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!

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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!

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.

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NXT in a Nutshell 25/07/12

Match No. 1: 

 Johnny Curtis & Michael Migillicutty

def

Bo Dallas & Derrick Bateman

Rating: *1/2

• A very lackluster start to NXT this week with both teams producing action that was either sloppy or lacking any real heat. A very basic tag-team contest ripped straight from the WWE training book.

• Bo Dallas was the man most highlighted in this one. As far as I'm concerned, he's done little to grab my attention. His promo skills need a ton of work and most of the time, he looks as though he is concentrating too much on getting things right instead of letting the flow of the match take over. 4th generation star or not, Bo Dallas needs a lot of work in general. Unfortunately, this match did nothing to change my opinion.

• Derrick Bateman is another that I'm not too fond of. Considering that he has been in NXT for over 2 years, one has to wonder what is holding this man back. His babyface on fire spot felt forced and was again, basic. Maybe a more clear portrayal of his character might help Bateman going forward.

• Regal's commentary for this match was surprisingly forced and, at times, completely ridiculous. I am new to NXT and so are most of the current audience. When i am told that a newly formed team of Migillicutty and Curtis are as good as The Andersons, i am immediately taken out of the reality bubble. Keep commentary realistic.

• Michael Migillicutty was the star of this one as he took Curtis by the hand and lead him through a pretty paint-by-numbers contest. Not much else to write here.

Match No. 2: 

Antonio Ceasaro (w/ Aksana)

def

Alex Riley

Rating: **

• The minute Alex Riley comes out to the ring, the guy beems with charisma. Like Bateman, i wonder what exactly is holding Riley back. He has a great look. He can talk well. He also can wrestle alright too. What the hell is holding back Alex Riley?

• Ceasaro showed a bit more varied offense than we have seen before, which is a good thing. I especially liked his Gut-Rench Side Slams, followed by a series of new submission holds. However, i am still not sold on the former-ROH Tag Team Champion. Since arriving, he is missing the flair he used to have in ROH. Furthermore, his promo last week on NXT didn't do much to light his fire. All in all, Ceasaro has a lot to work on and i think that is why he is here on NXT.

• Regal returned to form in this bout. I especially liked how he was linking Ceasaro's rugby background back to his new varied offense. Calls like this help legitimize NXT pro-wrestling and give audiences an insight into the "mind" of characters like Ceasaro. Great Stuff!!

• While the in-ring work was acceptable and good in parts, the flatness of the crowd once again hurt the outcome. I was surprised as the Full Sail Uni crowd were getting two guys they usually see on WWE television. Maybe this lack of enthusiasm shows that Full Sail crowds are here to see new NXT talent?

Match No. 3:

Sofia Cortez

def

Natalya via Countout

Rating: **1/2

• This was probablly the best divas match i have seen on NXT. Both women gave it their all and told a really good story between the ropes.

• I really liked how Natalya went from arrogant heel to aggressive bitch as she was out-wrestled by Cortez in the early going. What made these sequences even better was that Cortez fired back with her own aggression and looked good doing it. Well done Cortez!

• Variations from strikes to submission holds also exclamated the aggression in the match.

• The countout finish was VERY lame but i guess it played into the story (ie on this night, Cortez was better and would of beaten the former-Diva's Champion). The post-match HOPEFULLY indicates that these two will wrestle next week. I hope so because by the end of this one, i was very much looking forward to seeing what these two could do. Great job by all involved.

Match No. 4: 

The Ascension

def

Dante Dash & Garret Dylan

Rating: * 3/4

• A few weeks ago, i stated that Ascention needed to put more charisma into their matches and focus less on their dramatic entrance. I am happy to say that this week they did what i told them to do!

• From their ice cold stares to their wolf-like howls, Ascension turned up the personality meter on their performance. I loved their brute aggression and it really felt that they were working as one of NXT's most unique combinations.

