Monday Night RAW 29 December 2014

Here we are my friends, the last RAW of the year and my review on the last day of the year. Sorry for lack of review last week, but I did have other things on my head and they were indeed more important. Anyways, last RAW of 2014 came and went and... it fucking sucked! 

In this episode we had a very good match between the Usos and Miz with Sandow, a return of Wade Barrett and a debut of the tag team - Ascension. That is the positive part of what I had the opportunity to watch. The problems are in the same places as they usually are and due to new year coming, I don't really feel like going into every single match in detail, like I usually do. Instead you'll have to suffer through my ranting about the stupid stupids and idiotic idiots, but hey, what's new?

What is new? Well, nothing in WWE apparently. Stating from the very good match for the tag team titles. It was a very entertaining one, especially at the end. There was action, fast paced tag ins, lots of stuff happening, exactly what wrestling fans need and like, and in the end the belts changed hands, great, the people who payed for tickets got back their money worth. The problem starts with what is was going on later with the ex-champions. Miz and Sandow get another match, but it's not a rematch, which they are due, mind you, but against the newly debuting Ascension. What was wrong with that? Well, the stupid part of this was that they got mauled by the newcomers, crushed and utterly squashed. I understand that any newly arriving talents needs a good showing at the start of their main roster run. But here's the problem, like them or not (and I don't), Miz and Sandow were the champions, sure, the tag team belts don't mean much nowadays, but still. And now they are just treated like garbage. Really? They go from champions to dog food? That is the right kind of booking? And I will remind you again that Miz and Sandow have a rematch coming sometime in the future. How can they be seen as a credible threat when they just got steamrolled? They mean nothing now. Another thing is why put the belts on the Usos again? They had the titles for a big chunk of 2014, why not let Miz and Sandow get the win and them feud for the titles with the debuting team? That would give them a bit more credibility and wouldn't make them look so weak. Stupid.

 

Another thing that really annoyed me was the inconsistent booking of the Big Show. And no, I am not talking about his constant turns face-heel, no. I am talking about making him look like a total bitch one weak and absolute juggernaut the next week. Consistency people! Ever heard about that word? It helps people get involved into what they are watching, cause they can cheer or boo the character. Big Show doesn't have a character, he is simply not liked by the crowd. You'd say that it is his job, wouldn't you? Sure, he is a heel, he is a bad guy, he shouldn't be liked, he should be booed, of course. But in his case the "hate" comes from the negative feelings towards the person behind the name "Big Show". And why should they care? The WWE certainly does not. They completely forgot about giving Show a character outside of being an asshole, so he is treated like one. Unless that is the character, in which case I would not be amused.

 

And then we come to mister "Money in the Bank", who supposedly had such a wonderful year. And I am not going to say it was not a year in which Seth Rollins had a lot to do and say. The problem and stupidity here is the way his character was written. After splitting form the Shield and joining the Authority, he was booked as a typical vagina heel. He couldn't do anything by himself and pretty much, he still can't. Yeah, maybe he had a good year, but it was in a sense that there was a lot of him, not because he achieved so much. And suddenly at the end we are going to believe that he would really paralyze a man? How stupid do they think the fans are? Even the ones that do believe in wrestling are not going to buy it. And Big Show would just take part in that willingly? That is a criminal offense, and he is supposed to be playing that guy who cares about family? Seriously, that is just dumb.

 

And speaking of dumb, the Authority returns, because Cena gives in when Rollins threatens that he will paralyze Edge. I knew they will return some day. They gave Cena that option for a reason, the power to bring them back. It was obvious it will happen. But the moronic part is that there have been how long since they left? Six weeks? And they are bringing them back? Are you that desperate for a storyline you will destroy something big that happened less then 2 months ago? It was supposed to be a match that will change WWE forever and what? Forever lasts 6 weeks? Why turn the match at Survivor Series meaningless? Why make Dolph's match of the year reward pointless? Why cross out the whole build up for this story? Is Triple H and Steph so afraid to be off camera?

 

Honestly, this episode was supposed to be special, Edge and Christian was supposed to be fun and they were just awkward. The Diva's champion wasn't even there, as in at all. And we had the return of Authority. Stupid, dumb. Fucking Bullshit!

 

Monday Night RAW 15 December 2014

I probably should write this in order, but somehow I am never able to do it. And right now I even don't want to do it. So as you all probably know, on the last episode of RAW we saw the return of the champion that is never there. Everyone was saying how it is great that the champion is never there, cause when he does appear it makes that episode that much special. Well fuck you "everyone", it does not. I heard after watching that there was some rumors saying Brock would be there, but I did not know anything about it and when it did happen I DID NOT think "Holy Shit! It's Brock, oh yeah, it was worth watching!". No, instead my mind drifted into a bit more trivial places. I started thinking "Oh, wow... They finally managed to get his ass from the couch" and "oooh, so that is how that title looks like now". And yes, I am admitting I completely forgot how the title looked like. 

So yes, I do have a problem with a part time champion, especially when the part timer in question doesn't care about wrestling. That is why people treat the Rock with SO MUCH more respect. He will show up on RAW even when he is just in the area, when he was the champion, he at least took some effort so the people could see the champion. And no, Paul Heyman is not enough to cover for the absence of Lesnar. Oh yeah, I went there, Heyman maybe used to be to the shit in his golden days, but due to moronic booking and overbooking WWE is doing all his value is completely lost. And if you're not down with that, it's not the best for business.

This episode was hosted by Chris Jericho and instead of actually using a very capable active performer, they wasted him in the starting segment by doing an almost thirty minute long segment dominated by Heyman, Rollins and Cena, then we had a little backstage piece with Fandango...away, there was a short "Highlight Reel" with Rusev, showing once again we... should... hate... him...? And then when Brock showed up and demolished Chris. Great use, bravo. Was it really beyond your little brains to have Jericho really go at it with Fandango? They have history together, the angle with the Slammy could help Fandango, but nope. It's better for business to throw Jericho for Lesnar to eat up. 

As you can probably see I am not exactly happy with what I saw.

 

Luke Harper and Big Show vs. Dolph Ziggler and Eric Rowan

What is there to say? Eric Rowan is getting pinned by Big Show, again. Just because Show is getting an angle with Roman Reigns. What is even more annoying is that when it cam to Roman's segment, Big Show came down got hit in the face and walked away. It's just a throaway angle to get Reigns back on track and it shows.

Winners: Luke Harper and Big Show

 

The Bella Twins vs. Alicia Fox and Natalya

A waste of talent in Natalya, still no explanation for a buddy-buddy reunion with the Bellas and Alicia, just to attach someone at all. No new contender for the Diva title, no interest in it. I'd call it a wasted 5 minutes, but I haven't check the time, so I can't really say how much time I wasted watching this.

Winners: Alicia Fox and Natalya

 

The New Day vs. Dust Brothers

It's hard to say who is in the worse shape when it comes to the standing with the company. The Dust Brothers are certainly during a de-push, but the New Day is getting very little positive reactions. I even heard chants "New Day sucks!" and they are supposed to be faces in this, right? When it comes to the match, it was nowhere near the capabilities of all involved, but as a match was harmless.

Winners: The New Day

 

Kane vs. Adam Rose

Kane appeared backstage, said Rose has a match with him and that's it. Kane wins the match and kick Bunny's ass. There's nothing else to say here.

Winner: Kane

 

Paul Heyman vs. Chris Jericho

I already ranted on this in the beginning. This is the point where Brock Lesnar showed up. And as I said, it wasn't surprising, it wasn't "must see", he just was there. But I already said it. What I do want to mention here is the pointless voting they made people go on. Ok, I get it, the WWE app is free and the vote doesn't cost anything. Sure, I get it, but if you are using the voting a a cheap ploy to keep your app relevant, then you better deliver, or don't promise people something they won't see either way. 

Winner: Match didn't happen

 

The Miz vs. Jimmy Uso

So they do sort of continue the story with Naomi, but I don't feel it. There is not enough Naomi in this, a few scenes backstage do not create interest. She should be out and next to the ring AND have backstage segments. That would create some tension and not how they are doing it. "I invite you to my talk show, but don't tell your husband", says the Miz on a TELEVISED program and right after that even commentators comment on it. I don't know how this plays out, but if they are going to play it like Jimmy didn't know about it, then I lost all hope.

Winner: Jimmy Uso

 

Seth Rollins vs. John Cena

So in the end Lesnar shows up, beat up Cena and Paul Heyman makes a pact with Rollins. Ok... So getting it straight... Lesnar "kills" Cena, who he has to face anyways, but leaves the guy who already attacked him once and still can attack him whenever he wants to, alone. Then Lesnar's manager makes a deal with the same guy... Oh yeah, that is one full proof plan, certainly geniuses worked on that. But let me ask you one thing, did you actually say it out loud? No, no reason, just asking.

Winner: Seth Rollins

 

 

Overall: 3 out 10 - For a fallout show, that was meant to keep the interest going from people that seen TLC this failed, on many levels. It didn't deliver on the guest host, and this time it was someone who could. It didn't deliver on the storylines, and on a show like this it should. We had as per usual some wasted potential and stupid decisions. And again, no, not having your champion on TV for months doesn't make it special, it makes it dumb.

 

WWE TLC...and Chairs 2014 - Review

So TLC was on Sunday and this time I haven't seen the RAW yet, nor did I read any spoilers, so if anything transpires there, well, I won't be able to know, but maybe that is for the better. I did read comments made by people about this event though. And in general seem that there is less of a split between people liking it and not, much less then there is usually, at least. What do I think? Well, this was a train wreck, but I did expect that, still, I would lie if I would say it wasn't an enjoyable train wreck at a few moments. 

Some matches played their part as expected, some didn't make a lick of sense, but it already happened and there is no way to turn back time and redo them. With that said, he is a few things I do have to say about TLC and C.

