Coverage and thoughts on the May 10, 2013 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with Chris Jericho in the ring for the Highlight Reel. He welcomes everyone and then says that his guest tonight in 9 days will challenge John Cena for the WWE Title in a last man standing match. He brings out the man, the monster (He sure hasn’t been booked like on since being turned heel) Ryback. Jericho says that Ryback has made some incredible waves over the last few months & that all started the night after WrestleMania when he attacked Cena (I thought it started way before that) & announced his intentions to beat him for the title. On the Highlight Reel people know that Jericho likes to stir things up & mess with his guest but tonight things are a bit different because when it comes to Cena Jericho sees where Ryback is coming from. Ryback says that he doesn’t need Jericho’s approval on what he did. Jericho tells him that since this is his show Ryback will have to listen to him talk. Jericho knows what Ryback is doing but how many times was Ryback screwed out of the WWE Title? How many times was Ryback attacked by The Shield? How many times was what Ryback really wanted taken out of his grasp? Ryback asks Jericho what his point is. Jericho point is that Ryback keeps talking about Ryback rules. Jericho wants to know what Ryback’s rules are. He’s sure they’re not don’t eat carbs or don’t go swimming till 3o minutes after you’ve eaten (Why does every baby face have to have these corny lines?). Jericho thinks Ryback’s rules are much simpler. Jericho thinks that Ryback’s rules are that he will do whatever it takes to win. He will do whatever it takes to get to the top & win the WWE Title. Jericho gets where Ryback is coming from because he’s done the same thing himself. Jericho’s been champion 6 times & to do that he developed a chip on his shoulder bigger than Big Show. He had enemies everywhere in this company, whether it was John Cena, Shawn Michaels or “Bob ‘Flippin’ Barker.” It didn’t matter. If you weren’t with Jericho you were against him. Then Ryback says that this is the part where Jericho says that he’s seen the error of his ways & yet he judges Ryback for doing a selfish thing. Ryback takes care of himself. Jericho gets that & he isn’t judging Ryback. But by the sound of things the fans are judging Ryback. The Jerichoholics in here tonight are judging Ryback (Even though there wasn’t any noise from the crowed). Jericho says that the fans are booing Ryback because they get the difference between what it takes to beat Rock & Austin in the same night to become the undisputed champion & beating a 1 legged Cena in a last man standing match (That really made no sense). Maybe the ends justify the means. Maybe Ryback will get what he wants. Maybe Ryback would rather be the type of cowardly champion that cuts corners & takes the easy way out (Isn’t that what all WWE heels do?) rather than being the nice guy who always finishes second. Jericho tells Ryback to be careful what he wishes for because Ryback could win the WWE Title at Extreme Rules but if he does win the title he will lose the respect of the fans (That doesn’t make sense either). Ryback tells Jericho that he talks way too much. What makes Jericho think that Ryback won’t drop him right here right now? Jericho says that he’s looking in Ryback’s eyes & he doesn’t think that Ryback will do a damn thing. Out comes Teddy Long. He tells Jericho & Ryback that’s not the way it’s going to go down. If they have some business that they wanna settle they will do it in tonight’s main event. So tonight in a first Ryback will go 1 on 1 with Jericho. Then Ryback punches Jericho & he falls to the canvas. This was a weak segment & the predictable “2 guys are in the ring having issues & the GM comes out & books a match for the end of the show” bit that starts off Smackdown almost every week. Also what was up with Jericho saying there was a difference between doing whatever it takes to beat Rock & Austin and beating a 1 legged Cena? That made no sense & neither did Jericho saying that if Ryback becomes champion than the fans won’t respect him. WHAT!?


U.S. Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Cody Rhodes. Kofi gets the pin. This was a decent match but was kind of short.


Time for a look back at Brock Lesnar trashing Triple H’s “office” followed by the HHH promo.


Backstage Renee Young interviews Jack Swagger & Zeb Coulter. She wants to take them back to what happened on Raw. Zeb says he will save “Reba” a lot of time from asking him some lame media question. He will tell her everything that she needs to know. It’s no secret that Dolph Ziggler a man of questionable moral character won the Money in the Bank ladder match last year. We also know how much experience Del Rio has with ladders. Jack Swagger served a statement Monday night because he took out 4 guys & tonight Swagger will serve another statement on little Blondie’s body guard Big E Langston. Jack & Zeb both this has been a long process but at Extreme Rules every step that Jack takes up that ladder every American will be 1 step closer to achieving their goals. The American way is working hard & staying true to your beliefs through all adversity & criticism & taking a step at a time. Step 1 winning the world title. Step 2 is to take our country back. Swagger says we the people. This was the same kind of promo we’ve been getting from Zeb.


Jack Swagger vs. Big E Langston never starts because Alberto Del Rio, who is on commentary for the next match gets a ladder from under the ring & slides it into the ring. Dolph goes for the ladder but Swagger kicks him away. Then Swagger & Big have a tug of war over the ladder. As that’s happening Zeb hits Big E in the back of the head & Big E turns around. That allows Swagger to hit Big E in the gut with the ladder and then he clotheslines him over the top rope to the floor. Then Dolph comes back in & nails Swagger. Then Dolph picks up the ladder, throws it to Swagger and then Dolph drop kicks the ladder face first into Swagger. Then Zeb tries to sneak in & get the ladder but Dolph baseball slides him into the barricade. Then Del Rio gets in the ring & knocks down Dolph. Then he kicks him in the head and then when Dolph gets up Del Rio hits him with the ladder. Then Del Rio goes outside the ring & throws the ladder at Swagger. Then Del Rio sets up the ladder in the ring, grabs the world title & climbs the ladder. This was solid.


WWE Tag Team Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Dean Ambrose. Ambrose wins by DQ. Daniel had Ambrose in the no lock. Reigns tries to get into the ring but Kane stops him. That distracts the referee and then Rollins comes in & kicks Daniel. Then Rollins & Reigns go after Kane but Kane fights back. In the ring Ambrose has Daniel in a head lock. Then Kofi Kingston comes in & takes Down Ambrose. That led to the DQ finish. Kofi continues to pound on Ambrose and then Daniel & Rollins go at it in the ring while Kane throws Reigns over the barricade. Then Daniels chucks Rollins over the top and then Kofi does the same to Ambrose. Ambrose land on the apron & Kofi gives him Trouble in Paradise, sending Ambrose to the floor. The Shield retreats as Kane, Daniel & Kofi pose. The match was good & I liked the post match brawl too. It looks like Kofi will be teaming with Kane & Daniel to face The Shield.


They show a video from “earlier in the day”. Mark Henry is outside the arena & is hooked to the front of a truck & he pulls it over the yellow line. Damien Sandow & The Primetime players cheered on Henry.


They show some pictures of the welts on Sheamus from the Mark Henry whipping on Monday.


Mark Henry is in the parking lot set to pull a truck again. Damien Sandow & The Primetime Players are there to cheer him on again. Henry is hooked to 2 trucks this time and then Matt Striker comes by. Striker tells Mark that for the past few weeks he has impressed the fans with his unbelievable strength. Earlier Henry pulled 1 tractor trailer & now tonight it looks like Henry will attempt to make history by pulling 2. They weigh over 100,000 pounds & Henry will attempt to pull them 20 feet across the finish line. Henry says there have been a lot of strong men that have pulled trucks, boats, trolleys & busses but there isn’t anyone on God’s green Earth that has ever pulled 2 tractor trailers. Earlier was just an example of what he can do but tonight this is a demonstration of how he will pull Sheamus like a rag doll. At Extreme Rules all 4 corners will be touched. Then he tells Striker to get out of his way while he makes history. Striker asks Henry if he’s sure he can accomplish this. Mark yells at Striker to move. Henry tries a few times but has no luck. Then Striker asks if Henry has any comments since he seems to be struggling. Henry says that Striker doesn’t think he can do it. It doesn’t matter. The people in the building don’t think that he can do it. Then he yells at Striker to get out of his way. Then he gets the trailers over the finish line. Then Henry screams that’s what he does. Henry has some water and the Lillian says let’s hear it for Mark Henry. This was a bit long & kinda boring. I don’t get why they have Henry do these challenges to show how strong he is. We already know that he is a strong guy!


Time for a look back at the Cena-Ryback scenario from Monday.


Backstage Renee Young interviews Randy Orton. They show Big Show giving Orton the KO punch from Monday. Then Renee says that Big Show knocked him out on Monday just like he did at WrestleMania. What is Orton’s message to Big Show? Orton says we all know that he isn’t the most trusting type but at WrestleMania he vouched for Big Show. That got him knocked out not once but twice. You mess with the viper you’re gonna get bit. The bigger the prey the more venomous that bight is. Orton’s message to Big Show is that at Extreme Rules there will be no antidote for what he does to Big Show. This was short & decent.


Tensai vs. Big Show. Big Show gets the pin. This was a short match. Tensai got most of the offense in before Big Show gave him the KO punch for the pin. Then Brodus checks on Tensai but Big Show grabs Brodus. Brodus fights off Big Show for a bit and then Big Show spears him. Then he was going to KO Brodus but then Orton comes in & gives Big Show an RKO. That was predictable.


Backstage we see Kaitlyn sending a text. AJ literally bumps into her & AJ asks if Kaitlyn is texting her mom. AJ misses Susan, she’s so sweet. Kaitlyn tells her that she’s texting her secret admirer. AJ asks if Kaitlyn’s figured what desperate soul has been “slumming it lately” & sending her ugly hats. Kaitlyn says that maybe it’s Dolph. Maybe Dolph is tired of little spider monkeys & is ready for a real woman. AJ doesn’t think that real woman are supposed to bench press more than a man because that’s terrifying or something like I have no idea, who cares? Kaitlyn then asks AJ if a real woman has soulless eyes & the body of a 10 year old boy. Then Natalya comes by & asks if there’s a problem here. AJ says, “Later gentlemen” & walks off. Then Natalya asks Kaitlyn what’s with this new man of hers? Kaitlyn says that he’s not her man. She doesn’t even know who he is. It was so sweet of him to send her that Simpsons stuff Monday but it is driving her crazy that she doesn’t know who it is. Then Khali shows up & Kaitlyn asks if he found out anything. Natalya starts to yap & Kaitlyn tells her to turn around because Khali is standing right behind her. They show that Khali is wearing a Rey Mysterio mask & he says Rey’s name and then the “booyka” 619 bit. Khali then takes the mask off & says it’s him. Then he asks if Natalya thought it was Rey (Like anybody could get those 2 confused). Natalya says that she totally thought it was Rey (Yeah right). Then Kaitlyn asks Natalya if there’s a way that she can tell Khali that just because he is under cover doesn’t mean that he has to be in a costume. Natalya says that he is trying so hard & wants to help out. Kaitlyn says that if he can keep his ears open in the locker room for her that would be great. Natalya has Kaitlyn’s back. Kaitlyn walks off and then Natalya tells Khali that he doesn’t have to go under cover & he doesn’t have to look like Cody Rhodes (I’m at a loss for words). Then the camera show Khali wearing a mustache. This was terrible! I have no idea what the point if this is, if there even is a point to this. He Vince, this crap isn’t funny! It’s beyond stupid!


Chris Jericho vs. Ryback. Jericho wins by DQ when Ryback crotches Jericho on the ring post. That was a lame ending. Then Ryback clotheslines Jericho onto the announce table & Jericho falls off. Then Ryback pounds on his chest, says Ryback rules and then walks out to end the show. The match was solid but the finish was lame. I was ok with Ryback lying out Jericho afterwards though.


I thought this was a really weak show overall. The Highlight reel segment was long & predictable. The main event was solid but I wasn’t into the finish. The Kaytlin-AJ/Kaytlin-Natalya-Khali bit was awful. Tensai-Big Show was short & Orton giving Big Show an RKO was predictable. I thought Mark Henry dragging the tractor trailers was meaningless too. We know how strong Mark Henry is. They don’t have to keep having him in these bits. Daniel-Ambrose was good & I liked the post match brawl too. The Del Rio-Swagger-Dolph brawl was also good. On the whole though I thought this wasn’t much of a show.

Coverage and thoughts on the May 9, 2013 episode of Impact

The show starts with Sting & Kurt Angle coming to the ring. Sting says on June 2 he will be at Slammiversary as the number 1 contender for the world title. Bully Ray conducted a plan to fool everyone (Even though no one was) and he succeeded and is now champion. Sting’s plan is to take the title. He doesn’t wanna wait till then. He asked for Hulk’s permission for a 6 man tag tonight (Because for some reason he always has to get Hulk’s ok). Sting had to go for the best of the best, so he went straight to Kurt Angle. Angle says he was fooled just like everyone (No one was fooled by Ray’s very obvious heel turn!) but last week he made D’Lo say, “I Quit” but that’s just the start of the pain that’s coming. Angle tells AJ to come out because he has something to ask him. (Haven’t we seen this before)? Out comes AJ. Angle tells AJ that he & Sting are ready for war. Will AJ join them in the fight against Aces & 8s? The fans chant yes. Angle’s tired of asking; now he’s demanding AJ give an answer. Then Sting says he’s been in AJ’s shoes & he talks about hiding in the rafters. AJ has to the right thing. Aces & 8s are taking TNA apart & they need AJ Styles. The roar of the crowed is the house that AJ Styles built. Sting knows AJ wants to tag with him & Angle & take out Aces & 8s, so let’s make it happen for the house that AJ built. Angle says he’s tired of this crap (So am I) and tells AJ, “You’re either with us or against us!” AJ walks out & Angle goes after him. Then they exchange blows on the stage and then Angle takes AJ down. As they go at it Aces & 8s sneak up behind Sting & then Ray & Devon give him 3D. Then Angle comes in the ring as Aces & 8s bail. This was the same old crap we’ve been getting for about a month. This was just so predictable.


