As I write this, we are less than 24 hours away from the most talked about, "non-Wrestlemania", PPV in YEARS. I mean honestly, how long has it been since a PPV not named WrestleMania was talked about this much? How long has it been since you've heard die-hard AND casual fans say, "I HAVE to buy this show. I HAVE to see what's going to happen."? I personally can't even think how long it's been. It's a cliche that's been overused in wrestling for years now, but I truly have no problem using it right now... the future of the company is at stake with this show. With that being said, let's get right to it.
WWE Divas Title Match- Kelly Kelly (c) vs. Brie Bella
As someone that wants nothing more to be a parent, I can't hate too much on Kharma's sudden pregnancy, but how much did that alter the course of the Divas division? I mean it just 4 months ago, it was something worth watching because you didn't know when Kharma would show up and who she'd go after. Since she left though, it's almost as if WWE just gave up on the division and schedules them 1 segment a show for no more than 4 minutes, and somehow they expect us to care about a PPV title defense. Or maybe they don't. I already feel like I've written too much about this match. Why is Kelly Kelly & Brie Bella getting this time, and yet the likes of Beth Phoenix can't get the light of day and Natalya is playing valet for some no-talent girl named AJ who looks like she's gonna break every time she gets hit? It's absurd. I would love to see Beth or Natayla leave WWE and go to Ring of Honor and face the likes of Sara Del Ray & Serena Deeb. Oh by the way, I assume Kelly Kelly will retain, but who cares really?
Prediction: Kelly Kelly retains by pinfall
Mark Henry vs. Big Show
Even just 1 year ago, this match would be considered a waste of time and a snooze fest. And maybe to some fans it still is, but somehow for the first time in his 15 year career, they have made Mark Henry a legit badass and a realistic threat. I don't know how or why it took so long, but those are the facts. How could you not be impressed by the way Henry picked up Show, with ease, and gave him the World's Strongest Slam through the announce table? How could you not be impressed with Mark Henry driving the steel cage door into Show and slamming him through the cage? I personally think Big Show has finally arrived to that point in his career where wins and losses don't matter anymore. The fans will see him the same no matter what. Kane & Rey Mysterio are a couple others in this point of their careers. So with that being said, if WWE is going to be 100% serious about making sure this is the push that lasts for Mark Henry, he HAS to win this match. And convincingly I think. I'm not saying it needs to be a squash match, but it needs to be something that doesn't leave it wide open for a re-match. Henry needs to win this match and then move on and up.
Prediction: Mark Henry by pinfall
World Heavyweight Title Match: Randy Orton (c) vs. Christian
It's very rare for WWE to be able to repeatedly throw a match at us for 3 straight PPV's and also a couple more on TV, and yet somehow keep our interest. But that's exactly what's happened with this storyline between Orton and Christian. These guys' worst match is still probably 4 1/2 stars. They're that good in the ring together. That being said, this has to be when it all comes together for Christian. There needs to be a payoff for Christian's heel turn and all the great work he's put in the last 2-3 months. I said it when Orton won the belt and it's still true now, he doesn't need the belt. Smackdown will be "his show" with or without the title. He and Cena share that same trait. The belt doesn't make them, they make the belt. Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, & HHH were also in this category. Christian, however, needs the belt. Especially to validate this heel turn. If he loses here, he loses all believability ever again as a contender. That being said, I'm not convinced he's going to win the match. I think WWE is under the illusion that Orton has to have the belt. Although it's been rumored that Orton has some serious heat for his recent interview with a Phoenix radio station, so since they can't bury him, maybe his punishment will be to lose the title here. So my prediction is as follows. I believe this match will take place after the Smackdown MITB match. Sheamus will not win that match (my prediction is coming up next, so follow me for now) but since he's been involved heavily with Orton & Christian lately, he'll come out looking for revenge for losing the contract. He'll end up hitting Christian first, which will get Orton disqualified and let Christian win the title without Orton being pinned cleanly. That way the stipulation they've been hammering into us for 3 weeks about Orton loses the belt on shady officiating or a DQ, comes into effect. I think that'll be WWE's way of "saving face" with Orton but still doing the right thing by giving Christian the belt. It'll then set up a Triple Threat Match at SummerSlam.
