The 3-Count Review: Monday Night RAW 16/07/12

# 1 RAW 1000 is coming...but what about RAW 1001?

After all the hype videos and funny commercials involving the history of Monday Night RAW, WWE's flagship show hits episode 1000 this coming Monday at 8pm on the USA network. With the extraordinary amount of star power, important matches and segments on the show, i will be completely surprised if RAW 1000 doesn't do well in the ratings.

Unsurprisingly, this week's RAW focused on building towards next week's monumental show. Its amazing what WWE Creative can do when they are focused on promoting the best content they can. In short, this week's RAW was a really enjoyable show that built upon upcoming matches and angles for next week in an entertaining manner. The most noteable addition to RAW 1000 was the shocking announcement by Mr. Money in the Bank John Cena. While i thought the ongoing mystery for RAW's closing segment was a tad ridiculous and illogical (i.e "Would John Cena cash in his MITB briefcase on a beaten up CM Punk?" Cena's a babyface. Why would he EVER stoop to that level?), his declaration as to WHEN he was cashing in canceled out the negativity leading up to this segment. That is, next week at RAW 1000, Cena will cash in his MITB briefcase and challenge CM Punk for the WWE Title. Considering Punk hasn't wrestled Cena 1-on-1 for the title since winning it last November and considering these two had the "Match of the Year" 1 year ago at MITB 2011, this will be a VERY appropriate conclusion to WWE's biggest televised event of the year.

For those who need a reality hit as it relates to how much is on this show, here's what to expect next Monday:

• Brock Lesnar will return to RAW with Paul Heyman to answer HHH's Summerslam Challenge.

• Vince McMahon will announce the new Permanent General Manager for both RAW and Smackdown.

• The Rock will be returning to RAW to speak on becoming the WWE Champion once again.

• Bret Hart will be making an appearance along with THE UNDERTAKER and other legends.

• D-Generation X will be reuniting at the beginning of RAW 1000. 

• AJ and Daniel Bryan will be having a Wedding Ceremony. 

• The Intercontinental Championship will be on the line as Christian defends against a mystery opponent.

• Last but certainly not least, WWE Champion C.M Punk will defend his title against John Cena: the man who will be cashing in his Money in the Bank Contract at RAW 1000.

Eight monumental events that could easily headline eight episodes of RAW going forward. With Summerslam on the horizon, there is no doubt that this show will be a tremendous 3 hours of WWE television.

However, while i am very excited for next week, the analytical fan in me see definite missed opportunities.  Here's why.

After RAW 1000, RAW 1001 and every episode going forward will be 3 hours. While the extra hour will bring in considerable revenue for WWE per-week, i am very concerned with how WWE will fill up all this extra time. The logical approach would be to provide longer matches and more segments involving the younger talent roster. However, last Monday i watched Money in the Bank 2012. Unfortunately, by the end of the show, it was apparent that the company was struggling to appropriately fill up 3-hours of compelling PPV time. Sure, the two Ladder Matches were great as they should of been. But the rest of the card suffered because of it. Having all your top stars in two matches left the rest of the show a tad bare. Thus, if WWE can't provide a compelling 3hours of PPV, how are they going to do so every week on Monday Night RAW??

By throwing everything but the kitchen sink at an episode of RAW that will pull a great rating regardless, future episodes of RAW will ultimately miss out on having that "must-see" aura. Instead of having everything on RAW 1000, why not spread out these monumental events. For example, why not hype the return of The Rock on RAW 1000 for future episodes so that casual fans have a reason to get into the groove of the new time slot. Furthermore, have the WWE Title match between Cena and Punk at a later date on RAW and have the official contract signing on RAW 1000. That way, your top stars are building towards this massive encounter and the fans have more time to salivate over the posisble outcome.

Don't get me wrong, RAW 1000 will be awesome. I'm just wondering how awesome RAW 1001 and 1002 will be.

# 2 Jericho + Ziggler = "Must-see" WWE

There were two segments on RAW that were the most watched for the week. The first involved John Cena (which is of no surprise. John Cena is a certifiable ratings magnet!). The second involved Chris Jericho and the new Mr. Money in the Bank, Dolph Ziggler.

