The PPV Run-Down: WWE Night of Champions 2012

The best things come in life when you least expect them.

When it comes to WWE B-Shows, i find myself conditioned not to get my hope up with regards to watching something memorable/significant. Sure, one of my favourite PPVs of all time was last year's Money in the Bank from Chicago and THAT was a B-Show. However, events like that come once in a blue moon. Gone are the days when each of the 12 PPVs of the year provide the fans with a compelling card that screams "watch me now, or miss out on something special".

Even though the WWE Championship program had a stellar "Go-Home" segment on the 10/09 edition of RAW, this "don't expect anything mentality" stayed with me on the week leading up to the PPV. On paper, Night of Champions showed some promise with three main events that - although we had seen them plenty of times in the last few months - could provide audiences with some compelling wrestling action if given enough time. The undercard was there and looked to ultimately suffer from a lack of attention and lack of build (with the exceptions being the small attention given to the Divas/Tag team title program). Although it boggled my mind as to WHY it took WWE until Friday to advertise the complete Night of Champions card, I hoped - as i sat down to watch yet another WWE PPV - that the promotion that i have been watching since e i was 11 could surprise me one more time.

Like i said, the best things come in life when you least expect them.

By the time the final image of Paul Heyman chanting the phrase "You're the Best in the World! " to C.M Punk faded into WWE's traditional concluding logo, i was a surprised and content pro-wrestling fan. This was a great wrestling-heavy PPV that was - like Summerslam- light on angles and more focused on strong, lengthy grappling contests. Each match was given the perfect amount of time, depending on its place on the card, with the WWE Championship match peaking at 27 minutes. From a booking perspective going forward, there were no drastic/ illogical winners and generally everyone came out better than they came into this event. Furthermore, with a focused emphasis on wrestling, the inclusion of JBL to replace Jerry 'The King Lawler' was, with all due respect, a much better choice than some. Sure, his historical lessons left something to be desired (ie i didn't know that Sin Cara & Rey Mysterio were both former AAA World Champions???), but his passion combined with grounding his comments in an 'old-school' theology made for some very effective commentary

With all that said, granted, this was not the best PPV of WWE's calender year. Not even close. What it was was an example of how WWE B-Shows should always aim to be: a PPV that comes after one of WWE's "Big 4" that provides the fans with matches you cannot see anywhere else but on PPV and an event that ensures everyone gets their $45 worth with respect to entertainment. It wasn't the most flashy of WWE PPVs, but Night of Champions was something i was definitely glad i witnessed.

So, without further ado, lets see what made WWE Night of Champions 2012 tick.....

 

Match Results:

 

 

 

# 1: Fatal 4-Way Match for the Intercontinental Championship

 

 

The Miz (c)

 

def

 

Sin Cara, Rey Mysterio, & Cody Rhodes to retain his Intercontinental Championship

 

 

Rating: **

 

•  As an opener, this was the most logical of matches to get the fans excited for the night's festivities: a match lacking in build, but having enough talent to put on a solid contest. In execution however, it lacked polish and finesse.

 

• Early minutes of the match looked sloppy as Cara's offence left the crowd cold w/ little to no reaction. Definitely not what you want from a superstar that will look to take over Mysterio's spot on the roster some day. More insightful booking is needed to get Cara where he needs to be.
 
 
• Mid- match action saw Rhodes and Miz attempt some "on-the-fly" spots (such as an awkward "one-upsmanship" sequence" that made them look lost and confused as what to do next.) With a Rey vs Cara tease that lasted only about 20 seconds before this, i began to have low hopes for this one.
 
 
• With Boston weirdly chanting for Rhodes of all people, finish came together nicely, combining the ariels of Rey/Cara with some exciting offence on the outside. It helped that Rhodes and Rey knew each others arsenal well as every spot involving these two looked great.

• The finish involving Sin Cara's mask worked on two levels: it played into the Rhodes/Cara storyline, giving the feud some conclusion, while making Miz look strong by having the IC Champion hit his "Skull Crushing Finale" even though he was blindfolded. An original and effective finish to an generally disappointing outing from these four. I definitely expected more.

#2: WWE Tag Team Championship

 

Kane & Daniel Bryan

 

def

 

Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (c) to become the new WWE Tag Team Champions

 

 

Rating: ** 1/2

 

• As much as it was a shame to see The Prime Time Players fail once again to capture the Tag Team Championship, Kane/Bryan were, by storyline standards, a logical duo to take on the champs at Night of Champions. A wrestling fan of not even 6 months could tell WWE were heading towards an "unlikely Tag Team Champions" storyline: Truth/Kofi wernt lighting anyone on fire as of late and Bryan/Kane are one of WWEs top acts.
 
 
• I appreciated two things early with this match. Firstly, i liked JBL's insistingly putting over Kofi/Truth as a solid tag team, which they have been since pairing in April of this year. Even in dropping a championship, its important to get over a duo so that their stock remains somewhat high going forward. Secondly, I loved the early minutes of the match which focused on Truth/Kofi out wrestling Bryan/Kane early. This made a whole lot of sense as, in reality, Truth/Kofi would naturally dominate a makeshift team such as Bryan/Kane, especially if they aren't getting along.
 
 
• The match build to all the expected spots, such as the "hug it out"sequence and a real nice "babyface on fire" series of spots from Kofi (which, unfortunately, never caught on with the pro-Bryan/Kane crowd). While it seems odd that, in their quest to become Tag Team Champions, Kane/Bryan would suddenly stop to hug, Boston LOVED this almost as much as anything on the show. In my perspective, most of this love is directed towards Daniel Bryan: a bonafide superstar in the making.

• Finish came off a bit clunky as Bryan threw Kane off the turnbuckle onto Kofi for a surprising 3-count. Yes, the right team won, but i would of preferred a more crisp/decisive/original finish than one that made Kofi look like a guy who couldn't kick out of a middle-rope splash. The "I am the Tag Team Champions" post-match screaming became overkill in a hurry. Going forward, i hope this is NOT going to be the tag line of the team. It comes across as forced and not funny after 5 times!

 

#3: United States Championship

 

Antonio Ceasaro (c)

 

def

 

Zack Ryder to retain his United States Championship

 

 

Rating: **

 

 

• After a solid recap of the history of the United States Championship via JBL and Michael Cole, we were treated to Ceasaro's longest televised match in WWE. In short, he provided the fans with a simple, well-executed bout that didn't hurt either man once the bell rang.

 

• Ceasaro, combined with his "5 languages" gimmick, is getting over more and more evety time he steps into the ring. At Night of Champions, he showcased his ROH background with varied offence that looked painful and fluid: two essential elements to any pro-wrestlers presentation.

 

• Ryder sold well for Ceasaro. However, like with most matches involving "Long Island Iced-Z", nobody saw him as a credible opponent that could beat the US Champion, which hurt the match. This is the problem with WWE's massive mid-card at the moment: everyone is remaining stagnant and no body wants to risk giving some new babyfaces a proper chance to shine. The end result is a lack luster reaction for a guy who knows how to work.

 

• Match built to a nice finish that saw the heel be a heel (Ceasaro avoids the "Broski Boot" due to Aksana pulling her man out of the way) and the babyface being the babyface (Ryder, not backing down, chased Ceasaro to the outside, where he was blindsided, then pinned after the "Neutraliser" Cradle Piledriver). Simple, effective pro-wrestling.

 

 

#4: Randy Orton

 

def

 

Dolph Ziggler w/ Vickie Guerrero

 

Rating: *** 3/4

 

• Lets get the massive negative out of the way first: Dolph Ziggler looses again. Why? I don't know. Are they ribbing us "hardcore"fans because they know we want him to be somewhere where he is currently not? No. Like i hear all the time, WWE have a plan with Ziggler. Yes, Ziggler will get 'there' eventually. No doubt. Whether he will be in a good place booking-wise once he gets there is another story. I've said it before and ill say it again: you can only play the "upcoming heel took the Main Event babyface to the limit" card so many times until it becomes a running joke. Currently, i take Ziggler's many losses as one of those jokes.
 

