Tuesday 31 December 2013

WWE Survivor Series 2013 Review

The 27th annual Survivor Series took place on Sunday 25th November at the TD Garden in Boston. With not one but two Survivor Series matches taking place, I'm quite looking forward to this event. Let's take a look.

The kick-off show match was between Kofi Kingston and The Miz. This was quite an unusual one ot watch, especially since I didn't watch this til two weeks after the event. I'll get to the reason why in a bit. It was really fast paced to start with multiple pinning attempts and high-flying offense by Kofi. However, like last month when he faced Damien Sandow, his effort was in vain as Miz gets the win when his attempt to hit the skull crushing finale is reversed into a pin. Miz reverses that into a pin for the 3 count. Afterwards, Miz offers his hand and Kofi, forgetting he's the face in this match, slaps him. I enjoyed the match but I found it unusual because it looked like they were turning Miz heel, which is what he seriously needs. However, with an apparently awful TV movie being shown the following week, it got changed into both he and Kofi being really competitive hence them being dicks to each other. Er...ok then.
Winner: The Miz
Predictions: 1 for 1

The first match of the event was the first Survior Series elimination match with the team of Rey Mysterio, The Usos, Cody Rhodes and Goldust taking on The Shield and The Real Americans. I always like these matches so I'm looking forward to it. This match did throw up a lot of surprises, such as Dean Ambrose getting eliminated after a couple of minutes when he gets rolled up by Rhodes when Ambrose is aruging with the referee. Then, Swagger is eliminated after a splash by Jey Uso. Cesaro does the giant swing on both the Usos but he's eliminated by Cody with a sunset flip. This leaves Rollins and Reigns with the difficult task of eliminating 5 guys. Reings makes it easier after eliminating Jimmy Uso with a spear. Then he spears Cody Rhodes to obivilion after Cody hits the CrossRhodes on Rollins, making it 3 on 2. A couple of minutes later, Rollins hits the blackout on Jey Uso to even the odds. Unfortunately, Rollins gets eliminated by a roll up by Mysterio, leaving Reigns to face Goldust and Mysterio. After some back and forth, Reigns eliminates Goldust with another spear. Mysterio comes in and gets Reigns against the ropes then goes for the 619. Unfortunately for him, when he bounces off the ropes for the move, Reigns almost kills him with a spear to win the match and be the sole survivor. I really enjoyed the match as it was a lot of fun to watch. I was quite surprised that the heel team prevailed after going down to 5-on-2. However, it didn't take away from the match and it made Roman Reigns look great.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Predictions: 2 for 2

The next match is for the Intercontinental Championship as Curtis Axel gets his rematch against Big E Langston. The match goes back and forth for a little bit before Axel gains the momentum. Langston starts his comeback after powering out of a chinlock and hitting a few clotheslines. Axel comes close to winning it with a Perfect plex but Langston prevails after getting out of a hangman's facebuster to hit the big ending. The match was pretty good tho it was hard to follow the Survivor Series match. I wasn't a big fan of Langston to begin with but he's growing on me. As for Axel, I really want to like him, especially as I was a fan of his father. However, he seems pretty bland and he needs to show some of the chrisima his father had.
Winner: Big E Langston
Predictions: 3 for 3

Now we get the Divas Survivor Series elimination match with The Bella Twins, Natalya, JoJo, Eva Marie and The Funkadactyls taking on AJ Lee, Askana, Alicia Fox, Summer Rae, Tamina Snuka, Rosa Mendes and Kaitlyn. The match doesn't last anywhere near as long as I thought it would as most of them get eliminated after one move. Alicia Fox gets eliminated after a springboard moonsault by Naomi. Cameron gets eliminated by Rosa bouncing her head off the middle turnbuckle (I'm serious). Rosa gets eliminated by a facebuster by Brie Bella. After a brief dance-off between Summer Rae and Brie, Summer gets eliminated by getting kicked in the face. Eva Marie gets eliminated after Kaitlyn hits her with a press into a knee to the stomach then she eliminates Cameron with the same move. Nikki Bella eliminates Kaitlyn with a missile dropkick but she gets eliminated herself with a spinebuster by Askana. Askana gets eliminated after a backbreaker move by Nikki. After Nikki and Tamina have a brief mini-match, Nikki reluctantly tags in JoJo due to Natalya recovering from a cheap shot by Tamina earlier. Tamina easily dominates JoJo and hits her with a Samoan drop. AJ gets tagged in and pins JoJo to eliminate her. Tamina gets eliminated thanks to a sharpshooter by Natalya and then does the same move to AJ to win the match. Some bits of it weren't bad but some of it was terrible. I get it if JoJo and Eva Marie and Rosa Mendes (to a leeser extent) get eliminated after one move. However, a couple of eliminations were, especially Rosa's, were fucking riduculous. It's a prime example of WWE doing something decent with the Divas division one week then shitting over it the next.
Winners: Nikki Bella and Natalya
Predictions: 4 for 4

We now get an impromptu match with Ryback issuing an open challenge with Mark Henry accepting. Henry uses his impressive strength before Ryback chops him down. Despite Ryback's best efforts, Henry gets the victory after a world's strongest slam. The match was quite short and wasn't anything special but it was good to see Mark Henry back. As for Ryback, I don't know what they're doing with him anymore.
Winner: Mark Henry
Predictions: N/A

Next is the World Heavyweight Championship with Alberto Del Rio challenging John Cena. Much like their match at Hell in a Cell, De Rio keeps his focus on Cena's left elbow, because that worked last time(!) The match goes back and forth and eventually Del Rio wears Cena down with a few armbars. Cena does try to get some momentum a couple of times but Del Rio manages to stop them quite quickly. Del Rio comes close with a German suplex pin but Cena kicks out at 2. Later on, Cena almosts win it with a top rope fameasser. Del Rio goes for the cross armbreaker but cena rolls out of it and applies the STF. Del Rio manages to get a finger on the rope. Del Rio does apply the cross armbreaker but Cena, like every time Del Rio does that move, powers out of it and hits a powerbomb. In the end, Cena hits the AA to retain the Championship. The match wasn't too bad but it might be time for Del Rio to stay away from the title picture for a while.
Winner: John Cena
Predictions: 5 for 5

The penultimate match has Daniel Bryan and CM Punk taking on Erick Rowan and Luke Harper. Whilst I have slight doubts about Rowan and Harper, I am looking forward to this match. Bryan and Punk work on the legs of Rowan but he slows that down when he does a double suplex on them. Harper does a brutal big boot to Punk and this gives him and Rowan the advantage. Punk hits a tornado DDT on Rowan to give him the opportunity to hot tag Bryan and he goes for a top rope hurracarrana on Harper. However, Harper stops that and hits a top rope powerbomb, which would have given him the victory if Punk didn't save the pin. Punk gets thrown out of the ring, taking him out temporarily, and the Wyatts wear down Bryan for a little while. Punk eventually gets tagged in and a few minutes later, ducks a tornado clothesline by Harper to hit him with the GTS to get the victory. I really enjoyed it and I was really impressed with Harper and Rowan throughout the match. If I had a slight gripe, it would have been nice if it was a 3-on-2 tag team match. Otherwise, great match.
Winners: CM Punk and Daniel Bryan
Predictions: 6 for 6

The main event was for the WWE Championship as Big Show challenges Randy Orton. I have to admit, I wasn't really looking forward to this but I was interested to see how it went. Orton was reluctant to face Show but eventually, he gets to wear him down. Show gets back into it and hits a chokeslam for 2. Orton flees to the outside and when Show goes after to the outside and throws Orton against the ropes, he knocks into the referee. The action continues on the outside and Show hits the KO punch and drags him back into the ring. Triple H, along with Stephanie McMahon and Kane, come out. This gives Orton the opportunity to hit the RKO (outta of nowhere) then a punt to retain the WWE Championship. While they all celebrate, John Cena comes out and has a stare down with Orton. The match was ok to watch although Orton totally misses with the punt to give us a slightly botched ending. As for the end of the show, it turns out the next night that the Championships will be unified at TLC. I don't mind that but I wish that it didn't involve Cena and Orton.
Winner: Randy Orton
Predictions: 7 for 7


I thought that Survivor Series was fun to watch as I enjoyed a lot of the matches. 2013 looks like it will end with an Unified World Champion and I'm looking how that will take us into 2014.

Friday 27 December 2013

WWE Hell in a Cell 2013 Review

WWE Hell in a Cell took place on Sunday 27th October at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. Will we finally have a WWE Champion or, through some nerafrious means, still be held in abeyance? Let's take a look.