The New Day vs. The Dust Brothers

This match pretty much confirm what I was suspecting about brothers Dust. They lost their push and now are being treated as enhancement talent. Which they do fine, since we are talking about quite talented people. I just don't want to see Cody Rhodes go down too far. Maybe it is time to leave the Stardust persona behind? Maybe it is time for a singles run? I don't know. The New Day wins, the match wasn't even for bragging rights, since there was no story behind it. 

Winners: The New Day

Luke Harper vs. Dolph Ziggler - Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship

This was the match of the night for me and for a lot of people, the only problem is the finish. With the recent push for Dolph Ziggler me and a whole lot of other people thought that it will be time for the Show Off to, you know, show-off. But nope, Dolph it is not your time this time. Really, putting a midcard title on a guy with so much star power just baffles me. The only reason I can think about, is that with Lesnar showing up when he feels like, WWE needs to keep midcard titles on guy that do have some drawing power. If it's not that, then this was just a stupid, stupid decision. 

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

The Miz and Damien Sandow vs. The Usos - For the WWE Tag Team Championships

After what we saw in recent weeks this was a very good opportunity to really play Naomi into this match and all we got was just her watching it from backstage. That was one side of this angle that was actually a bit interesting, you know, good looking girl some sleeze offering her career in movies... Yeah, my mind went straight into the gutter, but think about it, when was the last time WWE pulled a story like that? I mean seriously, it could be played very well without crossing the PG rating. They did not do it, obviously, which kind of sucks, since that pretty much sucked out any interest I had in this. The two tag teams will meet somewhere along the line, most likely on RAW, cause you know... TLC recap matches. 

Winners: The Usos via DQ

Big Show vs. Eric Rowan - Stairs Match

This is an example of a match that didn't need to happen and made the situation worse by actually happening. Eric Rowan was on a high going from Survivor Series, his personality and character was only beginning to settle in and WWE decided to fuck it up by putting Big Show over. Why? Just because you want to make something with Roman Reigns later? Rowan could've been legitimately something new, something we never seen in WWE before, but no. I am seriously pissed off about this. They are wasting the potential of this character. Match itself was slow, but what to expect with Show in the ring? The concept was stupid, just a bunch of stairs... Uuuu... 

Winner: Big Show

Seth Rollins vs. John Cena - Tables Match

Another completely pointless outcome. I have been saying this for a while now, Seth Rollins is booked terribly, horribly. Coming out of this match we learned that Rollins cannot beat Cena with the help of his two security guys and Big Show. Rollins cannot beat a guy in a 4 on one situation. Oh yeah, that is the face of the future. That is the greatest threat to Brock Lesnar championship, a fucking pussy. A lousy vagina. Seth Rollins is a vagina. Cena did not need this win, even if they wanted to make the match with Brock happen, it could've been played into later. For example... Cena loses, but wants Brock, so he makes a deal that he will discard the power to bring back Authority if he can get the number 1 contendership back. Seth comes out and says Cena doesn't deserve it, but Cena says to him something like "Why you care, you have that briefcase, when I am done with Brock, no matter who wins, he'll be an easy target". Done, Rollins needed that win, badly, that is the second big event in a row Seth lost. Stupid. Roman's return didn't help it.

Winner: John Cena

Nikki Bella vs. AJ Lee - For the Divas Championship

So Nikki wins, AJ lost her rematch, soooo... Does that mean we are moving forward or it's going to be AJ again? What is really annoying about this is how easy it was for WWE to just throw away the story between Bella Twins. No you don't get a reconciliation without some serious reason behind it after what you two twats put us, the viewers, through.  

Winner: Nikki Bella

Ryback vs. Kane - Chairs Match

Ryback wins, anyone expected anything else? Honestly I am getting tired on commenting how great it is for Kane to push younger talent. No it's not, come on Glen, have some dignity, soon you will be jobbing to Adam Rose's Bunny. 

Winner: Ryback

Rusev vs. Jack Swagger - For the United States Championship

Another win for the evil Russian, who is evil... Because we say so mostly, I mean he's pretty mean... I mean the girl he walks to the ring is mean, look how mean she is, she is almost insulting United States of America. We are a PG show, so she can't really do or say anything really insulting... UUuuuu!!! Evil Russian!!! A match without much of a build up and predictable result. I KNOW with 100% certainty I could write better.

Winner: Rusev

Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose - Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match

This was just a train wreck and the ending was rather dumb with that monitor, but like I said before. I would be lying if I said I didn't get any enjoyment from it. I decided to not really get into details about this match, cause there isn't much to say about it without doing a play by play. One thing I will say is that Bray needed this win, cause if he would lose again, it would be pretty much it for him. With the rumors of a possible match between Undertaker and Bray going to happen at Wrestlemania... Well, let's just say it is time to do "something" constructive with this character.

Winner: Bray Wyatt

Overall: 6 out of 10 - If you expected wrestling, this was the wrong event to choose, if you don't mind a little mess and "weapons", it's going to be right up your alley, but just barely. The concept was TLC and C and we got... A table match, A chair match, A ladder match and A chairs match. It felt a bit lackluster and a wasted potential. There was also some pointless wins here, which really annoy me personally. So yeah, take it with a grain of salt.

 

 

TLC - Tables, Ladders, Chairs... And Stairs - Predictions

Time of writing 21:18 13th of December 2014

 

Well, I was supposed to post this yesterday, but just didn't have enough time for that, you know... Life. But hey, there is still time to think about it and give you a piece of my mind. As you probably noticed I am not exactly thrilled with the build up and storylines going into the event. Honestly I wouldn't mind if they skipped this completely and used the time to build for the next one. Still, have to work with what was given to me. (the matches are according to the order in the wikipedia article for this event)

 

1. New Day vs. Dust Brothers

There wasn't exactly a whole lot of build for this one, but since in WWE in recent times tag team tell their stories in the ring, it's not a surprise this one is done so as well. WWE's patience with the Dust Brothers is ending, you can see it clearly that they are itching to press the "SPLIT TAG TEAM" button on them. They are constantly losing for no real reason and that doesn't really mean anything good for a tag team. Plus we do have a new tag team as their opponents and a match where there isn't anything at stake.

Winners: New Day

 

2. Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt - TLC Match

This match will be a train wreck, I hope no one expects a nice, clean fight, cause neither of the opponents are capable of such, and with the extra items, it will be a train wreck. Of course, that doesn't have to mean anything bad necessarily. A good hardcore match every now and then is nothing to shake a stick at and from what I see that IS something both of them could deliver. I am choosing Bray going over solely because if he does lose, this story is done and Wyatt has nothing to do. At this point of time Ambrose is the bigger star and has bigger fish to fry. And let's be honest here, Wyatt needs this win and he needs it to be a strong one.  

Winner: Bray Wyatt

 

3. Ryback vs. Kane - Chairs Match

Kane has been used for a long time as the enhancer for the up and coming talent, Ryback is not someone like that, but not counting the Survivor Series, this is the biggest singles match for Ryback since his return and he definitely needs this one to not fall again in the ranks. To problem here is there isn't exactly anyone to go after, after that match. Still, it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to not give Ryback the win. Especially with what CM Punk recently said about Ryback injuring him. After those comments WWE probably will want to show that they still believe in him and what Brooks said was not true. 

Winner: Ryback

 

4. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins - Tables Match, if Cena loses, he loses the no.1 contender for the WWEWHC title spot

Seth Rollins lost a lot in recent weeks with losing the match at Survivor Series, he needs to regain some credibility lost on that. The logical move here will to remove Cena from the title picture so he can focus on other things, since we all know, Brock and John don't really have anything left to show. Plus we have that stipulation that Cena can bring Tripl H and Steph into power. It just all falls into place too neatly, I feel like I am catching the hook on his one, but I do think Cena will lose. Maybe not clean, but I do believe he will put Rollins over.

Winner: Seth Rollins

 

5. The Miz and Damien Sandow vs. The Usos - For the Tag Team Championships

While I am sure this is not going to be the last confrontation of those two tag teams, I do not doubt the champions will retain. They basically just got it, the "Mizdow" character is getting nice reactions, it would be a shame to take the belts from them. Plus if it does happen, there is little doubt in my mind we will see the two going one on one against each other. The Usos had their year, I think it's not going to matter if they will get the titles again, while it will for the Miz duo.

Winners: The Miz and Damien Sandow

 

6. Eric Rowan vs. Big Show

Kind of the same reasoning behind this one as with Ryback. Here you do have a guy, who jus started his singles career and needs every win he can get to start building up his credibility. This match has to wind with Big Show going down, but I am capable of seeing a possibility of a different result. I don't think I am wrong on this one though. 

Winner: Eric Rowan

 

7. Luke Harper vs. Dolph Ziggler - For the Intercontinental Championship

With Ziggler getting a lot more attention in last weeks, I think WWE is thinking of pushing Dolph at least a level higher. If that is true, there is no point for Dolph to keep the midcard title. Of course WWE did try that once in the past and they abandoned the idea back then. Whatever the result will be, I do think Ziggler will see a high point in his career. 

Winner: Luke Harper

 

8. Rusev vs. Jack Swagger - For the United States Championship

While Rusev has to eventually lose to someone, I really don't think it is the time for it now and I don't think it should be Swagger to do it, unless it happens in the was I planned in my head. The only thing Rusev has right now is that belt and the fact he was never pinned or submitted and if he loses that WWE will have to switch him onto some other task or the month. 

Winner: Rusev

 

9. Nikki Bella vs. AJ Lee - For the Divas Championship

I find myself not caring abut anything a Bella twin touches and this is no exception. Depending on the rumors, AJ might leave WWE soon and if that happens logic dictates that she shouldn't have too much to come back for. 

