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Cubed Circle Newsletter - Slammiversary Go-Home
We have an unexpectedly large issue for you this week, as we take a look at current WWE
prospects, for what reason I do not know, we look at the problems that TNA face in their present
state, preview Slammiversary, look at RAW with the announcement of the three stages of hell
match, Ben Carass looks at this week’s edition of NXT, we take a look at the Slammiversary gohome show, Ben Carass looks at this week’s edition of SmackDown with Bryan greatness, and
we take a look at the latest from the Best of the Super Juniors, injuries and more! With all of that
out of the way, I hope you enjoy this week’s issue, and have a great week.
-Ryan Clingman, Cubed Circle Newsletter Editor
News
TNA Slammiversary - Ray vs. Sting
This Sunday TNA runs its penultimate live pay-per-view of the year their 11th anniversary show,
Slammiversary 2013, from Boston. As far as build for the show goes they probably did a better
job than WWE for some of their shows this year, but the principle is different when it comes to
TNA, as they only run four live pay-per-views a year at this point, and as of Thursday night’s gohome show. Slammiversary simply doesn’t feel like as big of a deal as it should.
One of their main issues for 2013 and honestly the past five years or so has been the lack of new
stars. Looking back they haven’t been able to make any homegrown talent since Austin Aries last
year, and even that is a major stretch. It is easy to see by just looking at all of the independent
talent that the WWE has signed over the past year that there is still a large pool of talent for the
two major companies to choose from. Is that pool as large as in decades past? No, of course not.
However, it is large enough that TNA could pick some guys off of the independent scene and
strap rockets to their backs.
There are guys on the indies right now, guys like Adam Cole who just resigned with ROH,
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Michael Elgin and others that if you brought them up either with or without Gut Check would be
able to be stars if they were given a push. On this show they are having Jay Bradley, who does
have a lot of potential, take on Sam Shaw for a spot in the Bound for Glory series. However, at
this point it isn’t clear just how hard they are going to push the winner, who I would assume will
be Bradley, after the tournament.
It is also quite apparent from watching the TV that they don’t have a strong group of babyfaces, a
problem that has only been accentuated by the addition of the Aces & Eights who are another
issue altogether. It is clear that they are trying to push AJ Styles as the next big babyface of the
company, but the truth is that they aren’t going to make a large amount of headway with current
talent, and unfortunately Styles falls into that category.
The problem regarding the Aces & Eights is twofold. The first major issue is that they don’t have
any direction for the group, and that as of right now they are simply a hinderance to the show,
running interference in match after match week after week. The other problem comes in when
you look at a problem that we just mentioned, and that is the current lack of babyface stars. You
see, every week on iMPACT with this week’s show being no exception, they have the Aces &
Eights get the better of the babyfaces. This would be fine if it was going to lead to a payoff, the
thing is that it never does, and the Aces & Eights go back and forth with the babyfaces in a never
ending cycle - a cycle that has gotten tedious to say the least.
You can actually trace that booking pattern back to the WCW days, as Eric Bischoff has always
had the habit of booking the top heel group, whether it is the NWO, Mainevent Mafia, or the
Aces & Eights, as the “cool heels” that get the better of the babyfaces every week in never
ending cycles. The result is always the same, weak babyfaces in the long run, leading to a decline
in business in some cases, and in this case a simple furthering of the stagnation within the
company. And that is the result of these problems - stagnation, and if not stagnation then a
gradual decline.
The card itself looks to be quite a fun show, with some good matches on the undercard and a
possible great match in AJ Styles versus Kurt Angle later on in the show.
Kenny King defends his X Division championship in a three-way against Chris Sabin and
Suicide (TJ Perkins) in what is apparently an Ultimate X match. They have built the match up
quite well over the past few weeks with some very good promo material for both Sabin and
King. However, they neglected to promote the Ultimate X stipulation very well, and it is for that
reason that I didn’t even realize that it was going to be a match conducted under those
stipulations until I was actually going through the match listings.
A couple of months ago they introduced a new gimmick for the X Division that basically stated
that all matches conducted within the division will be three-ways, and while the actual rules are
far more complicated than that, the three way concept is the basic premise. I understand that they
were attempting to breath new life into the division by adding these rules, what they have done in
the long run is put a limit on a division that was already struggling to stay relevant.
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They actually did more for the division last year, than they have done in many years after they
put into place a stipulation that the champion during the time of the TNA Destination X pay-perview would be able to cash in the championship for a shot at the world title. It is unclear, exactly
whether that stipulation will hold true for at this point given that there is no longer a
Destinatination X pay-per-view, but given the fact that they have still made mention of the
concept I can only assume that they will be continuing on with it in an altered form.
A singles match between Sabin and King would have me far more interested than a three-way, as
I have never been that big of a fan of the concept to be honest. However, the stipulation and
performers are such that I am still looking forward to it, as it has the potential to be one of the
best matches on the show if it is given time. I expect Sabin to win the match considering that he
has been out with an injury for so long. I just hope that his knee holds up in this environment.
In another title match Devon defends his TV Title, a title that hasn’t been defended in months,
against Joe Park. They have built a lot of this match around Abyss and have made reference to
Park and Abyss being the same person on TV, so I can only assume that it will play a part in this
match. I assume that Park is going to win the match, although they could draw the program out
extending it on to Bound for Glory depending on their plans.
In a match for what I assume is the number one contender’s spot for the Knockout’s title, Gail
Kim takes on Taryn Terrell in a match that Kim should be all means win. I understand that they
have built the Terrell/Kim revivalry up for quite some time, but the truth is that Kim has far more
ability as a performer from every aspect. The problem is that performance in and out of the ring
may not be what the most important thing TNA when it comes to the Knockout’s division.
In the tag team title match Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez defend their titles in a four-way tag title
match against Daniels & Kazarian, Bobby Roode & Austin Aries, and the newly formed team of
James Storm & Gunner. To be honest I have very little interest in this match that isn’t to say that
it won’t be fun, but my problem is that they have had all of the teams in this match, with the
exception of Storm & Gunner, face each other so many times in different combinations that I am
completely burnt out when it comes to the TNA tag division. Storm and Gunner add a slight
degree of freshness to the match, but Storm is still injured, so most likely they will be having
Gunner do most of the work for that team.
In a match that was only made on the taped edition of iMPACT from Tampa, Samoa Joe teams
with Magnus and a returning Jeff Hardy to take on the Aces & Eights team of Eric Bischoff,
DOC & Wes Briscoe. There are enough decent to good workers in here to carry Briscoe and
Bischoff, but there is still the fact that they are going to have to be carried, which may bring the
match down a notch or two. We haven’t seen Hardy for what feels like a couple of months, so in
that regard the match should be interesting, but other than that it looks to be one of the least
interesting matches on the entire show.
In what will most likely be the best match on the show, AJ Styles takes on Kurt Angle in what
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has been built as a grudge match. Judging by the matches that the two have put on in the past, I
fully expect this to steal the show, as the only match that even stands a chance of coming close is
the X title match, and that would only happen if this match underdelivered and the Ultimate X
match over delivered to a drastic extent. Whilst Angle doesn’t go at full speed on TV, he tends to
go all out on pay-per-view, and given the fact that they are only doing four shows a year at this
point, I fully expect Angle and Styles to put on a great show provided that they are given the time
to shine. The only scenario that would make any sense would be if Styles defeated Angle, there
would be no point in going the other way.
Finally in the mainevent of the show, Bully Ray, the leader of the Aces & Eights group, defends
his title against Sting in a no holds barred match with the added stipulation that if Sting loses he
can “never” challenge for the TNA World Title again. Given that Sting is now 54 years of age the
stipulation should seem doable, but I can certainly see a situation where Sting wins the TNA
World Title, even if I don’t fully expect it.
There has been a lot of speculation in regard to the finish, given that they have been doing an
angle over the past few weeks where Brooke Hogan has been torn over whether or not Bully Ray
still loves her. These leads me to be believe that they could have Brooke cost Ray the finish or
visa versa. Half of me expects Brooke to cost Sting the finish and join the Aces & Eights,
something I really wouldn’t want to see. The other half just expects Brooke to come out and
interact in the finish in some manner but to not cost Sting the title.
In some ways it is a good thing as it adds a sense of suspense to the match, even if it doesn’t
mean much in the long run. I expect Bully Ray to retain, as having Sting win the title at 54 where
he won’t mean anything for business simply doesn’t gel with me, although that doesn’t mean that
they can’t do it. I expect a match with a lot of smoke and mirrors, because while Sting is in great
shape for his age, it isn’t like he is at the point where he can pull off a four star match or anything
close.
All in all Slammiversary should be a fun night of wrestling, but I don’t know if it will go beyond
that point.
New Stars & The Future of the WWE
It is quite apparent from watching the current WWE product that the company is in the middle of
a transition phase. We are obviously no longer at a stage where John Cena is the fresh young star,
or even a star in his prime. Cena is on the descent in many ways, and while they can do many
things to reignite his career and maybe even make him hotter than he has ever been, the reality is
that the WWE need to build new stars, and they have needed to do so for quite a while now.