 

• If we consider this match as a stand alone bout that we haven't seen before, its hard not to consider this bout as a stellar contest. Sure, the specialness of this match was tainted by its many previous reincarnations over the last few months. However, unsurprisingly, Ziggler had his game face on at Night of Champions, strutting around like a bonafide superstar. Orton, as usual, matched move for move with "The Show Off" throughout in an almost effortless manner. In short, the end result was a memorable outing for two of WWE's best.

 

 
• While Boston showed themselves as a pro-Ziggler crowd, i finally understood the role of Vickie as Ziggler's manager. The only reason Ziggler hasn't dropped Vickie is because WWE need Ziggler to remain a heel. Vickie is heel heat personified. Regardless of how Ziggler would drop Vickie as his manager, she would still be booed and Ziggler would ultimately be cheered for his decision. Does WWE's insecurity surrounding Ziggler's status merit Vickie continually detracting from Ziggler's matches? Absolutely not. At Night of Champions, her constant shrieking went against every unwritten law that relates to the role of a manager/valet in pro-wrestling: stay relevant, but don't draw ultimate attention to your self. However, going forward, i predict Vickie will remain where she is until fans stop cheering for the 'Show Off". Shame!

 

• Mid- Match action felt a tad flat as Ziggler went to his Sleeper Hold numerous times and lost the crowd for a bit. Thankfully, Orton is a master of picking up the pace when needed. Furthermore, the perfectly executed near falls involving both men built to a finish where the words "evently matched" were truly spoken. The Fameasser, Draping DDT on the outside and the eventual Flapjack into an RKO by Orton lead to a conclusion that sent Boston into a frenzy. For a moment after the 3-count, it didn't matter that Ziggler lost. The only thing that did was that Orton and Ziggler just had an awesome contest.

 

#5 Divas Championship

 

Eve

 

def

 

Layla (c) to become the new Divas Champion

 

Rating: 3/4 *

 

• The less time spent on this match, the better. The only positive to come out of this title match was that Eve won the title. Eve is hands down the best female wrestler in WWE today. As a smarmy babyface, she comes across as interesting and likable. Unfortunately, i cant say much for the rest of the division. Also, it should be noted that it was nice to have this title win continue a fairly interesting storyline: was Eve winning the championship her plan all along?

 

• As far as the match goes, it was not good! Why 3/4s of this match centred around eve applying Body Scissors on Layla is beyond me. In the context of fans caring about Layla as a fighting babyface, this continual submission hold would of worked. However, this is a Divas match in 2012. A very small minority of fans pay to see these ladies wrestle. Thus, very few fans are traditionally invested in Layla and Eve. If anything, this is the kind of match u attempt to make into a spot fest. Have the ladies fly around the ring in an attempt to make the audience care again. While the match was barely ok, Boston did not care, so i found it hard to care myself. A filler match if i ever saw one.

 

#5: World Heavyweight Championship

 

Sheamus (c)

 

def

 

Alberto Del Rio (w/ Ricardo Rodriquez & David Otunga)

 

Rating: *** 1/2

 

 

• While it was borderline ridiculous to have Booker T come out and "reinstate" the Brogue Kick before the match (you would think to let the match build to a dramatic climax, THEN have Booker come out and give Sheamus back his finishing move), Sheamus and Del Rio gave the fans yet another great match that made me legitimately think ADR was going to be crowned the new World Heavyweight Champion.

 

• Like the Ziggler/Orton match, Sheamus/ADR suffered from over exposure. This was the 3rd time we had seen ADR attempt and fail to capture the World Title on a WWE PPV. Unfrotunally, this lead to a mid-match that felt rinsed and repeated. There is no body in WWE who works on a body part like ADR. However, it was hard to fully engage in something we had seen multiple times before.

 

• The finish, however, was a different story. Sheamus always has great fire when it comes to his comebacks and it is hard not to get behind him. The work done on Sheamus' arm came full circle as ADR locked in his Cross Armbar multiple times in the dying minutes of the match. Due to some slick reversals and continuous emphasis on Sheamus' bad arm, i couldn't help but think Sheamus was about to tap out in Boston.

 

• Like the Ziggler/Orton match, if we treat this World Title match as a stand alone contest, this was a fantastic match. The multiple storylines involving Sheamus' bad arm and The Brogue Kick becoming legal came together in an electric finish. Going forward however, it is going to be hard to treat ADR as a legitimate World Title contender. Sure, he looked deadly at Night of Champions. But i have seen him in this same situation for 3 consecutive PPVs.

 

 



#6: WWE Championship

 

C.M Punk (w/ Paul Heyman)

 

&

 

John Cena wrestled to a draw (double pin)

 

 

Rating: **** 1/4

 

 

• Ive said it before and ill say it again: C.M Punk and John Cena bring the best out of each other. It was evident on the "go home" edition of RAW and it was sure as hell evident during the Night of Champions main event. These guys know each other so well and because of that, we were treated to an epic battle that worked over time on drilling one fact home: The WWE Championship is the most important title in WWE. Justin Robert's ring introductions combined with Punk holding his Championship Belt high in defiance before the opening bell made this match feel important and massive at the same time.

 

• At first, i was a tad disheartened by the pace early. Things were going way too slow and it felt as though there was a lack of direction. Little did i know we were about to witness a 27-minute classic. A note to all wrestling fans (such as myself!): Be patient with your wrestling!

 

• Throughout the body of this match, i was entertained by two things: the action inside the ring, and Paul Heyman's facials on the outside. Heyman was PERFECT in his role as Punk's cheerleader and stood as a shinning example of what a manager should be doing on the outside. Sure, his many years in WCW as Paul. E Dangerously helped him hone his craft. But it is because of this experience he is able to enhance the action in the ring without drawing all the attention to himself. all it takes is an intense stare or a hand on the face to elict a reaction. I also loved his pre-match promo which smartly established Punk as the overwhelming heel in the upcoming contest. As it stands, Heyman's involvement with Punk has been expertly handled and i look forward to seeing their relationship evolve.

 

• As for the rest of the match, it was a roller coaster of epic near falls and creative reversals. Both Punk's GTS and Cena's AA were kicked out of repeatedly and I especially loved how Punk and Cena continually worked around Cena's Five Knuckle Shuffle. This move lead to so many awesome moments (ie into the STF, Anaconda Vice, Axe Kick etc). All these elements made for a finish that had me and the crowd chanting "This Is Awesome". Wrestling is its best when it is like this: two guys in the middle of the ring and you have no idea who is going to pull out the 'W'.

 

• The double pin, in any other circumstance, would of been a major cop out to the paying audience. However, in the context of the storyline, it was the only finish possible. It would of been way too early to have Punk loose to Cena and vice versa. Considering the double pin was a viable call to make in the context of a wrestling match, the finish was logical. Furthermore, in the context of Punk being a heel who is looking to survive as long as he can as WWE Champion, having him weasel out of a loss against Cena was reminiscent of Ric Flair back in the 80's. Fans booed as Punk took out Cena with a belt shot and salivated over the eventual fall of 'their' WWE Champion in the future. In short, a perfect finish to a classic WWE Championship main event.

Thanks for reading folks!

If you like what you read be sure to subscribe to my blog and follow me on twitter @wrestlingrbreak ! In addition to this blog, I also post regular tweet-reviews of every major pro-wrestling show for the week. PLUS i tweet every important update from all the major names in the industry.

@wrestlingrbreak . Cut. Paste. Follow. It's that easy!

 

 

 

 

 

Random Thoughts: Monday Night RAW 03/09/12

As we prepare for another week of WWE television, lets look back on RAW from last Monday Night:

Monday Night RAW: the new definition of a 'Mixed Bag'

This week's show was the definition of a mixed bag: some great, some horrible.

It seems as we delve further into the "3hr era", it is becoming abundantly clear that WWE production is becoming a regular polarising phenomena. On one hand, WWE hit the ball out the park with innovative/impactful segments that add to current and future broadcasts (Jerry Lawler and Punk brawling in the back or Heyman revealing himself as Punk's driver as a few examples). Then immediately on the other hand, WWE backs up their good work with content that screams "this is pro-wrestling in 2012: make sure you don't take anything too seriously" (Layla and Miz further burying the Divas division via distracting commentary or long, drawn out segments involving Vickie having an argument with a chair as a few examples).

