WWE HELL IN A CELL 2013 Review

WWE have really tried to make this PPV a big deal, the return of John Cena, the Hell In a Cell matches themselves and the return of HBK to referee the WWE championship match. Hopefully the PPV will deliver to the hype surrounding it. Follow me on twitter @bigboss010 and my close friends @site of shite.

Match # 1 – No DQ Triple Threat Tag Team Championship Match

Cody Rhodes & Goldust (c) vs. The Usos vs. The Shield

Ok I understand the Shield being in here, I understand the tag champs obviously being involved but why are the Usos in this match, the commentators are saying that the Usos are the #1 contenders for the tag straps and I have no clue when that happened. Well got to give props to Goldust since his comeback he has actually had some good matches and he is looking in good shape too, his brother Cody has proved time and time again he is a good performer. The Shield team of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns have improved greatly not only as singles perfomers but as a tag team they have come along leaps and bounds, but it was certainly time for them to lose the tag belts, they don’t really need them.

My goodness I don’t think ive ever seen a superplex from the top rope to the outside especially onto the wrestlers on the outside! Fantastic. Cody Rhodes and Goldust win the match after Cody hits Seth Rollins with the Cross Rhodes, which I would like to highlight he sells brilliantly! Good match, very action packed and a good way to start the PPV off, hopefully the rest of the PPV matches that.

Segment

The Miz is in the ring, challenges Bray Wyatt to a fight as he isn’t medically cleared to wrestle because of an attack by the Wyatt Family. Bray Wyatt comes on the titantron and tells Miz his words are meaningless, some crackerjack nonsense. The lights come back on the the Wyatt family are in the ring and attack the Miz again. The Pyro hits and Kane makes his way out to the ring! He clears the ring and stares down the Wyatt family as they leave. Then chokeslams the Miz, hits the pyro and leaves. Looking in good shape though, think he has lost some weight!

Match # 2 – Mixed tag team match

Fandango & Summer Rae vs. The Great Khali & Natalya with Hornswoggle

Fandangos cuts a promo saying he is the master of salsa dancing, him and Summer Rae then do some dancing until they are interrupted. In all honesty I cant seem to care about this match, im really trying as Summer Rae is pretty fit and Fandango is a pretty cool wrestler, so is Natalya but yet I still cant find myself a way to care. Im sorry.

Ok the mini match between Natayla and Summer was actually quite good but then the guys were tagged in and its just gone downhill from there really.

Summer Rae rolls up Natalya to win the match for her team.

Match # 3 – United States Championship Match

Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Big E Langston

Ambrose in my opinion has lost a lot of momentum, doesn’t seem to be doing much with the US belt, hopefully this match is the start of a bit of a resurgence for the belt. Big E Langston has made a sudden come back after being dropped from the AJ story, maybe going for a black Ryback??

 Big E Langston wins via Count Out so doesn’t win the belt. Big E then goes puts Ambrose back into the ring and hits him with the Big Ending and then stands over Ambrose holding the belt. Wasn’t a fantastic match but was ok for what it was, I’m sure they could have done better and will see in the return match.  

Match # 4 – Hell in a Cell Match

CM Punk vs. Ryback & Paul Heyman

It’s funny how this angle has nothing to do with the current HHH / Steph power angle, it’s almost as if these guys are on a different show. This should be ok, but this isn’t there first time we have seen Punk vs. Ryback in a HIAC match, so the addition of Paul Heyman is a new twist but I can’t imagine it being a big one in my opinion. The only real problem I have had with this whole angle has been that the Paul Heyman guys have been made to look like total bitches, especially Curtis Axel which is a real shame considering he is the IC champ.

Heyman comes out on a mobile lift which puts him on top of the HIAC and leaves Ryback and Punk to fight it out inside the Cell.

CM Punk beats Ryback inside the cell to win the match, he then proceeds to climb to the top of the cell brandishing a kendo stick to meet Heyman, he beats Heyman senseless with the kendo stick to roaring Yes chants from the crowd. He then signals for the GTS and levels Heyman before standing tall on top of the cell.

Was a pretty good match and certainly gives the fan what they want with Punk finally getting his hands on Heyman, Ryback put on a much better show then I was expecting inside the cell  itself but again came up short.

Match # 5 Tag Team Match

Los Matadores vs. The Real Americans

Its good to see Epico and Primo with a new gimmick and one that seems reasonably over too. However the Real Americans are an odd one, they have an over catchphrase and some really over moves, they seem to be turning face by default despite being obvious bad guys! Its very confusing.

