WrestleMania Predictions

This Sunday is WrestleMania 29. I sound excited don't I? WWE's biggest show. The grandest stage of them all. The showcase of Immortals. The build has been very lackluster, but it's WrestleMania. When you've been a fan for as long as I've been, you don't miss a WrestleMania. If you're going to watch at least ONE WWE show, make it WrestleMania.

9 matches, 3 titles on the line and 3 HUGE Main Events. Despite the poor build, I'm sure this show will deliver. The crowd is sure to be hot. It's in New York. These crowds are almost always HOT. Let's get right down to the card and my predictions and thoughts for each match.

The Rock vs John Cena. One more time for the WWE Championship. It's no secret who I'm gonna be rooting for. Last year, the build these two had was pretty good cause it was the first time encounter and we got to see them interact with each other and build their feud every week leading up to Mania. This year, the WWE Championship was thrown into the mix and Cena is looking for redemption. That makes sense, but what doesn't make sense is that he's saying his loss to The Rock ruined his whole year? I guess headlining every pay-per-view and even becoming Mr. Money in the Bank since then must've been really depressing. 

But anyway, Rock/Cena has been fine this year. They weren't at each other's throats every week, because too much would be an overkill. That's why Rock was gone for a few weeks. There's a difference between selling and overselling. There were two face offs and then the final words between both men last Monday on RAW. It was also wise not to have them face to face too. Adds tension to their match. I think these two will put on a better match than last year. Their match was last year wasn't garbage, but it was solid. It was neither man's fault. Just a lack of chemistry between the two. But there has been a lingering question going on....

Will John Cena turn heel? They've been teasing it an awful lot. The way he ended his promo on RAW by dropping the mic and soaking in the boos, a few weeks ago he said, the people might see something they've never seen before, and even the return of John Laurinatis teasing maybe Cena joining him. I don't think they'll do it. I don't think they'll turn their top draw into a heel. They could do it with Austin because they had other top faces to carry the load. I don't think WWE has the guts to flip the switch and turn John Cena heel and lose all the little kiddies. If they do it, then it's a HUGE move. If they don't, they teased it awfully well. But as for now, John Cena beats The Rock. This is one is terribly predicable. Cena wins and he rides off into the sunset with the WWE Championship. I hope he is prepared to get booed HEAVILY. 

Prediction: John Cena wins the WWE Championship -____-

CM Punk vs The Undertaker. The Best in the World vs The Streak. This feud has been a colossal let down, in my opinion. They focused this storyline TOO much on the death of Paul Bearer. That would be fine if it was a normal feud, but this is The Undertaker's Streak. That should've been the central theme of this feud. Interrupting Paul Bearer's tribute was a good touch, but that should've been the end of it. Now, we'll never know what it is they were going to do with these two had Paul Bearer not died. Instead, we get Punk doing funny voices with the urn, and no sense of consistency during the feud. 

Last Monday on RAW was the only time I felt like Punk truly got the upper hand on Taker and looked a threat to the streak. Everything before that fell flat. They were milking the whole Paul Bearer thing to death. It just felt lazy. But of course the Punk marks are saying Punk is a legitimate threat to the streak. If there was anything this feud told me is that Punk has absolutely no shot of ending the streak this Sunday. This is wrestling 101, when the bully keeps poking and prodding at the face, eventually he's gonna get what's coming to him. The feud has really been one sided and that's why I think Punk has no shot. 

It's going to be a solid match. I love Punk's work in the ring and I think he and Taker are gonna have a good match. Great storytelling and it should be a classic. I had high hopes for this feud and it's a shame that it only got good last Monday. Despite all that, the match is still going to deliver. I'm not too worried about that. But Taker goes 21-0.

Prediction: Undertaker defeats CM Punk and goes 21-0

I personally don't get how Triple H's career is on the line when he barely wrestles to begin with. It should've just been a typical No Holds Barred match. You don't always need a stipulation thrown in. I liked the base for how this feud started. Triple H said he was waiting for a reason to come back and Brock Lesnar gave him that reason by attacking Vince. I liked that. Paul Heyman's been the best on the mic in this feud since Lesnar can't speak for himself. And now there's the ace in the hole in HBK. He will be in Triple H's corner this Sunday. Last Monday's segment was anti climactic. Very poor final sell before WrestleMania. 

The match itself is gonna be physical. In a normal match, these two worked well, but in a No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania, I hope Vince lets these guys loose. Lots of weapons, violence, and at LEAST some  blood. I'm expecting a knock down, drag out, WAR between these two. Triple H used to be THE MAN in these types of matches. I'm hoping he taps into his inner Triple H. I don't care very much for the stipulation, but I'm looking forward to this match. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

As far as my prediction goes, it's gonna be Triple H. Lesnar won at Summerslam and "broke" his arm. He's not only fighting for himself, but he's fighting his career and the McMahon name. No way he loses this match.

Prediction: Triple H defeats Brock Lesnar

For the first time in two years, the World Heavyweight Championship scene has a decent feud behind it. 2 years ago, Del Rio was a heel challenging for the World Title. Fast forward to today, and he's a face defending it. Not bad. Then you have his challenger, Jack Swagger. I'll tell you, if not for Zeb Coulter, I don't know if I would've bought into old Jack Swagger.

This feud started out with some potential, but the build slowly started to fall flat in my opinion. They sort of wasted all their ammo in the beginning. That segment with Del Rio/Ricardo/Swagger/Coulter on MizTV happened a little too soon in my opinion. Especially if they couldn't keep the feud interesting for the next few weeks. Last Monday, Swagger cut a decent promo about what winning the World Title means to him and what it could mean for the people of America. It was good, but the brawl on RAW needed something more. I should've ended with Swagger posing with the World Title over Del Rio's body with his music playing. The heel has to pose with the title at least once. I felt like this feud was inconsistent at times and very on and off. One week they would pull off something good, but do something stupid the next, so on and so on. 

