Hell in a Cell thoughts
After reading about the HIAC WWE title match, I had to find it on Youtube so I could see if they'd protected Ryback enough. The finish saw referee Brad Maddox low-blow Ryback and then fast count when Punk rolled him up.
I suppose this was the best 'bad' finish they could come up with. I'm not a great fan of this but I suppose it did what it needed to do - keep Punk as the champ and make Ryback look strong from it. Even though he was pinned, he got back up, destroyed the ref and the then Shellshocked Punk on top of the cage; ending the PPV in command. Additionally, with no Cena on the show I suppose they weren't holding any hope of this PPV doing so well - so why put any effort into the finish (i.e having someone of worth coming back for a non-finish).
Raw
Raw kicked off with Punk (flanked by the 'belt carrier') basking in the glory of still being the WWE Champion (344 days). Out comes Mick Foley to give Punk crap on not living up to the legacy of HIAC (He won - surely that's the point? Was he meant to throw himself off the cage for it to mean anything?).
Randomly they decide to resolve their differences with a traditional Survivor Series match. I really like it when the Survivor Series actually delivers these types of matches but this seemed VERY random. It seems like throwing a match together to keep Punk's title reign going all the way to the Rumble. This way it 'rests' the title for a month and will probably result in Ryback getting a pin over Punk (when it doesn't matter) this time around.
It's a little disappointing that they haven't got a title match lined up for Punk's one year anniversary of capturing it - maybe they'll do something the week before?
Things of note in this segment: Punk again owns Cena by referring to himself being Kryptonite to the WWE's Superman (win after win after win). Also, I was surprised that JR's memory is letting him down - he seems to think that the HIAC finish was the most controversial he's witnessed in four decades in the business - so Montreal doesn't count then JR?
After smashing JTG (back to good ol' fashioned jobbers), Ryback cuts his first promo - not much to it and ended with a chant of his catchprase. A LOT more work needed before this guy stays at the top - he can't rely on just brute force forever!
The other main storyline from Raw is the growing AJ/Cena/Vickie saga. I really have no interest in seeing this. If it means Cena vs Dolph at Survivor Series fair enough, but just get these guys arguing it out - and not because of some 'affair' that might or might not have happened! I can't stand Cena (character) but he doesn't help himself by getting shitty over the allegations Vickie directs at him/AJ. If anything it really makes him look guilty - guilty of what though? They're both single - therefore get on with it John-boy!
As far as a potential Cena/Ziggler match in the future (more than likely at Survivor Series seeing as neither are part of the Foley vs Punk match) I can only see it going one way - a Cena win - WWE seem to continue to think that Ziggler can keep losing week after week, month after month and then win the World Title and it not look like crap! If they are going to give him that belt anytime soon then I'd rather see him STRONG leading up to it - not getting his arse handed to him all the time. I really hope they give him the win over Cena - clean - and then have him progress from there. That will be the perfect springboard for going for the big one.
Next on my hit-list is Irish Cena - Sheamus - he is getting more annoying by the week. I'm so glad that he lost the World Title as hopefully he'll get pissed off about it and get some attitude/aggression back.
The most annoying part of his speech was when he admitted that he 'didn't come to the WWE to always win'. I was absolutely shocked that he would admit something like that; he might as well say 'ah well, I lost the title but I'm having a great time and it's about the taking part, not the winning'. I always remember the likes of Triple H saying that if you're not in this to be 'the man' then you shouldn't be there - take note Ginger-boy!
This show felt very random by the end what with the random challenge of a traditional Survivor Series match - Foley hasn't been around for weeks and now he decides to show up to get back at Punk. The teams were a bit easy to predict too (Ryback/Kofi/Bryan/Kane/Orton vs Punk/Rhodes/Sandow/Miz/Del Rio) and could've been recruited/revealed in the coming weeks. I suppose this is a way to get some matches out of it without Foley having to be around until the PPV.