For years people have complained, and still do complain, that they haven't been creating new
stars, and that the stars that they do create aren't pushed at the same level of established talent,
both of which are true and valid criticisms. However, in 2012 you could very much sense that the
tide was turning, it was apparent at that time more than ever that the WWE, a company that at
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one point used to be one of the most closed minded in the business, had changed its mindset
somewhat. Workers that in the past seemed like they would never get a chance with the company,
either due to being labeled as too small, not having the right look or simply getting the "can't
work" indie label that we have seen for years, were given a chance and were placed in relatively
important positions.It wasn't a magical change that took place in 2012 either, as it was a build
that took place over years, but 2012 was the point where we saw a sizeable change for the better.
This isn't to say that there still aren't problems in the system, because there are many, and you
only need to go as far as someone like Cesaro and his latest run to prove that. Still, there is a vast
improvement in perception at the very least, and that's going to be a key going forward when it
comes to the creation of new stars.
Right now there are a number of people, both on the roster already and in developmental who
have potential to be big stars. And it is quite apparent at this point that the up and coming new
stars of the past, the Cody Rhodes, Tyson Kidd and Wade Barrett types of the world aren't going
to be the top stars that many thought they were years ago. That isn't to say that we won't see the
same thing with some of these developmental stars, but I would say that at least a handful will be
pushed and perform at a high level.
It is always great to look at potential stars of the future, and it is for that reason that we are going
to try peek into the future somewhat, and look at some of the most interesting names when it
comes to the future of the company.
Adrian Neville: Benjamin Satterly (26), the former PAC of Dragon Gate fame, was signed back
in July of 2012 following one of his final runs in Dragon Gate. PAC seems to have a large upside
given the fact that he is probably one of the best flyers in the business right now, in that he can
do some of the most incredible spots that you will see in a wrestling ring, but while knowing
when to do them in the context of a match.
When PAC first popped up on the scene in 2006/2007 in PWG he was impressive in the sense
that he was able to do all of the flips and flops, but where he fell flat was in the working and
psychology departments. He was for all intents and purposes, a scrawny Englishman who could
do some cool flips in the context of a wrestling ring and that was it. Fast forward to 2013, and he
is extremely well defined and is a tremendous flying worker.
I haven’t seen much from his work in NXT, but from what I have seen it looks like they have
been able to get him to tone his flying down even further, which is a good thing from two
perspectives. The first being that he will be able to shine in other ways, namely is actual ring
work, and the second being that he won’t burn out when he moves up to the main roster.
I don’t know exactly how far PAC can get in the WWE, as he has a great look, but is smaller than
what they generally like for guys that are at the upper mid-card to mainevent level, and even
without the size limitations I don’t really know if PAC is that kind of guy. However, at the very
least I can see him making it up to the level of an Evan Bourne, and at best who knows? Maybe
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he could climb much higher than that. I hope he does, because he is a tremendous talent, and
while he doesn’t have the size or speaking ability (that I am aware of) , he should make a great
addition to the roster in years to come.
Big E. Langston:Ettore Ewen (27), is one of the most interesting people on the list, because he
doesn’t really fit in among the other wrestlers on the list. He is a big guy with a monstrous
physique, who isn’t the greatest wrestler or talker in the world. He hasn’t had any great matches
nor has he been apart of any great angles that I have seen either (yes, this is going somewhere),
but he has a natural charisma, look and potential that could serve him well.
Ever since Langston debuted on the main roster a couple of months ago I thought that he was far
more well suited for the Ryback role than Ryback himself. As far as I am concerned he has a
better look, better wrestling ability and more charisma so there is no reason that he shouldn’t be
in the same position as Ryback or higher up. However, they are clearly higher on Ryback than
they are Big E., which is a shame given that he is more suited than Ryback in almost every way.
Bray Wyatt: Windham Rotunda (26), the former Husky Harris and the son of IRS, grandson of
Blackjack Mulligan, and the nephew of Barry Windham is one of the most unique people that we
have on this list. He made his WWE TV debut in 2010 as a part of the first season of NXT, and
then became one of the longest running members of the Nexus group. When he came up at that
time he was quite unremarkable. He was big, and had somewhat of a unique look, but from a
performance standpoint he was pretty generic. They ended up sending him back to
developmental, where for one reason or another, he became one of the most interesting prospects
that the company has at its disposal at this point in time.
I remember when I was still doing the NXT reports that for weeks on end they aired vignette
after vignette that portrayed Wyatt as leader of what can best be described as some kind of
Hillbilly cult. At first I found them quite hokey, and apart from the inclusion of Brodie Lee in a
number of the vignettes as a random follower, they really didn’t have me enthralled on any level.
Fast forward to the re-debut of Wyatt and the so called ‘Wyatt Family’ and I was impressed.
It wasn’t Wyatt’s in-ring work that impressed me, but rather his mic work and ability to sink into
the role of Bray Wyatt and play it to an absolute tee. Wyatt is such a good talker in fact that when
he is brought up - within the next few weeks or so I would presume - he will be one of the best
talkers and characters that the company has right now. It is quite clear that he will be better than
everyone on the prelim side of things and with the exception of people such as Heyman, Punk,
Jericho and Ambrose he will be far and away the best on the microphone, which is truly
impressive.
It isn’t all too clear at this point whether or not Wyatt will mostly act in the role of a manager for
the Wyatt family, or as its main wrestler. Regardless, he should make a fine edition to the show
as one of the best and most fresh gimmicks on the roster - a gimmick that the WWE is in need of
at the moment.
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Kassius Ohno: Chris Spradlin (33), the former Chris Hero of ROH fame is the oldest person on
the list, and the person that should in theory be brought up from developmental before anyone
else. From around 2007/2008 onwards Hero was one of the most consistent performers on the
indie scene, when it came to delivering hard-hitting and compelling matches. Since mid-2012
Hero has been apart of the developmental system, and while a run through developmental is
standard for just about everyone coming into the company, I think that very few would disagree
that he has been in development long enough.
You need a certain amount of time to get accustomed to the WWE styles, a style that would be
different than from what most people coming in would have experienced in the past. The
schedule is far busier and more grueling than what most on the independent talents are used to,
and many of the people coming from the indie scene wouldn’t fare well in a TV situation for a
number of reasons - they simply aren't exposed to hitting live time cues and working a slower,
less taxing pace on the indies. Therefore some time is needed to get accustomed to working in
the promotion. However, for a worker of Ohno’s stature, he has had more than enough time to
get used to working in the company.
I would bet that the one thing holding him back at this point is the fact that creative don’t have
anything for him, which has become a trend over the last few months, or even the past year. In all
honesty I would say that is a positive, because we have seen far too many times developmental
talent come up, and then fall to the wayside due to lack of good booking ideas and creative
direction.
When the Shield debuted originally I was a little disappointed that Ohno was not apart of the
group, but it is truly apparent at this point that Reigns is far more well suited for that role and the
group is functioning just fine.
Oho is 33 at this point, and while he has the size, he doesn’t have the physique that they normally
go far in their top guys, which may hurt him in the long run. However, if it was any time for a
guy like Ohno to come up, it would be 2013, as while body image is still very important, it is
arguably less important at this point than it has ever been in the history of the company.
Sami Zayn: Rami Sebei (28), the former El Generico is the best all around wrestler in
developmental, and perhaps in the top five workers in the entire company, It is for that reason
that his signing with the WWE was a big news story earlier this year.
At first glance Generico is quite the unexpected addition to the the roster, he is a red bearded
man, that is pretty pale, has a lanky body and unimpressive physique. However, due to what was
probably sheer working ability and an incredible amount of natural charisma Generico was
signed. One man that is reportedly helping his case is Finlay, who according to what I have heard
is quite high on young Generico, and for very good reason.
One of the main things that they have asked Generico to tone down on is the amount of moves
that he does in each match, which can only be a positive for Generico and his matches, because
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over Generico’s days on the indie scene he has caused damage to his body, and by doing so much
and working so hard that may catch up with him. However, Generico is the kind of worker very
much like a Kobashi, Mutoh or Terry Funk, in thatI would be very confident that he would be
able to change his style completely should the need arise.
It is very difficult at the current time to predict exactly where Generico will be in the next few
years. After all he has just showed up on NXT over the past few months, and we are completely
in the dark at this point when it comes to what gimmick he will be handed, and at what level they
see him at. On one hand I could see him being at the Daniel Bryan level or beyond where they
are either high on him, or his natural ability shines through; or I could see it being a situation like
Cesaro’s where no matter how good he is, and how well he performs they simply won’t accept it.
His placement on the card ultimately lies with their perception. However, when just looking at
his abillity I have faith that he would be able to perform at just about any level that he was placed
at.
Roman Reigns: Leati Joseph Anoa’i (28). I originally planned on profiling all three members of
the Shield together, but after further thought I decided that it was in fact more productive to do
each member as an individual instead of reviewing the entire unit - it is only fair as each one of
them has their own unique upside.