• The emphasis on mystique is a very important one as it relates to Ascension. As it stands, NXT is lacking real characters. Ascension changes this by providing the audience with an original paring that we don't truly understand. Much like Bryat Wyatt, we don't know what these guys are about and we want to know more. At this stage in the game, it fantastic to see some distinguishable NXTers that make us tune in every week to learn more about them.

• Not much to the match on the technical side. Ascension dominate and show NXT why they should stay. Good stuff.

 Match No. 5:

Drew McIntyre

def

Seth Rollins

Rating: ***

* Match of the Night *

•   A very good showing for Rollins this week as he kept up move for move with one of my personal favorites, Drew McIntyre.

• While Rollins look good in the ring, i am still not a fan of his character. If the former-ROH World Champion is to be the next NXT golden boy, i think he should be devoid of a "black and white" gimmick. He should just be himself. The more NXT pushes this guy as a "Heavy Metal enthusiast", the more i disconnect from Rollins' character.

• As far as the match goes, McIntyre/Rollins treated us to yet another well wrestled NXT main event. Opening sequences told a good story and looked slick in execution. Rollins' suicide dive was performed to perfection and woke up the dormant crowd nicely.

• The continual emphasis on Rollins' being McIntyre's equal was a well told narrative. Spots such as Rollins nipping up just after McIntyre performed the same taunt enforced this.

• The finish got the fans into the match, with Rollins and McIntyre performing smooth near falls coupled with some devastating offense (Rollins' Complete Shot into the turnbuckle was definitely one of those moments) . This all lead to a match-making finish that reminded me of Edge v Morrison from Smackdown 2009: Rollins attempted a 450 splash, only to land on his feet and turn into a DEVASTATING Drive-by boot from McIntyre. Great great stuff!

• Surprisingly, McIntyre won with his Future Shock Double Arm DDT. Considering Slater lost last week and he is on RAW every Monday, i didn't expect McIntyre - a guy who is rarely on TV anymore- to pick up the 'W'. Unless McIntyre is staying on NXT, this was a missed opportunity for Rollins who, at this stage of his career, needs all the wins he can get. Regardless, a good match involving two seasoned pros.

Final Comments:

This was a much better episode of NXT than last week with more good matches than bad. Bar the opening match, nearly everyone showed imporovement and growth: The divas produced a great 2 minute bout, The Ascension showed great charisma, even Seth Rollins produced a match that further cemented him in the upper echalon of NXT. It's a shame this is only a 1 hour show as a few of my favorites (Bryat Wyatt, Leo Kruger, Tyson Kidd) were nowhere to be seen. WWE needs to work out a way to keep NXT main stayers on each show while giving new guys the same amount of airtime. Regardless, NXT is doing well with the time that they have. I definitely find myself looking forward to next week, where NXT GM Dusty Rhodes has a "Major Announcement".

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: RAW's 1000th Episode Extravaganza!

A lot went down last Monday night on a show that was expected to be seen by A LOT of people. In knowing this, i wanted to wait a day or two before i posted my thoughts on WWE's biggest televised show of the year. I wanted to let what i had seen sink in. I also wanted to see if the work WWE did payed off in the end.
 
Well the numbers are in......and all things are happy in the WWE kingdom. As they should be.

RAW 1000 was seen by over 6 million people last  Monday night, producing RAW's biggest television rating since 2006: a 3.9. They also drew a sell-out crowd of over 18000 fans that came to see the biggest names of yesterday interact with the most important stars of today. What they ended up getting was a show very light on wrestling but heavy on angles that were masked in a nostalgia theme. Entertainment was WWE's goal last night and you will be hard pressed to find anyone who was not entertained by at least something from RAW 1000. Sure, there was some stuff that, if taken out of the glamor that was RAW 1000, it would of definitely been seen as illogical or questionable. However, all i know is that by the time RAW 1000 went off the air, i was happy and i couldn't wait to see next week's show. Going into RAW 1001, this is EXACTLY how everyone should be feeling.