There is no current evidence that says this formula will change anytime soon. WWE has always presented themselves in the 21st Century as a brand that facilitates multiple avenues of entertainment. Furthermore, what Vince McMahon finds entertainment will always be put head and shoulders above anyone else, INCLUDING his own audiences. Will this change once Triple H takes the reigns? Maybe. If we look at the current state of NXT (a promotion he has moulded since its move to Full Sail University), things can't help but look promising. However, this is Monday Night RAW: a show that is broadcasted to over 4 million viewers all over North America. With an increase in viewership comes an increase need to please more people. All i can say about the future of WWE programing in this regard is the old cliche: "Watch This Space".

But enough on providing "dirt sheet"-like analysis on the WWE product. Without being too harsh, there were a number of things, good and bad, that stuck out from Monday's show in Chicago this week that give us reason to love and to worry about the product going forward.

So, without further ado, lets see what was the major thing that made this week's RAW tick.....

C.M Punk - The Chiacgo " man of the hour"

As always, lets get the positives out of the way first.

The direction of CM Punk following his destruction of Jerry Lawler last week on RAW was again, very solid and entertaining. I also loved how RAW started as it followed up on what happened last week, while putting over both guys in their roles (Lawler as a "never say die" Babyface and Punk as a heel "defending himself").

Going into his home town of Chicago, i was worried that Punk would begin the program by doing the old "bait and switch" promo where he begins speaking of his love for Chicago...only to suddenly turn around and bury it by saying something like "you people don't know the meaning of the word respect. Your health systems are A while you economy is B etc". Thankfully, WWE writers knew that it is not in Punk's character, be it good or bad, to berate his home town. Knowing this, WWE creative produced a natural duologue that saw CM Punk embrace the cheers of his home town, while providing a heel-like reason, albeit laced in logic, for not competing on RAW (ie That it was Labour Day and he was going to take a page out of what most Chicagoans do on that day: "take the day off").

While it was an ingenious way of attempting to garner a negative reaction from his home town, Chicago continued to embrace Punk as he walked out of his match with Sheamus, regardless of the mixed reaction. Why? Well, if i were to nitpick Punk's promo on not competing, i would say that his words were TOO cemented in logic. I was personally cheering Punk for deciding not to compete as the idea of a "Champion vs Champion" match, especially between two guys who rarely compete against each other, should be saved for a Wrestlemania. Furthermore, Sheamus is nowhere near as popular with the fans as he should be. In my eyes, putting him with Punk in a verbal jousting session, in CHICAGO no less, was always going to be semi-career suicide for the World Champion (for one night only of course!).

Regardless of this, WWE showed that they were thinking ahead via the final segment of the night. For weeks now, CM Punk has been floating between beloved Babyface and prick Heel. While he came across as a babyface tonight, i have no doubt that this positive reaction wont last. Why? Because, it seems as though CM Punk, the WWE Champion, has aligned himself with....Paul. E Heyman! Yes, the Chicago faithful popped big time when the driver side window rolled down to show Paul E. giving John Cena a disgusting look. Chicago is primarily a hardcore fan base who have been dreaming for the day when Heyman and Punk join forces to show everyone why Punk told the world he is a "Paul Heyman Guy". However, to the rest of the world who watch WWE casually, Paul Heyman is the slime ball loud mouth who took pot shots on Triple H's children. Paul Heyman is the guy who arrogantly announced that Brock Lesnar is the new "King of Kings". In short, if you take into consideration the happenings of the past few months AND the past 10 or so years, Punk has aligned himself with one of the most unlikeable characters in WWE history.

From here on out, you will be hard pressed to find a casual fan who will not boo Punk, regardless of his reasons for siding with Lesnar's agent. On the flipside, this union has the added bonus of attracting the "hard cores" back to wrestling for the time being so to see what WWE has install for the coming months. Will Lesnar/Punk/Heyman make the ultimate Heel faction? Will Daniel Bryan join to make the union stronger? All these questions create an unpredictable aura for next weeks show and other events going forward that please all facets of the WWE fandom. A very smart ending to a show that smartly portrayed the Chicago-loved CM Punk.

Thanks for reading folks!

If you like what you read be sure to subscribe to my blog and follow me on twitter @wrestlingrbreak ! In addition to this blog, I also post regular tweet-reviews of every major pro-wrestling show for the week. PLUS i tweet every important update from all the major names in the industry.

@wrestlingrbreak . Cut. Paste. Follow. It's that easy!

NXT in a Nutshell 29/08/12

It's all about the championship.

When creating a new championship, it is important to tick all the right boxes so to convey the importance of someone being the first person in history that will hold onto the title. You need to give fans time to digest the thought of who will be champion and, in turn, force them to think about what it means to be the first champion of any promotion. You do this by producing video packages that have relative superstars talk about the prestige and honour that accompanies the wining of a major championship. Finally, the eventual match up that decides the champion needs to be treated as the most important match in the promotion's history.

Even before the NXT "Gold Rush" tournament decided its last two competitors, i envisioned that this should be the way the final championship match is promoted. Surprisingly, WWE agreed with me on every single point. As a result, the lead up to this week's NXT Championship match between Seth Rollins and Jinder Mahal has been nothing short of PERFECT. Let me explain.

Usually, when tournaments reach their final match, this battle is rushed to the following week's episode with little to no fanfare. The Intercontinental Championship tournament involving CM Punk and William Regal in 2008 immediately comes to mind. However, this was NOT the case on 2012 NXT. Realising the importance of the match, WWE decided to hold off this bout and produce an episode that focused on a final "face to face" interview between Rollins and Mahal explaining their desire to be the first NXT Champion. Furthermore, this episode was littered with several tremendous video packages involving major league WWE superstars (John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler etc) talking about how winning the NXT championship is the next step to getting into the WWE and how IMPORTANT it is to be the first NXT Champion in history.This was exactly what NXT needed: a show based around the blending of current/relevant WWE Superstars with the happenings of NXT episodes. When fans interact with segments/videos involving guys like John Cena and championships such as the WWE Title, the word "relevance" immediately rings true.

This week, the main event segment involving Seth Rollins defeating Jinder Mahal was one of the most perfectly constructed segments i have seen all year on WWE television. With the buzz word being "importance", WWE pulled out all the stops to make this match the most important match of the week AND the most important match in the history of NXT as a brand. How did they do this? First, the entire NXT locker room was positioned on the entrance ramp so that all of them could witness the crowning of a brand new champion. Secondly, NXT General Manager Dusty Rhodes walked the isle, shook hands with both Rollins and Mahal (well, ATTEMPTED to shake Mahal's hand!) and oversaw the match from the outside. Thirdly, Jim Ross joined the commentary desk to add a main event aura that only Good ol' JR can add. Finally, Howard Finkle, the hall of fame ring announcer of thousands of historical matches, came out of retirement to deliver his passionate introductions for both Mahal and Rollins. I cannot tell you the joy i felt when The Fink announced Rollins as the "NEEEEEEEEEWWWWW NXT CHAMPION!".

 

The inclusion of historical figures, the blending of traditional modes of championship match booking and the enhancement of the old "big fight feel" made the lead up and the eventual presentation of this week's NXT episode feel like major historical event in the annals of WWE Folk law. This is something that i definitely thought was a lost art outside the lead up to Wrestlemania. When you take all these important aspects involved in booking a main event and give each one of them time to breathe, you are destined for something special. This is not brain surgery. This doesn't need to be complex. Thankfully, the people down at Full Sail University realised this and produced a build up to a match that was easy to follow and easy to engage with. The story was simple: two men will enter, one will leave with the glory and pageantry that is attached to winning the first NXT title. All involved (including Triple H, the overseer of NXT) should be commended for their attention to details and for choosing the former ROH World Champion Seth Rollins to lead NXT into the future as the first NXT Champion. By default, i cannot wait to see what the next episode of NXT will bring. Tremendous job WWE!