Lastly, there was no 'Brad Maddox payoff' on Raw - I'm not sure if they're selling the beating Ryback gave him (with wasn't much) but by next week, if they decide to reveal why he did what he did, nobody will care. It seems to me that his non appearance reinforced that the whole scenario was a last minute decision that they wanted to sweep under the carpet as soon as possible so that HIAC could be forgotten about and the Punk reign/Ryback 'strong' could continue.
"I'm not here to make a mark; I'm here to leave a scar" - Corey Graves
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Thursday, 25 October 2012
WWE Raw rant 22/10/2012
This week Raw started with a really entertaining Tag Team Title No.1 contendership match - Rhodes/Sandow vs Rey/Sin Cara. Showcasing the future here yet again with a really exciting/satisfying finish. Fair play to Rhodes/Sandow - I think they will eventually be worthy Tag Team Champs.
Next up, Kofi (new Intercontinental Champion) comes out for an easy win. I heard he'd won the IC title during last week and couldn't believe they'd switched it to him. I could really see Miz having a worthy/credible title run to give it some prestige back. What bothers me more is that this feud started when Kofi attacked Miz during the Larry King segment the other week - this was unprovoked and heel-like - this makes no sense for Kofi to do this?
As for Kofi's career; the guy is so talented, in the same way that Shelton Benjamin was a few years ago. I have a feeling if he isn't used right and put in the right feuds, he's just going to go the same way as Benjamin (and John Morrison for that matter) - should-be World Champions and THE future. This never really happened with Benjamin/Morrison and I have a feeling the same will happen with Kofi.
Onto my favourite - John Cena.
This week John-boy (I love how Punk calls him that so I'm going to adopt it!) comes out and kisses up to the NY Giants. He follows this up by throwing some credit to Punk for that pipebomb from last year where Punk called for change - the change being that Ryback is in the main event at HIAC. He also says that something that hasn't changed is Punk being the champ for 337 days now - got to disagree with you there John; Punk being champ for 337 days means an attempt to give the title some prestige has been made (that's a change). I'm big on people having titles for long periods of time - some don't see this as important but I think as time goes on people will realise the worth in doing this.
John-boy continued to lick Ryback's ass - even getting a chant going of his catchphrase 'Feed Me More'. You whore John - are you that desperate for acceptance/cheers (even though you say you're cool with the cheers/boos, whichever people want to give you) that you have to jump on the 'flavour of the month' at every opportunity?
Finally Punk comes out (with the 'belt carrier') to interrupt Cena's vomitfest. YET AGAIN, Punk tells it exactly how it is (even though he's a proper heel now, he still makes Cena look a dick EVERY week - this shouldn't happen?!). He calls Cena on the NY Giants reference as well as him being Ryback's cheerleader and voice - highlighting Ryback's lack of talk (which he WILL need sooner than later). He also makes a good point that while he's been the champ for 337 days, that means Cena hasn't - and for a lot longer than that period. That is the ultimate change in the last year! Cena = owned again this week.
Just wanted to point out JR's dip in quality of commentary. JR has been awesome in his play-by-play role over the years, but he makes the odd cock up that makes me chuckle - during the Cesaro vs Gabriel match, he seems to think that Gabriel is from South America and not South Africa (Cole, why didn't you correct him?!) and he also refers to Punk as the 'Greatest in the World', not 'Best' - ok I'm picky here but it is plastered on tee shirts and has been his tagline for a year now!
The other big talking point of this weeks Raw was the GM situation. I absolutely hate this overshadowing everything else. So basically, AJ resigns and Vickie takes over, but in a lesser role - 'Managing Supervisor' - which Vince says isn't an interim job (and then later tells Cena it pretty much IS interim?!) Whatever name you give it, it's still an annoying, unneeded match maker, that everyone is bored of and is a tired idea that needs scraping! Is this how we fill 3 hours every week? *sigh*
Adding to the annoyance factor of this situation is John Cena. He's just everywhere lately! He's there to let AJ know that this is crap and he's there for her if she needs - what a guy! So not only do you disrespect the title by giving away your shot, but you swap it for this horsecrap storyline?