Prediction: AND NEW World Heavyweight Champion, Christian by Disqualification
Smackdown Money in the Bank Match: Sin Cara vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Justin Gabriel vs. Heath Slater vs. Wade Barrett vs. KANE vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Sheamus
For both ladder matches, I'm going to have a quick synopsis of the match, and then 2 predictions. One for who I WISH would win, and one for who I THINK will win. With 8 guys in each match, there's obviously going to be a personal favorite that I think deserves it the most, but that doesn't exactly mean they're the ones that make the most sense to win. So hence the two predictions. The Smackdown ladder match is by far the weaker of the two in my opinion. Slater & Gabriel have no business being in this match, and I highly doubt ANYONE that follows wrestling believes Sin Cara or Daniel Bryan have a legit shot at winning this match. There's only 3 realistic winners in my opinion, 4 if you include Wade Barrett, like you'll see I do below. Those 3 are Cody, Sheamus, & KANE. KANE won't win because he just won last year and they're not going to give him another run like that. Sheamus won't win because as you read above, I don't think he needs this match to get himself into the title picture, plus he's been champion before. This match is about making new starts. So while my prediction on who I HOPE wins, is Wade Barrett, my prediction for who i think WILL win, is Cody Rhodes. One year ago, Wade Barrett was one of the fastest rising heels in the company & was destined to main event PPVs for years. But after an unceremonious dismissal from Nexus, a complete failure in The Corre, and a half-hearted IC Title run, his star has fallen quite a bit. But he's still got that believability factor, so I think WWE needs to capitalize on that & get him back on top by winning this match. But when you look at all 8 guys in this match, only one has had a sustained push all year basically, and that man is Cody Rhodes. And since this match is all about making stars, now is the chance to strike while the iron is hot with him.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes wins the Smackdown Money in the Bank
RAW Money in the Bank Ladder Match: R-Truth vs. The Miz vs. Alex Riley vs. Jack Swagger vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Evan Bourne vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio
The difference between the RAW ladder match & the Smackdown ladder match is that unlike Smackdown, there are 7 believable potential winners in the RAW match. I think only Alex Riley is the one in the match that if he won, people would roll their eyes. Even someone like Evan Bourne is believable as a winner due to his exciting style and the fact that WWE has teased main event pushes for him in the past. My personal prediction on who I wish would win is actually Rey Mysterio. I think Rey Mysterio should win and be the first person to say, "hey I'm facing the champion at this time and this place." and set up the match that way. He's the perfect type of babyface to pull this off and make it work. I also think he should win this match because I think WWE should do an Ultimate Babyface vs. Babyface match between Mysterio & Cena. I may surprise some people with this opinion, but I truly think this is a money making matchup. It's never been done before & how will the fans support these two? I think it could be very intriguing television and also be a planted seed in a potential Cena heel turn. With that said, I think this match is signed, sealed, and delivered for Alberto Del Rio to win. Much like the reason I picked Cody to win on Smackdown, Del Rio has had the sustained push and is ready for that next level.
