What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Smackdown 11/29/11. How will a Holiday edition of SD fair out? Well, let's find out and start the review.
I'm not even sure if I should be reviewing this. It was a Holiday themed show, so you knew you would get lots of comedy and filler. Still, I'm sure somebody out there wants to read this, so I will go through with it. We open up the show with Mick Foley. He talks about loving Christmas and even thought it's still a month away, he wants to celebrate early. He says there will be a world title match, a miracle on 34th street fight, and a battle royal in which the winner gets a wish from Santa. He brings out Michael Cole, who is dressed up like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Josh Matthew was already on the headset and is an elf. Cole wasn't happy about his getup. Booker T comes out next and is dressed up like Santa Claus....which is already strange since Foley is already dressed up like Santa. I have a joke in mind, but it isn't appropriate for this show. After a spin a roonie, Cody Rhodes interrupts. Cody talks down to Booker while Booker says he doesn't have a problem with Cody, but he can still fight if it comes to it. Mick makes it Booker vs Cody for later tonight. Seems kinda early for Cody and Booker to square off since their rivalry is just getting started, but we will get to that later on in the show. Chances are you will hate the rest of the show if you have no Christmas spirit or you're taking the show too seriously (AKA: the IWC).
Match #1: Mistletoe on a pole match
Yeah, this is a real match. It works like any other blank on a pole match, but the divas are trying to get a mistletoe. The match is really short and it ends when Brie Bella wins the match. Still can't tell the difference between Brie and Nikki, but who cares? After the match, Foley Claus says Brie didn't win a Divas title match, but a free kiss between now and Christmas. Brie doesn't seem too thrilled about it at first, but starts to warm up to the idea. What's next for the Bella Whores? Tune in next week.
Winner: Brie Bella
Match #2: Justin Gabriel vs Jinder Mahal
Two Gabriel matches in as many weeks? Whoa whoa whoa, pace yourselves, WWE. You don't want to overwork him. Joking aside, nice to see Gabriel making appearances. The match was short. Not only is Jinder boring to listen to, he's boring to watch in the ring. Jinder gives you no reason to care about him. He's so cliche that he isn't even worth mentioning. During the match, Ted DiBiase showed up and handed gifts to the audience while Jinder goes on his rants. I swear, the Swedish Chef makes more sense than Jinder...
With the distraction, Gabriel was able to get back in the match. A 450 Splash later and Gabriel has won the match. They're trying something with DiBiase, but I would care a lot more if he was working with another opponent. This rivalry seems like something you would see on Superstars, not Smackdown. Well....I'll give it a chance.
Winner via pinfall: Justin Gabriel
Backstage where it's Christmas party/random cameos galore. Piper, Dusty, Usos, Trent Barreta, and many others were in this scene. The bit between Dusty Rhodes and Goldust was pretty funny, but something about this scene seemed off. It didn't seem like it had direction since the cameraman was going all over the place as if he was drunk. Did someone spike the egg nog? I wouldn't be surprised if they told everyone involved in this scene to just wing it. Anyway, David Otunga shows up and talks about copyright infringement, so he wants to shut down the Christmas party. Why can't these lawyers be like Harvey Birdman? Foley has an idea and books him in a street fight against Randy Orton. I just figured it out. Otunga isn't drinking coffee. He's drinking the Robonitis Kool-Aid. There was also a backstage interview with Booker, but is attacked by Cody. Rhodes uses the IC title belt on Booker's arm and leaves. The scene ends with officials attending to Booker. The match was basically called off because of the attack. I can see people being disappointed with this, but I'm kinda glad they did this. It was too soon for a Rhodes/Booker match and they should take more time to build this baby up. I think somewhere around TLC would be a good spot.
Match #3: Kofi Kingston vs Tyson Kidd
Am I watching WWE Superstars? I was wondering why this match was happening on SD, but my question would be answered eventually. The match takes place on the outside for a while and Kofi makes fun of Cole's reindeer outfit. He takes his antlers and red nose and puts it on. Kofi went up the top rope and there you have it, a reindeer jumping the shark...er, I mean flying. Yeah....that's what I meant. If I wanted to watch reindeer fly, I would watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which just happened to be on CBS tonight. Get off my back, I love Christmas. The match was okay. It was a throwaway match, but it was put on for the sole purpose of the holiday spirit. Families might get a kick out of this.
Winner via pinfall: Kofi Kingston
Match #4: Randy Orton vs David Otunga in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight
There was a lot of Christmas trees propped up for this match. It has been a while since I've seen Otunga in the ring and I have to be honest. Even though he got his ass kicked for majority of the match, he has improved in the ring. There was many times where it seemed like Otunga was lost in the ring, but he seems to be getting a better understand of it. He still has a long way to go, but at least he has made some sort of progress. Orton tossed Otunga into most of the Christmas trees that were on display. Orton even ate a cookie and used the cookie sheet as a weapon on Otunga. Otunga was even tossed into some presents. The cardbox box.....my mortal enemy. The audience seemed to be enjoying this, no matter how silly it was. Again, just another holiday match. I really shouldn't be reviewing this episode based on the fact it was a holiday theme. The finish comes when Wade Barrett makes his only appearance of the night and attacks Randy. It appears Otunga is about to pick the bones, but Orton kicks out. If you are asking yourself why would Wade help Otunga......wrestling logic, let's move on. After Orton's kick out, he gets back in the match and hits RKO for the victory. You really shouldn't be surprised to see Randy get this victory. He kinda needed it.
Winner via pinfall: Randy Orton
Match #5: Battle Royal
Oh boy. I recall earlier in the evening that Foley said he wanted to redeem himself for his train wreck of "This is your life" from a few weeks back. Well, after watching this match, I'm not sure which was worse. I'm fine with WWE getting into the Christmas spirit, but I think they went a little too far at this point. Unfortunately, this match will only add to the complaints in how people don't like the PG era. There was a lot of unused talents in this battle royal. I think Sheamus was the only major star in this whole match. Hornswoggle was in this match.....great. Now, I'm trying to sit back and find ways to defend this....but I can't do it. I'll admit, the entire bit was pretty stupid. So, we get to the finish of this battle royal. Hornswoggle is just sitting under the ring because that's what his gimmick does.....for about 5 years. It was down to Sheamus and a bunch of low level heels. They took him on the outside and did a 4 on 1 attack on Sheamus. They didn't go over the top rope, so it's technically legal. The heels get in the ring and Jinder Mahal (Two Mahal matches in one night? I think I'm gonna cry) orders the other heels to get Hornswoggle. They grab him and start tossing him around. They are ready to throw him out of the ring, but the Great White arrives to clear house. In a matter of seconds, Sheamus eliminates those four other guys and it's down to Sheamus and Hornswoggle. Sheamus wants him to leave, but Hornswoggle won't back down. Sheamus starts to get angry, but he doesn't want to hurt the little guy. He picks him up to toss him out of the ring, but he still holds onto the rope. Both are standing on the ring apron and they are both ready to hug, but Hornswoggle conned Sheamus and pushes him off the ring apron. That's right.....Hornswoggle wins. Feel free to vent your anger if it makes you feel any better. I didn't like it, but I understand it was for the holidays. Still, Hornswoggle winning is a little too much for a holiday special. After the match, Sheamus is really angry, but keeps his cool and Hornswoggle gets to buy himself another 15 minutes. I don't want to talk about this any further, so let's just move to the next scene.
Winner: Hornswoggle
I thought we were moving to the next scene? Anyway, since Hornswoggle won the match, he gets a wish from Santa. He wishes for the ability to talk. He starts talking and for once, Hornswoggle actually got me to laugh. Mick shows up, but not as the Santa Clause. They thought Mick was doing the wishing, but it turned out to be someone else in the Santa suit. They turn around and....OMG, he's gone. It's a conspiracy!!!
Match #6: Mark Henry vs Daniel Bryan; Steel Cage Match for the WHC
This was pretty much the only thing I was looking forward to for the evening. I wouldn't call this match good, but Bryan/Henry did make it work despite the obvious size difference. Bryan did have an uphill battle, but did make it a fight and almost got the victory over the big guy. Still, at the end of the day, Henry was just too much. The finish comes when Henry gets Bryan and hits World's Strongest Slam from the second rope. Have to admit, that spot was pretty cool. The show ends with Henry posing with the world title as he prepares for Big Show at TLC. I think the booking made sense. Henry and Show haven't finished their rivalry and they need to end it, hopefully at TLC. As for Bryan, he didn't look too bad and it was appropriate for him to lose the match like this. Keep in mind that Bryan is a small guy while Henry is a giant. I still think they are trying something with Bryan, and they really need to since he still has the MITB. There are more fans getting behind Bryan, but this is going to take some time. Plus, he got a kiss from AJ. Lucky bastard.
Winner via pinfall and still WHC: Mark Henry
Overall Impression:
I really didn't want to review this show. Mainly because it was a holiday themed show and you knew they would fully embrace this concept. Some people might think WWE went a little too far with embracing the holidays, and.....yeah, you have a decent argument. Then again, the show wasn't really design to build up new rivalries or showcase new storylines. It was put forth to get people in the Christmas spirit, and that of itself kinda makes the show unreviewable. In terms of holiday theme wrestling shows, this was okay. It wasn't great and there was some very silly moments, but it was expected. Was there plenty of stupid moments? Yes, but you shouldn't really take an episode like this seriously since it was all geared towards the holidays. Holiday themed wrestling shows are a lot like filler episodes of pro wrestling, except more festive. Okay, I'm done talking about this and I hope you enjoyed this for what this was worth. Tell me what you thought of this attempt at a review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time and Happy Holidays.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw Review 11/28/11
What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Raw 11/28/11. How will CM Punk's first title defense turn out? Well, let's find out and start the review.
We open up the show with Piper's Pit, with you host "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. He talks about himself and brings out his guest, John Cena. Piper talks about how the audience can give you energy, but Piper thinks Cena doesn't embrace this since he gets a mixed response. Piper says teaming up with the Rock really opened his eyes and thinks Cena is starting to lose control of himself. Cena says he is loyal to his fanbase and realizes there are groups of people who hate him and he's okay with that. Piper says Cena is the face of the company, but the boos are getting louder and it's time for Cena to tell the fans how he REALLY feels about all of this. Piper claims that if Cena doesn't let it out, he will definitely lose and WrestleMania and it will continue to go downhill for Cena. Cena goes on a rant how different audiences have always hated him and nothing will be able to faze him. Piper once again is pushing for Cena to tell the fans how he really feels, but Cena once again refuses. It gets to the point where Piper slaps Cena in the face. It almost seems like Cena is going to turn into the Incredible Hulk, but he just leaves the ring, which ends the segment. Very interested events to open up tonight's show. Piper is awesome, but what else is new? We are also seeing the development of Cena's character, which hasn't been done in a while. Piper was pushing Cena to the point to really tell the fans how he felt, or release his anger...
You tell him, Emperor Piper. Cena usually brushes off these type of responses, but you almost get the sense that maybe it's starting to eat away at Cena. I really liked it since it shows the tension building up in Cena's character. Once again, the door is open for Cena to turn heel. I still don't think it will happen, but if they are planning it, it will be a slow build up. Tonight might have been the start of that slow escalation of a new Cena. It's always possible Cena finally tells the fans off, but still remains a good guy. I can see people complain in how this segment didn't do anything for the time being. As I've said many times on this show, pro wrestling is about telling a story, and storytelling does take time. Definitely one of the better Cena segments I have seen all year. WWE couldn't have picked a better person to poke Cena's buttons like Piper. Then again, Piper is a professional at making you hate him. Whatever you do, don't give this guy a coconut....
Match #1: John Morrison vs Miz in a Falls Count Anywhere Match
As Morrison is making his way to the ring, Miz attacks him from behind with a lead pipe. After several lead pipe shots on Morrison's leg, officials finally break it up. Miz waits in the ring while officials help Morrison to the back. Morrison turns around and walks towards the ring. After some stiff negotiations that Phoenix Wright would be proud of, the referee actually allows Morrison to compete. The match starts and Morrison makes it interesting, but the injury would catch up to him. There was a point where Miz got a kendo stick and used it on Morrison, but Morrison would use the weapon for himself. They eventually fight up the entrance ramp. After Miz shoves Morrison in the WWE logo sign (possible metaphor?), Miz hits Skull Crushing Finale. He is about to pin him, but the referee rules that Morrison cannot compete and Miz is handed the victory. The match wasn't good, but it also wasn't designed to be good as they were going for storytelling here. After the match, officials help Morrison on a stretcher while Miz cuts a promo. By the way, John Laurinaitis made a quick cameo in checking up on Morrison. He shook his head in disgust and left. Laurinaitis: You've just been....future endeavored *smug pose*. Miz says R-Truth was last week, Morrison was tonight, and next week will be......you have to wait and see. Miz looked really angry tonight. Either he was pissed off or he was constipated. Then again, that could also make a person angry. Anyway, this whole bit does a lot for the Miz since he seems to be ready for something big. As I mentioned last week, he could be the next guy to challenge for the WWE championship. I can see people being upset that Morrison goes out like this. A lot of reports are saying this was Morrison's last week with the WWE and it isn't really clear if he was able to re-sign another deal. Well, it's always possible for Morrison to come back, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was the last time you see Morrison. Cheer up, you might be able to see him in another 3-4 months on TNA. Yeah....what? We will wait and see what will happen for Morrison's career.
Winner: Miz
Match #2: Bellas vs Alicia Fox and Kelly Kelly
During the match, Beth Phoenix and Natalya were jogging around the ring. Okay, Jillian Michaels? After....THAT, the match ended when Alicia did her rollthough legdrop for the clean victory. That cryptic link showed up once again on WWE programming. As I mentioned last week, I thought either Chris Jericho or Undertaker with the video. I actually thought of someone else that I'm surprised nobody has mentioned. It could be Christian? It doesn't seem very likely, but he would definitely like to reclaim something he once had if you think about it. Might be a longshot, but I'm just throwing s*** out there. Either way, that could be an interesting episode of Raw...maybe.