Winner: Nikki Bella

Monday Night RAW 8 December 2014 - The Slammies

While I understand the need of having and award outside of the championships in WWE, I kind of fail to see the point of most of categories they did put in them. But hey, since no one is going to give you an award, why not make it up and give it to yourself. If that wasn't the point, then I don't know what would it be. Personally I feel like there only should be four categories: Match of the year, Rivalry of the year, Superstar of the year and Diva of the year. That's it, there is no need for the "most funny moment" (that wasn't funny) or the "twitter handle". I mean really... But hey, we have a whole train wreck to go through, let's dig in!

• Fan Participation award goes for the "You sold out" chant. - Really? That is something people chant at literally every single heel that sides with someone in power. Out of all other options the one that was actually something unique was "We the People" and "He's got the whole world in his hands", those actually played a part in someone character and gimmick. 
• Double-Cross of the Year goes for "Seth Rollins turning on Shield". - It is strange that they deliberately skipped the first half of the year, with every option for this category coming from the second half, but hey, maybe I'm reading too deep into it. Out of the possible choices, yes this one was the biggest turn of the year, can't argue with it.
• Animal of the year goes to the "Bunny". - I seriously fail to see a reason behind an award for this and I don't really have anything to say about it. In the grand scheme of things, maybe that makes sense.
• Best Actor goes to "The Rock". - Ok, this was a no contest here. There isn't too many people coming out of WWE that made it big in movies and the Rock is undoubtedly the greatest example of someone that has, with Batista right behind him. Putting the Miz and Sandow here was pointless, really, really pointless.
• "HEELZiggler" wins the Twitter handle of the year award. - Again, why does this category even exist? I get it, WWE gets moist every time Twitter is mentioned, but do we have to?
• Rivalry of the year goes to "Daniel Brian vs. Authority". - No argument from me here, it was annoying at times and felt forced at other times, but in WWE this year I do think this was the best feud we had.
• Hugh Jackman gets the award for being the best RAW guest host. - I guess that's fine, it's not like the other options were any better, it's just I find the whole concept of "guest host" stupid.
• Best couple of the year went to Daniel Brian and Brie Bella. - Ok, are we talking about on screen or off screen? Cause off screen there is no way to know that, we don't really have any "inside look" into the houses of any of those people. On screen on the other hand no doubt should go to Triple H and Stephanie. Daniel and Brie didn't really do anything together. They had some interaction before Wrestlemania, but that was it. Brie adapted some of the theatrics from her husband, that's it. Triple H and Stephanie were a far better couple.
• Faction of the year award went to Shield. - There was no real competition, maybe Wyatts, maybe the Authority. But when it comes to sheer power and dominance and actual fan interest, Shield was the best. 
• Sami Zayn gets the NXT Superstar of the year. - I don't really watch NXT all that much, so I will go with this choice.
• Anti-Gravity moment of the year went to "Seth Rollins dives off the balcony at Payback". - I actually remember that spot quite well and he didn't actually jump, it was more like control falling then actual jumping. That didn't really have a whole lot in common with anything "anti-gravity". If anything Kofi Kingston's jump at Royal Rumble had more to do with the category.

That part was done on WWE.com and contained, let's not kid ourselves, mostly stupid categories that show they really run out of ideas. Seriously, "Twitter handle of the year"? Yes, I still can't get over it... Let's see will they treat the on-screen, internet portion of the program with a little more dignity. 

• Insult of the year goes to the king of insults and catchphrases, the Rock. - While they are cheesy and corny, every wrestling fan loves to her them and love to hear the Rock speak. It's a dumb category and I never liked it, but even I can see some value here.
• WWE Tag Team of the year goes to the Usos. - And that is funny, cause - more or less - in the possible choices they listed the entire tag team division in the main roster. That is funny and sad at the same time. The Usos deserved it, but it would be nice if they had some actual competition.
• Breakout Star of the year went to Dean Ambrose. - While I can see why it happened, is this really the best choice? Ambrose was a star with Shield before this year begun. He didn't really broke-out, he did have to "brake-off" from the Shield-shadow. Seth Rollins wouldn't be the better choice either, cause he didn't brake-out either. Rollins was adopted by the Authority and made a star. The real breakout star of this year is... Rusev. Say what you will, but he actually is a heel that barely ever does anything heelish. Lana is the talker and he just fights, the only bad thing he did was getting Zeb Coulter written off TV. Have you ever noticed it? If not for the "Uuuuuu we hate all russians and russians hate us", he would be a babyface and it would be very simple to turn him face and keep it logical.
• The "hastag of the year" award for "#RKOOutofnowhere". - Another dumb Twitter related thing... I have nothing to say. It's dumb, stupid and let's move on.

So that was it. I really don't see a reason why the award for tag teams couldn't be kept to the actual episode, but maybe I expect too much. And speaking of the actual episode...

• "This is Awesome" moment of the year went to "Debut of Sting". - I won't object here. Not because I don't have anything to say, but because out of the other options, there really wasn't anything better. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome to see Sting, but it's not like there wasn't anything better this year.
• Surprise return of the year went to the Ultimate Warrior coming back at Hall of Fame ceremony. - I will not bash the Warrior, but this category is named "surprise return", you know, as in something no one expected. And out of the options given, the actual surprise was when the Rock returned and confronted Rusev. and that was really unexpected, because the Rock just happened to be around in the city on unrelated business and decided to drop by.
• Brock Lesnar defeating the Undertaker at Wrestlemania got the reward for the OMG Shocking moment of the year. - No argument from me at that. Something happened that just never happened and almost no one believed it would.
• WWE Diva of the year for AJ Lee. - There wasn't exactly a whole lot of other options. At this point it was either one of the Bellas or AJ. It's sad that just few year ago we had a lot more to choose from, there was some actual competition in the women division. Out of the options give I guess AJ was the best choice, but only because there was nothing better.
• LOL Moment of the year goes to Damien Sandow as the Miz. - If all your attempts at humor are just "so" great, then what you expect? It was probably the only real option that was somewhat amusing on the list.
• Match of the year went to the match at Survivor Series between team Cena and team Authority. - The only part of this patch that actually deserve this award is the last part, where only Dolph Ziggler stayed on the babyface side. Looking at it as a whole? No, it was not.
• Extreme moment of the year went to Chris Jericho for hitting a crossbody from the top of the cage. - I admit that spot was nice, but it wasn't anything really special. Anyone who watches wrestling outside of WWE will see hundreds of spots like this everywhere. Good on Jericho to do it, it really helped to raise the meaning of the match with Bray Wyatt, but other then that it wasn't special, or even that extreme. 
• Superstar of the Year went to Roman Reigns. - People don't like this choice, but they fail to remember the first half of the year where Roman really was the next best thing. Now I know he lacks in many areas, I pointed that myself many times in the past, but that is the future face of the company. You might not like it, but you have to deal with it. 

And that is it for the Slammy Awards. Is there really a point to them? I don't know, maybe there is, maybe there used to be. For me they can stay, but please, you don't need so many categories... Really, you don't. Four big one is enough and build a show around that. We will appreciate it, we will like it, I know I will.

Overall: 4 out of 10. - Since WWE didn't focus on the matches giving us a more or less "rehash" version of Survivor Series, I will not focus on them either. There was no real development in the storylines or characters, the whole "Anonymous GM" was dropped completely and everything still looks like nothing changed and Authority is still around. I just failed to be entertained this weeks.

Monday Night RAW 1 December 2014

Yay another episode of RAW and this time everyone was full of anticipation. Everyone wanted to know if WWE will address in any way, shape or form what CM Punk said on Cabana's podcast. Well, everyone is a bit of an overstatement, but a lot of people were genuinely expecting them doing something, hinting at something he said. They did not. I didn't really expect anything on TV, but I did expect at least a statement. What Punk said was a lot of bad things and even if it was just "his side of the story, from his point of view" it was still a LOT of harmful stuff to the public image of WWE. If there won't be any counteraction on their part, it is pretty much as good as saying "yeah, he told the truth". And no, Vince on Stone Cold's podcast after RAW doesn't count as an official statement - although it is an interesting watch and worth the time. So yeah, no trace of Punk on RAW and I think that is for the better, we did - of course - get the usual idiots chanting "CM Punk" at AJ, but hey, can't win'em all. 

 

Tag Team Turmoil: Cesaro & Tyson Kidd vs. The Dust Brothers vs. A New Day vs. Adam Rose and Bunny vs. The Usos

There are two types of story telling in wrestling, you can do it by literally telling the story or by the in-ring action. And recently all we get from the tag team division is the second type. Maybe that is for the better, since the action we get in those matches is usually very nice and almost always those are the most entertaining matches on the card. This one was not one of those matches though. We got a standard few minute matches in succession until we get the winners and the new contenders to the titles, Usos. What is weird here is that the New Day, which is the newest stable in WWE, got eliminated fast and didn't even really show anything. Now, I am not saying they should get the opportunity to get the titles right away, but logic would dictate to promote the new faction, which did not happen.

Winners and no 1 contenders for Tag Team Championships: The Usos

 

Eric Rowan vs. Big Show

I know they are trying to make Big Show seem like a threat, but he is not. No one is taking Big Show seriously after his 5 million character changes a month. Well, that is not true, but it is a fact that he probably is - or Mark Henry - the guy that went through the biggest amount of turns in his career. I remember the time where he literally was a face one week, turned heel the next and got back to being face a week or two later. Don't get me wrong, when a change is needed it is needed, but in his case it is not. Getting to Rowan, I am still interested in what WWE is going to with him, but they already missed an opportunity to give his persona some, very obvious, development.

Winner: Eric Rowan by DQ

 

Fandango vs. Jack Swagger

Rosa Mendes still can't dance. The match didn't happen. Moving on.

Winner: Fandango by Forfeit

 

Damien Sandow vs. Fernando

The match did happen, but it was just a throw away, since the only real development was between The Miz and one of the Usos, can't remember which one, because the Miz was getting too friendly with Naomi, his wife. Sandow, wins, but who cares, right? 