Prediction: Alberto Del Rio wins the RAW Money in the Bank Ladder Match
WWE Title Match: John Cena (c) vs. CM Punk
CM Punk has talked them into the building. The Internet community has convinced one-another to buy the PPV on Cable & Satellite. Now it's time for the actual match to take place. I've had none wrestling fans come up to me and tell me they're ordering this show due to the fact they've heard about the Punk promos through social media or on sports radio talk. This match has HYPE. The best part of this match is the unpredictability. They could go so many different routes with this match. The crowd atmosphere is almost sure to match that of some of the all time great crowd reactions. The ones like the crowd in Toronto for Hogan & The Rock. Crowds like the ECW Crowd when John Cena defended the title against Rob Van Dam. This will be a very vocal, hostile crowd that is sure to add to the event. Here's where I see WWE going with this match. CM Punk wins the match, much to the delight of the Chicago crowd. Vince McMahon comes out to fire John Cena, but before he can do that, Alberto Del Rio comes out and cashes in Money in the Bank. Vince, who is obviously still at ringside, then costs Punk the match somehow. Whether by distracting the ref, or maybe there's a ref bump and Vince hits Punk with something and then Del Rio slaps on his armbar for the win. Now Del Rio is truly a top heel with Vince as his ally and Cena isn't fired. Thus him and Del Rio are off and running for Summerslam. Punk leaves for a few months, recharges the batteries and comes back as a HUGE babyface to get revenge on Vince.
Prediction: AND NEW WWE Champion: CM Punk by pinfall (but then loses the title to Alberto Del Rio who cashes in his MITB contract)
WWE has gold in this Pay Per View and it'll take quite a bit for them to screw this up. I truly expect a brand new landscape in WWE on Monday when RAW takes place from Green Bay. If WWE decides to go with a Super Cena finish and Punk is just allowed to leave with no suspense or storyline in place for the future, I think it'll be a huge slap in the face to the WWE Universe and truly show us they don't care about what they want. I expect this PPV to get a massive buyrate and it'll all be because of what CM Punk did to sell it. So if WWE wants to capitalize on this, they need to throw us a bone and give us something we want to see. If Super Cena shows up and nothing historic takes place, it's a sign to us all that we're in this for the long haul as Cena as champ and I would fully expect ratings and buyrates to tumble. Thanks for reading everyone and until next time, I hope you enjoy the show!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
RAW Play by Play for 7/11/2011
Gonna do things a little different tonight, we'll do a play by play on blog and do a segment by segment look at the show.
CM Punk/John Cena Opening Segment
Wow, what can be said about this segment?? I mean, CM Punk with the megaphone was outstanding. This promo was more of an obvious worked shoot. The only thing I wish Punk had've done is made more references to "The Real World" that has been talking about WWE ever since Punk cut that promo. Jim Rome, Colin Cowherd, among other personalities have all been talking about this. Punk was 100% right that WWE really only gets a mention when someone dies. It's true. Cena came in and to his credit, added to the segment, he didn't take away from it. He could've very easily come out, done the whole "Super Cena" routine and catered to the kids. But he brought the intensity and seriousness that the segment called for. I was already going to buy this PPV, but if I was on the fence, this promo would've convinced me to buy it.
John Cena vs. The New Nexus (Handicap Match)
Rumors were swirling this weekend that Zack Ryder's run-in last week after the tag match was a step in the direction of Ryder taking over Otunga & McGilliutty & creating his own stable. Considering Cena is the main focal point of this match, I wouldn't expect any continuity from that last week to this week. I'm shocked this match lasted past a commercial break. Why would I assume they'd give the Tag Team Champs a legit showing against Cena when they don't care about the division?? You wanna know what else I'm shocked by? That Cole & Lawler's announcing isn't killing me right now? They're properly selling the importance of the match Sunday. I also liked Cole calling the top rope Rocker Dropper a "Wild leg drop". Haha. That match could've gone WAY worse than it did, I'll give it a B- grade. Considering I thought it'd be an F going in, that's a hell of a score. The Tag Champs were made to look legit & Cena made a believable finish to the match. I'm sure this won't be the last we see of Cena though tonight, since we're in his hometown.
These live contract negotiations could be a lot of fun. Punk with an open mic is obviously a good thing, but let's not underestimate Vince on the mic when he'll also obviously be able to say whatever he wants. Orton & Christian is almost an afterthought for the MITB PPV, but they don't have any type of matches except classic matches, so this PPV has the makings to be the best PPV not named WrestleMania. I will have a PPV Preview with my predictions sometime Saturday afternoon.