The Kick-Off Show match was between Damien Sandow and Kofi Kingston. Whilst I like Sandow, I'm not a really big fan of Kingston. He is a very good athlete and quite fun to watch. However, he's been doing the same shit for years and he is in danger of not ever living up to his potential. Anyway, Kofi does his usual high-flying offense however, Sandow gets the win after hitting the You're Welcome. This was a decent match. Shame it was a bit short.
Winner: Damien Sandow
Predictions: 0 for 1

The first match of the PPV is a triple threat match for the WWE Tag Team Championships with Cody Rhodes and Goldust facing The Usos and Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. I was expecting this to be a fun match to start the event and I wasn't disappointed. It was done at a nice, fast pace between all the competitors and there was a lot to like about this: the sportsmanship between the Usos and the Rhodes; and Goldust getting to his corner only to realise that Cody had been taken out by Rollins. Cody almost wins it with a moonsault, and Jimmy Uso does a blind tag to Cody and proceeds to destroy Rollins and hits a Samoan drop for a nearfall. There was an awesome bit where Cody superplexes Rollins to the outside, crashing into the rest of the competitors. The end comes when Rollins gets hit with a right hand by Goldust followed by a CrossRhodes by Cody to get the pinfall and retain the Championships. The last few PPVs have started with an enjoyable, fun match and it didn't disappoint here.
Winners: Cody Rhodes and Goldust
Predictions: 1 for 2

After a segment in which Erick Rowan and Luke Harper dismantle The Miz and Kane coming in and taking out all of them, we get an intergender tag team match between Fandango and Summer Rae and The Great Khali and Natalya. Yeah...I feel sorry for Natalya, Summer Rae and Fandango in this match. Khali, whilst he can't wrestle and has the mobility of a crippled elephant, is popular with the fans so I can see why WWE keeps using him. However, it does sadden me that it's at the expense of a lot of talented wrestlers on both the main and the development rosters. Anyway, this match doesn't last long as Summer bounces Natalya off the ropes followed by a roll up (the Divas kryptonite) to get her team the victory. The bits with the women wasn't that bad as Summer is quite a decent wrestler and Natalya made her look good. I just didn't like the ending as I'm getting annoyed with Divas matches ending with just a roll up.
Winners: Fandango and Summer Rae
Predictions: N/A

The United States Championship is on the line as Big E Langston (worst ex-bodyguard ever) challenges Dean Ambrose. This was an interesting match to watch. I forgot how quick Langston is for his size and I loved Ambrose's ring psychology. Ambrose tries a sleeper a couple of times but Langston manages to power out of them. Langston gets back the momentum and Ambrose decides to go "fuck this!" and leave. Langston gets him back in and a few moments later, spears him to the floor while he was on ring apron. Ambrose gets counted out and afterwards, Langston hits the big ending. Whilst I wasn't a big fan of the finish, I quite enjoyed the match and I can see them having more matches in the future.
Winner: Big E Langston
Predictions: N/A

We now get our first Hell in a Cell match as CM Punk faces Paul Heyman and Ryback. This match did not go the way that I thought it would. Heyman uses a crane to get to the top of the cell and stay there, making this effectively an one-on-one match. The match doesn't go long before Punk grabs a kendo stick, which turns out to be a bad idea as Ryback stops him from using it and uses it instead. The match goes back and forth and Punk tries a springboard clothesline but he's caught by Ryback and gets hit with a powerslam. Later on, Ryback gets put through a table thanks to a Macho Man elbow drop. Punk then hits Ryback with a kendo stick then the GTS to get the win. Afterwards, Punk climbs the cell to face Heyman and proceeds to fuck him up with a kendo stick then hits the GTS, leaving Punk standing tall. The match wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. I thought that Heyman's way of avoiding the match was quite ingenuious, although he should have thought of a back up plan if Ryback lost. Otherwise, I honestly glad this feud is over. I was looking forward to this feud when it started but I couldn't get past Punk's reasoning for some of what he did.
Winner: CM Punk
Predictions: 2 for 3

We get another tag team match with Los Matadores take on The Real Americans. The Real Americans work on Diego for most of the match, including Cesaro doing the giant swing on him for almost 40 seconds. Eventually, Fernando gets tagged in and beats up Swagger. Swagger applies the anklelock but it's not enough as Los Matadores hit a move where one does a reverse STO while the other grabs the back of the head and drives it into the mat at the same time to get the pinfall over Swagger. Afterwards, El Torito hits a hurracarrana on Cesaro, headbutts Colter then a crossbody on Swagger. The match wasn't anything special except for, like the last PPV, the giant swing by Cesaro.
Winners: Los Matadores
Predictions: 3 for 4

The World Heavyweight Championship is on the line as Alberto Del Rio is challenged by a returning John Cena. Del Rio, understandably, goes for the tricep that was injured and keeps Cena down for most of the early going of the match. Cena does his comeback which is ended by Del Rio reversing an AA into a backstabber. Both guys go for their finishers which are stopped, but Del Rio applies the cross armbreaker but Cena rolls out of it and applies the STF. Del Rio does get to the ropes and does properly apply the cross armbreaker. However, Cena gets out of it by reversing into a powerbomb. Cena does hit the AA to get the win and become the new World Heavyweight Championship.

Even though it was obvious that Cena would win this, I quite enjoyed the match. I would say that this would give the chance for Cena to feud with some of the guys who are hovering round the Championship. However, I watched this a couple of weeks after it happened and I know that that turns out to be a momentual crock of shit. The next night, Damien Sandow practically destroys Cena's arm, cashes in his MITB briefcase and then proceeds to lose. Whilst I thought that it might be lead to a feud between the two, that was shat on the next week as Cena beats him in a tag match then goes to have a rematch with Del Rio. This is the biggest beef that I have with John Cena. I'm getting sick and tired of Cena always being the underdog and overcoming the odds at the first attempt. Sandow stops short of tearing Cena's arm off and Cena just brushes it off and wins without too much of a problem. This has been happening for years and it's getting to a point where it's getting ridiculous.
Winner: John Cena
Predictions: 4 for 5

The penultimate match is for the Divas Championship as AJ Lee once again faces Brie Bella. I was quite interested to see how this would turn out as Brie has been improving over the last few months. It was technical to begin with and AJ wears Brie down with a headlock/leg scissors combo. Brie sends AJ into the turnbuckle and makes a comeback. Brie applies a half Boston crab and Tamina Snuka goes up on the ring apron to distract the referee. Nikki Bella stops that by pulling Tamina's leg, sending her crashing to the floor and they fight on the outside. Brie accidentally knees Nikki and this gives AJ the opportunity to apply the black widow to get the win. Whilst it was short, I enjoyed the match. I generally enjoy Divas matches but WWE seem to give them decent matches one week then shits over the good stuff they created the next week.
Winner: AJ Lee
Predictions: 4 for 6

The main event is a Hell in a Cell match for the abeyant WWE Championship between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee. Both guys use their cell to thier advantage, crashing their opponent into the cell and the steel steps. Michaels kept on asking if one of them wanted to quit when they get hit with a big move, which was a bit weird. The match is back and forth throughout. Bryan applies the LeBell Yes No lock and Orton manages to get out of it. Later on, Bryan decides to throw a shit load of chairs into the ring and that backfires as Orton stops Bryan from using one and proceeds to use them himself, including superplexing Bryan onto them. Triple H then comes out and argues with Michaels. This prevents him from counting a pin attempt by Orton and it leads to all three of them arguing. Orton tries for the RKO but Bryan pushes him into Michaels, knocking him down. Triple H then enters into the cell while Bryan runs the running knee to Orton. Bryan tries to get Michaels back up and Triple H and tosses him away. Bryan responds by hitting Triple H with the running knee. Michaels doesn't take that well and hits Bryan with the sweet chin music. Orton, after getting tips from Edge's manual "How to be the Ultimate Opportunist", covers Bryan. Michaels reluctantly does the count and Randy Orton is the new WWE Champion. It was a fun match to watch and, while it's hard to believe that Michaels would go down after a minor collision, the ending made sense as it makes Bryan look strong and cements the Authority's position. I suspect that Bryan will not be in the title picture til at least the Royal Rumble, so it will interesting to see what they do with him in that time.
Winner: Randy Orton
Predictions: 4 for 7


I thought that Hell in a Cell was quite an enjoyable event to watch. I just don't like 2 WWE Pay-Per-Views in one month. With Bound for Glory happening as well, there were 3 Pay-Per-Views in October and, like last year, I suffered a little burnout and decided to watch them in my own time. Sorry for the delay and next stop, Survivor Series.

Monday 25 November 2013

WWE Survivor Series 2013 Preview

The twenty-seventh Survivor Series is taking place this evening at the TD Garden in Boston. It looks like it has an interesting card, so let's take a look.