Winner via pinfall: Alicia Fox and Kelly Kelly
Backstage where John Laurinaitis is on the phone with Brodus Clay. He ONCE AGAIN delays his debut for another week. David Otunga comes into the scene and wonders why Laurinaitis keeps doing that to Brodus? Laurinaitis says it will make Brodus more angry, thus going ape s*** when he finally shows up. I still think Brodus' gimmick is going to be that guy who never shows up. Either way, this is already better build up than WCW's Glacier. Anyway, Alberto Del Rio arrives since Laurinaitis called him in. Bender tells him to take this match seriouslly against CM Punk tonight since he doesn't want Del Rio to lose again. Laurinaitis claims to be unbiased, but he is clearly pulling for Del RIo. I think a gear might be lose in Robonaitis? Punk interrupts and makes fun of all of them. He said he did a google search on "Laurinaitis and spineless" and got a high number, but not higher than "Del Rio and boring" (A little fun fact for you reading this. I actually did this myself and "Del Rio and boring" got a ton of google hits. I wonder how many of those are sponsored by me?). As for Otunga, all you get is something about Jennifer Hudson (It's funny because it's true. Try it out). After Punk has had his fun, he talks about retaining the WWE Championship. As Punk leaves, Otunga says Punk is trying to pull a fast one in get himself DQed. Laurinaitis adds that if Punk DQs himself in any way, he is stripped of the title. Damn lawyers.
Match #3: Dolph Ziggler vs Randy Orton
Wade Barrett was on commentary for this match. This was a well paced, back and forth match. Good wrestling match to watch. The finish comes when Wade gets involved, but Orton drop kicks him. This allows for Dolph to hit the Zig Zag and wins the match. Pretty big victory for Dolph. I can see IWC bitching in how Dolph should've got the clean victory. Well, keep in mind that it's Orton. You know, one of the bigger faces in the WWE. You can't make him look bad, so he has to lose in some sort of shenanigans. Pro wrestling has always been written up like this, so don't act like this is new. A win like this is showing more signs that WWE is ready to push Dolph to bigger things. I think Dolph is in the same position as Miz was last year. Remember when Miz was US Champion last year? He was holding onto MITB and they were building him up to the main event. Before he could jump in the main event, he had to put somebody over in the mid card division and/or drop the US title. As you know, it would turn out to be Daniel Bryan. I think Dolph is working his way up the main event, but before he can jump in there, he has to help put over Zack Ryder and drop the title. Look out for #Heel in 2012.
Winner via pinfall: Dolph Ziggler
Back in the ring where Michael Cole wants to "interview" Daniel Bryan. Cole calls him a hypocrite for lying about his MITB cash-in. Bryan wants it understood that he earned MITB and he earned his world title match for tomorrow night. He says Cole is the worst announcer ever. Bryan says he knows Cole will never like him, but maybe he has learned to respect him. Cole says there is no way he can respect Bryan for cashing in MITB on a fallen champion (Oh, like your precious Miz and Del Rio? Hypocites and wrestling logic go hand in hand). They show the false cash-in and Cole continues to gloat. Bryan goes on a speech in how it's true he's a hypocrite, but his plan changed with Mark Henry started making an example out of him. He says he will become world champion. I like the ending there with Bryan's promo. Kinda strange that Bryan's best promos have come when Cole was involved? Henry interrupts and says even though he's banged up, he will defend his title tomorrow night and Bryan doesn't have a chance of winning. No chance of winning? Is there any tiger blood available? Bryan gets angry and says he will see him tomorrow night, but not before kicking him in his injured leg as he walks away. Pretty good job of setting up the world title match for tomorrow night. It showed a lot of passion in Bryan's eyes and it does make the match a little more interesting, despite the fact that it could turn into a slaughterfest. I really hope that doesn't happen since Bryan has actually be been getting some decent character development the last two weeks and a massacre would hurt his developing stock.
Match #4: Zack Ryder vs Jack Swagger
A basic match that let's the Ryder Revolution have their fixings. The finish comes when Ryder counters the Swagger Bomb by raising his knees. Zack would follow up with Rough Ryder for the clean victory.
Winner via pinfall: Zack Ryder
A Kane resurrection video package. I kinda hope Kane is wearing the mask when he returns, but wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't happen. Mick Foley arrives in a Santa suit. He does a WWE Smackdown version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Kinda funny. It really adds hype for tomorrow's show. There was also a backstage scene in which Punk tells Laurinaitis to kiss his ass. It's funny how people complain in how WWE PG is dumb, but you have people like Punk who tend to break down the PG wall on several occassions. I swear, people pay way too much attention to the rating that appears before a WWE program.
Match #5: CM Punk vs Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship
Punk is ready to fight. You know what that means...
This was a good match, but not as good as their Survivor Series match. It might not have been a great wrestling match, but it was sure entertaining. There was a moment where Del Rio exposed the turnbuckle, but the referee would deal with that. This allowed for a steel chair to come into play. Del Rio smashes it on the floor and tries to pull an Eddie Guerrero, but Del Rio epic failed this bit since Punk tossed the chair right back at him and fell to the floor. Now, THAT'S how you pull off an Eddie Guerrero. I was already content with the match being over right then and there, but we're still going. The finish comes when Ricardo Rodriguez gets involved. While the referee is dealing with him, Punk uses the exposed turnbuckle to use it on Del Rio's head. Punk picks up the victory in cheap fashion. Not a clean conclusion, but it reminded me so much of Eddie Guerrero. Remember back in the day when Eddie would win matches like this? And he was the good guy....sometimes. After the match, Punk hit GTS on Ricardo. The show ends with Punk celebrating. If you're a fan of Eddie Guerrero, you will like this match. It definitely sets up the possibility of ONE MORE MATCH (Christian: What the f***?) between Punk and Del Rio because of the screwy finish. If things are over between Punk and Del Rio, I think Miz is the next candidate to challenge Punk.
Winner via pinfall and still WWE Champion: CM Punk
Overall Impression:
I really enjoyed Raw tonight. This might have been the best Raw I have seen in a while. The matches were solid and fun to watch. There wasn't perfect wrestling matches, but they were entertaining. The promos/segments were enjoyable as well. I can see a lot of people disliking the Piper/Cena bit since it didn't do a whole lot at the moment, but I think WWE is trying to tell a story to Cena's character. It doesn't mean it will lead to a heel turn, but it could be interesting to see a transition to Cena's character. You can still keep Cena face, just as long as you try something different. Cena's character is kinda stale and it might make for interesting TV to see where they go with all of this. I would like to see a slow build up to this since it seems like Cena will snap at somepoint. Just because he snaps doesn't mean a heel turn is on the way. You just have to wait and see. Give Pipe a ton of credit since he can really get underneath your skin, which is what made the facial expressions on Cena that much bigger. Then again, that's what I expect for one of the greatest villains in professional wrestling. Punk was hilarious once again. He really is making things more entertaining with his anticts. He can put on a good wrestling match and can make you laugh, what more do you want? Tonight must has been a full show since Kevin Nash didn't make an appearance. Anybody catch that? There was even build up for tomorrow night's SD, so I think it was a very well done show. No show is going to be perfect, but it was really fun to watch and I recommend it. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time.
We open up the show with Piper's Pit, with you host "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. He talks about himself and brings out his guest, John Cena. Piper talks about how the audience can give you energy, but Piper thinks Cena doesn't embrace this since he gets a mixed response. Piper says teaming up with the Rock really opened his eyes and thinks Cena is starting to lose control of himself. Cena says he is loyal to his fanbase and realizes there are groups of people who hate him and he's okay with that. Piper says Cena is the face of the company, but the boos are getting louder and it's time for Cena to tell the fans how he REALLY feels about all of this. Piper claims that if Cena doesn't let it out, he will definitely lose and WrestleMania and it will continue to go downhill for Cena. Cena goes on a rant how different audiences have always hated him and nothing will be able to faze him. Piper once again is pushing for Cena to tell the fans how he really feels, but Cena once again refuses. It gets to the point where Piper slaps Cena in the face. It almost seems like Cena is going to turn into the Incredible Hulk, but he just leaves the ring, which ends the segment. Very interested events to open up tonight's show. Piper is awesome, but what else is new? We are also seeing the development of Cena's character, which hasn't been done in a while. Piper was pushing Cena to the point to really tell the fans how he felt, or release his anger...
You tell him, Emperor Piper. Cena usually brushes off these type of responses, but you almost get the sense that maybe it's starting to eat away at Cena. I really liked it since it shows the tension building up in Cena's character. Once again, the door is open for Cena to turn heel. I still don't think it will happen, but if they are planning it, it will be a slow build up. Tonight might have been the start of that slow escalation of a new Cena. It's always possible Cena finally tells the fans off, but still remains a good guy. I can see people complain in how this segment didn't do anything for the time being. As I've said many times on this show, pro wrestling is about telling a story, and storytelling does take time. Definitely one of the better Cena segments I have seen all year. WWE couldn't have picked a better person to poke Cena's buttons like Piper. Then again, Piper is a professional at making you hate him. Whatever you do, don't give this guy a coconut....
Match #1: John Morrison vs Miz in a Falls Count Anywhere Match
As Morrison is making his way to the ring, Miz attacks him from behind with a lead pipe. After several lead pipe shots on Morrison's leg, officials finally break it up. Miz waits in the ring while officials help Morrison to the back. Morrison turns around and walks towards the ring. After some stiff negotiations that Phoenix Wright would be proud of, the referee actually allows Morrison to compete. The match starts and Morrison makes it interesting, but the injury would catch up to him. There was a point where Miz got a kendo stick and used it on Morrison, but Morrison would use the weapon for himself. They eventually fight up the entrance ramp. After Miz shoves Morrison in the WWE logo sign (possible metaphor?), Miz hits Skull Crushing Finale. He is about to pin him, but the referee rules that Morrison cannot compete and Miz is handed the victory. The match wasn't good, but it also wasn't designed to be good as they were going for storytelling here. After the match, officials help Morrison on a stretcher while Miz cuts a promo. By the way, John Laurinaitis made a quick cameo in checking up on Morrison. He shook his head in disgust and left. Laurinaitis: You've just been....future endeavored *smug pose*. Miz says R-Truth was last week, Morrison was tonight, and next week will be......you have to wait and see. Miz looked really angry tonight. Either he was pissed off or he was constipated. Then again, that could also make a person angry. Anyway, this whole bit does a lot for the Miz since he seems to be ready for something big. As I mentioned last week, he could be the next guy to challenge for the WWE championship. I can see people being upset that Morrison goes out like this. A lot of reports are saying this was Morrison's last week with the WWE and it isn't really clear if he was able to re-sign another deal. Well, it's always possible for Morrison to come back, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was the last time you see Morrison. Cheer up, you might be able to see him in another 3-4 months on TNA. Yeah....what? We will wait and see what will happen for Morrison's career.
Winner: Miz
Match #2: Bellas vs Alicia Fox and Kelly Kelly
During the match, Beth Phoenix and Natalya were jogging around the ring. Okay, Jillian Michaels? After....THAT, the match ended when Alicia did her rollthough legdrop for the clean victory. That cryptic link showed up once again on WWE programming. As I mentioned last week, I thought either Chris Jericho or Undertaker with the video. I actually thought of someone else that I'm surprised nobody has mentioned. It could be Christian? It doesn't seem very likely, but he would definitely like to reclaim something he once had if you think about it. Might be a longshot, but I'm just throwing s*** out there. Either way, that could be an interesting episode of Raw...maybe.
Winner via pinfall: Alicia Fox and Kelly Kelly
Backstage where John Laurinaitis is on the phone with Brodus Clay. He ONCE AGAIN delays his debut for another week. David Otunga comes into the scene and wonders why Laurinaitis keeps doing that to Brodus? Laurinaitis says it will make Brodus more angry, thus going ape s*** when he finally shows up. I still think Brodus' gimmick is going to be that guy who never shows up. Either way, this is already better build up than WCW's Glacier. Anyway, Alberto Del Rio arrives since Laurinaitis called him in. Bender tells him to take this match seriouslly against CM Punk tonight since he doesn't want Del Rio to lose again. Laurinaitis claims to be unbiased, but he is clearly pulling for Del RIo. I think a gear might be lose in Robonaitis? Punk interrupts and makes fun of all of them. He said he did a google search on "Laurinaitis and spineless" and got a high number, but not higher than "Del Rio and boring" (A little fun fact for you reading this. I actually did this myself and "Del Rio and boring" got a ton of google hits. I wonder how many of those are sponsored by me?). As for Otunga, all you get is something about Jennifer Hudson (It's funny because it's true. Try it out). After Punk has had his fun, he talks about retaining the WWE Championship. As Punk leaves, Otunga says Punk is trying to pull a fast one in get himself DQed. Laurinaitis adds that if Punk DQs himself in any way, he is stripped of the title. Damn lawyers.
Match #3: Dolph Ziggler vs Randy Orton
Wade Barrett was on commentary for this match. This was a well paced, back and forth match. Good wrestling match to watch. The finish comes when Wade gets involved, but Orton drop kicks him. This allows for Dolph to hit the Zig Zag and wins the match. Pretty big victory for Dolph. I can see IWC bitching in how Dolph should've got the clean victory. Well, keep in mind that it's Orton. You know, one of the bigger faces in the WWE. You can't make him look bad, so he has to lose in some sort of shenanigans. Pro wrestling has always been written up like this, so don't act like this is new. A win like this is showing more signs that WWE is ready to push Dolph to bigger things. I think Dolph is in the same position as Miz was last year. Remember when Miz was US Champion last year? He was holding onto MITB and they were building him up to the main event. Before he could jump in the main event, he had to put somebody over in the mid card division and/or drop the US title. As you know, it would turn out to be Daniel Bryan. I think Dolph is working his way up the main event, but before he can jump in there, he has to help put over Zack Ryder and drop the title. Look out for #Heel in 2012.
Winner via pinfall: Dolph Ziggler
Back in the ring where Michael Cole wants to "interview" Daniel Bryan. Cole calls him a hypocrite for lying about his MITB cash-in. Bryan wants it understood that he earned MITB and he earned his world title match for tomorrow night. He says Cole is the worst announcer ever. Bryan says he knows Cole will never like him, but maybe he has learned to respect him. Cole says there is no way he can respect Bryan for cashing in MITB on a fallen champion (Oh, like your precious Miz and Del Rio? Hypocites and wrestling logic go hand in hand). They show the false cash-in and Cole continues to gloat. Bryan goes on a speech in how it's true he's a hypocrite, but his plan changed with Mark Henry started making an example out of him. He says he will become world champion. I like the ending there with Bryan's promo. Kinda strange that Bryan's best promos have come when Cole was involved? Henry interrupts and says even though he's banged up, he will defend his title tomorrow night and Bryan doesn't have a chance of winning. No chance of winning? Is there any tiger blood available? Bryan gets angry and says he will see him tomorrow night, but not before kicking him in his injured leg as he walks away. Pretty good job of setting up the world title match for tomorrow night. It showed a lot of passion in Bryan's eyes and it does make the match a little more interesting, despite the fact that it could turn into a slaughterfest. I really hope that doesn't happen since Bryan has actually be been getting some decent character development the last two weeks and a massacre would hurt his developing stock.
