Friday 22 February 2013

My WWE SmackDown, 22nd February 2013 Recap

Del Rio strikes with a nice aerial kick. Photo credit: WWE.com

World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio kicked off the show by responding to his WrestleMania opponent Jack Swagger's claims that immigrants like himself are ruining the USA, and reminded him that it was also immigrants that helped build the country in the first place. He also went on to challenge Swagger to come out and face him man to man.
But instead Randy Orton joined him and accused Swagger of taking away his chance at main eventing 'Mania in the Elimination Chamber match last Sunday, going on to state that he wanted some retribution. So GM Booker T granted 'The Viper' his match with Swagger and also booked Del Rio versus Barrett for that night.
Sheamus pinned Damien Sandow in a decent outing. Both men gave worthy efforts here and provided solid wrestling throughout, nothing spectacular but it made for a fun watch.
Before her following match, Kaitlyn complimented Cody Rhode's moustache backstage, which he graciously accepted. Could a face turn be in Cody's near future?
Kaitlyn and Layla bested Tamina and Aksana in a mediocre tag bout. Layla was the only standout performer here for me, the rest of the match was quite messy and average.
Backstage Zeb Colter, accompanying Swagger, warned Wade Barrett to stay out of their way and do them a favour by going back to England, classing him as another immigrant taking a job from an American.
Jack Swagger defeated Randy Orton in a mostly stellar contest. While not exactly an edge of your seat bout, it still has solid action from both men who looked crisp in the ring.
Swagger gained the win after catching Orton with a thumb to the eye and applying a quick roll up pin for the one-two-three, much like the one he used on 'The Viper' to win the Elimination Chamber. Considering he's going to WrestleMania to contest for the World Title I would've thought Swagger might have beaten Orton cleanly here. 'The Viper' looked frustrated afterwards, here's hoping his rumoured heel turn is coming up soon.
The Miz beat Cody Rhodes in a fair match up. In keeping with the trend of the previous singles bouts of the show, the wrestling was solid enough but not necessarily that exciting. Quite a forgettable one this really. Miz forced Rhodes to tap to the Figure Four Leglock for the win. 
Alberto Del Rio defeated Wade Barrett in an enjoyable main event. Definitely the top match of the night, with nice displays from both men and finally something a bit livelier on an otherwise unremarkable show. Swagger viewed the match from the stage and made his way down to face off with Del Rio from the outside of the ring afterwards. They of course did the obligatory pointing and staring at the WrestleMania sign looming over them.
Overall it was a pretty pedestrian show for the majority. Most bouts were fine but not massively engaging, much like the only promo we received at the start. Fortunately the livelier main event redeemed it a bit, but this was still a poor offering for a show in the WrestleMania season. Rather than repeating two ten-minute segments from Raw they could've added in some Mark Henry, Jericho, Team Hell No or Big Show at least, just something to add some interest (that's not a dig at any of those talents either). 