The Kick Off Show match is between Kofi Kingston and The Miz. This is a tough one to call but I think, with Miz's recent heel turn, he'll get the win here.
Predicted Winner: The Miz

Our first Survivor Series elimination match is between the team of Cody Rhodes, Goldust, The Usos and Rey Mysterio taking on the team of The Shield and The Real Americans. I can see this going both ways but I'm going for The Shield and Real Americans to win here.
Predicted Winners: The Shield and The Real Americans

The second Survivor Series elimination match involves the Divas as the team of Natalya, The Bella Twins, JoJo, Eva Marie and The Funkadactyls take on the team of AJ Lee, Kaitlyn, Rosa Mendes, Aksana, Alicia Fox and Summer Rae. I don't know if I'm doing to enjoy this as whilst it does involve some talented Divas like Natalya, AJ and Summer Rae; it does have JoJo and Alicia Fox in it. As for my prediction, even though I don't want them to win, I think that the Total Divas team will win here.
Predicted Winners: Natalya, Bella Twins, JoJo, Eva Marie and The Funkadactyls

The Intercontinental Championship is on the line as Curtis Axel gets his rematch against Big E Langston. This could be a good match but I can't see them giving Axel the belt back. Therefore, Langston to win here.
Predicted Winner: Big E Langston

Eric Rowan and Luke Harper take on Daniel Bryan and CM Punk in a match that I'm really looking forward to watching. This is a very tough one to call as I can see both teams winning. I'm going for Bryan and Punk and I'm wondering if this could lead to a Tag Team Championship reign next year.
Predicted Winners: Daniel Bryan and CM Punk

The World Heavyweight Championship match is between Alberto Del Rio and John Cena. I don't really care for this match. I thought that Sandow might get another chance for the Championship but that seems to have been shitcanned. Anyway, can't see Del Rio winning it so Cena to retain here.
Predicted Winner: John Cena

The WWE Championship will be defended as Randy Orton is challenged by Big Show. Unfortunately, I'm finding it hard to get up for this match. I think that Orton will be Champion til Wrestlemania so I'm going for him to retain here.
Predicted Winner: Randy Orton

I won't get to watch this til at least next week so the review will be up then. I hope you guys enjoy the show.

Sunday 24 November 2013

TNA Bound for Glory 2013 Review

TNA's flagship event Bound for Glory took place on Sunday 20th October at the Viejas Arena in San Diego. Will he see the end of Aces and Eights after this event? Let's take a look.

The first match is an Ultimate X match for the X-Division Championship with Manik being challenged by Jeff Hardy, Austin Aries, Chris Sabin and Samoa Joe. I generally like Ultimate X matches as they are normally quite entertaining. As I expected, this match was a lot of fun to watch. You had Manik doing hurracarranas to everybody; Samoa Joe pulling Manik off the ropes into an inverted atomic drop; Jeff Hardy doing the twist of fate on Chris Sabin. The end comes when Sabin forces Velvet Sky into the ring to help him out. Jeff Hardy gets distracted and Sabin, taking a leaf out of Edge's manual "How to be the Ultimate Opportunist" (newly available for TNA wrestlers) runs up the ladder that was set up earlier and grabs the belt to become the new X-Division Champion. I found the ending to be quite interesting as it emphasised Sabin's heel run and the direction that they are going with it; using any means possible to win the match. I can see him probably using Velvet more to win matches for him, albeit inadvertantly.
Winner: Chris Sabin
Predictions: 0 for 1

Next we get the throughly enjoyable Bad Influence come out and demand they are added to the Tag Team Championship match. Unfortuantely, they are interrupted by Eric Young, who annoys the fuck out of me. Young tells them to leave and he's attacked by Bad Influence. Abyss then comes out and proceeds to destroy Daniels and Kazarian with black hole slams. This was a fun segment and it's nice to see Abyss.

Now we get the Tag Team Championship match with Gunner and James Storm being challenged by BroMans. This match was actually entertaining and with some good stuff from the BroMans. Storm almost wins it with a top rope elbow drop for a 2 count and Robbie E thought he won it when he reversed the eye of the storm into a DDT. In the end, BroMans win the match when Robbie E throws one of the Championship belts into the ring. The referee takes it back out and this gives BroMans the chance to hit the Bro Down to get the pinfall. I have to admit, very few people expected the BroMans to win this but I'm ok with that. It will be interesting to see what direction they go with it.
Winners: BroMans
Predictions: N/A

Now we get a segment in which Kurt Angle respectfully declines his induction into the Hall of Fame, saying he doesn't deserve it right now. It was interesting to see as I'm a big fan of Kurt Angle. I do agree with him that he doesn't deserve right now, only because he is still an active wrestler. I have nothing against the TNA Hall of Fame, it's just they're inducting active wrestlers and I think they should focus on guys who have now retired that wrestled for them at the beginning. Anyway, we'll wait and see if this develops into a storyline.

We get the a triple threat match for the Knockouts Championship next with Gail Kim and Brooke challenging ODB. I didn't know what to expect of this match and I enjoyed it. There was a bit where Gail Kim is about to corner splash ODB and Brooke shoulder tackled her out of the ring to a sickening thud. That happened quite early on in the match so I didn't think that Gail was out of it. We get a ref bump when he gets hit by an avalanche splash by ODB followed by a missile dropkick by Gail. Lei'd Tapa comes out and hits a big foot on ODB followed by a powerbomb on Brooke. Gail, who was half out of it after getting flattened by ODB a moment earlier, takes a leaf out of Edge's manual "How to be the Ultimate Opportunist (female edition)" and pins Brooke to win the match and become Knockouts Champion. It is then revealed that Lei'd Tapa has joined forces with Gail. I was surprised that Gail won the match but it seem set a feud between them and ODB, which could be good.
Winner: Gail Kim
Predictions: 0 for 2

Booby Roode taking on Kurt Angle has the potential to be a very good contest. It was a very technical contest to begin with; and Roode focusing on Angle's neck. Angle looked like when he reversed the crossface into an anklelock. Roode manages to reverse it back into the corssface. The end comes when Angle does a top rope Samoan drop, which leaves both guys down. The referee does a count and Roode gets up at the count of 9 and pins Angle to get the win. Afterwards, doctors check on Angle. I enjoyed the match, although I thought the ending seemed a little bit out of place. It was a surprise that Roode won in that way, and I hope it leads to more matches between the two.
Winner: Bobby Roode
Predictions: 0 for 3

We get a bonus match with Ethan Carter III facing random wrestler Norv Fernum. Yeah, this match doesn't last long as after a few minutes, EC3 hits the one percenter to get the win.Whilst this was a pointless which probably had no place in the biggest event of the year, I like EC3's character. I didn't really see much of him when he was Derrick Bateman in WWE, but he was probably lost in the shuffle. EC3 has the potential to be a star in TNA and I look forward to seeing what he can do.
Winner: Ethan Carter III
Predictions: N/A

The penultimate match is between Magnus and Sting. I'm not really a big fan of Magnus but it should be interesting to see what he can do in a match with Sting. I like the story that they told here with Magnus getting frustrated in the beginning; and both guys showing respect by holding the ropes for their opponent. Sting applies the scorpion death lock, which didn't look good and Magnus powers out of it quite easily. After a little bit of back and forth, Magnus applies the cloverleaf and Sting taps out to get the win. Afterwards, we get a very brief handshake between the two. I thought the match was quite good and it helped to make Magnus look like a contender.
Winner: Magnus
Predictions: 1 for 4

The main event is one that can have far-reaching consequences for TNA as AJ Styles challenges Bully Ray in a no-disqualification match for the TNA World Championship. This is a match that has a lot riding on it and I have to say, both competitors did really well in this match. You had Bully being methodical and mocking AJ. AJ makes a comeback and applies the calfkiller. Bully Ray gets saved almost immediately when Garrett "Future of the Business" Bischoff comes in and distracts AJ. Bully Ray takes to take advantage of this but fails. Mike Knox comes in later on and chokeslams AJ; but when Bully pins AJ, it only gets 2. There was a brutal bit when AJ tries a 450 splash to the outside but misses and crashes through the timekeeper's table. Bully then decides to expose the wooden boards under the padding of the ring. TNA President Dixie Carter comes out and helps out Bully by providing a chair. That backfires when AJ comes and hits a springboard clothesline followed by a springboard 450 splash. Dixie demands that referee Earl Hebner doesn't make the count. However, he defies her and makes the count which Bully kicks out at 2. Despite Aces and Eights and Dixie Carter helping Bully out, it turns out to be vain as AJ hits the spiral tap to get the victory and become the new TNA World Champion. Although I enjoyed the match, it felt that it could have been booked better. I thought that Aces and Eights came out a bit too early and it would have been nice to see Brooke help Bully out a little. As for Dixie, I enjoyed her role in this match, although I still find it weird that she is helping a group that she spent most of the year feuding with. I suppose the angle they're going for is that Dixie may not want Bully as Champion; but that is not as much as her not wanting AJ Styles being Champion, especially has he doesn't have a contract. It seems like they're going in the direction that WWE did with Punk in 2011. That's fine but they have a chance to take it in a different direction and I hope that they do.
Winner: AJ Styles
Predictions: 2 for 5


I enjoyed Bound for Glory. I'm not quite sure if it was their best PPV of the year but it was still pretty good. TNA has had a bad year, with losing revenue resulting in releasing a fair portion of their talent and the rumours of them being up for sale. I hope 2014 can be a better year and with the talent they have, it is possible. Hopefully, they can start to release some of the older guys and build up the younger talent. If they don't, I'm afriad that they will go the direction that WCW did and they will not end well.