When the Shield debuted late last year I thought of Roman Reigns very much as the member of
the Shield that was going to need to be carried by Ambrose and Rollins, and the one that would
ultimately weigh down the team down - suffice to say I was wrong. Reigns may be very green,
but he has enough natural charisma and instincts to allow him to function very well as a part of
the Shield and as a single, which we have been given brief glimpses of.
When it comes to who I see making it further within the company out of the three, I would have
to go with Ambrose, and while Reigns would have been my second before we really got a taste
of what the Shield could do, Reigns has shown that he would actually be able to perform at the
level of a top star when they eventually split the Shield up - an even that is hopefully a very long
time away.
I wouldn’t say that Reigns would be able to carry himself as a single just yet, he is still green and
has to develop, but for a performer that is only three or four years in I can see him being a Batista
level star when they finally let him off on his own.
One of his largest positives at this point is his look, which sets him apart from just about
everyone on the current roster, and makes him stand out as a potential top star. He also brings a
unique intensity that is very much apart of his natural charisma that will hopefully shine through
in the next few years.
Seth Rollins: Colby Lopez (27), the former Tyler Black of ROH fame, was one of those
performers on the ROH roster that you didn’t fully appreciate at the time, but when they left you
certainly felt it. That was a case with many parts of the roster, Austin Aries being another
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example.
Up until last year he was someone who felt like they were very much in limbo from every
perspective. Rollins signed a WWE contract in 2010 and then went on to linger in developmental
for another two years before finally being brought up to the main roster, which was ultimately a
blessing in disguise. You see, Rollins was one of those guys that I was the most nervous for when
it came to his signing. He doesn’t have the size or the look that they go for typically, and up until
very recently very few thought that he had the talking abillity either.
Fast forward to 2013 and here we are and Black is one of the most shielded (pun intended),
members of the entire roster. One of the things that makes the Shield so great is that each man in
the group fulfills his own niche within the group. Rollins is the great risk taker, work horse and
flyer, Reigns is the beast, and Ambrose is the crazy brawler, and that’s one of the things that
makes the team so intriguing. It isn’t just three guys of one archetype, it is three men of
completely different archetypes that are given the same level of importance across the board.
Unlike Reigns, who I think will get a push no matter what ends up happening with the Shield, I
am not entirely sure about Rollins. I know that Ambrose will also be heavily protected at the end
of the day, but Rollins is the true wild card. If he is left to shine and the push continues for a long
time, I can see him catching on and becoming a big star within the company, if not then he may
even transcend the role that he is given - time will tell when it comes to Rollins.
Dean Ambrose: Jonathan Good (27), is the one person on this list with the biggest upside for me
personally. He has a great look, he can work and he can talk. He also has something equally as
important and that is a strong backing from the WWE, who have been waiting months to bring
him up, because they didn’t have a good enough idea for him at the time.
In hindsight this may
turn out to be standard
internet fan hyperbole,
but ever since around a
year ago, when the
question of what young
face could carry the
company going into the
future came up, the first
name that popped into
my head was Dean
Ambrose. If the WWE
got behind him, which it
seems they are, and
simply decided to push
him as hard as they could I am confident that he would be able to succeed as a major star. That
isn’t to say that he would be a star in the same vein as a Cena, Punk, or Rock, because I could see
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him being in a completely different category as a performer, as he brings something truly unique
to the table.
Many have compared him to a young Roddy Piper, and I think that is in many ways a good
comparison, but I believe that if given the opportunity Ambrose could be more successful than
Piper ever was, and a bigger name than Piper ever was.
It is actually quite a strange situation, because if you look back at 2008/2009, and you asked
people about the talent on the indie scene and who they thought would be able to perform at a
major level, only a very small group of people were saying that Jon Moxley would be one of
those guys, and he was greatly overshadowed by guys like Danielson and McGuiness. Now
looking at 2013 and he has the abillity and has been placed in the right position to get really hot,
and that isn’t an opportunity that Bryan was really granted during his tenure with the company.
When I look at Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose, I can’t help but feel positive about the future. They
are the type of act that hasn’t come along for a very long time, either because no one was placed
in this spot, or there was never the right combination of talent like Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns
who would be able to carry this potential in the way that they have. Either way, if things continue
in the manner that they have for the next few months and even few years, then we are in for a
very interesting time.
Please note that due to Memorial Day delays in the TV industry there will be no ratings news
this week, but fear not. Next week we will be back with two weeks worth of coverage. Thank
you.
Reports
WWE Monday Night RAW May 27th 2013
Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Overall Thoughts:
While it admittedly was a bit of a long hall sitting through three and a half hours of RAW this
week, it wasn’t as bad as I would have expected. The show wasn’t great my any means, but
factoring in the good crowd, great Shield match, and very good promo spot with Jericho and
Heyman together with the spacing of those segments, it was a fun show. The long matches that
they do with the Shield every week are a definite highlight, and while we probably won’t get a
match on the pay-per-view like that this month, at least we get Bryan performing at a great level
along with Rollins every week - and that is a huge plus. The post show was also very enjoyable,
even if it was relegated to the app, something that they really didn’t need to do given how the
show is always stretched out.
The show opened up with a Memorial Day video package. They cut to the arena and then to the
video package, which is something that they usually don't do. Cena made his way out to the ring.
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There were loud "we want Bret" chants during his promo. Cena went off during the promo,
commenting on the chants, which honestly made things worse. Out of nowhere Cena challenged
Ryback to a Three Stages of Hell match, one of the only stipulations that they haven't killed.
Stage one would be a lumberjack match. Cena led the fans in a "we want tables" chant for stages
two, a tables match, and stage three would then be the ambulance match - so all of the finishes
that usually provide the least amount of heat. Ryback made it out, now with music that does not
feature the "feed me more" chant. He had some material referencing himself as Beelzebub,
Lucifer and Satan, and honestly it turned out just as awkward and just as over scripted as every
other Ryback promo. Heyman made it out directly after Ryback left and brought Axel out.
Another theme song change was introduced tonight, as Axel came out to new music as well.
Heyman challenged Cena to a match with Axel later on. Cena warned Axel about Heyman,
Curtis blew it off, and Cena accepted.
I can’t help but think that doing a Three Stages of Hell match with Cena and Ryback is a bad
idea, and that is for multiple reasons. The first is quite obvious, Cena and Ryback had to use
smoke and mirrors in their first match, and given how long this match is going to have to go they
are going to have to use a lot more smoke and far more mirrors to avoid a trainwreck. The
second is that if this match goes long, something that it will undoubtedly due given the
stipulation, then they will be forced to take away time from the other top matches on the show,
and that will detract from the show’s overall quality. Thirdly this means that they will
conceivably have to do two wacky finishes, because they don’t want to beat either guy, which
really begs two questions. Why book this stipulation, and really why book the program to begin
with?
There was a recap with highlights of the Del Rio/Langston match from Mainevent. Big E.
Langston made it out for a match with Del Rio, and they are already planting the seeds for a
Langston turning on Ziggler, as they had JBL ask the question multiple times. Ironically Del Rio
was far more over in
Canada than he has
been in months in the
United States. They
did a Karl Gotch
power spot after AJ
removed a
turnbuckle, but
Langston ended up
taking a shot into the
buckle for the Del
Rio pinfall. I would
have been annoyed at
the way this turned
out, but they had AJ
yell at Big E. after the match teasing the break up further. Granted, this is too early, and they
could change their mind tomorrow, but at least they are building to it.
11
Kane was backstage with Bryan pacing up and down. Kane attempted to make Bryan feel better
over "weak link" gimmick, but Bryan was unconvinced. All of a sudden Bret Hart, who is even
more grey at this point. He told them that they were better than bickering. Bryan asked Hart
about his size, and Hart said that size couldn't stop him and Bryan stopped worrying and put Hart
over. Kane asked Bryan why he took Hart’s word over his, to which Bryan replied “because
you’re just Kane”. Ambrose made it out with Reigns and Rollins for a US Title rematch. I am
fine with Ambrose defending the title on RAW, but hopefully this is the final time that he defends
the title against Kingston, because there is only a certain threshold until the public perception
changes. Ambrose pinned Kingston clean with his bulldog DDT after a match that was better
than their match at the pay-per-view. Reigns and Rollins entered the ring for a celebration, but
Bryan and Kane made it out clearing house.
The match was joined in progress following the break. Just so you know, instead of watching this
match you could have been watching the Prime Time Players watching the match. Bryan showed
great fire once again off of the hot tag landing kicks on Rollins in the tree of woe before landing
a baseball slide. The fans were incredibly into the big spots of the match. Rollins even locked in
a surfboard, which was a great spot, but Bryan sat up in mid surfboard before being taken down.
Rollins was phenomenal playing the heel undermining Bryan, and they worked great together.