Match #4: Zack Ryder vs Jack Swagger
A basic match that let's the Ryder Revolution have their fixings. The finish comes when Ryder counters the Swagger Bomb by raising his knees. Zack would follow up with Rough Ryder for the clean victory.
Winner via pinfall: Zack Ryder
A Kane resurrection video package. I kinda hope Kane is wearing the mask when he returns, but wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't happen. Mick Foley arrives in a Santa suit. He does a WWE Smackdown version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Kinda funny. It really adds hype for tomorrow's show. There was also a backstage scene in which Punk tells Laurinaitis to kiss his ass. It's funny how people complain in how WWE PG is dumb, but you have people like Punk who tend to break down the PG wall on several occassions. I swear, people pay way too much attention to the rating that appears before a WWE program.
Match #5: CM Punk vs Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship
Punk is ready to fight. You know what that means...
This was a good match, but not as good as their Survivor Series match. It might not have been a great wrestling match, but it was sure entertaining. There was a moment where Del Rio exposed the turnbuckle, but the referee would deal with that. This allowed for a steel chair to come into play. Del Rio smashes it on the floor and tries to pull an Eddie Guerrero, but Del Rio epic failed this bit since Punk tossed the chair right back at him and fell to the floor. Now, THAT'S how you pull off an Eddie Guerrero. I was already content with the match being over right then and there, but we're still going. The finish comes when Ricardo Rodriguez gets involved. While the referee is dealing with him, Punk uses the exposed turnbuckle to use it on Del Rio's head. Punk picks up the victory in cheap fashion. Not a clean conclusion, but it reminded me so much of Eddie Guerrero. Remember back in the day when Eddie would win matches like this? And he was the good guy....sometimes. After the match, Punk hit GTS on Ricardo. The show ends with Punk celebrating. If you're a fan of Eddie Guerrero, you will like this match. It definitely sets up the possibility of ONE MORE MATCH (Christian: What the f***?) between Punk and Del Rio because of the screwy finish. If things are over between Punk and Del Rio, I think Miz is the next candidate to challenge Punk.
Winner via pinfall and still WWE Champion: CM Punk
Overall Impression:
I really enjoyed Raw tonight. This might have been the best Raw I have seen in a while. The matches were solid and fun to watch. There wasn't perfect wrestling matches, but they were entertaining. The promos/segments were enjoyable as well. I can see a lot of people disliking the Piper/Cena bit since it didn't do a whole lot at the moment, but I think WWE is trying to tell a story to Cena's character. It doesn't mean it will lead to a heel turn, but it could be interesting to see a transition to Cena's character. You can still keep Cena face, just as long as you try something different. Cena's character is kinda stale and it might make for interesting TV to see where they go with all of this. I would like to see a slow build up to this since it seems like Cena will snap at somepoint. Just because he snaps doesn't mean a heel turn is on the way. You just have to wait and see. Give Pipe a ton of credit since he can really get underneath your skin, which is what made the facial expressions on Cena that much bigger. Then again, that's what I expect for one of the greatest villains in professional wrestling. Punk was hilarious once again. He really is making things more entertaining with his anticts. He can put on a good wrestling match and can make you laugh, what more do you want? Tonight must has been a full show since Kevin Nash didn't make an appearance. Anybody catch that? There was even build up for tomorrow night's SD, so I think it was a very well done show. No show is going to be perfect, but it was really fun to watch and I recommend it. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Smackdown Review 11/25/11 (We have a NEW.....nevermind)
What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Smackdown on 11/25/11. With Raw and Impact being very lacking in the quality department this week, would SD be able to do better again? Well, let's find out and start the review.
We open up the show with Mark Henry. He is walking out on a crutch and has a brace over the injured ankle. He talks about how the audience is selfish since they are cheering for someone who is hurt. He says that he didn't kick Show in the groin at Survivor Series and Show sold the hell out of it. He brings up that he isn't medically cleared to compete tonight. Big Show interrupts the segment and gives his side of the story. He says it was just revenge for taking him out for 4 months and says this isn't over yet. Henry says he is done with Show and claims he is a loser. After lots of epic stare down between the giants, Show hits the KO punch on Henry and leaves. You think the segment is over, but then you hear Daniel Bryan's entrance music. Bryan is running towards the ring and cashes in the MITB. The bell rings and Bryan turns over Henry and pins him. It appears we have a new world champion. The audience is eating this up while Bryan is celebrating with the WHC. He even shoved it in the face of Michael Cole. Who would've thought we would see a new champion being crowned....
Teddy Long arrives and has something to say. He says that Henry wasn't medically cleared to compete, so the MITB cash in has been waived off. The fans are booing while Bryan is very angry and disappointed by hearing this news. Teddy demands he give the WHC back to him since it still belongs to Henry. Bryan reluctantly gives the WHC back. Teddy does the right thing and says since the MITB cash-in never happened, Bryan still keeps the MITB briefcase. Teddy tries to make it up to Bryan (You just took away the world title from him. I don't think anything you can do will make it up to him.....just saying) by putting him in a Fatal 4 Way match to determine who will get the next world title match. It will be Bryan vs Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett vs Cody Rhodes, where the winner will get their world title match on next week's Smackdown, which just happens to be live next Tuesday. So, a lot of activity to open up this week's SD. I have been saying for a while they need to try something with Bryan since he has the MITB and they should be using that to build him up. Well, it looks like they are trying something with him. I think they teased Bryan being the new world champion to see how well the crowd was able to respond to his cash-in. I like Bryan, and the audience was in full support for Bryan, but he isn't ready to become the world champion at this moment. It's too soon and he still needs more time to develop his character. Yeah, the cash in will be an amazing spot for Bryan, but how will Bryan be looked at on the next week's show and moving forward if we was the world champion? Yeah, it makes the most sense to have Henry still be world champ. Now, I can already see people bitching about how MITB means you cash in anyplace, anytime, so how can they waive it off? Well.....the easiest answer to that is wrestling logic. You know, where you can bend the rules at any given place and time to benefit your show/storyline. Keep in mind that the false cash-in has finally given something meaningful for Daniel Bryan. Now he is apart of a storyline that is actually interesting, so I don't mind the false advertising. Again, pro wrestling is about telling a story, so no need to throw a hissy fit because your guy didn't get what he wanted. I swear, the IWC takes everything way too seriously. I guess Bryan isn't moving up the Booker T Fave Five? Noooooooooooooo!!!
Match #1: Justin Gabriel vs Hunico
Gabriel still works here? They should use him a little more often, mainly for tag team wrestling. Anyway, this was a pretty decent back and forth match. Not an overly amazing match, but a good match to get you interested in watching the rest of the show. Then again, I think the opening did a good enough job to keep you invested. The finish comes when Hunico did an eye gouge behind the referee's back. This allows for Hunico to hit the Swanton Bomb from off the top rope and gets the victory. One of the things I heard was Josh Matthews saying how the world title match would be a Steel Cage Match, while it would be announced later on in the show by Teddy. Wouldn't be surprised if Matthews did a slight spoiler here. Not sure what happens to Hunico since his main rival is now on the shelf. Noticed how Primo and Epico haven't been showing up near Hunico lately. Maybe WWE already canned the idea? Then again, they can use that group for tag team wrestling.
Winner via pinfall: Hunico
Match #2: Beth Phoenix and Natalya vs AJ and Kaitlyn
Alicia Fox was on commentary for this match. This was an odd match. AJ was the only one from her team involved in this match, while Kaitlyn seemed upset with her partner (at least after the match). The match was very short and it was over with Natalya locked in Sharpshooter. Not a great match, but unlike this week's KO match on TNA, this was kept short and simple. Seriously, if you want to see half naked women, just watch Cinemax. After the match, Kaitlyn argues with AJ and leaves her behind. Beth and Natalya continue to punish AJ and want to see her cry. After about a whole minute of this, Alicia finally gets the bright idea to actually go save her. Alicia's brain must have needed a jolt of lightening. The heels run away as Alicia checks up on AJ. It's about time a second diva storyline started taking place. You kinda get tired of the same one being shoved in your face since SummerSlam.
Winner via submission: Natalya and Beth Phoenix
WWE re-aired the Kane video. I don't think there was any mention of the other cryptic video that appeared in a link on Raw this past week...
No, not that link. After more robbing the cradle by Teddy in regards to Aksana, Henry shows up. He complains about his title defense for next week's live SD. Teddy says the doctors told him Henry should be cleared to compete by then. These doctors already know when he will be better? Who are they, Jesus Christ? After a medical version of wrestling logic, there was another backstage scene between Sheamus and Zack Ryder. As Ryder is continuing to act like a goof, Sheamus is trying to be serious.....but not really as he is joking around. I wouldn't be surprised if Ryder s*** his pants during this bit. They talk about their tag team match with Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger, which is next.
Match #3: Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger vs Sheamus and Zack Ryder
This was a very good match. The match was given lots of time to show what all four guys are capable of doing. This might be just me talking, but is anyone thinking Mr. Perfect when looking at Dolph? With Dolph acting more and more like a show off, and with Mr. Perfect having naturally gifted skills, I just see some of the same comparisons. At least in regards to their heel characters...
Did Cole just say Sheamus is a vampire? You know what? Those stupid Twilight movies would be a 1000 times better if Sheamus was in them. Come on, you know you want to give a Brogue Kick to everyone involved with these movies. The finish comes when Ryder does a blind tag. As Sheamus counters the Zig Zag, Ryder jumps in the ring and hits Rough Ryder on Dolph to win the match. Ryder is getting closer and closer to that US title match. Slow build ups are often way better than fast ones. We need more of this in pro wrestling.
Winner via pinfall: Zack Ryder and Sheamus
Backstage where Bryan is talking to AJ. Bryan talks about holding onto the WHC and saying how it was a great feeling, but how it was taken away from him. AJ seems to have lots of faith in Bryan being able to become world champion. Wade Barrett interrupts and talks about how Bryan will never become world champion. Bryan says he isn't intimidated by Wade, Henry, or anyone. As Wade walks away, AJ gives Bryan a kiss on a cheek for good luck. It's gotta be the beard. It should be noted that everything going on with AJ and Kaitlyn connects to Bryan. Damn, Bryan and Teddy should open up their own business for hooking up with women.
Match #4: Ted DiBiase vs Heath Slater
Jinder Mahal was on the titantron and talks about how DiBiase isn't embracing his wealth and shouldn't associate himself with normal people. Yeah, cuz getting your advice from Jinder is no way going to hurt your stock. I guess Slater's suspension is finally over now that he is back. Yeah, like it freakin' matters. The match was very basic. The finish comes when DiBiase hits Dream Street for the clean victory. I heard Booker compare DiBiase to Tim Tebow. He might have to borrow a personality from Tebow, but it would be an improvement. It appears they may have started a true rivalry with Mahal. Things are looking up for DiBiase. Hey, it beats being a regular on Superstars.
Winner via pinfall: Ted DiBiase
After they re-aired the clip of Cody Rhodes splashing water in the face of Booker on Raw this past week, we have a backstage interview with Cody. He says Booker is a worthless commentator and realizes Booker doesn't like him, so he decided to do something about it. Cody isn't going to be showing up in Booker's Fave Five anytime soon.
Match #5: Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett vs Cody Rhodes; Winner is #1 Contender to WHC
It was also announced that the winner of the title match would face off against Big Show at TLC. It also appears Mick Foley would be the host for next week's SD. BANG BANG!!! A decently long match where all four competitors had a chance to show what they can do. I personally like the tag team match from earlier, but this one wasn't too bad. The finish comes when Bryan counters a pinfall attempt by Cody and locks in the Le Bell Lock. Cody taps out and Bryan will get the title match next week. After the match, Cody attacks Bryan out of frustration. Orton arrives and hits RKO on Cody. Randy gives a little nod of respect towards Bryan, and the show ends with Bryan playing to the crowd. I can see a lot of people complaining in the choice of Bryan winning this match. Then again, I think it makes the most sense. Cody is busy with Booker while Orton and Wade are starting a rivalry. On the other side of the coin, Bryan has been getting more and more time in regards to the world title picture, so I think it makes the most sense to give him the match. Not sure how they will book it. It will be in a steel cage and part of me is worried that they will massacre Bryan in that title match. A Bryan massacre doesn't do anything for him. I think what Bryan needs to do is really push Henry to the distance. I think that will turn a few heads and he will gain a few more supporters along the way. It is possible Bryan will win the title match, but with it already being announced the winner would face off against Big Show, I don't think that's very likely. What I see happening is either Henry wins the match and has some sort of gimmick match with Show, or they somehow make this a Triple Threat Match with Bryan sneaking in. I don't really like the Triple Threat idea. It's good they are exposing Bryan to bigger and better things, but he isn't ready to become the world champion at this moment. Plus, Show and Henry has been okay, but it should end at TLC. If Bryan is involved, it will only delay the conclusion to Henry/Show....maybe.
Winner via submission and NEW #1 Contender to WHC: Daniel Bryan
Overall Impression:
Once again, I found that SD was the best wrestling show for this week. While CM Punk made things interesting and fun on Raw, there was only so much he could do. As for TNA.....well, it was a unreviewable show (which is why nothing was posted for this week's TNA) and the less we talk about that, the better. SD had the best wrestling quality and also featured a better presentation of their storylines. I expected there to be lots of filler tonight, but they actually put forth a lot of new and interesting things tonight. Reckon they needed to build up next week's live SD, so that would explain it. I found Bryan's role tonight to be very interesting. They are trying things with Bryan and even though he shouldn't be world champion yet, they are building him up towards something and it's actually interesting. Many people say Ryder should be US Champion, but I like the slow build up. Most build ups go way too fast and don't go over very well, so I like they are taking their time with Ryder. This is one of the best things in the mid card division that has happened in a long time, so I like the fact they are taking their time with Ryder. I thought SD was very entertaining and a good show to end the Thanksgiving week in the world of pro wrestling. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time.