Winner: Damien Sandow

 

R-Truth vs. Bray Wyatt

You know, I often find myself forgetting about certain people that they are still employed by the WWE and Truth is one of those people. And that is sad, cause he - while not the youngest guy on the roster - can still be fun to watch. It is a shame that the only reason he got on RAW was to get fed to Bray. And speaking of Wyatt, while I can see the appeal of the match with Ambrose, I still don't really see any reason for this whole storyline happening and I am kind of like that. I like to know why things happen. And no, because "reasons" is not a very good answer. After the match we get a confrontation with Ambrose and Wyatt's chair gets destroyed, as Bray looks horrified and Cole talks something about it being sacred... I didn't know there was any significance to that. Did they ever reference the chair that way? 

Winner: Bray Wyatt

 

The Bella Twins vs. AJ Lee & Naomi

Probably the most pointless use of the fan voting system ever in the existence of that option in WWE. Well the only Diva we saw in the program so far was Naomi and who wins the vote... Naomi. Really... The match is mercifully short and the face (?) team wins. On a side note, is the whole story between Bellas resolved? Cause while you can still see the egocentric behavior in Nikki, Brie seems to barely care about it. Good to know we wasted on this storyline weeks of TV time. 

Winners: AJ Lee & Naomi

 

John Cena, Ryback and Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins, Kane and Luke Harper

The main event is more or less the main event from Survivor Series, only... worse. The only people missing were Rusev, who got into it with Swagger earlier in the night and Mark Henry. Other then that we had the starting teams, then an interference from the Big Show and a save from Eric Rowan. The match wasn't as good, since there was nothing at stake, the storyline wasn't as good, since there was no storyline and overall people involved didn't care as much and it showed. This was also the part were I said WWE missed a very simple and obvious chance to develop Rowan's persona. After making the save, right before hitting the Big Show with steps, he should put the steps down, take a mic, say "I am not a bully", put on the sheep mask and then leave. 

Winners: John Cena, Ryback and Dolph Ziggler

 

Overall: 3 out of 10 - This episode was barely worth watching. If you care for any real storylines watch the Wyatt and Ambrose part. In terms of matches, there was nothing really worth it this week. We did get a segment with the laptop GM and an announcement about TLC and Cena's match, but in general there really wasn't anything you "must see". After RAW the interview with Vince was very good, and that would be what I would advice you to really see. 

Monday Night RAW 24 November 2014

With a little renovation in my apartment going on, I didn't have time to write yesterday, like I usually do. But hey, it's not like there was anything too badly groundbreaking present. Coming from an event that was suppose to change everything the outcome turned out just a flash from the past. The return of the Anonymous RAW General Manager is basically the way for WWE to not do anything and seem like they did a whole lot. While there is a chance it could be interesting, from experience I can tell you that more or less all we will get is next couple weeks everyone will be saying it was Stephanie and Triple H or maybe Vince himself. Also, does it mean Michael Cole is turning heel? That could be good, if we get rid of Jerry Lawler and turn JBL face. The whole RAW was basically just a fallout episode from the previous night, so don't expect a whole lot of insight from me. We did get an Eric Rowan vs. Big Show beginning, but yes, pretty much.

Mark Henry vs. Ryback

A squash on Henry, perfect. What more to say? Henry gets his ass handed to him in two minutes or so.

Winner: Ryback

 

Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper

The best match of the night and it only served as an extension for the Wyatt Ambrose feud. Bray attack at the end, Harper is nowhere to be seen aaaaand scene. Lovely.

Winner: Dean Ambrose by DQ

 

The Miz and Damien Sandow vs. Dust Brothers - For the Tag Team Championships

I am starting to get The Miz and Sandow. Sandow is the fan favorite and thanks to him the Miz is tolerable for the fans. In a way it's a great idea, but how long they will keep it? WWE loves to split tag teams and there is no doubt that they will do that with them as well. Dust Brothers are on a down slope, but hey, it's WWE, every tag team gets a shot sooner then later, since there is only a couple of them. 

Winners: The Miz and Damien Sandow

 

Fandango vs. Justin Gabriel

Another showing of why Rosa Mendes should not dance. I have seen enough "Dancing with the stars" to know how not to dance, and that is more or less exactly what it would be. Short match, sorry Justin, lowcard hell for you.

Winner: Fandango

 

Brie Bella vs. AJ Lee

And we see again why Bella Twins should not try to act. Just keep it to the ring ladies, you are somewhat tolerable there, so yeah. We will get a series of confrontations like this, most likely leading to a rematch between AJ and Nikki. The thing I wonder though is does it mean Brie and Nikki are on the same page again? 

Winner: Brie Bella

 

Adam Rose and Bunny vs. Tyson Kidd and Natalya

A match, all I will say. Both Tyson and Natalya deserve better, as does Adam. The Bunny is just a stupid, stupid concept, let's just have a match between Rose and Bunny and put this down to rest.

Winners: Tyson Kidd and Natalya

 

John Cena and Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury

So there was a vote on... You know, no. I am not going to talk about it, it was a waste of time for everyone. Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury are far too good of a talent to be misused like that. I really disliked this more then I should and I can see that.

Winners: John Cena and Dolph Ziggler

 

Overall: 6 out of 10 - This was basically a rerun of the event from previous night. Pretty much almost every person that did take part in Survivor Series was there, but in a much less significant role. It was ok, I guess, but Survivor Series was suppose to be ground breaking, change the face of WWE for ever and all that good shit and... we go the return of the Anonymous RAW General Manager. 

WWE Survivor Series 2014 Review

I was wondering for a bit from which side should I start my review, top to bottom, maybe the other way, or maybe jump to the point and then talk about the rest. Well, by now I am sure, every one knows what happened at the event, so don't be surprised that I do want to move right to the big match.

 

Team Cena (John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Ryback, Eric Rowan) vs. Team Authority (Seth Rollins, Kane, Rusev, Luke Harper, Mark Henry)

The big match, the main event, the match that will change the face of WWE forever - or it will not, as we will see on RAW next night, but I am getting too far of myself. The actual match was really good, no bullshitting this time. The match vary good, pure and simple. The storytelling was there, we got a twist with Big Show turning on his team and knocking out Cena, we had tension, we had action, we had Ziggler actually finishing the match and we had WWE debut of Sting. Personally as a fan I have to admit this match was exactly what it should have been. I am a master of nitpicking, but this time I will not do that, not that there isn't anything to nitpick on, but I just want to enjoy what I saw. Know the saying giving credit where it is due? Well, for all the shit I throw on the heads of WWE creative, they nailed this one right on the money. And it was for free. Not going to say anything else, it was just good, if you haven't seen it, go and do it.

Winners: Team Cena

 

Fandango vs. Justin Gabriel

So we have Fandango, new music, new attire, new attitude, new partner in Rosa Mendes, great... Same gimmick, same shtick, plus Rosa can't dance. Hey, I might not now how to dance either, but I am not on the stage with thousands of people world wide watching me. I want to see where they will go with that "change", as there is potential here, but WWE is the king of potential... usually followed by a let down in pay off.

Winner: Fandango

 

Cesaro vs. Jack Swagger

So the same Swagger that joined team Cena, for some reason, got kicked out from team Cena, because of injury. Is now wrestling, still as a face, mind you, on the same event team Cena will be fighting. But does WWE use it to do anything with it? Of course not. Cesaro gets his ass kicked again. This is just beyond hopeless. Cesaro, tell me, was the indies REALLY that bad for you? I get money and all, but really?

Winner: Jack Swagger

 

Dust Brothers vs. The Usos vs. The Miz & Daniel Sandow vs. Los Matadores - For Tag Team Championship

When it comes to actual in-ring action, the tag team matches very often are where I go to look for quality. Usually they are fast, action packed, spot filled, but without overdoing it. I am not a fan of "Mizdow" and his antics, but I can see how can it amuse people. Plus he is the one that gets the pin. It is funny tough how absolutely no story can work when you let wrestlers just be wrestlers.

Winners: The Miz & Daniel Sandow

 

Paige, Cameron, Summer Rae and Layla vs. Natalya, Emma, Naomi and Alicia Fox

Face team wins as you could image they did. Those multiperson female tag matches pretty much always end like that. There isn't really anything to say about this since there was no story and the action in the ring didn't last very long and wasn't exactly great either. Predictably Paige was the last one eliminated from the heel team and that's that.  

Winners: Natalya, Emma, Naomi and Alicia Fox

 

Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt

I knew from the get go that Wyatt will win, but the only part I was worried was that Ambrose would get the short end of the stick with this one. He did not. Luckily WWE figured out how to make that happen with a DQ loss. But as you probably can figure out, there is always a good side to things as there always exists a bad side. While Dean came out of this match very strong, Bray got, both figuratively and literally, buried. Bray Wyatt didn't come into this match with a strong position. Months of constant failure, cause no one will convince me the career from the debut of Bray was a success, took a toll on his credibility. He became a rambling weirdo and no, that is not a good thing. WWE did try to make him seem like a firce to be recon with, but with each attempt they lower his status even more and more. Ambrose on the other hand just came out from a very big feud and this match seemed like a punishment. Like it or not, we will get another one between the two, this time most likely on TLC, which could work for their advantage. 

Winner: Bray Wyatt by DQ

 

Adam Rose and Bunny vs. Heath Slater and Titus O'Neil

Everyone knows that somewhere along the line, there will be a match of Adam Rose vs. The Bunny. We know, we expect it, the only question is, when it will happen and what kind of stipulation it will have, since I don't really see this match going without a stipulation. The best one is the most obvious one, with Bunny getting unmasked or someone taking over the Exotic Express. The match served the only point it could have served, a comedy one and it was just "meh". 