Bryan finally made the tag and the match broke down. The big spot came when Bryan went for a
dive out on the floor, but Kane stopped him but he did it anyway and was caught with a midair
spear from Reigns. Rollins then came off the top with a flying knee for the win. It looks like they
are high enough on the Shield to do these long weekly matches, and when they are all as good as
this I am completely fine with it. Also watching the Bryan character morph into something so
much better than it was is also great television (*** ½). They had Cole deliver a "Triple H
medical update" saying that he should be fine with rest, which really doesn’t make sense given
the direction that they are headed in.
There was a WWE App poll for Miz as guest commentator, announcer or referee. Referee won
with 85% to the 10% for
commentator and 5% for
announcer. Well they left
that one open. So Miz
was the obnoxious
referee for Fandango
versus Barrett. Barrett
threw Miz, which led to
Miz landing the skull
crushing finale for the
pin. Miz then kicked
Fandango for no
apparent reason leaving
Summer Rae to pin
Fandango, which made
12
no sense. Shawn Michaels was speaking with Cena backstage. He now has a caveman style
beard. There was a six-man tag match with Sweet T, Clay and Khali versus 3MB following a
spot backstage where 3MB threw cake into the face of Hornswoggle. Clay pinned Slater in a
match that was, suffice to say, no good. Clay got on the mic and said that it was Natalya's
birthday. Khali sang happy birthday and it was a million times better than the match; super fun.
There was a John Cena video package for Memorial Day. Jericho made his way out and brought
out Paul Heyman. Heyman said that he discovered Jericho, but Jericho said that Paul still owed
him money. Jericho brought up another client and Heyman lit up thinking it was Lesnar. Jericho
said he actually wanted to talk about Punk. They aired the last clip of Punk on RAW. Jericho said
that Heyman was surprised at the time, and Heyman went off about how Punk never got the
respect that he deserved. Jericho cut him off asking where Punk was. Heyman said that he would
have an announcement on the "best in the world". Jericho said that Punk wouldn't be allowed to
use that moniker any longer. Jericho said that if Punk was watching the next PPV was at
Payback, and that if Punk thought he was the best in the world sitting at home he was out of his
mind. Heyman wouldn't let him say that he was the best in the world, and Jericho challenged
Punk. Heyman blew him off, Jericho called himself the best at what he does, and Heyman
accepted the challenge. It may have been drawn out at points, but this was as good of a promo
segment as you would have expected.
Natalya teamed with Kaitlyn against the Bella's, and surprisingly they beat her in her hometown
on her birthday. Curtis Axel was approached backstage by Bret Hart. He told Axel that he should
stay clear of Heyman, but Axel blew him off. Orton made it out, and we got a tremendous Bray
Wyatt vignette featuring Brodie Lee in a talking role. Sheamus pinned Cody Rhodes with a
Brogue Kick in a tag match with Orton against the Rhodes Scholars. It was a fine match, but
went too long for that point in the show. In a really great moment Cole hyped the Bret Hart
appreciation night, and Lawler said that he was excited because he was alive. Curtis Axel made it
out for a match with Cena and dominated him after the break. In the middle of the match
everyone turned their heads to the stage, and you couldn't see what they were staring at, but no
one was watching the match. I originally thought they were setting up an angle on the stage, but
apparently it was a fight in the stands involving three or four people. Towards the later stages of
the match Axel busted out a perfectplex, which was quite the spot. In the middle of the match an
ambulance drove in and Cena left the ring for the count out. So this is the second non-finish for
Axel in two weeks. Cena waited for the doors of the ambulance to open, but was attacked from
behind. Ryback attempted a spear through the stage, but Cena moved and Cena was pushed off
the stage and Ryback left to close off the TV portion of the show.
Bret Hart Appreciation Night
They played the NFL theme before the shoe. Lawler announced that it was now Bret Hart day in
Calgary and they aired a Bret Hart video package covering his career and they had a ton of clips
putting him over, they brought Hart out. They called him the greatest technical wrestler of all
time, and gave all of his championship stats. He was handed a certificate and he got tears in his
eyes saying that his father, Owen and the British Bulldog were watching. His daughters were
crying in the crowd. He put everyone over, and they broke down the fourth wall talking about
13
how Helen thought that Lawler was great with his insults in the 90s. Lawler brought Pat
Patterson out and he called Bret the greatest wrestling Canadian of all time. They made some
jokes about Pat dropping to one knee. Jericho was brought down next, he told a story about not
being booked on a Stu Hart tribute show, and they were trying to find a finish for the Wembley
match and Jericho gave Hart the idea of the La Mistral Cradle in a locker room with Sean
Waltman,and that showed what kind of man he was because he accepted the suggestion of
Jericho who was a nobody at that time. They brought Shawn Michaels down with the least subtle
entrance ever. Vince was then brought out, growing his hair back I see, which amuses me to no
end for some reason. In fact, he is dying his hair. Vince put Hart over before calling Calgary a
cow dung smelling city and he then said that he was leaving on a plane, but he was just ribbing.
Bret closed by saying that he wanted to be the best old hero in the city. He promised to never let
them down and the whole roster made it out on the apron including Tyson Kidd and Natalya who
walked down to the ring to embrace Hart. This was basically what it said on the box, nothing
grandiose, but still fun.
WWE – NXT
May 29 2013 – Full Sail University, Florida.
Ben Carass.
th
After the Sami Zayn show last week, the one time a video recap would have been warranted we
didn’t get anything and jumped straight into the Wyatt Family’s entrance. Harper and Rowan
came down to face two geeks with some typical ungainly WWE names. Tom Phillips hyped the
number one contender’s battle royal as the main event then Brad Maddox checked in on
commentary.
Non-Title Match: Sawyer Fulton & Travis Tyler vs. The Wyatt Family (NXT Tag Team
Champions)
Harper looked Tyler up and down, as if he was relishing the prospect of destroying the Tom Zenk
look-a-like and quickly took control with his rugged offence. Rowan landed three consecutive
bodyslams while doing the Family’s new gimmick of repeating the word “Yeah” in a disquieting
manner; although he hasn’t quite got the psychotic backwoods delivery of his partner yet. Tyler
managed to escape the beating he was taking to make the tag and Fulton got in a few shots,
however Harper landed a big boot then hit a running splash in the corner. The finish came
immediately after, with Harper pinning Fulton after his discus lariat.
The Wyatt Family defeated Sawyer Fulton & Travis Tyler via pinfall, at 2:30.
This was complete domination from the Family. Now they have been called up to the main roster,
NXT needs to position a team to take the belts off them down the line. Having said that, Big E.
only just lost his title and he’s been on the main TV shows for months. Regardless, other than
Ohno & Graves, who become the number one contenders in a month’s time, and possibly the
Usos, I can’t see too many options other than squashes like this until Oliver Grey returns to team
14
with Adrian Neville.
Stephanie McMahon appeared from the WWE studio to make the “historic” announcement we
were promised last week. Steph said the WWE had been a “cultural trailblazer for more than 50
years in "sports and entertainment” then stated the foundation of the company’s continued
success was in the development of new superstars and divas. Mrs Triple H declared her
announcement would put the spotlight on a division which had played an “integral role in
shaping and redefining” the company. Steph continued with her hyperbolised speech by claiming
she was introducing “the next wave of women for a new generation” then the camera panned out
to reveal the NXT Diva’s Championship placed on a pedestal. Steph told us a tournament to
crown the first champion would start next week and divas from Raw, SmackDown and NXT
would be eligible to take part.
Emma made her entrance and quite a few of the crowd joined in with her goofy dance. Audrey
Marie came down for the match they set up last week in what was her final appearance before
being released.
Emma vs. Audrey Marie
As the fans chanted her name, Emma called for her music to be played again and she went back
into her wacky dance. Audrey tried her best to look offended then she shoved Emma to the mat,
which actually got a fair amount of heat. Audrey delivered an arm-ringer takedown then a
sloppy looking gutwrench suplex. Emma constantly came back with pinning combinations in
between Audrey’s offence then she locked in the tarantula and hit her running low crossbody in
the corner. Emma got the win with a catapult into the Muta-lock for the tap-out.
Emma defeated Audrey Marie via submission, at 2:45.
The match was nothing really: Audrey hit a move, Emma came back each time and finally got
the win via submission. The NXT Diva’s title does not fill me with hope, especially since the
biggest diva on the roster, Paige, will be almost certainly called up sooner or later, then what?
Emma and her goofy dance every week vs. Sasha Banks and Bayley? Nothing against Emma,
she’s a decent hand, but the way the main diva’s title is treated only leads me to believe that
nobody backstage will care about the NXT one either. As for Stephanie’s promo, I didn’t expect
her to come out and say “the women are the biggest ratings killer we have”, however the way
she spouted untruths and flat out lies in her automated corporate drone just came off as sleazy to
me.
Renee Young was in the back with Scott Dawson and Garrett Dylan, but she was quickly
interrupted by Sylvester LeFort , who in his 10 seconds of air time completely stole the show and
established his character in the minds of the fans. Sylvester asked what the hell Renee was
thinking trying to interview his team then told her he was their manager and he handled all the
communications. Sylvester instructed his team to follow him out for their match and he ended
with, “come on, let’s make some money!” in his inimitable accent.