Backstage camera guy asks AJ if he will leave Sting & Angle high & dry. AJ walks out the door.


Knockouts Champion Velvet Sky & Mickie James vs. Gail Kim & Tara. Velvet & Mickie win when Velvet pins Tara. This wasn’t much. Afterwards Gail gets in Tara’s face and then clotheslines her. Then Gail gives Tara the turnbuckle figure 4.


Backstage Ray says another icon bights the dust. D’Lo comes in & Ray says they have some club business to attend to in the ring. Looks like D’Lo’s gonna be out of Aces & 8s.


Backstage Daniels & Kaz come into James Storm’s dressing room. They brought him a 6 pack to remind him of Roode hitting him with a beer bottle. They pretty much try to talk him into reforming Fortune, but without Roode. This was decent.


Aces & 8s come to the ring. Ray says by now we should know who they are. They’re Aces & 8s. Tonight Ray, Devon & Mr. Anderson will take on Angle, Sting & their mystery guy. They know it won’t be AJ. To any of the wrestlers who think they might be the hero tonight not to bother because they don’t want any part of Aces & 8s. This brings Ray to club business. He tells D’Lo a couple weeks ago (It was 2 weeks ago but it aired last week) D’Lo disgraced himself & the club. Ray tells D’Lo to turn in his colors right now. D’Lo says no. Ray tells D’Lo that he will take the colors off. D’Lo says his cut is his life (Whatever that means). Then Anderson screams at D’Lo & calls him a quitter. Ray says D’Lo quit on himself & his brothers and now he’s gonna cry about it. How will D’Lo earn back his stripes? D’Lo wants to kick Magnus ass tonight. Ray tells D’Lo to sit with the time keeper & watch Doc kick Magnus’ ass & D’Lo better hope Doc does that so D’Lo can get his colors back. Out comes Magnus. He will face Doc next. This made no sense! Why would D’Lo wanna be a part of a stable that was looking to kick him out?


Magnus vs. Doc. Magnus gets the pin. This was decent. During the match Doc distracted the referee & D’Lo pulled Magnus out of the ring & sent him into the guard rail. Then he went for an Irish Whip but Magnus reversed it & sent D’Lo in the steel steps. Then the finish came when Magnus sent Doc into the ropes & D’Lo tripped Doc, thinking it was Magnus. That allowed Magnus to get the roll up for the pin. The match was ok but it was more of a back drop to the D’Lo story.


Backstage Doc is all pissed & D’Lo says that he is sorry. Ray yells at him and then the rest of Aces & 8s beat down D’Lo. Ray says D’Lo can’t do his job right. Ray should bash him with the hammer. Anderson says to give him a job that he can do. Ray tells him that he’s pretty much their errand boy. This was awful.


Cut to Hulk, Angle & Sting. Hulk wants to be their partner. Sting & Angle mention that the Dr. says he can’t go. Hulk got a wild card call today & if this guy is who he says he is they won’t have to worry, because this guy will come in & destroy Aces & 8s. Sting says the third guy needs to be Magnus. Angle agrees. Hulk says if they believe in Magnus then Hulk is good with it. This was terrible too.


Cut to Aries & Roode. They walk up to James Storm. They give him a beer. Roode tells Storm he was jealous of him when they were a team. Storm asks Aries if he told him to say that. Storm says word going around the locker room is that Aries beating Roode wasn’t a fluke. This was decent but having 3 backstage segments in a row is too much!


James Storm comes to the ring & will referee the tag match next.


Christopher Daniels & Bobby Roode vs. Austin Aries & Bobby Roode. The match ends in a no finish. Daniels rolled up Aries but hooked the tights but Storm caught him. Then while Storm argued with Daniels, Aries got a beer bottle and drank some. Then Storm took it & has a chug. Then Aries shoved Storm & Storm was going to super kick Aries but Aries got out of the way & Storm wound up super kicking Daniels. Then Aries covered Daniels with his foot. Storm reluctantly counted but stopped at 2. Then he gave Austin Aries a super kick. Then Storm walked out to his them music. Yes that was the “finish!” The match was good but the finish was lame!


Backstage Aces & 8s beat down Magnus. Magnus fights back but they get the upper hand.


They show a video package hyping the return of Suicide.


Then they show a video package recapping Chris Sabin’s return match from last Thursday.


Kenny King comes to the ring. He says he is the X Division Champion. Some might say how did he get that belt so fast. Ever since he’s been in that ring he’s been outstanding. Now he has to beat 2 guys, but he always beats the odds. He came out here to talk about a guy who doesn’t know what quitting means. It is his honor to introduce former X Division Champion Chris Sabin. Sabin comes out. Kenny says it would mean a lot if Sabin told us his story. Sabin says for the last 2 years he was physical rehab & his basement. Kenny has no idea about the fighting spirit that lives inside Sabin. Sabin has nothing to lose & every time he gets in the ring he will treat it like it’s the last. He tells Kenny to enjoy the belt while he can because He is taking it next week. Kenny says Sabin is a champ in his eyes & it would mean a lot to him if Sabin got to hold the belt 1 more time. He wants Sabin to hold it because that is the closest Sabin will get to being X Champion. If Sabin hadn’t been injured he still couldn’t beat Kenny King. He tells Sabin to give him back his belt. Sabin decks him & Kenny bails. This was solid but there’s been way too much talking on this show.


Backstage we see Daniels & Kazarian arguing with Aries & Roode and we also see that James Storm has been knocked out. Referees check on Storm. There sure have been a lot of backstage segments tonight.
They have a video package on the Bound for Glory series. This year the 4 Gut Check contestants winners Alex Silva, Sam Shaw, Christian York & Jay Bradley will be in a 4 man tournament. & the winner gets in the BFG series. That begins next week.


Backstage Ray says not everyone in the club is thrilled with the treatment of D’Lo but they have to do what’s best for this club. They have to eliminate the weak. Time for Ray, Devon & Anderson to take care of business in the ring. Knox asks what Ray has in mind for D’Lo. Ray tells Knox to tell D’Lo to put some beer on ice & wash their bikes because after the show they’re going to look for some women. This was stupid.


Cut to Angle & Sting. Angle says they’re out of time. They head to the ring as Hulk is on the phone asking whoever if he will show up.


Kurt Angle & Sting vs. TNA World Champion Bully Ray, TV Champion Devon & Ken Anderson. They cut to backstage during the match & we see that Aces & 8s have been laid out. Later in the match Devon brought a table into the ring. The former Dudley Boys set it up. Then someone’s music plays and out comes the returning Abyss. He choke slams Anderson through the table and then gives Devon a black hole slam for the win. So Sting, Angle & Abyss get the win. The match was solid & I have to admit I wasn’t expecting the Abyss character to return.


I thought most of this week’s show was very lackluster. There was too much talk & too many backstage segments. The opening bit was a typical way the show starts. The main event was solid & I wasn’t expecting the return of the Abyss character, so that was a nice surprise. Daniels & Kaz vs. Aries & Roode was good but having no finish was lame! The Sabin-Kenny segment was solid too but there had been too much talking by this point for me. I like that they’ll be having the 4 gut check winners be in a mini tournament to see who will be in the Bound for Glory series. The Aces & 8s segments were all terrible in my opinion. I wasn’t at all surprised that they gave D’Lo the business but D’Lo now being at the bottom of the ladder as opposed to being kicked out of the stable is odd. The knockouts tag match wasn’t much but I was ok with Gail Kim giving Tara the turnbuckle figure 4 afterwards. It looks like Tara will be turning face & feud with Gail. Having Storm lying on the floor backstage as Daniels, Kazarian, Aries & Roode surrounded him & was ok. Overall though I wasn’t into this week’s show.

Coverage and thoughts on the May 6, 2013 episode of Raw

The show starts with John Cena coming to the ring. He says there is unrest in the WWE Universe. Everyone has questions and he will answer them by taking a page out of Daniel Bryan’s book. Was competing last week a good idea? No. Will he still face Ryback? Yes. After Ryback stared him down on the stage last week he isn’t sure what Ryback’s plans are. Then he says that Ryback is ready to do the Fandango. (This is typical Cena & it is so f’n stupid). Cena says that he is a WWE super star & is the current WWE Champion. As long as he is medically cleared his job is to get in the ring every week & do his best. He hasn’t been at 100% since 2002 but that won’t stop from defending the title. At Extreme Rules Ryback will realize that the champ is here. Out comes Vickie Guerrero. She tells Cena she’s excited he will defend the title at Extreme Rules. This PPV is going to be extreme. HHH will face Lesnar in a steel cage & Dolph will defend the world title in a triple threat ladder match. She expects the WWE Title match will be nothing less than extreme. She wouldn’t add a stipulation to the match without Cena’s & Ryback’s ok. She brings out Ryback. Vickie lets Cena pick a stipulation. Cena wants to be fair to Ryback, so how about the person who runs out of the building win. How about a whine off? Then he mimics Ryback. (Man this beyond stupid! What the F is Vince thinking?)! Cena doesn’t care what kind of match it is. All he wants is a chance to fight and to shut up the World’s largest complainer. Vickie tells Ryback she didn’t appreciate him walking out last week but he’s lucky that Cena let him pick the stipulation for their match. Ryback says Cena letting him do that was stupid. Cena shows that his foot doesn’t hurt as much as Ryback thinks. Ryback’s not fighting Cena tonight. He’s smart enough to walk away from a fight when the timing is wrong. He says it is ironic that Cena’s Achilles heel is his Achilles heel but Cena’s real Achilles heel is his pride & ego. After Extreme Rules everyone will know that Ryback Rules. In 2 weeks Cena won’t be able to answer the 10 count. Ryback picks a last ma standing match. This was a really crappy ass way to start the show! Why do they always have Cena cut these stupid promos!? Also why did they turn Ryback heel!?


Michael Cole mentions Lesnar & Heyman going into WWE HQ & a still shot.


Damien Sandow comes to the ring. He has a song for us. He sings his own version of Orton’s theme music. That was actually pretty decent.


Randy Orton vs. Damien Sandow. Orton gets the pin. This wasn’t much. Sandow took a pounding. I’m not sure why they’re de pushing Sandow. Typical WWE booking.


Then as Orton walks up the stage, Big Show hits Orton with the KO punch. Referees come to check on Orton.


Chris Jericho comes to the ring. He welcomes everyone to Raw is Jericho. We know Fan "dumbo” is coming out next so he has put together a judge’s panel to critique Fandango’s performance. He's found to guys who can kick some butt & shake some booty. Naturally the other 2 judges are Tensai & Brodus Clay. Then out come Fandango & his chick (I think it’s Summer Rae). Brodus & Tensai each give his entrance a 2 & Jericho gives it a 1. Then Fandango asks Jericho who he thinks he is to judge him? Just because he was on dancing with the stars and failed doesn’t make him an expert. Then out comes R-Truth.


R-Truth vs. Fandango. R-Truth wins by count out when Fandango walks out. Truth gave Fandango a scissors kick and then Fandango rolled out of the ring and then Truth danced. Of course all 3 guys give Truth a 10. Then Fandango walked out & got counted out. This sucked! So far this week’s show has been painful!


They show another still shot of Lesnar & Heyman.


Time for a look back at the finish of the really good Daniel Bryan-Ryback match from Smackdown, followed by Daniel being attacked by The Shield.


Josh Mathews interviews Daniel Bryan. He asks Daniel who he’s doing. Daniel’s ok. The Shield likes to throw around the word justice, but no one is buying it. They use that word to justify 3 on 1 attacks. Tonight Daniel will prove that it will take more than a Shield ambush. He’s challenging Ryback to a rematch. Then Ryback comes in & says Daniel’s in no condition for a rematch so his answer is no. Even if Daniel were healthy he would destroy him again because Daniel is half the man he is. Then Kane comes in. He asks Ryback if he thinks that he is half the man Ryback is. Ryback says that Kane isn’t the monster he used to be. There’s only 1 monster in WWE. Ryback rules. Daniel was good here & I was ok with Kane coming in but this whole Ryback rules bit is terrible.


Alberto Del Rio vs. World Champion Dolph Ziggler. Del Rio wins by DQ. During the match Jack Swagger’s music played and he & Zeb Coulter came out. This of course distracted Del Rio because EVERY TIME someone’s music plays some one in the match has to get distracted by it! Jack & Zeb stared down Big E and then they made their way to the announce table. & Coulter put on a head set. Later in the match Del Rio got Dolph in the cross arm breaker. AJ distracted the referee & Big E yanked Dolph out of the ring & threw him into Swagger & the referee called for the bell. Then Swagger sent Big E into the ring post. Then he got a ladder out from under the ring. Ricardo climbed onto Swagger’s back & Swagger used the ladder to push Ricardo into the barricade nailed Ricardo with it. Then he got in the ring & hit Dolph with the ladder and then he hit Del Rio with it too. This was a solid match & I liked the post match brawl & Swagger using the ladder.


They show more pics of Brock & Heyman.


They show a video package focusing on WWE teaming up with Yahoo.


Backstage we see Kaitlyn, Naomi & Cameron. Apparently they have a match with AJ & the Bellas. Then Kaitlyn’s phone makes a weird noise. It’s a text of the mystery admirer. The other 2 think he’s a stalker. Then Natalya comes in & wants to know who this guy is. Then Kaitlyn reads a text. Then Natalya says Khali can go under cover & find out who the guy is. Kaitlyn questions having a 7’1 giant going undercover. Natalya says he was cop. They walk off and then The Bellas come out from behind a curtain. This was idiotic! Who cares about this storyline & why has Natalya been put into this crap? She deserves so much better.