Match Result Express:

1: Mike Dalton & Jason Jordan def by Hunico and Camacho (**1/4):

• Was great to see a return match between these two teams. Furthermore, i am liking how NXT are connecting previous matches together into a coherent, simple storyline. This week, Hunico and Camacho were determined to overcome a team that etched out a "fluke win" over them. Great!

• While the fans aren't completely into him as of yet (maybe due to the fact he hasn't been featured on NXT as much), i am already a big fan of Mike Dalton. Every time he got into the ring, he oozed professionalism and fluidity in his work. Quick and slick, this youngster from Lance Storm's wrestling academy is definitely someone to keep an eye on.

• The match itself was a perfectly fine opener that was straightforward and well executed by all involved. Hunico, especially lead an impressive heat sequence on Jason Jordan, using a flurry of innovative Suplexes and dives to keep him grounded (ie the School Boy into the corner that floated into a Gut Wrench Powerbomb brought the fans to their feet.) 

• Dalton's hot tag got a luke-warm reaction from Full Sail, but to his credit, Dalton kept on track and didn't let the fans swerve his momentum. I especially liked how Dalton went back to the finish of their previous match (ie the Hurracurrana into a pinning attempt) to give the fans the false impression of a second "upset".

• While the established team of Hunico and Camacho got their "win back", the announcers gave us the impression that these two teams will fight again. I certainly hope so, as it is Dalton and Jordan who should eventually get the better of the Smackdown regulars in the end of this mini-rivalry. Great start to the show.

2: Big E Langston def Chase Donivan (SQUASH)

• This was a "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" squash match with absolutely nothing to it: Running splash leading into a overhead Gut-Buster into a chest-first Diamond Cutter.

• There was so little in this match that it was one of the worst examples of a squash. Sure, Big E Langston looks like a cross between Bobby Lashley and Mark Henry. However, you should never book a match where the guy doesn't get to showcase his entire arsenal. This was a case of Langston coming off as just another meat ax who can't wrestle all that well and is limited to two power moves. We need to see more out of Langston than two moves every week for this guy to get anywhere near as over as WWE want him to be.

• Regardless, it was smart to begin to build up a monster for the NXT Champion to fight/defend against. If there is one thing that is lacking in NXT, it is brute, powerhouse Heels. If Langston has the skill to carry a longer match, he could definitely be one to watch. The look is there. The intensity is there. However, with 30 second squash matches, its hard to see if the skill is there.

3: NXT Championship Match: 

Seth Rollins def Jinder Mahal to become the first ever NXT Champion. (***1/4)

• Going into this match, both characters had a defined archs: Mahal was the undefeated, arrogant Heel that had used his Camel Clutch to secure definitive victories over NXTs best. Rollins had scratched and clawed his was to the finals as the "never say die" Babyface, but in doing so, had upset many WWE mainstays such as Drew McIntyre and Michael Migillicutty. The stage was set for something special.

• With the fans hot as hell for this one, Rollins and Mahal put on a great 20-minute main event that went back a forth. Rollins' savvy shone through early as he avoided the Camel Clutch numerous times. However, the transition point that lead into Mahal getting heat on Rollins looked painful and came off perfectly (ie a leg trip on the apron that sent Rollins face-first into the corner of the mat, followed by Mahal Gorilla Pressing Rollins off the apron to the stage).

• With more time given to this main event match, Mahal's offence, at times, came off as basic and text-book like. Furthermore, his selling, especially for the Babyface fire sequences came off as slow and lacking impact. We could talk forever as to weather Mahal deserved to be in this final match. regardless, he was a well booked Heel and was able to keep up with Rollins throughout.

• Rollins continued to showcase his amazing ring work via moves such as an attempted heel take down that was reversed into a spinning Pale' kick. The crowd couldn't help but come alive as Rollins contrasted Mahal's "ground and pound offence" with a flurry of dropkicks and dives. This guy knows how to provide fans with an entertaining Babyface fire sequence!

• The finish saw great near falls that tied into Mahal's working on Rollins back (ie via a picture perfect Top Rope Super-plex) while Rollins countered this with his Stomp finisher from the top rope. As the crowd became absolutely unglued, the story of Mahal never being able to lock in the Camel Clutch came to fruition, as Rollins reversed the clutch into Rollins' trademark Powerbomb into the corner that followed into his Stomp for the decisive pin. A fantastic finish to a match deserving of being the first NXT Championship match.

Thanks for reading folks!

If you like what you read be sure to subscribe to my blog and follow me on twitter @wrestlingrbreak ! In addition to this blog, I also post regular tweet-reviews of every major pro-wrestling show for the week. PLUS i tweet every important update from all the major names in the industry.

@wrestlingrbreak . Cut. Paste. Follow. It's that easy!

The 3-Count Review: Monday Night RAW 27/08/12

A steady rating with generally bad content.


This is what RAW has been like since Summerslam. For some reason, it always feels as though WWE Creative take it easy after one of their "Big 4". Instead of truly capitalising up and down the card on the momentum gained from Summerslam, it feels as though WWE is in cruise control at the moment. Brock "retired"via a HORRID Tout last week instead of continually making a mark on WWE talent. AJ is back to being her crazy self instead of evolving her character. The Tag Champs are back fighting the Prime Time Players. Even The Miz, our IC Champion is back to jobbing!

Regardless of these facts, there were some things to like about RAW this week. Punk/Lawler stole the show (which wasn't too hard to do) and Kane gave us a snapshot of what WWE comedy used to be like. SO, without further ado, lets see what made Monday Night Raw tick this week.....

# 1: C.M Punk vs Jerry 'The King' Lawler - A throwback to the classics:

The only saving grace of this show was the segments involving CM Punk and Jerry " The King" Lawler. Thankfully, the segments involving these two pros were so great that there's no way you could flat out hate this show!

These two definitely had their work cut out for them this week. From the moment RAW started, it was obvious that around 80% of the audience were fully behind Punk (and his new Heelish haircut!) which made me worry. How were they going to effectively get across the point that Punk is now "the man in the black hat"? Ultimately, all it took was strong articulation and conviction from Punk as a flat-out bully and the ever-sympathetic aura of Lawler as a WWE Legend.

What made these segments so effective was their simplicity. Punk was the overbearing "Ive had enough" Heel that was pushing around a guy who, back in the day, was one of the greatest draws in North American Pro wrestling. What does the wily veteran do when bullied? He fights back. Punk's interaction with the WWE Hall of Famer was tremendous, playing off facts and twisting them ever so slightly to prove his point. "I'm sorry for the man you've become" was the line of the night by Punk.

This was counteracted by Lawler's mid-show Babyface promo accepting Punk's challenge for later that night. It seems as though every time Lawler gets into the ring and cuts a promo, you can't help but be drawn to every word/facial he gives to the audience. There is so much to sympathise/empathise with. Plus, there's no complexities to his motivation: he is a guy who has the credentials, and "has never backed down from a fight in his life". This promo got an amazing reaction from the live crowd, showing that all you need is conviction, logic and blunt motivation in your promos to connect with an audience.

While many frowned upon their main event cage match, i loved it. While it was slow in parts with very little action to speak of, the match felt like a classic "old school"battle between two heated rivals. CM Punk turned his "Heel-o-metre" to the max during this match, shouting out insults via singing as he beat the hell out of Lawler. In his mid 60's, Lawler can still keep up with the best WWE have to offer, pulling out all his trademark manuvers. In the end, the No. 1 Contender John Cena watched on helplessly as a re-born CM Punk beat Lawler down as he screamed "BEST IN THE WORLD" to the fallen WWE Legend. I've always been a fan of Heels/Babyfaces using verbal cues to further articulate their point of view and this match was no exception. As Cena screamed "You've gone too far!"i couldn't help but listen to the audience. Everyone was booing viciously. Punk and Lawler, by throwing it back to traditional roots, had achieved their goal: Take the beloved WWE Champion and turn him into a full-fledged Heel. Cena came off as a guy wanting revenge and Punk came off as a prick that needed to be taught a lesson in REAL respect. Great great stuff coming out of the main event angle of this weeks RAW!