Other highlights include; Alberto Del Rio gets to take on a REAL jobber in Zach Ryder! Finally someone who deserves to tap out is fed to ADR! Loved his intensity at the end of this match - there's still hope for Mexican JBL yet.
Finally, Heyman has some use/worth this week - giving confidence/reassurance to Punk when he's in doubt.
Main event of Champion vs Champion Lumberjack match (largest ever) is Vince's best bet to compete with the Presidential debate and sporting events happening at the same time. Hmmm...
Prediction #1: After the crap Kane/Daniel Bryan have given him, I can see Matt Striker (the former teacher) becoming Rhodes Scholars manager. Not that they need him. But there's something about Striker's confidence at the end of that segment.
Prediction #2: This is in regards to Vickie's new role/HIAC title finish. I think there could be a link with the two. Michael Cole hinted that with Vickie in charge, maybe Dolph Ziggler will have certain advantages... I think as a way of having a non-finish at HIAC, they'll get Ziggler to run in and attempt to cash in MITB, letting Punk make a run out of the cell = Punk retains (kind of) and Ryback's still undefeated. PPV finishes and crowd goes home happy after Ryback destroys Bump Master Zigg...
Next up, Kofi (new Intercontinental Champion) comes out for an easy win. I heard he'd won the IC title during last week and couldn't believe they'd switched it to him. I could really see Miz having a worthy/credible title run to give it some prestige back. What bothers me more is that this feud started when Kofi attacked Miz during the Larry King segment the other week - this was unprovoked and heel-like - this makes no sense for Kofi to do this?
As for Kofi's career; the guy is so talented, in the same way that Shelton Benjamin was a few years ago. I have a feeling if he isn't used right and put in the right feuds, he's just going to go the same way as Benjamin (and John Morrison for that matter) - should-be World Champions and THE future. This never really happened with Benjamin/Morrison and I have a feeling the same will happen with Kofi.
Onto my favourite - John Cena.
This week John-boy (I love how Punk calls him that so I'm going to adopt it!) comes out and kisses up to the NY Giants. He follows this up by throwing some credit to Punk for that pipebomb from last year where Punk called for change - the change being that Ryback is in the main event at HIAC. He also says that something that hasn't changed is Punk being the champ for 337 days now - got to disagree with you there John; Punk being champ for 337 days means an attempt to give the title some prestige has been made (that's a change). I'm big on people having titles for long periods of time - some don't see this as important but I think as time goes on people will realise the worth in doing this.
John-boy continued to lick Ryback's ass - even getting a chant going of his catchphrase 'Feed Me More'. You whore John - are you that desperate for acceptance/cheers (even though you say you're cool with the cheers/boos, whichever people want to give you) that you have to jump on the 'flavour of the month' at every opportunity?
Finally Punk comes out (with the 'belt carrier') to interrupt Cena's vomitfest. YET AGAIN, Punk tells it exactly how it is (even though he's a proper heel now, he still makes Cena look a dick EVERY week - this shouldn't happen?!). He calls Cena on the NY Giants reference as well as him being Ryback's cheerleader and voice - highlighting Ryback's lack of talk (which he WILL need sooner than later). He also makes a good point that while he's been the champ for 337 days, that means Cena hasn't - and for a lot longer than that period. That is the ultimate change in the last year! Cena = owned again this week.
Just wanted to point out JR's dip in quality of commentary. JR has been awesome in his play-by-play role over the years, but he makes the odd cock up that makes me chuckle - during the Cesaro vs Gabriel match, he seems to think that Gabriel is from South America and not South Africa (Cole, why didn't you correct him?!) and he also refers to Punk as the 'Greatest in the World', not 'Best' - ok I'm picky here but it is plastered on tee shirts and has been his tagline for a year now!