Los Matadores win after hitting a double team on Jack Swagger, quite an entertaining match and the crowd seemed quite into it too. Especially when Cesaro hit the big swing, the crowd were really cheering.

Match # 6 World Heavyweight Championship match

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. John Cena

Ok, I’m thinking this match isn’t going to be contested inside a cell, very strange considering you would think this match would certainly have to be a cell match. Well Del Rios world title reign hasn’t been that significant to my knowledge really, he hasn’t really stood out as the world champion, obviously the reason why they felt the need to job him out to Cena. Cena who of course is returning from injury as he had a major tricep infection, he has been out for only about 2 months yet they have made such a big deal out of him coming back.

The commentary team are really bigging this match up and to be honest without then i don’t think this match would be as good as it is. They are selling that Del Rio has been the champ for a while and that he has a had great success defending the belt, they are also commenting on the recovery rate of Cena all builds to a great story. One plus point of this match is that we got to see a German suplex and how often do we see them anymore?!

John Cena hits Del Rio with the Attitude Adjustment to get the pinfall victory and to become the new World Heavyweight champion. Well as I said, the main good points of this match are the because of the commentators and Del Rios talent really.

Match # 7 – Divas Championship Match

AJ Lee (c) with Tamina vs. Brie Bella with Nikki Bella

I’m not going to slate this match as the last few WWE divas title matches have surprised me. I really like AJ anyway, she is pretty cool. With the Total Divas show getting plenty of publicity the Bella sisters have been getting some more air time.

AJ Lee gets the submission victory after using her black widow submission. Not a bad match, short and sweet, was quite shocked at how technical Brie Bella was during that match, maybe the Divas division is becoming something to watch again.

Match # 8 – WWE Championship Hell in a Cell match

Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton WITH Shawn Michaels as the Guest Referee

This story has become the focal point of WWE TV over the last few months, the almost rehashing of the Austin / McMahon storyline cannot be denied and it is working even under the PG environment. Daniel Bryan with his “Yes” chant is a parallel to Austin with his “What” chant. Randy Orton on the flip side of that can only be compared to the Rock in a sense of he is the corporate chosen champion, he is playing the character to perfection as well.

HHH comes out to the ring holding the WWE championship that he presents to Shawn Michaels.  

Randy Orton pins Daniel Bryan after HBK super kicked Bryan after he attacked HHH. What a match, even with the screwed finish that was a solid match and was certainly the most entertaining match of the show. It felt like they made more of an effort with this cell match and certainly made up for the fact there were only 2 cell matches on the card. Will be interesting to see where they take it from there though, especially with the Big Show’s potential involvement and how the result will influence Bryan in the upcoming future.

Well thanks for dropping by and reading this little review I hope you enjoyed the show as it was fairly good for a thrown together PPV event. The next major show is the Survivor Series which even though is only 4 weeks away will see some good matches. You can follow me on twitter @bigboss010 and you can follow my cohorts @siteofshite too. Thanks again for reading, I’m Big Boss and I’m out PEACE. 

Batman Year Zero, 1st arc Review

Having just finished reading the first arc of the BATMAN YEAR ZERO storyline in the new DC universe I find myself looking back at the comics that pre-date it but are epilogues to this story. We have seen the return of Bruce Wayne from a long absence from Gotham City and his preparations to become THE BATMAM. The story begins by focusing on the antagonists for this arc, the Red Hood Gang lead by the notorious Red Hood 1, who we all know will go on to become the Joker but warn ourselves away from that conclusion due to changes in the DC continuity and roles of certain characters. We see how he develops his headquarters, his moral choice as to whether reveal he has returned to Gotham or just work from the shadows hidden from everyone and then how he selects the animal that will be his avatar to scare the criminal element of Gotham city. We also get to meet his Uncle Phillip who has been running the massive Wayne Enterprises since Bruce vanished years previously and the struggles he has had to face in Bruce’s absence.

The double sized final issue for this arc really confused me, why did they make it so long and hence the increased retail price (£4.99 on the iPad if you must know). However it does tie the arc up pretty nicely, we finally get to see Batman in action and him fighting his first major criminals. We get to see some ties to the Killing Joke comic with regards to the Red Hood story and how they come to wear the infamous helmet. The apparent “Blackmailing” to force people to wear the red hood mask is used in the Year One arc just the same as it is described in the Killing Joke story and even expands further than just the “Leader” of the gang but expands into a lot of the other members who are blackmailed into signing up such as Bruce Wayne’s uncle who has been running Wayne Enterprises while Bruce has been missing.