# 2: Thanks for the memories Triple H?.....i think not!

Unfortunately, Punk vs Lawler was the only really good thing to come out of WWE's flagship show this week. While many would say I'm wrong in this regard, i didn't consider Triple H's "retirement"segment to be anywhere near the level of what Punk and Lawler achieved. Here's why.

WWE ticked all the right boxes leading up to this segment. They had several great video packages (especially the final package) covering the legendary career of one of WWE's best workers from the last 20 years. I have never shyed away from the quality WWE production brings to any project they are associated with. In this case, they maintained that reputation. My hat goes off to these people once again.

Then we finally got the "retirement"speech and things started going downhill from here. This isn't a knock on Triple H's delivery. It wasn't his absolute best, but it did what it needed to do. My criticisms come from knowing the product all too well. From that perspective, i found it VERY hard to engage with the true crux of the segment. In short, i didn't believe a word Triple H said this week on RAW.

It didn't help having this segment at 10pm with an hour of television remaining. If you wanted to get over the severity of this segment, why not have this promo at the end of the show? By airing the segment at this time in the show, it made it very hard to believe that Triple H - a guy who has done it all in this industry- was planing to officially retire on a random episode of Monday Night Raw, let alone during a completely random time slot!

More so, the last time Triple H had his arm broken by Lesnar, didn't he have a mechanical device attached to his shoulder so to put over the severity of the injury? And didn't Triple H loose his Summerslam match with Lesnar due to the animal breaking his arm AGAIN via the use of the Kamura over a dozen times? You would think having that submission hold on your arm that many times would mean that Triple H's injured limb would be back in the same contraption? Instead, he comes out in a shoulder cast under his shirt and seem to have very little problem moving it around. Attention to detail is important in these angles when you are trying to put over an injury as being the main motivation for leaving a profession. By paying attention to these elements, you put over the injury and, in turn, put over the guy who committed the injury.

All in all, there was no way i was believing Triple H was done with wrestling after last Monday's segment. Triple H tried to convey real emotions that would accompany a promo such as this, but it never sat right with me. If it was up to me, i would have Triple H retire and be done with Brock Lesnar, thus, freeing him up to wrestle new opponents going forward. However, if know the industry like i do, Lesnar vs Triple H 2 is on the horizon. Maybe even at next years Wrestlemania in New Jersey. In my mind and as fan who will be sitting in the 5th row next year at Wrestlemania, this is NOT a good idea. Lesnar/HHH at Summerslam was good, but not great. Its positive qualities stemmed from the freshness of the bout. Now that I've seen this match, i have no real urge to see them fight again, especially on another major stage. At this time, the rivalry between these two is nowhere near as hot as WWE thinks it is. Lesnar destroyed HHH clean with the Kamura like he should of. Let him fight someone new and use Lesnar's limited dates to build up to matches that fans in 2012 have never seen before. Lesnar vs Taker, Lesnar vs Rock and Lesnar vs Punk all have better drawing power than a match where evidently Triple H will get his win back over the former UFC Heavyweight Champion.

If this "heartwarming" promo leads to another match where Triple H embarrasses Lesnar like Cena did at Extreme Rules, i will look back on Triple H's "retirement" with even more distain.

# 3 "When things begin to suck, don't go out there and tell us!"

For almost an eternity, Vince McMahon has had a fascination with using WWE mouthpieces such as announcers and managers to express his inner-most thoughts on the directions of angles, segments and matches as they happen. It's only in the last year or so that he has began to express himself in more overt ways than before. This week on RAW, we were treated to one of the worst examples of this in a long time.

There is no doubt that there are "down times" during any pro-wrestling show: once a prominent segment (such as the Punk/Lawler promo) airs, it is smart to provide something that is less engaging. This gives audiences a chance to catch their breath and interact with a segment that is of lesser importance. Due to RAW going 3 hours now, there are more segments such as this airing on a regular basis be it Ryback squashing an opponent or a mid-card tag team match up. In theory, having more of these segments should mean that positive exposure levels on upcoming talent are increased. However, segments such as the Diva's match on RAW this past Monday are occasions when increased exposure surprisingly isn't such a good thing after all.

By the end of the 2nd hour, we were all privy to an example of Vince using Vickie Guerrero to express how much he dislikes the Diva's Division of the WWE. During a reasonably acceptable match between Divas Champion Layla and Natalya, Vickie stormed out and demanded the match finish soon as she had "something important to say". Sure, she got heat for this as she should of. However, WWE continued to focus on Vickie yawning and checking her wrist watch. All the while, Layla and Natalya, two of the best Divas in WWE, are attempting to pull off a match in hopes of entertaining the fans. To make matters even worse, the hard camera operator was told to keep Vickie in the centre of the shot. This meant that Layla and Natalya's match was pushed all the way to right of the frame! By the end of the match, just so that everyone knew the pecking order in WWE, Vickie the Heel told Layla the Babyface to "get out of the ring"....which she did without any hesitation!!!

I am a big advocate of never overtly disgracing anything on your TV show, no matter how bad it is aesthetically in the eyes of the fans. By doing so, you tell the fans watching "do not believe or spend time investing in these characters or the segments that they are in because they suck!!" Furthermore, fans watching via TV are encouraged to change the channel and watch something else. Having Vickie treat the division this way is SO DUMB on so many ways. If anything, it is ridiculously short-sighted: wouldn't you want to keep building up every facet of your company so that they remain relevant and, in turn, earn you more money in the long run!? Instead, Vince sees it to be more important to ridicule the work rate of a division on national television that to repackage/rebuild it.

Things like this really irritate me and remind me not to be surprised why WWE has only produced a handful of legitimate draws in the last 10 years. Please Vince, "When things begin to suck, don't go out there and tell us!"


Match Results Express:

• Ryback def Jack Swagger via pinfall (*) :

Yet another man who is involved with a loosing streak gimmick. Even though Ryback botched a Back Body Drop by landing Swagger right on his head (!!), I wonder why it wasn't Swagger working with Ryback for the last few weeks instead of Jinder Mahal. Swagger's a former World Champion and a MUCH better worker than Mahal. Regardless, a very short match for a 3 hour show. Nothing of importance here except fans are into chanting "Feed Me More".

• Diva's Champion Layla def Natalya via pinfall (*) :

Both ladies tried to get the fans into their work, but it was hard with Vickie out there telling everyone not to care. Layla attempted to dance with literally NO reaction from the crowd. Had an ok finish, but again, very hard to care. Disappointing from two of WWE's best divas.

• Non-Title Match - John Cena def Intercontinental Champion The Miz via pinfall (**) :

By the time Cena and Miz came out, i was dying for a good match. What we got was one of the better Miz/Cena bouts in a long time. However, i am convinced Miz/Cena lack good main event-calibre chemistry. Miz seemed to return to his boring old offence, using the running boot WAY too many times which diminished things a tad. The finish picked things up nicely until Cena hit his "5 moves of Doom" and pinned Miz clean after an AA. Considering i usually expect this move set to be reversed by the time Cena sets up for the AA, i was surprised how much of a geek Miz came off due to the finish. I understand that Cena needs a clean win going into Night of Champions. i just wish it wasn't The Miz: a guy who's just come off an impressive victory over former WWE-Champion Rey Mysterio at Summerslam. All in all, an acceptable, solid "Top of the Hour"bout.

• Santino Marrella def Heath Slater via pinfall (1/2*) :

Anytime you have a match involving childish/immature angle with a sock puppet infatuated with woman, it is hard to care about ANYTHING. There was so much to hate about this segment/match. Why have Slater talk about "getting back on track" via Tout, only to have him job to guy who was distracted during the finish!? Slater's time as a jobber needs to end soon. You telling me that Slater couldn't of won here for the hell of it?!

In regards to the Cobra's stroyline ill say this: there was only one man who pulled off a sock puppet gimmick in the WWE. That was Mick Foley as Mankind. Why did it work? Because Mankind was conveyed as an INSANE Babyface who kept Mr Socko within the realms of his character. This is why Mr Socko was successful as part of Mankind's persona. Santino Marella is joke, NOT INSANE. So, to have him try to convey that a sock puppet has feelings/a mind of its own is BEYOND believable, even for little kids. WWE, KILL THIS ANGLE NOW!!