My Impact Wrestling, 21st February 2013 Recap


Aries and Roode desert their tag partners. Gits. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Hulk Hogan announced that after a week of deliberation, he decided that Bully Ray will face Jeff Hardy for the World Title at Lockdown. A confused Bully then joined his Father in law, bemused because of the fact that he didn't even compete in a number one contenders match last week. He admitted that there were other men that deserved it more than him at the moment, but nonetheless thanked 'The Hulkster' for the title opportunity. Bully also suggested a six-man tag bout that night pitting him, Sting and Hogan against three members of Aces & 8s, Hulk approved.
Chavo Guerrero, Hernandez, James Storm and Joseph Parks beat Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, Austin Aries and Bobby Roode in a fair eight-man tag contest. To be honest I was a little disappointed with this one considering the talent involved, but it had it's entertaining moments so I can't complain too much.
Chavo and Storm were the stand out performers for me, providing the best action in the ring. The arguing between the loosing team was also fairly amusing, with Aries and Roode eventually having enough and storming off when all four egos clashed.
Rockstar Spud pinned Robbie E in a passable encounter. It was pretty forgettable and unremarkable for the most part really, although Spud did show off a few nice moves. The finish came when Robbie T refused to hand over his clipboard to E, which caused Rob to be caught out by Rockstar with a quick roll up pin for the one-two-three.
Taz (who's even worse as a heel commentator, which is saying something) called it a big upset, when was the last time Robbie actually did anything worthwhile? Or ever, for that matter? Afterwards an upset Robbie E slapped T in the face, then wisely legged it away down the ramp. I lost interest in these two splitting up a long, long time ago.
Velvet Sky bested Gail Kim, Brook Tessmacher and Tara (c) to obtain the Knockouts Title in an Elimination Fatal Four Way. The match itself was a mixed bag, and just not consistent enough for me, with no logic in sight. There were some nice moments of action and excitement but the majority of the bout felt a little messy, with average displays from Velvet and Brooke for the most part. 
Ridiculously the women involved would also run in to stop pinfall attempts even though it was an elimination match, huh? Where's the advantage or sense in that? For the finish referee Taryn Terrell forced Kim off of the ropes during a pinfall attempt as she refused to let go, which also confused me, why wouldn't she just let go? This allowed Velvet to then apply an In Yo' Face (worst finisher name ever) for the winning pin and strap.
Samoa Joe won via disqualification versus Garett Bischoff after Wes Brisco ran and began attacking him, but the double team attack was short live as Kurt Angle then chased them both off. The actual match itself had been okay, pretty drab for the most part to be honest, with mostly strikes exchanged between the two. Garett still clearly has a fair way to go in the ring.
Rob Van Dam (c) pinned Kenny King to retain the X Division Championship in a decent outing. Both men gave worthy enough displays, and provided some fun action here. It's definitely not either man's finest efforts but it's a fine enough watch. My only big gripe is RVD retaining yet again, I don't really get the point of their feud if King is never going to eventually win the strap. Their issues have been going on for a long, long time now and it's well overdue that either KK wins the title or RVD moves onto a new challenger.
Aces & 8s (Doc, Devon & Mr. Anderson) defeated Sting and Bully Ray in an average main event. I just failed to find much interest at all in this contest, with passable, if uninspiring wrestling and multiple distractions. Hogan mysteriously failed to turn up for the bout, but was dragged out later on along with his daughter Brooke by more Aces & 8s members, clearly beaten down by the group.
This allowed Doc to finish off Sting for the winning pinfall, and then attack him further with more affiliates. If there was one plus from all this then it was at least making Aces look like a stronger unit again, but I'm still growing very tired of them now, I think they desperately need some more interesting members to rejuvenate them a bit. 
Overall it was a largely average Impact for me, with most match ups being pretty pedestrian and the majority of storylines starting to feel like they're dragging now. To be fair the eight-man bout was watchable, but not outstanding. Hopefully it picks up next week. 

Tuesday 19 February 2013

My WWE Raw, 18th February 2013 Recap


Behold the brand new WWE Championship belt. About damn time! Photo credit: WWE.com