The Shield comes out through the crowed. They’ll be in a 6 man tag next.


U.S. Champion Kofi Kingston & The Usos vs. The Shield. The Shield wins when Ambrose pins Kofi. This was a decent match. Kofi & The Usos got some offense in but it was no surprise that The Shield won.


They show another pic Lesnar & Heyman in WWE HQ. Then they show a pic of Triple H’s office ransacked.


Zack Ryder vs. Antonio Cesaro. Cesaro gets the pin. This was a squash. Then Cesaro gets the mic. He says that he doesn’t often ask for the mic, but when he asks for the mic he has something to say. Is this all the competition they have for him? Because if it is that’s ridiculous. He is Antonio Cesaro & he puts the W in WWE. There’s no 1 in the whole company that can hold a candle to what he can do in this ring. This was a good promo. This guy deserves much better than what they’ve been doing with him.


They show a film of Lesnar & Heyman walking into WWE HQ. We’ll hear from Heyman next.


Time to hear from Paul Heyman from a satellite. Heyman says he is here as the advocate for Brock. He & Brock took a self guide tour of WWE HQ, but rather than explain what happened, he will show the film. They show the film. Heyman says today is a beautiful day right here in Stamford, CT home of WWE HQ. “Here we go.” They walk in & they see an Extreme Rules poster with Sheamus on it. Then the tell someone that they’re headed for Triple H’s office. They get in the elevator with some guy. Heyman whistles Fandango’s music. Then they show a poster of The Rock. Heyman says there isn’t 1 Brock poster. Brock’s a multi time WWE Champion but there’s not 1 pic of him. Then they take a look in the board room. Then they walk around the halls some more & finally find Triple H’s office. There’s a Killer Kowalski pic on the wall. Brock roughs up some guy & Heyman asks him if he likes working for HHH. Then they walk into Triple H’s office. The WWE logo is as big as Triple H’s ego. Brock looks at a world title replica. Heyman says Brock will never have a title match as long as HHH is running the show. Brock sits in Triple H’s chair & Heyman continues to comment. Brock destroys a lap top and then the computer key board. Then Brock gets a sledge hammer that just happens to be on Triple H’s wall. Brock destroys Triple H’s desk with it and then continues trashing the office. He throws a TV and then knocks over the shelf. Heyman says this is the destruction that awaits Triple H at Extreme Rules. Heyman leaves his business card to let him know they were there. Back to Heyman. He says he knows a bit about the word extreme, which is why it’s ironic that he is the voice of reason when it comes to Brock. When Brock leaves a path of destruction he is always the guy that has to discourage him. Then HHH gave Heyman a pedigree on world wide TV. Heyman will no longer discourage Brock. He will encourage him by begging him to hurt Triple H in the cage. He wants Brock to exploit the chance that only an old school steel cage can provide. Brock will take HHH to the extreme. Then Brock will go further and further and further…then Triple H’s music plays & he comes to the ring. HHH looks at the Tron & says Heyman might wanna get the guy who set up his mic to fix his hair. Then he asks Heyman if he ever opens his mouth without a bunch of crap falling out of it. HHH is the guy who tore through the attitude era with an iron fist. He’s also the guy that knocked Brock out cold at Mania. Hunter isn’t buying that on a Monday Heyman & Brock decided to go to WWE HQ because they thought Hunter was there. Everyone knows HHH is at Raw. HHH says he has 2 offices. The 1 that was torn up & the other 1 he is standing in right now. This office is more like his home. This is where he grew up & became a man. Something Brock never became. If Brock has something to say to HHH then he should be a man & say it to his face. HHH isn’t hard to find. If Brock’s thinking he will walk into this office & do what he did to his other 1, that won’t happen because in this office we fight back. This was really good. The whole film of Brock & Heyman walking through the halls of WWE HQ was cool. Heyman’s comments were really entertaining & Brock trashing Triple H’s office was a good scene. I also liked Triple H coming to the ring & saying that the ring is other office & the, “In this office we fight back” line was cool too.


Time for the Total Divas video.


Divas Champion Kaitlyn, Naomi & Cameron vs. AJ Lee & The Bellas. Kaitlyn, Naomi & Cameron win when Kaitlyn pins AJ. This was typical Divas match. Not much to it. AJ went to tag The Bellas & they got off the apron. Then Kaitlyn gave AJ a spear & got the pin.


Mark Henry comes to the ring. In just a couple minutes Sheamus will come out & act real tough. He will beat his chest & do the Celtic pose. That’s where the problem is. Sheamus will be acting. Henry doesn’t have to act tough because he is tough. He will remind everyone what happens when Sheamus meets the World’s strongest man. They show Henry attacking Sheamus from last month on Smackdown, then from 3 weeks ago on Raw. Henry says if Sheamus has any pride he will face Henry at Extreme Rules. It’s been a long time since Henry’s got extreme but he promises people will remember this match for the rest of existence. He has a special wing…Then out comes Sheamus. He says he came out because Henry left out half the videos. Sheamus shows what he’s done. They show the tug of war from last Monday and then the arm wrestling challenge from Smackdown. Henry says Sheamus is full of jokes but he’d better be serious at Extreme Rules. Sheamus says he’s a relaxed kind of guy but he’s all business when the bell rings. At Extreme Rules his business is Henry. Henry challenges him to face him right now. They face off and then out comes Wade Barrett. Break time. This was solid. Henry’s promo was good & Sheamus wasn’t totally corny here. I also liked that Henry called the fans puppets for constantly saying what.


Back from break & Mark Henry is on commentary.


Sheamus vs. Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett. Sheamus gets the pin. This was decent. During the match Sheamus threw Barrett into Henry, knocking Mark down. Then when Mark got up Sheamus Brogue Kicked him. Then trainers checked on Henry. After the match Henry gets in the ring & whips Sheamus with a belt. Henry knocks him out of the ring and then continues beating him with the belt. Mark then gives Sheamus the World’s strongest slam. Then he asks, “How funny is that?” This was solid. They made Henry look like more of the monster that he’s been. Too bad Barrett was a background player here though.
They announce that Chris Jericho will face Fandango in a dance off next week. God help me!


WWE Tag Team Champion Kane vs. Ryback. Ryback gets the pin. This was ok. Then The Shield’s music hits & they come out through the crowd. Then Daniel Bryan hits the ring & Ryback bails. Cue Cena’s music & he storms to the ring. The Shield hops over the barricade and get in the ring, but Ryback comes in with a chair. Daniel dives onto Ambrose & Rollins outside the ring. Cena gets Reigns on his shoulders for an AA but then Ryback hits Cena with the chair & stands over him to end the show.


I thought this was a mixed bag of a show overall. The start of the show was painfully terrible, the Kane-Ryback match was ok but the post match brawl could’ve been better. I loved the video of Heyman & Lesnar in the WWE HQ & Triple H’s promo. That was the best part of this week’s Raw. The Sheamus-Mark Henry segment was solid too. Sheamus wasn’t totally corny here. The Sheamus-Barrett match was decent but Barrett was the background player here. I also liked Henry hitting Sheamus with the belt and giving him the World’s strongest slam on the floor. R-Truth-Fandango wasn’t much of a match. This was all about Jericho continuing to annoy Fandango. The whole thing with Jericho, Brodus & Tensai being ringside judges was idiotic. Ryder-Cesaro was a squash but Cesaro cut a solid promo afterwards. The 6 man tag was decent too. Kofi got some good offense in before The Shield won. The backstage bit with AJ, Naomi, Cameron, Natalya & Khali was terrible, the 6 divas tag wasn’t much; Orton-Sandow wasn’t much either. This was mostly Orton giving Sandow a pounding, though I did like Sandow’s version of Orton’s theme music. Del Rio-Ziggler was solid too & I was ok with the post match brawl. On the whole I thought this week’s show was hit & miss.

Coverage and thoughts on the May 3, 2013 episode of Smackdown

The show starts with Ryback coming to the ring. He says that Monday night he knew Cena was hurt, which is why he couldn’t team with him to face The Shield. He’s not Cena’s keeper. Cena chose to put himself in that match against The Shield. He chose to put himself at further risk. Cena was the guy who lost the match against The Shield. Afterwards Cena was hobbling around like a weak pathetic animal & in the law of the jungle the bigger, stronger & faster always eat the weak. Ryback rules. Out comes Daniel Bryan & we’re ready for the first match. This was a short decent promo.


Daniel Bryan vs. Ryback. Ryback gets the pin. This was a good back & forth match.


Backstage Renee Young interviews Ricardo Rodriguez. She asks how he feels going into his match with Zeb Coulter. Ricardo says he feels excited. Then he rambles in Spanish & then kisses Renee. Then Del Rio comes in & he tells Ricardo to get a hold of himself. Del Rio tells Renee that Ricardo gets excited. There wasn’t much to this.


Zack Ryder vs. Fandango. Fandango gets the pin. Ryder got in some offense but this was mostly a squash. That seems to be the formula for Ryder’s matches now. Then Fandango says his name. That’s gotten old.


Backstage we see Kaitlyn holding some roses & looking at a message in her phone or whatever. She comes across Natalya & Khali. Natalya asks if the roses are from the same guy that sent her the spike hat. Kaitlyn says they are. Then she reads a text message. It’s from a blocked number. She wishes the guy would reveal himself. Natalya then says that Khali has the best advice (This I gotta hear). Khali says something that I couldn’t make out and then he tells Kaitlyn that if she needs any advice to come to him (Sure, because Khali is the first person I go to for advice). Khali walks off & Natalya tells Kaitlyn that Khali gives the best advice. This was lame. It would make sense to have the admirer be Cody Rhodes since they had bit of a storyline going a little while back.


They reshow John Cena visiting “Nick the Stitch” on the Today Show and then they show Cena on the stage with the 3 Make a Wish kids from Monday. That was a great segment!


Backstage Renee Young interviews Zeb Coulter & Jack Swagger. She says that things didn’t go Zeb’s way Monday when he lost to Ricardo but tonight he has a chance to avenge that loss. Zeb asks what her name is. Then he calls her Ronda & says people have a tendency to distort facts to fit their own personal agenda. What we really missed was the real story Monday, which was an act of personal bravery on his part. On Monday Zeb was sick with 102 degree temperature. He was sweating, he had vertigo & dizziness. He had everything wrong with him but he went to work anyway because that’s what real Americans do. They get up & go to work. Some of the comments he saw on Twitter this week was that Zeb’s performance Monday was probably the most inspiring moments people have ever seen. People even called him a role model. What hurt him worse was that his victory was awarded to an illegal immigrant. A guy who snuck across the boarder & has no place in this country. Zeb then says that Ricardo is guilty of theft & Zeb could go to the cops with this if he wanted to because he has all the fans as witnesses but he won’t do that. Zeb will handle this himself. He will rectify this situation & unlike Ricardo’s so called win there will be no taint on Zeb’s win. Unlike illegal immigrants, real Americans play fair. We the People. This was more of the same “Anti foreigner” crap we’ve been hearing for awhile & it’s beyond stale!


Dolph Ziggler is on commentary for the next match & Big E & AJ are there too.


Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Zeb Coulter. Ricardo wins by DQ when Swagger comes in. Then Del Rio goes after Swagger & clotheslines him over the top rope. Then Del Rio stares down Zeb & Zeb slides out of the ring. Then Teddy Long came out & makes this a tag match, Del Rio & Ricardo vs. Swagger & Coulter.


Alberto Del Rio & Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Jack Swagger & Zeb Coulter. This ends in a no finish when Dolph & Big E come in. Big E chucks Swagger out of the ring as Dolph stomps on Del Rio. Then out comes Teddy Long again & he makes this a triple threat tag team match.


Alberto Del Rio & Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Jack Swagger & Zeb Coulter vs. World Champion Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston. Del Rio & Ricardo win when Del Rio makes Ziggler tap. There was a lot of shenanigans here. The 3 way tag match was solid but they had Dolph cleanly tap.


Backstage we hear some noises and then The Shield show up on camera. Ambrose says doesn’t it just break your heart when your champ becomes the chump. Rollins says that it’s also heart breaking when the so called phenom isn’t so phenomenal. Then Reigns they broke Cena & Taker & they’ll break the dead man’s brother next. Ambrose says that Kane is so misguided. Kane thinks justice is taking vengeance in his family. That’s just vengeful pride. That’s just Kane’s head messing with him. Justice is what The Shield dispenses every day. Justice is putting a raging monster down. That monster is Kane. Kane is foaming at the mouth. Rollins then says that justice is in escapable. You can do all the running & hiding that you want but sooner or later it will catch up. They put down Taker & it could have been a whole lot worse. Kane will believe. Then Reigns says that Kane will believe in The Shield. They walk off & show Daniel Bryan lying on the floor from The Shield attack. This was the usual good promo from The Shield.


Time for a video package on the HHH-Brock Lesnar angle.


Backstage referees are checking on Daniel Bryan. A trainer comes in & they all ask what happened (The Shield had a camera right there & they don’t know what happened!?). Then they help Daniel up.