So, without further ado, lets see what made RAW 1000 tick.....


#1: Summerslam 2012 & Royal Rumble 2013 - Forecasting the foreseeable future

The advantage (and added pressure) of a show like RAW 1000 was that there was always going to be an increased viewership. Thus, producing a show that is going to be seen by over 6 million people means that a lot of ground needed to be covered so to please all audiences. For the most part, WWE achieved this by presenting a loaded television show based on nostalgia, former stars and fond memories. BUT most importantly, what made this show work in the eyes of most audiences was that they planted the seeds with respect to two PPVs that are the cornerstones of WWE folk law: Summerslam and Royal Rumble.

I praise WWE for choosing this time above all to promote their key bouts going into their key events for the year. I have always said if you want to make PPV matches feel more important, give the audience time to digest the angles and salivate over the potential pay-off. In a number of instances on RAW 1000, WWE showed everyone that they are still capable of recognizing this fact. They were able to address their short-term plans while presenting a reason to get excited for next year. THIS is how you get audiences excited for your product.

In regards to Summerslam, HHH/Lesnar got a big chunk of time to get their match over. While i was not particular happy with the direction of this angle (as i will talk about in the coming section), the physicality of the two and the mere sight of Lesnar got me excited for their upcoming bout. Let's face it, regardless of the angles, Lesnar/HHH will draw the hardcore AND the casual fan base. This match is like Rock/Cena but with more focus on the physical and the aggressive.

Having Charlie Sheen involved - while hokey to some of the hardcore audience - is a HUGE coup for WWE. Sheen is a LEGIT A-LIST CELEBRITY and he will no doubt bring some decent outside exposure as it relates to Summerslam. Again, with added exposure comes an added pressure to perform and put on a show that doesn't insult the intelligence of the audience. Here's hoping they can do this. But back to Sheen. It looks as though he has the verbiage to hang with WWE's best. His ongoing commentary throughout the night was fun and felt natural, while and his semi-challenge to Daniel Bryan was another smart play as it relates to WWE's biggest event of the summer. If there is anyone who could provide the fans with a well-worked match with a celeb while maintaining entertainment value in lead-up promos, it is Daniel Bryan. He is the ultimate jerk in WWE right now and to boot, he is the safest worker around. All these elements add up to a potentially memorable encounter between WWE's top heel and Holywood's most notorious A-Lister. While Sheen's current state would of been perfectly suited to the late 90's/ early 00's, there is no doubt this confrontation will bring even more eyes to WWE's biggest party of the Summer.

Finally, the segment that had everyone talking was the one involving The Rock and C.M Punk. As promised, WWE followed through with their plans on having The Rock once again hold the WWE Championship via a blockbuster announcement: at the Royal Rumble next year in Phoenix, The Rock will face the WWE Champion for the title. While some maybe thinking that announcing the main event of Royal Rumble is way too soon, i believe there is no limit to when you should announce massive contests like this one. Making an announcement such as this does two things:

1) It forces the WWE Universe to begin to ponder who will be the WWE Champion come January 27th. With such pondering comes a need to watch every WWE Championship match with a renewed interest.

2.) It places an immense importance on the WWE Championship. Rock has a knack for putting over the title anytime he mentions it in any promo. Couple this with the fact that we now have a Heel WWE Champion that will do exactly the same going into Royal Rumble and you have a match that will draw big time.

Punk vs Rock is something fresh. Something different. After watching their interactions last Monday night, i hope that they stick with their current plan of having Rock face Punk. However, history tells us that Vince McMahon changes his mind every second of everyday. So, at this point, everything should be considered as beeing up in the air until January 27th. However, now that everyone is where they need to be in this potential rivalry (Rock, the overwhelming babyface and Punk the articulate, arrogant heel), i can't help but get excited about what the future holds for The Rock and whoever will be WWE Champion come Royal Rumble 2013.