Winners: Adam Rose and Bunny

 

Nikki Bella vs. AJ Lee - For Divas Championship

There isn't a whole lot to say about this match, since it basically ended right when it begun, when Brie kisses AJ for a distraction and Nikki took the pin. The story isn't really anything to talk about either, since the actual story part was about the Bella Twins, which I hate, because in my mind, when there is a feud for the title, said title should be in the main focus of everything related. I get it that they needed to play on the "You are my slave" gimmick, but still, it was for the title and with that kind of booking it seems like it's not worth a whole lot - which is sadly true, but they could at least not point that out so hard. I don't watch Total Divas, so I don't know if it finished, since Nikki got the title, or maybe the whole rumor was just bullshit, which it sometimes is. I will not judge the decision to put the belt on Nikki until I see how they will work from that point. As I stated before, Nikki in the ring isn't horrible, so as long as they give her the mic as little as possible, it might work.

Winner and new champion: Nikki Bella

 

Overall: 8 out of 10 - The whole event was maybe 6, 7 max, but the last match was exactly what I wanted to see and exactly what they should have done in the conditions they created plus we actually saw Sting doing something other then promoting a game. But there is a couple things that do make one wonder. This was a free event in the Network, obvious move to promote the product, and it was really good... I do wonder, how will WWE follow such an event? If you did get new subscribers on board, how are you going to keep them on? After all, there is no obligation to continue the subscription.

Survivor Series 2014 Predictions

What you are about to read was started on Friday, 21st day of November 2014 at 23:06 GMT+1. The card I am using is the one attached to the Survivor Series article on Wikipedia. If any changes will happen after said time, I will not re-write anything.

 

And here we are, another big event is happening, this time we will get Survivor Series and a traditional, elimination tag team match. While there was a lot of problems with booking, seemed very confused and not really well organised, there might be a couple sparks of interest. But as the saying goes, let's dig straight into Survivor Series, the Predictions... Oh, the matches will be in the order of the Wiki article I am using for reference, so it's not best to last or anything like that.

 

Preshow Match: Fandango vs. To be announced

Personal perspective: Each time I think about the fact Fandango won with Chris Jericho I cringe and die a little inside. Change his gimmick already. Supposedly Bad New Barrett might be returning here, so maybe it will be worth seeing, at least for that. This is obviously a match without any real weight or meaning. And with the opponent not yet announced it is almost a guarantee, it will be a debut or a return. Whatever the case it might be, there is almost no chance for Fandango to win. At least in my opinion. 

Who will win: Whoever it might be behind the TBA

 

Team Cena: John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Eric Rowan and Ryback vs. Team Authority: Seth Rollins, Kane, Rusev, Luke Harper, Mark Henry - If Authority wins everyone on Team Cena is fired, except for Cena, if they lose, they are no longer in power.

Personal Perspective: This is obviously the biggest match of the night and rightfully so. There is the biggest starpower in this one and there seems to be the most at stake, at least in storyline, cause outside of that, there is a solid debate about it. While I do understand the reason of putting John Cena as the team captain, I do not agree with this decision. Even looking from the obvious point of view, the heel team. We have the World's Strongest Man, Mark Henry, that had a beef with the Big Show in recent weeks. The pair seems reasonable in storyline, good start. Then we have Rusev, who won the United States title from Sheamus. Another very good pairing, there is a motivation, a reason for Sheamus to be on team Cena... Nah, let's take Sheamus out. We have Luke Harper who got "freed" by Bray Wyatt and captured the Intercontinental title from Dolph Ziggler. While it does give Ziggler a reason to be on the team, that doesn't really give a whole lot of reason to the last two pairs. 

We have Eric Rowan, who literally joined Cena, because reasons. There was no segment pointing into that direction, no interaction between anyone from either teams with him, he just came out and BOOM! He's with Cena. The problem he isn't a surprised appearance by anyone, the problem here comes from the fact that a surprise appearance has to come out from something to make sense. Last time Rowan and Cena had any interaction was a couple months ago on RAW the night after Cena got decimated by Lesnar and they did not act like great friends. There is absolutely no reason for Rowan to become Cena's ally. Rowan would be a far better counterpart to Harper, but since WWE decided to pair Harper with Ziggler, there is a piece missing here from the puzzle. There is a very good chance that Rowan will turn on the face team and if that does happen, there is a chance Randy Orton will make the save for the face team. Why Orton? Because he has a reason to want Authority out of business and this would be the best moment to come back. Plus if Orton makes team Authority lose, it could restart the feud with Seth Rollins and that would give both something to do. 

Another guy there is little reason, outside of "because fuck you, that's why", to join team good guys, is Ryback. While there was a couple interactions between the Big Guy and Cena, there wasn't anything that could make Ryback decide to join. Storyline-wise Authority was telling the truth. They can give him more main event, more title matches, more spotlight, more money. Ryback's current gimmick seems self absorbed and that's good, it suits him, but it doesn't explain why he would want to play for anyone other then him. He even says it himself, Ryback plays only for team Ryback. Adding him might be reasonable to a certain degree, but it seems desperate. 

And then there are the captains of the teams, John Cena and Seth Rollins. First of all this pair doesn't work, it just don't. The only counterpart for Rollins right now is currently busy in a different match. The only thing that connected those two is that after the match with Ambrose, Rollins said he is going after Cena. Ambrose should have been the captain of the team and couple start the program with Rusev, who would be replaced in the heel team by Cesaro.

As I wrote before, there is a very good shot on interference by Randy Orton, so you technically shouldn't set anything in stone, but WWE basically gave the spoiler for this match with the stipulation they added. If Cena loses his team is fired, yeah, right. WWE is not going to fire five workers, it just won't happen, and would they have to fire? That is just not happening. Ryback barely returned and is rebuilding himself after the break, a loss now could waste weeks of work. There is no way they will do this. Plus the whole Authority gimmick is used up. I am taking into account there is a chance of Authority winning and then Vince is reversing the decision or the possibility of a draw and the match ending in a no contest. But I am fed with Steph and HHH every week saying the same things. Authority has to go.

Who will win: The good guys team (but not very clean)

 

AJ Lee vs. Nikki Bella - For the Divas Championship

I really hate myself for saying this, but I want Nikki to win. AJ is just not anything people try to make her to be. She is NOT that good in the ring, she is NOT that good on the microphone and she certainly is NOT looking as good as people like to think she does. The only thing she had going for her was the fact she is the wife of CM Punk and in the eyes of some wrestling fans that is enough to actually mean something. And no, it doesn't mean anything, at least for this wrestling fan. AJ Lee doesn't grow as a performer, she doesn't do anything new, this title run is seriously lackluster. And while I will not back out from saying that the Bella Twins suck on the mic, cause they do, I will give some props to Nikki. Looking objectively and comparing her to the rest of current diva roster, Nikki is standing out, not just because she has fake tits. She actually looks in the ring like she trained to achieve something. I did not like this storyline, I think there was too much emphasis put on the sisters relation then the title, which should be the focal point of any title storyline. Still it might be watchable at least. When it comes to who will win, it all depends. There is that rumor going around that Total Divas will not get titles, because the show is taped so far in advance it wouldn't make sense continuity wise and then we have Brie... It is almost certain at this point that Brie will do something in this match, intentionally or not, to influence the outcome.

Who will win: AJ Lee

 

Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt

Have I ever said I don't like Bray? Well, I don't like Bray. Or rather I don't like the booking of his character. While with the Wyatt Family, he didn't really achieve anything. Losing pretty much everything he went after. He won that feud with Bryan, but the goal was to have him in the family, he left a week later, so I am not counting this as a win. Other then that, there was that Jericho story, but Jericho will put anyone over, so it's not that big of a deal to win with him. Right now, it seems like Bray will get another bigger push and for better or worse, Dean Ambrose is in the way.

And speaking of Ambrose, why is he getting a downgrade? Cause he is. Dean went from the hottest feud in WWE against Rollins, to something of truly midcardian proportions. Now don't get me wrong, I am not dissing Wyatt, but when you main event a pay per view and at the next one you fight someone, who's track record isn't exactly all that great, the meaning of the match is lost somewhere in translation. I am kind of afraid that what I was talking about is happening. Dean didn't impress at the Cell so they will feed him to Bray Wyatt. Two internet darlings, WWE can't do wrong here. I do hope Dean will win this, since his level is much higher now and staying in the midcard for too long will hurt him, but I am a realist. And if you didn't get it from the part earlier, he should be the captain of the face team.

Who will win: Bray Wyatt

 

The Dust Brothers vs. The Usos vs. Los Matadores vs. The Miz and Damien Sandow - For the Tag Team Championships

This quite possibly will be the most enjoyable match to watch out of the whole card. Looking at who is involved, this should be fun to watch. Hopefully his will be action packed, fast paced, hot tags, lots of everything. I am quite confident WWE will want to cash in on the popularity of Damien Sandow and they will give the title to the Miz and Sandow. If they will not win this, then the champions are keeping the belts. We just finished a story with the Usos and Los Matadores are a joke.  

Who will win: The Miz and Damien Sandow

 

Alicia Fox, Emma, Naomi and Natalya vs. Paige, Cameron, Layla and Summer Rae

Let's not give this match much thought, let's just put together some divas and call it a traditional Survivor Series match, but for women. Oh shut up. This is lazy, pure and simple. Matches like this require the least amount of work from the creative team. Knowing WWE this will last around 5-10 minutes and will end with the good team winning. 

Who will win: Alicia Fox, Emma, Naomi and Natalya

Monday Night RAW 17 November 2014

Hello everyone in the weekly dose of my rumblings and this week there isn't exactly whole lot to rumble about without going into predictions for the Survivor Series event. I will not do it now, since I do plan on putting that in it's own thing later in the week, but you will still get a piece of my mind as always.

The show starts with Authority, who else talking about how they have the superior team and how John Cena has absolutely no chance of winning anything. They also say that John Cena's team will have a lot of problems tonight since they will be decimated... blah blah blah. You know what I mean? I know you know. We head that part so many times that I am sure anyone could repeat it in their sleep. So yeah, I am not exactly excited by the build up to the Survivor Series, the booking on this one is very chaotic, as I will point out later.