Someone explain to me why it took 15 years for Mark Henry to be made to look like a credible force? This is the first push he's gotten that's actually sustained and made a visible impact. I love how Vince called Dolph & Drew "two of his fastest rising superstars". Dolph maybe has gotten a sustained push, but what exactly has Drew done since he was drafted to RAW? I'm a HUGE Drew McIntyre fan. He's got the best entrance in the WWE, he's a solid wrestler, and a very believable heel. I hope Vince meant what he said. Unfortunately that's not gonna start tonight as I fully expect Big Show to squash them.
Kelly Kelly vs. Melina
Poor Melina. She used to be the best female worker in WWE, bar none. Now's she's subjected to forgettable matches against Kelly Kelly. The "highlight" of this match was how terrible the Bella's are on the mic. Holy crap that was brutal. Although Kelly did look genuinely offended by the proactive comment. I'm sure Justin Gabriel will be getting an earful from her tonight. I wish him luck in that conversation. I almost said earlier that Big Show & Mark Henry will be the worst match of the night on Sunday. I forgot there was a Divas match. That's unfortunate. This match gets an F.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match Promo
I'm gonna try to not make my prediction known now, as I'm gonna save it for Saturday. I have it narrowed down to 2, but I'm leaning towards 1. The Miz is absolutely correct in saying he's still the future of the WWE. There is one man, whether we hate his guts or not, that can say the Miz is the most dedicated wrestler, outside of the ring, and it mean something. That man is John Cena. He is tireless in promoting the company and in his charity work. But yet just today he said The Miz was the most tireless man the company and his work outside the ring is second to none. That's high praise. I hate that Swagger's MITB run is considered a joke now. It's not his fault he was thrusted into the title picture way too quickly and booked horribly as a champion. R-Truth managed to make Michael Cole snort on live TV. That was absolutely hilarious. "That briefcase is gonna get got!" I might pick R-Truth now just based off that promo. Hahaha! Great promo Alex Riley.... Um, yeah. Del Rio gets cut off, obviously this went longer than it was supposed to. This promo started well and ended in a train-wreck. That's possible when you have 8 guys talking. Oh wait, 7 guys... Where the hell is Rey Mysterio?!?
6 Man Match (Swagger/Miz/Truth vs. Riley/Bourne/Kingston)
If only more RAW matches got the time this match got when there's a storyline involved. This was a great way to promote the match. Everyone got solid offense in and Del Rio comes in and cleans everyone out at the end to look strong even though he wasn't in the match. I'll have more about this match on Saturday when I preview the match, but I will say I think it was smart to let Riley win the match. He was probably the only one in the match that didn't look like he had a credible chance to win. But now he's got the momentum heading into Sunday. A well executed build for the ladder match, I'm very much looking forward to it. This match gets my Match of the Night honors and an A grade. Well done.
The Big Show vs. Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre
Big Show got a new shirt. Good for him. This was a squash as I assumed it would be. And to my point earlier about the differences in Dolph & Drew, they were very careful to protect Dolph as Drew took the beating. That was definitely NOT by coincidence. I love how Drew somehow took the worst of that runaway train named Mark Henry, but yet no one cares how he's doing. Man, they REALLY don't care about him. I mean there was OBVIOUS padding for Show and Henry, but I'm pretty sure Drew took a legit bump into the lighting grid.
Vince McMahon & CM Punk "Negotiate"
A tweet from Zack Ryder after Vince pointed to a sign bearing his likeness. "Vince McMahon knows I exist." Haha! It took 2 lines for CM Punk to make fun of McMahon for being a Cena homer. I love it. And then Punk scores another home run with the Ice Cream bars line. That was outstanding. Make that 3 for 3 with the Chaperone comment. Punk is on fire. Oh wait, let's keep going, 4-4 with the shots to The Rock. HAHA! This is as good as I hoped it would be. I absolutely love how Punk made it quite obvious with those "provisions" that there isn't a chance in hell he's re-signing. Oh man, if CM Punk somehow stays with the company, "The Voice of the Voiceless" needs to be on a t-shirt immediately. The way that Punk is MASTERFULLY towing that line of face and heel right now is something I don't that I've ever seen before. This is incredible TV the way that he has the crowd in the palm of his hand. Cena comes out and doesn't ruin it again. I gotta give him credit for stepping up his game in this storyline. He's done things the right way.