# 2: C.M Punk becoming heel - "Tune in next week to find out more!"

By the time the bell rung on the WWE Championship match between CM Punk and John Cena, i was pissed. HOW DARE WWE finish such competitive match up on yet ANOTHER LAME DQ.  This is a Money in the Bank participant cashing in his contract. You DON'T build up something like this and then have such a weak finish involving Big Show ending the match via DQ. Why did Big Show even interfere? "Because he is a heel" is not even plausible when such an important event occurs (ie John Cena becoming the first man in WWE history to fail to win the World Title off a Money in the Bank Contract). Even with what was to come post-match, i find it VERY hard to believe that there wasn't any other finish that was stronger than what we ended up with. Maybe WWE should of looked at TNA and the heel turn of Bobby Roode to see my point of view. Regardless, it felt as though WWE were back to their old tricks again when the bell sounded on RAW 1000s main event.


Then we witnessed the heel turn.


With Rock attempting to aid a fallen John Cena, CM Punk cut off Rock as he was attempting the People's Elbow with a flying clothesline. The audience conveyed a mixed reaction. Nobody knew what to think. Then, as Punk looked at his hands, contemplating what had just transpired, he suddenly grabbed Rock and hit him with the GTS. A chorus of boos echoed throughout St Louis. They got it. CM Punk had turned on the WWE Universe.

Everything about CM Punk and the decisions he made in this final segment screened logic and clarity. Through his tremendous facials and body movement, Punk portrayed a man that was conflicted by a choice: Do the right thing or do not. When he finally embraced who he was after a GTS to The Rock, Punk delivered a sick, demented look to the crowd that spoke volumes. It spoke of a WWE Champion that has held the strap for over 8 months without receiving the recognition he deserved. It spoke of a man that wanted to remain the WWE Champion and would do anything to hold onto it. But most importantly, the final image of CM Punk on RAW 1000 presented a man that would no longer by held back by WWE figureheads like John Cena and The Rock.

Suffice to say, this main event angle was a MAJOR home run. Punk was always better as a heel. In fact, he made his mark in WWE as a heel. With regards to the match, i loved how the line was blurred with regards to Punk's true motive. Case in point: in the confines of the match, it looked as though CM Punk was just doing what any champion would do when their title is on the line: WIN. However, the transition point involving The Rock was a thing of beauty. Logically, there was no chance that the audience would of reacted the way they did if it was Cena who was taken out by Punk. Instead, WWE had Punk deny the audience a chance to see the People's elbow: THEIR MOVE. Furthermore, Punk got a real nice lot of offense in on Rock to make him seem like a legit threat going forward.

While this is all well and good, what made this for me was that we still have no idea why Punk did what he did. I, like many other fans, can only speculate over his motivation until Monday and THAT is why this segment was so good. Pro-wrestling should always have you, the audience member, wanting more. By "wanting more" you will go out of your way to see next week's show, buy the upcoming PPVs and interact with everything WWE has to satisfy your craving. By Punk not saying a word after his attack on Rock, we are forced to tune in next week to find out why RAW 1000 ended the way it did.

Great pro-wrestling drama that was memorable and has us wondering what will happen next. Can't ask for more than that!!

#3 Lesnar vs HHH.....or is it Heyman vs The McMahon family???

I'll be honest. The opening of RAW 1000 involving all the former members of D-Generation X was a real treat for a long-time wrestling fan like myself. The segment got over strong, everyone (including Billy Gunn) was treated with respect, all got a chance to plug their famous catch phrases AND we got to see DX do what they do best: embarrass someone at their own expense.  

While this was all entertaining, it damaged the effectiveness of one of the most hyped segments of RAW 1000: Brock Lesnar answering HHH's challenge.

It is now apparent to me that WWE has done and will do everything that needs to be been done to ensure Lesnar doesn't come across as the monster we all know him to be.

First of all, you have HHH at the start of the show joking around and entertaining the crowd like he doesn't have a care in the world. You even have the COO come out in his DX attire as if to say this segment has interrupted a DX party he is having in the back.