Randy Orton vs. Damien Sandow. Orton gets the pin. This was a decent match. Then Big Show comes out. He says that Orton has got to be the most amazing competitor in 1 on competition. Orton is amazing to watch compete. The problem with Orton is that Orton isn’t much of a team player. It’s all about Randy Orton. If Orton hadn’t had such a big Ego at WrestleMania & let Big Show get the tag they might have beaten The Shield & Orton wouldn’t have gotten knocked out. Then Sandow attacks Orton from behind & gives him a neck breaker. Big Show has a big laugh & then says that is so funny. Then Big Show tells Orton to understand him because at Extreme Rules there will be nothing funny about what Big Show does to Orton. Big Show was good with his promo.


Backstage we see Kane coming out of the trainer’s room. Then Matt Striker asks Kane for an update on Daniel Bryan. Kane is going to make The Shield pay for attacking Daniel. He will make them pay for what they did to Taker. Kane knows what he is getting into. He knows what will happen to him. Sooner or later The Shield will get him down & they will make sure that he stays down & he will take down as many of them as he can. Kane says they’re going on a little journey to a place called hell. Good promo from Kane here.


Time for a look back at Monday’s 6 man tag.


Josh Matthews is in the ring & they have an arm wrestling table set up. Josh says that Henry has challenged Sheamus to an arm wrestling contest. Mark Henry come to the ring. Then Sheamus. Henry stalls for a while & has the referee clean Sheamus’ hand. He doesn’t want Sheamus cheating. Then he hints that he’s ready but he pulls his right arm away. Then they lock up.


Sheamus vs. Mark Henry in an arm wrestling contest. Henry wins.


Then Sheamus says that Henry has the stronger right arm but he doesn’t think that Henry has the stronger left 1. Sheamus says how about 1 more try? This time left handed. Henry says that he won & Sheamus lost. Sheamus again says that Henry has the stronger right arm but he doesn’t think that Henry has the stronger left 1. Henry goes to leave the ring. Sheamus says that Henry can walk away if he is scared. Then Henry gets back in the ring. Sheamus then says that the fans in Detroit wanna see 1 more go. Then Henry gets in Sheamus’ face & says to call him scared again & see what happens. Sheamus tells Henry to prove him wrong. They go to lock up & Sheamus pulls his left arm away. Henry says that Sheamus wanted to do this. Henry already won & he doesn’t have to be out here. They lock up & get set and then Sheamus punches Henry in the head, knocks the table over and the Brogue Kicks Henry. Then Sheamus tells Henry that’s what he does Fella. This was just as meaningless as the tug of war bit from Monday. I don’t get why they’re having Mark Henry look like such a chump by falling for Sheamus’ tricks.


Time for a look back at The Shield lying out The Undertaker from last week.


Now it’s time for some still shots of the WWE European tour. We get comments from Antonio Cesaro, Justin Gabriel & Daniel Bryan.


The Shield comes out through the crowed & Reigns Daniel Bryan’s the tag title. Then Kane comes out. He fights off The Shield & throws Rollins into the barricade. Then he throws Reigns over the announce table and then he clotheslines Rollins over the barricade.


WWE Tag Team Champion Kane vs. Dean Ambrose. Ambrose gets the pin. This was a solid match. Kane had to fight off Rollins & Reigns during the match too of course. Afterwards The Shield stands outside the ring & Kane tells them to come in. They come in & Kane fights them off & The Shield regroups. Then they get back in the ring & beat down Kane. Then they go for the triple power bomb but Kane boots Reigns in the face, sending him to the floor. Then he knocks down Ambrose & Rollins and then he grabs them both by their throats but then Reigns spears Kane. Then they give him the triple power bomb. Then Ambrose takes the tag titles and gets in the ring. Ambrose & Rollins hold the tag titles as they along with Reigns stand over Kane to end the show. This was good. I like that they’re continuing to have The Shield be this unstoppable trio.


I thought this was a decent show overall. Ryback’s promo at the start was good & short & I like the Daniel-Ryback match. The backstage bit with The Shield lying out Daniel & Kane’s promo later were good too. I also the Kane-Ambrose match and the post match beat down. They’ve really been doing a good job building The Shield as this unstoppable trio. Orton-Sandow was decent, the Del Rio-Ricardo-Swagger-Coulter-Dolph-Big E stuff was a bit over the top but the 3 way tag match was solid, The Kaitlyn-Natalya-Khali backstage bit was lame & Ryder-Fandango was the usual “Ryder getting in some offense before losing” match that Ryder’s been in lately. The Sheamus-Henry arm wrestling contest was meaningless. I don’t get why they’re having Henry fall fro Sheamus’ tricks & making him look like a chump. On the whole I thought this was a decent show though.

Coverage and thoughts on the May 2, 2013 episode of Impact

The show starts with Hulk Hogan coming to the ring (I’m having flashbacks to Monday Nitro here). The fans chant Hogan. He says after what happened last week things almost came to blows between him & Sting. He tells Sting to come out & tell everyone what’s up. Out comes Sting. Hulk says last week didn’t end with a pretty picture. Hulk knows when he’s right and he knows when he’s wrong. Hulk mentions everything that’s happened and says when it came to making some choices he was wrong. He tells Sting he made a huge mistake when he pushed Sting away. Hulk says they should’ve been taking care of Aces & 8s together. Sting says they’re together and all is good. Sting asks Hulk to find to guys to face Aces & 8s in a 6 man tag next week. What Hulk needs to do tonight is find out who will face Ray at Slammivesary. Out comes Matt Morgan. Morgan says this is the part where he just hands Sting another title shot. Hulk says Morgan runs his mouth before he knows what’s going on. Hulk says there will be no more mistakes or handouts. Anyone who gets a spot will have to earn it. Sting won’t be handed the title shot & neither is Morgan. The winner of the Sting-Morgan match tonight will challenge for the world title. This was a typical Hulk segment. This starting the show does have that old Monday Nitro feel to it and not in a good way. I wasn’t into this.


They show Chris Sabin talking about how long he was out with 2 ACL tears. He got in this business to be the world champion & that will be his goal from hear on out. This was a good video.


Backstage Kurt Angle says Aces & 8s come in every week. They try to take over the company & they took the TNA Title. He has challenged anyone in Aces & 8s to face him tonight. They can hurt him & they can beat him but they won’t stop him.


Chris Sabin vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Zima Ion. Sabin wins when he pins Ion. This was a solid match & it is nice to see Chris Sabin back.


Backstage Robbie E & Jessie are talking about how to handle Rob Terry. Jessie has a third guy to help them out. He shows him a pick of Joey Ryan. Robbie says Joey’s sleazy. Jessie says he’s easy, Robbie says easy & sleazy don’t rhyme. Whatever, this was lame.


Backstage we see Bully Ray and Aces & 8s. Ray says Hulk & Sting mocked him & the rest of the stable. No one mocks them. Now he has to worry about Sting vs. Morgan. He’s not worried about either 1 of them because he will get the job done. Then he says that Kurt Angle has been a problem for Aces & 8s since they showed up. He says for someone to take care of Kurt the same way he took care of Jeff Hardy. Wes wants to face Angle. So does Garrett. Then D’Lo says that he will face Angle. Ray says D’Lo’s fired up & D’Lo swears on his colors that he will get the job done tonight. This was a bit weak.


Rob Terry vs. Robbie E, Jessie Godderz & Joey Ryan. Rob Terry wins when he pins Joey. This wasn’t much & it was no surprise that Rob Terry got the win.


Austin Aries & Bobby Roode come to the ring. Roode says Kazarian & Daniels played their mind games last week & they got into his head a bit, talking about reforming Fortune. Roode says Daniels & Kazarian cost them the tag titles last week & says that they’re jealous because Aries & Roode being a better team. Aries says not for 1 second did he believe a word that was coming out of their mouths. Aries says Daniels & Kazarian might be best buds but he & Roode aren’t friends & they barely like each other. They’re a team of world champions. Something Daniels & Kazarian don’t know & will never know anything about. Then out come Daniels & Kazarian. Daniels says Roode is right when he said it was about the tag titles, but Aries & Roode aren’t the best tag team. Everyone knows that Aries & Roode are an imitation of the best tag team. The next tag champions are in the ring right now. Roode says that he is the guy who broke a beer bottle over his best friend’s head to win the world title. Then he says that he & Aries will do whatever it takes. Kazarian says Aries & Roode can’t out beat, out cheat or out “us” them. Then out come Chavo & Hernandez. Chavo says talk time is over. Now it’s time for action. Chavo says that Hulk has named a special referee for the tag match. Chavo says it’s not him or Hernandez. This referee likes to count 6 packs. Out comes James Storm. This was ok. Daniels, Kazarian, Aries & Roode were all solid on the mic like usual.


Backstage Sting finds Angle. He asks if Angle’s ready for this match. Angle says he’s ready. Then Sting asks Angle if he has a minute. Then Sting tells the camera guy that he needs a minute and closes the glass door, as the camera man films Sting & Angle but we can’t hear what they’re saying. What was the point of this bit? Sting lets the camera guy come with him to walk to the weight room that Kurt Angle’s in and then he shuts the door with the cameraman outside? I’m not a fan of these backstage segments but this one was really dumb.


Backstage we see Tara & Gail Kim. They both complain about Taryn Terrell. They plan to embarrass her in their tag match with her & Mickie. Tara says they’ll take care of business and then walks out. Then Gail says to herself that she’ll be sure to get the victory. This was kind of weak too.


Chris Sabin says for 2 years he’s been training and it was great to be back in the ring. He was wrestling for 11 years & it was taken from him but it was worth it. He says that being back in the ring is the greatest feeling. This was good.


Before the next match starts D’Lo tells Angle that he told his brothers that he would beat him, but that won’t be enough. Tonight he will humiliate Angle by beating him in an I Quit match.


Kurt Angle vs. D’Lo Brown in an I Quit match. Angle wins. This was a decent match. The Aces & 8s guys watched at ringside & looked displeased with D’Lo.


Afterwards Christie asks if Angle if this is a measure of revenge. Angle has his mind on AJ Styles. He tells AJ to get out there. Break time.


Back from break. Angle says he needs AJ to come out right now. They need to talk (There’s been more than enough talking on this show). AJ finally comes out. Angle says AJ looks like he wants to take his head off. Before he thinks about doing that, Angle tells him they’re in his home town. Everybody wants to recruit AJ. AJ going with Aces & 8s would be the easy way. Angle says that he has taken the easy way a lot of times but that’s not AJ’s way. AJ is the reason Angle came to TNA & they’ve had a lot of great matches. Angle needs to know where AJ stands. If he’s with TNA that’s cool, but if he’s against them then they’ll have some problems. Angle tells AJ that next week the choice is his. This was more of the same “AJ has to make a choice” crap. How often are they going put AJ “on the spot” about making a decision as to whose side he is going to be on?


Backstage camera guy says Matt Morgan has been waiting a long time for this chance. Morgan says waiting isn’t the word. He’s been frustrated & has been demanding it. Hulk’s lucky to have him in TNA. He’s no longer waiting for the ball, he’s taking it. Tonight he guts through Sting and then at Slammiversary he guts through Ray & will be the next world champion. This was a good promo.


Mickie James & Taryn Terrell vs. Gail Kim & Tara. Mickie & Taryn win when Taryn pins Tara. This was a decent match too. Afterwards Gail & Tara beat on Mickie & Taryn. Mickie & Tara go at it on the ramp while Gail beats on Taryn in the ring. Then Gail gives a figure 4 on the post. Then ODB & other referees come out to check on Taryn as Gail walks up the ramp. The post match attack was solid also & I liked Gail doing the figure 4 on the ring post.


Backstage we see Aces & 8s and Ray is pissed that D’Lo said I Quit. D’Lo swore his colors on victory and he said I quit. Garrett says something and then Ray says just because Angle was a douche to him doesn’t mean that Garrett should be a douche back (That made no sense) Ray says he will deal with D’Lo next week. They have a 6 man tag next week and he, Devon & Anderson are stepping up to the plate. Ray’s tired of this crap (So am I). This promo was ok though.


Aries & Roode are backstage. Roode says Kaz & Daniels have never been world champion while he & Aries both have. Next week they will become number 1 contenders for the tag title. Chavo & Hernandez can’t hold a candle to Bobby Roode. This was a solid promo.


Sting vs. Matt Morgan to see who will challenge for the TNA World Title. Sting wins by KO after Morgan passes out from being in the Scorpion Death Lock. Then Bully Ray gets on the apron & taunts Sting to end the show. The match was solid. They had Morgan pass out rather than tapping to the scorpion & Sting had to lock him in it twice. I don’t get why the referee called for the bell after checking Morgan’s arm only 2 times rather than 3. The Sting-Ray stare down was a decent end to this show.


I thought this was a mixed bag show overall. The Hulk-Sting-Morgan segment at the start was a typical long winded yapping bit (Mostly from Hogan) but I thought the Sting-Morgan match was solid. The X Division 3 Way was solid too & it is nice to see Chris Sabin back in action. The video package on him & his post match promo were both well done too. That said there was way too much talking on this week’s show. The Daniels-Kazarian-Aries-Roode bit segment was decent but that’s because those 4 guys are always good with their promos. When Chavo & Hernandez came out it went south. James Storm coming out was ok though. Matt Morgan’s promo backstage was good too, the Tara-Gail Kim bit was weak, I couldn’t stand the “Sting needs to talk to Angle but shuts the door on the camera guy” bit! The Aces & 8s segments were a bit weaker than usual too. The knockouts tag match was solid & I liked the post match attacks. Angle-D’Lo was solid too but Angle calling out AJ & telling him that he needs to decide where he stands was the same old crap we’ve been getting for weeks. The 3 on 1 match wasn’t much & not at all surprising that Rob Terry won. On the whole I thought this week’s show was hit & miss.