We open up the show with Mark Henry. He is walking out on a crutch and has a brace over the injured ankle. He talks about how the audience is selfish since they are cheering for someone who is hurt. He says that he didn't kick Show in the groin at Survivor Series and Show sold the hell out of it. He brings up that he isn't medically cleared to compete tonight. Big Show interrupts the segment and gives his side of the story. He says it was just revenge for taking him out for 4 months and says this isn't over yet. Henry says he is done with Show and claims he is a loser. After lots of epic stare down between the giants, Show hits the KO punch on Henry and leaves. You think the segment is over, but then you hear Daniel Bryan's entrance music. Bryan is running towards the ring and cashes in the MITB. The bell rings and Bryan turns over Henry and pins him. It appears we have a new world champion. The audience is eating this up while Bryan is celebrating with the WHC. He even shoved it in the face of Michael Cole. Who would've thought we would see a new champion being crowned....
Teddy Long arrives and has something to say. He says that Henry wasn't medically cleared to compete, so the MITB cash in has been waived off. The fans are booing while Bryan is very angry and disappointed by hearing this news. Teddy demands he give the WHC back to him since it still belongs to Henry. Bryan reluctantly gives the WHC back. Teddy does the right thing and says since the MITB cash-in never happened, Bryan still keeps the MITB briefcase. Teddy tries to make it up to Bryan (You just took away the world title from him. I don't think anything you can do will make it up to him.....just saying) by putting him in a Fatal 4 Way match to determine who will get the next world title match. It will be Bryan vs Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett vs Cody Rhodes, where the winner will get their world title match on next week's Smackdown, which just happens to be live next Tuesday. So, a lot of activity to open up this week's SD. I have been saying for a while they need to try something with Bryan since he has the MITB and they should be using that to build him up. Well, it looks like they are trying something with him. I think they teased Bryan being the new world champion to see how well the crowd was able to respond to his cash-in. I like Bryan, and the audience was in full support for Bryan, but he isn't ready to become the world champion at this moment. It's too soon and he still needs more time to develop his character. Yeah, the cash in will be an amazing spot for Bryan, but how will Bryan be looked at on the next week's show and moving forward if we was the world champion? Yeah, it makes the most sense to have Henry still be world champ. Now, I can already see people bitching about how MITB means you cash in anyplace, anytime, so how can they waive it off? Well.....the easiest answer to that is wrestling logic. You know, where you can bend the rules at any given place and time to benefit your show/storyline. Keep in mind that the false cash-in has finally given something meaningful for Daniel Bryan. Now he is apart of a storyline that is actually interesting, so I don't mind the false advertising. Again, pro wrestling is about telling a story, so no need to throw a hissy fit because your guy didn't get what he wanted. I swear, the IWC takes everything way too seriously. I guess Bryan isn't moving up the Booker T Fave Five? Noooooooooooooo!!!
Match #1: Justin Gabriel vs Hunico
Gabriel still works here? They should use him a little more often, mainly for tag team wrestling. Anyway, this was a pretty decent back and forth match. Not an overly amazing match, but a good match to get you interested in watching the rest of the show. Then again, I think the opening did a good enough job to keep you invested. The finish comes when Hunico did an eye gouge behind the referee's back. This allows for Hunico to hit the Swanton Bomb from off the top rope and gets the victory. One of the things I heard was Josh Matthews saying how the world title match would be a Steel Cage Match, while it would be announced later on in the show by Teddy. Wouldn't be surprised if Matthews did a slight spoiler here. Not sure what happens to Hunico since his main rival is now on the shelf. Noticed how Primo and Epico haven't been showing up near Hunico lately. Maybe WWE already canned the idea? Then again, they can use that group for tag team wrestling.
Winner via pinfall: Hunico
Match #2: Beth Phoenix and Natalya vs AJ and Kaitlyn
Alicia Fox was on commentary for this match. This was an odd match. AJ was the only one from her team involved in this match, while Kaitlyn seemed upset with her partner (at least after the match). The match was very short and it was over with Natalya locked in Sharpshooter. Not a great match, but unlike this week's KO match on TNA, this was kept short and simple. Seriously, if you want to see half naked women, just watch Cinemax. After the match, Kaitlyn argues with AJ and leaves her behind. Beth and Natalya continue to punish AJ and want to see her cry. After about a whole minute of this, Alicia finally gets the bright idea to actually go save her. Alicia's brain must have needed a jolt of lightening. The heels run away as Alicia checks up on AJ. It's about time a second diva storyline started taking place. You kinda get tired of the same one being shoved in your face since SummerSlam.
Winner via submission: Natalya and Beth Phoenix
WWE re-aired the Kane video. I don't think there was any mention of the other cryptic video that appeared in a link on Raw this past week...
No, not that link. After more robbing the cradle by Teddy in regards to Aksana, Henry shows up. He complains about his title defense for next week's live SD. Teddy says the doctors told him Henry should be cleared to compete by then. These doctors already know when he will be better? Who are they, Jesus Christ? After a medical version of wrestling logic, there was another backstage scene between Sheamus and Zack Ryder. As Ryder is continuing to act like a goof, Sheamus is trying to be serious.....but not really as he is joking around. I wouldn't be surprised if Ryder s*** his pants during this bit. They talk about their tag team match with Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger, which is next.
Match #3: Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger vs Sheamus and Zack Ryder
This was a very good match. The match was given lots of time to show what all four guys are capable of doing. This might be just me talking, but is anyone thinking Mr. Perfect when looking at Dolph? With Dolph acting more and more like a show off, and with Mr. Perfect having naturally gifted skills, I just see some of the same comparisons. At least in regards to their heel characters...
Did Cole just say Sheamus is a vampire? You know what? Those stupid Twilight movies would be a 1000 times better if Sheamus was in them. Come on, you know you want to give a Brogue Kick to everyone involved with these movies. The finish comes when Ryder does a blind tag. As Sheamus counters the Zig Zag, Ryder jumps in the ring and hits Rough Ryder on Dolph to win the match. Ryder is getting closer and closer to that US title match. Slow build ups are often way better than fast ones. We need more of this in pro wrestling.
Winner via pinfall: Zack Ryder and Sheamus
Backstage where Bryan is talking to AJ. Bryan talks about holding onto the WHC and saying how it was a great feeling, but how it was taken away from him. AJ seems to have lots of faith in Bryan being able to become world champion. Wade Barrett interrupts and talks about how Bryan will never become world champion. Bryan says he isn't intimidated by Wade, Henry, or anyone. As Wade walks away, AJ gives Bryan a kiss on a cheek for good luck. It's gotta be the beard. It should be noted that everything going on with AJ and Kaitlyn connects to Bryan. Damn, Bryan and Teddy should open up their own business for hooking up with women.
Match #4: Ted DiBiase vs Heath Slater
Jinder Mahal was on the titantron and talks about how DiBiase isn't embracing his wealth and shouldn't associate himself with normal people. Yeah, cuz getting your advice from Jinder is no way going to hurt your stock. I guess Slater's suspension is finally over now that he is back. Yeah, like it freakin' matters. The match was very basic. The finish comes when DiBiase hits Dream Street for the clean victory. I heard Booker compare DiBiase to Tim Tebow. He might have to borrow a personality from Tebow, but it would be an improvement. It appears they may have started a true rivalry with Mahal. Things are looking up for DiBiase. Hey, it beats being a regular on Superstars.
Winner via pinfall: Ted DiBiase
After they re-aired the clip of Cody Rhodes splashing water in the face of Booker on Raw this past week, we have a backstage interview with Cody. He says Booker is a worthless commentator and realizes Booker doesn't like him, so he decided to do something about it. Cody isn't going to be showing up in Booker's Fave Five anytime soon.
Match #5: Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett vs Cody Rhodes; Winner is #1 Contender to WHC
It was also announced that the winner of the title match would face off against Big Show at TLC. It also appears Mick Foley would be the host for next week's SD. BANG BANG!!! A decently long match where all four competitors had a chance to show what they can do. I personally like the tag team match from earlier, but this one wasn't too bad. The finish comes when Bryan counters a pinfall attempt by Cody and locks in the Le Bell Lock. Cody taps out and Bryan will get the title match next week. After the match, Cody attacks Bryan out of frustration. Orton arrives and hits RKO on Cody. Randy gives a little nod of respect towards Bryan, and the show ends with Bryan playing to the crowd. I can see a lot of people complaining in the choice of Bryan winning this match. Then again, I think it makes the most sense. Cody is busy with Booker while Orton and Wade are starting a rivalry. On the other side of the coin, Bryan has been getting more and more time in regards to the world title picture, so I think it makes the most sense to give him the match. Not sure how they will book it. It will be in a steel cage and part of me is worried that they will massacre Bryan in that title match. A Bryan massacre doesn't do anything for him. I think what Bryan needs to do is really push Henry to the distance. I think that will turn a few heads and he will gain a few more supporters along the way. It is possible Bryan will win the title match, but with it already being announced the winner would face off against Big Show, I don't think that's very likely. What I see happening is either Henry wins the match and has some sort of gimmick match with Show, or they somehow make this a Triple Threat Match with Bryan sneaking in. I don't really like the Triple Threat idea. It's good they are exposing Bryan to bigger and better things, but he isn't ready to become the world champion at this moment. Plus, Show and Henry has been okay, but it should end at TLC. If Bryan is involved, it will only delay the conclusion to Henry/Show....maybe.
Winner via submission and NEW #1 Contender to WHC: Daniel Bryan
Overall Impression:
Once again, I found that SD was the best wrestling show for this week. While CM Punk made things interesting and fun on Raw, there was only so much he could do. As for TNA.....well, it was a unreviewable show (which is why nothing was posted for this week's TNA) and the less we talk about that, the better. SD had the best wrestling quality and also featured a better presentation of their storylines. I expected there to be lots of filler tonight, but they actually put forth a lot of new and interesting things tonight. Reckon they needed to build up next week's live SD, so that would explain it. I found Bryan's role tonight to be very interesting. They are trying things with Bryan and even though he shouldn't be world champion yet, they are building him up towards something and it's actually interesting. Many people say Ryder should be US Champion, but I like the slow build up. Most build ups go way too fast and don't go over very well, so I like they are taking their time with Ryder. This is one of the best things in the mid card division that has happened in a long time, so I like the fact they are taking their time with Ryder. I thought SD was very entertaining and a good show to end the Thanksgiving week in the world of pro wrestling. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw Review 11/21/11 (The Truth DOES NOT set you free)
What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Raw on 11/21/11. With Survivor Series over and done with, how will the show move forward? Well, let's find out and start the review.
We open up the show with CM Punk. He talks about wanting to become a pro wrestler since he was in the 1st grade, NOT a sports entertainer. He talks about how big it was to win the WWE title at Madison Square Garden and says the WWE title will no longer be a hot potato and aims to keep this title for a long time. I really hope that's the case. There used to be a time where 6 month world title reigns were custom, but now they are more rare than shiny Pokemon. Punk wants to see change for this company, which one again arises the question of those WWE ice cream bars. I'm still wondering about that damn ice cream. John Laurinaitis interrupts and says while Punk and himself don't see eye to eye, he wants to make this a good working relationship. Punk says while Vince McMahon was a soul less bastard, at least the guy knew how to be interesting. He adds Laurinaitis is just the prime example of a businessman. A guy who is unbelievably boring and doesn't have anything interesting to talk about. Robonaitis reminds Punk that he is UPPER management and just because he doesn't have tattoos and piercings doesn't mean he doesn't have a wild side. Yeah, cuz I can totally see this guy running around with a diaper on his head while singing children songs. Laurinaitis makes it Punk vs Alberto Del Rio for the WWE title on next week's show. Punk wants to make the match tonight, but Laurinaitis already has plans. He already made Punk vs Dolph Ziggler for later tonight. Punk talks about how that's a stupid idea for a match since these fans want to see Dolph vs Zack Ryder. Laurinaitis says Ryder already has a match against Del Rio tonight. He also adds that Ryder can't beat Dolph and neither can Punk, which ends the segment. Another pretty good promo by Punk. The guy just knows how to make things more interesting. He is right about Laurinaitis. The guy has nothing interesting to say. My idea that Laurinitis is secretly a robot isn't so silly now, is it? There was also an exclusive video in Rock praising Zack Ryder after Survivor Series was over, so this was bonus footage. Did you hear that? If you listen really closely, you can hear the IWC letting out an orgasm. As always, don't take my reviews so seriously and learn to have a little fun.
Match #1: Alberto Del Rio vs Zack Ryder
Ryder interrupted Ricardo Rodriguez's introduction. Not cool. The best part of Del Rio is hearing Rodriguez go Del Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiioooooooooooooooo!!!. Anyway, the match didn't last long, but it wasn't too bad to watch. The finish comes when Del Rio locks in Cross Armbreaker and gets the clean victory. I can see people being upset that Ryder lost very quickly, but you have to keep in mind that Del Rio has a title match on next week's show. He needed the win to at least get his stock back in place....well, at least for this week. Kinda odd they are doing a WWE title match on next week's show. Either Del Rio is being taken out of the title picture, or they will have shenanigans in store for that match. At the moment, I have to lean towards shenanigans.
Winner via submission: Alberto Del Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiioooooooooooooooooo (Hey, they didn't say I can't do it)
Match #2: Sheamus vs Jack Swagger
A fair match, but nothing too special. Sheamus wins this match with a Brogue Kick. For having a manager, Swagger seems to really suck at the moment. As for Sheamus, he continues to be on a hot streak. In many ways, this was the definition of a filler match. WWE television, now with more filler than DragonBall Z. By the way, do you pay attention to those Twitter ads that show up on WWE television these days? Well, I went back and watched the replay and noticed there was a link to a Youtube video. It was very blurry, so it's very possible you missed it. It talks about how "they will reclaim what is rightfully theirs". This is getting a lot of buzz in the internet world since people are trying to figure out what it means. Is a wrestler's come back? Was it a joke by WWE? I doubt that since that is a pretty cruel joke. I think the obvious assumption would be the return of someone. The two early candidates have to be Undertaker or Chris Jericho. I don't want to dive too deeply in this subject at the moment, but it's some food for thought.
Winner via pinfall: Sheamus
Back in the ring where Kevin Nash has something to say. He talks about how MSG is very special to him and he should've competed last night. He also talks about the Kliq and putting friendship before their careers and how he made a stupid decision to trust Triple H. He says him and Trips should've stole the show last night, but now that won't happen because Trips betrayed him. More build up for Nash and Trips. Nash just sounds like a bitter old man who wants to hold onto his youth, because he simply won't let it go. Are we talking about Hulk Hogan now? Joking aside, it's interesting storytelling.
