between Ziggler and Christian, with probably more chants for Ziggler oddly enough. It was a great ending to a highly enjoyable match for the most part, with Ziggler pinning the Intercontinental Champ.  

Ryback defeated another couple of nobodies in an okay squash match. Hopefully after No Way Out he'll move onto some real competition.  

Big Show defeated Kofi Kingston in an average Cage match. Show predictably dominated most of the match, slowly taking out Kingston, it was pretty drab. Towards the end Kofi mounted a short lived comeback where a win for him was taunted as he leapt to the top of the cage and then in an impressive spot jumped over Big Show. It was the only really decent and exciting part of the bout. I can't imagine that the Cage match this Sunday is going to be anything special either. 

Sin Cara defeated Curt Hawkings in an passable contest. Sin Cara just seems like another wrestler on the roster who's stuck in the same routine each week. 

Surprise guest Vader defeated Heath Slater in an average match. Although it wasn't anything outstanding it was a decent novelty act and a feel good moment for the fans.  

CM Punk and AJ defeated Daniel Bryan and Kane in a bit of a strange tag team bout. The action was quite good for the most part, with interactions between Punk and his two foes solid enough. But when AJ was inadvertently tagged in with Kane, she skipped around and then jumped around the 'Big Red Monster's' waist and snogged him. It was  an odd moment, but one that makes things a bit more interesting. Nice work by AJ here. Punk then got the winning pin on Bryan after applying a Macho Man Elbow Drop from the top rope.   

John Laurinaitis joined Vince McMahon in the ring and pleaded to him to "do the right thing" and not fire him. As Vince was about to utter those trademark two words of his, Big Show came to the ring and explained that if he was also terminated then he would have to be paid millions of dollars a year for doing nothing. Show went on to blame Vince for treating him as a joke for years, having to entertain people rather than being a "giant" like he truly is and can be now. I don't recall him ever entertaining anyone? 

John Cena then interrupted Big Show with a big goofy grin and lame childish jokes galore, which were totally out of place considering he's meant to be taking this wrestler he's facing on Sunday who's be tearing through everyone seriously. Wisely Cena then described Show as a dominant force who's the favourite for their match, but also asked him how he's going to react if he looses at No Way Out? Stating that he now has everything in his favour and no excuses for not succeeding.

Vince McMahon answered that question by announcing that if Big Show looses on Sunday than Big Johnny will be fired there and then. Cena and Show then began brawling until Big Show accidentally KO'd McMahon with a punch that looked so, so fake.  

My TNA Slammiversary 2012 Recap

Hulk Hogan came out and thanked the fans for their support for TNA and also claimed that the next ten years for the company will be even better, well we'll see about that. He also announced the first match for the night, Samoa Joe versus Austin Aries.

Austin Aries (c) defeated Samoa Joe to defend the X Division Championship in a superb opener for the show. Both men went back and fourth in a thrilling contest, you knew this was going to be something worth watching but they both exceeded my own personal expectations here. The moves were crisp and the sequences were put together very nicely, plus the electric crowd certainly helped too. Smart choice to open the pay-per-view.

Hernandez defeated Kid Kash in a fair match up. It was a surprise but not unwelcome addition to the card. Hernandez managed to get the crowd on his side as the bout went on with his as always impressive aerial moves for a man his size. Kash put in a decent effort too.

Devon and Garet Bischoff defeated Robbie E and Robbie T in an average tag team bout. It wasn't awful, just nothing particularly special or memorable about the match. Garet, as usual, looked a bit out of his depth. Devon unsurprisingly had the crowds firm support throughout.  

Mr. Anderson defeated Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy in a blistering Triple Threat match to become number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight title. The action came fast and thick in this highly entertaining contest. All three men deserve credit here for their great efforts, definitely one worth checking out. Once again the crowd were also brilliant throughout this match.  

James Storm defeated Crimson in a short but passable match. 'The Cowboy' answered the previously unbeaten Crimson's call for an open challenge, managing to have most of the crowd rise to their feet as he set up his match-winning Last Call Superkick for the one-two-three. It was more of a squash match really with Crimson having very little offense, but it's just good to have the on form Storm back.

Dixie Carter came out and thanked all the fans and everyone else who's helped in the rise of TNA. She also asked out the Impact Wrestling roster to thank them too. Sting was then announced as the very first inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame. Now as I said before I personally feel that it's too early for TNA to have a Hall of Fame, but this was a very feel good moment as the VT dedicated to 'The Icon' played and Sting gave a short speech. 