 

Dolph Ziggler vs. Luke Harper - For Intercontinental Championship

Ziggler gets attacked right before the whole thing started and ends up losing the title. Which basically automatically gives Dolph an opponent for the next couple shows. I do get why WWE decided to put the belt on Harper, he just got back and there was literally no reason as to why we should care about him. Now he is the champion, so there is at least a bit of legitimacy behind him, but I prefer to wait and see what will be the next move on WWE's part. They are masters at creating great potential, but failing completely to capitalize on the momentum behind it, so yeah. The match could've been ok, if it would be clean, as it was it was sub par. Waaaaay below of what Ziggler is capable of. 

Winner and new champion: Luke Harper

 

Adam Rose vs. Tyson Kidd

Tyson Kidd is really an unlucky guy, when it comes to wrestling at least (hey, his wife is Natalya and that's a personal win on his part). For a long time he was non-existing - outside of an unimportant match here and there, then he resurfaced... on Total Divas. Now he plays a part of... a guy? I really don't know what gimmick is he supposed to have. He is arrogant like a typical heel and all, but other then that, he doesn't really do that much or has an actual character. Plus this match was only used to build up the story of... Adam Rose and the Bunny. Seriously. I am unimpressed. 

Winner: Tyson Kidd

 

Ryback vs. Cesaro

Again Cesaro shows why he should be much bigger star then he is. He actually manages to pull a decent match out of Ryback and it was not a squash. I mean, there was no doubt who will win here, but at least they didn't make Cesaro lose in five seconds. Ryback continues his returning winning streak, it shouldn't last very long this time, since it is only a refresher and not a character builder, but still... We should see a few more singles win before the Big Guy loses.

Winner: Ryback

 

Rusev vs. Heath Slater

Yawn... Another Rusev squash. Do I really need to comment? Slater came out dressed as U.S.A. flag and got his ass handed to him in few seconds. Did you expect anything else?

Winner: Rusev

 

Big Show vs. Sheamus - Winner gets a WWEWHC title shot

I really don't know what to think about this. The match was below average, but that is not the point. Stephanie came out and announced that not only Sheamus and Show will fight each other, but the winner will get a title shot at the WWEWHC title. Now I know it was not announced, but technically when Henry and Rusev attacked, Sheamus was hit first... And in every wrestling book that means Sheamus wins by disqualification, and Stephanie didn't say anything about the way he had to win. It is on camera, Sheamus has a title shot. The thing I am confused is, did they do it on purpose? Cause from storyline perspective, why would Stephanie give a shot to any of them? But it was made official, and due to interference Sheamus wins, cause a win by DQ is still a win. 

Winner: Technically Sheamus

 

Nikki Bella vs. Fake AJ Lee (Brie)

While I stopped having issues with the matches Bella twins are in, they aren't great, but they aren't horrible either... I still do have a problem with pointless storylines and this one is pretty darn pointless. I get it, she has a title shot, then make it about it, focus on the title and as even AJ herself noticed on commentary for this match "It's just another way to humiliate Brie". Exactly my point, it's not about the fucking title, which should be the main point. It's a short match and barely worth watching.

Winner: Fake AJ Lee

 

The Usos and Los Matadores vs. Dust Brothers, The Miz and Damien Sandow

A quick paced and action packed match. Lots of tag-in and tag-outs and heels win. No one really cared about the match itself, the crowd just wanted to see Sandow in the ring. The match was decent, but it would really benefit if given more time.

Winners: Dust Brothers, The Miz and Damien Sandow

 

 

Overall: 4 out of 10 - As a go home show, the last episode of RAW before a big event, it didn't really do it's job. So in the end John Cena comes out alone, then a beat up Ziggler joins him and and beat up Big Show. After that we get a surprise addition of Eric Rowan. Why? As I said last week, Luke Harper needed a counter part on the babyface team, as that is how it usually works, but why Rowan? He never interacted with Cena and they never gave a reason as to why he joined the team, he just did. Fuck you, that's why. And then Ryback joins in, again, why? He had one segment with Cena in which he told Cena to fuck off. Why the change of heart? We don't know, there was no follow up. Fuck you, that's why. 

Monday Night RAW 10 November 2014

Is it just me, or does WWE really is lacking in star power? When I seen the teams for Survivor Series, all I could say was "ok... that's it?". I mean, no disrespect to anyone involved in that match, but it does feel a little lackluster. Now, while the heel team seems kind of ok-ish, the babyface one is nothing special. We have John Cena, of course, Dolph Ziggler and in this episode they were joined by Big Show and Sheamus. Apparently Jack Swagger was a temporary addition and now they are missing the fifth one, which could go for either Ryback or Orton. Sure, there are other options, And even a couple plausible ones, but I don't think there is a place for other people within the storyline. The heel team consists of Seth Rollins, Kane, Mark Henry, Rusev and if what they are hinting at is happening, Luke Harper is joining as well. Usually the members in teams in those traditional matches have something linking them... We have Sheamus going after Rusev, Big Show seeking revenge on Mark Henry, Ziggler that had a lot to do with Kane in recent weeks and John Cena facing Seth Rollins. Now, if the fifth heel member is Harper, there isn't really a pair for him. Harper was gone for quite some time and there isn't really any unresolved business with anyone in the roster. If we are going this route, then the best choice would be Ryback, since he doesn't have any ties with anyone currently either. Personally I would keep Ryback away from this team match, unless face team is meant to win. Ryback just came back, he cannot lose a big profile match, even in a tag team.

 

Seth Rollins vs. Jack Swagger

I like Jack, people like Jack, really. You can say someone is pretty damn over when the United Kingdom is cheering "We the People!". And yet he never gets any love from the management. While it wouldn't raise the level of stardom in the babyface team, it's quite low anyway, why not give Swagger a chance? He fucked up in the past, but that was when? Over 2 years ago?

Winner: Seth Rollins

 

Paige vs. Alicia Fox

And here ladies and gentlemen is a great example of a pointless match. It was short, it was fast and Paige won to make the home crowd happy. Yay! Carpenter dream wins!

Winner: Paige

 

Sheamus vs. Rusev - For the United States Championship

I still don't give a shit about Rusev story arc, but I have to admit matches with Sheamus are his biggest challenge to date. It's kind of weird that we won't see any of the singles titles on the line at Survivor Series (yes, Diva title will, but I am talking only about titles that kind of matter). The match was ok and it served as a bridge for Sheamus to join Cena's team at SS.

Winner: Rusev via Count Out

 

Los Matadores vs. The Miz and Damien Sandow

Damien Sandow was very well received, again. And that is all that I will say, since the match itself was kind of "meh". Nothing terrible, but not worth watching.

Winners: The Miz and Damien Sandow

 

Dolph Ziggler vs. Mark Henry

The match started and almost immediately finished with Henry getting disqualified on purpose. Big Show runs out to make a save and announce officially he joins team Cena. Really not much to say here otherwise. 

Winner: Dolph Ziggler by DQ

 

Brie Bella vs. AJ Lee

This was purely pointless. Match started and I am almost certain, that it didn't last even 2 minutes. Maybe I would say something about it, if there would be something to say about it. 

Winner: AJ Lee

 

Tyson Kidd vs. Adam Rose

I know that WWE gave up on the Adam Rose character and I know they don't have much faith in Tyson Kidd, so... Not much weight in this match. Nothing at stake and the commentators not caring about it. It was decent, while it lasted. Rose attacks the Bunny again, and supposedly that means Bunny will get a match. Natalia this time was not with Tyson, but we did get an Eric Rowan appearance. 

Winner: Tyson Kidd

 

John Cena vs. Ryback

It was a match, I can tell you that. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but since the whole heel team for Survivor Series was there, no one cared about the action in the ring. Everyone knew heels will attack eventually and just waited for that. And we were not disappointed. Kane attacks, gets Ryback disqualified, Ryback attacks Rollins and then everyone stormed the ring. Everyone except Dolph Ziggler, who was thrown into the Authority office be Luke Harper who seemed like he wanted to join the team. 

Winner: John Cena by DQ

 

 

Overall: 5 out of 10. If you watch WWE just for wrestling there isn't anything I would recommend, matches were either pointless or extremely short. I guess if I had to choose... Sheamus vs. Rusev at least was a normal match, but the ending sucked. Very heavy on the story episode and I know there is quite a few people that watch it just for that, so there is that.

Monday Night RAW 3 November 2014

This week's RAW starts of with a nice surprise, for a change... It's Authority, again, but this time Vince McMahon comes out with them. From what I read online, so take it with a grain of salt, it might be related to a storyline that was not started from around Wrestlemania. Back then Vince was meant to come back and a power struggle was meant to happen between the two fractions for who will rule over WWE. Now, I am not one of the people that believes in what he reads online, but the announcement made by Vince - that if Team Authority loses at Survivor Series, they will no longer be in charge - could very well be the start of that. 

The question now is, does that mean Mr McMahon will be appearing in a greater role in the coming weeks? If the rumors are true, I would expect that to be happening. After all, what's a power struggle if there is no one to fight against. Many people are wondering as well, does that mean, WWE finally sees "The Authority" project has run it's course. Personally I think it did. It wasn't all that great in the first place and in recent months it was pretty much the same, week after week. Don't get me wrong, I am all for eating pancakes, but how many weeks can you eat pancakes in a row, before you decide you don't want to touch another pancake in your life? Know what I'm saying? So yeah, the current situation has a potential to bring a very needed freshness to a very stale idea. But, as I always, we shall see what the future will bring, as this might as well be just a work in progress, to build up interest in the PPV aaand... Nothing will change, Authority will win and we go back to stuffing pancakes down out throats every weeks until we puke everything out.