Thursday 21 November 2013

WWE Battleground 2013 Review

The first ever WWE Battleground took place on Sunday 6th October in Buffalo, New York. Will we crown a new WWE Champion, which has been held in abeyance. Let's take a look.

The Kick-Off match was between Damien Sandow and Dolph Ziggler. I thought this was an interesting match to watch as both guys have been on losing streaks. Both guys are good technical wrestlers and I do like it when Ziggler does his ten elbow drops in a row. Sandow has something similar with his elbow of disdain. What I liked about this match was that it went back and forth, which is the kind of matches that I like. It looked like Ziggler won it after a fameasser and he eventually does when he takes advantage of Sandow injuring his knee to hit the Zig-Zag and get the pinfall. The last few Kick-Off matches have been fun to watch, which is necessary in order to get people to buy the Pay-Per-View. I don't quite get what they are doing with Sandow by booking him to lose on a regular basis. They did it with Bryan and Ziggler when they won their MITB briefcases and I find it annoying.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Predictions: 0 for 1

The event starts with a Battleground Hardcore Rules match with Rob Van Dam challenging Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship. This was a match in which you can showcase RVD's skills as well as the brutal attitude that Del Rio has been displaying recently. It turned out to be quite a fun match. RVD looked like he was going to win it a few times and he needed Ricardo Rodriguez to get him out of the cross armbreaker by hitting Del Rio with his bucket.

It looked like it would be a short match with RVD doing a DDT, driving Del Rio's head into a steel chair. However, Del Rio kicked out then proceeded to destroy his opponent with the chair. RVD does show his hardcore expertise by using a ladder in his offence, including doing a split-leg moonsault, crashing Del Rio onto the ladder. However, using the ladder comes back to haunt RVD when he tries a rolling thunder but misses and lands on the ladder. Ricardo Rodriguez gets involved when he uses his bucket to stop RVD tapping out to the cross armbreaker. Rodriguez's actions turn out to be vain because Del Rio wins the match by putting RVD's arm through the chair and then applying the cross armbreaker to get the win. It wasn't a bad match and a decent to start the PPV.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Predictions: 1 for 2

The next match was between the Real Americans and the team of The Great Khali and Santino Marella. Swagger and Cesaro dominate Santino for most of the match. Khali gets tagged in and does his basic offense and Cesaro gets the win after doing the giant swing on Khali. There's not really much to say about this match and the only real highlight was the swing by Cesaro.
Winners: The Real Americans
Predictions: N/A

The Intercontinental Championship was on the line as R-Truth challenges Curtis Axel. This was a match that didn't really grab my attention, which is a shame as it's a Championship match. The crowd didn't help when they started to chant “boring” near the end. Axel gets the win when he bounces Truth's head off the turnbuckle and then hits the hangman's facebuster. I feel sorry for Axel as even having Paul Heyman is not making me enjoy him much.
Winner: Curtis Axel
Predictions: 2 for 3

The next match was for the Divas Championship as Brie Bella challenges AJ Lee with her bodyguard Tamina Snuka. This was a match that I quite enjoyed, especially in the beginning when Brie almost slaps AJ into the following week. I enjoyed AJ's ring psychology, focusing on Brie's left arm in preparation for her finishing move The Black Widow. It turns out that AJ didn't need the move as Tamina starts attacking Nikki Bella. Brie goes over to check on her when AJ rolls Brie up to get the win. I'm a big fan of AJ and I'm slowly getting impressed by Brie's ability. It probably helps that her fiancee is possibly the best technical wrestler in the company but if it helps improve the Divas division, then I'm all for it.
Winner: AJ Lee
Predictions: 2 for 4

Now a match that I'm really looking forward to: Cody Rhodes and Goldust (along with Dusty Rhodes) take on Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns (with Dean Ambrose) with the Rhodes' careers on the line. This was undoubtedly the best match of the night. There were so many highlights: the Shield and The Rhodes having a stand off; Ambrose taunting Cody and Goldust; a moonsault by Cody on Rollins, followed later on by a disaster kick on Reigns. The end comes when Ambrose and Dusty get involved and Dusty gives him a bionic elbow. Meanwhile, Cody hits the Cross Rhodes on Rollins to get the win and get him and Goldust their jobs back. I predicted that the Shield would win here as I thought it would cement the dominance of the new corporation. However, I was glad that the Rhodes won and it really got the crowd invested in the match.
Winners: Cody Rhodes and Goldust
Predictions: 2 for 5

Kofi Kingston takes on Bray Wyatt in the next match. I thought this wasn't a bad match. Kofi uses his aerial ability to take it to Wyatt but Wyatt manages to slow him down and mocking Kofi. Wyatt does an impressive move when he reverses a cross body by Kofi into a powerslam; and Kofi gets back into it with a crucifix slam. Wyatt does a reverse crab walk, which freaks Kofi out and he gets the win when he counters the SOS into the Sister Abigail to get the 3 count. Afterwards, Rowan and Harper destroy Kofi. I like what they are doing with the Wyatts at the minute and I hope they stay that way.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
Predictions: 3 for 6

Now to a match that I'm interested in watching: CM Punk taking on Paul Heyman's new guy, Ryback. I'm loving Heyman more and more and I like what he was doing with Ryback, telling him to stand up to bullies. Punk uses his quickness to begin with before Ryback slows him down with big power moves. When Punk gets back into it, Heyman grabs a mic and starts to mock Punk. This gives Ryback the opportunity and hits a powerbomb for a 2 count. Despite Ryback's best efforts, it turns out not to be enough as Heyman tries to hit Punk with a kendo stick and the referee stops him. While he is speaking to Heyman, Punk hits Ryback with a low blow to get the win. I enjoyed the match but I thought that Punk winning with a low blow seemed like a bit of a dick move. I predicted Ryback to win here to emphasise his position as a Heyman guy. I'm not sure if Punk winning was the right decision, but I'm getting tired of this feud now and hopefully it ends soon.
Winner: CM Punk
Predictions: 3 for 7

Now, after a brief power outtage, the main event for the abeyant WWE Championship between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton. This has the potential to be a very good match. Bryan is probably the best technical wrestler in the WWE since Bret Hart; and Orton, while he can be bland, does have the ability to show how good he is. The match goes back and forth, with Bryan wearing down Orton with some submission manoeuvres; and Orton hitting a few power moves. This was a nice bit when Orton tries to Bryan out of the ring; Bryan manages to hold on to the top rope and uses his legs to flip Orton to the outside. He then does a suicide dive to Orton. Later on, Orton decides to go hardcore when he tries to powerbomb Bryan through the Spanish announce table. However, Bryan gets out of it and sends Orton into the steel steps. Bryan looks like he is going to win it when he applies the Yes No Lock. However, Big Show comes in and drags the referee out of the ring then knocks out Bryan. Brad Maddox sends out referee Scott Armstrong to continue to referee the match. However, Show drags him out then knocks him out. Show then proceeds to knock Orton out, making sure that the match ends in a no contest. I really enjoyed the match and I quite liked the ending. I'm enjoying what Show is doing right now with him reluctantly doing the bidding of the authority. Whilst I'm slightly annoyed that the title is staying in abeyance, it does kind of make seanse and we can finally crown a new Champion at Hell in a Cell.
Winner: No Contest
Predictions: 3 for 8


I thought that the event wasn't that bad as the initial reactions from the comments on Twitter. I really enjoyed the main event and the match between the Rhodes and the Shield. However, there were a couple of matches that were not very good. WWE, for some reason, always have 2 PPVs in October; and it's hard to get excited for them when there's a couple of weeks inbetween. With Bound for Glory as well, it can be a bit exhausting. Despite that, I hope they stick with the Battleground theme and maybe increase the gap between that and Hell in a Cell.

Sunday 27 October 2013

WWE Hell in a Cell 2013 Preview (BREAKING NEWS!!)

Breaking news! Curtis Axel is injured and will not be able to compete against Big E Langston. After quickly looking at wwe.com, the Kick-Off match will be between Kofi Kingston and Damien Sandow. I can't see Sandow winning this  match so I'm going for Kingston to win.
Predicted Winner: Kofi Kingston

WWE Hell in a Cell 2013 Preview




WWE Hell in a Cell takes place this evening at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. This has the potential to be a good event so let's look at the card.