Coverage and thoughts on the April 29, 2013 episode of Raw


The show starts with Alberto Del Rio & Ricardo Rodriguez coming to the ring. Zeb Coulter & Big E Langston are already in the ring. They will be in a 3 way and the winner will pick the stipulation for the Del Rio-Swagger-Ziggler title match at Extreme Rules. I like that they’re starting the show with a match but I don’t know why it’s with these 3.


Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Zeb Coulter vs. Big E Langston. Ricardo wins when he pins Zeb. This was a comedy match. There was a lot of shenanigans here. Ricardo hit Big E with the bucket. Then Big E was going after Ricardo and then Del Rio came in & gave Big E an enziguri. Then Dolph came in drop kicked Del Rio out of the ring. Then Swagger chucked out Dolph and then Big E clotheslined Swagger over the top & also went over the top himself. Then Zeb had Ricardo pinned but before the referee could count to 3 AJ came in. Then Ricardo rolled up Zeb for the pin.


They show the video of John Cena visiting the 8 year old boy. I applaud Cena for granting all these wishes! I really admire & respect that about him!!


John Cena & 3 Make a Wish kids come out on the stage. Cena says today’s World Wish Day. This is a special Raw. We have Jacob, Nick & Logan. Their wish was to experience Raw live. Make a wish grants wishes like this everyday but can’t do it without the people’s help. Tonight they’re making a special moment even more special because these 3 are now honorary WWE super stars. Jacob says his super star name is The Eliminator. Nick’s is Nick the Stitch and Logan’s is Lightening Logan. Cena says these kids were granted 1 wish. Their wish was to come & be at Raw. They chose a great night & Cena says he has a feeling the fans can get loud. He tells the fans to show the kids what it’s like to be part of Raw & the fans give the kids a well deserved ovation. Cena thanks everyone from the bottom of his heart & hopes they enjoy the rest of the show. That was really classy! This was a great segment!


Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes. Orton gets the pin. This was a great back & forth match. Orton went for the RKO but Cody turned it into Cross Rhodes for a near fall. Then Cody went for Beautiful Disaster but Orton pulled out the RKO & got the pin.


Then Striker gets in the ring and says it’s been 3 weeks since Big Show turned on him. Does Orton still feel haunted by that? Orton has never been so focused & extreme. Then Cody sneaks up from behind but Orton gave him another RKO.


The Bellas are backstage. They talk about last week’s Diva battle royal for a bit and then they plug WWE’s new reality show. They mention that they’ve walked on the red carpet. That is something that the other Divas won’t get to do or whatever. This was meaningless.


Time for a look at Total Divas.


Naomi vs. Brie Bella. Naomi wins by reverse decision DQ. Nikki came in & pinned Naomi. Then Cameron told the referee what happened & the referee said that Naomi wins by DQ. Then the Bellas get in the ring & they go at it with Naomi & Cameron. They toss Naomi out of the ring & beat down Cameron. This was weak. The twin magic was predictable & having Naomi win by reverse decision DQ was lame. The post match beat down from The Bellas was ok for what it was.


The Shield comes out through the crowed. Ambrose says when they arrived in WWE they said they were going to bring justice to an unjust world & that’s what they’ve done. Rollins says that brick by brick they’ve torn down the wall of injustice. From the moment they started their crusade at Survivor Series till now no one has managed to stop them. They changed the course of history when they stopped Ryback from becoming WWE Champion. Reigns says that’s just the start. No one can stop the hounds of justice. Not the great one. Rollins says not a giant, Reigns says not a warrior and Ambrose says not even the champ. Ambrose says those guys were mortal. Last week they looked immortality in the face & served justice to Taker. For too long Taker has been justice in WWE but The Shield bows down to no one. Reigns says rest in piece. Then they show The Shield lying out Taker from Smackdown. Then Ambrose says justice doesn’t care who you are. When your number gets called justice strikes without warning or mercy. Rollins says justice hasn’t forgotten about Cena or Ryback. Then out come 3MB Slater says The Shield have some unfinished business with 3MB. Drew asks who they think they are. They were gonna show HHH how to rock & Roll but The Shield crashed their party. Then Jinder says now they will crash The Shield’s & Rock & Roll all over their faces. 3MB gets in the ring & The Shield beats them down. Then out come Kane & Daniel Bryan. They get in the ring & The Shield bails. Then Kane & Daniel beat on 3MB. Drew & Jinder get tossed out of the ring and then Kane choke slams Slater. This was a solid segment. The Shield promo was good & I was fine with 3MB coming out too. I’m glad they remembered that The Shield had unfinished business with 3MB. Kane & Daniel coming out was ok too & having The Shield bail wasn’t surprising & neither was Kane & Daniel flattening 3MB, but it was a solid bit.


Backstage we see Cena’s ankle getting taped up. Ryback comes in. Ryback says that Cena can wrap his ankle up all he wants, but he’s still hurt. Cena says that he has been more effective on 1 leg than Ryback has on 2. Ryback can’t take that chance. This was ok.


U.S. Champion Kofi Kingston vs. World Champion Dolph Ziggler. This was a really good back & forth match. It was cool to see these 2 in a match that was given a good amount of time. Then Big E gives Kofi the Big Ending. Then a second 1.


Dolph, Big E & AJ are backstage. Dolph says he stole the show. Then they bump into Natalya & Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn says AJ beat her a couple times last year because she held back because she didn’t want to hurt her best friend. Now she isn’t going to hold back. If AJ wants the Divas Title she will have to take it. Then a delivery guy comes in & AJ thinks it’s for her but it’s for Kaitlyn. Dolph, Big E & AJ walk off. Then Kaitlyn takes a spiked hat out of the box. Then she finds a letter too & reads that. This was lame.


Time for a look back at the Triple H-Paul Heyman segment from last Monday.


Vickie & Brad are in the GM office and in comes Ryback. Ryback says Cena’s left him to face The Shield alone for the last time. Vickie says tonight it will be a 6 man tag. The Shield will face Ryback, Kane & Daniel. Ryback rules, been there, done that. He doesn’t trust those guys & says no and then walks out. Then Brad asks Vickie what Ryback meant by no. Thankfully this was short.


Jack Swagger & Zeb Coulter come to the ring. Then Ryder comes out. He says for those who missed Zeb in action earlier tonight, let’s take a look. They re show Ricardo pinning Zeb. Ryder says “Here is your winner Ricardo Rodriguez. Woo woo woo. You know it.”


Zack Ryder vs. Jack Swagger. Swagger wins by submission. Ryder got some offense in but this was mostly a squash. Then Swagger holds Ryder by the ropes & Zeb punches Ryder in the head.


They show during the commercial break Striker was looking for words from Ryback & Ryback walked out.


Mark Henry is in the ring with a giant rope. He says for those of us who don’t know who he is, he is Mark Henry the world’s strongest man. He came out here to prove that. He asked Vickie for 2 opponents & she said it would happen. Out comes Tensai.


Tensai vs. Mark Henry in a tug of war. Henry wins.


Then out comes Brodus Clay.


Brodus Clay vs. Mark Henry in a tug of war. Henry wins.


Then out comes Sheamus. He says that was impressive & offers to be a third opponent for Mark Henry. Sheamus asks if Henry is afraid. Henry tells him to come in & Sheamus says lets get it on.


Sheamus vs. Mark Henry in a tug of war. Sheamus lets go of the rope & Henry falls down. Then Sheamus gives Henry a Brogue Kick. This was pointless.


Backstage Brad Maddox tells Kane & Daniel Ryback has left the building. Kane says they’re better off without Ryback. Kane tells Vickie they’re back to a handicap match. He wants to get his hands on The Shield for lying out The Undertaker. Daniel says they want this match no matter what. Vickie says they got it. Kane & Daniel leave and then Vickie Brad there’s 1 more that she needs him to do. This was alright.


Backstage we see Brad Maddox come into Cena’s locker room. Cena calls him Braden Walker & bad mattress. Cena then tells Brad to tell Vickie that she has a main event tonight. He won’t let Kane & Daniel face The Shield without a partner. Brad says Cena’s hurt bad. Cena says he’s hurt & Brad will be hurt bad if Brad doesn’t let him wrestle tonight. This was ok.


Ricardo Rodriguez brings out Alberto Del Rio. Antonio Cesaro is already in the ring.


Alberto Del Rio vs. Antonio Cesaro. Del Rio wins by submission. This was a solid back & forth match. I’m glad Cesaro wasn’t squashed here.


Then Del Rio says thanks to Ricardo he can pick the stipulation for the world title match at Extreme Rules. Del Rio says that it will be a ladder match.


Out comes Fandango. Great Khali is already in the ring & so is Jerry Lawler. King says Khali & Fandango will compete in a dance off. He asks Khali if he has any ball room dancing experience. Khali says he has. King asks how Khali thought Jericho was on Dancing with the Starts. Khali says he’s better than Jericho is. Then Khali & Natalya dance. King then asks Fandango how he thinks Jericho was on Dancing with the Stars. Fandango says he clumsy. Then Fandango & Summer Ray do the Fandango dance bit. Then King says the fans it’s time for the fans to decide. Naturally they cheer for Khali & King says that Khali wins. Then Fandango gives Khali a Russian Leg Sweep. Then he gives him a top rope leg drop. Then Fandango says his name. This was stupid. The fans were singing Fandango’s theme & I think his music is catchy and all but this gimmick is lame.


Time for a look back at The Shield lying out Undertaker from Smackdown.


WWE Champion John Cena and WWE Champions Kane & Daniel Bryan vs. The Shield. The Shield wins when Reigns pins Cena. This was a really good match & I was surprised Cena got pinned. Then Ryback comes out & stands on the stage. Ryback stares at Cena as Medics check on Cena’s injured ankle to end the show.


I thought this was a solid show overall. Orton-Cody was great, the 6 man tag was really good & Kofi-Dolph was too. It was nice to see all these matches get a good amount of TV time. Ryder-Swagger was mostly a squash but Ryder got a bit of offense in. Del Rio-Cesaro was solid & I was glad that Cesaro didn’t get squashed. I also liked that Del Rio picked a ladder match for Extreme Rules. That could be good. The bits with Vickie & Brad were alright. Ryback was decent in his backstage bit with those 2 and Kane & Daniel were good in their backstage bit. The Cena-Brad backstage bit was ok. The Kaitlyn-AJ backstage bit was idiotic, the tug of war segment was pointless, Naomi-Brie wasn’t much & the Khali-Fandango bit was stupid. I liked The Shield’s promo & I was ok with 3MB coming out. Kane & Daniel Bryan coming out was ok too & I wasn’t surprised that The Shield retreated and that Kane & Daniel flattened 3MB. Cena on the stage with the Make a Wish kids was really classy! So on the whole I thought this was a solid show.

Coverage and thoughts on the April 25, 2013 episode of Impact


The show starts with Aces & 8s coming into the building but security stops them. Ray tells them to get out of their way or Mr. A—hole will let them have it. Security lets them through. I’m not sure why they had security preventing Aces & 8s from entering the building and then they let them go in.


James Storm comes to the ring. He says last week he fought AJ and AJ brought the fight. AJ is in the crowed & Storm points him out. Storm says AJ’s new submission move hurt and AJ was the better man last week. What Storm didn’t sign up for was the Aces & idiots that jumped him from behind. If they wanted a fight all they had to do was ask. Then he looks at Taz. Storm says that if he calls 1 of them out they’ll all show up. That’s fine with Storm; he will take them all out. Then out come Daniels & Kazarian. Daniels says before Storm challenges anyone, Bad Influence was also a victim of the Aces & 8s. Hulk doesn’t have the answer to the problem, but they do. Aces & 8s have been playing the numbers game and the magic number TNA needs is 4, as in Fortune. Kazarian says AJ’s brooding looking like a Twilight vampire but Kazarian & Daniels forgive AJ for giving them cheap shots. Then Kaz says that AJ needs to get in the ring with his boys to reform Fortune because that’s the right thing to do. Storm says the fans wanna see Kaz & Daniels to shut up. Kaz says the people don’t concern him or Daniels. Then he says that Storm is irrelevant just like the fans. Then Storm goes after them but they get the upper hand. Then out come Aces & 8s. Anderson has Storm set for a power bomb & the rest of the group gets a table in the ring. Then Joseph Park comes out and lays out Wes & Garrett. Then the rest of the clan attacks him too. Then Doc & Knox were going to choke slam Park through the table but Ray tells them to back off. Then Ray & Devon give Park a 3D through the table. This was a good segment. Storm, Daniels & Kazarian were all great on the mic and I liked The former Dudley Boys pulling out the 3D.


Back to the show and Park is getting stretchered out. Ray says Aces & 8s weren’t screwing around. Do we know who they are? They’re the guys responsible for the carnage in TNA and the guys responsible for taking out all the heroes. The fans have no heroes left. No Samoa Joe, no Magnus, no James Storm, no Joseph Park, nobody. Last week Ray called out 1 guy, Hulk Hogan. He tells “Dear old dad” that he has till the end of the show to answer his challenge. When you ride with Aces & 8s you never walk alone. Great promo from Ray.


Time for a video package recapping the Mickie James-Brooke Tessmacher match from last week.


Backstage we see Hulk Hogan. Camera guy mentions that Hulk was there and then left. He asks what happened. Hulk doesn’t say anything. As he’s walking camera guy follows him and keeps bugging him. Hulk tells him to let it go. This was terrible.


Taryn Terrell vs. Tara. Taryn gets the pin. Tara dominated most of the match, showboated and then Taryn got the win with a roll up. This was decent.