The other big talking point of this weeks Raw was the GM situation. I absolutely hate this overshadowing everything else. So basically, AJ resigns and Vickie takes over, but in a lesser role - 'Managing Supervisor' - which Vince says isn't an interim job (and then later tells Cena it pretty much IS interim?!) Whatever name you give it, it's still an annoying, unneeded match maker, that everyone is bored of and is a tired idea that needs scraping! Is this how we fill 3 hours every week? *sigh*
Adding to the annoyance factor of this situation is John Cena. He's just everywhere lately! He's there to let AJ know that this is crap and he's there for her if she needs - what a guy! So not only do you disrespect the title by giving away your shot, but you swap it for this horsecrap storyline?
Other highlights include; Alberto Del Rio gets to take on a REAL jobber in Zach Ryder! Finally someone who deserves to tap out is fed to ADR! Loved his intensity at the end of this match - there's still hope for Mexican JBL yet.
Finally, Heyman has some use/worth this week - giving confidence/reassurance to Punk when he's in doubt.
Main event of Champion vs Champion Lumberjack match (largest ever) is Vince's best bet to compete with the Presidential debate and sporting events happening at the same time. Hmmm...
Prediction #1: After the crap Kane/Daniel Bryan have given him, I can see Matt Striker (the former teacher) becoming Rhodes Scholars manager. Not that they need him. But there's something about Striker's confidence at the end of that segment.
Prediction #2: This is in regards to Vickie's new role/HIAC title finish. I think there could be a link with the two. Michael Cole hinted that with Vickie in charge, maybe Dolph Ziggler will have certain advantages... I think as a way of having a non-finish at HIAC, they'll get Ziggler to run in and attempt to cash in MITB, letting Punk make a run out of the cell = Punk retains (kind of) and Ryback's still undefeated. PPV finishes and crowd goes home happy after Ryback destroys Bump Master Zigg...
Friday, 19 October 2012
Raw highlights 15/10/12
This weeks highlights/comments will be a bit shorter this week as I found a Youtube link late on this week so have only seen little snippets of the show!
I've caught the CM Punk/Cena/Ryback decision and also wanted to check out the new stable of 3MB - Slater, McIntyre and Mahal.
I'll start with the new Job Squad, or Job Squad 2000 if you like?! This week saw another showing of the newly named 3MB (3 Man Band?) - Heath Slater (leader, I guess), Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal - beating on Santino (again) and Zach Ryder.
There was also a comedy segment (if you can call it that) of them taking over a bar's stage. I think even the people of this bar were wondering who they were and what they thought they were doing. I'm really not sure about this group; they seem like they've been thrown together as they're not working out in singles competition.
Individually, I can just about take Slater and McIntyre, probably to be used on one of the lesser shows. Mahal I have no time for at all. His claim to fame just lately was giving Ryback a run for his money in one match - a lot more offense than I would have thought they'd have given him against a machine that Ryback was even then.
Another downside to them is their 'sign' - raising three fingers - this is a bit too close to the 4Horsemen for my liking, especially as these will NEVER get near to the greatness of that stable!
I think the only plus that this group have is that they all wore leathers to the ring - this goes along with my rule that a tag team (and in this case threesome/stable) should dress the same/similar. I hope for better things in the coming weeks but don't hold my breathe.
Obviously, the main part of the show featured the Punk/Cena/Ryback decision. This was decided by Vince after Punk was given the chance to decide for himself but hesitated.
Ultimately, all parties (apart from Punk) agreed that Ryback was the choice to go with. This really bothered me for a few reasons. Cena is obviously still recovering from the surgery he had a few weeks ago so Plan B was needed!
I really don't like Cena's reasoning behind this decision. He says that someone needs to kick Punk's ass - and that person should be Ryback. Why doesn't Cena want to do the job himself? Surely he should take every opportunity he can get at Punk, so why give that chance away? This really makes Cena look a chump - and also, for me, makes people hate/boo him even more than he already gets. It makes it seem that Cena can give up opportunities all the time because he knows he'll get further matches in the future. How disrespectful is that towards Punk AND the WWE Championship itself?