I had high hopes for this feud and it delivered for the most part, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. They're really pushing Swagger being the next American Patriot heel type of character. But will they give him the win over Del Rio? I don't see it happening. I feel that Swagger will win the World Title in the near future, but we'll just have to wait for Jack Swagger's America. I see Del Rio retaining, and then MAYBE Dolph Ziggler cashes in the Money in the Bank. But seeing as how that would be a little too predictable as everyone's been saying it for quite some time, I don't think it'll happen. I think Del Rio will have his moment on top this Sunday.

Prediction: Alberto Del Rio retains the World Heavyweight Championship

Oh yes. The WrestleMania debut of The Shield. It's no secret that these guys are one of my favorites of the WWE right now and they're undefeated on pay-per-views at the moment. I've mentioned this before, but even their wrestling styles are amazing. I love the fast pace, quick tags, power of Reigns, speed and agility of Rollins and mixed with the technical prowess of Ambrose and The Shield is one hell of a unit. Love these guys.

I enjoyed the early stages of this feud for a few reasons. The Shield were attacking a heel character for once in Big Show, and instead of being The Shield for injustice, they were dealing a thorn in their side. And then, there was the variable of can Big Show get along with Randy Orton and Sheamus? It seemed like they finally got their act together on RAW last Monday. I like they kept it simple between the three. They didn't over do it by Show, Sheamus, and Orton being all buddy buddy. Let's not forget Show and Sheamus feuded a few months ago as well.

This feud hasn't been really eye popping either in the last few weeks. It was just lacking something. The Shield cut good promos and I like the whole Big Show/Sheamus/Orton trust angle, but it was just missing something. It was already solid, but it needed something more to make it good.

I think The Shield takes this one. Why? Because I think Randy Orton will turn heel. Orton will turn, screw Sheamus and Big Show allowing The Shield to pick up the win. Orton's been wanting to turn heel for a while. Orton turns, The Shield get the win and everybody goes home happy. Besides, if Sheamus can't beat The Shield with Ryback and John Cena of all people, what makes you think he can get it done with Randy Orton and The Big Show?

BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!!

Prediction: The Shield defeats Randy Orton, Big Show, and Sheamus

One of the matches I'm looking forward to. It's been a while since WrestleMania had this kind of "Invincible Force meets Immovable Object" type of match. Mark Henry has been another favorite of mine since he returned and his attitude fits him perfectly. The way we walks, how he cuts his promos now, and even his music have evolved his character so much.

And now, he's gotta face Mr. "FEED ME MORE" in Ryback. The feud was pretty decent, it kinda spiced things up with the no contact clause and it adds some tension and makes the people excited to see them finally get their hands on each other at WrestleMania. I think these two can put on a good, short match. They don't need 20 minutes. These two big guys can make a 10 minute match look good. Start with a staredown, a few power moves, and we're gonna find out if Ryback can get Mark Henry up for the Shellshock.

Ryback struggled to do his finisher on Paul Heyman for God sakes. Mark Henry is going to have to REALLY help out Ryback to make sure he hits it. This is Ryback's WrestleMania moment right here.

Prediction: Ryback defeats Mark Henry

THIS match is going to be GOOD. This is the ONE match that I'm legit excited to see. Everything they've done in this feud has been amazing. From the moment Jericho and Fandango had that backstage segment, I knew they would have a good feud. I just didn't know they would have these two face off at WrestleMania. At first, the only thing I liked about Fandango was his cool ballroom dance entrance music, but the more he teased wrestling, and left, he sorta grew on me. 

His feud with Jericho has been good. Because you know what it has? Consistency. Jericho made fun of Fandango, Fandango struck back by attacking him, Jericho jumped him the following week, and then last Monday, Fandango held up scoring cards rating Jericho on his moves during his match with Cesaro. Once Jericho got the win, he attacked him and hit his legdrop twice on him. 

Whether people want to believe it or not, Fandango's got potential to be a star in this company. You give him and Jericho 15 minutes at Mania and they can steal the show, no match would come close. Fandango has the traits of an old school heel. He's got character, he's got a mean streak, he's got the looks, and loves shouting "WHAT'S MY NAME?!?!" in people's faces and has a valet. This kid has all the traits. He and Jericho are going to have a good match. Fandango should go over Jericho here to give his career a proper start, but there is a way that Jericho can win and still make Fandango look like a stud. If anyone can make somebody look good in a loss besides HBK, it's Y2J.

There literally is not one bad thing I can say about this. The feud's been good and the match will be even better. Can't wait.

Prediction: Fandango defeats Chris Jericho

Another match that I'm excited to see. I'll say this, I'm more excited about WrestleMania's undercard than their Main Events. That's....sad. 

But getting to this match, it's 3 years since the Tag Titles have been defended at WrestleMania and this is going to be a great match. Team Hell No dominated the Fall season as one of the best acts in the tag team division and slowly fizzled out around Winter time. Ziggler and Big E. are the biggest challenge to the Tag Team Champions by far. Their feud with The Rhodes Scholars was so one sided. 

What I like about this feud is a few things. For starters, they're bringing up the past between AJ/Bryan/Kane and using that in this feud. Also, all four guys bring something to the table. Ziggler's selling and athleticism, Bryan's wrestling expertise, Kane's Mania experience, and then you have the mystery of Big E. Langston. All we've seen is his finisher. What can he do in a full match? What role will AJ play? A lot of variables go into this tag team title match. I personally think Kane and Bryan's time as the Tag Team Champions are up. They haven't done much with them. These four guys are gonna bring it and I can't wait. This is going to be a really great match, and I have a feeling we might crown new tag team champions.