John Cena started things off by talking about how WrestleMania XXVIIII was now taking shape, with him versus The Rock and Swagger versus Del Rio now official after the Elimination ChamberCM Punk then joined Cena and reminded him that he has never beaten him and claimed that it was luck that he won the Royal Rumble and didn't deserve the spot at 'Mania. He also added that he couldn't win the big one against Rocky.
To settle things and shut Punk up, Cena then challenged him to a match to prove he was superior, with the winner going on to face The Rock for the title on the big stage. Punk agreed, but wanted to postpone it until next week when he was more prepared.
During an interview Sheamus and Ryback began arguing over their loss to The Shield the previous night until Chris Jericho then split them up and reminded them that it wasn't each other that they were really mad at. Y2J also suggested a six-man match that night pitting them three against Shield, which they were all for.
Mark Henry pinned Sin Cara in a brief and forgettable bout, with fair action but nothing special. As Henry continued the attack after the bell rung, The Great Khali made his way down, only for Henry to leave the ring and walk away. I'm praying they don't book a match between the two at 'Mania, please!
The Miz defeated Antonio Cesaro in a No Disqualification match. It was a fair effort from both men, but a little disappointing considering how rarely we get No DQ match ups on television, I would've thought they'd make more of the opportunity and we'd maybe get a bit more excitement.  
In a VT Zeb Colter spoke about how letting in too many people outside of the US into the country has drained it. Jack Swagger was also there, reminding us of their slogan "We, the people." As I've already said I'm intrigued with this storyline, it's something a bit edgier and sets up Swagger's feud with Del Rio perfectly. 
Backstage Daniel Bryan informed tag partner Kane that he didn't feel comfortable teaming with him soon after attacking him in the Elimination Chamber, and asked that he doen't accompany him to his singles match later. Randy Orton then also appeared and told Kane that since going to group therapy and hugging it out with people he wasn't so intimidating and compared him to Barney the Dinosaur.  
Alberto Del Rio bested Dolph Ziggler in a solid outing. Both men as standard for them looked good in the ring and put in more than worthy displays, with stellar wrestling throughout.
Afterwards Ziggler's associate Big E Langston clobbered Del Rio and applied a Big Ending. Dolph then decided to cash in his MITB contract, but Ricardo Rodriguez had other ideas and legged it with the briefcase, accidentally dropping it on the ramp as he did so. As the 'Show Off' then retrieved the contract Del Rio recovered and cracked him with an enzuigiri.
Wade Barrett announced that he will be starring in the new WWE produced film Dead Man Down, then presented the trailer. Afterwards Sheamus appeared on the big screen and mocked Barrett for barely having a role in the film at all. Wade was not amused that Sheamus had cut his time short.
Brodus Clay, Tensai and Naomi beat Epico, Primo and Rosa Mendes in a fun enough mixed-tag contest. This was wisely kept short, which certainly benefitted all involved and kept the pace and interest up, any longer and it would've dragged.
In a State of the Union Address, Zeb Colter thanked the founding fathers for creating the bill of rights, allowing him to voice his opinions freely. He then continued to bash the illegal immigrants in America that use the medical care, education and take their jobs. He also added that at WrestleMania Swagger will defeat Del Rio to capture the World Title and help reclaim America, claiming that the champion was only in the USA to reap the rewards. 
Jack Swagger bested Daniel Bryan in an enjoyable encounter. Both men gave fine efforts as they went move for move, counter for counter. As part of his new signature routine, Swagger worked on Bryan's leg until eventually latching on the Patriot Lock for the submission victory.
Vickie Guerrero, with Paul Heyman in the ring, announced Brad Maddox as her new assistant. As Heyman was about to leave Vince McMahon then appeared on the big screen and reminded him that last week he'd agreed to do anything to add the certain stipulations to The Rock versus CM Punk match at EC. McMahon went on to inform Heyman that he would be returning that favour next week when they "are gonna have a fight."
The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) beat Ryback, Sheamus and Chris Jericho in a largely entertaining six-man tag bout. While not as exciting as their previous six-man match the night before, it was still a lively encounter and yet another very good display from The Shield trio.
Damien Sandow spoke about how dear President's Day was to him, claiming that his ancestors had been aiding them for many years. As he then aggressively started his following bout with Kofi KingstonR-Truth made his return and took him out. I can't say I'm that bothered by his return.
Randy Orton pinned Kane in a passable affair. Unfortunately while the wrestling was solid enough, I just failed to get interested here and found the match quite drab on the whole. Orton managed to get in an RKO for the one-two-three after Daniel Bryan once again distracted his tag partner and cost him the match.
The Rock came out to an entrance preceded by an impressive marching band performance as part of his celebration. He then went on to admit that eight years ago the spinning WWE Championship title belt may have worked, but he personally felt that a prestigious strap shouldn't look like a toy and then introduced the brand new WWE Championship belt. While it looks more professional, it also looks a bit plain for my liking, but that's just my opinion.
As the WWE Champion was about to then admit who he'd rather face at 'Mania, John Cena came out and stood cockily on the stage, but shortly after CM Punk then took him out with the old WWE Title strap and threw it away, stating that he was after the brand new one. 
Overall I felt it was a decent enough Raw, with the final segment, Shield six-man tag bout, Del Rio versus Ziggler, and anything involving Swagger being the highlights. Not the best offering from the red brand as of late but it still made nice strides towards WrestleMania, with the next couple of weeks most likely settling the card for the supershow in April.  

Monday 18 February 2013

My WWE Elimination Chamber 2013 Recap


The Chamber is lowered and prepared for a tremendous match. Photo credit: WWE.com