Match #3: Cody Rhodes vs Santino
Very short match. Rhodes hits Cross Rhodes and wins cleanly. During the match, Booker T was talking about how Cody doesn't seem to respect the business and shows disrespects towards him. After the match, Cody came over to Booker and splashed a drink in his face. Take that, assorted beverages!!! Booker is very angry after all this. I think they are setting something up between Booker and Cody. Not sure how I feel about that. Booker isn't that old and can still mix it up in the ring. On the other hand, Cody would gain a little bit of stock by taking down Booker in some way. It could be interesting if done right. All I know is this.....Cody Rhodes, we comin' for you......you can finish the rest.
Winner via pinfall: Cody Rhodes
Match #4: CM Punk vs Dolph Ziggler
This was an amazing match. Dolph continues to show off here and there whenever he does something good. He even does a handstand. It just adds to his developing ego. Either that or Dolph is trying to qualify for the Olympics. Vickie Guerrero was trying to flirt with Punk, but it didn't seem to go anywhere. There was a ton of near falls and close calls, but the finish comes when Punk counters the Zig Zag into a spinebuster. He follows up with GTS and wins the match. I highly recommend checking out this match, cuz it was awesome. I really wish they would make up their minds with Dolph. He goes out at Survivor Series and wins cleanly, but then loses to Randy Orton in a matter of seconds. Then tonight, he takes Punk to the distance. You can't doubt the WWE trying something with Dolph. He is cutting more promos and seems to be developing his charisma week by week. Either way, Dolph seems to be making all the right moves to move up the WWE ladder. It's just a matter of picking a path for Dolph and sticking with it.
Winner via pinfall: CM Punk
There was a very interesting video that aired tonight. It showed some guy and broken glass. What's even more interesting thing about this video is that it ended with Kane's old mask burning. I think the early guess is a Kane return, but will he come back as himself or will he wear the mask again? I personally would like to see the return of the mask, which was my personal favorite era of Kane. I guess we will wait and see where this is all going. Speaking of video packages to hype up other wrestlers, where the hell is Brodus Clay? Wasn't he supposed to debut tonight? Maybe his gimmick is going to be the guy who keeps missing his debuts? It's an idea, but it could be very difficult to make a career out of that. It was clear WWE had no plans to show Brodus since they didn't even mention him this time around. This is clearly one of those ideas that WWE didn't plan very well since they keep delaying it. There was a backstage scene of Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox playing WWE 12 until Beth Phoenix and Natalya arrive. Beth and Natalya want Kelly and Alicia to cry. Jecht from Final Fantasy X would be so proud of this scene. Hate to say negative things about a video game I've never played, but I have to call bulls*** on WWE 12. Did you watch the match Kelly and Alicia were playing? It had the Kelly character doing stuff in the ring she has never attempted in real life. Talk about false advertising. Then again, it's just a game, so who gives a s***.
Match #5: Wade Barrett vs Kofi Kingston
Wade almost won this match early, but Randy Orton would show up to observe the match. Kofi ends up getting back in this match and actually makes it a fight. Kofi did make the match interesting, but Wade would end this match with Wasteland. The match was tolerable and acceptable, but nothing amazing. After the match, Wade talks about winning while Orton makes him flinch. What, are we playing Pokemon now? Anyway, it pretty much sets up an Orton/Wade rivalry. I think it was definitely on the way, especially how things turned out after Survivor Series.
Winner via pinfall: Wade Barrett
Time for the final segment of the night. John Cena comes out to talk about last night's match, the Rock, and how the Rock showed him up at the PPV. He starts to talk about the WM match until Awesome Truth shows up. Miz says the Rock out shined Cena last night and says nobody wanted any part of him last night. He totally has a point. MSG would storm the ring and beat up Cena if you let them. R-Truth says the Rock will whip his ass as WM and how his Cenation is going to die when he loses the match. Cena starts to get angry and agrees that the Rock still has it, but Awesome Truth is still a joke. Cena tries a little reverse psychology in how Miz and Truth can't stand one another. Once he leaves, Miz and Truth start to argue a bit. It really starts to escalate when there is a push. Truth ends up punching Miz in the face, but manages to make Truth calm down since they need to focus on Cena. As they are walking up the entrance ramp, Miz hits Skull Crushing Finale on Truth. The show ends with the medics attending to Truth. So, an interesting ending to say the least. I wasn't really a big fan of what Cena had to say. It just sounded overly cliche. This is one of the contributing factors to people not liking Cena. He does a lot of the same stuff night in and night out, even when it comes to his promos. Then again, I kinda expected that from Cena, so I can't really complain. Like I said many times in the past week, a Cena heel turn will probably never happen. Despite the fact many people were anticipating a Cena heel turn tonight. As for Awesome Truth ending, I do admit the break up came a little early. While it came a little early, you can almost sense the end was near for this tag team. It was never a long term goal to make Awesome Truth stick together forever. You have to realize that Miz would eventually get back in the title hunt. In fact, I expect to see Miz go up against Punk at either TLC or Royal Rumble for the WWE title. Raw was lacking heels, so it actually made sense to end the team. For Truth....he's in a real interesting spot. After being taken out by Miz, it does open the door for Truth to turn face. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I wasn't the biggest fan of Truth as a face. Mainly because he would never shut the hell up with "What's up". His heel character made him break away from all of that. Was he crazy? Yes. Did most of his promos sound like it was coming from a bipolar patient? Of course, but that's what made Truth get an identity and for people to pay close attention to him. If the plan is to turn him face, I would like to see it be much different from his last run as a good guy. Truth seems to be comfortable as a comedy character. His promos are out there, and he was making people laugh with his insane ramblings, so I think that's a good fit for him. Still, part of me still wants to see Truth as a heel since I almost fear that all of Truth's work these past few months will be for nothing. Here me out here. Truth was doing nothing as a face in WWE. All of the sudden, he turns heel and now he's important. It would be disappointing to see Truth actually make something out of his career, only to go back to what he was doing before. I don't think WWE would throw him under the bus like that, but it has happened in the past to other performers. Well, I guess we will wait and see what happens next.
Overall Impression:
Compared to what Raw has been like for the past couple of weeks, this was a drastic improvement. I wouldn't call the show a watcher, but it was entertaining for what it was worth. I think what really helped the show was Punk's promo and his match against Dolph. Punk really was the star tonight. They should call it Monday Night Punk. They didn't build up too many storylines for tonight. I think I understand why this happened. This is the Thanksgiving week for Americans, so people are pretty busy. So, it kinda makes sense to not have too many new storylines put forth since people might be too busy to miss the wrestling action for this week. This is probably why Brodus didn't show up tonight. There was new things established. For instance, Orton/Wade, the cryptic video (or videos) and the Awesome Truth break up, but you generally get a few more new storylines after a PPV. Speaking of people not showing up, wasn't there supposed to be a guest host tonight? It was mentioned by the USA Network, but WWE never acknowledged it. Then again, maybe that was a blessing in disguise since the host was suppose to be Jonah Hill. Maybe the cryptic messages were for him? Tonight's show might've been entertaining, but it wasn't perfect. I didn't really like the ending to the show, and there was too many throwaway matches. Then again, that goes back to that Thanksgiving week argument, so I guess it makes sense. I would call Raw average, but it wasn't terrible in my eyes. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. I have no idea how the rest of the week will shape up for me and the reviews. All I can tell you is if I have enough time to write up one, than I'll post it. If nothing is posted, assume I was too busy to write something up. I will try to see what I can do, but I make no promises. Tell me what you thought of my review and tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time and R-Truth just got GOT!!!
We open up the show with CM Punk. He talks about wanting to become a pro wrestler since he was in the 1st grade, NOT a sports entertainer. He talks about how big it was to win the WWE title at Madison Square Garden and says the WWE title will no longer be a hot potato and aims to keep this title for a long time. I really hope that's the case. There used to be a time where 6 month world title reigns were custom, but now they are more rare than shiny Pokemon. Punk wants to see change for this company, which one again arises the question of those WWE ice cream bars. I'm still wondering about that damn ice cream. John Laurinaitis interrupts and says while Punk and himself don't see eye to eye, he wants to make this a good working relationship. Punk says while Vince McMahon was a soul less bastard, at least the guy knew how to be interesting. He adds Laurinaitis is just the prime example of a businessman. A guy who is unbelievably boring and doesn't have anything interesting to talk about. Robonaitis reminds Punk that he is UPPER management and just because he doesn't have tattoos and piercings doesn't mean he doesn't have a wild side. Yeah, cuz I can totally see this guy running around with a diaper on his head while singing children songs. Laurinaitis makes it Punk vs Alberto Del Rio for the WWE title on next week's show. Punk wants to make the match tonight, but Laurinaitis already has plans. He already made Punk vs Dolph Ziggler for later tonight. Punk talks about how that's a stupid idea for a match since these fans want to see Dolph vs Zack Ryder. Laurinaitis says Ryder already has a match against Del Rio tonight. He also adds that Ryder can't beat Dolph and neither can Punk, which ends the segment. Another pretty good promo by Punk. The guy just knows how to make things more interesting. He is right about Laurinaitis. The guy has nothing interesting to say. My idea that Laurinitis is secretly a robot isn't so silly now, is it? There was also an exclusive video in Rock praising Zack Ryder after Survivor Series was over, so this was bonus footage. Did you hear that? If you listen really closely, you can hear the IWC letting out an orgasm. As always, don't take my reviews so seriously and learn to have a little fun.
Match #1: Alberto Del Rio vs Zack Ryder
Ryder interrupted Ricardo Rodriguez's introduction. Not cool. The best part of Del Rio is hearing Rodriguez go Del Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiioooooooooooooooo!!!. Anyway, the match didn't last long, but it wasn't too bad to watch. The finish comes when Del Rio locks in Cross Armbreaker and gets the clean victory. I can see people being upset that Ryder lost very quickly, but you have to keep in mind that Del Rio has a title match on next week's show. He needed the win to at least get his stock back in place....well, at least for this week. Kinda odd they are doing a WWE title match on next week's show. Either Del Rio is being taken out of the title picture, or they will have shenanigans in store for that match. At the moment, I have to lean towards shenanigans.
Winner via submission: Alberto Del Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiioooooooooooooooooo (Hey, they didn't say I can't do it)
Match #2: Sheamus vs Jack Swagger
A fair match, but nothing too special. Sheamus wins this match with a Brogue Kick. For having a manager, Swagger seems to really suck at the moment. As for Sheamus, he continues to be on a hot streak. In many ways, this was the definition of a filler match. WWE television, now with more filler than DragonBall Z. By the way, do you pay attention to those Twitter ads that show up on WWE television these days? Well, I went back and watched the replay and noticed there was a link to a Youtube video. It was very blurry, so it's very possible you missed it. It talks about how "they will reclaim what is rightfully theirs". This is getting a lot of buzz in the internet world since people are trying to figure out what it means. Is a wrestler's come back? Was it a joke by WWE? I doubt that since that is a pretty cruel joke. I think the obvious assumption would be the return of someone. The two early candidates have to be Undertaker or Chris Jericho. I don't want to dive too deeply in this subject at the moment, but it's some food for thought.
Winner via pinfall: Sheamus
Back in the ring where Kevin Nash has something to say. He talks about how MSG is very special to him and he should've competed last night. He also talks about the Kliq and putting friendship before their careers and how he made a stupid decision to trust Triple H. He says him and Trips should've stole the show last night, but now that won't happen because Trips betrayed him. More build up for Nash and Trips. Nash just sounds like a bitter old man who wants to hold onto his youth, because he simply won't let it go. Are we talking about Hulk Hogan now? Joking aside, it's interesting storytelling.
Match #3: Cody Rhodes vs Santino
Very short match. Rhodes hits Cross Rhodes and wins cleanly. During the match, Booker T was talking about how Cody doesn't seem to respect the business and shows disrespects towards him. After the match, Cody came over to Booker and splashed a drink in his face. Take that, assorted beverages!!! Booker is very angry after all this. I think they are setting something up between Booker and Cody. Not sure how I feel about that. Booker isn't that old and can still mix it up in the ring. On the other hand, Cody would gain a little bit of stock by taking down Booker in some way. It could be interesting if done right. All I know is this.....Cody Rhodes, we comin' for you......you can finish the rest.
Winner via pinfall: Cody Rhodes
Match #4: CM Punk vs Dolph Ziggler
This was an amazing match. Dolph continues to show off here and there whenever he does something good. He even does a handstand. It just adds to his developing ego. Either that or Dolph is trying to qualify for the Olympics. Vickie Guerrero was trying to flirt with Punk, but it didn't seem to go anywhere. There was a ton of near falls and close calls, but the finish comes when Punk counters the Zig Zag into a spinebuster. He follows up with GTS and wins the match. I highly recommend checking out this match, cuz it was awesome. I really wish they would make up their minds with Dolph. He goes out at Survivor Series and wins cleanly, but then loses to Randy Orton in a matter of seconds. Then tonight, he takes Punk to the distance. You can't doubt the WWE trying something with Dolph. He is cutting more promos and seems to be developing his charisma week by week. Either way, Dolph seems to be making all the right moves to move up the WWE ladder. It's just a matter of picking a path for Dolph and sticking with it.
Winner via pinfall: CM Punk
There was a very interesting video that aired tonight. It showed some guy and broken glass. What's even more interesting thing about this video is that it ended with Kane's old mask burning. I think the early guess is a Kane return, but will he come back as himself or will he wear the mask again? I personally would like to see the return of the mask, which was my personal favorite era of Kane. I guess we will wait and see where this is all going. Speaking of video packages to hype up other wrestlers, where the hell is Brodus Clay? Wasn't he supposed to debut tonight? Maybe his gimmick is going to be the guy who keeps missing his debuts? It's an idea, but it could be very difficult to make a career out of that. It was clear WWE had no plans to show Brodus since they didn't even mention him this time around. This is clearly one of those ideas that WWE didn't plan very well since they keep delaying it. There was a backstage scene of Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox playing WWE 12 until Beth Phoenix and Natalya arrive. Beth and Natalya want Kelly and Alicia to cry. Jecht from Final Fantasy X would be so proud of this scene. Hate to say negative things about a video game I've never played, but I have to call bulls*** on WWE 12. Did you watch the match Kelly and Alicia were playing? It had the Kelly character doing stuff in the ring she has never attempted in real life. Talk about false advertising. Then again, it's just a game, so who gives a s***.