NOTE: This match may be changed to include AJ and Kaitlyn to make this a Winner Take All match for the tag tiles and Divas title. That's what they should've done IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Prediction: Ziggler and Big E. win the WWE Tag Team Titles

I'm a BIG fan of Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes. I'm happy these two made it onto the main card for WrestleMania, but it's a shame that this is the match they're in. A match they're probably going to lose.

The team of Brodus and Tensai has been ok. They're like a wannabe Too Cool, but at least they don't over do the childish antics and humor.No offense to Cameron and The Bellas, but Naomi is the best Diva wrestler out of the four. Not saying they're all bad, but Naomi is an exceptional athlete. Rhodes Scholars and Bella Twins are a solid on-screen unit and have the momentum going into this match. I think they can add a lot to The Rhodes Scholars.

As much as I would like to see the heels pull this one out, it's not going to happen. Tons of Funk and the Funkadactyls are gonna get the win which means all the kiddies are gonna get to dance in the ring. Lovely.

Prediction: Tons of Funk and the Funkadactyls defeat Team Rhodes Scholars and The Bella Twins

Two years ago, The Miz headlined WrestleMania and beat John Cena. Two years later, he's facing Wade Barrett on the WrestleMania PRE-SHOW. This match WAS a part of the card, but it was moved to the pre-show.

I really could care less about this match. It's a shame because the Intercontinental Championship is supposed to be a major title. It hasn't been since last year when Cody Rhodes held it. Miz's face turn has fell flat. His jokes are forced and corny and he's much better as a heel. Wade Barrett has had almost no air time, no promo time and is on a losing streak as the Intercontinental Champion. It'a amazing how the Intercontinental Champion is a weekly jobber.

Anyway, I see Miz winning this. Having the face win sets the tone for the show and Miz wins the Intercontinental Championship. They can put on a solid wrestling match, but I'm not invested in it at all.

Prediction: The Miz wins the Intercontinental Championship

Ok, so there you have it. My WrestleMania predictions. Oh and let's not forget, the Hall of Fame Inductees will be there and P. Diddy will be performing. 

All in all, WrestleMania should be a great show. It's a shame that the build wasn't good enough to justify looking forward to the payoff for all the matches. I mean, I'm more excited to see Jericho vs Fandango than Punk vs Undertaker. But of course, it's WrestleMania. It always delivers one way or another. 

For those will be going, I hope you all have fun. I'll be watching from my house and I hope to see some great wrestling and an overall great show. And of course, I'll be back Sunday Night with my post WrestleMania reaction blog.

Feel free to comment.

By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

WWE Hell in a Cell Reaction

Pre-show:

John Cena comes out and addresses the "scandal" between him and AJ that cost her the GM job. Anyway to get John Cena on WWE programming I guess. I wasn't really paying attention because this angle doesn't really interest me, but maybe RAW tomorrow will change my opinion.


Hell in a Cell opens up with a damn good intro which could've been better without Show and Sheamus in it, but I digress.

Randy Orton vs Alberto Del Rio

Orton and Del Rio kick off Hell in a Cell with a average match. Not one of their best encounters, but it was still solid, yet sloppy. Del Rio was the aggressor telling a story and really going to work on Orton's arm selling that point. The match ends with Del Rio scaling the top rope, but landing into an RKO. Pretty sick spot. Orton picks up the win.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match 
Daniel Bryan & Kane vs Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow

Great tag team match between two great teams. Sandow & Rhodes did the traditional tag team wrestling with quick tags, teamwork and everything in between. We saw some great ring action with Daniel Bryan and Damien Sandow who seem to work well together. But let's get to the meat of the matter. The end of the match sees Kane going completely ballistic and hammering away on Sandow and Rhodes so furiously that the ref has to call for the bell. Kane and Bryan seemed to "self-destruct" during the match as well. So, Kane and Bryan lose the match, but they keep the titles because of the disqualification. Didn't think they would go this route. The feud between these two teams is going to continue, but does this mean Rhodes and Sandow are going to capture the tag titles soon, or is this just something WWE came up with so that Kane and Bryan don't get old?

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Kofi (c) vs The Miz

So far, this match is the Match of the Night. It was fast pace, back and forth and so fluid. Miz and Kofi have tremendous chemistry in the ring with each other and despite having no story going into this one, this match was great. In the end, Kofi hits Miz with the Trouble in Paradise for the win retaining the IC Title. I really do hope the IC Title launches Kofi's career. He deserves it. I feel like this is just the beginning.

WWE United States Championship Match
Antonio Cesaro (c) vs Justin Gabriel

Well what do you know? The United States Champion does have a match..

GREAT match. Wow. I never really watched much of Justin Gabriel in singles competition, but on a pay-per-view stage, this kid can GO. By go, I mean he's a great wrestler and phenomenal athlete. Despite the crowd being dull as dishwater since the opening of the show, these two guys put on a great match. I already know how good Cesaro is in the ring, but Gabriel is so agile, making him so mobile and his moves look so fluid, especially working with a guy like Cesaro, they can make each other look good. But getting off that, Cesaro picks up the win the Neutralizer and retains the US Title. What I noticed is that he didn't have Aksana at ringside? Cesaro isn't the best on the mic, so he needs some sort of mouthpiece.

Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs The Primetime Players

Nothing really special. Haven't seen PTP in a while, and they're really trying to push Mysterio and Cara as a legit tag team as the new school version of Mysterio and Guerrero, but those are HUGE shoes to fill. Better yet, their teamwork reminds of Brian Kendrick and Paul London. Never heard of them? Of course not. Look them up and educate yourselves.

Getting to the match, I didn't pay much mind to it. I've seen these teams wrestle before and this really was nothing new. Maybe this should've been.....I don't know....a #1 Contenders match? But nonetheless, it was an enjoyable match. Mysterio and Sin Cara get the win.