15
I loved this. Sylvester conveyed his character to everyone watching and got himself over as an
egocentric, money hungry narcissist in just 10 seconds; the guy’s charisma totally outshined his
team here, which could be an issue going forward, given that Dawson and Dylan look like two
indy guys with no bodies.
Jake Carter and Brandon Traven were in the ring after the break. Dawson and Dylan were
accompanied out by Sylvester LeFort; Dylan was drinking barbeque sauce and Dawson appeared
to be carrying a flashlight.
Jake Carter and Brandon Traven vs. Scott Dawson and Garrett Dylan w/ Sylvester LeFort.
Maddox said Sylvester “LeFlugh” was a millionaire who likes to spend his time in casinos and
looks for unusual investments so he can make more money then said he found Dawson and
Dylan; Phillips called the two “D2” (that’s D squared, not the Mighty Ducks 2). Dawson dumped
Carter on the apron and Dylan dropped him face first on to the apron to start the heat. Carter
fought up from a half-nelson chinlock to land a jawbreaker and made the not-so-hot tag; Traven
fired up briefly and hit a dropkick, but ate a clothesline from Dawson. The finish saw Dawson hit
a spinebuster then Dylan came off the top with a seated axe-handle smash to get the pin.
Scott Dawson and Garrett Dylan defeated Jake Carter and Brandon Traven via pinfall, at 3:48.
I was not blown away by D2, however it was their first showing and they can build from here.
(Surely Double D would have been a better name. D2 just reminds of Bull Buchanan when he
teamed up with Cena and was called B2). Maddox tried to explain why a French millionaire was
aligned with two “good old boys” from down south, however the assistant to the managing
supervisor of Raw’s reasoning fell a little short of the mark in terms of logic. Still, I can’t wait for
some more Sylvester LeFort promos, as I’m sure he will be able to make pretty much anything
work with his over-the-top delivery and persona.
Derrick Bateman showed up with a new crew cut for his last appearance on NXT. For some
reason, Big E. Langston hit the ring for a non-title match; despite my poor memory, I’m fairly
certain there has been no set up for this match.
Non-Title Match: Big E. Langston (NXT Champion) vs. Derrick Bateman
Bateman went after Big E. with a flurry of shots early and sent the champ into the corner with a
dropkick. Big E. countered the mounted punches on the turnbuckle into a flapjack then hit a
running body check and finished off Bateman with the big ending.
Big E. Langston defeated Derrick Bateman via pinfall, at 0:58.
After the match, Big E. sent Bateman out the door with another big ending and a five count.
16
Not much to say about this really; Bateman heads out the door with a new haircut and a squash
defeat for his troubles. Another short match for this show; the Raw rebound almost certainly
lasted longer than all of the in-ring action up to this point.
They showed a needless amount of Cena vs. Axel from Raw then a graphic hyped Ohno &
Graves vs. The Wyatt Family for next week; Big E. Langston joined Phillips and Maddox for the
battle royal. Most of the entrants were already in the ring for the main event; Corey Graves, Bray
Wyatt, Kassius Ohno, Adrian Neville, Bo Dallas and Mason Ryan were afforded the luxury of
getting a real entrance.
18 Man Number One Contender for the NXT Title Battle Royal.
Like all battle royals, a wild brawl broke out then everybody began to pair off; Big E. said he
didn’t care who he had to face and even claimed he would fight all 18 guys at once if he had to.
Mason Ryan got the eliminations under way when he tossed out Sakamoto, Briley Pierce, Curt
Hawkins and Alexander Rusev in quick succession. A bunch of geeks backed Ryan into the
corner, but the irregular bodied Welshman fought off all 7 guys then sent Baron Corbin,
Knuckles Madden, Mono Raeley, Yoshi Tatsu, Dante Dash and Aiden English over the top. To
make things even more ridiculous, Ryan picked up Sami Zayn and military pressed him onto the
bunch of guys he just eliminated. Ryan tried for a powerbomb on Adrian Neville, however
Neville countered into a hurricanrana which took the big man over the top to the floor. After the
break, Neville, Dallas, Graves and Ohno were slumped in all four corners; Conor O’Brian took
Bray Wyatt through the middle rope with a big boot then hit Neville and Dallas with some
running corner splashes. Graves caught O’Brian with a boot to the face and Ohno hit him with a
big knee strike then the newest babyface tag team worked together to dump O’Brian out of the
ring. Bray Wyatt immediately ran back in to eliminate Graves and Ohno, before planting Dallas
with his reverse STO. Neville drilled Wyatt with an enzuigiri and managed to get Bray over the
top, leaving himself and Dallas as the final two entrants. Bo did the Shawn Michaels spot from
1995 then Neville teased being eliminated with one of his feet touching the floor. Both guys
traded shots in the centre of the ring; Bo dumped Neville on the apron a couple of times, but
Adrian fought back to go for the British Airways. Dallas got his knees up to block the move then
sent Neville flying over the top to become the number one contender.
Bo Dallas won the number one contender’s battle royal, at 7:54 (TV Time).
Bo celebrated like a babyface, despite only a few members of the audience caring about his
victory; Big E. stated that he would dominate Dallas like he had dominated everybody else.
Phillips closed the show by congratulating Bo on becoming the number one contender and hyped
the Diva’s title tournament .
In addition to not being great, the main event was highly frustrating for the most part. Mason
Ryan eliminating 10 guys became laughable after a while, due to the transparency of the
booking decision to have him come off like a monster. It was not one bit believable and just
detracted from the entertainment of the match. The finish didn’t exactly go down well with the
17
live crowd, who had been chanting the familiar refrain of “no more Bo” throughout the match.
At least they have hinted towards a heel turn, although they appeared to keep him a face on the
May 23rd set of tapings, which defies belief. If they try to get Dallas over as a babyface
champion, they are undeniably destined to fail. The possibility of a Dallas/Neville feud over the
title seems a much better idea than Bo vs. Leo Kruger which looked to be the direction they
chose at the tapings. I’m a fan of Leo, but I can’t see him being able to get the fans to cheer for
Bo.
Over all this show was a bit of a dud. There were no solid matches to get into, only a bunch of
recently released talent being buried on the way out; good luck with those indy bookings. Next
week we should at least get a decent main event with the Wyatt Family vs. Graves & Ohno, plus
the contract signing between Big E. and Bo should be amusing, if only for the disastrous promo
skills of Dallas.
TNA iMPACT May 30th 2013 (Taped May 23rd)
USF Sundome, Tampa, Florida
Overall Thoughts:
As a whole this was a fun edition of Impact, they built up a lot of the matches that are going to
take place at Slammiversary well, but the real question is if they built them up enough. My main
problem, was that given the fact that they have such a large period of time between shows they
really didn't make this show feel as important as it should have. That isn't really the fault of this
show, because while it had its flaws it did do a lot right, the problem is that It was in some ways
too little too late when it came to really getting people invested in the show and its build. One of
their biggest drawbacks right now is the Aces & Eights, and the sooner they get rid of that group
the better.
Segment by Segment:
Ray was backstage telling the rest of the Aces & Eights that the objective for that evening was
Styles and Styles only, which didn’t lead to much. Brown said that he was sorry that Anderson's
plan didn't work out, which led to Anderson laying him out in the back - killing him off I guess.
Ray and Devon made it out to the ring. Ray said that Sting could attempt all of the terrible things
that he said he would do to Ray weeks ago. He went on to list the world champions that Sting
had defeated Flair, Hogan and Angle. There was also Hardy, but he defeated him too, and went a
step further by putting him out. Ray said that he couldn't wait until Sunday, and called Park and
Sting out for their tag match. Park and Sting made it out, and they broke out into a brawl. They
brawled for minutes on end out on the floor until Sting took Devon out, and Ray Park, which led
to a face off and double down between the two in the ring. Once they came back from the break
Devon and Ray had the heat on Park. Ray had a streak of I don't know what stuck on his head.
Park eventually ducked a shot, and the tag was made to Sting for a double scorpion death lock.
Devon went for the double headbutt when Abyss' music hit, allowing for Sting to pin Devon with
the scorpion death drop. This was a fun match building to the world title and TV Title matches,
18
and eventual park reveal.
Angle cut a promo backstage saying that there was still respect between the two, but he would
basically be at ringside for their match, because he was quite upset. Dixie Carter made it out. She
said that they would be revealing the next TNA Hall of Fame inductee at Slammiversary. This
led to Wes Briscoe, Bischoff and DOC making it out to interrupt. Garrett got in the ring and said
that their celebration would feel more like a funeral. DOC and Wes cornered Carter, but Joe and
Magnus made it out for the save. Joe challenged Garrett to a match, and Garrett attacked Joe
from behind to kick the match off. The match ended with a brawl out on the floor with the three
Aces & Eights and Magnus, before Joe landed a KENSO esque topé onto all three men. Joe then
announced that it would be DOC, Bischoff & Briscoe versus Joe, Magnus & a returning Jeff
Hardy at Slammiversary - they sure left that to the last minute. There was a promo with Gunner
& Storm from last week; Storm gleefully said that Gunner had killed people at war. Hogan
confronted Brooke backstage, Hulk attempted to make Brooke understand that Ray was trying to
deceive her last week, and he bet on Sting to take the title. Daniels and Kazarian made it out now
called 'The Bad Influence" as opposed to simply 'Bad Influence'. There was an eight man tag
match with Chavo, Hernandez, Storm & Gunner versus Daniels, Kazarian, Aries & Roodes.