When i heard this, i was extremely happy for Ziggler. In fact, what made this rating even more of a success was that this time slot on RAW regularly looses a considerable amount of viewers before regaining most of them for the main event segment. This time however, over 400 000 viewers stayed to watch Dolph Ziggler's victory speech. THAT is a comforting statistic going forward for the "Show Off".

Even though i have been unhappy with Dolph's treatment over the last 2 months, i am a big advocate of cream rising to the top regardless of the situation. Ziggler has "it" in my books and he performed admirably this week on RAW. He has a naturalness about him that makes him different from alot of the promos that are thrown around in WWE. Although i found Vicki's howling during this segment irratable, there was no doubt that Ziggler knew how to interact with the season vetren Chris Jericho.

Speaking of Y2J, I loved it how Jericho didn't say a word while Ziggler asked him "when was the last time you won anything?" However, Jericho's facials spoke more than words ever could as it was obvious Ziggler's truth hurt. The Codebreaker to Dolph as well as the smile by Ziggler after the move made me a very happy man: We may finally see Jericho vs Ziggler on the horizon. All in all, a great segment that showed alot of promise with Ziggler while forecasting a potential match we have not seen before. Thumbs up!


# 3 Wedding Bells are in the Air...but is it too soon?

So AJ and Daniel Bryan are getting married.

If WWE's plan was to shock us, mission accomplished. I certainly didn't see this coming. But in this case, that isn't exactly a good thing.

Daniel Bryan has been WWE's biggest heel since late 2011. His world-wide experiences on the indy scene, coupled with his tremendous in-ring skill has seen him become a main-eventer that is not in line with WWE's status quo. What i particularly loved about his rise to fandom was that the fans decided that they wanted Daniel Bryan to be "their guy". This was definately evident on the RAW following Wrestlemania 28. I was front row and i watched as over 15 000 fans take over RAW in protest of Bryan's treatment in the WM 28 World Title match with Sheamus. "Yes" became the new "What" in WWE and as far as i am concerned "Yes" began as a tribute to the greatness that is Daniel Bryan.

Getting back on track here, when you have a character like Bryan that is so deeply connected to a particular role, you can't have that character suddenly change over a 24-hour time frame and remain effective. For the babyface "turn" to work, fans need time to completely adjust to the character's new motives (ie caring about people, being good etc). Look at Randy Orton for example. While fans started to find the Viper's antics "cool in late 2009, it wasn't untill Wrestlemania 26 that Orton completely embaraced his new found fame. After that, Orton was a bonafied top "babyface".

The same applies here for Daniel Bryan wanting to marry AJ. Yes, i think this would be a good pairing going forward. But i do believe this is WAY too soon. At the same time, some may say that this is leading to a big swerve at RAW 1000 and that Bryan will show his true colors as it relates to AJ. At this moment, i hope that is the case, but from watching RAW this week, it seems as though this new role is here to stay. This past Monday, WWE got a taste of what happens when you rush a full-fledged heel into a babyface role: the fans hated on the proposal and didn't buy Bryan's sincerity one bit. Thus, a chorus of "NO! NO! NO!" echoed throughout the arena. What was actually a touching moment was ruined by a polar opposite reaction from the live crowd.

The "slow burn" babyface turn is ALWAYS the way to go. It feels more natural and it usually builds to a crowning moment where everything comes together.

With this angle, we will wait and see what happens next week.

*New Concept* Match Result Express:

(Comment and tell me if you like this layout better than my normal "match results" section)

# 1 WWE Tag Team Championship: 

Kofi Kingston and R-Truth def. The Prime Time Players w/ AW (Champions Retain) 

Rating: **

• After all this time all this time promoting their Tag Championship match, PTP loose to the Champs on a free-to-air RAW. Talk about a missed opportunity. Someone might be in the proverbial "dog-house".

•  If AW is going to continue the "house mic" gimmick, his verbalisations need to have an effect on the progression of the match. He is entertaining and brings something different to WWE, but i need this character to be more relevant. AW needs to watch old Hart Foundation matches so he can see what Jimmy Hart used to do with his signature megaphone.

• Solid match regardless that should of been better considering Kofi was involved. Young looked good again as well. 