On another note, Cara took what looked like a sick bump to the outside landing on Titus and he looks to have injured himself.....again. But he got up and celebrated with Rey. I guess we'll know more later.



While we have some time, let's recap so far. 3 title matches, all 3 Champs retained, the crowd sucks which further proves how some crowds can affect a pay-per-view. You would think after WrestleMania 27, WWE would know Atlanta crowds are bad WWE crowds. But meh. At this point, Kofi and Miz had the Match of the Night so far. The only thing, on my mind at least, is the WWE Championship match.

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sheamus (c) vs Big Show

Well, I was wrong on two things:

1) I actually liked this match. It didn't go as long as I thought. They made it short and sweet. Well, sort of. A good portion of this match was DOMINATED by Big Show. I mean pure domination. Sheamus got beat down to the point where he had welts on his chest. This match told a great story of how dominant The Giant really is. It took a while for Sheamus to get his offense going, but when he did, the match really picked up. Sheamus got Big Show up for the White Noise move, and even kicked out of Big Show's KO Punch which FINALLY woke the crowd up a little bit. But he didn't do it again. Sheamus geared up for the Brogue Kick, but Show hit him with the KO Punch in mid-motion and won the World Title.

2) I was wrong about Big Show and the World Title. Upon Big Show's return to the WWE, they were really pushing the fact that he's a Giant and since they don't want him carrying the WWE Champion, the World Heavyweight Championship seems more his game right now because who's going to take him down? Obviously, Sheamus is going to want revenge and has a rematch clause somewhere, so this feud isn't over. And no Ziggler cash-in, so we'll still have to wait on that.

Good match. Really surprised me. Hope Big Show has a good reign with the World Title this time around.

Triple Threat match for the Divas Championship
Eve (c) vs Layla vs Kaitlyn

Despite the crowd being dead as usual, this match was pretty solid. Even though the division has been so bad, there have been some good divas matches. In this match, Kaitlyn really shined. We know how good Eve and Layla are, but Kaitlyn had some pretty good ring time in this match and showed people what she can do and she's improved in the ring in the last few months. But even after all that, Eve retains the Divas Title. Not too surprised there.

Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship
CM Punk (c) vs Ryback

This was it. The Main Event. The Big Fight. THE MATCH. CM Punk vs Ryback for the WWE Championship. After the well done video package highlighting their feud, CM Punk makes his way out first, followed by Ryback. This match had a great big fight feel and they really sold the fact Punk was staring death in the face. The match started the way I figured. Punk was avoiding Ryback until he finally got caught and beatdown. He waited for the right distraction and pounced on the opportunity. This match was moving at a slow pace which was just fine for me. In a match of this magnitude, you didn't need to rush anything. This match told a good story that Punk needed to do more than usual to take Ryback down. Punk needed to depend on multiple weapons to bring him down and for short amount of time was in control of the monster Ryback. You can't make Punk look like a complete rag doll. The man is the WWE Champion so it was only a matter of time until he started dominating for a little bit.

And now, we come to end of the match. Punk was hitting Ryback with a Singapore cane, but Ryback had enough, grabbed the cane and tossed it out of the ring. He did the usual moves which included his meat hook clothesline. He got Punk up for the shell shock, but was stopped and low blowed by.......wait for it..........THE REFEREE. Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, the referee stopped Ryback and dropped him with a low blow. Punk rolled him up and the ref fast counted Ryback's shoulders down. Punk wins and retains the WWE Championship.

But wait, there's more! Punk and the crooked ref try to get out of the Cell, but the referee outside was fumbling with the keys and couldn't unlock it in time. Ryback got up and he made both men pay. The referee took quite a bump. Ryback brought him into the ring and tossed him outside the ring right into the Cell. Punk climbed to the top of the Cell to get away from Ryback, who followed. I was going through every possible scenario in my head of what they were going to do up there until I remembered that WWE is PG so, instead of somebody flying off, or going through the Cell, the best we got was just a simple shell shock onto the top of the Cell. The show ends with Ryback literally with his foot on Punk's chest doing the "Feed Me More!"



Ok, so Brock Lesnar didn't show up. Let me get that out of the way right now. But this match did what it had to. Punk kept the WWE Championship and Ryback's character wasn't damaged. As a matter of fact, after his actions after the match, his Monster character grew immensely and looked every bit as strong as he did before the match. It looks like WWE did create that new star that they wanted.

Now, I bet people are going to complain about the screwjob ending. This tells a few things. First of all, people were going to complain no matter how that match ended. Second, WWE backed themselves into a corner and had no clue how to really end this match, and that was the best they could come up with. But the ending really isn't as bad as people are saying. Let's be honest, did any of you see the referee screwing over Ryback? Better yet, did you call it a few weeks ago? If you did, you can either see into the future, or you're a damn liar. People are always saying that the one thing WWE doesn't have anymore is unpredictability. I certainly didn't predict the referee getting involved. If you didn't like how it ended, then please enlighten me on how you would've ended the match given the complications going into it.

I don't like the referee screwjob either, but I give them points on the swerve I guess. CM Punk needed to win and Ryback couldn't become the WWE Champion. Like I said in my last blog post, I don't think he was ready, but I also said him winning the title down the road won't mean as much if he were to win here.

Overall, this show was ok. I wasn't really expecting a stellar show, but it wasn't bad. Miz/Kofi had the best wrestling match of the night, the Show/Sheamus match shocked me not only by the way the match went, but with Show winning the World Title, and Punk retains his title, Ryback is still the Monster. Everybody goes home happy. The only problem I had was the crowd. They were AWFUL.

I'll score this show a C+. The only reason I tuned in was to see Punk vs Ryback and while that match didn't disappoint me, I can't say the rest of the show filled me with joy either. Today's new WWE PG fans are going to remember Ryback standing over Punk on top of the Cell for quite some time. It would be interesting to see how they follow up with this. Do they go back to Punk/Cena or is Ryback going to get his rematch?