Oh my god. Can I call it the most brilliant promo of all time?! I mean, "You are the New York Yankees!" How does that not resonate?! That was the most outstanding analogy of all time! CM Punk absolutely just talked them into the building on Sunday and he just talked them into buying the PPV on DirecTV and anywhere else you can order it. I'm literally at a loss for words, and that is how a solid storyline should be. Leave me wanting more and not able to decide what's going to happen next. I will leave it at that. See you all on Sunday.
CM Punk/John Cena Opening Segment
Wow, what can be said about this segment?? I mean, CM Punk with the megaphone was outstanding. This promo was more of an obvious worked shoot. The only thing I wish Punk had've done is made more references to "The Real World" that has been talking about WWE ever since Punk cut that promo. Jim Rome, Colin Cowherd, among other personalities have all been talking about this. Punk was 100% right that WWE really only gets a mention when someone dies. It's true. Cena came in and to his credit, added to the segment, he didn't take away from it. He could've very easily come out, done the whole "Super Cena" routine and catered to the kids. But he brought the intensity and seriousness that the segment called for. I was already going to buy this PPV, but if I was on the fence, this promo would've convinced me to buy it.
John Cena vs. The New Nexus (Handicap Match)
Rumors were swirling this weekend that Zack Ryder's run-in last week after the tag match was a step in the direction of Ryder taking over Otunga & McGilliutty & creating his own stable. Considering Cena is the main focal point of this match, I wouldn't expect any continuity from that last week to this week. I'm shocked this match lasted past a commercial break. Why would I assume they'd give the Tag Team Champs a legit showing against Cena when they don't care about the division?? You wanna know what else I'm shocked by? That Cole & Lawler's announcing isn't killing me right now? They're properly selling the importance of the match Sunday. I also liked Cole calling the top rope Rocker Dropper a "Wild leg drop". Haha. That match could've gone WAY worse than it did, I'll give it a B- grade. Considering I thought it'd be an F going in, that's a hell of a score. The Tag Champs were made to look legit & Cena made a believable finish to the match. I'm sure this won't be the last we see of Cena though tonight, since we're in his hometown.
These live contract negotiations could be a lot of fun. Punk with an open mic is obviously a good thing, but let's not underestimate Vince on the mic when he'll also obviously be able to say whatever he wants. Orton & Christian is almost an afterthought for the MITB PPV, but they don't have any type of matches except classic matches, so this PPV has the makings to be the best PPV not named WrestleMania. I will have a PPV Preview with my predictions sometime Saturday afternoon.
Someone explain to me why it took 15 years for Mark Henry to be made to look like a credible force? This is the first push he's gotten that's actually sustained and made a visible impact. I love how Vince called Dolph & Drew "two of his fastest rising superstars". Dolph maybe has gotten a sustained push, but what exactly has Drew done since he was drafted to RAW? I'm a HUGE Drew McIntyre fan. He's got the best entrance in the WWE, he's a solid wrestler, and a very believable heel. I hope Vince meant what he said. Unfortunately that's not gonna start tonight as I fully expect Big Show to squash them.