• All in all, very few positives to be taken from this match. PTP are back where they started.

# 2 Alberto Del Rio w/ Ricardo Rodriquez def. Zack Ryder 

Rating: *

• So much for "Friday Night Zackdown". Ryder gets DESTROYED by Del Rio just in case fans were getting behind him. Stupid and illogical booking.

• Are you telling me there was no one else for Del Rio to squash? I understand he needs to go over strong after his defeat at the hands of Sheamus. But CMON!

• Match was over before i could rate it properly. Del Rio looked dangerous so i guess that is a positive

Post match: good to see Rey Mysterio back. It makes sense for him to go after Del Rio as it was he who took out Rey in storyline last year. My hats off  for storyline constancy. The downside? We have seen this match so many times before. A new opponent for Rey coming back wouldn't have gone astray. I  Shouldn't complain though, Rey/Del Rio is a good match regardless.

   # 3 Rikishi def Heath Slater

  Rating: *

 Pre-match: Absolutely loved Heath Slater's favorite RAW moments. I will say this, he is getting over as an overbearing looser that's for sure. Great production by WWE as usual.

• Not much of a match to write about here. Rikishi did all his trademark moves (Thrust Kick, Stink Face, Banzai Drop etc) and even gave Umaga a tribute which was nice via the use of the Samoan Spike.

 Post Match: Really nice "feelgood' moment between Rikishi and his two sons, The Usos. Loved the integration of his signature dance with the segment. Plus, this was a nice mini-rub for the Usos. THIS is how you get low to mid-card talent on TV without embarrassing them.

# 4 Mixed Tag team match:

AJ and Daniel Bryan def Eve Torres and The Miz

Rating: * 3/4

• Considering this was the 3rd mixed tag match involving AJ in 3 weeks, i found it hard to get into this one. Lazy booking by WWE creative. Why not a 1-on-1 match with AJ and Eve instead?

• Undercooked surprise having The Miz as Eve's "mystery partner". Came off as a weak way of getting The Miz on TV. Again, laziness surrounded this match.

• Miz and Bryan were fine and the same can be said for AJ and Eve. Not much else to write here.

#5 Brodus Clay w/ the "Funkettes" def Drew McIntyre

Rating: 1/4 *

• A nothing match that involved McIntyre taking a stupid back bump to sell Brodus' even more stupid Headbutt.

• A paint-by-numbers Clay match. They either need to get rid of Clay as an act or do something with him.

#6 CM Punk def Big Show (Via DQ)

 Rating: ** 3/4

 * Match of the Night *

Pre-Match: Loved C.M Punk's promo talking about what happened to his carrer "in this building" 1 year ago. In my books, you can never go wrong with acknowledging history in order to bolster a character or an upcoming event. Big Show's interaction with the champ talking about how much he was going to hurt Punk was also solid. Furthermore, the points he brought up make me think that a heel turn is on the horizon for Punk. Why is it that he is overshadowed by Cena? Great segment overall that helped  build to the match.

• Wasn't particularly into this match to begin with. Shows offense was particularly boring tonight. No flip bumps in sight for the big man.

• Crowd ended up making this for me as they rallied behind Punk during each of his "hope spots".

• Great overall psychology as the fans became unglued when Punk finally took the big man down and hit his Flying Elbow Drop. Great pro-wrestling on show in the final minutes.

• Lame DQ finish ruined an generally strong 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!

The PPV Run-Down: Money in the Bank 2012

What a difference a year makes.

It was around this time back in 2011 that i and many others were salivating over what we had just witnessed at WWE's Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View: on his last day at the office, CM Punk captured the WWE Title in his home town of Chicago Ilonious from John Cena , making him the first man in WWE history to leave the company with the prestigious championship. This historic moment among others made Money in the Bank 2011 one of the best WWE Pay-Per-Views of the last 10 years. To this day, the lead up to and the pay off of Money in the Bank 2011 stands as one of my all time favorite time periods in WWE history.