Feel free to Comment.



By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Night of Champions Reaction

At first, I didn't want to even bother writing a blog on this show, but I changed my mind.

Pre-show Battle Royal to determine #1 contender for the US Championship
Participants: Brodus Clay, Tensai, Primo, Epico, Justin Gabriel, Michael McGuillicuty, Zack Ryder, Primetime Playas, Jinder Mahal, JTG, Drew McIntyre, Ted Dibiase Jr., Heath Slater, Santino

I won't get into much greater detail than this because this: It was a pretty standard battle royal. Not many faces people would know because they're never on TV, but nonetheless, it was an interesting battle royal. It came down to Tensai and Zack Ryder and Long Island's Finest came away with the win. So, therefore, we will have Zack Ryder vs Antonio Cesaro later on for the US Championship.

I'm sure you all heard what happened to Jerry "The King" Lawler on RAW. If not, then allow me to fill you in.

The King had a heart attack during a match on RAW last Monday. At one point, you could hear him snoring sort of, and then you just hear silence. WWE personnel rush over, and EMT's bring King to the back worked on him for 15 minutes to do CPR. King was treated in the hospital over night, and by Wednesday (?) He was up and feeling better. He posted a tout and all was right with the world. Thank god he's ok and back on his feet, and at home recovering.

While King is at home recovering, JBL came back tonight and took over color commentating duties for the show. Let's get to the event.

Fatal 4 Way Intercontinental Championship Match
The Miz (c) vs Rey Mysterio vs Cody Rhodes vs Sin Cara

This was a good opening match to be honest. Solid action from all four men, we got to see Mysterio and Sin Cara put on a little show, and we had some great spots as well.  An interesting ending here, when Miz was going to power bomb Sin Cara and got a mask put on him. With Miz being able to not see and all, he grabbed the first body and hit the skull crushing finale and got the win. Solid match, I would've expected a little more of a faster pace to the ending, but this works too.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Kofi & R-Truth (c) vs Kane & Daniel Bryan


First off, I gotta say that Daniel Bryan and Kane have become the entertaining portion of the show for the past two weeks, and these anger management segments have been funny. Getting to the match, it was solid, and told a good story. Kane and Bryan argued during portions of the match, even going so far as to hugging it out during the match when they got upset. They were so over that Kofi and Truth, who are also fan favorites, started to get booed at. But this isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened.

The ending sees Kane on the top rope, still arguing with Daniel Bryan. Bryan shoves him off and he lands on Kofi and gets the win and we have NEW Tag Team Champions. And afterwards, they argue and Kane leaves.

This is a great move by WWE here. Kane and Bryan have gotten super over ever since these anger management segments and giving them the tag team titles is a good move. My only thing is, where do they go from here? Who are they gonna find to challenge Kane and Bryan? Unless they throw two other upper mid-carders together to face them. But I don't think the belts will come off these guys any time soon.

United States Championship Match
Antonio Cesaro (c) (w/Aksana) vs Zack Ryder

Solid match. I didn't expect much from the match anyway, but not bad. I said this in my Summerslam reaction blog, I like watching Cesaro wrestle. The man knows what he's doing in there. Also, there was one spot in the match where he sent Ryder in the air and on his way down, he hit him with an uppercut. He used this great move in ROH and other indies before coming up to WWE. It's pretty lethal.

Cesaro wins with the Gotch Neutralizer after Aksana distracts him. So, Cesaro hangs on to the US Title which is a good thing cause this might be what he needs to make him relevant. Cesaro is a great talent and with some work, he could be something big. Maybe WWE can start putting him on RAW too.....a show that people will watch. SmackDown isn't as watchable as it was in the past.

Randy Orton vs Dolph Ziggler

When you think of a match that could be the possible showstealer, this was it. I'm not surprised because these two always put on great matches. Both of these guys have so much chemistry in the ring and this match was amazing. It was slow, fluid, methodical, and fast pace at times, but it didn't really need it. It ended with Orton lifting Ziggler in the air and hit him with an RKO on his way down.

Match of the night so far. But where does Ziggler go from here. He's getting absolutely no steam and no momentum. I mean yea, he's Mr. Money in the Bank, but what does that mean if he keeps losing?

Then again, Daniel Bryan kept on losing matches when he was Mr. Money in the Bank and look where his career is at now. Nuff said. We're just going to have to wait and see when Ziggler will get his chance to shine.

Divas Championship Match
Layla (c) vs Eve

Well, with Kaitlyn out of the mix, Eve takes her spot and faces Layla for the Divas Championship. What happened to Kaitlyn you ask? If you care enough to read, I'll explain.

Earlier on in the night, Kaitlyn "injured" her ankle backstage and was in no condition to compete apparently. How convenient. They didn't build up Kaitlyn one bit, and now she's "injured." Why put her in the match if you were planning to take her out of it? Later on, Booker T. named Eve as the replacement to face Layla. Shocking stuff. Why didn't you just add her to the match in the first place?

I wasn't too sold into this match for obvious reasons. But unlike the crowd, I appreciate a Divas match when both of them can actually wrestle. Layla always had talent, and Eve got better and better in the ring with her move set. That being said, the match was solid and we crowned a NEW Divas Champion in Eve.

I'm not that annoyed with the decision, but let's look at this for a minute:

Kaitlyn was "taken out" earlier on in the night, Eve is her replacement, and then wins the Divas Championship. It doesn't take a genius to realize that Eve was behind everything and it worked out in the end as she wins the Divas Title. All this in order to get Eve over as a heel. Eve lost A LOT of steam since her heel turn on Ryder back in March (?) But Eve wins the title, and I'm pretty sure Layla and Kaitlyn will be back after her.