 

Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro

Cesaro seems to become a complete jobber. I know that technically, he is jobbing to someone way higher on the food chain then him, but Ambrose is - like it or not - not yet a main event star. Oh, I don't mean he doesn't have abilities, I know very well what he is capable of doing, but in WWE he is not in the first row of a marching band, barely in the second row. So the loses Cesaro is gaining from those encounters seem to hurt him more then helping Dean. If you don't follow, let me explain better... Remember how Jericho puts over pretty much everyone WWE asks him to put over? That is because Jericho used to have something called "Rubbing off power". You fought Jericho and won, some of the credibility "rubbed" off him onto you. I say used to, cause while I love Chris and I know he can still go, in terms of WWE status, his credibility is very low, because of all the loses he gained over the years. And with lowered credibility, the "rubbing off" power fades as well. Now getting back to Cesaro, he didn't have a whole lot of credibility since he sided with Heyman, when WWE dropped the ball on an organic face turn that was happening with him. Everything was lost and now Cesaro is on a downhill slope. His credibility is slowly getting ruined and a win against him now has almost no "rub off". It's sad to see that happen to a great talent like him. 

Winner: Dean Ambrose

 

Jimmy Uso vs. The Miz

So I am guessing this will be a reoccurring thing we have here. First it's a tag team, then a singles match, are we going to get a tag match next? Or a singles match, but with the other half of the teams. The match itself was ok at best. But with Usos coming out from a series of very entertaining matches against the Dust brothers, the quality and my expectations a far, far lower with Miz being involved. Another great showing... for Damien Sandow, at least in the eyes of the crowd. Let's be honest here, the actual, serious part of Sandow's career is done. You do not get back from a comedy role like this, not without a whole lot of work WWE is almost 100% guaranteed not to put in, just to give Damien some actual credibility back. He took over the role Santino Marella had, and while he does it well, it's a shame, he is getting wasted on stuff like that. 

Winner: The Miz

 

Sheamus vs. Tyson Kidd

I really cannot get into what they are trying to do with Kidd these days. Is there an actual idea behind his character or is just "a guy" that comes down to the ring with his wife? Cause that's what is looks like. Don't get me wrong, I know Tyson is a workhorse, and all... But this is the big leagues, this just doesn't generate interest. His bad on the microphone, when I listened to him on the commentary during one of Natalya's matches, every word he said sounded so forced. Nothing about him feels natural and I don't know at this point is it his fault or the material he was given. A win by count-out is a lousy win, always was, always will be, but I guess he won.

Winner: Tyson Kidd

 

Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins - For the Intercontinental Championship

One of the two matches that actually mattered in this episode of RAW. The continuation of the Survivor Series team storyline. The Authority comes out to meat Ziggler in the ring and they try to pull him away from Cena. He tells them basically to fuck off and we get a match against Rollins. Since there is no actual contender for the title and Dolph is not involved in any story other then the team one, there is no chance Rollins is taking the belt. Rollins is not going to get demoted to being the IC champion. And yes, it does pain me to say "demoted to IC champion". As a match it was ok, at least while it lasted. At the finish we get Orton RKO'ing Rollins.

Winner: Technically Rollins via DQ, but I don't remember was it actually announced or the match just stopped

 

Ryback vs. Titus O'Neil

I really don't have a whole lot to say here. Ryback has his old babyface gimmick back and it suits him far better then the failed heel attempt. It's a squash match with little value, I see quite a few of those in his future.

Winner: Ryback

 

Mark Henry vs. Big Show

Another try at Mark Henry being heel. Ekhm... Let me tell you how this will go. Henry will be dominating and everyone will be happy, but since he doesn't have a whole lot of personality or the wrestling ability, he will start to become more and more boring. Then we will either see him getting hurt, again, or turn face for no apparent reason. Big Show is Big Show, he does what he can do with what he has, but you can see it very well he doesn't have a whole lot left in the tank. The days of giants are passing and it will be a sad day when the last one of them goes away.

Winner: Big Show via DQ

 

Nikki Bella vs. Emma

Nikki wins. Do you really expect me to say more? It was a mediocre, short match that ended with Brie being forced to slap AJ Lee that sat in the commentary. I try to get invested, I honestly try. I even don't skip the Diva matches when I watch. I try, the universe be my witness I try. I just can't find it in me to actually care about ANYTHING a Bella is involved in. 

Winner: Nikki Bella

 

Rusev vs. Ryder

Poor, poor Zack. Once so full of potential and it all goes down the drain of wrestling past. You were once on the top of the world and now... It's just sad to see that happen. Ryder isn't a great performer, but he has his strengths and one problem... WWE never gave him an actual chance. People say that Cena killed Ryder and that is just a bunch of bullshit. What killed Ryder was that stupid storyline with Eve Torres and Kane. That is what stopped his momentum, that is what halted his push. Relationship storylines almost never work and when you are chosen by the brass at the scapegoat, then you might as well pack your bags and go. Honestly that is what I hope Ryder will do. While WWE probably pays nicely, how much Ryder could actually be earning if he is almost never on TV, never on PPV. Run Zack, run while you still have a couple years left in your body. The match was a squash.

Winner: Rusev

 

Fernando vs. Stardust

Are we really going to give Los Matadores a title shot? I know WWE is short on tag teams, but Los Matadores? Stardus loses this one in a very insulting fashion. I am starting to get afraid WWE is giving up on Dust Brothers... First they get steam rolled by Show and Henry, now this. I have bad feelings about this.

Winner: Fernando

 

Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton

And here we get to the part of the show I like to call... "Guess when and how Randy will get injured!". If you read any wrestling news sites, you probably already know that Orton is going to film a movie, so he needs some time off. And what happens when someone needs time off? Usually they do an injury angle, it's simple to execute, doesn't take a whole lot of thinking and gives a perfectly good reason for why someone is not appearing on TV. Here the injury came after the match, which I am thankful for, first main event in a long time that actually ended with a clean finish and after a nice match as well. After the match Orton is livid and fakes some hands shakes, just to RKO Rollins and then get attacked by everyone after punching Triple H. Well, it is official, Orton might not be a full on babyface, but he is definitely not a part of Authority anymore. That makes you wonder, does it mean he will join team Cena in the end? Maybe, probably, but let's not run that far in the future. For now Randy is gone, can you guess who will brag about it next week?

Winner: Seth Rollins

 

Sheamus vs. Rusev - For the United States Championship

This one actually makes sense, for once. United States championship is the perfect title for Rusev, at least for now. It actually fits the whole bad Russian gimmick. But of course, I wouldn't be myself if I would not see a problem here. Creative REALLY needs to give Rusev something other then being the "big, bad, evil Russian". When he loses, and eventually he will lose, he needs to get a place to land. He needs a hook to grab on the way down to stay relevant and you don't achieve that in a week or even a month, not for that kind of character. For now let us applause an actually good decision made by WWE. And Sheamus, well, he didn't really do anything with that title and at least now he has a reason to fight. He will lose the rematch without a doubt, but maybe that will let him get back to the main event. If Team Authority gets Rusev into their team, Sheamus will probably join Cena.  

Winner: Rusev

 

 

Overall: 6 out of 10 - Storyline-wise the only really meaningful parts are, again, at the beginning and at the end. If you care about matches, I guess the main event wasn't bad, just don't expect fireworks and you might get some entertainment out it.

Monday Night RAW 27 October 2014

Welcome back to a weekly dose of my venting and ranting about WWE's main show. 

 

This time, for a change, we start with Authority in the ring talking about how great Seth Rollins truly is and how Randy Orton lost to John Cena in the cell. That, what a surprise brings out Randall and he is not exactly happy, to say the least. He has a brief promo and then goes after Rollins ending the segment with an RKO. This basically confirms what was almost sure since last week, that Orton and Rollins will have a program together. I am down for that to be honest. Rollins needs to be finally shown as a credible wrestler, he cannot hide forever behind "the boss" and maybe this time they will take advantage of the person they chose. A loss with Rollins will not hurt Orton, he is in the business for far too long and is far too well established to get damaged. In said feud it is definitely Randy, who will take on the role of face, but it might be more interesting then just that. 

At one point of the episode John Cena came out for a promo and was confronted by Stephanie McMahon and then HHH. They tried to convince John to join their team at Survivor Series, since we will get a traditional tag match. Cena, of course, says no and HHH announces that it will be Team Authority vs. Team Cena. And since Brock Lesnar still doesn't give a shit about WWE, it is basically just another way to turn the spotlight away from the missing belt. The team situation could be interesting as well. With Randy Orton's face turn happening, he might be forced into Team Authority, which could further the story between Seth and him. There is also a good chance that if Rollins will become the heel team leader, Randy will join Cena. And the third option would be to take out the feuding two into a singles match. But that most likely will not happen, as without Randy and Seth, Team Authority is left with Kane and... HHH maybe? So yeah, not really believing in that scenario. Plus since Dolph Ziggler is in Cena's team, we have an almost guaranteed Cesaro add-on to the heels team. I will be observing as the situation will unfold, but for now... Color me interested, don't waste it.

 

Mark Henry and Big Show vs. The Dust Brothers - For the Tag Team Championships

I really do not like what they did here. So the match went like this... Big Show and Henry dominated the tag champions and in the process Mark Henry turned heel on Big Show knocking him out and planting Stardust on him for the win. I understand that WWE need to do it, but why during a match with a credible tag team? Why squash the Dusts? I was seriously angry when watching that. This run is one of Goldust's best ones in his career and Cody seems to work the gimmick nicely (still think he should be a singles wrestler, but that's just me). And they just give a title shot to Show and Henry, no rhyme or reason... Just go and kill the tag champions, because no one cares about tag team champions. I am really pissed off about this. Couldn't they used one of the joke teams? Was Slater and O'Neil really too busy? Since there was never a title holder change in mind, would it really matter who they squashed? No, it wouldn't. They fucked up and I don't care about Henry turning heel again. I actually care about tag team wrestling, unlike the WWE apparently.