Backstage we see Robbie E. He asks Jessie if he will take care of Rob Terry. Robbie says he showed that he is more of a bro that Terry, now Jessie will show that he is a better dude than Terry. Robbie then says that Terry used to say he was afraid of Jessie and that Jessie has bigger arms than Terry. After Jessie beats Terry tonight Jessie will be on the bro level of George Washington Al Bundy & Oprah Winfrey. Then Jessie flexes. This was stupid.


Robbie E comes out and introduces the guy who will beat Rob Terry bro. A real Hollywood super star unlike the people in the crowed. Mr. Pectacular, Jessie Godderz bro.


Rob Terry vs. Jessie Godderz. Rob Terry gets the pin. This was weak. Big Rob power slammed Jessie and covered him but Robbie E pulled the referee’s ankle to stop the count. Then Big Rob went after Robbie. Jessie tried to get Big Rob from behind but he threw Jessie into Robbie. Then Terry hit a spine buster for the pin.


Backstage Daniels & Kazarian come into Roode’s locker room. Kaz & Daniels tell Roode about wanting to reform Fortune, but without James Storm. Daniels knows AJ better than anybody and he says if they stand together there’s no way AJ can say no. They walk out and then we see Aries was watching from another door. This was good.


They show a video package on Chris Sabin. He will be returning next week. This was well put together and it will be great to finally see Sabin back.


Backstage we see Aries & Roode. Aries mentions that he overheard Kaz & Daniels talking to Roode about reuniting Fortune. If Roode wants to reunite Fortune that’s his business. Aries says he & Roode aren’t best friends. They’re 2 dominant world champions. If Kaz & Daniels are such great wrestlers how come Aries beat him for the world title? Aries says that he is looking to win back the tag titles, but if Roode screws Aries he will also be screwing himself.


Daniels & Kazarian are at the announce table for the next match & Daniels is on commentary replacing Mike Tenay.


TNA World Tag Team Champions Chavo Guerrero, Jr. & Hernandez vs. Austin Aries & Bobby Roode for the Titles. Chavo & Hernandez win when Chavo pins Roode. This was a solid match. Kazarian got up on the apron & distracted the referee and then Daniels came in & went after Hernandez. Then Daniels went to clothesline Hernandez but he got out of the way & Daniels hit Roode. Then Hernandez chucked Daniels out of the ring and then Chavo hit the frog splash on Bobby for the pin.


Backstage Matt Morgan says hiding from camera guy doesn’t work. Then he says that if Hulk calls out Ray this will be the biggest mistake Hulk’s made. Morgan is headed to the ring right now because he has a solution. This was a good promo.


Time for a look back at Bully Ray turning heel and Hulk blaming it on Sting. They also show Matt Morgan telling Hulk that his mistakes will come crashing down on him.


Matt Morgan comes to the ring. He says over the last year his issues with Impact have centered around mistakes made by Hulk. It all started when Hulk took Sting’s advice and made Ray the number 1 contender for the world title. We all know how that turned out. Ray became champion and Aces & 8s have been dominating. Since then Impact has been imploding around Hulk. Then he says no one has heard from Sting since Hulk kicked him out. Then he mentions that Jeff Hardy got stretchered out by Aces & 8s when he tried to regain the title. Before Hulk comes out & goes face to face with Ray, Morgan wants to present Hulk a solution. He tells Hulk to come on out. Cue Hulk’s music & out he comes. The fans chant Hogan. Morgan says he called out Hulk because Hulk has no more back up. If he goes face to face with Ray he will inevitably be taken out by Aces & 8s. Morgan offers his services as the solution. No one on this roster has been begging & waiting for this chance more than Matt Morgan. He is the 7 foot knight in shining armor and if given the chance he will carbon foot print Ray’s head into the fifth row…for a small price. Morgan says he’s all Hulk’s got. Morgan will handle Hulk’s problem with Ray if Hulk gives Morgan a world title match at Slammivesary. Hulk says Morgan brought him right up to the edge and Morgan has the good to get the job done. Morgan probably could get the job done but Hulk was hoping Morgan would do the right thing. Hulk mention Morgan taking his old cape. Hulk was hoping Morgan would be the second coming of the “Mania”. Hulk says if he handed this to Morgan it would be a bigger mistake than Ray. Hulk says he will step in the ring with Ray even if he isn’t capable, and take what needs to be taken even if it has to do it by himself. Then he says that he never heard Andre the Giant come out & whine like a little b***ch. Than Hulk walks out. This was a typical Hogan bit. Morgan was ok here but Hulk was his usual hokey self & I didn’t go for him mentioning Andre. However, I liked that he finally remembered that Morgan took his old cape.


We see Aces & 8s in the clubhouse. Ray says he almost felt bad for Joseph Park and that it had been 2 years since they gave someone a 3D through a table. Then Ray says Hulk’s all stitched & glued from all the knee surgeries he’s had. He tells Aces & 8s not to come to the ring because he wants to handle this situation with “dad” by himself.


Knockouts Champion Velvet Sky vs. Mickie James for the Title. Velvet gets the pin with a small package. This was solid too. Velvet sold the knee injury throughout the match and I thought they did a good job here.


Backstage we see Ray & Devon. Ray says that Devon can have Brooke. They were the most successful team that ever existed. Devon’s the TV Champion & Ray’s the World Champion. They lead a pack of wolves that no one can stop & in a bit he will go out to that ring and be the guy that puts the final nail in the coffin of Hulkamania.


Cut to Hulk & Brooke. Brooke says she messed up, but Hulk says Ray screwed over their family & the business and it’s up to Hulk to fix it. Brooke says Hulk just had knee replacement. Hulk is going to prove that he is a good man & Brooke can’t stop him. Brooke tells him to be careful. Then Brooke walks out & Hulk asks himself what he’s doing. This was a typical Hogan backstage bit. The acting from Brooke was the usual crap we get from her.


Bully Ray comes to the ring. He has a list with the names of Sting, Magnus, Jeff Hardy, Joseph Park, James Storm, Eric Young, Kurt Angle & The Pope. He says those names are all victims of Aces & 8s. There’s only 1 victim left & he tells Hulk to come out right now. Out comes Hulk. Ray screams for Hulk’s music to be shut off. Then he asks “dad” how his knee is. Ray says Hulk is raring to go. Hulk probably can’t wait to hit Ray with the big boot and drop the big Hulk Hogan leg. That won’t happen. Hulk can get in the ring & try to fool the fans but he will never fool Ray. As he looks into Hulk’s eyes he sees fear. Hulk fears Ray. He fears Ray because Ray reminds Hulk of himself. Ray is the last of dying breed, Hulk’s breed. Did Hulk ever think Ray would be standing here? He’s the president of Aces & 8s, the world champion, Hulk’s “son in law” & the guy who will put an end to Hulkamania. Hulk says Ray can’t put an end to Hulkamania because it will never die brother. Ray spits in Hulk’s face. Then Hulk tears his shirt and does the old finger point. Then Ray points to him and then Hulk punches Ray & then send him off the ropes for the big boot but Ray bails. Then the rest of the Aces & 8s guys come out & Ray tells them to surround him. Then the lights go out & when they come back on Sting is in the ring & points his bat to Hulk’s chest. Then Sting turns to Ray & then Sting & Hulk take out Aces & 8s. Then Sting points the bat to Hulk again but then retracts it. Sting goes to the back as Hulk stands in the ring looking puzzled to end the show. This was stupid I thought! Sting being in the ring when the lights came back on was predictable & so was him cornering Hulk only for him & Hulk to take out Aces & 8s. They had Sting & Hulk; the older guys take out this group of guys. They also completely forgot about AJ Styles making his decision. He wasn’t even mentioned!


I thought this week’s show was decent overall but I really wish that they would quit starting & ending the shows with these in ring talking segments (The same goes for WWE). This has just gotten way too predicable! The opening segment with the former Fortune guys at the start was solid & I thought Storm, Daniels & Kazarian were all great on the mic. I also like seeing Ray & Devon pull out the 3D. The end was a mixed bag. Ray was great with his promo like usual but I thought having Sting & Hulk clean house on Aces & 8s was kind of lame. Rob Terry-Jessie wasn’t much. The tag title match was solid and I was fine with the finish. I liked that they had the tension with Aries & Roode too. The Taryn-Tara was solid too and I thought the Knockouts Title match was decent. The bit with Aces & 8s in the clubhouse was ok and I liked the backstage bit with Ray & Devon. The Hulk & Brooke bit that followed that however, I wasn’t a fan of. The Hulk-Morgan segment was a mixed bag. I thought Morgan was decent on the mic here but Hulk was his usual hokey self. I liked the Chris Sabin video package & I’m looking forward to his return next week. So overall I thought this was a decent show.


Coverage and thoughts on the April 26, 2013 episode of Smackdown


The show starts with Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger in a No DQ match. Swagger gets the pin. This was a really good back & forth plunder match.


Layla vs. Aksana. Layla gets the pin. This was ok & Layla pulled out a nice impressive roll up for the pin.


Time for a look at Total Divas. I doubt I’ll be watching this.


Now time for a look back at the finish of the awesome 6 man tag from Monday.


Next we get a Shield promo. Ambrose says that Monday night they stood face to face with the tag champions Kane & Daniel Bryan & The Undertaker. Rollins says that what happened on Monday is what always happens. Justice prevailed & The Shield was victorious. Reigns says they broke the unbreakable. It’s an injustice that Kane & Daniel are still holding the tag titles. Rollins says not for long and then he says that the true injustice is that Taker escaped Raw with his soul still in tact. Ambrose says not for long & they did what they said they were going to do Monday, but it still feels like something is missing. Ambrose doesn’t feel total satisfaction. He thinks it’s because the dead man is still walking & still breathing. Tonight Ambrose faces Taker in singles action & Ambrose has an itch that needs scratching. He is going to do what no one has been able to do in 21 WrestleManias. Tonight he will beat The Undertaker & when he says that you better believe that if it’s the last thing that he does. He is going to beat Taker tonight. Then he says that Justice will be immortal, not Taker. Then Rollins says that at the hands of The Shield Taker will not rest in piece. Then Reigns says that Taker will believe in The Shield. This was the usual good promo from The Shield.


Justin Gabriel vs. Fandango. Fandango gets the pin. This was a solid match. Then Fandango says his name.


Sheamus vs. Big Show. Big Show gets the pin. Sheamus was on the top rope and then Mark Henry came out & distracted him. Then Big Show KO punched Sheamus off the top rope & got the win. This was a really good match too & I was cool with the finish.


Wade Barrett comes out and says Regal is about to get sent back to where he came at the hands of the Barrett Barrage.


William Regal vs. Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett. Barrett gets the pin. This was a really short match.


Time for a look back at the Triple H-Paul Heyman segment from Monday.


Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry. Henry wins by DQ when Sheamus comes in & Brogue Kicks Henry. Afterwards Orton then gives Henry an RKO. The match was good but I wasn’t into both Orton & Sheamus lying out Henry.


Time for a look back at the end of Raw.


Undertaker vs. Dean Ambrose. Taker wins by submission. Afterwards Rollins & Reigns hit the ring & The Shield beats on Taker. They take the fight outside the ring & Taker throws Reigns into the barricade. Then he beats down Rollins & throws him over the barricade into the front row. Then Taker gets a chair & hit Ambrose with it. Then Rollins stands on the barricade and then Taker grabs him by the throat but then Reigns spears him through the barricade. Then Ambrose hits Taker in the back with a chair twice and then The Shield triple power bombs Taker through the announce table. They stand over the fallen Taker to end the show. I liked both the match and the post match beat down. I thought having The Shield lay out Taker was another good step in putting them over.


I thought this was a good show overall. I enjoyed the Del Rio-Swagger match. There was a lot of good back and forth action there. Taker-Ambrose was good too & I also liked The Shield power bombing Taker at the end. Layla-Aksana was ok too & I liked the finish. Justin Gabriel-Fandango was also solid. Regal-Barrett was too short. Sheamus-Big Show was also a good match & I was fine with Mark Henry coming in & causing Sheamus to lose. The Orton-Henry match was also good but I didn’t care for Orton & Sheamus lying out Henry afterwards. I also really liked The Shield promo & thankfully there were no Booker T-Teddy Long or any other backstage segments. This was mostly 1 match after another. So overall I enjoyed this week’s show.
Posted by Tony Viz at 7:03 PM

Coverage and thoughts on the April 25, 2013 episode of Impact


The show starts with Aces & 8s coming into the building but security stops them. Ray tells them to get out of their way or Mr. A—hole will let them have it. Security lets them through. I’m not sure why they had security preventing Aces & 8s from entering the building and then they let them go in.


James Storm comes to the ring. He says last week he fought AJ and AJ brought the fight. AJ is in the crowed & Storm points him out. Storm says AJ’s new submission move hurt and AJ was the better man last week. What Storm didn’t sign up for was the Aces & idiots that jumped him from behind. If they wanted a fight all they had to do was ask. Then he looks at Taz. Storm says that if he calls 1 of them out they’ll all show up. That’s fine with Storm; he will take them all out. Then out come Daniels & Kazarian. Daniels says before Storm challenges anyone, Bad Influence was also a victim of the Aces & 8s. Hulk doesn’t have the answer to the problem, but they do. Aces & 8s have been playing the numbers game and the magic number TNA needs is 4, as in Fortune. Kazarian says AJ’s brooding looking like a Twilight vampire but Kazarian & Daniels forgive AJ for giving them cheap shots. Then Kaz says that AJ needs to get in the ring with his boys to reform Fortune because that’s the right thing to do. Storm says the fans wanna see Kaz & Daniels to shut up. Kaz says the people don’t concern him or Daniels. Then he says that Storm is irrelevant just like the fans. Then Storm goes after them but they get the upper hand. Then out come Aces & 8s. Anderson has Storm set for a power bomb & the rest of the group gets a table in the ring. Then Joseph Park comes out and lays out Wes & Garrett. Then the rest of the clan attacks him too. Then Doc & Knox were going to choke slam Park through the table but Ray tells them to back off. Then Ray & Devon give Park a 3D through the table. This was a good segment. Storm, Daniels & Kazarian were all great on the mic and I liked The former Dudley Boys pulling out the 3D.