Secondly, we had Paul Heyman come out and fiercely interact with HHH on behalf of Brock Lesnar. Heyman, as always, was FANTASTIC in his role as the antagonist. But from my point of view, he was almost TOO good. When i watched him interact with HHH and Stephanie, it almost felt as though he was promoting a match between HIMSELF and the McMahon family. Steph's comments on Paul as a failure enforced this train of thought. If it is HHH vs Lesnar at Summerslam, why should anyone care about seeing Paul Heyman get his at WWE's next PPV? This rivalry is about a man who got his arm broke by a UFC monster! Not about a man beating up a legal adviser because he is a jerk. By the time Lesnar actually came out, he came off as nothing but a big meat axe that was doing the bidding of the evil Paul Heyman.

Thirdly, Lesnar got his ass kicked as HHH destroyed him in a very quick brawl and sent him over the top rope to the floor. This former-UFC Champion - a man who enjoys hurting people/ a  man who wanted to legitimize the WWE - responded to this beating by retreating to the back like an ABSOLUTE COWARD. I always thought having Lesnar off TV for months would eventually lead to him returning and destroying HHH. By doing this, Lesnar comes off like a legitimate threat and as someone who we could see beating the King of Kings. Instead, Lesnar came off as just another geek who has hid behind his legal adviser and has no chance of beating HHH at Summerslam.

At RAW 1000, WWE had a massive chance to heat things up as it relates to Summerslam's marque match. Instead, WWE focused on Heyman's banter between the McMahons and presented Brock Lesnar as legitimate coward, NOT a legitimate tough guy. It's very simple in pro-wrestling: if you have a match that centers around in-ring action and is something that people are willing to pay to see, you need to build both guys up to the point where a mystique surrounds their eventual showdown. "Who will win? Who is stronger? Who has the edge?" are the questions you want your audience to ask. Instead, the WWE Universe is pondering "How quickly will HHH destroy Lesnar at Summerslam?".


Match Results:

Match No. 1: 6-Man Tag Team Match

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio

def

Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho and Alberto Del Rio (w/ Ricardo Rodreguez )

Rating: ** 1/4

• Considering all the amazing talent in this match, i would of liked to see these guys in a bunch of singles matches. Instead, we get a quick 6-man. A bit disappointing.

• Good match while it lasted. Weird seeing Cara and Rey in the same ring at the same time and it not being a bigger deal.

• Most involved got their big moves over and Ziggler/Jericho continue their rivalry. Smart to save this potential match for Summerslam instead of attempting to cram it into RAW 1000.

• Shame that the younger talent took a backseat to the nostalgia of RAW 1000. Would of been great to see lengthy matches on this show instead of a quick 6-man where talent gets lost in a sea of bodies.

• Great having JR out there but VERY DISAPPOINTING he didn't stay for the whole show. Having him come out for the opener made me think he would of stayed for the whole 3 hours. Alas, WWE wanted us to bask in the glory that is King and Cole on commentary. 

Match No. 2:


Brodus Clay (w/ "The Funka-dacktiles" and Dude Love)
def
Jack Swagger

Rating: SQUASH

•  This is a match we could of done without. I am sure there would of been MANY other and BETTER ways to get Mick Foley on television than this. 

• Nothing to like here. Clay continues to bury younger talent and still fails to get over. 

• All i can say is "poor Swagger". Had to take the weight of Clay and Mr. Socko from Dude Love.

• A complete waste of time. WWE should of given this time to Rey or Del Rio.

Match No. 3: Intercontinental Championship
(Bret "Hitman" Hart as Special Ring Announcer) 

The Miz
def
Intercontinental Champion Christain
(New Intercontinental Championship)

Rating: ** 1/4

• I liked the ideas that went into the presentation of this match. Having Hart do a quick promo on his experiences of being the IC Champion was a nice touch (ie talking about  his battles with Mr. Perfect). As i always say, recalling history like this can NEVER have an adverse effect on pro-wrestling matches.