They also reveal the name of the “Leader” of the Red Hood gang in this arc; however they certainly don’t give you the satisfaction of letting you think this is the Joker’s real name as they quickly turn it around to leave you still in the dark over the true identity of the clown prince of crime. This mini arc has been fairly entertaining to read and wastes no time after Batman defeats the gang to introduce the next bad guy into the equation for the Dark Knight to contend with, this villain is actually introduced as early as the first issue if I remember correctly but truly reveals himself in the final panels of the double sized conclusion issue and informs Gotham that the Riddler is in town.

For anyone who hasn’t read the new 52 Batman should certainly do so, Scott Synder has written some great stuff and has done a great job so far with the character and I’m looking forward to seeing what else his Year One arc will produce. The Night of Owls arc at the beginning of the run was reasonably good and the Death of the Family arc was absolutely fantastic to read and I’m sure it will appeal to any Batman fan, but be warned it does cross over into almost every other Batman related comic running parallel.

You can follow me on Twitter @bigboss010 and you can also follow the SOS guys @siteofshite, please also check them out on YouTube.com as well.

I’m Big Boss and I’m out… Peace. 

WWE Battleground 2013 PPV Review

Ok, I’ll be honest I have seen NONE... 0.... Zilch of the build up to this PPV, I didn’t even know it was happening until I saw a tweet about it, which of course brings me to my first plug of follow me @bigboss010, the SOS guys @siteofshite and my good pal Jim @KingJimmeh. We have a new PPV event here in the form of WWE BATTLEGROUND, having a small knowledge of what has lead upto this point I hope it is a good PPV.

Match #1 – World Heavyweight Title match – Battleground rules (NO DQ)

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Rob Van Dam with Ricardo Rodriguez

Ok, this should be a good match just because of the two guys involved, Del Rio is a really good performer even though he is lacking a little in the promo department. Van Dam is generally entertaining to watch and is still really agile considering how long he has been in the business. I personally don’t see them letting RVD win the belt here as I believe he has only signed a low end contract with limited dates, so a world title run probably isn’t on the cards.

Alberto Del Rio wins after making RVD tap out to the cross armbreaker. Not a bad match, nearly got a Van Terminator but sadly that was missed, also a nice spot where it looked like Ricardo was going to side with Del Rio but ended up attacking Del Rio with a bucket. HA!

A nice match, just what you expected from these guys, both of them got some spots and looked good for the opening match.

Segment 1

The Real Americans are in the back, talking about illegal immigrants from Mexico and Canada. Tell Santino and Khali will be beaten up.... oh boy.

Match #2 Tag Team Match

Santino Marella & Great Khali with Hornswoggle vs. The Real Americans with Zeb Colter

I like Antonio Cesaro, not so big on Swagger or Colter, but I have to admit as a team they are really coming together and both complement each other. On the other scale we have Santino and Khali, neither of which I have ever liked and can’t get behind them I’m sorry.

The Real Americans win after Antonio Cesaro hits the giant swing on the Great Khali.... That’s right folks the giant swing.... On the Great Khali!!! My god Cesaro is just pure power, that’s inhuman levels of strength. Not a 5* match but that finish was fantastic and the crowd were in SHOCK!

Match #3 Intercontinental Championship Match

Curtis Axel (c) with Paul Heyman vs. R-Truth

This shouldn’t be too bad, Axel needs some more victories under his belt, he has been made to look a bit of a joke over the last few months, a win over Truth will help to steer him in the right direction. Does anyone remember when Truth challenged John Cena for the WWE title?? Just saying.

I like Axel, he has a great legacy to live up to but I think he has what it takes and I really like his music too. I’m not so big on R-Truth but I think he is a good talent, I guess he just hasn’t had many chances to really show what he can do outside “What’s up”.

Curtis Axel retains the IC title after hitting R-Truth with a modified neckbreaker and claiming the pinfall. Not a bad match, lasted a lot longer than I thought it would too be honest and had the right result too. I cannot complain about it at all.

Match #4 – Divas Championship match

Brie Bella with Nikki Bella vs. AJ Lee with Tamina Snucka

Ok, someone set me straight here, I thought the Bella’s were heel characters??? When did Tamina start being AJ’s manager??? Where is Big E??? Why am I even caring???

AJ lee wins the match via some help from Tamina distracting Brie by attacking Nikki, this allowing AJ to get the roll up.

Next match!!!

Segment 2

The Rhodes family are in the back they are determined to beat the Shield and get their jobs back.

Match #5 – Tag Team Match (If the Rhodes family lose then they are all fired, if they win then they all have jobs)

Cody Rhodes & Goldust vs. The Shield

A good story building up to this match, quite an interesting twist how Goldust may end up with a job here too, after his match with Orton on Raw a while back I think he deserves it, even if it’s just a short run.  Also noticed that Cody & Dustin match! That’s cute!