• Sin Cara and Brodus Clay (w/ The Funka-dactiles) def Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes via pinfall (*3/4)

An infuriating ad break meant that the start of this match was cut out which is ridiculous in terms of engaging with a pro-wrestling match. Regardless, i doubt i missed anything of value. Basic tag match that was fine when Rhodes and Cara were in, and was messy once Brodus was involved in the finish. That headbutt to Rhodes looked attrocious. Cara brought life into the match with a dive to the outside, but that was about it. Note to WWE: how is Damien Sandow a "martyr"? He hasn't done anything martyr-like since the DX angle at RAW 1000, nor has he brought up that tagline since! Another example of WWE rehashing all taglines/catchphrases that don't even describe the character anymore.

• WWE Tag Team Champion R-Truth (w/ Kofi Kingston) def Daniel Bryan via countout(*) :

By this time, i was getting tired of 2-3 minute matches on a 3 hour show. Even though this match featured Daniel Bryan, i remained disappointed and yearning for a lengthy wrestling contest. Match started off ok, but degenerated into an angle where the fans chanted "Yes" at Bryan. Truth's attempt to get the crowd to "Yes" was uninspired and it lead to Bryan, as always, chanting "No" into a fan's face. At this point, i am getting tired of this gimmick. Yes, i can imagine these chants would be fun at a live event (Hell, me and about 780000 other fans started these chants live at Wrestlemania back in April!). But as a fan watching it on TV, i can only get so excited. Nothing match and a nothing segment.

• World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus & Randy Orton def "Mr Money In the Bank" Dolph Ziggler & Alberto Del Rio (w/ Ricardo Rodrigues) (**3/4) :

A really fun tag match with 4 guys you can always count on. Before the match, i also loved Ziggler pre-match promo using Jericho's entrance to mock the departure of Y2J. THIS is what you do when a Heel sends a popular Babyface packing, NOT bitch about a stipulation that is almost 2 weeks old!

The heat on Orton was solid and the action built nicely to a great Hot tag sequence between Ziggler and Sheamus. As Sheamus pinned Ziggler yet again with the Brogue Kick, 2 things dawned on me. First, even if Ziggler eventually cashes in the MITB breifcase on Sheamus, there is no way in hell he will be seen as a legitimate Champion. Jobbing to all the top stars on SD every week will do that to you. Secondly, this tag match made me realise that THIS is the best that SD has to offer in regards to their main event roster. Whats bad about this is that we have seen all four men fight each other MANY times in the last year. Thus, what is their to look forward to in terms of big time main event matches for the title that will draw any big audiences? Sheamus/Orton may get our attention as we have only seen them fight once before 1-on-1, but THAT is a match you save for a Wrestlemania. Regardless, a good fun tag match with 4 awesome superstars.

• Zack Ryder def David Otunga (*) : 

At this point in the show, i was checking my watch and wondering when we were going to get to the main event. Kane on commentary did NOTHING as he weirdly said.....absolutely nothing. I guess Michael Cole trying to talk to Kane was WWE's attempt at comedy. If anything, the constant cuts to Kane sitting and saying nothing deterred from the Superstars-quality match we had going on in the ring. Not surprisingly, no one cared about this one. What was even more stupid was that Ryder was dominated throughout and then suddenly hit his finisher for the "out of nowhere" win. If this was an attempt in getting people to care about Ryder more, then it was a MASSIVE failure. Kane came in and choke slammed Otunga. This means his Anger Management classes are working ....*Yawn*.

• Steel Cage Match: WWE Champion CM Punk def Jerry "The King" Lawler (** 3/4) :

It's official: CM Punk is a dastardly Heel. As i stated before, unlike many others, i loved this main event because it did exactly what it needed to do to get Punk to where he needed to me. Sure, the fans were dead for this match (due to the lack of good show content) , but that didn't mean what was going on between the ropes wasn't effective. As stated before, i loved Punk talking trash to Lawler during the match and LOVED Punk's post-match beating of Lawler as he used sharp elbows into the chest of the WWE legend. Sure, the match was slow and methodical, but that was the beauty of it: take your time so to let what your doing in the ring have an effect of your audience. A bloodied Punk made Lawler tap to the Anaconda Vice while screaming "Best in the World!!" (a finish sequence he should use all the time going forward as a Heel). A great main event match that was "old-school" and engaging!

Thanks for reading folks!

If you like what you read be sure to subscribe to my blog and follow me on twitter @wrestlingrbreak ! In addition to this blog, I also post regular tweet-reviews of every major pro-wrestling show for the week. PLUS i tweet every important update from all the major names in the industry.

@wrestlingrbreak . Cut. Paste. Follow. It's that easy!

 

The PPV Run-Down: WWE Summerslam 2012

I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!

After weeks of broken promises and delay after delay, Wrestling's Weekly Rope Break has returned to provide you with (hopefully) a unique perspective on the current happenings of North American pro-wrestling.

The 25th anniversary of WWE's "biggest event of the Summer" is already in the history books. While WWE higher-ups still consider this PPV to be one of the company's biggest, it seems the pro-wrestling community is universally split as to whether this show was good or not. Some say the matches felt like TV matches. Others say the main event result automatically made this show a "home-run" hit.

What do i say? Well, when your dealing with a PPV that promotes itself as "the biggest event of the Summer"", there is an added pressure to produce a show that conveys a "major league" feel to it. As far as I'm concerned, WWE Summerslam 2012 had that aura about it. Sure, we can dissect every storyline leading into this event and how argue over how effective they were in relation to thier PPV payoffs. However, from the minute i watched the opening video package of Summerslam 2012 to the moment i witnessed Lesnar make HHH tap out in the main event, i felt as though i was watching a show that was IMPORTANT. Maybe it was the emphasis on the WWE-branded weekend events that surrounded the PPV. Maybe it's because this was a primarily heavy-wrestling show. Maybe it was the fact that nearly every match was good to great. Whatever it was, i thoroughly enjoyed WWE's version of the "Summer Games" from beginning to end (to coin a phrase from previous instalments of this PPV!).

So without further ado, lets see what made WWE Summerslam 2012 tick....

Match Results:

 

 

Match No. 1:

 

Chris Jericho

def

Dolph Ziggler (w/ Vickie Guerrero) via submission

 

 

Rating: *** 1/2

 

 

Comments:

 

If WWE's plan was to open the show in the biggest way possible, they succeeded by putting this heavily anticipated match first. The LA crowd ate up both Y2J and Ziggler's entrances and were ready for a hot PPV. Regardless, i was still very surprised that this bout opened the show. Considering the amount of build this program got, i was expecting this to be a "middle of the show" match, complete with video packages and pre-match promos. A match such as this deserved that kind of final attention. Instead, the bout was rushed to the opener and replaced Miz/Rey (a match that, in my mind, was better suited to this role).

 

The match itself? A disappointment overall. I certainly didn't shy away from the fact that this match, along with Lesnar/HHH were the sole reasons why i was purchasing this PPV. Thus, i had very high hopes going into this Summerslam opener. What we got was a match that started hot, lost its way in the middle and finished hot with excellent near falls and reversal sequences. Ziggler did his best as his selling/methodical offence was top notch throughout and Jericho complimented him overall by directing a reasonable outing. There was one MAJOR problem with this bout: the lack of chemistry between the ropes. I don't know if it was Ziggler being nervous or if it was Y2J getting older, but it was obvious Ziggler/Jericho were not on the same page at points. In fact, if we go back and look at their previous interactions over the years, it seems as though they always are at times. At Summerslam 2012, clotheslines came out of nowhere and there were too many stalls at times. In short, the match didn't seem polished. In situations such as these, it was almost a blessing that this match WAS the opener as the crowd remained hot for the in-ring action regardless.

 

However, as i said, both guys redeemed themselves with an excellent finish. It was almost like Jericho knew the match was crumbling as his top-rope hurracurrana brought the crowd back to life. Ziggler's Zig-Zag onto Jericho and the Vickie-assisted roll up were also tremendously timed and believable . Would i of had Ziggler tap to the Walls of Jericho? Going forward, probably not. Ziggler has been buried on big stages all year by the likes of Sheamus and co. But in the context of the storyline it made sense: the cocky Heel got his mouth shut as the defiant Babyface made his adversary tap out on WWE's second-biggest PPV. Great finish to a match i definitely expected more from.