• Standard solid Christian match. HOWEVER, crowd was burnt out from the previous Punk/Rock/Bryan segment. Made the action feel less important and effective.

• Miz is DEFINATELY no Christain. While he was the logical winner, he needs to work on expanding his arsenal. I can only watch him attempt a Double Axe Handle Smash and a Curb Stomp Kick so many times!!

• As stated before, Miz is the most appropriate IC Champ going forward. Christian isn't going anywhere (as usual) and Miz is semi-hot coming off his return to action. All in all, a basic, yet effective segment/match. 

Match No. 4: No DQ match

Lita (w/ the APA)
def
Heath Slater  

Rating: * 3/4

• This was more of a blow off angle as it was a match. Regadless, this was a lot of fun.

• It was a legitimate surprise seeing Lita come out to face Slater. Furthermore, throughout this whole segment, Slater's facials and reactions were tremendous. He plays a great "looser" heel.

• Having all the legends come down to screw Slater made sense and was fun to watch. What wasn't fun was that Clothesline From Hell by JBL. That move BEHEADED Poor Slater. 

• All in all, a fun conclusion to a storyline that started off average, but grew into Slater's most memorable contribution to WWE Television to date.

Match No. 5: WWE Championship match via use of Cena's Money in the Bank Contract

WWE Champion C.M Punk
def
"Mr. Money in the Bank" John Cena via DQ
(Champion Retains) 

Rating: ** 3/4

• No big entrances for Punk OR Cena which is surprising considering the hype this match got during the show.

• Pretty good "feeling out" sequence from both men. Slick and smooth but NOT as smooth as Aries/Roode from TNA last week. Regardless, there is no doubt in my mind that Punk always brings out the best in Cena.

• The match, unfortunately went to the finish VERY quickly. Thankfully, the finish sequence leading into the ref bump was FANTASTIC. Great retrospective look at their "Match of the year 2011" condensed into 2 minutes.

• While the DQ finish played into the eventual heel turn, i still hated it. Anytime you have tremendous wrestling ruined by an uninspired finish, you cant helped but be disappointed. The run-in by Show definitely dampened the initial effectiveness of the heel turn. It wouldn't be until my second viewing of RAW 1000's main event that i realized how good the turn really was.

Final Comments: 

Unsurprisingly, this was a fun edition of Monday Night RAW. While it was a shame the younger guys didn't get a chance to spread their wings during this 3 hours of WWE television, it was great seeing stars like The Rock get us excited for the months to come. Punk's heel turn was one of the best in recent memory and was a great way for RAW 1000 to go off the air. The turn made perfect sense and was executed to perfection by the WWE Champion. Sure, the Lesnar/HHH segment might of rubbed me the wrong way, but there was still plenty of content on this show that made me laugh and made me get excited for this year's Summerslam. Good job WWE. Let's see if RAW 1001 can continue this trend.

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 22/07/12

Commentary maketh the match

As i have stated in the past, a good commentary team is a duo or a trio that can verbally explain the historical backgrounds, motivations and purposes for the pro-wrestlers we watch week in and week out. They should be funny, but not overbearing. They should be always present, but never drawing attention to their own character. If all these elements are acknowledged, commentary teams have the ability to enhance any match they call.

This week on NXT, the commentary team of William Regal and Byron Saxton ( and later, Jim Ross ) successfully achieved all of these goals. While Byron Saxton is growing into his play-by-play nicely and not coming off as completely fake, Regal was the star of the show this week. My GOD was he good. Whether it was making Kaytlin's offense seem calculating (via a discussion on how she benches 300lbs and how she has been perfecting leg submission holds because of this ability) or humorously informing us of Leo Kruger's "monarch-like" background (by pointing out that he received his sash from "Nelson Mandela himself"), Regal did so much. What he did here was continuously take these character arcs/performers that we aren't familiar with at all and gave each one of them credible substance that bolstered their overall presentation.