Cena also went on to lick Ryback's ass further. I'm not sure why though? Does he think by backing Ryback he's going to get cheered for being such a good sport? Desperation...
The biggest question this scenario brings up is how is the match going to play out at HIAC? Punk has to retain, it's as simple as that. There's no way that he's gone 330+ days as champ only to lose to Ryback at the first attempt (not to mention that that would make Cena look weak for not beating him in all the previous matches). Ryback can't lose either though, as the streak he's on is getting him more and more popular. If they end that streak then they end his mystique, no matter how they get to that finish.
The only outcome that springs to mind is a non-finish, but this goes against the point of a Hell in a Cell match - there has to be a decisive outcome. I suppose there's still time to change things leading up to the PPV, so we'll see...
I've caught the CM Punk/Cena/Ryback decision and also wanted to check out the new stable of 3MB - Slater, McIntyre and Mahal.
I'll start with the new Job Squad, or Job Squad 2000 if you like?! This week saw another showing of the newly named 3MB (3 Man Band?) - Heath Slater (leader, I guess), Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal - beating on Santino (again) and Zach Ryder.
There was also a comedy segment (if you can call it that) of them taking over a bar's stage. I think even the people of this bar were wondering who they were and what they thought they were doing. I'm really not sure about this group; they seem like they've been thrown together as they're not working out in singles competition.
Individually, I can just about take Slater and McIntyre, probably to be used on one of the lesser shows. Mahal I have no time for at all. His claim to fame just lately was giving Ryback a run for his money in one match - a lot more offense than I would have thought they'd have given him against a machine that Ryback was even then.
Another downside to them is their 'sign' - raising three fingers - this is a bit too close to the 4Horsemen for my liking, especially as these will NEVER get near to the greatness of that stable!
I think the only plus that this group have is that they all wore leathers to the ring - this goes along with my rule that a tag team (and in this case threesome/stable) should dress the same/similar. I hope for better things in the coming weeks but don't hold my breathe.
Obviously, the main part of the show featured the Punk/Cena/Ryback decision. This was decided by Vince after Punk was given the chance to decide for himself but hesitated.
Ultimately, all parties (apart from Punk) agreed that Ryback was the choice to go with. This really bothered me for a few reasons. Cena is obviously still recovering from the surgery he had a few weeks ago so Plan B was needed!
I really don't like Cena's reasoning behind this decision. He says that someone needs to kick Punk's ass - and that person should be Ryback. Why doesn't Cena want to do the job himself? Surely he should take every opportunity he can get at Punk, so why give that chance away? This really makes Cena look a chump - and also, for me, makes people hate/boo him even more than he already gets. It makes it seem that Cena can give up opportunities all the time because he knows he'll get further matches in the future. How disrespectful is that towards Punk AND the WWE Championship itself?
Cena also went on to lick Ryback's ass further. I'm not sure why though? Does he think by backing Ryback he's going to get cheered for being such a good sport? Desperation...
The biggest question this scenario brings up is how is the match going to play out at HIAC? Punk has to retain, it's as simple as that. There's no way that he's gone 330+ days as champ only to lose to Ryback at the first attempt (not to mention that that would make Cena look weak for not beating him in all the previous matches). Ryback can't lose either though, as the streak he's on is getting him more and more popular. If they end that streak then they end his mystique, no matter how they get to that finish.
The only outcome that springs to mind is a non-finish, but this goes against the point of a Hell in a Cell match - there has to be a decisive outcome. I suppose there's still time to change things leading up to the PPV, so we'll see...
Friday, 12 October 2012
WWE Raw highlights 8/10/2012
Little bit late in writing this post this week, here goes...
Just when you start to miss Cena, he comes out to start the show. I suppose they have to keep his face about enough to show he's still got a shot at Hell in a Cell. The most interesting thing about this opening segment (apart from the usual wonderful ass kissing to the audience) was the passing on the ramp between Cena and the 'ready for action' Ryback - again, a nod to the possibility he'll have something to do in the Hell in a Cell match if Cena's not fully fit.