Brooke Tessmacher defeated Gail Kim (c) to win the TNA Knockouts Championship. It was a surprisingly decent title bout and probably the best match that I've seen Tessmacher involved in. It was well planned out for the both of them. Unfortunately there were a few  sloppy moments here and there but on the whole I enjoyed it.   

Joseph Parks defeated Bully Ray in a mediocre No Disqualification match up. It wasn't bad for what it was I guess, namely the supposedly nervous and inexperienced Parks having the first ever fight in his life. During the match Joseph obviously crept under the ring and changed into the Abyss gear to Choke Slam Bully through a table, then went back under and changed back to Joseph to gain the winning pin. I hope they don't keep this up for long, it's just silly and a bit of an insult to the fans intelligence really.      

Hogan introduced surprise guest Christian out. Christian, or rather Christian Cage here,  and asked the fans to give themselves a round of applause for their support. He than also introduced the number one moment in TNA history (there'd been a count down of the top ten best moments in the companies' history throughout Impact Wrestling episodes and Slammiversary) which was Sting's return to pro wrestling years ago in TNA. I thought it'd be them going prime time on Spike. 

Kurt Angle and AJ Styles defeated Kazarian and Christopher Daniels (c) to obtain the TNA Tag Team Championship in the absolutely superb match of the night. This is without a doubt the best tag team match I've seen so far this year and probably the best TNA match so far too. The bout was captivating at the start but absolutely thrilling in the final third. With the crowd reactions and flawless action you couldn't help get sucked into this, like with any special wrestling match.

If you're someone that doesn't normally watch TNA then I urge you, please do yourself a favour and at least watch this match up. Trust me, you'll be grateful. And if you do then let me know what you thought.

Bobby Roode (c) defeated Sting to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. It was a fairly decent main event, definitely not up to par with the previous match and Aries vs Joe bout from earlier. As much as I realise Sting means to many fans, his main eventing days should have been long gone by now. He can still clearly entertain but he's best suited to short bursts in matches now. Roode retained after smashing a beer bottle over sting's head. And of course the referee completely ignored all the broken glass and other bottles left in the ring right next to Roode. It looked ridiculous was a poor ending to the main event an otherwise good PPV. Afterwards Sting threw over the ref and Scorpion Death Dropped Roode from the stage. 

Roode retaining once again felt anticlimactic considering all the build up for Sting during the night, and makes me wonder who they actually have in mind to finally topple the champion? Aries at Bound For Glory perhaps? He did hint at wanting to hit that main event scene earlier in an interview. We'll see.  

Overall Slammiversary was a solid pay-per-view, with some memorable matches to take away. Unfortunately the ending just felt wrong and spoilt it a little, just a little though. 

My WWE SmackDown, 8th June 2012 Recap

Alberto Del Rio bragged about his attack on Sheamus on this weeks Raw and had Ricardo Rodriguez come out dressed as the World Heavyweight Champion, mocking his trademark beating chest and roaring taunt. Soon the real Sheamus came out and began attacking both men, eventually leading to the stage where Ricardo helped Del Rio gain the upper hand on his opponent at No Way Out. Teddy Long then made an appearance where he announced on behalf of the absent Laurinatis, Kane versus Sheamus and Del Rio versus The Great Khali for that night.

Alberto Del Rio defeated The Great Khali in a dull and unmemorable match up. Del Rio logically targeted Khali's arm and legs during the bout, which is about the only thing I can credit the match with doing well. Del Rio tried, but Khali is just far too limited in the ring.

Backstage Teddy Long informed Brodus Clay that he'd been drafted to SmackDown for his own safety from Big Show, according to Laurinaitis. Don't expect Clay's career to sky rocket anytime soon. 

Brodus Clay defeated Derrick Bateman in a squash match. Clay looked much more aggressive than normal here, which was a smart move considering his frustration from the attack from Big Show. This was something that suited Clay more too in my opinion, someone that big should be taken more seriously. Unfortunately afterwards that was all washed away after he started his regular routine of dancing with young members of the audience in the ring, which just ruined what he'd achieved in the match for me.

Sin Cara defeated Drew McIntyre in a fair contest. It wasn't anything outstanding but watchable. I've never been a big supporter of McIntyre, but even I have to say that he should be being better utilised than he has been. 

This might seem odd but for me when they have the two rookies that are about to face Ryback talk trash on the mic, I really enjoy it. They're just so awful (which I'm sure has to be intentional) that I find it hilarious. It's one of favourite parts of the show. Nonetheless Ryback sure enough defeated both of them in a squash match. 