This year did NOT trump last year's efforts. Not even close. The build up for the matches, bar the Del Rio/Sheamus match, were either non-existantly thin compared to last year's effort or overly detracting. While some of the matches ranged from good to great , the overall PPV suffered from a lack of publicized matches, finishes to matches that felt undercooked and a lack on "must-see/special" moments that Money in the Bank is usually known for. Sure, WWE Money in the Bank 2012 is one of the better WWE PPVs of the year. Unfortunately, It just lacked the sting that usually accompanies an event where 2 World Title contracts are on the line in 2 laddder matches. In short, i expected more.

SO without further ado, lets delve into what made this PPV tick.

Match Results:

 Match No.1:  Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a World Heavyweight Championship Contract

 Dolph Ziggler (w/ Vicki Guerrero)

def

Tyson Kidd, Damien Sandow, Cody Rhodes, Sin Cara, Intercontinental Champion Christian, Tensai (w/ Sakamotto) and United States Champion Santino Marella

to earn a World Heavyweight Championship match for anytime for up to 1 year

Rating: *** 1/2

Comments:

A very smart and overall entertaining opener to this year's Money in the Bank PPV. However, in saying that, this was one of the worst Money in the Bank matches i have seen and i STILL gave it ***1/2!

For the Money in the Bank ladder match to work properly, the high-flying spots presented must come across as naturally occurring (ie spots are set up in a not-too obvious manner) and they need to be executed with precision and ease. While Smackdown's Money in the Bank offering had a ton of young, athletic and hungry talent this year, most involved failed to stick to the two aformentioned elements of this Ladder Match.

This bout was, as Jim Ross would say, "bowling-shoe-ugly". This is what happens when you have over 8 performers in the ring at the same time. Because most involved saw this match as a chance to showcase their skill sets and "get noticed", a lot of risky maneuvers were attempted with little to no effect. In short, there were a lot of dangerous botched spots here where i cringed and cringed BIG TIME.

This is what happens when WWE has everyone on the same low to mid-card level. These young performers think that they need to bump massive and deliver "career-altering" moves to get a ticket into the main event slot. In a sick and twisted sort of way, the botched spots looked awesome if you didn't realize they were botched to begin with. But for a fan like myself, a botched move takes me out of the "disbelief zone", so i couldn't appreciate them the way i should of.

That being said, the match had some decent moments where the Sandows and the Caras got their time in the sun. However, due to Sandow not being as over as he should be and Cara being somewhat buried in the last few weeks, these moments didn't hook the crowd the way they should. That being said, there were standout performances like there are every year. Tyson Kidd went hard in this match and looked as though he belonged with the Cody Rohdes/Christian/Dolph Zigglers of the match. Speaking of Rhodes and Ziggler, this was the first time that i can remember that the announce team actually recognized the overall favorites of the match. Furthermore, there were multiple spots where this logic played into either Ziggler and Rhodes potentially retrieving the contract. Its not always a bad thing to play up to the most obvious of finishes.

In the end, Ziggler was the winner AND the star of the match: exactly what he needed. For as long as i live, i will NEVER forget the image of Tensai grabbing Ziggler by the head with both hands on the outside, launching the "Show Off" high into the air and landing him head-first into Michael Cole's announcing chair. That bump looked ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL! While i was happy for Ziggler to get the win and the upcoming attention of being Mr. Money in the Bank, his victory definitely felt undercooked. This is because he has a contract for a World Title Match against Sheamus: a man that has brutalised Ziggler the last 6 times they have met! Why would i ever think Ziggler has a chance against the Celtic Warrior? Thus, backwards booking by WWE hurt the finish to a very dangerous, but overall acceptable Money in the Bank Ladder Match. 

Match No. 2: World Heavyweight Championship

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus
def
Alberto Del Rio (w/ Ricardo Rodriguez)
to retain his World Heavyweight Championship

Rating: *** 1/4

Comments:

I had high hopes going into this match after the great job WWE had done in building up Del Rio as a threat to Sheamus's World Title reign. Unfortunately, what we got was a well-worked Smackdown main event match, NOT a PPV-quality World Championship Match. Here's why.

The story that had been built was that Del Rio was "more aggressive than he has ever been". THIS was the determining factor that could decide a new World Champion. Instead of Del Rio playing this new aggressive streak into his match with Sheamus, i felt as though he produced his same, paint-by-numbers match he did with the Celtic Warrior after Wrestlemania 27. Not that the match was bad because it wasn't. It just wasn't all that exciting and didn't follow storyline consistancies the way i thought it would.