Match #5: Wade Barrett vs Kofi Kingston
Wade almost won this match early, but Randy Orton would show up to observe the match. Kofi ends up getting back in this match and actually makes it a fight. Kofi did make the match interesting, but Wade would end this match with Wasteland. The match was tolerable and acceptable, but nothing amazing. After the match, Wade talks about winning while Orton makes him flinch. What, are we playing Pokemon now? Anyway, it pretty much sets up an Orton/Wade rivalry. I think it was definitely on the way, especially how things turned out after Survivor Series.
Winner via pinfall: Wade Barrett
Time for the final segment of the night. John Cena comes out to talk about last night's match, the Rock, and how the Rock showed him up at the PPV. He starts to talk about the WM match until Awesome Truth shows up. Miz says the Rock out shined Cena last night and says nobody wanted any part of him last night. He totally has a point. MSG would storm the ring and beat up Cena if you let them. R-Truth says the Rock will whip his ass as WM and how his Cenation is going to die when he loses the match. Cena starts to get angry and agrees that the Rock still has it, but Awesome Truth is still a joke. Cena tries a little reverse psychology in how Miz and Truth can't stand one another. Once he leaves, Miz and Truth start to argue a bit. It really starts to escalate when there is a push. Truth ends up punching Miz in the face, but manages to make Truth calm down since they need to focus on Cena. As they are walking up the entrance ramp, Miz hits Skull Crushing Finale on Truth. The show ends with the medics attending to Truth. So, an interesting ending to say the least. I wasn't really a big fan of what Cena had to say. It just sounded overly cliche. This is one of the contributing factors to people not liking Cena. He does a lot of the same stuff night in and night out, even when it comes to his promos. Then again, I kinda expected that from Cena, so I can't really complain. Like I said many times in the past week, a Cena heel turn will probably never happen. Despite the fact many people were anticipating a Cena heel turn tonight. As for Awesome Truth ending, I do admit the break up came a little early. While it came a little early, you can almost sense the end was near for this tag team. It was never a long term goal to make Awesome Truth stick together forever. You have to realize that Miz would eventually get back in the title hunt. In fact, I expect to see Miz go up against Punk at either TLC or Royal Rumble for the WWE title. Raw was lacking heels, so it actually made sense to end the team. For Truth....he's in a real interesting spot. After being taken out by Miz, it does open the door for Truth to turn face. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I wasn't the biggest fan of Truth as a face. Mainly because he would never shut the hell up with "What's up". His heel character made him break away from all of that. Was he crazy? Yes. Did most of his promos sound like it was coming from a bipolar patient? Of course, but that's what made Truth get an identity and for people to pay close attention to him. If the plan is to turn him face, I would like to see it be much different from his last run as a good guy. Truth seems to be comfortable as a comedy character. His promos are out there, and he was making people laugh with his insane ramblings, so I think that's a good fit for him. Still, part of me still wants to see Truth as a heel since I almost fear that all of Truth's work these past few months will be for nothing. Here me out here. Truth was doing nothing as a face in WWE. All of the sudden, he turns heel and now he's important. It would be disappointing to see Truth actually make something out of his career, only to go back to what he was doing before. I don't think WWE would throw him under the bus like that, but it has happened in the past to other performers. Well, I guess we will wait and see what happens next.
Overall Impression:
Compared to what Raw has been like for the past couple of weeks, this was a drastic improvement. I wouldn't call the show a watcher, but it was entertaining for what it was worth. I think what really helped the show was Punk's promo and his match against Dolph. Punk really was the star tonight. They should call it Monday Night Punk. They didn't build up too many storylines for tonight. I think I understand why this happened. This is the Thanksgiving week for Americans, so people are pretty busy. So, it kinda makes sense to not have too many new storylines put forth since people might be too busy to miss the wrestling action for this week. This is probably why Brodus didn't show up tonight. There was new things established. For instance, Orton/Wade, the cryptic video (or videos) and the Awesome Truth break up, but you generally get a few more new storylines after a PPV. Speaking of people not showing up, wasn't there supposed to be a guest host tonight? It was mentioned by the USA Network, but WWE never acknowledged it. Then again, maybe that was a blessing in disguise since the host was suppose to be Jonah Hill. Maybe the cryptic messages were for him? Tonight's show might've been entertaining, but it wasn't perfect. I didn't really like the ending to the show, and there was too many throwaway matches. Then again, that goes back to that Thanksgiving week argument, so I guess it makes sense. I would call Raw average, but it wasn't terrible in my eyes. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. I have no idea how the rest of the week will shape up for me and the reviews. All I can tell you is if I have enough time to write up one, than I'll post it. If nothing is posted, assume I was too busy to write something up. I will try to see what I can do, but I make no promises. Tell me what you thought of my review and tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time and R-Truth just got GOT!!!
Monday, November 21, 2011
WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Survivor Series 2011 Review
What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Survivor Series 2011. With the entire PPV being built around Rock and John Cena, would this be a worthwhile evening or full of disappointment? Well, let's find out and start the review.
Match #1: Dolph Ziggler vs John Morrison for the US Championship
John Laurinaitis started the PPV by talking about how this is his tenth anniversary in working for WWE. That has to be the worst attempt at getting cheap heel heat that I've ever seen before. Laurinaitis doesn't seem to give a s*** anymore.....or, maybe he does? Hard to tell with is lack of showing a human emotion. Maybe he's a robot? Actually, THAT would explain a lot. Okay, I'm really getting off track now. Back to the review. Lots of "we want Ryder" chants for this match. It was expected since Zack Ryder is from Long Island. This was a pretty good match to open up the PPV. Vickie Guerrero was sent to the back after she put Dolph's foot on the ropes and the referee caught it. It was at this moment where I felt Ryder would show up, but glad that wasn't the case. The finish comes when Dolph counters Star ship Pain, which allows him to hit Zig Zag for the clean victory. After the match, Dolph cuts a promo in how it isn't showing off if you can back it up. Yeah, Dolph was showing off quite a bit as the match progressed. After Dolph cut his promo, Ryder showed up and hit Rough Ryder on Dolph. Ryder was sporting some blue trunks. Expect for Robbie E from TNA to start wearing blue in the next few weeks. Glad to see Dolph get the clean victory here. Dolph should be getting more clean victories. Yeah, he may be a bad guy, but if you want to put him in the main event, he needs a better resume. The only reason I say that is it feels they are trying to move Dolph up the rankings, but they kept changing their minds. It's pretty obvious when Dolph loses the majority of his matches on free TV, but still manages to hold onto the US title. I still feel his place is the mid card division, but he should be used better against main event talents. Yeah, so you can imagine my disappointment later in the evening. Then again, I will talk about that when the time is right.
Winner via pinfall and still US Champion: Dolph Ziggler
Match #2: Beth Phoenix vs Eve; Lumberjill match for the Divas Title
So.....what was the point of this being a lumberjill match? Seriously, there was one point where they actually put Beth back in the ring, but they were really a non-factor for the rest of the match. Well, I guess this is your fanservice match of the night? The match was nothing special, but the ending was pretty awesome. The finish comes when Beth hits Glam Slam from the top rope for the clean victory. Despite this being a very average women's match, the finish was totally worth it.
Winner via pinfall and still Divas Champ: Beth Phoenix
Backstage where CM Punk is talking to David Otunga. David wants Punk to apologize to Michael Cole for the attack he did on Raw last week. Punk says he will think about it, but his world title match is more important. Where does Otunga keep finding these sweaters? There was also another backstage scene. The Rock talked about Madison Square Garden, hanging out with Andre the Giant, his grandfather, his father, his legacy, Awesome Truth and Cena. This was just a promo to get the crowd hyped up for the Rock's return. It was successful. I think Rock got the loudest ovation for the night. Punk was a close second, but no doubt people were aching to see the Rock. I wonder if "lady parts" ending up trending worldwide after Rock's promo?
Match #3: Team Barrett vs Team Orton; Survivor Series Style match
Sin Cara was wearing a white mask and pants for this match. Based on what would happen later in the night, you might want to label these the bad luck gear. Within minutes of the match starting, Randy Orton hits RKO on Dolph to take him out. This is what doesn't make much sense. You have Dolph cut promo after promo, meaning you're trying to build him up to bigger and better things. You have him win clean title defenses, but then he gets killed by Orton in a matter of seconds? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It would work a hell of a lot more if Dolph stayed in this match a lot longer. I am fine with Orton getting a quick elimination on someone, but I would've used Hunico or Jack Swagger since Dolph has higher stock than either of those guys. Very serious matter happened during the match. As Sin Cara was attempting a high risk move, he ended up falling down in a very quick manor. Officials checked up on Sin Cara and they took him to the back. At first, I didn't know what to make of this, but as the scene would play out, I got the idea. It appears that this is a pretty legit injury to Sin Cara. It would later be reported that Sin Cara had a ruptured patella tendon and might be out for 6 to 9 months. I went back and saw the replay to find out when this injury occured. I bet the IWC smarks are already nagging on how Sin injured himself because he botches his moves. And the IWC wonders why they get such a bad reputation with all their complaining and smarky responses? Anyway, it appears this injury occurred as Sin was running to attempt the high risk move. If you watch how Sin followed through with the move, it looked like he was trying to stop, but his forward momentum made him go over the ropes. This is why his high risk moved didn't look right since Sin didn't get any height off his jump. I figured the injury had to be real as the match didn't continue for a while. There was a point where both teams just stopped doing anything while they were waiting for the medics to send Sin Cara to the back. Definitely not a good night for Sin. Wish him the best on the road to recovery. Anyway, the match would continue as Mason Ryan and Hunico are fighting. Cody would get a blind tag and use it to his advantage. As Mason is getting ready for the Full Nelson Slam on Hunico, Rhodes hits the kick and Cross Rhodes to take out Mason. I like this elimination since it shows off Cody's cunning. Kofi Kingston would put up a fight against Wade Barrett, but the bare knuckle brawler was too much for him. Wade hits Wasteland and Kofi is gone. Sheamus would be the next to go as he lost his cool, turned into a Super Saiyan, and wouldn't listen to the referee as he continued to kill Jack Swagger. This is good booking since Sheamus doesn't lose any stock as he took himself out. WWE has been building up that Irish temper when it comes to Sheamus lately, so I guess it's something to pay attention to. Before leaving, Sheamus hits Brogue Kick on Swagger. Orton would pick the bones and Swagger is gone. It is down to a 3 vs 1 fight. See what I was talking about earlier with Dolph being eliminated? We have Orton vs Barrett, Rhodes, and.....Hunico? Seriously, what's wrong with this picture? Hunico would be the next to go when he does a springboard, but jumps into an RKO. Once Cheech Marin is out of the match, it is down to a 2 on 1 attack. The finish comes when Orton hits RKO on Cody, but Wade comes from behind and hits Wasteland for the victory. Cody and Wade are the remaining survivors for their team. I like WWE giving this one to the bad guys. Orton and most of his team members didn't have much to gain from winning this match. Cody and Wade had the most to gain, and nice to see WWE giving them a big win like this. At the moment, Wade is looking like a strong candidate to win the Royal Rumble, if his hot streak continues. Cody was also very impressive in his performance tonight. In my eyes, he was the star wrestler in this match. Despite the early Dolph elimination and the Sin Cara injury, this match got back under control and it was pretty good.
Winner: Team Barrett
Backstage where the Bella Sluts (Come on. They hit on everyone in the back) are talking to Alberto Del Rio. They talk about their day and how they have other stuff planned. Laurinaitis arrives in the scene to speak to Del Rio alone. He tells Del Rio that he isn't taking this match seriously and needs him to start caring. Del Rio says he will be champion for a long time. Is WWE giving you possible spoilers?
Match #4: Mark Henry vs Big Show for the WHC
Crowd was chanting lots of random stuff for this match. They chanted "Daniel Bryan", "Undertaker" and "boring". I will admit, the match was pretty dull for the first half. That would change as Henry tackled Show through the barricade. That seem to wake up the crowd...somewhat. There was a potential Super Plex attempt, but it didn't happen. Then again, there was still something to witness. Show actually got to the top rope and hit a flying elbow. I think the last time Big Show did that was 300 pounds ago. Still, that was awesome. Considering their size, this was not a bad match. Still, I think seeing a fat man fly is totally worth watching. Show couldn't get the victory as Henry kicked out at two. Lots of back and forth action. The finish comes when Henry kicks Show right in the testicles....
Henry would get DQed for his actions. Show wins the match, but Henry keeps his title. I knew this one would end in some sort of DQ/shenanigans since TLC is the next PPV and all Show vs Henry matches so far have been regular matches. It is appropriate for this rivalry to end in some sort of gimmick match. Then again, after seeing a fat man fly, not sure if I want to see a fat man fall off a ladder. In other words, I hope they don't make it some sort of ladder match. After the match, Henry was going to take out Show with the "steel chair in leg" deal, but Show moved out of the way. Show would then Falcon Punch Henry in the face. Show would use the steel chair on Henry's leg, to which he hits a legdrop on his leg. I think they may have set up Show vs Henry at TLC to be a chairs match, if you think about it. By the way, it would've been an opportunity for Daniel Bryan to cash in MITB. The opportunity was definitely there. Then again, Bryan got killed on Smackdown, so no cash in tonight.
Winner via DQ: Big Show; Mark Henry is still WHC
Backstage where Wade is talking about winning until Awesome Truth interrupt. Miz talks about how they are sick of being overshadowed by everyone in the WWE, especially Rock and Cena. R-Truth talks about....pigeons? I think Truth and Charlie Sheen should have a contest to see which one is more bats*** crazy, but entertaining at the same time? I would watch that. Anyway, Truth says pigeon crap is gonna get GOT!!! Personally, I wouldn't be trying to get crap, but I'm not gonna stop it.
Match #5: Alberto Del Rio vs CM Punk for the WWE Championship
Punk had his own personal ring announcer for tonight. It's none other than Howard Finkel. Punk does make the show more interesting. Nice to see the Fink make a special appearance. MSG was huge for Fink and Punk. There was even an "ice cream" chant. Which reminds me.....where the f*** is my ice cream? This was the Match of the Night, in my opinion. Great back and forth match between the two. The finish comes when after a ton of near falls, Punk locks in the Anaconda Vice and Del Rio finally taps out. After the match, Punk jumps into the audience as if it were Lambeau Field. Punk should play for the Green Bay Packers. Part of me is glad to see Punk get the title back. I do admit that Punk is probably my favorite current wrestler at the moment. On the other hand, it really drives down the stock of Del Rio. Then again, I've said many times that Del Rio is a pretty boring world champion. The guy can wrestle and talk, but he never has anything interesting to say and is very cliche. I think at this point, Del Rio has been given the label of a transitional world champion. Well, time to see now how the show will go now that Punk is now the champ once more.