The Kick-Off match will be for the Intercontinental Championship as Big E Langston challenges  Curtis Axel. I'm so over Axel as Champion as he hasn't really done anything. I'm interested to see Big E as the Champion, so I'm going for him to win here.
Predicted Winner: Big E Langston

Los Matadores will face The Real Americans in what could be a fun match. Los Matadores, while fucking ridiculous, is quite fun and I think they'll win to keep on the push.
Predicted Winners: Los Matadores

The Divas Championship is on the line as Brie Bella challenges AJ Lee. Whilst I have enjoyed AJ's reign, it might be time to see a new Champion. Brie has looked like she has improved quite a bit over the last few months and it might be to see how she does with the Divas title.
Predicted Winner: Brie Bella

The Tag Team Championships will be defended as Cody Rhodes and Goldust take on Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns and The Usos. This is a tough one to call. I feel that Triple H's group does seem to be suffering more setbacks than I would like. Despite that, I think that Cody Rhodes and Goldust will retain the titles.
Predicted Winners: Cody Rhodes and Goldust

The Hell in a Cell structure will be used for this match as CM Punk takes on Ryback and Paul Heyman. I don't get why this feud is still continuing. Punk is obsessed with getting his hands on Heyman but he already did that at Night of Champions. I think that Punk will win here and hopefully end this feud.
Predicted Winner: CM Punk

The World Heavyweight Championship is on the line as the returning John Cena challenges Alberto Del Rio. Very few people would bet against Cena losing here. It's possible as this match could go in so many directions. I'm going for Cena to win here but there's a good chance that he will be a transitional Champion and Damien Sandow will cash in.
Predicted Winner: John Cena

Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton will face each other for the vacant WWE Championship with Shawn Michaels as the Special Guest Referee. Bryan is so popular right now and they've had good matches so far. This is a tough one, especially with Michaels as the referee, but I'm going for Bryan to win here and hopefully be WWE Champion for longer for a day.
Predicted Winner: Daniel Bryan

I've been so busy over the last month that I've not had a chance to watch any of Battleground and Bound for Glory. I will attempt to watch them and post my reviews before Survivor Series.

Sunday 20 October 2013

TNA Bound for Glory 2013 Preview




TNA's flagship event, Bound for Glory, will be taking place at the Viejas Arena in San Diego. With only 6 matches on the card, it looks like it could be a good event. Let's look at the card.

The X-Division Championship will be defended in an Ultimate X match between Manik, Austin Aries, Chris Sabin, Jeff Hardy and Samoa Joe. This has the ability to be a very good match with the talent involved. It's a tough one to call but I'm actually going for Samoa Joe to be the new X-Division Champion.
Predicted Winner: Samoa Joe

The Knockouts Championship will be defended in a triple threat match Gail Kim and Brooke challenging ODB. This could be a good match as well. I can't see Gail or Brooke winning; so I'm going for ODB to retain here.
Predicted Winner: ODB

Kurt Angle will face Bobby Roode in a match that could be very interesting. This is a tough one to call but I'm going for Kurt Angle to be victorious
Predicted Winner: Kurt Angle

Sting will take on his fellow Main Event Mafia member Magnus. I can see both guys winning but I can see Magnus going through a heel turn so I'm going for him to win here.
Predicted Winner:Magnus

The TNA World Championship is on the line as AJ Styles challenges Bully Ray. Until recently, I would definitely predict AJ Styles to be the winner here. However, with Dixie Carter's heel turn, I'm not so sure. I still think that Styles will win here but I won't be surprised if Bully Ray retains.
Predicted Winner: AJ Styles

The World Tag Championships will be also defended as James Storm and Gunner will be challenged by the winners of a tag team gauntlet match taking place just before the event. Due to the TV deal in the UK, I won't get to watch it til later in the week. I hope you guys enjoy the show.

Wednesday 16 October 2013

WWE Night of Champions 2013 Review

WWE Night of Champions 2013 took place at the Joe Louis Arena in Detriot on Sunday 15th 
September. It is supposed to be the night where all the Championships are decided, although   the Intercontinental Championship is not being defended. Anyway, ignoring that, let's take a 
look.

The Kick-Off Show match was to determine the No 1 contenders to face Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins for the Tag Team Championships in a Tag Team Turmoil match. The teams taking part were The Prime Time Players, 3MB, The Real Americans, The Usos and Tons of Funk. 3MB and Tons of Funk start off the match and that doesn't last too long as 3MB are eliminated when Drew McIntyre is pinned with a roll up by Sweet T. The Real Americans are next and beat up Sweet T. Brodus gets the hot tag and beats up Cesaro. Brodus splashes Cesaro but Swagger breaks up the pin. Swagger tags himself in without Brodus knowing. Brodus powerslams Cesaro and covers him and Swagger takes advantage and applies the Patriot lock on Brodus to make him tag out and eliminate Tons of Funk. The Usos are the next team to arrive and dominate for a little while. The Real Americans then get the advantage and wear down Jimmy Uso. The Usos are eventually eliminated when Jimmy tries a top rope move on Swagger. Swagger ducks and grabs Jimmy's ankle in mid air and applies the Patriot lock to make him tap out. The Prime Time Players are the last team to take part. Titus O'Neill hits Swagger with a fallaway slam then he gets hit on the knee. Titus gets the tag to Darren Young who immediately gets the Patriot lock put on him. Young gets out of it and hits the gutbuster to get the win. I rushed the match was a bit rushed at times. However, I thought it was fun to watch.
Winners: Prime Time Players
Predictions: 1 for 1

We now to go to the event itself and it starts with Triple H coming out and making the announcement that the WWE Championship match between Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan will have no interference from any of his minions. He is interrupted by Paul Heyman and Curtis Axel. Heyman, who has been finding ways to get out of his match with CM Punk, makes one last plea to avoid the match. Triple H, remembering his feud from last year with Heyman and Brock Lesnar, refuses the plea. Curtis Axel then speaks and makes it worse by referring to his victories over Triple H. Triple H decides to give an impromptu match for the Intercontinental Championship with Axel facing the first guy that he encounters in the back. I quite enjoyed this segment and Heyman was great, with the way he looked and everything. As for Axel, well, it proves why he shouldn't talk. 

The first person that Triple H encountered was Kofi Kingston (for fuck's sake!) so we have Kingston facing Axel for the Intercontinental Championship. Kingston gets the early advantage and Axel goes outside to regroup. Axel eventually stops Kingston's momentum with a running dropkick followed by clotheslining him over the top rope. Axel tries to Irish whip Kingston into the steel steps but he climbs the steps then the ropes and hits Axel with a crossbody. When the action goes back into the ring, Axel is able to get some momentum. Axel tries to hit Kingston with a clothesline but it's reversed into a DDT. Kingston hits the boom drop and tries the trouble in paradise. Axel ducks it and sends Kingston into the turnbuckle. Later on, Kingston looked like he won it when he hits the SOS but Axel kicks out at 2 and a half. The end comes when Axel has Kingston on his shoulders and pushes him onto the ropes. Axel then hits the Hangman's facebuster to get the win. I thought the match was actually pretty decent and I loved Heyman's reactions throughout the match.
Winner: Curtis Axel
Predictions: N/A 

The next match is for the Divas Championship as AJ Lee defends her title in a fatal four way match against Natalya, Naomi and Brie Bella. AJ, upon realising that her opponents are about to gang up on her, tries to flee but fails and proceeds to get fucked up. Brie sends AJ out of the ring and clotheslines Naomi and Natalya to get the early advantage. Naomi and Brie fight it out for a little while and AJ and Natalya go back in. Naomi tries to hit Natalya with a crossbody but misses. Later on, Natalya takes down Naomi and then bodyslams Brie on top of her. JBL on commentary aruges that that is a cover (I'll get to that later) and then Natalya hits the double sharpshooter. AJ stops it with a kick to the back of Natalya's head. She then applies the Black Widow to make Natalya submit and get the win. I thought the match was quite good and surprisingly fast paced. I know that JBL was complaining that Brie was covering Naomi but both shoulders were down so it doesn't count in my book. I know some people were unhappy with Natalya taking the loss but in terms of the story of the match, it made sense.
Winner: AJ Lee 
Predictions: 1 for 2

The World Heavywieght Championship is on the line as Rob Van Dam challenges Alberto Del Rio. RVD gets the early momentum with a monkey flip and later on, a spinning kick to Del Rio whilst he was laid over the crowd barrier. Del Rio gets the momentum after a snap suplex followed by a kick to the back of the head. Del Rio keeps his momentum with kicks to the head. The match goes back and forth for a while with highlights including a backstabber by Del Rio for 2; a moonsault by RVD; and a split-leg moonsault by RVD for 2. RVD eventually goes the 5-star frog splash but Del Rio puts up his knees. Del Rio applies the cross armbreaker and RVD gets to the ropes. However, Del Rio refuses to let go of the move so the referee has no choice but to disqualify Del Rio. Afterwards, Del Rio proceeds to continue to beat up RVD and grabs a chair. However, Ricardo Rodriguez grabs it and RVD does the van damninator. I quite enjoyed this match and whilst I wasn't too sold on Del Rio getting disqualified, it does make sense as they're trying to show how ruthless Del Rio has become. 
Winner: Rob Van Dam
Predictions: 2 for 3