It started slow and methodical with alot of "feeling out", maybe a bit too much. When things finally picked up, the match became great. I liked both of Del Rio's counters as they relate to Sheamus' finishers (The Brogue Kick counter into a Backstabber was especially good.) but at no point did Del Rio make me believe he was going to win the World Title. Why? Because the match never utilised the one dramatic element that would of made this match reach the emotional climax that it deserved: Del Rio's Cross-Arm breaker! Before i knew it, Sheamus hit the White Noise and the Brogue Kick for the finish out of nowhere. I was dumbfounded. You spend an entire match with Del Rio working on Sheamus' arm and not even have Del Rio strap on his finisher for added dramatic effect???!? While it was great Sheamus went over so strong, i felt as though the finish made Del Rio return to his "just another wrestler" gimmick he was playing for the latter half of 2011.  He was handily defeated by the already established babyface. Sure, Del Rio is in the main event picture, but like Ziggler, there comes a time when the heel has to win the title convincingly. All in all, a good match with

Speaking of the new Mr. Money in the Bank, the infuriations continued as Dolph Ziggler rushed to the ring post-match to attempt to cash in his MITB briefcase. Instead of looking deadly, Ziggler ate a Brogue Kick in seconds for the 1309218409143257th time and looked like an absolute looser in the process. I sometimes wonder if WWE Creative expect us to forget the many many beatings Ziggler has taken at the hands of Sheamus for the last 2 months.   

Match No. 3: 

Epico and Primo

def

The No. 1 Contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship

The Prime Time Players (w/ AW)

Rating: ** 1/4

Comments:

 This was the 1st of 3 matches WWE put on the PPV card without any promotion or hype. 2 of the 3 of these matches actually had a story to them so it is mindboggling why WWE failed to promote them to begin with leading up to this event. Yes, the Money in the Bank Ladder Matches and the World Title Matches are what attract audiences primarily. However, if you fail to highlight your mid-card in a promising light, audiences quickly learn that the matches they are involved with DON'T matter. This tag match is a prime example of this.

While this match was probably one of PTP's best bouts to date (especially for Darren Young) fans could care less about this one. Its not surprising considering WWE only gave us a a lame DQ finish, a pull-apart brawl and one singles match to get us hyped about PTP vs The Colons. As i have written before, management failed to propperly turn Epico and Primo babyface to begin with. This is a big reason why the live crowd had no idea how to react. Furthermore, it was also weird how the Tag Team Champions were the ones commentating on the PPV, not wrestling. Wouldn't this match been more suited for the YouTube pre-show?

Regardless, these teams provided a fun tag match that i really enjoyed. The Colons show that they are serious ring generals when they get a chance to work with 2 young, green rookies and the veterans kept a good pace considering. I especially liked Darren Young's mid-air Gut-Buster on Primo in the dying minutes of the match. Unfortunately, while i liked the body of this match, i HATED the finish. Primo and Epico beat the No. 1 Contenders clean as a sheet..........WHY!? If you took this finish and judged it without considering current storylines, it was actually pretty good. But i'm not that kind of wrestling fan. Sue me.

As i have stated many times, PTP are still ROOKIES in the eyes of the fans. They need every win they can get so they can establish some actual credibility. Instead, they are a team who have a "gimmick" that involves them loosing all the time and proclaiming "they are still the No. 1 Contenders!". WWE, don't cry when these two guys win the Tag Team Championship and get zero to nothing in regards to crowd reaction. WWE backwards booking strikes again: have the No. 1 Contenders loose every match going into their Tag Team Championship bout!!

Match No. 4: No Disqualification Match for the WWE Championship 

(AJ as Special Guest Referee)

WWE Champion C.M Punk

def

 Daniel Bryan

Rating: *** 3/4

Comments:

Like the Del Rio match, i had high expectations for this one. It's hard not to get exicted when your dealing with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan: WWE's best wrestling combination. 