Jim Ross then joined us for the main event this week and echoed Regal's work like only the voice of the WWE can. I appreciated his persistent and passionate argument over the fact that wins and losses matter and how being in the main event of NXT is best opportunity to get noticed and get ahead. Jim Ross and ONLY Jim Ross can vocalize the purpose of a whole pro-wrestling brand so perfectly. While this "art form" is lost on the major broadcasts to some degree, its nice to know that the future of WWE is being supported by such an effective commentary team.

Match Results:

Match No.1:

Tamina Snuka 
def 
Kaitlyn

Rating: * 1/4

Comments:

NXT this week had a Diva feel to it as we opened with an ok contest between Snuka and Kaitlyn. The first thing i noticed was that Kaitlyn was playing heel in this match. Considering i just watched Money in the Bank last Sunday and saw Kaitlyn team with the babyface group, i was more than confused. I don't appreciate WWE throwing matches together where the heel/babyface dynamics are altered without explaining why. 

Even though Kaitlyn was put over strong by Regal's exceptional commentary, her wrestling ability didn't match what Regal was attempting to sell. She tried hard, but there is just something i don't like about her. She's massive, yet she tries to move around the ring sometimes like a cruiserweight. That, and her offense at times is just plain sloppy. For example, she should NEVER attempt an abdominal stretch again until she gets taught by someone properly. Hell, Dusty Rhodes is the GM of NXT! He can teach her.

Not much to say of Tamina. She was good as usual and she kept the match together. Her reversal of Kaitlyn's Grounded Octopus Hold into a Samoan Drop was a good spot that lead to the quick finish. An average opener to NXT this week.

Match No. 2: 

Jinder Mahal 
def 
Percy Watson

Rating: * 3/4

Comments: 

Well, the positive to take out of this bout was that Mahal wins again and gains momentum. I'm all for building up a NXT main event heel and i think i can bare having Mahal take up that role. He is nowhere near as bad as he was when he was on Smackdown. His strikes are aggressive in nature and i like the way he beats down his opponents with great energy. Plus, his finisher is a submission hold and nothing screams drama than a submission hold in a wrestling match. If feel as though he just needs to work on interacting with the live crowd more mid-match. I'm pretty sure shouting in Punjab would get any audience going.

Now, onto the big negative. Percy Watson has NO IDEA what he is doing in a pro-wrestling ring. Don't believe me? Listen to that live crowd at Full Sale this week. DEAD. No one got into anything Watson did. Maybe it was because what he executed was either poorly timed or just plain sloppy. Case in point: I don't care that a 6-Foot man can do a standing 450 Splash. It's all about WHEN you do that move that is the most crucial and Watson didn't know when. It's funny that a guy who has a ton of natural charisma and is meant to be "Personally mentored by John Cena" just couldn't gel with Mahal. How long as Percy Watson been with WWE now? Going on 2-3 years? A really disappointing outing for someone who should be better than this.

 

Match No. 3: 

Leo Kruger

def

Richie Steamboat

* Match of the Night *

Rating: ** 3/4

Comments:

While the main event was better in terms of sustainable in-ring work, this match still gets the "Match of the Night" honnours. Why? Because Leo Kruger stole the show for me.

Now i will still say that he still needs a bit of work with regards to his mixture of taunts mid-match. He constantly goes from a serious Rick-Rude pose over Steamboat's body to a humorous Chicken Walk around the ring. The first time i saw Kruger on NXT i said he needs to refine his character and channel it towards a singular concept (ie he's a chicken shit/arrogant heel, he's the humorous heel etc). I still stand by that statement today.