Ryback then went on to beat the Colons (Primo & Epico) in another handicap squash match. I'm not a big fan of using a tag team (as apposed to jobbers) to get someone over - especially when they're really pushing the tag division as a credible part of the show these days. The only thing to save this situation was JBL's attempt to justify the win, saying that Ryback has beaten a very talented, multi championship winning tag team. Hmmm...
Next comment I'll make is on the Brodus Clay / R Truth / Lil' Jimmy 'dance'. I'll keep this short - I died a little inside over this. It reminded me of Road Dogg and The Godfather opting to go off with the hoes instead of fighting, or every week when someone would dance with Rikishi. I suppose the more limited opportunities R Truth gets, the better, in my opinion.
A new layer to Punk was seen this week as he told the 'ironic' fans he didn't need their cheers/support. Nice touch sir! As much as I love the things he does every week, it almost seems like he's as desperate for people to hate him as Cena is for them to love him (which just isn't going to happen in either case).
Other notes on the 'State of WWE' segment were Vince going down like a girl to one little slap! (who shot him?), Heyman trying to be the voice of reason - I suppose Paul knows not to mess with Vince after previous dealings. I'm not so sure about Vince's claim that the money/success is coming from the WWE Universe... I think you'll find that would be from a guy called CM Punk!
Nice length match between Sheamus and Wade Barrett. I'm really liking that WWE seem to know that they need to give Sheamus some new contenders (Barrett this week; Sandow last; Big Show at HIAC) instead of the boring stuff between him and Del Rio. Tensai also got a showing - I hope he can shake of the 'Albert' tag with this gimmick.
The Cesaro vs Tyson Kidd brings me to my main point of this weeks Raw - displaying the future stars and up-and-comers. These two had a solid match, and even though it was a predictable Cesaro win (loving the uppercut and Neutralizer finisher), I think Kidd came out of it looking good, too.
I think the tag division adds to this future stars theme, too. With the exception of the Colons being devoured by Ryback and Kofi jobbing for the benefit of Del Rio, the rest of the tag teams are really making it enjoyable to watch. It was really needed for Raw to go forward with the 3 hour slot.
The Prime Time Players are the most underrated team there at the moment, Rey and Sin Cara are a nice match but I can see them having a feud at some point and the standouts have got to be Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes (Rhodes Scholars). Along with Ziggler, these guys are THE future of this company. I fully expect Rhodes and Sandow to become number 1 contenders and probably beat Kane / Daniel Bryan.
Other segments that stood out to me were the Vince/JR 'heart to heart', Kane and DB's comedy continues with the Larry King part and strangely; did Kofi attack Miz in a heel-like, unprovoked manner?
Lastly, I really liked the last little part of the show where Vince gave Punk the Attitude Era-like ultimatum about who he'll face at HIAC. I think what's been missing for all this time is Vince being the authority figure. When he's about decisions seem to matter; unlike the long list of crappy GMs over the years!
Just when you start to miss Cena, he comes out to start the show. I suppose they have to keep his face about enough to show he's still got a shot at Hell in a Cell. The most interesting thing about this opening segment (apart from the usual wonderful ass kissing to the audience) was the passing on the ramp between Cena and the 'ready for action' Ryback - again, a nod to the possibility he'll have something to do in the Hell in a Cell match if Cena's not fully fit.
Ryback then went on to beat the Colons (Primo & Epico) in another handicap squash match. I'm not a big fan of using a tag team (as apposed to jobbers) to get someone over - especially when they're really pushing the tag division as a credible part of the show these days. The only thing to save this situation was JBL's attempt to justify the win, saying that Ryback has beaten a very talented, multi championship winning tag team. Hmmm...