I liked this match. Alot. The aggressive start from these two gave this bout a different feel from the matches they have had before. Thankfully, AJ was ejected from the match early which gave the fans time to focus on the mastery that is Punk and Bryan. Furthermore, there were many intelligent spots littered throughout (surprise, surprise) that made use of the "No DQ" rules such as Bryan - after having Punk in the Yes Lock for a good minute and-a-half - used a Kendo Stick to further wrench on Punk's injured neck. The AJ-involved spots were harmless and didn't detract from the match and were actually quite entertaining (ie: i really liked the spot that involved AJ placing a chair between Punk and Bryan, encouraging both men to hurt themselves further for her pleasure). 

However, I didn't love it for multiple reasons. Hence the *** 3/4 rating.

Firstly, i felt as though the match went a bit two long and had a flat finish. Everyone should know by now that i am a big fan of lengthy wrestling matches. Particular combinations of wrestlers flourish under such liberties (Flair and Steamboat imediately come to mind). However, i don't believe Punk and Bryan did on this night. Maybe it was the random "No DQ" stip that was placed on the match with no explanation. Maybe it was that these two are best suited to a traditional wrestling environment. Whatever it was, i found myself looking at the clockhands wondering when these two were "going home". The finish had Punk deliver a Top-Rope Back Suplex through a table. I can't remember the last time i saw this move being used to retain the WWE Championship. Considering the finish we got at Over The Limit between these two (ie The Yes Lock/Anaconda Vice sequence), i was expecting something epic. What i got was a finish that was unexpected no doubt, but a finish that failed to convey what these two are truly capable of. In short, a undercooked finish to a very good match.

Secondly, seeing Punk and Bryan fight regularly on RAW leading up the PPV made this match feel less special. There is no doubt that both guys gave it their all. They always do. But there are only so many times someone can watch Bryan slap the Yes Lock onto CM Punk. They attempted to freshen things up with a brawl-like attitude to their sequences. But when it came to the key spots of the match, i felt as though i had seen them in some form or fashion in the last few weeks. Note to WWE: If you have a main event that appeals to BOTH the hardcore fanbase and the casual fanbase, keep the combatants away from each other leading up the the PPV. That way, the eventual battle between Champion and Challenger feels fresh and ultimately comes across as most compelling.

Match No. 5: 2 on 1 Handicap Match

Ryback

 def

Curt Hawkins and Tyler Rex

Rating: * 1/2

Comments: 

Ryaback can't sell well. Is anyone surprised?

Furthermore, Ryback found CURT HAWKINS AND TYLER REX  a legitimate challenge to beat.........ill be honest, i was surprised by THAT. Why WWE didn't have Rybakc run through these guys like he has done with everyone before is a complete mystery. Now is NOT the time to show off the skills of Hawkins and Rex. As a result of this, Ryback came off SO WEAK.

Ill give Hawkins and Rex credit. They wrestled really well with a lot of quick tags and short, decisive strikes to Ryback. I enjoyed their effort. However, they competed in yet another match that i did not pay to see. This RAW match was well executed by the tag duo, it was poorly wrestled by Ryback (who looked VERY average on the offensive) and it was the buffer between the WWE Championship match and the main event. 

I can only care so much.

Match No. 6: 6-Woman Tag Team Match

Tamina Snuka, Kaitlyn and Divas Champion Layla

def

Beth Phoenix, Natalya and Eve Torres

Rating: * 1/2

Comments:

I was fine having one buffer match before the main event. I was NOT happy with having two. This killed the momentum of this PPV for me.

Unlike the other two non-promoted matchups on this PPV, this one had no storyline credentials what so ever. This was a house-show Divas match that had ok wrestling and did nothing to extend anything. Snuka brought some physicallity with stiff kicks. Layla had a good spot reversing Beth's Gorilla Press into a Sunset Flip. 

Thats pretty much it. 

Its the Diva's division. What do you expect?

Match No. 7: WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match

John Cena 

def

Big Show, Chris Jericho, Kane and the Miz

to win a WWE Championship Match for anytime up to 1 year.

Rating: **** 1/4

Comments:

By this point, i was dying for a memorable match that was worthy of being on this PPV.

Thankfully, 5 of WWE's biggest stars put forward a match that was deserving to be on a PPV and deserving to be this year's Money in the Bank main event.