Kelly Kelly vs. Melina
Poor Melina. She used to be the best female worker in WWE, bar none. Now's she's subjected to forgettable matches against Kelly Kelly. The "highlight" of this match was how terrible the Bella's are on the mic. Holy crap that was brutal. Although Kelly did look genuinely offended by the proactive comment. I'm sure Justin Gabriel will be getting an earful from her tonight. I wish him luck in that conversation. I almost said earlier that Big Show & Mark Henry will be the worst match of the night on Sunday. I forgot there was a Divas match. That's unfortunate. This match gets an F.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match Promo
I'm gonna try to not make my prediction known now, as I'm gonna save it for Saturday. I have it narrowed down to 2, but I'm leaning towards 1. The Miz is absolutely correct in saying he's still the future of the WWE. There is one man, whether we hate his guts or not, that can say the Miz is the most dedicated wrestler, outside of the ring, and it mean something. That man is John Cena. He is tireless in promoting the company and in his charity work. But yet just today he said The Miz was the most tireless man the company and his work outside the ring is second to none. That's high praise. I hate that Swagger's MITB run is considered a joke now. It's not his fault he was thrusted into the title picture way too quickly and booked horribly as a champion. R-Truth managed to make Michael Cole snort on live TV. That was absolutely hilarious. "That briefcase is gonna get got!" I might pick R-Truth now just based off that promo. Hahaha! Great promo Alex Riley.... Um, yeah. Del Rio gets cut off, obviously this went longer than it was supposed to. This promo started well and ended in a train-wreck. That's possible when you have 8 guys talking. Oh wait, 7 guys... Where the hell is Rey Mysterio?!?
6 Man Match (Swagger/Miz/Truth vs. Riley/Bourne/Kingston)
If only more RAW matches got the time this match got when there's a storyline involved. This was a great way to promote the match. Everyone got solid offense in and Del Rio comes in and cleans everyone out at the end to look strong even though he wasn't in the match. I'll have more about this match on Saturday when I preview the match, but I will say I think it was smart to let Riley win the match. He was probably the only one in the match that didn't look like he had a credible chance to win. But now he's got the momentum heading into Sunday. A well executed build for the ladder match, I'm very much looking forward to it. This match gets my Match of the Night honors and an A grade. Well done.
The Big Show vs. Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre
Big Show got a new shirt. Good for him. This was a squash as I assumed it would be. And to my point earlier about the differences in Dolph & Drew, they were very careful to protect Dolph as Drew took the beating. That was definitely NOT by coincidence. I love how Drew somehow took the worst of that runaway train named Mark Henry, but yet no one cares how he's doing. Man, they REALLY don't care about him. I mean there was OBVIOUS padding for Show and Henry, but I'm pretty sure Drew took a legit bump into the lighting grid.
Vince McMahon & CM Punk "Negotiate"
A tweet from Zack Ryder after Vince pointed to a sign bearing his likeness. "Vince McMahon knows I exist." Haha! It took 2 lines for CM Punk to make fun of McMahon for being a Cena homer. I love it. And then Punk scores another home run with the Ice Cream bars line. That was outstanding. Make that 3 for 3 with the Chaperone comment. Punk is on fire. Oh wait, let's keep going, 4-4 with the shots to The Rock. HAHA! This is as good as I hoped it would be. I absolutely love how Punk made it quite obvious with those "provisions" that there isn't a chance in hell he's re-signing. Oh man, if CM Punk somehow stays with the company, "The Voice of the Voiceless" needs to be on a t-shirt immediately. The way that Punk is MASTERFULLY towing that line of face and heel right now is something I don't that I've ever seen before. This is incredible TV the way that he has the crowd in the palm of his hand. Cena comes out and doesn't ruin it again. I gotta give him credit for stepping up his game in this storyline. He's done things the right way.
Oh my god. Can I call it the most brilliant promo of all time?! I mean, "You are the New York Yankees!" How does that not resonate?! That was the most outstanding analogy of all time! CM Punk absolutely just talked them into the building on Sunday and he just talked them into buying the PPV on DirecTV and anywhere else you can order it. I'm literally at a loss for words, and that is how a solid storyline should be. Leave me wanting more and not able to decide what's going to happen next. I will leave it at that. See you all on Sunday.
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