The Shield have been booked as HHH & Stef’s enforcers and that is really crappy but at the same time it kind of reminds me of the Big Boss Man & Bull Buchannan from the corporation, so I guess it fits in. Even though their role has kind of changed their entrance hasn’t reflected it, they still come in from the crowd. I also forgot that Dean Ambrose has the US title, when did he last defend that?

Cody Rhodes gets the pinfall victory after hitting the Cross Rhodes on Seth Rollins to get his job back and get Goldust a job in WWE. I also think this maybe the first PPV loss for the Shield too?

Fantastic match, the Rhodes family were really over and got a great reaction from the crowd. Never realised quite how well Seth Rollins sells, he is on Ziggler level of selling, he acted like he had just been shot when caught by the Cross Rhodes. The WWE locker room come out to congratulate the Rhodes family on their victory.

Segment 3

The Raw GM Brad Maddox is talking on the phone to HHH & Steph, Vickie G walks in and he begs her to help him get the show running smoothly. She laughs and leaves. Complete waste of time.

Match #6 – Kofi Kingston vs. Bray Wyatt

It’s good to see both members of the New Nexus getting revamps and PPV matches, Bray Wyatt has made a great start in WWE and it will be cool to see where they take the character in the future. Kofi on the other hand is now just a development talent really, like Truth, a good talent but used to put people over but you can’t complain he is getting the PPV payday.

From what I can gather the Wyatt family used to wrestle on NXT while Bray managed them, here in WWE it seems the other way around and that is ok but would be good to see what the other Wyatt family members can do.

Bray Wyatt wins after hitting “Sister Abigail” facebuster on Kofi, the match wasn’t bad but seemed a bit longer than your usual filler match. Onto the next one for the Wyatt family.

 Match # 7 – Ryback with Paul Heyman vs. CM Punk

Well just from watching the video package that previews this match I can say that the build has been interesting. Quite a funny twist on the Ryback being a bully storyline, for him to attack Punk because he doesn’t like Bullies and they say irony is dead. Not a big Ryback fan but will be good to see what him and Punk do in this match.

The crowd are really behind Punk as he gets a great reception from the live crowd and I should also mention the “Goldberg” chants for Ryback.

Honestly, not quite as entertaining for me as the Rhodes / Shield match, Just felt like a lot of Ryback shuffling around and bumbling up.

CM Punk wins after low blowing Ryback, Heyman was being told off by the referee for trying to use a kendo stick and this allowed Punk to hit the low blow. Again this match just wasn’t as good as it could be and the finish showed this too, I think the Rhodes match was a lot more entertaining to me anyway.

Match # 8 – WWE Championship Match

Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton

This match is to determine the new WWE champion after the title was vacated after Night of Champions PPV.

I will also now apologise for not doing a Night of Champions review, I simply didn’t watch any of the build up nor did I watch the PPV, so couldn’t really do a review I also wasn’t involved in any of the SOSgames predictions either, but hopefully will get back in for the next lot of PPVs.

Randy Orton needs to go back to his 2009 persona and he will be a winner in my book, he has lost a lot of what made him cool for that period of time so this heel turn is a massive boost to his character but he does need to quit doing the pose on the turnbuckle!

Daniel Bryan has almost appeared out of nowhere to be considered the new Stone Cold; his stand against the corporate powers of HHH & Steph Mac has really been popular with the audience. He is an immensely talented wrestler and is very much over with the crowd but he does need a haircut and a shave. ;-)

Big Show comes out and first knocks out Bryan (which everyone boos), then proceeds to knock out Brad Armstrong when he returns to “ref” the match (which everyone cheers) and then when Orton shouts at him he then knocks out Orton (which everyone cheers). Evidence to show just how fickle the crowd can be, you can’t boo interference and then cheer it after! C’mon man, think about it! Big Show stands tall to end the show...

Wait!.... thats the end of the PPV..... What!!!????

What a crappy ending to a pretty reasonable PPV!! They are really throwing us back into the attitude era aren’t they? But a PG rated attitude era, which is sucks and no wonder PPV buy rates are down.

Well aside from that horrific finish I quite enjoyed that PPV, the Rhodes match was certainly match of the evening for me and was a great main event too with regards to match quality.

The next stop is Hell in a Cell in a few weeks because WWE like to throw a PPV together with 3 weeks build, oh joy. Hopefully we wont get a screwed ending this time. I’ve been Big Boss and I’m out... Peace!! (Follow me on twitter @bigboss010, the SOS guys @siteofsite and Jim @KingKimmeh )