As Christian's 'Peep Show' was being set up, Cody Rhodes came to the ring and started trashing the set. He claimed that Christian is the one who should be answering to him. not the other way round. The Intercontinental Champion soon enough joined Rhodes, and explained to him that his change in attitude since his return occurred after he inducted Edge into the Hall of Fame. He realised that his career could end in an instant and he didn't want to be remembered as a whiny guy always asking for "One more match." Cody called him a liar and bragged that he's going to win the title back at No Way Out, the Intercontinental Champion then understandably just told him to "shut up!"   

Christian defeated Dolph Ziggler in a highly enjoyable bout from start to finish. I never had any doubt that these two would provide in the ring and they certainly did. I'm just a little confused as to where they're going with Ziggler at the moment. After his split from Swagger and Vickie Guerrero I really thought a deserved push was in order for him, I guess not.

Hornswaggle came out dressed as JR and mocked Michael Cole after his comedy (I use the term lightly here) match with Cena on Raw. Fortunately the entertaining Damien Sandow came out and saved the woeful segment. He rightfully called the whole thing stupid and stated that he was once again saving us the masses, which was true. Tyson Kidd then ran out to Hornswaggle's aid and chased off Sandow, until he turned his back and Sandow took Kidd out.

Antonio Cesaro defeated Jimmy Uso in a brief match up. Once again Cesaro looked solid in between the ropes. I'd be surprised if this guy doesn't do very well for himself in WWE, he has the look and the skills in the ring.   

Sheamus won via disqualification versus Kane in a contest that ranged from decent to fairly drab. It was watchable, just not the most exciting thing in the World. The DQ came after Ricardo Rodriguez ran in and attempted to attack Sheamus, which the World Champion thwarted, only to then be struck by Kane. 'The Big Red Monster' was then distracted by the strange AJ, who once again shared a flirtatious look with him. This caused Kane to be distracted long enough to be Brogue Kicked by Sheamus. But 'The Great White' wasn't done, he also Brogue Kicked Ricardo as Del Rio watched.

Overall SmackDown had it's ups and downs. The positives for me mainly being the Christian versus Ziggler bout and the up and coming prospects Cesaro, Ryback and Sandow. They all look like they're on their way to bigger and better things over the next year, hopefully. The lack of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk was disappointing but at least this meant we had more attention focused on the Del Rio Sheamus feud, which certainly helps them out.  

My Impact Wrestling, June 7th 2012 Recap

We were shown footage from after last weeks Impact went off the air with an enraged Dixie Carter storming into the Technical Room (I have no idea what it's actually called) and having a go at the director who let the phone message between her and AJ Styles play on air. It was something a bit different and intriguing, plus Dixie's performance was surprisingly okay here, compared to her usual standard.

Unfortunately her acting performance then dropped again as she was confronted by Christopher Daniels and Kazarian in the ring. Things eventually became physical as Daniels pushed Carter to hitting him, so he pushed her into the corner. This caused AJ Styles to race out to her aid, chasing them both off. Dixie's husband Surge then came out and threw a very fake and awful looking punch at AJ, who went down way too dramatically for it and then popped back up a second later anyway. It looked really bad. 

Crimson defeated Austin Aries in an enjoyable contest saved by Aries with his always impressive and solid performance in the ring. As a traditional heel Crimson mainly laid back and let Aries have most of the offense until Samoa Joe ran in and tripped AA on the ropes, allowing 'The Undefeated One' to grab the one-two-three. Joe's interference was due to a few exchanged words before the match between him and the X Division Champion and Aries accidentally tipping water on him last week. They should have a very, very good match at Slammiversary.  

Afterwards Crimson bragged about his undefeated streak, amusingly stating that it is "way longer than that Goldberg guy." He also issued an open challenge for this Sunday. He actually looked quite good on the mic here I thought, definitely improving.

Hulk Hogan announced that whoever wins at Slammiversary between Sting and Roode will defend the World title on next weeks Impact Wrestling. Champion Bobby Roode then interrupted Hogan and demanded more respect and better treatment. He also added that 'The Hulkster' was jealous because he's a better World Champion than he ever was, and asked him to leave 'his' ring. Sting then came out and began brawling with Roode.

Brooke Tessmacher defeated Mickie James, Velvet Sky and Tara in a Fatal Four Way to become the number one contender to the TNA Knockouts title. It was a passable match, but unfortunately for almost everything decent from James and Tara there was something fairly sloppy from Sky and Tessmacher.

I was a bit confused by the choice of victor too, I would've had Tara won myself to face Kim at Slammiversary. Tessmacher has only recently lost to Kim over the title so it's still fresh in the fans minds, plus her bouts with the champion were some of the less impressive that Kim's had during this title reign.  