Alberto Del Rio (c) defeated Big Show to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in a stellar contest. Yet again these two provided a great back and fourth match up, with more than worthy efforts. Not quite as gripping as their Last Man Standing encounters but I feel picky saying that, a good match overall and a smart choice to start the show.
For the finish Del Rio enzuigiri kicked a bucket that Show was holding into his head (although he had to do it twice after missing the first time, which was a bit awkward) which eventually led to his signature arm breaker for the submission victory. 
Antonio Cesaro (c) won via disqualification versus The Miz, thereby retaining the United States Championship. In another fine title clash between these two (that actually succeeded their last one I felt) both men played out a logical match that was heavily based on specific injuries they'd sustained. The Miz with his injured shoulder after the attack by Cesaro on last week's Raw, and Cesaro's leg which Miz damaged by whipping him into steel steps and then chop blocking and targeting. Both men barely went a foot wrong too, with each looking crisp with their wrestling here. The DQ came after the champ knocked Miz's leg, causing him to fall knee-first into his groin therefore forcing the referee to call for a low blow. Afterwards a frustrated Miz gave Cesaro a big kick in the crotch for a low blow that he did mean to cause.
Before the Elimination Chamber begun, Jack Swagger claimed that when he held the microphone he had the power and spoke only the truth. His accomplice Zeb Colter then stated how ashamed the founding fathers would now be of America, with all the "panderers and excuse makers." He also went on to say how Swagger will win the Chamber match and start setting things right in the USA. I'm still into this new storyline with these two trying to 'cleanse' their country as they'd put it.
Jack Swagger bested Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Mark Henry, Daniel Bryan and Kane in an Elimination Chamber match to earn a World Heavyweight Championship opportunity at WrestleMania XXVIIII. And what a tremendous Chamber match. From the opening I found it a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging affair, with a great display from each and every man. But the edge of your seat period came at the very end when it was only Jericho, Orton and Swagger left.
I also have to give WWE credit for the result, they gave us a surprise victor in Swagger. The biggest complaint from the Royal Rumble was the predictable results, and lets be honest, who saw the 'All American American' winning here? I for one think him and Del Rio could have a very interesting feud, and a solid bout on the big stage. Plus I've felt Swagger has been underutilised for a long while now, so colour me happy.
Daniel Bryan was first eliminated by a rampaging Mark Henry, same as Kane, then Henry himself was pinned by Orton after Swagger, Jericho and him teamed up to take him out. But the 'World's Strongest Man' would have his revenge as he then applied a World's Strongest Slam to each of the three men before he left. In a gripping final sequence Orton managed to block a Lionsault attempt from Y2J and then RKO him for a one-two-three, but then in a shocking result Swagger managed to score a quick roll up pin for the win and a World Title opportunity at 'Mania. A satisfying match on the whole.
The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) beat Ryback, Sheamus and John Cena in an exciting six-man tag bout. I was expecting a decent outing here, but it certainly exceeded that. Each member of The Shield gave worthy performances, with Sheamus also looking good, I can't really fault Cena or Ryback either but they weren't exactly outstanding compared to their usual standard. The result also keeps Shield's momentum going, which is rare when pitted against Cena. I expect another solid six-man contest with them at WrestleMania.
Although it wasn't as bracing as the trio's TLC match from December (it was never going to be) they yet again contributed to a fun six-man match that kept you interested throughout. The best period came at the end when Reigns speared Sheamus through the barricade (almost hitting poor Lillian Garcia) and after what appeared to be a comeback from Cena's unit, Reigns also then speared Ryback as he was going for a Shell Shock on Rollins, who pinned him as Cena was preoccupied. Cena feigned shock afterwards as best he could, with an upset Ryback storming off, failing to get his retribution once again.
Dolph Ziggler, accompanied by Big E Langston and AJ Lee, complained about being left out of the card and warned Swagger that only he was guaranteed the World Championship with his MITB contract. GM Booker T then joined him and introduced Ziggler's opponent right there and then, Kofi Kingston.
Dolph Ziggler pinned Kofi Kingston in a decent contest. As usual both men looked largely impressive in the ring with their unique styles, and most importantly they gave us a lively encounter to enjoy. Afterwards Big E continued the assault on Kofi after he'd accidentally flown into him on the outside during the bout.
Kaitlyn (c) beat Tamina Snuka to retain the Divas Title in an average and forgettable outing. Neither performer looked bad, there was just nothing exceptional or particularly engaging about the match at all. For the finish Tamina went for the Superfly Splash but missed, receiving a spear from the champ for the winning pin. The most entertaining part of this was a male fan in the front row who began dancing to Kaitlyn's theme after she'd won, trust me go back and watch it.
The Rock (c) pinned CM Punk to retain the WWE Championship in an exciting main event. As expected this surpassed their clash at the Royal Rumble, going back and fourth with solid sequences and a well planned out match on the whole. My only issue was an extra referee bump that felt unnecessary at the end, caused by Punk accidentally rolling over his ankle. The original official was taken out shortly before that by Punk irish whipping The Rock into him and landing on the outside.
As Punk then went to take advantage of the lack of refs and clobber Rocky with the title belt, 'The People's Champ' ducked and Punk instead struck his associate Heyman, much to the delight of the lame and awful Lawler on commentary, who'd been bashing him much of the match. The champ then applied his second Rock Bottom of the bout for the one-two-three. It was then confirmed, the match tag lined as 'Once In a Lifetime' is going to happen again, the rematch no fan seems to want is main eventing 'Mania in April, Cena versus The Rock.
Overall I felt Elimination Chamber was a very solid show, with every match, bar the Divas outing, being of a high or at least decent quality. The highlights for me were the six-man tag match, main event and superb Chamber match. And we also had a nice surprise with Swagger's victory, for everyone complaining of the predictable nature of WWE nowadays I guess they can still pull it off now and then. Although on the downside, we will unfortunately get the rematch nobody seems to want in Rock versus Cena, ah well, can't always win. 