That aside, Kruger knows his way around that ring. His mannerisms (such as falling down on his ass after a hard knife-edge chop by Steamboat) encapsulated what an arrogant heel is all about: a guy who is tough and aggressive, but the MINUTE a babyface shows some fire, he will attempt to win at any cost. With mannerisms like this, i will pay to see this guy get beaten up. I will also pay to see a wrestler who differentiates himself from the pack. I loved seeing Kruger continuously use the ring as a weapon and take every short cut imaginable against the fiery Steamboat. Speaking of Steamboat, he did his job well here but it was nothing special. I liked that the fans were immediately behind him chanting "STEAMBOAT! STEAMBOAT!, but there is something missing as it relates to the son of the WWE Hall of Famer. His performances and interaction with the crowd comes off as a bit generic. That is to say, if he wasn't Ricky Steamboat's son, i don't know if i would be accepting him the way i already am. Thus, I don't know if his career has the legs that Kruger does and this match kind of showcased that for me.

Regardless, this contest was a fun, innovative bout that saw new moves (Kruger's Schoolboy into the turnbuckle is a definite first for WWE television) and solid pro-wrestling action. Kruger won as he should with his feet on the ropes as i look forward to what Kruger brings to NXT next week.

Match No.4:

Raquel Diaz

 def

Paige

Rating: * 1/4

Comments:

Another Diva match, another average contest.

Raquel Diaz (Daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero) has something going for her. Behind the repetitious mannerisms and facial expressions, there is something there that could be refined and utilized going forward. Her in-ring performance as it relates to her "Exfoliating Tour of Ugliness" character was well timed in certain spots (ie Her "OMG" calls after Paige hit her in the face was funny). However, there is definite room for improvement as it relates to her in-ring performance. Sure, she showed aggression, but there are a ton of new NXTers that are showing the same fire at the moment. I need something more than manic hair-pulling from the next NXT breakout Diva.

 

I actually wouldn't mind seeing Paige get a chance to shine on NXT. This is the second job i've seen her involved in and i have to say, she sells REALLY well. If a wrestler can sell well, they can probably do the rest well. Regardless, on this night Raquel Diaz's debut didn't do much for me. Even if she is a Guerrero.

Match No.5:

Justin Gabriel

def

Heath Slater

Rating: ** 3/4

Comments:

While the Kruger bout highlighted the emergence of a character i am beginning to grow fond of, this match, like every other NXT main event, represented the pro-wrestling portion of the show. While both guys put forward an effort that was really enthralling, I still didn't see it as the match of the night.

Yes, this match had everything you could want from an NXT main event: brutal/risky bumps such as Gabriel getting knocked off the top rope and crashing onto the back of his head to the outside, solid "beat the babyface's injured body part" psychology and an exhilarating finish that said to the fans "we just left it all out in that ring".

The one thing that was bad about this match was that NO ONE CARED about Gabriel. While he wrestled really well, i think his problems centres around his lack of character. When i watched him come down the ring, he was bouncing around like this was his first night on WWE television. IN short, he STILL looked like he did 3 years ago. Sure, his in-ring work spoke differently, but everyone knows you need more than a great in-ring, athletic skill set to connect with an audience. People got into Slater because they see him regularly on RAW and his character is somewhat well defined. Gabriel hasn't been given that chance yet and it hurt the overall effectiveness of both men's efforts. Furthermore, it shocked me that Gabriel actually won. It's not like he is going anywhere anytime soon. Why not give it to the guy who is loosing on RAW every week?

Regardless, a really hard-fought match that tied in nicely with JR's message to the fans: "NXT is the place where you need to make an impact".


Final Thoughts:

Not a whole lot to write home about on NXT this week. The wrestling was ok but angles were missable. However, Kruger was undoubtedly my highlight. I really felt he showed a level of knowledge in the ring that could definitely take him far. The main event was a solid pro-wrestling match, but not in the same caliber of other NXT main events (Kidd vs Migillicutty, im still looking at you!!). Diaz's debut was one of the more average introductions and Watson bombed which surprised me.

Regardless, NXT still brings a wrestling-centric broadcast to the masses and it still a fun hour of WWE television to watch. If you haven't started watching it yet, i highly recommend you do!

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!