Bully Ray and Joseph Parks joined in the ring for the contract signing of their match on Sunday, Ray revealed that he in fact had a new contract drawn up where he can't he help accountable for any severe injuries that Parks may pick up. Joseph refused to sign it, which caused Bully to spit in his face. Parks soon changed his mind and signed, saying it was for his brother. Abyss then appeared on the big screen and warned both men that he'll be at Slammiversary. 

Devon (c) defeated Robbie E to defend the Television title in an average and forgettable match up. Man I'm tired of seeing these two face each other.

Hogan came out to the ring again, presumably all the clips of him backstage through the show and having time in the ring earlier didn't satisfy his ego. He called out Mr. Anderson (or rather Anderson interrupted him, and actually had some nice banter with Hogan) Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam and informed them that they'll be in a Triple Threat at Slammiversary to determine the number one contender to the World title. 

Sting, Kurt Angle and AJ Styles defeated Bobby Roode, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian in a solid main event. Sting is just so much better suited to these kind of matches where he can just burst out with his signature moves in short periods and get the crowd going. AJ didn't appear for the start of the match due to him leaving the arena earlier after what transpired at the start of the show, but came back towards the end. We also got to see some nice double teaming between Daniels and Kaz here, their match with Angle and Styles should be brilliant on Sunday, should be.

My WWE Raw, 4th June 2012 Recap

Michael Cole accused John Cena of being the one responsible for Big Show's attacks as of late due to him not standing up and trying to get his job back when he was fired. Cole went on to call Cena egocentric and too self centred to care about anyone else, which is all true when it comes to the Cena character. Cena defended himself by stating that Big Show turned his back on him and the fans, not the other way round.

Cole then claimed that Cena was possibly jealous of Big Show (yes, really) and called him "overrated," going on to say that he hoped Show would put an end to his and the audiences misery of having to sit through Cena's matches and take him out. This got a bit of a cheer from a section of the crowd. John Laurinaitis then came out on his hilarious scooter and informed Cena that he had the chance to pick his opponent for the night, so he picked Michael Cole. It was an all right start to the show.

Sheamus defeated Dolph Ziggler in a very enjoyable bout. From start to finish the action rarely let up and both men put in a solid performance. For the most part these two have been really consistent in the ring over the last few months. Afterwards Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez attacked the World Champion from behind, applying an armbar as Sheamus was draped over the stage.      

Sin Cara defeated Hunico in a passable match up. There were a few hiccups here and there for Sin Cara (shocker, right?) but he looked okay. Hunico did a decent job here, I wouldn't mind seeing more from him.

Ryback defeated nobodies Stansky and Rosenburg in one of his routine squash matches.

Before CM Punk versus Kane, Daniel Bryan came out and claimed that AJ had gone insane since he dumped her and bragged that he will win the WWE Championship at No Way Out.

Kane defeated CM Punk in an entertaining contest. Punk had the majority of the offense, which was a smart move since this meant we had much more entertaining attacks happening in and outside the ring. Unlike their match on last weeks SmackDown (which was good don't get me wrong) there was never a dull moment for me here. For the finish Punk attacked Daniel Bryan with a dive to the outside of the ring while he was arguing with AJ who'd apparently come to support Punk, Kane then Choke Slammed the WWE Champion for the win.

Afterwards AJ shared an affectionate look with Kane before checking on CM Punk's condition. When quizzed about it by Josh Matthews after, a slightly deranged AJ just informed him that she enjoys the attention from men. This was probably one of the best promos I've ever seen from AJ, she pulled it off well I thought.         

We were then presented with a VT mixing an interview with Big Show talking about finally letting go and just going into business for himself with clips of his latest attacks and past acts of being goofy. It was almost all material we've heard already, but well put together.

Kofi Kingston and R-Truth defeated Curt Hawkings and Tyler Reks in a fun tag team match. Kofi delivered most of the goods after he made the tag in and gave us a standard fast paced and enjoyable performance. Although this didn't look particularly good for Hawkings and Reks loosing to a slightly injured team (who both had strapping still on which was a nice touch) at least they're getting time on Raw which is definitely a step in the right direction.

Before the main event between Michael Cole and John Cena, Laurinaitis announced that it would become a No Disqualification match if Cena could defeat Lord Tensai, much to Cole's obvious delight.

John Cena defeated Lord Tensai in a match that ranged from mediocre to fair. Tensai put in a good effort here with moves that were crisp and believable, unlike his opponent. Unfortunately the ending was weak as it was the usual Cena comeback routine I was hoping he'd left behind. After Cena chased after a fleeing Cole and brought him back to the ring for their match.