I truly loved this match and i certainly wasn't thinking i was going to. What i forgot was that, unlike the Smackdown MITB match, everyone involved in this bout were seasoned pros. They all knew how to build a match expertly to the point that everyone would be going crazy for the finish. As a result, every spot was executed properly, at the right time and played to the character archs of everyone involved. For example, we had Big Show destroy everyone (and nearly every ladder!) with Knock-Out punches and brute strength. We had Cena use his unimaginable power to deliver a devastating FU on Big Show through the announcer's table and bury him in ladders in a spectacular series of events. We even had Jericho out-wrestle Cena on top of a ladder with a Sleeper Hold and almost capture the Money in the Bank Briefcase. All these sequences built expertly to a finish that gave the allusion that anyone could of won. That's the beauty of the ladder match or any match: when you really don't know who is going to pull out the "W".

The inclusion of The Miz (while it could of been publicized along with half of this PPV) was an unexpected, logical, yet an exciting addition to the match. His new look complete with facial hair made him look older and more suited to the main event slot. His effort between the ropes were good and showed little to no ring rust which is amazing considering his first match back was in a PPV main event.

While everyone did their jobs well (including the 45-year old Kane taking flat back bumps onto a steel ladder), it was the finish that took the cake for me. I seriously thought that my boy Jericho was going to sneak in and win the match that he initialy created. Alas, Cena had a tremendous sequence with Show that played into the storyline leading up to the match. He detached the Briefcase and slammed it into Show's head. The indent in the case caused by Big Show's scalp was a tremedous visual.

Was i upset with Cena winning? Not at all. This is because Cena's reaction was a picture perfect example of how one should feel after they go through the hell that is a Money in the Bank Ladder Match and win. He could not STOP SMILLING! He was OVERJOYED! This reaction separated itself from the usual "carefree" attitude of WWE's biggest star. If fans see their babyface show emotions of joy, happiness and excitement as it relates to winning, they will ultimately cheer them and join in his or her's happiness. That was the case for the closing moments of Money in The Bank 2012. A great main event that i won't forget about anytime soon.

Final Thoughts:

A Pay-Per-View is different from RAW and Smackdown for a reason. Fans pay money to watch this event.

Not too long ago, WWE had 6-8 matches promoted for their PPVs every month. Each match had some sort of storyline that built to a pay-off at the monthly event. Regardless if the storylines were good or not, the mid-card was treated as an attraction NOT a random addition.

In 2012, WWE seems to be developing a trend where they see the mid-card as something fans don't and shouldn't want to pay for. Thus, these matches involving up-and-coming talent become "bonus matches" that buffer the action between the promoted bouts. Considering the lack of true star power in this company, this is VERY short-sighted.

For me, Money in the Bank 2012 had too many of these "random" mid-card matches that could of been suited to RAW or Smackdown. Matches involving the PTP, Ryback, and the Divas didn't feel special. They just felt random. If you condition your audience to think and feel this way, it will be even harder to get stars to where WWE wants them to be.

In saying that, there were still alot of good matches on the card. The main event was tremendous and worth watching for those who havn't seen it. The rest of the card was good to great. However, they lacked the "must see" moments that usually make matches like Del Rio/Sheamus and Punk/Bryan ultra special.

It was no Money in the Bank 2011, but MITB 2012 did what it needed to do to make it one of the better WWE events of the calendar year.

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!

3- Count Review Express: Friday Night Smackdown 13/07/12

# 1 Alberto Del Rio vs Sheamus - Money in the Bank's Diamond in the rough

I have no idea who is heading the creative team for Del Rio/Sheamus going into Money in the Bank. All I know is that it sure isn't anyone from RAW Creative .

What I do know is that WWE Smackdown Creative have done a tremendous job attempting to renew Del Rio's image while keeping the World Heavyweight Champion strong.....and they have done this in less than 3-4 weeks! AMAZING!!!

I liked how Smackdown revolved around these two. It's a logical approach as PLENTY of time has already been spent on the WWE Title picture. What we got on Friday night was what Smackdown has always done best: put their two top stars in competitive single matches that get them over as well as their opponents AS WELL AS their current storyline.