Sunday 17 February 2013

My WWE Elimination Chamber 2013 Predictions


Photo credit: WWE.com

United States Championship Match - Antonio Cesaro (c) versus The Miz:

These two put on a stronger match up than I was expecting last month so I'm hoping for good things here, I'm sure it'll be a decent title bout. I can't see past Cesaro retaining, and I think that's the best way to go.

Winner: Antonio Cesaro

Divas Championship Match - Kaitlyn (c) versus Tamina Snuka:

As usual I'm not going into a Divas Title match with particularly high hopes, although Tamina is usually pretty competent in the ring so this could be a fair encounter. It's pretty fifty-fifty but I'm going with Kaitlyn to retain.

Winner: Kaitlyn

6-Man Tag Team Match - John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus versus The Shield (Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose):

I'm personally quite looking forward to this one actually, after The Shield's superb debut in the TLC match and playing to Cena and Ryback's strengths by having them enter in short bursts I think this could all add up to a solid tag outing, plus Sheamus who had a great 2012 in my opinion. With Cena heading to 'Mania in a much likely rematch with Rocky I can't see him and his team loosing here.

Winners: John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus

World Heavyweight Championship Match - Alberto Del Rio (c) versus Big Show:

After two gripping title clashes I'm very much looking forward to their their third and final encounter tonight. Both men have been on good form as of late and I've been enjoying their feud, even if it has lost a little steam. Del Rio to most likely retain here and go onto into a Triple Threat at 'Mania against Dolph Ziggler and Orton (you heard it here first! Or if not just pretend you did) after 'The Show Off' cashes in. 

Winner: Alberto Del Rio

World Heavyweight Championship #1 Contenders Elimination Chamber Match - Chris Jericho VS Kane VS Randy Orton VS Daniel Bryan VS Mark Henry VS Jack Swagger:

With a nice lineup this should be a fun Chamber match, with Bryan and Jericho as my two predictions for standout performers, especially Y2J on recent form. While not a massive Henry fan I think he'll be an entertaining factor here, with everyone else most likely ganging up at some point to eliminate him. I'll also be intrigued to see how well Swagger does, hopefully he'll be allowed to look quite dominant, I'm really liking his intriguing new partnership with Zeb Colter
I also expect this to be the big stepping stone leading into Bryan versus Kane at WrestleMania, with Bryan eliminating Kane with a quick roll up pin or something similar I reckon. But the last man I'll mention is Orton, who I see as the final man standing. I can understand people thinking Henry will win here, and I wouldn't be surprised at that, but I'm sticking with my gut and going for 'The Viper'. 

Winner: Randy Orton

WWE Championship Match - The Rock (c) versus CM Punk:

After reading a fair bit of feedback from fans on Punk and Rock's match from the Royal Rumble (as depressing as it can get) a lot of them were not that impressed, but I quite liked it myself (call me an optimist), so I'm actually looking forward to their rematch.
I reckon it'll be an improvement on their last effort and a far more interesting watch than people are expecting, I'm sure we'll get an intriguing story from it with decent action to boot. Unfortunately the only downfall (and largest complaint from the Royal Rumble) is that the outcome almost seems just too predictable, with 'The People's Champ' riding out still the champion and going on to loose to Cena at WrestleMania. So that's my prediction.

Winner: The Rock

Overall I think it should be a largely enjoyable card, much like the Rumble last month. So I hope you all enjoy it (you all won't, there are always those few, or many rather) and that it's a good show, with a few surprises perhaps? Na maybe not, and I'll see you all back here tomorrow for my recap!