Gunner ended up submitting Aries with a torture rack in an adequate match. Styles was shown
arriving backstage.
Ray was delivering a prep talk in the clubhouse. Ray yelled about Hardy reportedly returning,
and he said that that DOC, Bischoff and Briscoe better take Magnus, Joe and Hardy out. He
wanted them to create victims, because then they would land up like Brown. There was a video
for Bound For Glory in San Diego. Mickie James made it out as Knockout's champion. She said
that people were doubting the way that she won the title, and she called Sky out. She came up
with her knee taped up in enormous high heels, because that makes complete sense. James did
some subtle heel work saying how great Sky was. Then Sky grabbed the mic and said that she
wanted a rematch - lord was she awful. Sky wanted a shot at Slammiversary. James said that it
wasn't possible and Kim
came down. Kim said
that James owed her title
to Kim's injury of Sky.
Sky said that she was
first in line, and Kim
took her down (I
cheered). James did
nothing, but Tarrell made
it out for the save.
King made it out for a
mixed tag team match
with Kim against Terrell
and Sabin. Sabin won
with a cradle shock clean
19
in the middle and cut a promo after the matches before being attacked from behind by King.
King went for his finish, but Suicide ran out and landed his double knee gutbuster and he faced
off with Sabin. The match wasn't anything special, but I really liked the post match and thought
that it built well to Slammiversary. There was a great retrospective with Sting recapping his
World Title wins putting over how important the title was. Styles made it out for his mainevent
match with Anderson. After the break Styles took a DDT on the apron putting Anderson in
control. They had a decent match until Angle ran in, Styles landed a big kick, The Aces & Eights
ran in, which led to a big TNA/Aces & Eights brawl. Styles went after Angle and Ray and Sting
traded shots in the middle of the ring that was until Devon came in for the 3D and the Aces &
Eights stood over a fallen Sting. I was fine with this segment up and until the final few moment,
which created a problem for me. You see, one of TNA's biggest problems is the lack of strong
babyfaces, and looking at this segment leaves no mystery as to why. The thing is that you can't
just have the top heel group make the babyfaces look like fools every week, which is what they
do, and that is very counter-productive.
WWE SmackDown – May 31st 2013.
Rexall Place: Edmonton, AB Canada.
Ben Carass.
The recap this week ran down all the guys that The Shield left lying then hyped Rollins vs. Kane,
Reigns vs. Bryan and Ambrose vs. Orton. The Shield’s music hit and the trio emerged from their
usual place in the crowd; Ambrose left the Tag Champs and Lilian introduced Rollins for a
singles match. Cole and JBL were at ringside and they put over The Shield’s Tag title defence on
Raw. Kane came out with Daniel Bryan for the one-on-one encounter and the announcers talked
about Bryan believing he is the weak link of Team HellNo.
Kane w/Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins (Tag Team Champion) w/Roman Reigns
They set the story out nice and early; Rollins tried to use his quickness to evade the big monster,
but Kane caught with big boot and delivered a vertical suplex for a two count. Rollins fought up
from a chinlock in somewhat of an unheelish fashion and took a backdrop for another two.
Rollins hit a dropkick to the knee then began to focus his attack on the left leg; there were a few
“let’s go Rollins” chants during what was supposed to be the heat portion of the match. Kane
landed some shots, but Rollins went back to the knee and took over again. Rollins went to the
second rope and fought out of an attempted chokeslam to nail Kane with a swinging DDT off the
turnbuckle for a near-fall. After the break, Kane powered out of a single-leg crab and landed a
tilt-o-whirl powerslam for the transition into his comeback. Kane got a two count following a
sidewalk slam then went to the top; Rollins cut him off and tried for a superplex. Kane fought out
and scored with his flying clothesline off the top then set up from the chokeslam. Reigns jumped
on the apron, but Kane snatched him by the throat, only to realise he had to focus on the
opponent in the ring. As he turned around, Rollins drilled him with an enzuigiri then went up top,
however Bryan shoved him off and Kane hit the chokeslam and got the pin.
Kane defeated Seth Rollins via pinfall, at 6:38 (TV Time).
20
Reigns got in the ring and argued with the ref; he didn’t get the benefit of video replay like Del
Rio at the PPV, even though they showed the replay of the finish after the match, which they also
show in the arena on the tron. Rollins pointed at the screen and asked, “did you see that?” Chad
Patton simply ushered him out of the ring in order to start the next singles match between these
two teams.
Kane/Rollins was ok; I might even go as far as saying it was almost quite good. There were a
few moments, crowd reaction aside, when it was hard to tell who was working as the face/heel.
Usually a small guy using speed against a big monster is likely to be the face, plus Kane
slapping on a chinlock and Rollins fighting out of it so early into the match didn’t really help
much. Still, the action was fine and the story was decent enough, although the finish again
blurred the line between heel and babyface. At least this gave The Shield an excuse for losing
and won’t really matter in the long run.
Daniel Bryan w/Kane vs. Roman Reigns (Tag Team Champion) w/Seth Rollins
Reigns started out with some heavy shots, but Bryan delivered a drop-toehold into the turnbuckle
and landed some kicks in
the corner. In an awesome
spot, Bryan applied an
Indian deathlock then began
to drop repeated forearms
and elbows down on
Reigns. Bryan landed a
dragon screw and continued
to land a multitude of
strikes, however Reigns
caught him with a back
elbow and a knee-lift to
finally shut down Bryan’s
shine. After commercial we
came back to Bryan
fighting back for the hope spot, but Reigns cut him off with a big clothesline then followed up
with a vicious shoulder tackle. Bryan avoided a splash in the corner then began to fire up; he
delivered his running dropkick in the corner, dropped Reigns with some kicks and hit another
low running dropkick into the face of Reigns. Bryan got the No-lock after he hooked a crucifix
and rolled through into the hold; Reigns tried to crawl to the ropes and Rollins assisted by
pushing the bottom rope closer to his partner. Kane nailed Rollins with a boot, but Reigns caught
the monster with a shot through the ropes; Kane retaliated with an uppercut, which the referee
saw and caused the DQ.
Roman Reigns defeated Daniel Bryan via disqualification, at 5:22 (TV Time).
21
Bryan was furious at what went down and began to berate his partner. They showed the replay of
the finish on the tron and when they came back it was clear even the referee was watching what
happened on the screen, which made the finish of the first match even more stupid. Bryan poked
Kane over and over in the chest and repeated, “you don’t think I can do it!” Kane replied,
“you’re the best in the world”. The two argued on their way up the ramp; Bryan told Kane he
didn’t need his help and Kane told him to get over it and called him the best in the world again.
This match was a lot of fun despite the DQ finish. Bryan is the absolute best babyface on the
roster by an infinite amount of miles at this point. If you don’t believe me, the guy has arguably
received the biggest pop of the night on Raw for three weeks running, plus the people react to
him with genuine emotion. Not to mention his shine at the beginning of this match was
absolutely incredible and believable. I truly hope WWE doesn’t put the kibosh on the momentum
Bryan is picking him up and turn him heel. I know their track record is not great when it comes
to cutting the legs out from the guys who they didn’t intend to get over so big, but for once
common sense has surely got to prevail and who better than Bryan to strap the rocket to?
Damien Sandow was in the ring for another unofficial Damien Sandow show; he had a mic
attached to his tie and said he tried to teach Sheamus and all the fans a lesson last week; the
lesson was physical strength is never superior to mental strength. Sandow got in a cheap shot
about Wayne Gretzky then stated that when it comes to intelligence, he was the real great one.
Damien’s demonstration this week was the shell game, or as he called it, “thimblerig”; he went
over the rules then was interrupted by Sheamus, who made a joke about Sandow playing with
“tiny balls”. Sheamus offered to beat Damien at his own game and accepted the challenge. After
Sandow rearranged the three cups on the table and some deliberating from Sheamus, the
Irishman picked up a cup which did not contain the ball. Sandow mocked Sheamus for being an
idiot then claimed he would “dimwitify” the game and only used two cups; Sheamus again
picked the wrong cup and Sandow berated him once more. Sheamus demanded to see underneath
the one remaining cup and even used the “silence” line on the intellectual saviour. The crowd
began to chant “show your balls” and Damien’s facial expression was utterly genius; Sheamus
remarked, nobody wanted to see that then Sandow asked if there were any adults in the audience
at all. Sheamus looked under the cup to see that there was no ball; Sandow amusingly said, “I am
also a magician, is there no end to my talent?” Sheamus asked how Damien got caught cheating
since he was supposed to be the intellectual saviour then turned the table over and hit him with a
Brogue kick.