Back to the show and Park is getting stretchered out. Ray says Aces & 8s weren’t screwing around. Do we know who they are? They’re the guys responsible for the carnage in TNA and the guys responsible for taking out all the heroes. The fans have no heroes left. No Samoa Joe, no Magnus, no James Storm, no Joseph Park, nobody. Last week Ray called out 1 guy, Hulk Hogan. He tells “Dear old dad” that he has till the end of the show to answer his challenge. When you ride with Aces & 8s you never walk alone. Great promo from Ray.


Time for a video package recapping the Mickie James-Brooke Tessmacher match from last week.


Backstage we see Hulk Hogan. Camera guy mentions that Hulk was there and then left. He asks what happened. Hulk doesn’t say anything. As he’s walking camera guy follows him and keeps bugging him. Hulk tells him to let it go. This was terrible.


Taryn Terrell vs. Tara. Taryn gets the pin. Tara dominated most of the match, showboated and then Taryn got the win with a roll up. This was decent.


Backstage we see Robbie E. He asks Jessie if he will take care of Rob Terry. Robbie says he showed that he is more of a bro that Terry, now Jessie will show that he is a better dude than Terry. Robbie then says that Terry used to say he was afraid of Jessie and that Jessie has bigger arms than Terry. After Jessie beats Terry tonight Jessie will be on the bro level of George Washington Al Bundy & Oprah Winfrey. Then Jessie flexes. This was stupid.


Robbie E comes out and introduces the guy who will beat Rob Terry bro. A real Hollywood super star unlike the people in the crowed. Mr. Pectacular, Jessie Godderz bro.


Rob Terry vs. Jessie Godderz. Rob Terry gets the pin. This was weak. Big Rob power slammed Jessie and covered him but Robbie E pulled the referee’s ankle to stop the count. Then Big Rob went after Robbie. Jessie tried to get Big Rob from behind but he threw Jessie into Robbie. Then Terry hit a spine buster for the pin.


Backstage Daniels & Kazarian come into Roode’s locker room. Kaz & Daniels tell Roode about wanting to reform Fortune, but without James Storm. Daniels knows AJ better than anybody and he says if they stand together there’s no way AJ can say no. They walk out and then we see Aries was watching from another door. This was good.


They show a video package on Chris Sabin. He will be returning next week. This was well put together and it will be great to finally see Sabin back.


Backstage we see Aries & Roode. Aries mentions that he overheard Kaz & Daniels talking to Roode about reuniting Fortune. If Roode wants to reunite Fortune that’s his business. Aries says he & Roode aren’t best friends. They’re 2 dominant world champions. If Kaz & Daniels are such great wrestlers how come Aries beat him for the world title? Aries says that he is looking to win back the tag titles, but if Roode screws Aries he will also be screwing himself.


Daniels & Kazarian are at the announce table for the next match & Daniels is on commentary replacing Mike Tenay.


TNA World Tag Team Champions Chavo Guerrero, Jr. & Hernandez vs. Austin Aries & Bobby Roode for the Titles. Chavo & Hernandez win when Chavo pins Roode. This was a solid match. Kazarian got up on the apron & distracted the referee and then Daniels came in & went after Hernandez. Then Daniels went to clothesline Hernandez but he got out of the way & Daniels hit Roode. Then Hernandez chucked Daniels out of the ring and then Chavo hit the frog splash on Bobby for the pin.


Backstage Matt Morgan says hiding from camera guy doesn’t work. Then he says that if Hulk calls out Ray this will be the biggest mistake Hulk’s made. Morgan is headed to the ring right now because he has a solution. This was a good promo.


Time for a look back at Bully Ray turning heel and Hulk blaming it on Sting. They also show Matt Morgan telling Hulk that his mistakes will come crashing down on him.


Matt Morgan comes to the ring. He says over the last year his issues with Impact have centered around mistakes made by Hulk. It all started when Hulk took Sting’s advice and made Ray the number 1 contender for the world title. We all know how that turned out. Ray became champion and Aces & 8s have been dominating. Since then Impact has been imploding around Hulk. Then he says no one has heard from Sting since Hulk kicked him out. Then he mentions that Jeff Hardy got stretchered out by Aces & 8s when he tried to regain the title. Before Hulk comes out & goes face to face with Ray, Morgan wants to present Hulk a solution. He tells Hulk to come on out. Cue Hulk’s music & out he comes. The fans chant Hogan. Morgan says he called out Hulk because Hulk has no more back up. If he goes face to face with Ray he will inevitably be taken out by Aces & 8s. Morgan offers his services as the solution. No one on this roster has been begging & waiting for this chance more than Matt Morgan. He is the 7 foot knight in shining armor and if given the chance he will carbon foot print Ray’s head into the fifth row…for a small price. Morgan says he’s all Hulk’s got. Morgan will handle Hulk’s problem with Ray if Hulk gives Morgan a world title match at Slammivesary. Hulk says Morgan brought him right up to the edge and Morgan has the good to get the job done. Morgan probably could get the job done but Hulk was hoping Morgan would do the right thing. Hulk mention Morgan taking his old cape. Hulk was hoping Morgan would be the second coming of the “Mania”. Hulk says if he handed this to Morgan it would be a bigger mistake than Ray. Hulk says he will step in the ring with Ray even if he isn’t capable, and take what needs to be taken even if it has to do it by himself. Then he says that he never heard Andre the Giant come out & whine like a little b***ch. Than Hulk walks out. This was a typical Hogan bit. Morgan was ok here but Hulk was his usual hokey self & I didn’t go for him mentioning Andre. However, I liked that he finally remembered that Morgan took his old cape.


We see Aces & 8s in the clubhouse. Ray says he almost felt bad for Joseph Park and that it had been 2 years since they gave someone a 3D through a table. Then Ray says Hulk’s all stitched & glued from all the knee surgeries he’s had. He tells Aces & 8s not to come to the ring because he wants to handle this situation with “dad” by himself.


Knockouts Champion Velvet Sky vs. Mickie James for the Title. Velvet gets the pin with a small package. This was solid too. Velvet sold the knee injury throughout the match and I thought they did a good job here.


Backstage we see Ray & Devon. Ray says that Devon can have Brooke. They were the most successful team that ever existed. Devon’s the TV Champion & Ray’s the World Champion. They lead a pack of wolves that no one can stop & in a bit he will go out to that ring and be the guy that puts the final nail in the coffin of Hulkamania.


Cut to Hulk & Brooke. Brooke says she messed up, but Hulk says Ray screwed over their family & the business and it’s up to Hulk to fix it. Brooke says Hulk just had knee replacement. Hulk is going to prove that he is a good man & Brooke can’t stop him. Brooke tells him to be careful. Then Brooke walks out & Hulk asks himself what he’s doing. This was a typical Hogan backstage bit. The acting from Brooke was the usual crap we get from her.


Bully Ray comes to the ring. He has a list with the names of Sting, Magnus, Jeff Hardy, Joseph Park, James Storm, Eric Young, Kurt Angle & The Pope. He says those names are all victims of Aces & 8s. There’s only 1 victim left & he tells Hulk to come out right now. Out comes Hulk. Ray screams for Hulk’s music to be shut off. Then he asks “dad” how his knee is. Ray says Hulk is raring to go. Hulk probably can’t wait to hit Ray with the big boot and drop the big Hulk Hogan leg. That won’t happen. Hulk can get in the ring & try to fool the fans but he will never fool Ray. As he looks into Hulk’s eyes he sees fear. Hulk fears Ray. He fears Ray because Ray reminds Hulk of himself. Ray is the last of dying breed, Hulk’s breed. Did Hulk ever think Ray would be standing here? He’s the president of Aces & 8s, the world champion, Hulk’s “son in law” & the guy who will put an end to Hulkamania. Hulk says Ray can’t put an end to Hulkamania because it will never die brother. Ray spits in Hulk’s face. Then Hulk tears his shirt and does the old finger point. Then Ray points to him and then Hulk punches Ray & then send him off the ropes for the big boot but Ray bails. Then the rest of the Aces & 8s guys come out & Ray tells them to surround him. Then the lights go out & when they come back on Sting is in the ring & points his bat to Hulk’s chest. Then Sting turns to Ray & then Sting & Hulk take out Aces & 8s. Then Sting points the bat to Hulk again but then retracts it. Sting goes to the back as Hulk stands in the ring looking puzzled to end the show. This was stupid I thought! Sting being in the ring when the lights came back on was predictable & so was him cornering Hulk only for him & Hulk to take out Aces & 8s. They had Sting & Hulk; the older guys take out this group of guys. They also completely forgot about AJ Styles making his decision. He wasn’t even mentioned!


I thought this week’s show was decent overall but I really wish that they would quit starting & ending the shows with these in ring talking segments (The same goes for WWE). This has just gotten way too predicable! The opening segment with the former Fortune guys at the start was solid & I thought Storm, Daniels & Kazarian were all great on the mic. I also like seeing Ray & Devon pull out the 3D. The end was a mixed bag. Ray was great with his promo like usual but I thought having Sting & Hulk clean house on Aces & 8s was kind of lame. Rob Terry-Jessie wasn’t much. The tag title match was solid and I was fine with the finish. I liked that they had the tension with Aries & Roode too. The Taryn-Tara was solid too and I thought the Knockouts Title match was decent. The bit with Aces & 8s in the clubhouse was ok and I liked the backstage bit with Ray & Devon. The Hulk & Brooke bit that followed that however, I wasn’t a fan of. The Hulk-Morgan segment was a mixed bag. I thought Morgan was decent on the mic here but Hulk was his usual hokey self. I liked the Chris Sabin video package & I’m looking forward to his return next week. So overall I thought this was a decent show.

Coverage and thoughts on the April 22, 2013 episode of Raw


The show starts with Paul Heyman in the ring. He says who he is and the fans boo. He’s here as the advocate for Brock Lesnar. He’s sure it’s been the global community buzz about when Brock went extreme on 3MB. Then he says that it’s also been the global community buzz when they challenged HHH. To refresh the fans’ memories we take a look back at this segment from last week. Heyman says here is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. We will hear Triple H’s answer, except Triple H isn’t there. Like the fans Heyman has been let down by HHH. Heyman knows he has a reputation as a liar, but he got an e-mail from HHH that he wants to read. It says that Triple H will give his answer next week. Heyman offered to stand in this ring, look HHH in the eye, shake his hand and tell him that he respects and admires him, but HHH didn’t have the manhood to show up. Cue time to play the game and out comes HHH. Heyman applauds HHH for getting the better of him. HHH says that in the e-mail he lied. HHH wants Heyman to tell Brock he accepts. Then he gives Heyman a pedigree. This was a solid way to start the show. Heyman was great on the mic as usual & HHH was good here too.


R-Truth comes to the ring and does his bit. Then out comes Cesaro and he tells Truth how it’s done. Then he yodels. What is with this stupid yodeling bit?


R-Truth vs. Antonio Cesaro. Truth gets the pin. This was a short match. I have no idea why they’re burying Cesaro.


They show a helicopter landing and out come The Shield. They get into a jeep and are on their way to the arena. I liked this.


Brodus Clay vs. Damien Sandow. Sandow gets the pin. This was a decent match.


Backstage we see Dolph Ziggler staring at his title saying how beautiful it is. AJ comes in and asks if he’s trying to make her jealous. He says the world title would hot around AJ’s waist & says that she should be a champion. Then they kiss. Then the camera pans to Big E. Dolph tells him this is Ziggy-AJ time. Big E walks off and Dolph & AJ kiss some more. Then Vickie & Brad come by and Vickie tells Dolph that if he loses to Jericho tonight then Jericho will be added to the Extreme Rules title match. This was kinda lame.


Time for a look back at CM Punk’s promo from last week followed by him walking out.


Backstage we see The Shield. Rollins says they went to great lengths to be there. Ambrose says for 20 years Taker would decide who is guilty and send his victims to rest in piece. He doesn’t know who gave him that right. Rollins says that no one has managed to stop Taker. Then Reigns says till now. Ambrose says these days The Shield is the law. Rollins says The Shield owns this night. Ambrose says for the first time in his life Taker will know what justice tastes like. Reigns says believe in the shield. This was a good Shield promo.


Chris Jericho vs. World Champion Dolph Ziggler. Dolph gets the pin. Jericho had Dolph locked in the walls and then Fandango’s music played. That distracted Jericho for some reason and then Dolph gave Jericho the Zig Zag for the pin. This was a great back and forth match but the finish was a bit weak.


Time for a look back at the Cena-Ryback face off followed by The Shield beat down on Cena.


Josh Mathews is with Mick Foley. Josh congratulates Mick on his new DVD. Mick is thankful for all the feedback he’s getting. Josh asks him how today’s WWE is different from the attitude Era. Foley says it’s not in man’s nature to blame himself for his own short comings. Ryback has the potential to become WWE Champion and he’s looking forward to seeing that match at his favorite PPV Extreme Rules. Have a nice day. This was decent.