 

 

Match No. 2:

 

Daniel Bryan

def

Kane via pinfall

 

 

Rating: ** 3/4

 

 

Comments:

 

 

Months ago, i reviewed an episode of Friday Night Smackdown ( http://wrestlingsweeklyropebreak.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/3-count-review-friday-night-smackdown.html ) . During this episode, we were treated to a fantastic match involving the monster Kane and the vertically challenged Bryan. Despite the size differences, the match was expertly built and executed, making everyone believe that Bryan could stand toe-to-toe with Kane.

 

Unfortunately, their Summerslam follow up was nowhere near as good. Sure, the action was fine and Bryan successfully channelled the energy from the crowd and produced a ring-presence/character that played into their "Yes Yes Yes" chants. However, this was one instance where i found the fans chanting "Yes" as a hindrance to the flow of this match. It forced Bryan to focus more on getting the crowd hot via his character rather than using his wrestling to do the same job. It also didn't help that Kane wasn't over as an effective Babyface. At times, his perfectly fine offence got booed by the LA crowd due to Bryan being almost cooly-awesome in his Heel role and Kane having a poorly defined character arch to begin with. It's no secret that the importance of an effective Babyface in matches like these is imperative. You never want your Heel getting cheered for doing something that is usually frowned upon.  As a result, this lead to HEAVY "Daniel Bryan" chants that counteracted Bryan's expert attempts to remain in "Heel Mode".

 

It remains a mystery as to why Randy Orton wasn't in Kane's position going into Summerslam. Storyline-wise, both guys suffer from "Anger Management" issues in the past (in fact, they even said this during their Smackdown match last week!!). You have an entire video library that could of been used in the lead-up by Bryan to get under the skin of "The Viper". Plus, you would of had a Summerslam payoff match that was fresh, ultimately great and something that hasn't been seen thousands of times. Instead, Orton wasn't even USED on the show and Kane wrestled Bryan in a match where the fans wanted to cheer "Yes"more than getting into the match itself.

 

The post-match was even more silly. Why is it that the Babyface in this program became a sore looser and proceeded to take out announcers as a result?! Who are we meant to cheer going froward? Bryan or Kane? A lacking storyline mixed with a distracting crowd hindered an otherwise perfectly fine bout between to seasoned vets.

 

 

Match No. 3: Intercontinental Championship

 

 

The Miz (c)

def

Rey Mysterio to retain the Intercontinental Championship

 

Rating: ***

 

Comments:

 

 

After winning the IC Title on RAW 1000, it seemed as though The Miz was on a bit of a downward spiral once again. Regardless of the improvements to his character and in-ring work, it seemed as though this was going to become another example of WWE "Backwards Booking": build a guy up with a big championship win on a big show and have him job every match on his way to loosing the title. Going into his match against San Diego's own Rey Mysterio, I'm sure i wasn't the only person that thought this was going to be the case.

 

However, we were in for a surprise as Miz came to LA to deliver one of his best matches since returning to WWE competition back in July. Sure, his match with Christan on Smackdown a few weeks back was a drastic improvement from before. But this was the match where i really took notice of how much Miz has improved as an in-ring competitor.

 

 

From the get go, i knew it was going to be a challenge for both men to get this crowd to invest. Both Rey and Miz had been somewhat of an afterthought going into Summerslam and both had been poorly used since returning to WWE. Little promo time and a non-existent build also didn't help in gaining some interest towards a supposed "marque" Summerslam bout. The crowd reacted in kind, giving Miz and Rey (surprisingly) luke-warm reactions. Unfortunately, this tepid aura remained until the last minutes of the match.

 

While the crux of pro-wrestling is to gage the audience at every turn, it is still important to produce a physical story between the ropes using theatrics AND physical action. Why i am so high on this match is that even though the crowd wasn't into the match like they should of been, both guys worked their asses off to produce a compelling bout. From the comfort of my own home, i got the story these two were producing and loved the crispness of the action. As stated before, Miz rose to the occasion, producing new move sets that were DESPERATELY needed. He also continually attempted to get the crowd back with expertly timed taunts. Rey was, of course, a great "Babyface in Peril" and his comeback was, as always, great. A series of great near falls coupled with Miz beating Rey clean with his finisher made me a very happy wrestling fan. Miz needed a clean win to redeem his terrible run as of late and he got it at Summerslam: WWE's second biggest PPV. In short, a very well worked match in front of a crowd that found it hard to interact with what they saw.

 

Match No. 4: World Heavyweight Championship

 

Sheamus (c)

def

Alberto Del Rio (w/ Ricardo Rodriquez) to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

 

 

Rating: *** 1/4

 

 

Comments:

 

There is no denying the ridiculousness that surrounded the build up to this World Championship match. For weeks we had the Heel/Babyface dynamic turned on its head, with Sheamus acting above the law and getting away with it. Seriously, why would ANYONE condone/cheer their World Heavyweight Champion for stealing another man's car just so he could get back at Del Rio for saying a few nasty words to him the previous week??? Furthermore, DEL RIO - NOT Sheamus - was the man punished in the end when Booker T stripped him of his No. 1 Contendership! To say i was confused and slightly sympathising with Del Rio going into this World Title match was an understatement.

 

Regardless of the build, their match was probably one of their best PPV outings of the year. Starting off with an ultra-aggressive brawl instead of the standard "collar-to-elbow"tie up played into the drama that had built over the last month between these two. While the mid-match lacked a bit of dramatic direction, Sheamus and Del Rio treated us to a number of original spots that showcased their technical prowess and overwhelming strength. Case in point: the series of reversals by Sheamus that went from Del Rio's Cross-Armbreaker, to Sheamus muscling the challenger from the mat into a potential White Noise. It was after this spot that things came together in a hurry. Each near fall leading to the finish was believable and executed to perfection (the exposed turnbuckle spot was definitely one of these.)

 

Unfortunately, we were treated to the first of two convoluted finishes for the night. I understand WWE wanting to have a conclusion to the match that ensured Del Rio had a reason to get another World Title match in the future. I also understand protecting Sheamus as a credible World Champion going forward. However, i am not a fan of producing a finish to match that uses too many dramatic elements to achieve these goals. Having too much ultimately leads to your live crowd not grasping the conclusion to your story. Also, if there is too much going on, the people you intend getting over don't get the 'rub' you want. This is ultimately what happened at Summerslam. Sheamus used Ricardo's Shoe as a weapon behind the refs back and Sheamus got the pin on the challenger even with Del Rio's foot on the ropes. To the live crowd, it looked as though Sheamus cheated to win and then accepted a victory regardless of the foot on the ropes. Instead of the Babyface Champion coming off as a guy who thwarted Del Rio's manager's antics, he was booed as a dastardly Heel! Once again, i felt sorry for Del Rio, which is not want i need to be feeling going forward. Regardless of this silly finish, their was plenty to like in this World Championship Match.

 

 

Match No. 5: WWE Tag Team Championship

 

Kofi Kingston & R-Truth

def

The Prime Time Players via pinfall

 

 

Rating: * 3/4

 

Comments:

 

 

This match was the sleeper of the night and, to be honest, it did nothing for me. This was a shame because up to this point, every match had felt important and worthy of being on the PPV.

 

 

While the crowd entertained themselves by chanting "Kobe Bryant", all four guys worked hard and tried to produce a memorable Tag Title bout. But it was hard to make audiences care when the challengers have been beaten every week leading up to their PPV match. I've said it before and ill say it again, The Prime Time Players are a "green" tandem. They need all the help they can get to establish so to establish solid connection with the WWE fan base. The easiest way to do this quickly is to

a) have the team cut promos on a regular basis so to develop their characters better.

b) have this team win and win A LOT.

Instead,

a) the Prime Time Players lost their mouthpiece due to AW doing his job and now rely on a singluar catchphrase ("millions and billions of dollars") that they coined months ago.

b) PTP, besides singles victories, have lost every single tag team match since winning the No. 1 contendership.