Next comment I'll make is on the Brodus Clay / R Truth / Lil' Jimmy 'dance'. I'll keep this short - I died a little inside over this. It reminded me of Road Dogg and The Godfather opting to go off with the hoes instead of fighting, or every week when someone would dance with Rikishi. I suppose the more limited opportunities R Truth gets, the better, in my opinion.
A new layer to Punk was seen this week as he told the 'ironic' fans he didn't need their cheers/support. Nice touch sir! As much as I love the things he does every week, it almost seems like he's as desperate for people to hate him as Cena is for them to love him (which just isn't going to happen in either case).
Other notes on the 'State of WWE' segment were Vince going down like a girl to one little slap! (who shot him?), Heyman trying to be the voice of reason - I suppose Paul knows not to mess with Vince after previous dealings. I'm not so sure about Vince's claim that the money/success is coming from the WWE Universe... I think you'll find that would be from a guy called CM Punk!
Nice length match between Sheamus and Wade Barrett. I'm really liking that WWE seem to know that they need to give Sheamus some new contenders (Barrett this week; Sandow last; Big Show at HIAC) instead of the boring stuff between him and Del Rio. Tensai also got a showing - I hope he can shake of the 'Albert' tag with this gimmick.
The Cesaro vs Tyson Kidd brings me to my main point of this weeks Raw - displaying the future stars and up-and-comers. These two had a solid match, and even though it was a predictable Cesaro win (loving the uppercut and Neutralizer finisher), I think Kidd came out of it looking good, too.
I think the tag division adds to this future stars theme, too. With the exception of the Colons being devoured by Ryback and Kofi jobbing for the benefit of Del Rio, the rest of the tag teams are really making it enjoyable to watch. It was really needed for Raw to go forward with the 3 hour slot.
The Prime Time Players are the most underrated team there at the moment, Rey and Sin Cara are a nice match but I can see them having a feud at some point and the standouts have got to be Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes (Rhodes Scholars). Along with Ziggler, these guys are THE future of this company. I fully expect Rhodes and Sandow to become number 1 contenders and probably beat Kane / Daniel Bryan.
Other segments that stood out to me were the Vince/JR 'heart to heart', Kane and DB's comedy continues with the Larry King part and strangely; did Kofi attack Miz in a heel-like, unprovoked manner?
Lastly, I really liked the last little part of the show where Vince gave Punk the Attitude Era-like ultimatum about who he'll face at HIAC. I think what's been missing for all this time is Vince being the authority figure. When he's about decisions seem to matter; unlike the long list of crappy GMs over the years!
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
WWE Raw highlights 1/10/2012
This week, Raw started with four of the brighter sparks on the show at the moment in CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler and the Tag Team Champions 'Team Hell No' (Daniel Bryan and Kane). I hate that name already! I'm loving how over and entertaining Bryan and Kane are just lately, topped with the classic 'I'm the Tag Team, Champions!' line. Not to be outdone, Punk and Ziggler got in on the act of raising their title/briefcase to stake claim to being the 'man'.
The downfall to this segment was the hint of a(nother) power struggle for the General Manager's position. Oh joy. I wish they'd do away with this way of making the matches. I remember years ago two guys would argue and the match was made without the need of an authority figure.
The World Title debate was a segment they shouldn't have bothered with. Sheamus, as usual, is the funny, jolly, 'top of the morning to ya' joker that is getting boring now. It's hard not to side with the Big Show when he makes a good point that all Sheamus wants to do is joke about the situation. especially when Sheamus is getting a bit like good ol' John boy (Cena). The best jokes he could come up with were about Show's bad breathe and B.O... really? Is that how we're playing this PG era - with poo poo jokes?! This was trumped when Show accidentally knocked his podium down, defending himself with being 'a little overweight'!
Shout out to Ryback for his match with Tensai. Unfortunately the big man couldn't get Albert up for the Shellshock (Samoan Drop to the rest of us) twice, so instead finished him with a secondary move; a hard clothesline - a move that was nothing earlier in the match. And this guy is supposedly 'Plan B' if Cena doesn't make Hell in a Cell?