Tensai vs. Cody Rhodes. Tensai gets the pin. This match was all Tensai. Cody took a pounding here.


Backstage we see Kane & Daniel Bryan. Daniel asks where Taker is. Kane says they will know when Taker is there. Daniel says that they have to go over strategy. Kane says Daniel doesn’t have to worry about the brothers of destruction. Daniel says he is worried and they need to be on the same page. Then he tells Kane to call Taker. Kane says Taker doesn’t have a cell phone. Daniel says he will start the match. Kane says Taker doesn’t take orders. Daniel has some diagrams and Kane tells Daniel when Taker gets there not to show him the diagrams or try to hug him. Then The Shield comes in & they lay out Kane & Daniel. This was a good backstage bit. Kane & Daniel were good here like usual & The Shield lying them out solid too.


Time for a look back at the Orton & Sheamus vs. Big Show & Henry match from Smackdown. This is the first Smackdown rebound in years.


Josh Mathews says at Extreme Rules Cena will defend the title against his guest Ryback. Josh ask Ryback to explain his actions. Ryback says he’s been attacked by The Shield many times and Cena was never there, but he was always there for Cena every time The Shield attacked him. He wanted Cena to know what it was like to be on his own. Ryback enjoyed seeing The Shield beat down Cena. Then he says that he looks at himself and sees the next WWE Champion. He tells Mick Foley to face him in the ring tonight (Not for a match). When they do Foley won’t be looking in a mirror, he will be looking at Ryback. Ryback rules. This was a decent promo.


Zack Ryder vs. Big E Langston. Langston gets the pin. Ryder got a bit of offense in but this was mostly a squash.


The Undertaker comes to the ring. Then The Shield. They surround Taker and then get in the ring and beat him down for a bit but then Kane & Daniel come out and we get a pre match brawl.


Undertaker and WWE Tag Team Champions Kane & Daniel Bryan vs. The Shield. The Shield win when Ambrose pins Daniel. Daniel went for a top rope head butt, but missed & Ambrose rolled him up for the pin. This was a great match.


Backstage Mick Foley tells Cena he knows what he’s doing. Cena says no one will question Foley’s toughness but there’s a difference between being smart and being brave. Cena will face Ryback at Extreme Rules. He says that Mick going out there to face Ryback is a mistake. Foley says it’s his mistake to make and asks Cena to respect his decision. Cena gives Foley a chair and tells him to bring that to the ring with him.


Fandango comes out and the fans start the Fandango sing along. Then out comes William Regal to a hometown pop.


William Regal vs. Fandango. Fandango gets the pin. This was a decent match. Afterwards Fandango says his name. Then as Fandango & his chick back up the stage Jericho comes out and throws Fandango off the stage. Then Jericho looks over at Fandango’s chick and he dances with her as Fandango’s music plays. This was kinda funny.


Kaitlyn is on commentary for the next match


AJ, Aksana, Naomi, Tamina & Layla in a Divas Battle Royal to see who will challenge for the Divas Title. AJ Wins. * Layla eliminates Aksana * Tamina eliminates Naomi * Layla eliminates Tamina * AJ eliminates Layla. This wasn’t much. AJ faked being out cold after being kicked by Tamina. Then Layla was dragged AJ to the ropes and then AJ “came to” and eliminated Layla. Afterwards Kaitlyn & AJ have a quick stare down.


Mick Foley comes to the ring. He says that he did not come out with the intent of having a confrontation yet here he is in London, England about to enter 1. Ryback said if Foley had something should say then he should say it face to face. He’s standing in the ring and the only thing missing from this equation is Ryback. Ryback comes out. Ryback asks how does Cena giving Foley a chair help Foley out. Foley says when Cena gave him the chair he felt offended. He’s the hardcore legend and a Hall of Famer. In his day he took on the toughest this business had to give. He didn’t always win but he found a way to get back up. If Ryback decides to unleash his best on Foley he will go down and probably won’t get up. Foley has something to say to Ryback but first he wants him to take a look at the end of last week’s Raw. Ryback knows what he did and he loved it. Mick asks what happened to the guy who entered WWE last year and took it by storm with 3 simple words? The guy who stacked the world on his shoulders and said feed me more. Ryback tells Foley to be careful what he wishes for because he just might get it. Foley asks if Ryback has any idea how often he was beat down. Foley says he doesn’t remember because it doesn’t matter. We haven’t seen the best Ryback has to offer. Ryback will be WWE Champion some day. He has all the physical tools to dominate, but does he want to become champion by watching Cena get destroyed by The Shield. Extreme Rules is coming and Ryback needs to wake up. Ryback says that Foley comes out and talks about his glory days, but for what? To sell more DVDs? Ryback knows what he is doing. He gets what he wants. He wanted to send a message to Super Cena and he sent it. He wanted a WWE Title match and he got that. He wants to be WWE Champion and at Extreme Rules he will be. If the fans have a problem with that he doesn’t care. Ryback asks Foley again how does Cena giving Foley a chair help him standing in the ring with Ryback? Foley says you tell me. Ryback says to look into his eyes and then he throws the chair out of the ring. Then out comes Cena. Foley leaves the ring. Then Cena & Ryback go face to face but then The Shield’s music hits and they come back out. Cena gets on the ring apron and then walks out. Ryback is in the ring & The Shield stalk him as Cena watches. The Shield gets in the ring and they go after Ryback. Then Cena comes in and hits The Shield guys with the chair and runs them off. Then Cena gets back in the ring and drops the chair. Then he gives Ryback the AA. Cena stands on the stage and does the you can’t see me gesture to Ryback to end the show. I wasn’t a fan of this closing segment. Foley’s promo was good but Cena running off The Shield made The Shield look a bit weak. I also detested that they had Cena give Ryback an AA right in the center of the ring! This is why a lot of fan dislike Cena, because he gets over on everybody all the time!! He laid out the guy that he will face at Extreme Rules so why should we want to see this match on PPV?


I thought this was a solid show overall. The Triple H-Paul Heyman segment at the start was good. I wasn’t a fan of the closing segment though. Having Cena run off The Shield and then give Ryback an AA was idiotic. Jericho-Ziggler was great but I thought the finish was kinda weak. I enjoyed the 6 man tag. That was the highlight of this week’s Raw. The Divas Battle Royal wasn’t much. It was a typical Divas match. Regal-Fandango was decent too. I liked Jericho throwing Fandango off the stage and I thought that Jericho dancing with Fandango’s chick while Fandango’s music played was comical. Ryder-Big E was mostly a squash, Truth-Cesaro was kind of short and I have no idea why Cesaro is getting de pushed. Brodus-Sandow was decent & Tensai-Cody was mostly Tensai pounding the crap out of Cody. I liked The Shield showing up in a helicopter & I thought their promo was good also. The Kane-Daniel Bryan backstage segment was decent too. They were both funny here and I was ok with The Shield attacking them. The Foley-Cena backstage segment was ok but nothing great, but overall I thought this was a solid show.

Coverage and thoughts on the April 19, 2013 episode of Smackdown


The show starts with Fandango coming to the ring. He flirts with Lillian and tells that she is looking excellent tonight. Then he asks if Lillian has ever been “dipped” before. Has she ever made moves on anyone before? Then he asks if she has ever Faandanngoed before. He says it feels real good. She goes to leave the ring but he holds onto her hand and “Fandangos” her into his arms. Then he dances with Lillian and hits on her. Then he tells Lillian that was absolutely terrible and then drops her to the mat. He then tells Lillian that she is a beautiful woman but there is nothing beautiful with the way she dances. Then Lillian leaves the ring. Then Fandango says that Lillian is just like these people who butcher his name & mock his dance. Then he asks Lillian if she can at least say his name right. Then he starts to say his name but then Santino Marella’s music hits & he comes out. He says that “Fandingel” has a very insulting way about him. Fandango’s a very rude person. The way he talks to the fans & what he just did to Lillian, then he says hello to Lillian. Then he says Fandango that he’s a real son of a gun. Then Santino says that it pains him to admit it but Fandango has good moves. Then Santino gets in the ring and says that dance looks like so much fun and he was into the way the cheerleaders did it on youtube. Santino hopes the fans don’t if he does his rendition of the “Fandingel.” First Santino wants to introduce his dance partner. He’s mean and green and he loves to bite. He wants to “Fandingel” all through the night. Then he gets his sock cobra. Santino & the cobra are gonna do a 2 step all over Fandango’s face. Then they play Fandango’s music & Santino dances. Lillian finds this comical (I sure don’t). Then Fandango charges at Santino but Santino yanks down the tope rope & Fandango falls out of the ring (Man this is stupid). This was idiotic! The Fandango character is awful & having Santino come out and be the not funny man made this even more idiotic!


Santino Marella vs. Fandango. Fandango gets the pin. This was a really short match. Then he gets the mic and his chick comes in & split legs over Santino and Fandango says his name. This was lame.


Backstage we see Booker T & Teddy Long in the GM office. Booker tells Long that things are different in his administration. Long never consulted with Booker when he made the match Dolph-Swagger match for Raw. Long was just trying to help Booker out. Booker then says that Long needs to…Then in comes Big Show. Booker asks Big Show if he can help him. Big Show actually wants to thank Teddy Long for actually giving him a tag team partner for his match with Orton & Sheamus. Unlike some people (Booker T) that put him in a handicapped match where he could be injured Long had the foresight to actually protect 1 of his top super stars & he wants to say thank you to Long. They fist pump each other and Long says you’re welcome. Then Big Show walks out. Long has a grin on his face while Booker has a scowl on his. Booker takes his glasses off and glares at Long and then Long tells Big Show to hold up & Long walks out. Booker looks like he’s gonna blow a gasket. This was a short segment & better than the usual segments we get with Booker & Long.


U.S. Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett in a champion vs. champion non title match. Kofi gets the pin. This was a good match but having the 2 champions be in a non title match is stupid. They really should unify these 2 titles.


Time for a look back at Mark Henry flattening Sheamus from last week on Smackdown & Monday on Raw.


Mark Henry is walking backstage and then Renee Young comes by. She says that recently on 2 separate occasions Henry’s attacked Sheamus. She asks him why. Henry says because he can & that’s just what he does. Then Sheamus storms in & spears Henry to the floor. Then he tells Henry that’s what he does Fella. This was a good backstage bit. It looks like they’re gonna have these 2 face each other at Extreme Rules. I’m hoping that’s what they do anyway.


Time for a look back at the Del Rio-Swagger-Dolph bit from Raw that was followed by Swagger pinning Dolph in a non title match.


Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger. Del Rio gets the pin. This was a good back and forth match.


Time for a look back at Cena-Ryback bit from Monday.


Time for a promo from The Shield. Ambrose snaps his fingers and says attention. He says that on Monday night they made a Raw moment that no one will forget anytime soon, especially Cena. Then Rollins says you can’t see me and does the hand gesture. Reigns doesn’t think that works anymore because they see him just fine on his back & under their boots. Then Rollins says that Ryback also saw Cena flat on his back. Ryback watches as they dropped Cena from the sky. A lot of people are probably wondering why Ryback didn’t do anything. Ryback figured it out & knows how justice feels. Ambrose says that it self preservation. Ryback doesn’t want anymore trouble from The Shield. He doesn’t wanna feel their justice anymore. Then Ambrose says that the look on Ryback’s face on Monday was the same look that they saw on The Undertaker’s face. Ambrose says no one can fool them. 2 weeks ago when Taker was surrounded by The Shield Ambrose was standing 3 feet from Taker & he looked right into his eyes & he knows what he saw. They all saw the look of fear on Taker’s face. Taker was afraid. He was terrified. Taker was surrounded by The Shield & was scared to death. Taker was never so relieved & happy to see Kane and his little buddy. Taker might be a legend to some. He might be undefeated at WrestleMania but The Shield is undefeated period. Taker’s not immortal & this Monday on Raw they prove that. Then Rollins says that for 20 years Taker has run this place but there comes a time for even legends to be pushed aside. Taker’s time is up. Then Reigns says that the hounds of justice run this yard now. Believe in The Shield. Then Ambrose says believe that dead man. This was the usual good promo we get from The Shield.


They show a clip from earlier in the day. Hornswoggle, Khali & Natalya were in the parking garage and then Primo, Epico & Rosa took their spot. Then Natalya tells Rosa they stole their spot. Rosa doesn’t think so “Chica” There’s no sign there that says “Freaks Only.” Then Natalya says that she would rather be called a freak and a winner than a loser and whatever they call themselves. Then Khali does loser symbol. This was stupid.


Great Khali, Hornswoggle & Natalya vs. Primo, Epico & Rosa Mendes. Khali, Hornswoggle & Natalya win when Khali pins Epico. This was a meaningless comedy match.


Time for a look back at the CM Punk promo from Monday.


Then they reshow Brock Lesnar laying out 3MB and him Paul Heyman challenging Triple to face Brock in a steel cage at Extreme Rules.


Randy Orton & Sheamus vs. Big Show & Mark Henry. Big Show & Mark Henry win when Big Show pins Orton. This was a good match. Then Mark Henry & Big Show celebrate on the stage to end the show.


I thought this was a solid show on the whole. I wasn’t a fan of the Fandango bit with Lillian at the start and the Santino-Fandango match was weak but I liked most of this episode. Kofi-Barrett, Del Rio-Swagger & the main event tag were all good matches. I was even ok with the Booker T-Teddy Long-Big Show segment. Sheamus spearing Mark Henry was good too. The 6 person tag was a meaningless comedy match, but overall I thought this was a decent show.