Next is a bonus match as Fandango takes on The Miz, which I assume is for the WWE 
Dancing Championship. Early on, Miz goes for the Figure-4 but Fandango gets to the ropes. 
Miz goes to the top rope, but a distraction by Summer Rae gives Fandango the chance to get the advantage. Fandango puts Miz in a leg scissors but he later on, gets sent out of the ring. Fandango puts Miz under pressure with a groung bearhug. Miz starts his comeback with a few clotheslines. Miz focuses on Fandango's right knee and goes for the skull crushing finale but Fandango gets out of it and hits a suplex. A few minutes later, Fandango goes for the top rope legdrop but he misses and eventually Miz applies the figure 4 to get the win. The match wasn't anything special as I'm not a big fan of Fandango's wrestling ability and I don't like Miz as a face anymore.
Winner: The Miz
Predictions: N/A

We now get an elimination tag team match with Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman taking on CM Punk, which was made no disqualification in the Kick Off Show. Both Punk and Axel start holding kendo sticks and Punk proceeds to fuck Axel up with one. He hits Axel with a Russian leg sweep then does a suicide dive to Heyman, who was standing by the announce tables. Heyman is thrown into the ring and is about to get hit with a kendo stick when Axel low blows Punk. This gives Axel the advantage, hitting Punk with the kendo stick. Axel grabs a chair but Punk fights back. When Axel clotheslines Punk in the back of the head, Axel grabs a table and puts it into a corner. He tries to suplex Punk through the table. Punk tries to reverse it but Axel hits the suplex, sending him away from the table. Axel wears Punk down with a chinlock but Punk later on, sends Axel into a chair that Axel had put inbetween two turnbuckles. Punk hits a running knee followed by a clothesline. Punk goes for the Macho Man elbow drop but Axel rolls away. When Punk tries a suicide dive, he gets hit with a chair. Axel hits a swinging neckbreaker for 2. Axel continues his assualt with the kendo stick but Punk eventually hits the GTS then the Anaconda vice to make Axel submit. Heyman immediately flees but gets caught when he goes back into the ring. Heyman pleas for mercy but it doesn't last long as Punk hits Heyman with a kendo stick. Punk gets some handcuffs from his boots and handcuffs Heyman. Punk then hits Heyman in the ankles with the kendo stick and continues to fuck Heyman up with it. When Punk is about to hit Heyman again, Ryback comes out and sends Punk through the table. Ryback then puts Heyman on top of Punk to give him the win. Ryback then carries Heyman out to the back. I really enjoyed this match especially with Heyman's reactions throughout the match. As for Ryback, I was surprised that he is now the new Paul Heyman guy, but it could really benefit him if it's done right.
Winners: Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman
Predictions: 3 for 4

We now get the United States Championship match as Dean Ambrose is challenged by Dolph Ziggler. Early on, Ambrose mocks Ziggler who then gets hit with a dropkick followed by 10 elbow drops. Ziggler continues the pressure before getting hit with an Alabama slam. Ambrose wears down Ziggler with a chinlock and later on, a super plex. Ambrose goes to the top turnbuckle but Ziggler grabs him and hits a top rope X-Factor for 2. Ziggler does the ten punches in the corner followed by a clothesline for 2. He then applies a sleeper but Ambrose gets out of it with a back suplex. Ziggler hits the fameasser for 2. Ziggler tries another avalanche splash but misses and this gives Ambrose the opportunity to hit the headlock driver to get the victory. It was quite a good match which was very technical, although I thought it was a bit short.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
Predictions: 4 for 5

The penultimate match is for the Tag Team Champions as the Prime Time Players take on Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. Rollins and O'Neill start the match and Rollins mocks O'Neill. O'Neill manages to grab him and throw him away. Young is tagged in and he continues his team's early dominance and hits a powerslam for 2. Rollins gets Young into his corner and tags in Reigns to get some momentum. That doesn't last too long but eventually Rollins bounces Young's neck off the ropes to get a foothold on their momentum. Young hits an overhead belly to belly suplex to get the chance to tag in O'Neill. He eventually does, despite the best efforts of Reigns and Rollins, and O'Neill proceeds to shoulder charge Rollins into next week for 2. O'Neill hits a sitout spinebuster for 2. The end comes when Reigns takes out Young and rolls him into the ring. While the referee is distracted with Young, Reigns destroys O'Neill with a spear to get his team the win. I thought the match wasn't too bad and it was quite fun to watch as well. 
Winners: Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins
Predictions: 5 for 6

 
The main event wasfor the WWE Championship as Daniel Bryan challenges Randy Orton. After a back and forth start, Orton hits a second rope backbreaker toget the momentum. He bounces Bryan off the ropes for a 2 count andlater on, keeps on stamping on the hands and feet to cripple Bryan.Bryan hits Orton with a clothesline, followed by 2 flying kicks to the corner. Orton kept on rolling out of the ring to regroup and the first two times, he is hit with a suicide dive. The third time, Orton hits Bryan on the head then he does his hanging DDT, only this time on the outside of the ring. When the action goes back inside the ring, Orton goes for the RKO but Bryan pushes him into referee Scott Armstrong, who rolls to the outside. A second referee, Rod Zapata, comes in and then Orton goes for another hanging DDT but Bryan gets out of it and applies the LeBell Yes No Lock and Orton manages to get to the ropes. Bryan does a superplex then a flying headbutt for 2. At this point, Scott Armstrong, who had been checked by a doctor, comes back in and resumes referring the match. Orton hits an overhead suplex. However, when he goes for the RKO, Bryan gets out of it and hits the running knee to get the win.
I enjoyed the match, although I wasn't initally happy with the result. I thought that Bryan overcoming the odds at the first attempt was the wrong decision. However, the next night on Raw, Triple H held the WWE title up in abeyance and I was ok with that, as it shows Bryan constantly being screwed by the new corporation.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Predictions: 5 for 7

I thought that Night of Champions was quite a decent event as some of the matches were pretty good and I'm quite intrigued to see where they go with the Bryan/Corporation feud.

Sunday 6 October 2013

WWE Battleground 2013 Preview


WWE Battleground will be taking place this Sunday at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo. The last two events have been pretty good and let's see if it will continue with that.


The Kick-Off show will feature Dolph Ziggler taking on Damien Sandow. It has the potential to be a very good match and it's a tough one to call. I'm going for Sandow to win here and hopefully get a strong build before becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion.
Predicted Winner: Damien Sandow

Kofi Kingston will face Bray Wyatt in what could be an interesting match. I will be very surprised if Kofi wins this so I'm expecting Bray Wyatt to win here and give his opponent a con-stairo afterwards. 
Predicted Winner: Bray Wyatt

CM Punk will face another one of Paul Heyman's guys: Ryback. I can see this match going either way but I think they need to cement Ryback so I think he will win here.
Predicted Winner: Ryback

AJ Lee will defend her Divas Championship against Brie Bella. This is a weird one cos they're both heels but I think they can make it work. I really don't want Brie to win here but I think she will.
Predicted Winner: Brie Bella

The Real Americans will take on the team of Santino Marella and The Great Khali (oh, God). Whilst I love Cesaro and Swagger, I don't really care about this match. I would love the Real Americans to win here but I don't think they will. Therefore, even though I really don't want them to, I'm going for Santino and Khali to win here.
Predicted Winners: Santino Marella and Great Khali

R-Truth will challenge Curtis Axel for the Intercontinental Championship. I'm not sure about this one as I can't see either one being the Champion. I'm going for Axel to win and stay Champion for a bit longer.
Predicted Winner: Curtis Axel

Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins will face the team of Cody Rhodes and Goldust. If the Rhodes win, they get their jobs back. If they lose, they're banned from the WWE and their father, Dusty Rhodes, will lose his job. So no pressure then. I think that, despite the best efforts of the Rhodes, I think that The Shield might get a little help to get the victory.
Predicted Winners: Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins

Rob Van Dam will get another opportunity to challenge Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Battleground Hardcore Match. This is a tough one to call as I can see both guys winning. I'm going for the status quo and think that Del Rio will win.
Predicted Winner: Alberto Del Rio

The main event is for the WWE Championship, which was been held in abeyance (ie vacated), between Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan. A lot of people think it might end in a no contest and I can see that happening. If it doesn't end in a clusterfuck, I think that Orton will win here.
Predicted Winner: Randy Orton

I have to review 3 PPVs this month so I hope to have the review up this week. I hope you guys enjoy the show.

Sunday 15 September 2013

WWE Night of Champions 2013 Preview

WWE Night of Champions takes place this evening at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. I would say that this is the one night where all the Championships are defended but that's not really true. Anyway, let's look at the card. 