I enjoyed this slightly more than the hideous segment the two had last week, however this was
still no good. I thought that Sheamus and Orton were being positioned to go after the Tag titles,
but I guess Sheamus and Sandow are officially in a programme after two weeks of goofy angles.
I can’t imagine they will face each other on PPV, maybe the Rhodes Scholars will go against
Sheamus and Orton for the number one contendership. Otherwise, I can’t see where this is going
besides another 12+ minute Raw match between Sheamus and Sandow.
Curtis Axel was in the back with Paul Heyman; the two were on their way out to the ring and
Paul E was giving Curtis some words of advice, only we couldn’t hear over the wretched
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SmackDown theme song.
Sin Cara was in the ring after the break; Curtis Axel made his entrance with Paul Heyman for a
needless rematch from last week. Before the match, Paul cut a promo denouncing his reputation
as a liar and claimed he always told the truth when it came to his clients. Heyman also said what
Curtis Axel had done in the two weeks since his debut was unprecedented then offered Axel the
mic to “pontificate about his accomplishments himself”. Axel stated Cena and Triple H had held
a total of 26 titles between them, but against him they were 0-2 then claimed he beat Trips up so
bad that he refused to continue and said that was tantamount to a submission. Curtis added John
Cena intentionally got himself counted out because he was too scared to fight him and claimed
no one in the history of the WWE had ever made a bigger initial impact than him. Axel ended by
saying, “when you’re a Paul Heyman guy, life is perfect”, which received a modest pop from the
fans.
Sin Cara vs. Curtis Axel w/Paul Heyman
Axel took over straight away and hit a backbreaker then followed up with a dropkick. Sin Cara
fought up from a chinlock to land a hurricanrana and his lucha springboard armdrag. Axel
dumped Cara on the apron, but ate a kick to the face and took a springboard crossbody. Axel
countered a handspring elbow with a forearm to the back of the head and delivered the
Perfectplex for the finish.
Curtis Axel defeated Sin Cara via pinfall, at 2:01.
I’m not sure that pinning Sin Cara two weeks in a row means all that much; I assume they want
Axel’s character development to take place on Raw, which is fair enough. Let’s just hope they
have something better planned for next Friday after Axel gets another dubious victory over a top
guy. I did like the line about life as a Heyman guy being perfect, but Axel still needs a lot of work
in the promo department.
Ricardo Rodriguez introduced Alberto Del Rio and they showed Del Rio pinning Big E.
Langston on Raw after AJ’s interference backfired. Big E. came down with AJ for another
singles match between the two.
Alberto Del Rio w/Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Big E. Langston w/AJ Lee
Del Rio landed some kicks, but Big E. overpowered him and dropped Alberto stomach-first
across the top rope. Big E. worked a waistlock; Alberto fought up, but took a gutbuster which
earned a two count. Del Rio was set up on the top rope, however he fought free to land a
dropkick off the second rope, which dropped Big E. to one knee. Alberto finally knocked
Langston down after three clotheslines, but Big E. shut him down with a belly-to-belly suplex to
get another two count. Langston pulled his straps down and went for the big ending; Del Rio
escaped and scored with a double knee backbreaker, only to miss his step-up enzuigiri in the
corner. Big E. tried for a Germansuplex and Alberto reversed into a German of his own then hit a
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superkick to get two. Del Rio applied the cross armbreaker, however Big E. powered Alberto up
and scored with a running body check for yet another near-fall. Del Rio rolled to the apron,
where he locked on the armbreaker with the assistance of the ropes; when he broke for the ref’s
five count, AJ raked his eyes on the floor and Langston sent him into the ring post. Back in the
ring, Big E. planted Del Rio with his big ending to get the three count.
Big E. Langston defeated Alberto Del Rio via pinfall, at 4:53.
Can someone please tell me what is accomplished by this booking strategy of trading wins on
every show? Del Rio is the number one contender for the Heavyweight Championship of the
World and he is reduced to a parody booking series with the World Champion’s henchman. This
helps neither guy get over nor does it help build interest in Del Rio vs. Dolph. If creative could
think on their feet, they should have blamed Ziggler’s concussion on Alberto’s shots with the
ladder then had Big E. try to enact revenge by going after Ricardo then they could have
progressed to perhaps one singles match between Big E. and Del Rio. Instead we just forced to
endure a cycle of meaningless wins and losses with no benefit to either guy.
The Raw rebound aired then an ambulance pulled into the arena and Ryback emerged from
inside. Kofi Kingston appeared to face the number one contender for John Cena’s WWE Title.
Kofi Kingston vs. Ryback.
Kofi got off to a fast start and landed a barrage of strikes; Ryback dumped him on the apron, but
Kofi landed a springboard crossbody to get a two count. Kofi hit the boomdrop then set up for
trouble in paradise; Ryback avoided the kick only to take another springboard crossbody for two.
Ryback countered Kofi’s slingshot kick in the corner and stomped Kingston into the mat then
scored with the meathook clothesline. Ryback finished off Kofi with the shellshock to get the
three.
Ryback defeated Kofi Kingston via pinfall, at 2:34.
After the match, Ryback pulled out a table and powerbombed Kofi right through it. Ryback
repeated the process twice and powerbombed Kofi through another two tables.
The match wasn’t much; Kofi was explosive early, but got caught by the big monster and was
beaten quickly. Kofi will be out 4-8 weeks as he needs to undergo surgery on his elbow, however
at this point I am unaware if he was carrying the injury for a while or if it occurred during this
segment. Regardless, Ryback did look like a dominant colossus here, but that won’t count for
much when Cena inevitably belittles him and doesn’t take him seriously when Raw rolls around.
More footage from Raw aired; it was the highlight reel with Paul Heyman which featured Chris
Jericho’s challenge to CM Punk at Payback.
Jericho was in the back with Renee Young. He said when you sleep with dogs you get fleas then
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listed a long assortment of diseases CM Punk is likely to have picked up from Paul Heyman,
including “tapeworm”, “blastomycosis disese” and “canine menopause”. Jericho stated CM
Punk would get “spayed and neutered” at Payback then barked at Renee and walked off.
Following the promo Jericho made his entrance, then after the break Cody Rhodes had shown up
and the match got underway.
Chris Jericho vs. Cody Rhodes
Jericho sent Cody over the top early with a clothesline and delivered a baseball slide; back
inside, Rhodes landed a boot to the gut then hung Jericho up on the top rope with a gourdbuster.
Cody got the heat with some stomps and a few knee strikes up against the ropes; Jericho fired
back with a couple of chops, only to be shut down when he missed a splash in the corner. Jericho
fought up from a chinlock and started his comeback then scored with his bulldog before going
for the walls; Cody rolled through and countered the up and over in the corner into an
Alabamaslam for a near-fall. Rhodes came off the top, but got caught with a shot to the stomach;
Jericho landed a bodyslam, however Cody got his knees up to block the lionsault. Jericho fought
out of the CrossRhodes and tried for the walls again, but Cody hooked an inside cradle to get
two. The finish saw Cody go for the disaster kick, which Jericho turned into the walls to get the
tap-out.
Chris Jericho defeated Cody Rhodes via submission, at 4:49.
This started out as a pretty basic match, but things picked up at the end with the near-falls and it
turned out to be quite an enjoyable little contest. I’m not sure how I feel about Jericho vs. CM
Punk at Payback just yet; my initial reaction was, “again?” But I’ll give it a chance and see
where they go, which will hopefully be something other than building around who has the right
to use the “best in the world” moniker.
At ringside, Cole and JBL talked about the “weird and disturbing” video from the Wyatt Family
then the tremendous vignette, which got a lot of buzz on twitter when it aired on Raw, rolled. I
can tell you the geeks on the app were quite excited for the arrival of the demented rednecks. I
only know this because I downloaded the app specifically to watch the Bret Hart appreciation
night, however I encountered so many problems while trying to stream and was considerably
distracted from the actual show that I became enraged and deleted the confounded thing.
Randy Orton came out for the main event; after a break, Dean Ambrose had hit the ring for the
non-title matchup.
Non-Title Match: Randy Orton vs. Dean Ambrose (US Champion).
Ambrose got the upper hand early with some strikes and shots in the corner then did the old eye
rake across the top rope. Orton came back with a clothesline then landed a suplex and delivered
the mounted punches in the corner; Ambrose slowed Randy down briefly, but Orton scored with
the Theszpress. Ambrose rolled to the floor, where he took a clothesline and a belly-to-back
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suplex into the barricade. Ambrose tried to create some distance and rolled back in the ring, only
to head right back to the outside; this time, Orton took a ride into the steps and Ambrose landed a
short-arm clothesline. After the break, Orton fought up from a chinlock, however was shut down
by a knee to the gut; Randy fired back out of the corner with a few shots, but Ambrose locked in
the sleeper. Orton showed some fight and broke the hold with a belly-to-back for the double
down then both men traded shots in the middle of the ring. Randy gained the advantage and
started his comeback then went for the hangman’s DDT; Ambrose countered by hanging Orton
up over the top rope then headed upstairs. Orton caught Ambrose with a dropkick in mid-air for a
two count, before he delivered the hangman and set up for the RKO. Ambrose rolled outside
again then Rollins and Reigns hit the ring to cause the DQ.