Once again, at Summerslam, Prime Time Players lost clean to Kofi and Truth for the 291047239057th time, solidifying themselves as ABSOLUTE GEEKS. How this team can ever be deemed a "serious"threat going forward is beyond me.

 

The match itself was nothing special, regardless of the energy exerted in the ring. The main problem i had with this one was that the weakest man in the match (Titus O'Neil) was the man who got the most ring time. I can understand WWE being interested in O'Neil getting better as he has the "Classic WWE"personality: the tall, massive, former- college football star with a great athletic look. Sure, Titus has improved since coming to WWE. However, last Sunday night, he was anything BUT impressive. Maybe this was his night to shine in the eyes of WWE agents. Regardless, Titus was clumsy, slow, awkward and detached me from the story that was being told between the ropes. Surprisingly, Darren Young (who has improved out of sight) stayed dormant for most of this one, while Titus, lugged his weight around the ring and attempted new, ugly manuevers. Kofi's hot tag brought life back into the match, but by this time, it was too little too late. PTP lost once again and capped of a paint-by-numbers RAW match that was undeserving of being on the Summerslam card.

 

 

Match No. 6: Triple Threat match for WWE Championship

 

 

C.M Punk (c)

def

Big Show and John Cena to retain the WWE Championship

 

 

Rating: *** 3/4

 

 

Comments:

 

While most considered this bout to be a pretty average triple threat, i thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this WWE Championship match. Here's why.

 

I believe every match needs to accomplish three things: it needs to connect with every facet of the audience, it needs to tell a logical and compelling story and it needs to make everyone involve look good. In my eyes, Cena, Punk and Show all put forth a tremendous effort that achieved every one of these goals.

 

The story of the match was that Big Show was an unstoppable monster that was unbeatable one-on-one. Sure, it could be argued that the build to the match made Show look less like a monster and more like a generic wrestler. However, within the context of the match, Big Show delivered a performance that made me believe he was as devastating as he preached. Assisted by some great selling by both Cena and Punk, Show involved himself in multiple spots that showed off his uncanny strength and overwhelming size. Spots including the famous "double suplex"spot at the beginning was definitely one of these. While Michael Cole screamed "I have never seen Big Show this dominant in a long time!" i honestly found it hard to disagree througout this bout.

 

The brilliance of having the match centre around Show being a legitimate monster was that he was going to be the man that was eventually pinned. In previous matches involving the Big Show, the giant is usually made out to be a clumsy oaf who eventually gets thwarted by his own stupidity. In this match, Big Show remained dominant until he was eventually overcome by two pro-wrestlers that have almost 15 World Championship reigns between them. Even when Punk and Cena eventually double teamed him for the double submission "False Finish, the following spot had Show recover and deliver a double Chokeslam to his adversaries. By the time he eventually was pinned by Punk, the pinfall made sense and didn't take anything away from the overwhelming presence of "the World's Largest Athlete".

 

Despite the unneeded involvement of AJ in the finish, this match was well paced and made everyone look good. Cena was treated to the usually assortment of boos. However, in this circumstance, i believe these jeers to be undeserving. Ever since the end of his rivalry with John Laurenitus, Cena has been believeable and focused as it relates to his Babyface character. In my eyes, "Lets Go Cena, Cena Sucks!"is a passe chant. Thankfully, he left the match still ooking strong as his amazing FU to the Big Show lead to the pinfall of the match.

 

C.M Punk got the traditional World Championship treatment as he was introduced last as the WWE Champion. I was worried that WWE were going to put the title on Cena due to their constant referral of Punk being Champion since November of 2011. Thankfully, Punk retained with the most appropriate finish (ie Punk stealing the pin from Cena) as his "slow burn" Heel turn continues. Here's hoping he remains the champ going into Royal Rumble. In my opinion, Punk is at his best when he is Champion and will be even better as a Heel champion once he makes the complete turn. Furthermore, having him reamin the "top dog"untill at least Royal Rumble will make the moment he looses the title even more special/important. As it stands, he is a Champion who brags he is the "Best in the World" and deserves respect. If he looses the title, he comes a whinny complaining heel that has no credibility. The former and the current is the better for CM Punk going forward.

 

All in all, a great conclusion to a match that continued storylines, added credibility and provided the Summerslam audience with a ton of great action.

 

 

Match No. 7:

 

Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman)

def

Triple H via submission

 

 

Rating: *** 3/4

 

 

Comments:

 

 

Lets get the biggest positive out of the way first: BROCK LESNAR DEFEATED TRIPLE H IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING BY MAKING THE "KING OF KINGS" TAP OUT!!!!

 

I'll be completely honest. Going into the main event, i was convinced that Lesnar was going to be pinned clean via Triple H's Pedigree. I assumed traditional storyline direction combined with Lesnar's loss to Cena at Extreme Rules would prove this train of thought to be correct. Thankfully, WWE came to their senses by having one of their biggest stars no-sell a Pedigree and immediately slap on the Kamura for the submission victory. What i loved about this finish even more was that it tapped into the great dynamic that exists between a Babyface and Heel. In regards to the Lesnar/HHH match, the courageous Babyface did everything he could not to give up to the monster Heel. However, in the end, the only way the monster could defeat the 13-time world champion was to snap his arm like a twig. This finish does two things: it puts over Lesnar and his Kamura as two unstoppable elements in pro-wrestling and also conveys a level of toughness in HHH that everyone already knew about. In short, this was the perfect finish that will do wonders for Lesnar's character as he moves closer to his next opponent...whoever he may be. While i haven't been the biggest fan of the lead up to this match, the finish of this bout made me forget about all the rubbish that had come before it. For this reason above all, i cannot help but give this match a massive thumbs up.

 

In saying this, i also couldn't help but compare this match to the AMAZING Cena/Brock match from mid-April of this year. Was this match in the same league as the Extreme Rules match? Absolutely not. There were big chunks of the Lesnar/HHH match that dragged due to extensive stalling by Lesnar. While Lesnar's continuous use of the Kamura played into the eventual finish of the match, there were times where the use of the move became boarder line repetitious. I'm a fan of submission wrestling, but you need to know when to apply particular holds so to garner the reaction you want from fans. Because of this logic, there were times where the dreaded Kamura lock got a non-reaction from the LA crowd. Even though this was the case, i couldn't help but get excited when Lesnar went from a standing position, only to suddenly jump up into HHH's arm so to attach the devastating hold.

 

My last nit pick focuses on the last image of Summerslam 2012: Triple H apologising to the fans while King and Cole ask "is this the last match of HHH's Career?". In my mind, this should NOT of been the focus going forward. Correct me if I'm wrong, but i swear at Wrestlemania 28, Triple H LOST a "END OF AN ERA MATCH" with the Undertaker! The post-match of that bout saw HHH being carried from the ring in his supposed LAST MATCH. Considering the result of that contest, i find it hard to gauge with yet ANOTHER HHH loss that focuses on the end of his career. Instead, the focus should of been "Brock Lesnar destroyed one of WWE's biggest stars...who the hell will be next?". Furthermore, the heartfelt apology from HHH to the fans should of lead to Brock blindsiding him on the ramp and further destroying the "King of Kings". Angles such as this are important to get across to audiences as Lesnar is an expensive asset that WWE need to keep interesting and dominant going forward. Seeing as though he will be involved in a Wrestlemania main even next year, i truly think the focus should of been putting over Brock as much as humanly possible on  one of  WWE's biggest stages instead of asking the WWE fans to consider this match as HHH's retirement bout.

 

Regardless of these negatives, the match told a helluva story and had some tremendous spots littered throughout. I loved how Lesnar was out wrestled by "The Game" early, only to have Brock symbolically take off his MMA gloves as if to say "now its time to fight". Triple H's pleas to the ref before the match to "throw the rule book out the window" also added an extra layer of drama as Lesnar used illegal tactis to pound on the former World Champion.

 

All in all, a fitting end to a very entertaining PPV that focused on the wrestling of a WWE event instead of the spectacle.

 

Thanks for reading folks!

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