We stated off with Del Rio defeating Sin Cara in a fun opening contest. I was fearing that Cara was going to be squashed like he was two weeks ago. But to WWE's credit, they let those two go out there and tell a really good story that had me interested. Del Rio won with the Armbar, but Cara got enough good offense in so he wasn't a complete afterthought. Good stuff here.

Then we had a viciously competitive matchup between Sheamus and Jericho. I will get into why this match was one of the best singles matches of 2012 in a minute. Suffices to say, both guys looked amazing, and provided the fans with a 15-minute Smackdown classic.

The finish of the broadcast came full circle as the crafty heel Del Rio outsmarted and took advantage of a exhausted World Heavyweight Champion. Having the last image of Smackdown's Go-home show being Del Rio ripping apart Sheamus's arm off the stage was a very fitting ending to a solid Friday Night Smackdown. Why? Because I could not wait to see Del Rio and Sheamus settle this once and for all. EXACTLY how it should be on every go-home show.

# 2 Friday Night Zack-Down - highlighting young superstars

Again, I'll give WWE a ton of credit. They made Zack Ryder come across as a legit superstar on this show. Who thought I would be saying THAT!?

The intro video covering how Ryder became the Smackdown GM was very well done, as it intricated his YouTube show along with the events of last weeks show. In short, stuff like this made his YouTube show seem important as well as his win. Cant complain about that. Also, the inclusion of the ZackDown graphics all over the show was a nice touch too.

His interaction with the live crowd was another positive, as they were Into everything he did. I find this incredible considering how he is continually treated by management. I guess it's a testament to Ryder the performer... What else could it be?!

I actually liked the concept of giving a young up and comer (like Ryder) a chance to host a show and present to audiences what he or she is all about. Great exposure and, as Jim Ross says, every minute on TV is essential for aggressive expansion. Thumbs up here.

# 3 Sheamus vs Chris Jericho - wrestling mastery on free-to-air television.

World Heavyweght Champion Sheamus defeated Chris Jericho in the main event of Friday Night Smackdown..... **** 1/4 star performance. Easily. Hands-Down.

When I first read about this match, I had a hunch that it would be pretty good. But NEVER in my wildest dreams did I believe it would be THIS GOOD. Talk about two awesome performers making the most of a paint-by numbers situation.

This one started out ultra-aggressive as Sheamus channeled his storyline aggression into a brawl with the self-proclaimed "Best in the World at Everything I Do". While this was great, what made it even better was that every action in this brawl felt it had a purpose. For example Sheamus kept cutting off Jericho with vicious ax hammer smashes, which ultimately lead to Jericho retreating in cowardliness. Crowd Reaction? MASSIVE. Great Pro-Wrestling.

The rest of the match evolved from the aggression Alberto Del Rio brought on with regards to Sheamus to a competitive one-on-one contest between two of the best WWE have to offer. But I'm sure your saying: " we see this stuff in all good matches...what made this so special?" The answers can be found in the finish.

This finish went longer than most. That is, at the 8 minute mark of a 15-minute match, we had Jericho and Sheamus attempt their signature moves. Each reversal by each competitor screamed superiority over the other. Case in point; when have u ever seen a wrestler reverse Sheamus's White Noise TWICE, with one of those times into Jericho's Walls of Jericho!? NEVER! What made these afformentioned sequences even beter was Sheamus's ability to deliver a picture PRRFECT babyface in peril. I wasn't the only one that thought Jericho would finally one-up his on again- off again rival with a move that has beaten the best WWE has had to offer. At this point in the bout, the crowd became unglued.

The match-making move for me was Jericho reversing Sheamus's Battering Ram from the top into a Codebreaker (Jericho's 2nd successful attempt at this move all match). Talk about moves that have never been seen before! This move BEHEADED Sheamus!!! Thus, it looked like a LEGIT finish to an already epic encounter. Sure, some could argue Jericho took too much time setting himself up for the Brogue Kick finish, but nobody could argue that they had witnessed an ultimate classic. A match that solidified why I love Smackdown above RAW. That is, Smackdown is a wrestling show that takes pride in giving combatants time to produce near-masterpieces like this match. A match of the year candidate , you heard it here first. Jericho and Sheamus: my hats off to u both!!