The Kick Off Show match is a tag team turmoil match to determine who will face Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose for the Tag Team Championships later on that night.  The teams taking part are The Prime Time Players (#millions of dollars), the Real Americans, the Usos, Tons of Funk, and 3MB. This is an interesting one to call as I can see either the Usos or the Prime Time Players. I'm going for the WWE taking advantage of their recent push and giving the Prime Time Players the win here. 
Prediction: Prime Time Players

As for the Tag Team Championships, in which Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns take on the winners of the Tag Team Turmoil match; I can't see them losing the belts considering they look stronger than ever now they're part of Triple H's stable. 
Prediction: Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns

The United States Championships will be defended as Dolph Ziggler challenges Dean Ambrose. Whilst I can see this being a good match, like Rollins and Reigns, I can't see Ambrose losing the belt here. 
Prediction: Dean Ambrose

The Divas Championship will be defended in a fatal 4 way match with AJ Lee defending her title against Natalya, Brie Bella and Naomi. A large part of me thinks that AJ will get through this by the skin of her teeth. However, as part of the Total Divas storyline, I can see Natalya or Brie winning it. I'm going to take a punt and say that Natalya will be victorious here. 
Prediction: Natalya

Now for the only non-title match as CM Punk takes on Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman in an elimination handicap match. We all know that Axel will get pinned by Punk. The question is, what happens after that. I can see Heyman surprisingly winning with a little help with either Brock Lesnar or a new Heyman guy. 
Prediction: Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman

The World Heavyweight Championship will be defended as Rob Van Dam challenges Alberto Del Rio. I'm torn on this one as I can see both guys winning. There is also the Ricardo Rodriguez factor as I do wonder if he will help Del Rio to beat RVD. Despite that, I think that RVD will win; although don't be surprised if you hear Damien Sandow's music hit in the near future. 
Prediction: Rob Van Dam

The main event will be for the WWE Championship as Daniel Bryan aims to get revenge against Randy Orton. I quite enjoyed this feud so far, especially with Triple H being the evil boss. I would be very surprised if Bryan does a Cena and overcome the odds at the first fucking attempt. Therefore, I expect Randy Orton, with some help from Triple H and maybe The Shield, to be victorious; albeit probably by it turning into a clusterfuck. 
Prediction: Randy Orton

I'll probably get to see the Kick Off Show live then watch the event during the week. I hope you enjoy the show and I'll attempt to post my review by next weekend. 

WWE Summerslam 2013 Review

The twenty-sixth Summersam took place on Sunday 18th August at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The last two Summerslams have been pretty good, as have the last two PPVs. Hopefully, this one will be in the area.

The Pre-Show was for the United States Championship as Rob Van Dam challenges Dean Ambrose. The match starts with some chain wrestling and Ambrose getting the early advantage. RVD gets back into it but that doesn't last long as Ambrose continues his advantage. Ambrose hits a neck tie neckbreaker for 2 and later on, RVD tries to monkey flip him. Ambrose moves out of the way but RVD responds by splashing him. RVD is about to do the 5-star frog splash but Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins come out to "support" Ambrose. Mark Henry and the Big Show then come out to even the odds. At this point, I expected Teddy Long to come out and make it a tag team match (playa). However, due to the fact that he is not currently ina position of power, the match continues. Ambrose sends RVD to the outside and tries to suplex him but it's reversed. The action goes back inside and RVD continues his advantage before Ambrose hits a spine buster for 2. Ambrose tries an elbow from the top rope but misses. RVD once again goes for the 5-star but Rollins goes on the apron to distract him. This gives Ambrose the opportunity for a roll up for 2. RVD gets to hit the rolling thunder then the 5-star. However, when he goes to cover Ambrose, he is speared by Reigns, getting Amrbose disqualified. The Shield then flee while gloating. I thought this was a good match and it did seem to set up a feud between the Shield and Show and Henry. However, Henry's injury has ended that before it could start, which is a shame as I thought it could be intersesting to see.
Winner: Rob Van Dam
Predictions: 0 for 1

The first match is a ring of fire match between Kane and Bray Wyatt. Kane starts unloading on Bray to begin with and he's generally dominant in the early going. Bray tries a suplex but it#s reversed. Bray does get in some offence but Kane manages to hit a sidewalk slam and later on, a chokeslam. At this point, Harper and Rowan attack one of the firemen surrounding and try to get into the ring using a fire extinguisher. Kane hits another 2 chokeslams it looks like he is going to win. However, Harper and Rowan eventually get into the ring using a fire-retardant blanket to cover part of the ring of fire. They start to beat up Kane and Bray hits the Sister Abigail to get the win. Afterwards, the Wyatt family drag Kane out of the ring and hit him with the steel steps. They then drag Kane to the back with them. I'm torn about this match. They seemed to have portrayed Bray Wyatt in this match as someone who's weak without his followers and I'm not entirely sure if that's a good thing to do with him. Despite that, I thought the match was pretty decent and told an interesting story.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
Predictions: 1 for 2

Next is the match between Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes. Highlights of the match include: Sandow focusing his attack on Cody's back; Sandow applying a version of a cloverleaf; Cody hitting a springboard missile dropkick; and Cody reversing a sunset flip before hitting a disaster kick for 2. The end comes when Cody hits the cross Rhodes to get the pinfall. I enjoyed the match, although I thought the ending did come a little bit out of nowhere.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Predictions: 1 for 3

The World Heavyweight Championship is on the line as Christian challenges Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio acts like a dick at the beginning when he insists that Lillian Garcia announces him in Spanish. Good job she was born in Madrid. Anyway, Del Rio beats down Christian and wears him down with a headlock. Later on, he does a enziguri to the back of the head and starts to focus on Christian's right shoulder. Christian gets the chance to make a comeback when Del Rio misses a flying kick and goes flying out of the ring. Christian hits a missile dropkick, 10 punches in the corner, and a crossbody for 2. Christian tries for the killswitch but, due to the fact that it takes half an hour to set it up, Del Rio gets out of it and hits a backstabber for 2. Del Rio misses a senton and Christian tries a sunset flip powerbomb but Del Rio gets out it. Christian does eventually hit the spear but he's in agony because he uses his injured shoulder to do the move. This gives Del Rio the chance to apply the cross armbreaker to get the win. I actually enjoyed this match more than I thought I would and it was a great effort by both guys.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Predictions: 2 for 4

Next is a Divas match between Natalya and Brie Bella. The match quickly becomes a slapping contest and the action goes briefly to the outside. When Natalya tries to go back in, Eva Marie and Nikki Bella pull the apron from under her, giving Brie the chance to go for the offensive. Brie hits a couple of legdrops and a hairpull. Natalya hits a modified stunner then the sharpshooter, which Brie powers out of it. Brie does a running knee and tries a sunset flip. However, Natalya reverses into an Alabama slam then the sharpshooter to get the win. The match was pretty decent and it looks like the Divas are doing more wrestling than what they were usually doing.
Winner: Natalya
Predictions: 2 for 5

After we see Ryback act like a dick to one of the catering staff (seriously, what the fuck is up with that?); we get "The Best vs The Beast" as CM Punk faces Brock Lesnar in a no-disqualification match. Lesnar starts using his power to dominate Punk, crashing him into turnbuckles and throwing him like a rag doll. Punk hits a couple of running knees to send Lesnar out of the ring and he follows that with a suicide dive. The action continues on the outside as Punk hits a clothesline from the announce table. He then goes after Paul Heyman but Brock stops that and sends Punk flying over both announce tables. Lesnar hits an overhead suplex then sends Punk into the ring. Punk tries to slow down Lesnar with kicks to the leg but it's stopped by a clothesline. Lesnar applies a bearhug and Punk gets out of it but Lesnar continues his dominance. Punk tries an ax-handle from the top rope but Lesnar grabs him and hits a fallaway slam. Punk eventually does make a comeback and hits a top rope knee followed by 2 running knees. Punk hits a roundhouse kick then a Macho Man elbow drop for 2. Punk tries the GTS but Lesnar gets Punk into a kimura. Punk reverses it into a triangle choke hold. Lesnar tries to get out of it by picking Punk up and powerbombing him; however, Punk keeps hold and reapplies the choke hold and Lesnar gets Punk off him with a running powerbomb. Lesnar hits 3 consecutive suplexes for a 2 count. Lesnar goes to the outside and grab a steel chair but Punk does a crossbody, sandwiching the chair between him and Lesnar. Lesnar tries to use the chair when the action goes back inside the ring but Punk hits a low blow then starts hitting Lesnar with the chair before Heyman grabs it. Punk hits the GTS but Heyman breaks up the pin. Lesnar then goes for the F-5 but it's reversed into a DDT. Punk then applies the anaconda vice and Heyman tries to stop it with a chair. However, Punk lets go of Lesnar, grabs Heyman and punches him, then applies the anaconda vice for him. Lesnar stops that with continuous chair shots followed by a F-5 onto the chair to get the win. I thought this match was really good and a lot of fun to watch.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Predictions: 3 for 6

The penultimate match is a mixed tag team contest with Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn taking on AJ Lee and Big E Langston (worst bodyguard ever) Ziggler and Big E and Big E hits a belly to belly suplex and a splash to get the advantage. After a while, AJ tags herself in so Ziggler has to tag in Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn starts to physically dominate AJ before she gets hit with a spinning heel kick. AJ seizes this chance with 2 swinging neckbreakers and a sleeper hold. Kaitlyn hits AJ with a shoulder charge and gets the hot tag to Ziggler. He hits 10 consecutive elbows on Big E and a couple of minutes later, his offense is slowed down by AJ grabbing his foot. Katilyn stops that by spearing AJ into oblivion and Big E hits a brutal clothesline for 2. Big E goes for the big ending but Ziggler gets out of it and hits the zigzag to get the win. I quite enjoyed the match, although I thought it was little bit short.
Winners: Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn
Predictions: 4 for 7