Randy Orton defeated Dean Ambrose via disqualification, at 8:23.
The Shield outnumbered Orton and beat him down; Team HellNo ran down to make the save.
Kane took Reigns to the floor, while Bryan fought off Rollins and Ambrose on his own; Bryan
hit Seth with a Germansuplex, drilled Ambrose and Rollins with his running corner dropkick
then caught Reigns with a dropkick through the ropes. Bryan continued his rampage with a
flying knee off the apron to Reigns then he took out Ambrose with a missile dropkick off the top
rope. The path of destruction finally ended when the fired up Bryan nailed Rollins and Ambrose
with a topé. The crowd went absolutely crazy for Bryan and his awesomeness; I too could not
wipe the smile off my face during the display of intensity from the best babyface on the roster.
Bryan yelled “Yes!” and the audience joined in; Kane and Orton held Bryan’s arms in the air and
looked at him like he was Haku in a bar fight. Bryan told his partner he was not the weak link
then his music hit and the people began to chant “Yes!” again as the show closed.
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First things first; the main event was decent. Ambrose looked totally comfortable in there with
Orton and his conviction to his character was once again excellent, as it always is. The DQ
finish was not great, but at least Dean didn’t get pinned and it looks like we have Six-man set up
for Raw with Orton, Kane & Bryan vs. The Shield. Speaking of Bryan, his performance at the
end of the show was phenomenal. Like I said before, the WWE would be utter imbeciles to turn
hum heel now and as if you needed any more proof that Bryan is the best babyface in the
promotion, then this right here should be enough evidence for you to realise Bryan is the hottest
guy they have right now. He looked like a complete world-beater and once again got the biggest
crowd reaction of the night.
Again SmackDown was a mixture of good, bad, horrible and great stuff this week. The opening
two matches were good and a lot of fun, but things soon took a nose dive with another pointless
Sandow/Sheamus segment. Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman’s post-match promo was somewhat
effective, although it was soon negated by Axel bumping around way too much for Sin Cara then
things got even more nonsensical when Big E. pinned the number one contender again, despite
losing to Del Rio twice in a week. Ryback came off like a believable monster for a change and
Jericho seems to be picking up as many wins as possible on his way to putting over CM Punk.
The show was all about The Shield until Bryan put on a babyface fire clinic and single handily
wiped out the trio on his own. I recommend any wrestling fan check out the end of this show, just
to see what is possible in terms of babyface reaction in 2013. It probably wasn’t as wild as when
Jerry Lawler punched Angel in Memphis, which the people were literally jumping with ecstasy
for, but it was damn close and a truly feel-good moment that we do not get to see very often these
days.
Bits & Pieces
News broke earlier this week that ROH star Adam Cole, who many believed to be WWE bound,
had resigned with Ring of Honor. Cole said the following as part of an ROH press release:
"Resigning with Ring of Honor is exciting for me on many levels. Getting to continue my
journey in the best wrestling company in the world has my motivation and drive at an all time
high. If you want to be the best, you prove it in Ring of Honor. And that's exactly what I plan on
doing”. Obviously this must be a big let down for Cole, although ROH will certainly benefit
from his presence. As for a future run in the WWE, it really is only a matter of time.
The May 26th New Japan show, which was the second night of the Best of the Super Juniors has
surfaced, although I haven’t had a chance to watch it as of press time. However, we should have
coverage of the show in next week’s issue. While on the subject of the Best of the Super Juniors,
the standings as of the fourth night on May 30th are as follows:
Block A:
Kenny Omega (0): W=- L=Jado (05/24), Tiger Mask (05/28), Taguchi (05/30)
Ryusuke Taguchi: (2) W=Kenny Omega (05/30) L=Koslov (05/24), Kendrick (05/26), Jado
(05/28)
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Brian Kendrick: (2) W=Taguchi (05/26) L=KUSHIDA (05/28), TAKA (05/30)
Tiger Mask IV: (4) - W=BUSHI (05/30), Kenny Omega (05/28) L=TAKA (05/24), Alex Koslov:
(05/26)
KUSHIDA (4): W= Kendrick (05/28), Koslov (05/30) L=BUSHI (05/24), TAKA (05/26)
Alex Koslov (4): W=Tiger Mask (06/26), TAKA (05/28) L=KUSHIDA(05/28)
Jado (4): W=Kenny Omega (05/24), Ryusuke Taguchi (05/28) L=BUSHI (05/26)
BUSHI (6): W=KUSHIDA (05/24), Jado (05/26), TAKA (05/28) L=Tiger Mask (05/30)
TAKA Michinoku (6): W=Tiger Mask (05/24), KUSHIDA (05/25), Kendrick (05/30) L=BUSHI
(05/28)
Block B:
Hiromu Takahashi (0): W=- L=Liger (05/24), Prince Devitt (05/26), Titan (05/28), Taichi (05/30)
Alex Shelley (2): W=Romero (05/30) L=Devitt (05/24), Taichi (05/26)
Titan (2): W=Takahashi (05/28) L=Trent? (05/26), Liger (05/30)
Trent? (2): W=Titan (05/26) L=Ricochet (05/24), Devitt (05/28)
Ricochet (2): W=Trent?(05/24) L=Romero (05/28), Devitt (05/30)
Rocky Romero (4): W=Liger (05/26), Ricochet (05/28) L=Taichi (05/24)
Jushin Thunder Liger (4): W=Takahashi (05/24), Titan (05/30) L=Romero (05/26), Taichi
(05/28)
Taichi (8): W=Romero (05/24), Shelley (05/26), Liger (05/28) Takahashi (05/30)
Prince Devitt (8): Shelley (05/24), Takahashi (05/26), Trent? (05/28), Ricochet (05/30)
In the first of three injury stories this week, Mark Henry, who after his match with Sheamus at
Extreme Rules decided to take some time off citing a collection of injuries over time, got himself
in some heat with the company. The mentality within the company seems to be that if you don’t
need surgery then you shouldn’t take time off, and given that they had a direction planned for
him after the Sheamus program they were not happy. Last week they aired a very brief video of
Henry walking off saying that he was going home, which was just a quick storyline reason for
why he would be out for so long. Henry has been one of the most consistent performers when it
comes to sheer entertainment over the past five years or so, so hopefully they don’t get a bee in
their bonnet and relegate him to a comedy figure over this.
Hiroshi Tanahashi seemed to have suffered a strained back muscle at the May 27th New Japan
show. A couple of hours after the show there were rumours circulating that he would be out for
an extended period of time, but it turns out that those were only rumours and he had only
suffered a minor injury.
Kofi Kingston underwent elbow surgery on the 27th, and is expected to be out anywhere from
one to two months. They shot an angle with Ryback on the tuesday night SmackDown taping
where Kingston was carried away on a stretcher.
In one of the bigger wrestling injuries of the last few decades, and by that I mean the DEATH
and revival of Jerry Lawler, got a slight update this week after Lawler said that the rolling elbow
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drops from Ziggler during the match could have caused his heart to stop beating. According to
his doctor it could be a possibility, and if you look at Ziggler’s move history over the past few
months he hasn’t been doing the move. So WWE must think that Lawler’s theory holds some
water as they have stopped him from doing it. According to Lawler the whole thing has become a
running joke between he and Ziggler, as when Ziggler cracks a joke Lawler reportedly replied
with something to the effect of “Dolf, you’re killed me. No, you really killed me”.
There was bad news for iMPACT this week as they drew their lowest viewership ever for
Thursday nights, 1.02 million viewers. They went up against very strong competition in the
Heat/Pacers basketball game, which drew 8.54 million viewers. While that is certainly the
reason for the fall in viewership, it also does say that they didn’t do a good enough job in getting
over the move to a new timeslot, or that the product isn’t that hot.
In what is a pretty big New Japan news story that broke very close to press time was that
Shinsuke Nakamura lost his IWGP IC title to La Sombra at Arena Mexico in a two out of three
falls match on Friday night. This would mark the third straight Friday that Nakamura has lost to
La Sombra. Nakamura, by means of a fantastic, 300+ day, title-run managed to elevate that title
to a very large extent. Whether Sombra will drop the title to Nakamura on another Mexican show
is unclear, but in a vacuum I would view this as the wrong decision. I say in a vacuum, because
in reality this does do a lot for the CMLL/NJPW relationship, so from that aspect I am fine with
it. However, the IWGP IC title for those that don’t follow the New Japan product, is honestly far
above the level of the WWE World title when it comes to importance, so to have it change hands
in Mexico is a bit of a let down given how much the title means. Still, I can see why it was done.
Next Week’s Issue
Next we take a look at the TNA Slammiversary show, we look at some of the BOSJ shows,
hopefully take a look at the entire Final Burning show, cover two weeks of RAW ratings and
more!
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