Cole at first begged for forgiveness from Cena, then started to berate him and asked how embarrassing it'll be when he beats him. Cena then just played with the announcer for a while, forcing him to apologise to Jerry Lawler and JR and pouring barbecue sauce all over him. Tensai then attacked Cena briefly for a tease of Cole defeating him, but of course Cena came back and AA'd Cole for the one-two-three. 

My WWE SmackDown, 1st June 2012 Recap

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus stated that he was just giving Del Rio a warning when he barged him last week for their title match at No Way Out, stating that the Mexican believes he's better than everyone else because of his fortune, but his money can't buy him the World title. David Otunga joined 'The Great White' and ordered him to apologise for barging John Laurinaitis two weeks ago on Raw. Sheamus refused, telling Otunga that the GM can come and collect the apology face to face.

Alberto Del Rio then came out and mocked the World Champion, calling him a "street hooligan" and such. Otunga decided to punish Sheamus by allowing Del Rio to choose his opponent. Sheamus then Brogue Kicked Otunga for good measure. It was a decent start to the show and the best interaction between Sheamus and Del Rio so far for me.  

The returning Sin Cara defeated Heath Slater in a passable if pretty forgettable match up. There's very few wrestlers that Sin Cara seems to work really well with in WWE, and as long as that's the case fans like me just aren't really going to be that fussed about seeing him to be honest.

Damien Sandow defeated Ezekiel Jackson in an average bout. Sandow looked decent here, it just didn't really last long enough for us to see a lot from him. Before the match he once again claimed that his opponent wasn't worthy of him and went to leave before being pulled back into the ring by 'Big Zeke'. I am really enjoying Sandow's persona, he's a brilliant new character for the blue brand.

Ryback defeated a couple of nobodies (I can't be asked to remember their names now) in a Handicap match. It was the usual squash match, with Ryback once again finishing off the opponents with his impressive backwards slam with both men on his back. I'm trying to think of what they could do next with this guy, maybe a feud with Cody Rhodes could be interesting? We'll see. I just hope they don't ruin this momentum he's on.

Sheamus defeated Dolph Ziggler in a very enjoyable contest. Both men put in a solid effort and it paid off. I've mentioned it already but I feel Sheamus has really upped his game this year and put on better matches than ever in the company. And as I've mentioned about Dolph, well, he deserves a higher place in WWE after all the constantly hard work he's been putting into his matches.

Like on previous occasions Ziggler's talent was clear and appreciated with scattered chants of his name. Hopefully him entering back into singles competition and getting fed up of Swagger (who appeared briefly in the bout in an attempt to help Ziggler, but failed) and Vickie Guerrero means a push is imminent, and maybe even a face turn perhaps? 

Santino Marella and Zach Ryder defeated Titus 'O Neil and Darren Young in a short and mediocre bout. Marella managed to score the one-two-three with a quick schoolboy to Young. I honestly fail to see the point of this match, it did nothing at all for the team of Young and O'Neil, who as of late have been looking fairly good. Afterwards Big Show took out Santino and Ryder. Ryder received the majority of the attack as Show threw him around the ringside area and slammed him onto some steel steps. Why didn't they just have Show interfere during the tag match? At least then O'Neil and Young's momentum wouldn't have taken any damage?  

Like I said after Raw, while it makes sense having Big Show take out people like this, it just all feels too familiar to me. We've seen it all before and I'm already growing a bit tired of it.

Cody Rhodes defeated Tyson Kidd in a fun, if too short for my liking match up. It's a real shame that the talented Kidd wasn't given some more time to show off what he could against Rhodes here, if given the chance I think he could do really well. He just needs to work on his mic skills and connecting with the fans more in my opinion. 

CM Punk (c) versus Kane for the WWE Championship ended in a disqualification after Daniel Bryan attacked them both. While the bout had started off fairly flat and drab, it fortunately became much more enjoyable towards the final third as both men pulled out their signature moves for nice near falls to reel back in the fans interest.

After Punk and Bryan began fighting in the ring, Kane decided to make his move and Choke Slam both of them. This cued GM John Laurinatis' entrance and announcement that it will be a Triple Threat at No Way Out between the three wrestlers for the WWE Championship. What a shocker, eh? Why did they have to include Kane into this feud? I was really hoping for another one on one rematch between Bryan and Punk after their superb match at Over The Limit, it could've even been a Submission match or something along those lines to change it up a bit. Oh well, the Triple Threat should still be decent enough.