The main event is Daniel Bryan challenging John Cena for the WWE Championship with Triple H  as the special guest referee. The match starts with some chain wrestling between the two. Bryan monkey flips Cena and goes for the LeBell Yes No Lock but Cena rolls out of the ring. Bryan hits Cena with a dragon screw and Cena, a few moments later, sends Bryan into the announce table. The action  stays on the outside as Cena suplexes Bryan from the steel steps and sends him back into the ring. Cena continues his advantage with moves such as a sit down powerbomb. Bryan makes a comeback with kick in the corner followed by kick to the chest. Cena dodges the last kick and does the 5-knuckle shuffle. Cena goes for the AA but Bryan lands on his feet and hits a flying kick from the top rope for 2. Bryan keeps Cena down by targeting the injured elbow. Cena goes for the STF but Bryan gets out of it and applies the STF himself. When Cena looks like he is about to reach the ropes, Bryan lets go of the hold and hits 2 German suplex pins, both for a 2 count. When he tries for a 3rd, Cena powers out of it and goes for the AA. However, Bryan gets ut of it and applies the LeBell Yes No lock. Cena manages to get out of it but Bryan continues the pressure with a sleeper hold; and Cena gets out of it by flipping Bryan into the turnbuckle. Cena eventually hits the AA but Bryan kicks out at 2. Bryan hits a superplex then a flying headbutt for 2. Cena then gets a 2 count after a top rope legdrop to the back of Bryan's head. A few minutes later, Cena applies the STF and when Bryan rolls out of it, Cena applies a sleeper hold. Bryan reverses it into the LeBell Yes No lock and Cena grabs the rope. Bryan does 2 flying 2-footed kicks to Cena in the corner but when he attempts a third, he is almost killed by a brutal clothesline. They alternate kicks then they collide to leave both men down. They both get up and start slapping each other. Cena tries another AA but it's reversed into a DDT. Bryan goes for a crossbody but Cena grabs him and tries for the AA. Bryan counters it into a pin attempt for 2. Bryan kicks Cena in the back of the head then does a flying knee to the face to get the win and become the new WWE Champion. Afterwards, Cena congratulates Bryan.

I thought this match was absolutely amazing and possibly the best technical wrestling match I have seen in years. I may not be a fan of Cena's character but he is a very good wrestler when the need arises, such as this match. Plus, this may be the first time in years that Cena has lost clean, without any distractions or shit like that. As for Triple H, like the Summerslam 2011 main event, I almost forgot that he was referring the match so well done to him.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Predictions: 5 for 8

After Bryan celebrates with confetti raining down and fireworks, Randy Orton's music hits and it looks like he was teasing a cash-in. Orton goes a little back up the aisle when suddenly, Triple H pedigrees Bryan. Orton comes in, cashes in his MITB briefcase, and pins Bryan to become the new WWE Champion. I thought this was brilliantly done by the WWE. They gave us two false endings with Bryan's celebration then Orton coming out. That would be a normal ending but they surprised us all by the double heel turn of Triple H and Orton. I think that this is exactly what Orton needs as his run as a face was becoming stale and he is the perfect foil to Bryan. As for Triple H, he may be my favourite wrestler but I loved him a lot more as a heel than a face. With the addition of the Shield to Triple H's stable, this could go in many different directions. Triple H is still an active wrestler (albeit part time) so he could face Bryan so he could constantly put up barriers, such as the Shield and other heels, to Bryan's path to becoming WWE Champion.
Winner: Randy Orton
Predictions: N/A

I thoroughly enjoyed Summerslam. Although I had minor grievances with a couple of matches, I thought they were all fun to watch. We now have a very interesting feud with Bryan taking on Triple H, Orton and his cronies and I'm really looking forward to seeing where they go from here.

Thursday 12 September 2013

The End of an Era. Thank You JR.




I found out this evening that Jim Ross is retiring from the WWE after an incredible 39 years in professional wrestling. The reason being to spend more time perusing his personal business endeavours.

Jim William Ross made his wrestling debut in 1974 with NWA Mid-South when an announcer was unable to show up one night. He also was a referee there until 1977 and returned when Bill Watts bought out the territory, becoming their lead announcer and vice president of marketing. He worked with Jim Crockett Promotions, which eventually became World Championship Wrestling. Ross was the lead announcer there until he left in 1993 when Eric Bischoff, who he had a contentious relationship with, was promoted to executive producer.

Jim went to the WWF and made his debut commentating on Wrestlemania IX along with Bobby Heenan and Randy Savage. He was in and out of the company until he became part of the lead announce team in 1996, eventually becoming the lead commentator of RAW is War during the Monday Night Wars along with Jerry Lawler.

To me, Jim Ross (or JR as everyone came to know him) was the voice of the Attitude Era. He called so many memorable matches, such as the Hell in a Cell match in 1998, the Austin-Rock matches at 3 Wrestlemanias, and the final WWE match of Ric Flair at Wrestlemania XXIV.

A lot of the adults who watch the WWE or go to the live events will have grown up listening to Jim Ross. The first WWE event that I watched was Wrestlemania VIII, which had Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan commentating. The job of the commentators is to help tell the story of the match and they generally did it through comedy, with Monsoon being the straight man. JR told the story of the match through emotion. When he got animated saying "My God! My God!" or something similar, he really got you invested in the match and the story being told. JR's final PPV match that he called was the End of an Era match between Undertaker and Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XXVIII and the story of the match was made so much more emotive with his voice telling you the story.

It seems like I'm writing an obituary of a man who was passed away. I'm not, but in a way it is. This is a brief obituary of a career that has touched the hearts so many fans of the WWE.  Even as I write this, I'm wiping away a tear knowing that I may never hear his voice on a WWE event ever again.

Thank you so much for the memories JR and I, along with many others, will hope you come back one day and call one more match.

Sunday 18 August 2013

WWE Summerslam 2013 Preview

File:WWE SummerSlam 2013 poster.jpg


The twenty-sixth Summerslam, hosted by The Miz, takes place this Sunday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The last two WWE PPVs have been pretty good, so will Summerslam continue in that vein? Let's look at the card.

The Pre-Show match is for the United States Championship as  Rob Van Dam challenges Dean Ambrose. This has the potential to be a good match but I don't think we will see a new Champion here. Therefore, I'm going for Dean Ambrose.
Predicted Winner: Dean Ambrose

Kane will take on Bray Wyatt in a ring of fire match. I'm quite looking forward to the match and I can see the rest of the Wyatt family getting involved here. Bray Wyatt has to win this match otherwise, it will waste all the great work that he has done so far.
Predicted Winner: Bray Wyatt

Natalya will take on Brie Bella in a match stemming from Total Divas. I love Natalya and starting to despise the Bellas. I would love Natalya to win but I can see the Bellas fucking using their usual Twin Magic bullshit to get the win.
Predicted Winner: Brie Bella

Cody Rhodes will face Damien Sandow in a match that I'm quite looking forward to. I've been enjoying their rivalry so far and this could be an entertaining contest. It's a tough one to call but I'm going for Sandow to win here.
Predicted Winner: Damien Sandow

In an intergender tag match  Dolph Ziggler teams up with Kaitlyn to take on AJ Lee and Big E Langston (worst bodyguard ever). This also could be a fun match to watch and I like all of the competitors. I'm going for Ziggler and Kaitlyn to win here.
Predicted Winners: Dolph Ziggler and Katilyn

CM Punk faces Brock Lesnar in another match that I'm looking forward to. This is also another tough one to call as I can see both of them winning. I'm taking a punt here and going for Brock Lesnar to win and continue this feud til at least Survivor Series.
Predicted Winner: Brock Lesnar

The World Heavyweight Championship as Christian finally gets his "one more match" as he challenges Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio has been ok to watch as Champion and I don't see him losing here.
Predicted Winner: Alberto Del Rio

Now the main event that a lot of people are looking forward to seeing: Daniel Bryan challenging John Cena  for the WWE Championship with Triple H  as the special guest referee. This could be a really good match. Bryan is on fire at the minute and, whilst I'm not a fan of Cena's character, he is a good wrestler when he needs to be. My only concern is Triple H. He doesn't need to be in this match and I feel that the match will end up being the HHH Show. With Randy Orton lurking nearby with his MITB briefcase, there are a lot of ways that this could  go. I'm going for Bryan to win this match, although I can see this turning into a complete clusterfuck.
Predicted Winner: Daniel Bryan

 I have finally caught up with my PPV reviews so I hope to have this up during the week and I can hopefully start writing some opinion pieces again in the near future. Hope you guys enjoy the show.