The only twist they can come up with here (which they'll probably do) is for Eve to have paid someone to take Kaitlyn out so that her hands are clean of the situation. That would at least make the Divas division a little more interesting.

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sheamus (c) vs Alberto Del Rio

Before the match gets underway, Booker comes out and makes the Brogue Kick legal again taking away all the "suspense" in this match in whether or not Sheamus can win without The Brogue Kick.

So, now that we have that out of the way let's get to the match. It went on for a little while, but it had a slower pace than their match at Summerslam, but this match was still good and told a good story. Del Rio continuously worked on that arm and every time Sheamus would go for the Brogue Kick, he would miss. When Sheamus was locked in the cross armbreaker and looked like he was going to tap, he fought his way to the ropes, twice.

Eventually, Sheamus nails Del Rio with the Brogue Kick and this one is over. And there is no appearance from Ziggler. So, I really don't know where Sheamus will go from here. My guess would be a feud with Orton, or maybe Wade Barrett. But I know THIS should be the last time Del Rio competes for the World Title, at least for a while.

WWE Championship Match
CM Punk (c) vs John Cena

Before the match, Paul Heyman is in the ring and says he's going to be at ringside to watch this match and introduces CM Punk out and here he comes wearing a hoodie and sporting NY Yankee pinstripe trunks clearly since they're in Boston and all. Cena comes out wearing Pink and Black for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Both men get separate introductions and it seems like for once, Boston is actually cheering Cena.

This match had a big fight feel and it didn't disappoint. Then again, Punk and Cena never disappoint. I know I bash PG WWE A LOT, but one thing I'll say is that Cena and Punk know how to put on a damn good show and making every minute worth it. This was another classic match that saw Cena doing a ring dive, multiple kickouts from finishing moves, escapes from submissions, other nearfalls, and just excitement all around. It was simply amazing.

But here's where I scratch my head. Ok, so at the end, Cena does a German Suplex from the top rope and the ref counts and apparently Cena wins the WWE Title! But wait, once Cena is done celebrating, the ref takes the belt away from Cena and says both his and Punk's shoulders were down on the mat when he counted the fall. Mr. Referee ends this match on a draw. Therefore, Punk keeps the WWE Title. And afterwards, while Cena is complaining about the decision, he turns around and Punk drops him with the belt.

I had to let this sink in for a bit. They really couldn't have Cena lose in his Hometown? Really? I mean it's not like it hasn't happened before. Anyway, they didn't want Cena to lose in Boston, and they didn't want Punk to lose the title, so this draw scenario is actually kind of interesting. Not only does it leave the people of Boston extremely upset which gives Punk more heat, but it shows how even they are. They did everything to each other and nobody walked out with a clean win on one another. I just feel like they could've executed it better. I mean when they showed the replay, Cena's shoulders were barely on the mat. I commend the move, but it just seemed off.

We're going to see Punk/Cena again at Hell in a Cell, and do you have Punk win there? There have been talks of Punk holding onto the title up until The Royal Rumble, but this scenario seems too familiar. Cena doesn't win the first match, but almost always wins the rematch. There is a method to all this madness.


Overall, this show was pretty damn entertaining. Way better than Summerslam that's for damn sure.

As much as I hate to say it, Cena/Punk surpassed Orton/Ziggler for Match of the Night, and we crowned two new Champions. All this adds up to a must see RAW tomorrow night. Good show, great wrestling, but a sloppy ending. I'll give a 7/10. WWE still has a lot to do in the world of building up every match like they used to do before the PG Era started.



Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

WWE Monday Night RAW Review! (5/28/12)

After a week long hiatus, the RAW Review is back! For those who missed my RAW Review, I have a job so I'm not going to be posting at the rate I was before. Just a little heads up. For those who don't care, I could care less what you think.

Time for the RAW Review!

After a LONG recap from RAW last week, we kick off RAW with the Big Show coming out and cutting promo saying how nobody in the WWE is in his league. He rips on the people for not caring about him when he got fired, ripping on John Cena and his absolutely horrendous "Loser" fiasco on RAW 2 weeks ago. He went on and on about Cena and how he knocked him out and how he'll do the same at No Way Out. At this point, he just began to ramble on.

Show's promo started out well, but he just began to ramble on and recycle what he said last week. Nothing new or interesting. There needs to be more sizzle to this feud. Let's hope they add that soon in the next few weeks.

20 minutes of my life that I wish I had back.

Alberto Del Rio vs Santino Marella


Santino goes for the Cobra, Del Rio dodges and makes him tap out in the cross armbar. Short and sweet. Del Rio wins and is being built up to look strong heading into No Way Out.

It's not everyday that the United States Champion gets squashed in under 30 seconds. Hmph...





Backstage Segment:


After we see a shot of Eve in all her sexiness, Big Show throws Alex Riley into a wall. I hope they build up Show this way. Let him really bully around the entire locker room and cap it off with that showdown with John Cena at No Way Out. There has to be a payoff and I hope in some form that Show ends up winning to solidify this new heel turn.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (c) vs Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger


A rematch from the AWESOME Tag Team Title match these four men had at Over the Limit.

I didn't expect it to be as good as their match at Over the Limit, but it was still solid nontheless with a good deal of back and forth action. Truth gets the win for him and Kofi by pinning Jack Swagger.

But what's more important about this is what happened AFTER the match. Dolph Ziggler yelled at Swagger and left in the ring saying "I'm better than this." Dolph Ziggler is finally beginning to split from Vickie and Swagger. Hmm...it'll be interesting to see where this goes. I've been waiting to see Dolph break away from Vickie and see what he can really do.





Backstage Segment:


Big Show attempted to bully around Santino, but was stopped by......Brodus Clay? o_O

This is the most interesting Clay has been since his debut as the Funkasaurus. He challenged the Big Show and we have what could be an interesting showdown later on between these two.