Segment of the night goes to the JR Appreciation night, which was always going to go smoothly, right? Enter Punk and 'The Belt Carrier' Paul Heyman to try and get us to hate him a little bit more. I love how in the last couple of weeks they've had Punk berate the likes of Mick Foley and Jim Ross to get the fans against him. I suppose you'll get the kiddies hating him more.
The credit I'll give is they're slowly straying away from Punk being right (which he is every week) to being a typical whiny heel - doing so by getting him to verbally attack the fans, which is always a winner in my book and something that he's only just employed in the last couple of weeks. He also got in the local sports team dig as well (reminds me of Kurt Angle EVERY week in about 1999/2000!).
The only downside to this typically heely behaviour is that the victim (in this case JR) tells Punk he needs to beat Cena at HIAC to become the best in the world. Hang on, hasn't he beaten him like three times already? How many more times has he got to before people admit it? How stupid do they sound for not giving him this credit/tagline after all these victories?
The biggest thing to come from this segment was the appearance of Ryback, staring down Punk for the second week running. I don't think anything will come of this (unless Punk addresses it next week) but it's good that they're testing the water with a guy that is clearly on the rise and getting over with the fans - even if it does nod towards Goldberg nearly 15 years ago...
Other things of note were Antonio Cesaro's victory, Damien Sandow's performance against Sheamus - definitely two for the future, and also Kofi going back to jobbing to Del Rio (well them Tag Titles gained credibility again, eh?).
The downfall to this segment was the hint of a(nother) power struggle for the General Manager's position. Oh joy. I wish they'd do away with this way of making the matches. I remember years ago two guys would argue and the match was made without the need of an authority figure.
The World Title debate was a segment they shouldn't have bothered with. Sheamus, as usual, is the funny, jolly, 'top of the morning to ya' joker that is getting boring now. It's hard not to side with the Big Show when he makes a good point that all Sheamus wants to do is joke about the situation. especially when Sheamus is getting a bit like good ol' John boy (Cena). The best jokes he could come up with were about Show's bad breathe and B.O... really? Is that how we're playing this PG era - with poo poo jokes?! This was trumped when Show accidentally knocked his podium down, defending himself with being 'a little overweight'!
Shout out to Ryback for his match with Tensai. Unfortunately the big man couldn't get Albert up for the Shellshock (Samoan Drop to the rest of us) twice, so instead finished him with a secondary move; a hard clothesline - a move that was nothing earlier in the match. And this guy is supposedly 'Plan B' if Cena doesn't make Hell in a Cell?
Segment of the night goes to the JR Appreciation night, which was always going to go smoothly, right? Enter Punk and 'The Belt Carrier' Paul Heyman to try and get us to hate him a little bit more. I love how in the last couple of weeks they've had Punk berate the likes of Mick Foley and Jim Ross to get the fans against him. I suppose you'll get the kiddies hating him more.
The credit I'll give is they're slowly straying away from Punk being right (which he is every week) to being a typical whiny heel - doing so by getting him to verbally attack the fans, which is always a winner in my book and something that he's only just employed in the last couple of weeks. He also got in the local sports team dig as well (reminds me of Kurt Angle EVERY week in about 1999/2000!).
The only downside to this typically heely behaviour is that the victim (in this case JR) tells Punk he needs to beat Cena at HIAC to become the best in the world. Hang on, hasn't he beaten him like three times already? How many more times has he got to before people admit it? How stupid do they sound for not giving him this credit/tagline after all these victories?
The biggest thing to come from this segment was the appearance of Ryback, staring down Punk for the second week running. I don't think anything will come of this (unless Punk addresses it next week) but it's good that they're testing the water with a guy that is clearly on the rise and getting over with the fans - even if it does nod towards Goldberg nearly 15 years ago...
Other things of note were Antonio Cesaro's victory, Damien Sandow's performance against Sheamus - definitely two for the future, and also Kofi going back to jobbing to Del Rio (well them Tag Titles gained credibility again, eh?).
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