Winner via submission and NEW WWE Champion: CM Punk
Match #6: Rock and John Cena vs Awesome Truth
One thing I haven't talked about is how vocal the crowd was tonight. Seriously, I've said in the past that a wrestling event can only be as memorable as the audience participation, and the MSG audience definitely let their voice be heard. Last time I heard a crowd be this vocal was back in Chicago for Money in the Bank. The Rock was definitely the main star for this match. I can definitely say I was pretty excited to see the early going of this match. Rock showed us that he still has it. On the other hand, the audience didn't hate anyone as much as they hated Cena tonight. Cena could've killed a terrorist in the ring and they still would've booed him. It was clear that this audience didn't want to have anything to do with Cena. This match was a mixed bag. When the Rock was involved, it was exciting and edgy. When Cena was in the match, it got pretty boring. Cena was on his back for most of this match, but that is pretty custom for a Cena match. He spends most of the time getting his ass kicked, then he powers up...
Then, he starts kicking ass and wins the match in the final 2-3 minutes. Cena really became a punching bag as this match kept going. Once the Rock got back in the match, the crowd woke up (and so did I), and the match got interesting again. Rock pretty much takes out Miz and Truth on his own. The finish comes when Rock hits People's Elbow on Miz for the clean victory. After the match, Cena wants to leave the ring to let Rock have his own moment. It also seemed like Cena was a little overshadowed in the process. Rock wants him back in the ring to pose for the crowd. Rock is clearly owning Cena in this department. After one more round of applause for the Rock, he ends the show by hitting Rock Bottom on Cena. Everybody Hates Cena, now a show being pitched for the WWE Network.
Winner via pinfall: Rock and Cena
I can see a lot of people upset at the booking for this match. I do admit that Miz and Truth had more to gain than Rock and Cena, but you had to figure this match was going to be a stepping stone for the WrestleMania match. By having the match go the way it did, it tells a couple of things from a storytelling perspective. It shows how maybe Cena wasn't taking the Rock seriously since he had been out of action for so long. By Rock looking as dominate as he was tonight, it really puts in the mindset that Cena really needs to up his game in order to defeat the Rock. This adds more fuel to the fire that is Rock vs Cena at WM. It's amazing how people already seem to forget that this Survivor Series match was most likely put into place to build up Rock and Cena and nothing more. In other words, while the match wasn't great, it did exactly what it was suppose to do. Am I the biggest fan of it? Not really. Do I think it could've gone better? Of course. There is always room for improvement. Do I think this was a horrible segment? Not at all since the match was tolerable and it built up the tension between Rock and Cena. Plus, audience participation really helps you get interested. Still, I can see people not liking this match because Cena didn't turn heel. First of all, there wasn't a ton of stock building up to a heel turn. You have to be a hardcore IWC member (or a lot of extra time on your hands) to piece together all the clues, and even MacGyver would think you're trying too hard to pull that one out of your ass. While smarks and older wrestling fans want to see a Cena heel turn, part of the reason I think it will never happen is because of all the merchandise Cena sells as the face of the company. Cena in eyes of older fans might be a guy who has done the same thing for 7-8 years and has become stale, but those children fans don't see it like that and eat up anything he does. The only reason I bring up a Cena heel turn is the door is once again set up. Rock continues to badmouth Cena and people praise him. On the other side of the coin, it seems like Cena can't do anything to stop all the negative chants he gets. I don't see a point of turning Cena heel when people already hate his guts. If he turns heel, some smarks might cheer, but he will still get boos. Cena gets more heel heat than some of the heels in pro wrestling, so what's the point of turning him heel if he already gets heat? Can Cena end up turning heel as this thing between him and Rock continues? Yeah, it's possible, but I still don't see the WWE pulling the trigger at the end of the day. Rock vs Cena will most likely be a face vs face match up, no matter how much Miami s***s all over Cena.
Overall Impression:
This was a pretty good showing by WWE. There was a ton of great action to watch. Not all the matches were perfect, but most were tolerable while others are definitely deserve a second look. The audience really made this show that much better. Again, a wrestling show can really stand out if the audience is going to get invested in it. If the energy of that audience is going to show off to the people watching at their houses, they are definitely going to be a little more invested with what's going on with the show. Not sure how well this ranks up in terms of previous Survivor Series PPVs, but I think it was a fun evening all around. Not sure how to rank this showing. I can say this show is worth a replay, if you're really enjoyed the show. When I grade PPVs, I score it on a scale of 1-10, with 5 being average. I also don't do decimal points because decimal points are for people who can't make up their minds and I like to do something that isn't as cliche as how the wrestling websites grade the shows. I will give WWE Survivor Series a 7 out of 10. I gave it the same score as WWE Vengeance, if you remember. While I loved Survivor Series, Vengeance is still at the back of my mind and I think Vengeance was a better overall evening. Still, that isn't a knock on Survivor Series, as I am just speaking out of personal opinion. In many eyes, I can see many people thinking Survivor Series was better than Vengeance, and there is nothing wrong with thinking that. Still, I will admit that I almost gave it an 8, but I think it was missing a thing or two. Generally speaking, anything higher than a 7 on my review show is something I highly recommend watching. Anything around 4-6 is around the average territory, while anything below 3 is something that scars you for life. Either way, a very fun evening of wrestling, which sets up the show pretty well for the next few weeks. CM Punk is now the WWE Champion and Laurinaitis doesn't like him. How will that be played up on the show? What happens to Del Rio? How about Cena's reaction to working with the Rock last night? How about Barrett continuing to take the WWE by storm? There's plenty of interest in this reviewers eyes to get me invested in the action. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. In case you missed it, I wrote a Top 20 Legend of Zelda Theme songs list, so check it out if you haven't seen it yet. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time and finally time to open up that Skyward Sword box....
WrestlingNerd's Official Score of WWE Survivor Series 2011: 7 out of 10
Match #1: Dolph Ziggler vs John Morrison for the US Championship
John Laurinaitis started the PPV by talking about how this is his tenth anniversary in working for WWE. That has to be the worst attempt at getting cheap heel heat that I've ever seen before. Laurinaitis doesn't seem to give a s*** anymore.....or, maybe he does? Hard to tell with is lack of showing a human emotion. Maybe he's a robot? Actually, THAT would explain a lot. Okay, I'm really getting off track now. Back to the review. Lots of "we want Ryder" chants for this match. It was expected since Zack Ryder is from Long Island. This was a pretty good match to open up the PPV. Vickie Guerrero was sent to the back after she put Dolph's foot on the ropes and the referee caught it. It was at this moment where I felt Ryder would show up, but glad that wasn't the case. The finish comes when Dolph counters Star ship Pain, which allows him to hit Zig Zag for the clean victory. After the match, Dolph cuts a promo in how it isn't showing off if you can back it up. Yeah, Dolph was showing off quite a bit as the match progressed. After Dolph cut his promo, Ryder showed up and hit Rough Ryder on Dolph. Ryder was sporting some blue trunks. Expect for Robbie E from TNA to start wearing blue in the next few weeks. Glad to see Dolph get the clean victory here. Dolph should be getting more clean victories. Yeah, he may be a bad guy, but if you want to put him in the main event, he needs a better resume. The only reason I say that is it feels they are trying to move Dolph up the rankings, but they kept changing their minds. It's pretty obvious when Dolph loses the majority of his matches on free TV, but still manages to hold onto the US title. I still feel his place is the mid card division, but he should be used better against main event talents. Yeah, so you can imagine my disappointment later in the evening. Then again, I will talk about that when the time is right.
Winner via pinfall and still US Champion: Dolph Ziggler
Match #2: Beth Phoenix vs Eve; Lumberjill match for the Divas Title
So.....what was the point of this being a lumberjill match? Seriously, there was one point where they actually put Beth back in the ring, but they were really a non-factor for the rest of the match. Well, I guess this is your fanservice match of the night? The match was nothing special, but the ending was pretty awesome. The finish comes when Beth hits Glam Slam from the top rope for the clean victory. Despite this being a very average women's match, the finish was totally worth it.
Winner via pinfall and still Divas Champ: Beth Phoenix
Backstage where CM Punk is talking to David Otunga. David wants Punk to apologize to Michael Cole for the attack he did on Raw last week. Punk says he will think about it, but his world title match is more important. Where does Otunga keep finding these sweaters? There was also another backstage scene. The Rock talked about Madison Square Garden, hanging out with Andre the Giant, his grandfather, his father, his legacy, Awesome Truth and Cena. This was just a promo to get the crowd hyped up for the Rock's return. It was successful. I think Rock got the loudest ovation for the night. Punk was a close second, but no doubt people were aching to see the Rock. I wonder if "lady parts" ending up trending worldwide after Rock's promo?
Match #3: Team Barrett vs Team Orton; Survivor Series Style match
Sin Cara was wearing a white mask and pants for this match. Based on what would happen later in the night, you might want to label these the bad luck gear. Within minutes of the match starting, Randy Orton hits RKO on Dolph to take him out. This is what doesn't make much sense. You have Dolph cut promo after promo, meaning you're trying to build him up to bigger and better things. You have him win clean title defenses, but then he gets killed by Orton in a matter of seconds? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It would work a hell of a lot more if Dolph stayed in this match a lot longer. I am fine with Orton getting a quick elimination on someone, but I would've used Hunico or Jack Swagger since Dolph has higher stock than either of those guys. Very serious matter happened during the match. As Sin Cara was attempting a high risk move, he ended up falling down in a very quick manor. Officials checked up on Sin Cara and they took him to the back. At first, I didn't know what to make of this, but as the scene would play out, I got the idea. It appears that this is a pretty legit injury to Sin Cara. It would later be reported that Sin Cara had a ruptured patella tendon and might be out for 6 to 9 months. I went back and saw the replay to find out when this injury occured. I bet the IWC smarks are already nagging on how Sin injured himself because he botches his moves. And the IWC wonders why they get such a bad reputation with all their complaining and smarky responses? Anyway, it appears this injury occurred as Sin was running to attempt the high risk move. If you watch how Sin followed through with the move, it looked like he was trying to stop, but his forward momentum made him go over the ropes. This is why his high risk moved didn't look right since Sin didn't get any height off his jump. I figured the injury had to be real as the match didn't continue for a while. There was a point where both teams just stopped doing anything while they were waiting for the medics to send Sin Cara to the back. Definitely not a good night for Sin. Wish him the best on the road to recovery. Anyway, the match would continue as Mason Ryan and Hunico are fighting. Cody would get a blind tag and use it to his advantage. As Mason is getting ready for the Full Nelson Slam on Hunico, Rhodes hits the kick and Cross Rhodes to take out Mason. I like this elimination since it shows off Cody's cunning. Kofi Kingston would put up a fight against Wade Barrett, but the bare knuckle brawler was too much for him. Wade hits Wasteland and Kofi is gone. Sheamus would be the next to go as he lost his cool, turned into a Super Saiyan, and wouldn't listen to the referee as he continued to kill Jack Swagger. This is good booking since Sheamus doesn't lose any stock as he took himself out. WWE has been building up that Irish temper when it comes to Sheamus lately, so I guess it's something to pay attention to. Before leaving, Sheamus hits Brogue Kick on Swagger. Orton would pick the bones and Swagger is gone. It is down to a 3 vs 1 fight. See what I was talking about earlier with Dolph being eliminated? We have Orton vs Barrett, Rhodes, and.....Hunico? Seriously, what's wrong with this picture? Hunico would be the next to go when he does a springboard, but jumps into an RKO. Once Cheech Marin is out of the match, it is down to a 2 on 1 attack. The finish comes when Orton hits RKO on Cody, but Wade comes from behind and hits Wasteland for the victory. Cody and Wade are the remaining survivors for their team. I like WWE giving this one to the bad guys. Orton and most of his team members didn't have much to gain from winning this match. Cody and Wade had the most to gain, and nice to see WWE giving them a big win like this. At the moment, Wade is looking like a strong candidate to win the Royal Rumble, if his hot streak continues. Cody was also very impressive in his performance tonight. In my eyes, he was the star wrestler in this match. Despite the early Dolph elimination and the Sin Cara injury, this match got back under control and it was pretty good.
Winner: Team Barrett
Backstage where the Bella Sluts (Come on. They hit on everyone in the back) are talking to Alberto Del Rio. They talk about their day and how they have other stuff planned. Laurinaitis arrives in the scene to speak to Del Rio alone. He tells Del Rio that he isn't taking this match seriously and needs him to start caring. Del Rio says he will be champion for a long time. Is WWE giving you possible spoilers?
Match #4: Mark Henry vs Big Show for the WHC
Crowd was chanting lots of random stuff for this match. They chanted "Daniel Bryan", "Undertaker" and "boring". I will admit, the match was pretty dull for the first half. That would change as Henry tackled Show through the barricade. That seem to wake up the crowd...somewhat. There was a potential Super Plex attempt, but it didn't happen. Then again, there was still something to witness. Show actually got to the top rope and hit a flying elbow. I think the last time Big Show did that was 300 pounds ago. Still, that was awesome. Considering their size, this was not a bad match. Still, I think seeing a fat man fly is totally worth watching. Show couldn't get the victory as Henry kicked out at two. Lots of back and forth action. The finish comes when Henry kicks Show right in the testicles....
Henry would get DQed for his actions. Show wins the match, but Henry keeps his title. I knew this one would end in some sort of DQ/shenanigans since TLC is the next PPV and all Show vs Henry matches so far have been regular matches. It is appropriate for this rivalry to end in some sort of gimmick match. Then again, after seeing a fat man fly, not sure if I want to see a fat man fall off a ladder. In other words, I hope they don't make it some sort of ladder match. After the match, Henry was going to take out Show with the "steel chair in leg" deal, but Show moved out of the way. Show would then Falcon Punch Henry in the face. Show would use the steel chair on Henry's leg, to which he hits a legdrop on his leg. I think they may have set up Show vs Henry at TLC to be a chairs match, if you think about it. By the way, it would've been an opportunity for Daniel Bryan to cash in MITB. The opportunity was definitely there. Then again, Bryan got killed on Smackdown, so no cash in tonight.
Winner via DQ: Big Show; Mark Henry is still WHC
Backstage where Wade is talking about winning until Awesome Truth interrupt. Miz talks about how they are sick of being overshadowed by everyone in the WWE, especially Rock and Cena. R-Truth talks about....pigeons? I think Truth and Charlie Sheen should have a contest to see which one is more bats*** crazy, but entertaining at the same time? I would watch that. Anyway, Truth says pigeon crap is gonna get GOT!!! Personally, I wouldn't be trying to get crap, but I'm not gonna stop it.
Match #5: Alberto Del Rio vs CM Punk for the WWE Championship
Punk had his own personal ring announcer for tonight. It's none other than Howard Finkel. Punk does make the show more interesting. Nice to see the Fink make a special appearance. MSG was huge for Fink and Punk. There was even an "ice cream" chant. Which reminds me.....where the f*** is my ice cream? This was the Match of the Night, in my opinion. Great back and forth match between the two. The finish comes when after a ton of near falls, Punk locks in the Anaconda Vice and Del Rio finally taps out. After the match, Punk jumps into the audience as if it were Lambeau Field. Punk should play for the Green Bay Packers. Part of me is glad to see Punk get the title back. I do admit that Punk is probably my favorite current wrestler at the moment. On the other hand, it really drives down the stock of Del Rio. Then again, I've said many times that Del Rio is a pretty boring world champion. The guy can wrestle and talk, but he never has anything interesting to say and is very cliche. I think at this point, Del Rio has been given the label of a transitional world champion. Well, time to see now how the show will go now that Punk is now the champ once more.
Winner via submission and NEW WWE Champion: CM Punk
Match #6: Rock and John Cena vs Awesome Truth
One thing I haven't talked about is how vocal the crowd was tonight. Seriously, I've said in the past that a wrestling event can only be as memorable as the audience participation, and the MSG audience definitely let their voice be heard. Last time I heard a crowd be this vocal was back in Chicago for Money in the Bank. The Rock was definitely the main star for this match. I can definitely say I was pretty excited to see the early going of this match. Rock showed us that he still has it. On the other hand, the audience didn't hate anyone as much as they hated Cena tonight. Cena could've killed a terrorist in the ring and they still would've booed him. It was clear that this audience didn't want to have anything to do with Cena. This match was a mixed bag. When the Rock was involved, it was exciting and edgy. When Cena was in the match, it got pretty boring. Cena was on his back for most of this match, but that is pretty custom for a Cena match. He spends most of the time getting his ass kicked, then he powers up...
Then, he starts kicking ass and wins the match in the final 2-3 minutes. Cena really became a punching bag as this match kept going. Once the Rock got back in the match, the crowd woke up (and so did I), and the match got interesting again. Rock pretty much takes out Miz and Truth on his own. The finish comes when Rock hits People's Elbow on Miz for the clean victory. After the match, Cena wants to leave the ring to let Rock have his own moment. It also seemed like Cena was a little overshadowed in the process. Rock wants him back in the ring to pose for the crowd. Rock is clearly owning Cena in this department. After one more round of applause for the Rock, he ends the show by hitting Rock Bottom on Cena. Everybody Hates Cena, now a show being pitched for the WWE Network.
Winner via pinfall: Rock and Cena
I can see a lot of people upset at the booking for this match. I do admit that Miz and Truth had more to gain than Rock and Cena, but you had to figure this match was going to be a stepping stone for the WrestleMania match. By having the match go the way it did, it tells a couple of things from a storytelling perspective. It shows how maybe Cena wasn't taking the Rock seriously since he had been out of action for so long. By Rock looking as dominate as he was tonight, it really puts in the mindset that Cena really needs to up his game in order to defeat the Rock. This adds more fuel to the fire that is Rock vs Cena at WM. It's amazing how people already seem to forget that this Survivor Series match was most likely put into place to build up Rock and Cena and nothing more. In other words, while the match wasn't great, it did exactly what it was suppose to do. Am I the biggest fan of it? Not really. Do I think it could've gone better? Of course. There is always room for improvement. Do I think this was a horrible segment? Not at all since the match was tolerable and it built up the tension between Rock and Cena. Plus, audience participation really helps you get interested. Still, I can see people not liking this match because Cena didn't turn heel. First of all, there wasn't a ton of stock building up to a heel turn. You have to be a hardcore IWC member (or a lot of extra time on your hands) to piece together all the clues, and even MacGyver would think you're trying too hard to pull that one out of your ass. While smarks and older wrestling fans want to see a Cena heel turn, part of the reason I think it will never happen is because of all the merchandise Cena sells as the face of the company. Cena in eyes of older fans might be a guy who has done the same thing for 7-8 years and has become stale, but those children fans don't see it like that and eat up anything he does. The only reason I bring up a Cena heel turn is the door is once again set up. Rock continues to badmouth Cena and people praise him. On the other side of the coin, it seems like Cena can't do anything to stop all the negative chants he gets. I don't see a point of turning Cena heel when people already hate his guts. If he turns heel, some smarks might cheer, but he will still get boos. Cena gets more heel heat than some of the heels in pro wrestling, so what's the point of turning him heel if he already gets heat? Can Cena end up turning heel as this thing between him and Rock continues? Yeah, it's possible, but I still don't see the WWE pulling the trigger at the end of the day. Rock vs Cena will most likely be a face vs face match up, no matter how much Miami s***s all over Cena.
Overall Impression:
This was a pretty good showing by WWE. There was a ton of great action to watch. Not all the matches were perfect, but most were tolerable while others are definitely deserve a second look. The audience really made this show that much better. Again, a wrestling show can really stand out if the audience is going to get invested in it. If the energy of that audience is going to show off to the people watching at their houses, they are definitely going to be a little more invested with what's going on with the show. Not sure how well this ranks up in terms of previous Survivor Series PPVs, but I think it was a fun evening all around. Not sure how to rank this showing. I can say this show is worth a replay, if you're really enjoyed the show. When I grade PPVs, I score it on a scale of 1-10, with 5 being average. I also don't do decimal points because decimal points are for people who can't make up their minds and I like to do something that isn't as cliche as how the wrestling websites grade the shows. I will give WWE Survivor Series a 7 out of 10. I gave it the same score as WWE Vengeance, if you remember. While I loved Survivor Series, Vengeance is still at the back of my mind and I think Vengeance was a better overall evening. Still, that isn't a knock on Survivor Series, as I am just speaking out of personal opinion. In many eyes, I can see many people thinking Survivor Series was better than Vengeance, and there is nothing wrong with thinking that. Still, I will admit that I almost gave it an 8, but I think it was missing a thing or two. Generally speaking, anything higher than a 7 on my review show is something I highly recommend watching. Anything around 4-6 is around the average territory, while anything below 3 is something that scars you for life. Either way, a very fun evening of wrestling, which sets up the show pretty well for the next few weeks. CM Punk is now the WWE Champion and Laurinaitis doesn't like him. How will that be played up on the show? What happens to Del Rio? How about Cena's reaction to working with the Rock last night? How about Barrett continuing to take the WWE by storm? There's plenty of interest in this reviewers eyes to get me invested in the action. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. In case you missed it, I wrote a Top 20 Legend of Zelda Theme songs list, so check it out if you haven't seen it yet. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time and finally time to open up that Skyward Sword box....
WrestlingNerd's Official Score of WWE Survivor Series 2011: 7 out of 10
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Top 20 Legend of Zelda Theme Songs Part III Finale
Welcome back to my Top 20 Legend of Zelda theme songs.
Well, finally time to wrap up this countdown. Let's jump right into it.
#6. Main Hyrule Castle Theme
This is a tune that has made it into a number of different games. The whole song always doesn't make it into the games, but that intro is very recognizable. When you generally hear this tune, it means it's time to rescue Princess Zelda. The original theme from Link to the Past gives it more of a strong feeling, while other games take a different approach. My favorite version of this theme comes from Wind Waker. There is two versions in WW. I am referring to the second one.
This tune plays as you finish the game. I don't want to spoil too much about how Wind Waker ends, but let's just say the music is very appropriate to the scenes. A very moving piece of music to say the least. The Wind Waker version my be my favorite, but the Link to the Past version is no slouch either. Weither you call this an epic or emotional tune, it definitely leaves an impression on any Zelda fan.
#5. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess-Midna's Lament
Probably one of the best songs on a piano I've ever heard. It gives you a sense of urgency of having to save a life. Well, this definitely fits the scene that transpires when you hear this tune. One of my biggest problems is how the game designers created this part. When you hear this tune, it keeps going until you fulfill a certain task. In the meantime, random enemies show up and the battle theme comes in. It's like "Get that s*** out of here, I want to hear the moving piano music". For the most part, I try to avoid enemies when this music plays. I remember hearing this music for the first time in Twilight Princess and thinking NOW we are getting into a good part of the game. I know I said that Gerudo Desert is when the game takes off, but Midna's Lament is the part where the storyline really kicks in. A very moving piece in what could be Midna's darkest hour.
#4. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time-Gerudo Valley
I'm not sure what to say about this one. It's a really catchy tune. Now I can see why Ganondorf couldn't find Zelda for seven years. Because he was distracted by this awesome music. This music also has one of the more epic shots in the game. If you have Epona and the bridge is still out, you can jump over the bridge with Epona. Some people dread going into Gerudo Valley. Maybe it's because of the mini game, maybe it's because of the desert, maybe it's because of the fortress, maybe it's because you have to go through the Spirit Temple.....twice. Then again, when you have music as kick ass as this, who cares. Bring it on!!!
#3. Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past-Dark World
You know. Say whatever you want about Ganondorf. Yeah, he's the lord of all evil. He holds the Triforce of Power. Yeah, he wants to rule the entire world and enslave all of humanity. Yeah, I get all of that, but you can't doubt his taste in music. Yeah, it certainly seems the lord of evil makes sure you remember his role in the game. I remember hearing this tune the first time you enter the dark world (second time if you count the bunny transformation). You are walking down a pyramid, moblins are trying to kill you and you have no idea what the hell is happening. I really felt THIS was the point where I loved Link to the Past. Up to this point, you had a bunch of kiddy dungeons. Not anymore. Now, you're in the Dark World, and these dungeons are a little more complex than the previous ones. I also felt this is the part of the game where it got really good. My favorite track from LTTP and very worthy of holding the #3 slot on this countdown.
#2. Zelda's Lullaby
Many people think this theme was introduced in Ocarina of Time, but it was in Link to the Past first. What more can I say? It's Zelda's theme. It's so soft and moving, but it gives you sense of royalty. I'm not sure if you're happy or sad when you hear this tune. On one hand, you will meet Princess Zelda, but she normally tells you bad news. Great, more monsters to kill. Just what I wanted. There are many versions of this song, but each one leaves an impact on you as a gamer. Hard to really say which one is my favorite, but I really like the one that got combined with the opening/ending theme in Wind Waker.
Because of that, I guess you can include the opening/ending theme from Wind Waker in this category. I might be cheating since it can stand alone as it's own theme, but this is my list and I can do whatever the hell I want with it at the end of the day. Anyway, I also like the multiple versions you hear in Ocarina of Time. Especially in the ending credits of the game.
Damn, this can bring a tear to your eye.....BRINGS YOU TO TEARS, MAN!!! Okay, I'm good now.
Time to reveal #1. Before we do that, let's rundown the first 19. If you want to listen to these tunes, go back to Parts I and II.
#20. Gerudo Desert-Twilight Princess
#19. Mini Boss Battle-Wind Waker
#18. Song of Storms
#17. Opening Theme-Ocarina of Time
#16. Fairy Fountain Theme
#15. Hyrule Field Theme-Ocarina of Time
#14. Serenade of Water
#13. Dragon Roost Island- Wind Waker
#12. Tal Tal Heights-Link's Awakening
#11. Opening Title theme- Legend of Zelda (NES)
#10. Palace Theme- Zelda II: Adventure of Link
#9. Hidden Village-Twilight Princess
#8.Hyrule Field Theme-Twilight Princess
#7. Death Mountain- Link to the Past
#6. Hyrule Castle Theme
#5. Midna's Lament-Twilight Princess
#4. Gerudo Valley-Ocarina of Time
#3. Dark World-Link to the Past
#2. Zelda's Lullaby/Theme
So, those were 19 amazing theme songs, but there can only be one #1. Are you ready? If you aren't, too bad.
#1. Original Overworld Theme
I think the #1 theme song might have been a little too predictable. Then again, who cares? Just like many other themes in the series, this one has been remade countless times. Then again, I think this is well worthy of the #1 slot. Why? Because it is arguably the most recognizable theme song in the entire Zelda franchise. The second you hear the first few notes, you think "Oh yeah, that's freakin' Zelda". Just about every Zelda game has its own version of the original overworld theme. Majora's Mask had a variation of the theme.
I kinda like it. It makes you feel like you are in a marching band. The version in Wind Waker was pretty good, which is known as the Great Sea Theme.
Again, since it's the same, it is included in the same category. This theme has also had a ton of remixes over the years from other musical artist. One of my favorite remixes is CarboHydroM's version, which is called Sword of Hope.
If you have never checked out CarboHydroM's music before, you should check him out. He has a bunch of other amazing video game tracks. There have been other music artist who put their own spin on this theme (Brentalfloss is another one to check out if you're into parodies), which I think should be a testament into how iconic this theme is.
Despite all the remixes, there is just something magical about the original 8-bit theme. Every time I hear this tune, I am reminded of the phrase "It's dangerous to go alone". Then again, maybe that's a good thing.
And that finally does it for the Top 20 countdown. I realize there will be some disagreements with a top list, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. The Legend of Zelda is one of my favorite video game franchises, which is why I wanted to put together this list. I had a lot of fun putting this list together and reminiscing about a great video game franchise. Not sure what Skyward Sword will bring to the series, but there hasn't been a bad Zelda game yet.....if you choose to ignore the CDI games. Either way, I am sure Skyward Sword will have its own great music and the franchise will continue to rise. Thank you Shigeru Miyamoto for creating for one hell of a masterpiece. Thank you Koji Kondo, Akito Natatsuka, Asuka Ohta, Hajime Wakai, Kazumi Totaka, Kenta Nagata, Mahito Yokota, Michiru Oshima, Tora Minegishi, and the many other composers who made the Legend of Zelda one of the most reckonizable soundtracks in video game history. I'm the WrestlingNerd, and I'll see you next time.
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