I'm actually excited for this.

In-ring Segment:


Big Johnny comes down and does his usual shtick talking about John Cena and the people. Then he goes on to make the match between Cena and Show at No Way Out a Steel Cage match!

Johnny somehow got into talking about WWE '13 and People Power and reveals a pretty cool looking cover of WWE '13 with John Laurinatis on the cover. I see the little WWE Attitude Logo in the top right of the cover. Hmm....

Enter CM Punk.

Punk comes out, rains on Johnny's parade and reveals a GREAT cover featuring CM Punk, which is probably going to be the actual cover. Laurinatis then wishes Punk good luck on his match with Daniel Bryan and leaves.

Talk about a plug.

Oh and by the way, Sin Cara returns to SmackDown this Friday Night. He's been gone so long, I doubt people even remember who he is. Not like he made a HUGE splash when he debuted anyway.

CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan


Every time these two step in the ring, they put on a great match and this was no different. Obviously, this wasn't their classic from Over the Limit, but it was a great match. These two do what they do best and put on a great technical wrestling match. A lot of submission holds and almost little brawling. They really put on a great match here and they were given a lot of time to work with.

Now, here's where things get a tad interesting. The whole match, AJ Lee was at ringside cheering on Punk wearing a CM Punk T-shirt. Thanks to AJ's interference, Bryan was able to drive Punk into an exposed turnbuckle and pinned him for the win!

But wait, there's more.

Kane comes out of nowhere and beats Daniel Bryan down with a steel chair and follows it up with a chokeslam. He turns to go after Punk, but AJ slides Punk a chair to use as a defense and he uses it to send Kane out of the ring.

This is an interesting angle indeed. AJ inadvertently costs Punk his match, Bryan now can challenge for the WWE Championship again and to top it all off, Kane is somehow going to get involved!

I love this actually. Kane getting involved adds another layer to this feud and I think No Way Out will finally be the night where the big payoff with AJ goes down. This angle is setting things up very nicely. Best feud going on right now.

Christian vs The Miz


A great match followed by another solid match? I'm cool with that.

Cody Rhodes was on commentary during this match and this wasn't too bad of a match either. Miz showed some great intensity which is what's missing from his character. There was a lot of back and forth action between the two and Christian wins the match with a frogsplash.

I'm really saying all this because the thought of a Miz/Christian feud is absolutely genius. Both men can wrestle and can provide some entertaining promo battles. Once Christian is done with Rhodes, I'd love to see him and Miz feud for that title.

A staredown ensues between Rhodes and Christian afterwards.

Aftermath:


Back from the commercial and Miz is STILL in the ring talking about what he's done and how he's not getting treated the way he deserves. Orton comes out and gives him an RKO.

But wait, Dolph Ziggler is looking on from the background. Ziggler wants to the "The Man" like Randy Orton is. It's like Ric Flair used to say, "To be the man, you gotta beat the man." I think Dolph Ziggler's time has finally arrived.





Sheamus vs David Otunga


Sheamus puts the beatdown on Otunga, allowing almost no offense whatsoever. He shuts down Otunga with the White Noise and Brogue Kick combination. Wonder what happens to Otunga now as life is all sunshine and butterflies for the World Heavyweight Champion.

Big Show vs Brodus Clay


Brodus Clay....in the Main Event. How about that? But this actually an interesting showdown. The newfound Big Show Monster vs the Undefeated Brodus Clay.

Match starts with Show cutting a promo on Clay comparing to Doink, except the fact that Doink had talent. They both charge each other and Show hits a BIG spear really taking Brodus Clay down. He then proceeds to beat on Clay while Naomi and Cameron watch on from the ring.

R-Truth and Kofi try to help, but Show catches a leaping Kofi in mid-air and throws him into the oncoming R-Truth! And then, Show tears apart the announce, starts beating on Brodus Clay with pieces from the announce table, throws Truth around and sends Kofi through the Security Wall! He finally finishes it up by knocking out Brodus Clay.

This ending was REALLY, well done. We haven't seen an aggressive, violent Big Show since the ECW Reboot in 2006. He left carnage and destruction in his path and left the fans in shock and awe. This is the perfect booking for Show's new heel turn. The people he used to call his friends, he DESTROYED.

But still, Cena will probably still beat the Big Show. This ending all but solidified that. Who's going to stop the rampaging Monster? Take a wild guess. Bingo. John Cena. I like John Cena. I really do, but Big Show needs this win or else what he did on RAW and everything up until No Way Out will be a complete waste of time and effort. But I'll save that and more for when the pay-per-view approaches closer and closer.



Overall, it was a solid RAW. Some interesting angles were set up for No Way Out and it's going to be great seeing how most of these are developed over the next few weeks, especially Ziggler/Orton and Punk/Bryan/AJ/Kane. And a RAW without Cena. The kiddies must be so disappointed.



Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Monday Night RAW Review!! (5/7/12)

After a recap of last week's RAW where Johnny Ace, Lord Tensai and his manager beat the hell out of John Cena, it's time for Monday Night RAW and we're just two weeks away from WWE Over the Limit!

RAW kicks off with John Laurinatis cutting a nice little promo on John Cena. Boy, he really put over this match with Cena at Over the Limit. He talked about him being in a position of power, losing his temper, Cena making fun of him, and that being the driving force for his attack. He says a man in power should be respected. All that stuff a corporate guy would say. I felt like he went a little overboard showing his Japan wrestling stuff, but he didn't talk and talk about it, so it was good to me.

He was going good until he was interrupted by CM Punk. Big Johnny and CM Punk have had problems with each other since late October/early November, which really reinforces the fact that this John Cena/John Laurinatis match really came out of nowhere, but I digress.