Winners: The Dust Brothers

 

AJ Lee vs. Alicia Fox - For the Divas Championship

I know I already said it on a different occasion, but what exactly was the point of this match? It didn't establish anything in relation to the Divas Championship, which should be the point. If anything, it established a conflict between Paige and Alicia, and I am guessing this was not exactly the point of it...? This makes me wonder, since the rumors say WWE is not giving the title to a "Total Diva", is this the time to bring new women from NXT? 

Winner: AJ Lee

 

The Usos vs Damien Sandow and The Miz

Have I ever told you guys, how much I hate The Miz? Well, I do, and not because he is a bad guy. Any match Miz is in I will cheer the other side. Since Usos finished their work with Dusts for now, they needed something to do and I guess Miz and Damien were that something. An average match, again Sandow is getting the most attention and seems to be growing in popularity. The match ends with the Usos switching places and taking the win. It most likely was not the last confrontation.

Winners: The Usos

 

Bo Dallas vs. Ryback

So... Ryback is back. Apparently as a face this time, which seems better since the last time when he tried playing a bad guy it fell completely flat. I think it is time to start saying "Bye-bye" to Bo. He had a promising start, annoying, but promising, had his ups and more ups... But now he is heading straight down and for now I don't see any way to stop it. Ryback on the other hand got a very good reaction from the crowd, but we shall see if that will stay, we had been in this situation and you never know when WWE might decided to pull the "fuck up" lever. The tag team with Axel, I assume, is no longer as well. Another prospect for the Team Cena at SS? That could certainly bring Ryback back into the main event fast and not feel forced. But hey, there is still time left, we'll see what happens with that.

Winner: Ryback

 

Casaro vs. Dean Ambrose

Poor, poor Cesaro. What did he do to deserve this kind of treatment? A performer of his caliber ANYWHERE else would be holding the main title long time ago, but in WWE he is used as a jobber. First they don't let him win anything and now they just throw him out like a piece of meat for Ambrose. It's really pissing me off, he deserves so much more and yet they are holding him back. What are you waiting for retards?! 

Winner: Match never started

 

Nikki Bella vs. Naomi

This match was meaningless as a match, didn't help anyone, didn't hurt anyone. Storyline wise we saw that Brie, reluctantly, helped her sister win this. The only way this could go and have even a slight amount of sense is that we see Brie helping Nikki with less and less disgust, which would lead into a heel turn and the Bella Twins reunion. Not sure how this would work with Daniel Bryan being the crowd favorite when he comes back. But the new "news" say he will be having that second surgery and if that is true, the healing process might take a while. In the world of Divas heel/face turns can happen on a weekly basis, so maybe that could work...? I don't know, or to be honest, really care.

Winner: Nikki Bella

 

Kane vs. Dolph Ziggler

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

I will bind those two matches together since they are very closely related. First we see Dolph Ziggler talk to John Cena backstage, most likely about being a part of Team Cena for the Survivor Series. After that we see Kane confronting Ziggler and telling him that since it is seen as a threat to Authority to talk to Cena, Kane will take out the threat. This gives us a match between the Intercontinental Champion and Kane. The match was enjoyable to watch and I think a worth while. One thing that is more and more obvious with each showing, is that Kane is nearing the end of his career. While he can still deliver a good match, in my opinion, there isn't anything left of the "rubbing power" he once had. A win over Kane did absolutely nothing for Dolph, a win is a win, still. After that ended Seth Rollins attacked and was chased away by John Cena, with whom he will be having a match next.

This one was pretty similar and pretty much as expected. Since Rollins is playing the pussy-heel, we had an unavoidable interference from Kane, when John was starting to win. That bring out Dolph Ziggler and this brings out - for some reason - the rest of the locker room. The episode ends with Cena standing in the ring alone surrounded by everyone and the Authority on the ramp looking at each other. Not sure yet how to feel about it, I guess we shall see what future will bring and who will join which team. Right now I am interested, but that can fade with each bad decision. 

John Cena vs. Seth Rollins

Winner: John Cena via DQ

 

 

Overall: 5 out of 10 - If you are a fan, you already seen it, if you haven't watch it, just to know what we are in for in the coming weeks. 

WWE Hell in a Cell 2014 Review

Writing a review a day after watching the PPV certainly has a couple perks, as I mentioned before. You get a perspective, in this case, I already seen RAW - a review is coming tomorrow - and there are two words that come to mind... potentially problematic. I will not be doing a play by play, as that was done on enough sites and it is not what I am about. I write about my reflections, feelings and thoughts. So with that said, let's dig into Hell in a Cell. This time, unlike the prediction piece, matches will be in the order they appeared. 

 

Mark Henry vs. Bo Dallas - Preshow

So I guess we can put Bo's winning streak on the shelf of things that got quickly forgotten. A quick squash match by Mark Henry and a quick win. Mark Henry will be going through some changes and they want to keep him relevant and not involved with anything else. Therefore it was necessary to cut any ties left between the two. The potential problem is that there is nothing for Bo to do now. He had his winning streak when he debuted, he lost it in a throw away match. He had his winning streak over Mark Henry, it got thrown out and with authority (no pun intended). I never was a fan of Dallas and unless they change something about him, I never will, but still. The guy right now is just there, to be there. I really don't know what they could do with him and for that thing to make sense. 

Winner: Mark Henry

 

Dolph Ziggler vs. Cesaro - 2 out of 3 falls for the Intercontinental Championship

Clap... Clap... Clap... This was just a great match all around. The only bad part of the match itself was that although it was a 2 out of 3 falls, they only gave it around 15 minutes. Stipulations like this beg for at least 20 minutes, at least! Nevertheless, don't let my words discourage you from watching. Cesaro and Ziggler together stole the show, for me personally. Technically this was the match of the night and if you are a fan of that kind of matches, you will not regret watching. The potential problem coming from this, is that Cesaro is kind of stuck in limbo now. A contender with such prowess should be fighting for the biggest titles against the biggest names and he is just kind of there with only one reason to be... To make other people matches look better. He's great at that, but how many loses he can take, before his credibility starts to take a hit?

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

 

Nikki Bella vs. Brie Bella - Loser is the winner's assistant for 30 days or quit WWE

Ok, I will be honest, even though this barely wants to come out from under my finger tips... This was better then expected. Still pointless, still stupid, but better then I thought it will be. Nikki presents herself in the ring better then her sister, and I am not talking about her plastic tits. Brie, if she's not using Daniel's moves, is kind of transparent and it's very audible in those matches, when she gets a reaction only when doing something her husband used to do.

Winner: Nikki Bella

 

The Dust Brothers vs. The Usos - For the Tag Team Championships

The match itself is not among the best work from either team, but still enjoyable. I commented on this so many times before, there is literally nothing more I have to say, if I don't want to repeat myself. You seen it, I seen it, you know what to expect, you know if you feel like watching. And now the potential problem... What's next for the Tag Team Champions? They milked the matches with Usos as much as it was possible, and there really aren't any credible teams left. Will this be the moment WWE reaches down to NXT and takes a team from there? I guess they don't have much choice.

Winners: The Dust Brothers

 

John Cena vs. Randy Orton - Hell in a Cell for the no. 1 contendership to Brock Lesnar's title.

I liked this match. Yes, I said it. You have Orton and Cena, two workers that certainly can pull out a very good match and no, not out of nowhere. And this was that kind of match. The thing that was unnecessary was the cage. They barely even used it and I feel like it was limiting them more then helping anything. This match was the closest this PPV got to having a main championship match and we should be happy at least with that. Good work from both guys.

Winner: John Cena

 

Sheamus vs. The Miz - For the United States Championship

Really happy that I was wrong about this. Miz does not deserve to carry any championship title. His gimmicks suck, his personality suck, his ring work sucks. On the other hand, we have a potential problem of what to do with Sheamus? There doesn't seem to be any contenders for the US title, or even any interest in that championship. Another guy in limbo? Yeah...

Winner: Sheamus

 

Rusev vs. Big Show

This ended the way it was supposed to end. Rusev wins, United States loses. Woooo... For a match between two big guys, this was as good as it could be. We had an appearance be Mark Henry, which a lot of people thought will turn into a heel turn. Big Show lost, what else is there to say? So who is next for Rusev? Oh, right, there isn't anyone else. Ok, lets see who WWE will throw this time for Rusev to win over. The rumors say that eventually he will go after Cena, but Cena will be busy in the near future, so who is next? 

Winner: Rusev

 

Paige vs. AJ Lee - For the Divas Championship

Well, with this match, Paige is no longer in the title picture. I don't know if that is because, supposedly, Paige is appearing in Total Divas - I don't watch, never did, never will, don't know - or what, but I guess that's the reality. Hard to tell who will be next in line. Maybe Alicia Fox? Since she is pretty much the only one other then Paige to be even slightly interested in the championship. Or is Alicia in Total Divas as well? Seriously, is she? I really don't know.

Winner: AJ Lee

 

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose - Hell in a Cell

The match that people are raving about and that a lot of people were waiting for. For me, it was just a mess and I am not a fan of those kind of outcomes. And the addition of Bray Wyatt has it's point, but is also potentially problematic. The Rollins-Ambrose storyline seems to be put on hold for now, but without a definite ending, there is a good chance they will restart it sometime in the future. But as I said, there are problems here, at least potentially. As I did watch RAW already, I know that this was not just a random attack, Wyatt vs. Ambrose is going to happen. Problem here is that someone has to lose in this. But who will lose? Do you make Bray, a guy who lost pretty much every important feud since his debut and is now coming back, lose another big one? Or do you take Ambrose, the guy who got figuratively "killed" on cinder blocks losing a feud with Rollins, to come back later and lose another feud with Rollins, lose another feud in a row? There is no winner here, whatever happens has negative repercussions.

Winner: Seth Rollins

 

 

Overall: 6 out of 10 - There are good moments and this event is certainly above average, but a big part of it is a let down as well. And with all the problems that potentially could appear now? The future... looks problematic.