Punk cut his usually rant on Big Johnny saying the same things he's been saying about Johnny since Day One. Let me just say, the insults he threw out were so......elementary, but hey, it's the PG Era, so I can't get too mad about that. But still, "you're stupid, you're ugly, and you don't have any friends." Really? That's what an anti-authority guy says to the Big Boss Man?

Nonetheless, Big Johnny makes CM Punk vs Lord Tensai for later on tonight.

Intercontinental Championship Match
Cody Rhodes (c) vs Big Show 


WHOA! A Championship Match?!?! On RAW?!?! Two weeks in a row?!?! How about that?

After throwing Cody Rhodes around for a few minutes, Rhodes grabs his belt and leaves and Show wins by count-out. I knew it was too good to be true to have a good Championship match.

Eve then comes out looking like a new generation Stephanie McMahon. She forces Show to apologize for making fun of John Laurinatis' voice.......and he did. What Era are we in where superstars apologize these days? The old Big Show never would've done that. Sheesh, I know it's PG, but at least give the good guys some sort of backbone.

Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston


A solid match. These two are great athletes so that's what you expect from these guys.

Ziggler gets the win after some interference from Jack Swagger. Maybe this will lead to a tag team feud that's been foreshadowed since before WrestleMania: Kofi/Truth vs Ziggler/Swagger. Let's just see where this goes.

On a side note: That Little Jimmy medallion/necklace that Truth was wearing looked pretty cool.

John Cena Interview


Time for a John Cena interview.......oh joy. And it's via satellite! Oh, the irony!

First of all, why was the camera so close up in Cena's face? I was seeing too much of him then I wanted to.

Nonetheless, Cena cuts the usually goody-goody promo. This is one problem I have with Cena. His promos lack depth, he's not speaking from the heart and he sounded he was reading off cue cards at certain points.

I will give him this, towards the end, the promo turned pretty good when he said he was gonna kick Johnny's ass. It was short, and he pretty much said what he had to. No harm, no foul.

Layla vs Maxine


Before I start, for those that don't know about Maxine, she's a developmental star from FCW, wrestled a bit on NTX and is actually pretty good in the ring. I recommend checking out some videos on her if you haven't.....I mean if you're interested that is.

Nonetheless, Layla wins with a rollup (I think) inside of a minute. Oh by the way, Layla will defend the Divas Championship against Beth Phoenix at Over the Limit.

Not that most people care because the Divas Division has long since been butchered, but that's a rant for another time I suppose.

Chris Jericho & Alberto Del Rio vs Sheamus & Randy Orton


Solid tag team match with these four superstars. Nothing spectacular, but it was good enough to give the crowd something to cheer for. A little interesting fact is that both men had some pretty good chemistry to put  on a good performance.

So, Sheamus accidentally kicks Orton in the face, Jericho comes back hits Sheamus with the codebreaker. Jericho just pinned the World Champion, then grabbed the belt and said "This is mine!" And then after the match, Sheamus tried to help Orton, but got an RKO for it! I think we all know where this might go: Fatal 4 Way for the World Heavyweight Championship. Interesting. Very interesting.... But wait.....there's more.....

Segment in Big Johnny's office


I knew it! What did I tell you?!?!

So Big Johnny was talking to Eve and then Jericho, Del Rio, and Orton barge in and say they want a shot at Sheamus. Everybody fights and Big Johnny makes the World Championship match at Over the Limit a Fatal 4 Way match. We haven't had one of these in a LONG time. Can't wait to see it!

Brodus Clay vs The Miz


How far has The Miz fallen where has to job to Brodus Clay?

Brodus Clay has gone from an entertaining part of the show to a new generation Barney the Dinosaur.

Getting to the match, I think this was the longest match Brodus has ever had......how about that? The crowd was dead, the match was slow, and Miz loses after like 3 or 4 moves.

No little kids dancing in the ring this time? Thank God.

Latest on the "condition" of WWE COO Triple H


Just looking at the recap of the footage.... Brock is a Gangsta.

So, Triple H will be on RAW next week and he's doing fine. That's what they wanted to tell us. Splendid.
Somebody inform WWE that Triple H was part of the Money Team with Mayweather on Saturday WITHOUT the cast on.

Meh....

But wait, back in the arena......it's Paul Heyman! PAUL HEYMAN!

Paul Heyman is back to represent Brock Lesnar, or at least speak on his behalf for tonight anyway. And he has NOT lost a beat. Heyman can still cut a damn good promo. Too bad these PG fans can't appreciate his greatness. They were quiet when he came out.

Paul Heyman read a few things off Brock Lesnar's contract and pretty told the fans that Brock had quit the WWE.

Things should get interesting in the next few weeks. Let's see how long this lasts. On another note, I hope Heyman sticks around for a while, we need a manager with good mic skills for a change. I'd like to see the team of Heyman/Lesnar back together for old times sake.

CM Punk vs Lord Tensai & Daniel Bryan


Meh. For a main event, it was pretty dry and un-entertaining. Punk seemingly got beat up in the entire match and ends with Lord Tensai getting the pin. I see they really are putting some time into Tensai with two wins over Cena and Punk already.

But after the match, Daniel Bryan locks Punk in the YES! Lock and stands in the ring shouting YES! YES! YES! as RAW goes off the air. Obviously, this adds some more heat to their feud for Over the Limit.


Overall, I really don't know what to say about this RAW. It had some strong points, but the bad mostly outweighed the good in this RAW. No Lesnar, no HHH, Cena was via satellite, and we had an apology. I give this RAW a C- and this is me being very, very generous.

I expect a much better RAW next week. Why? Because it's the final RAW before Over the Limit. Any RAW before a pay-per-view should at least be halfway decent. At least, that's how things worked back in the day. But I need to keep telling myself that we are not back in the day anymore.

*Sigh*


Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete