WWE 12 Review with notes

Story

Plot Summary: as this is a wrestling game there is really no story. However the story telling during the Road to WrestleMania mode is very good even if it takes over from the action a lot of the time.

There are three parts to the RTWM mode this year the villain story which involves one of my favourites Sheamus, this is followed by the Outsider storyline starring Triple H and finally the Create a Superstar Storyline this year is that of the Hero. This is a nice try at something different and I like that this shows that THQ still have a very slight love for the genre to keep the franchise going.

6/10 – RTWM has some good ideas but is quite repetitive at times and ultimately frustrating at others. Not being able to tag in a tag match is just unacceptable as a gameplay inclusion. If I where THQ I would have been ashamed to send this to the shelves.

Big Boss Notes:

Must admit the 1 RTWM I have played (HHH STORY) the actual story is quite good, the 1 thing I find frustrating and annoying is the sheer difficulty curve it throws at you. Regardless of how your game is set (easy, normal etc.) the RTWM doesn’t seem to care and throws you into HARD opponents and HARDER situations like a 5 on 1 handicap MITB match. My 1 attempt at trying the Sheamus RTWM cost me a PS3 controller, so have little to no intention of playing this mode again. This is a shame as I really enjoyed the last RTWM modes.

Gameplay Tip – get the RTWM mode out of the way first to unlock some extras as you won't want to go back there later.

There are a lot of changes to the gameplay in this years game. If you play WWE games every year, you may find it an up hill struggle to get to grips with the game strait away. Once you get past some of these obstacles the gameplay is actually quite good. The difficulty levels have been tweaked, this is a good change as you will now feel challenged by each superstar in different ways. You now cannot roll over someone like Randy Orton or The Big Show as easily as you can say Sin Cara due to the statistics each superstar possesses.

Each match is now a thinking game, wear down your opponent, target a limb and work out a strategy to win the match. The submission system remains the same with button bashing the preferred method of choice but even this has been improved by the ability to claw your way to the ropes to break a hold. THQ have taken some of the advice from the people who play the game and have made some significant changes, unfortunately by taking this decision the game has taken a slight backward step.

Most of the issues with previous games have been addressed but with new ideas come new problems. I absolutely love playing tag matches with my mates but for some reason the character on the outside jumps off the apron as I get over for a tag.Why? Also if I drop someone over the ropes by their neck why do they recover so quickly? These are only a handful of the many problems and glitches that seem to have surfaced in this years game. I love the fact that it is now more freeflow but why does my character still drop an elbow when the opponent is up on their feet? My biggest gripe by far is the lack of new up to date entrances and one big thing about these is that they still appear out of nowhere from the wrong side of the stage. Come on!? You have had 3 years to put this right and I'm sure it's not that hard to do?

That being said this years game feels better to play when you get used to it but still has a lot of improvements to make for next year! One button reversals don't work!?

7/10 – some very good improvements have been made this year but I feel they spent too much time making RTWM unplayable in parts instead of making the actual gameplay better.

Big Boss Notes:

This again I agree with in bulk, I do find the controls difficult sometimes especially with the reversal side of things, however I am getting better at it.  Also HATE!!! the pin system this game has, I would rather the old button bash system as I have yet to be able to kick out of a pin fall. Slightly embarrassing on the EASY difficulty setting. The entrances could do with an update and as mentioned THQ have had plenty of time to sort that out.

Graphics

With the graphics they are acceptable. New outfits are there but some of the characters look very plastic and fake, and that is not just the Diva's ;)

I have always said that good graphics don't make a good game and that is certainly the case here. There is a lot of lag on this game and the loading times are ridiculous. The various sets are accurate but every time I play the game I feel like I am playing a direct port from the Nintendo WII rather than playing the PS3 version. As I said the graphics are acceptable but definitely need improving for the long term future of the franchise.

6/10 – If I was a teacher, oh wait... I am! :) The report for this student would read "always makes an effort but, needs to concentrate more on the little details to make the outcome of their project more acceptable"

Big Boss Notes:

The graphics do need work, they are a tad better than last years game however I may be giving it too much credit using the word “tad”.

Longevity

As long as you have a creative bone in your body this game will definitely keep you going for a while. The creation modes in WWE games has long been the backbone of the games but THQ need to think about putting more options in the create a superstar mode. Some new objects would freshen up the process and add some fun to it as well.

I do spend long periods of time getting my character right, editing my entrance which also needs to be more free form and editing a finisher. But I want to be able to make a back finisher rather than a corner finisher which is useless. One more thing I want to be put into these games is the ability to edit a tag team entrance fully as with the single entrances.

The universe mode has plenty of things to keep you going and the new momentum system is a good inclusion. However THQ have included loads of titles and this should be a good thing but they cannot be defended or won that I have experienced in the Universe mode. If you are to include these things at least make them a full part of the game.

7/10 – Longevity is the key to these games and this will do the job but, I want more effort to include more editable items in future games. This will happily keep me going with creativity being the key but unfortunately playing the game as a wrestling game would not keep me hooked! It would just keep me frustrated. Must try harder.

Big Boss Notes:

The creativity you can have with these games has always been a huge selling point to me, they have been adding more and more new things every year but sometimes they do change or remove stuff that did not need to be. A prime example is moves, they have about 7 different chokeslams but really they only need about 2 as a good bulk of them look awful, or the removal of moves such as the Lionsault is quite annoying too. The CAW additions are good, you can be very detailed with how you want your CAW to look, and the customization of the CAWs is also really good with these games. They could add in some more editables though, the create a finishers could do with being given more options and the create an entrance could be improved with regards to music or even the customizable entrance videos.

Conclusion

A very average outing at best. It is very playable but if you are used to control systems of old I would stick with Smackdown vs Raw for a little while longer until they get the balance right. However if you are new to the wrestling genre it's worth picking up, as I do believe that they had new gamers in mind when they made this! That is not a bad thing but the regular gamers don't even get a tutorial mode. This is where the training facility we have seen for the last 2 years would have come in handy.

Unless you really want this game I would wait. I had to fight with all I had to not send this back but, I am glad I kept it in the end. Very average game that tries hard but doesn't quite make the main event

Final Score - 24/40

Big Boss Notes:

Must agree this game doesn’t seem to have the addictiveness of SDVR2011, which is probably going to be known as the last great game of this series judging based on WWE 12. I hope that when WWE 13 is released they have realized just how stupid they have been with this game that they attempt to undo the damage they have done while keeping the positive aspects of this

Wrestlemania 28 Review with Commentary from the Site of Shite

Wrestlemania 28 review written by The Big Boss

featuring The Good, The Bad and The Ugly by Luke and Mike's Site of Shite

Before I get into the show itself I would just like to express my sadness, my sorrow and my overall disappointment this year as this is the 1^st Wrestlemania event since Wrestlemania 19 that I haven’t watched live on the night and on top of that this is the first Wrestlemania that I haven’t watched with my main man 12lve-Pac Luke Thorpe. So as much as I am looking forward to watching this show and sharing my thoughts on it, I am at the same time quite sad, just wanted you to know.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Good! For the reference, Bad for not watching this with The Boss Tom Preece! Love you dude :) SummerSlam is definitely on even if we can't watch it live!

Segment 1

Lillian Garcia sings the national anthem, I am not strictly a fan of the song but Lillian seems to make it appealing to me, then again, she is appealing to me.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Couldn't agree more! Just for Lillian Garcia's big mouth and short shirt this is Good but I absolutely hate this self-righteous crap.

Match # 1 World Heavyweight Title Match

Daniel Bryan (c) vs Sheamus

The match that was relegated from last year’s Wrestlemania show is now the opening match this year and also for the World Heavyweight Championship as the “Royal Rumble” winner’s main event. It is worth noting that this is the 2^nd year in a row that the Royal Rumble “main event” has been demoted to the opening match on the card. Sheamus is in first followed by Bryan, with AJ (who is just hot). This match has had a good build up, both men have been on a roll as of late, both really getting into their latest evolutions of their characters.

A BROGUE KICK!!! 1,2,3 and Sheamus wins the World Title, what the hell, didn’t realise that the World title had been kicked down to ECW title levels. I can’t even rate that match as it didn’t even go over 3 minutes, in fact it lasted 18 seconds. Not a good way to open up your biggest event of the year!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Bad, definitely Bad! This 'Match' was ridiculous what a waste. This was only upgraded from Ugly due to the presence of AJ ;)

Segement 2

Team Johnny is in their locker room and Miz is giving it the big talk but no one else cares, Otunga is in to introduce Johnny, who is wearing one hell of a nice suit, completely white except for the red tie. Gives his team a pep talk, god he is boring.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

This segment was bad only due to that 'giant toolbox' sending me to sleep after 10 minutes of 'The grandest stage of them all'

Match # 2 KANE vs Randy Orton

I am looking forward to this match, it’s just a shame that Kane is being used as a filler for Wade Barrett and that Kane has been jobbed out to pretty much everyone he has faced since coming back with his new / old look. Now Orton’s in, goes straight on the attack throwing some punches as Kane, but the monster quickly recovers and gets some shots in himself. Orton goes for the DDT but Kane launches Orton onto the ring ropes and hits a big boot to Orton’s head, Kane locks in a sleeper hold but Orton recovers and both men trade blows with Kane coming out on top.

This match hasn’t been given the build up that Cena vs Kane was given, their build up actually made Kane look dominant, unlike this build up that has made Kane look a bit of a bitch. Randy drops Kane with an neck breaker but only gets a 2 count, Kane reverses to come back with a suplex but he only gets the 2 count and another sleeper applied by Kane for Orton to recover from. Orton reverses the sidewalk slam and hits Kane with the backbreaker, Orton comeback combination (WWE 12 REFERENCE THERE) and Orton goes right back for the ring rope DDT and this time connects.

Orton sets Kane up for the DDT but Kane counters with a big boot to the face, gets a 2 count, then decides to go for the big clothesline from the top rope, Orton gets him with a dropkick, Orton goes for the Punt kick and Kane gets the chokeslam but only gets a 2 count himself. Again back and forth between the two with Kane on the top rope, Kane grabs Orton and chokeslams him from the top rope for the 3 count!!

I am immensely shocked that they jobbed out Orton here, Kane hasn’t been made to look dominant at all leading to this match, I am very glad he got the win here, he needed a big win like this just to confirm he is a monster heel to everyone.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Good! This match went towards saving this WrestleMania for me after an early disappointment with 18-second matches and the most boring man in television history. Equal pacing, a Kane win and a match that saved me from switching off the television.

Segement 3

Santino Marella and Mick Foley talking to some guy in the back, thinking he from “DEADLIEST CATCH”, they enjoying some nice fish with Mr. Socko and Cobra, but Ron Simmons is here with some words of advice “DAMN”

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Ugly! No question, they must have had a huge payout on this for the 'Cheap pop' only way this could be saved was from the wise words of one Mr. Ron Simmons 'DAMN' Indeed!

Match # 3 Intercontinental Championship

Cody Rhodes (c) vs Big Show

I love Cody, think the guy is amazing, however he needs to drop the belt now and there is no shame to lose it to the Big Show. His run has become a bit stale, to the same level that Dolph Ziggler’s US title reign became.

Cody runs from the Big Show however Big Show gets Cody cornered and begins to throw him round like a ragdoll, sits him in the corner and stink faces poor Cody. Show goes for the splash but Cody escapes and begins his assault on the Big Show, aiming for Big Show’s knee with a dropkick to get the big man down, aiming for the leg Cody is just picking apart the Big Show. Show manages a comeback but Cody hits the Beautiful disaster kick, goes for a 2^nd but gets hit with a spear from Big Show. Big Show throws the WMD at Cody and wins the Intercontinental championship.

Good match, Cody got his offence in and it was about time Big Show got a title again, also I hear that this now means that Big Show has held all singles title in WWE.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Good! The match, the work rate and the build up to this match have all been befitting and Show finally getting a new wristwatch is always a good idea. The man has worked so hard and it's about time they rewarded him with a title. You gotta love Rhodes too he is just awesome.

Match # 4 Kelly Kelly / Maria Menounous vs Beth Phoenix / Eve

Well Kelly Kelly and Eve start the match off, after getting the advantage Kelly tags in Maria to do a double team stink face on Eve. Eve gets the momentum going and gets Maria in hold, Eve reaches out and tags in Beth, who now thinks she is Chris Jericho and throws the “ASK HER” remark. Eve gets tagged back in and so does Kelly Kelly, who clears house.

Kelly Kelly just hit the “Molly – go –round”

Maria gets the pin on Beth!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Bad! The match was awful but the eye candy was 'the creme of the crop' (guess the reference) that was the only reason this didn't get the Ugly moniker. Don't like the fact that having a celebrity in a match means that they instantly win! And in this case, pin the dominent champion!? What does this say for the already quite rubbish Divas division? This will form part of a question later on down the review.

Segment # 4

HBK is with Matt Striker in the back. Shawn says how he has the power to end an era.

Jim Ross gets brought in to do commentary for the next match, he has a goatee!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Good! Jim Ross beat up Stone Cold and stole his goatee! Lol

Match # 5 Hell in a Cell Match

Undertaker Vs Triple H with Special Referee Shawn Michaels

I must admit to not being a fan of overwhelmingly long promos, so I pretty much have not watched any of the build up for this match. All I know is that Undertaker has shaved his head, which I am interested to see. A Hell in a cell match at Wrestlemania is unusual but if any two men can use it to really blow their match up it is HHH and Taker.

No over theatrical entrance from Triple H this year, that’s unusual, I guess they are letting the Hell in a Cell speak for itself. Triple H is looking ripped, very 2002. Now the Undertaker makes his entrance, you might as well go make a coffee, nothing is going to happen for at least 25 minutes, quite liking his entrance attire, it is very Shogun inspired. He lifts off the hood to reveal the new hairdo, actually quite suits him. The cell lowers while to two stare each other down.

JR reminds people of what I like to remind people of, the Undertaker hasn’t won as many Hell In a Cells as Triple H. Both men kick off with a barrage of strikes, with Undertaker getting the advantage. Taker just beating HHH round the cell like he is nothing, looking really quite angry while he does it too. Taker hits the old-school clothesline from the top rope, then takes HHH back outside and hits him in the face with the ring steps, sets him up and drops the big leg drop off the ring apron.

Triple H hits a quick DDT to get some momentum going in this match, trys for a pedigree on the steel steps but Undertaker back body drops Triple H off the steps into the ring. Taker goes right back on the assault, however Triple H reverses into a spine buster on the ring steps, as Triple H goes for the Undertaker, he locks in the Hell’s gate submission but Triple H manages to lift him up this year and drop Undertaker on his back. Triple H leaves the ring and goes for a chair, attacks the Undertaker with it, then sets up the steps in the corner and throws Undertaker into them before throwing them out of the ring.

Triple H again attacks the Undertakers back with the chair, HBK throws out the chair, and Triple H grabs another and continues his attack on the spine of the Undertaker, he goes for the cover but only gets a 2 count. Triple H goes and gets the sledgehammer from under the ring; HBK and Triple H argue in the ring until Triple H nails Undertaker with the sledgehammer and again goes for the cover but again only gets a 2 count. Triple H goes for another big shot but HBK throws out the hammer.

HBK goes in for a look on Undertaker but he too gets locked in the Hell’s gate submission, Triple H breaks the hold by dropping a sledgehammer on Undertaker, Triple H checks on HBK but turns into a low blow from Taker and then another Hell’s gate submission, But Shawn is out in the corner.

Charles Robinson runs to the ring to get inside the cell to ref the match, just as Taker hits the chokeslam and goes for the cover but only gets a 2 count, so Taker chokeslams poor Charles Robinson. Taker goes for the Tombstone on HHH but HBK hits him with Sweet Chin Music, he turns to get a pedigree too from HHH and he goes for the cover but only gets a 2 count, Triple H again goes for the hammer but HBK stops him only to get thrown out of the ring by HHH. Taker sits up and begins to beat on Triple H with the Undertaker comeback (ANOTHER WWE 12 REFERENCE THERE), he hits Triple H with the Tombstone but he only gets a 2 count.

Both men are back up and trading blows, Triple H hits the pedigree again on the Undertaker but again only gets a 2 count. Undertaker again sits back up, and crawls towards the chair, but HHH has crawled towards the hammer, Undertaker stops HHH from getting the hammer and clobbers him with the chair again and again. Now HBK stops Taker from smashing HHH with the chair, neither of these guys want to let this match finish do they? Triple H goes for the hammer shot but Taker cuts him off, HHH gives him the crotch chop and then Taker smashes him with the hammer and signals for another Tombstone and we get a 3 count. Undertaker is 20-0.

WOW!! What a match, that was pretty damn good, much better than last years match, both men look fucked! Undertaker’s back is a mess. Phenomenal match and that isn’t even near the main event yet!! 

D.S.C EXTRA NOTE: I bet Ryan is crying bout about now as I would bet he would have been saying non-stop that HHH was going to win this match. What a MARK!! (Love you Ryan ;-)

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Good! How could this be anything else? Really?.. Really?... Really?.... This match was so epic that the Cell got it's own entrance music. Now we know where the extravagant entrance budget went this year!? Into the very deep and particularly awesome pockets of MetallicA. ;)

Segment # 5

The HALL OF FAME class of 2012 all appear on the ramp.

Flo Rida meets Heath Slater and it’s not interesting.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Ugly! A musician serving a wrestler? What's the point?

Match # 6 Team Johnny vs Team Teddy

I hope this match doesn’t go on too long, no match with the Great Khali should go on very long, at least we get to see both the Bella sisters and Aksana. ;-)

Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler start the match off, some nice quick paced action, Kofi tags in R-Truth who continues the momentum on Ziggler. Dolph tags in Drew McIntyre, was he fired like 60 times over the last few months? R-truth tags in Khali who hits Drew with a Big Show style chest chop and then tags in Booker T to keep beating on Drew, at least he getting the PPV bonus cheque at least. Thanks to Otunga, McIntyre gets the advantage and tags out to Jack Swagger.

Swagger tags in Mark Henry and now Booker is going to get his wig split, oh no as Henry tags in the Miz and look at Aksana, she is pouring her heart out!! Miz tags Dolph back in.

Quote of the night is from the King when he is talking about Vickie “She’s been on more manhunts then the FBI!” We love you King. Henry hits the World’s strongest slam on Booker, then Khali hits him with the Brain Chop and now it all begins to break down and even Vickie and Aksana begin cat fighting on the outside. Booker tags in Santino and he begins slapping around the Miz, he hits the diving head butt and then goes for the Cobra on Miz and hits it, Dolph breaks up the pin fall only for Zack Ryder to get the tag and hits the Rough Ryder on Ziggler, Eve is out and accidentally distracts the ref and Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale for the 3 count...... Eve is trying to play it up but then low blows Zack Ryder then struts off, I like Eve, she is hot.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Bowling shoe ugly! I would have at least expected a 7 on 7 match to be elimination rules but the broski got served by the hoski and now the most boring.......... !??!!! Sorry I fell asleep just thinking about it!

Segment #6

Johnny meets CM Punk and he tells Punk that he wants to see some good wrestling and decides that if Punk gets DQ’d then he will lose his title to Jericho.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Sorry too bored to think Johnny Ace is talking! What a dousche!

Match # 7 WWE Championship Match

CM Punk (c) vs Chris Jericho

A new even more sparkly coat from Chris Jericho, may I just say how much I would love to have that coat, could use it for my Tuesday night poker games he also has BEST IN THE WORLD written on his trunks. These guys have had an immense build up and despite the Jericho return nosedive it has the potential to be truly awesome.

Punk just beating on Jericho in the early going, Jericho even throwing some sly comments to try and get Punk to lose his temper and get DQ’d. Punk heads up top for the elbow drop but Jericho rolls out of the ring but Punk launches himself to the outside instead, Jericho throws another comment but Punk doesn’t fall for it but Jericho hits a kick to start building some momentum. Now Jericho is on the attack and suplexes Punk to the outside and then brings him back in and hits him with a butterfly backbreaker. Punk tries to come back but Jericho hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Punk.

Jericho working on the back and neck of Punk, he goes for the running bulldog but Punk reverses it throwing Jericho into the corner. Punk comes back and hits a nice neck breaker on Jericho, goes for the cover but only gets a 2 count, Punk hits the knee strike in the corner and goes for the Bulldog but Jericho reverses it into a Lionsault that Punk reverses but Jericho avoids it and goes for the Walls of Jericho, but again Punk reverses. He slams Jericho and goes up for the elbow drop, this time Jericho counters and Punk lands on the outside of the ring. Jericho throws him back in but Punk captures Jericho with a GTS and connects, crawls in for the cover but Jericho gets his foot on the bottom rope to break up the count.

Punk hits Jericho with some nice kicks and follows it up with a powerslam. Jericho comes back and hits the lionsault but only gets a 2 count from that assault, Jericho goes up to the top, Punk stops him and tries to go for a hurricanrana but Jericho reverses into a Walls of Jericho! Punk reaches the bottom rope though and breaks the hold, Punk back to his feet and throws Jericho to the outside, he eyes Jericho up for a suicide dive and hits it, and he follows it up with another knee strike to Jericho but against the ring post. Both men back in the ring, Punk springboards at Jericho but Jericho lashes out with the Codebreaker on Punk, he covers but only gets a 2 count. Jericho again going up to the top rope but Punk catches him with a kick, picks up Jericho with the GTS but Jericho reverses again into the Walls of Jericho, Punk crawls towards the ropes, Jericho moves back into the middle of the ring, Punk reverses into a pin but Jericho Kicks out.

Punk locks in the Anaconda Vice on Jericho, another reversal from Jericho, but Punk locks in the vice again and he taps out. Wow!! A LOT OF REVERSALS! Was exhausting watching it. Brilliant match, not sure Punk winning was the right move, yet this match was still very good.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Good! This was one hell of a match. Second only to the hell in a cell match but, with a lot more energy and genuine wrestling skills. I'm glad that they are deciding to build this rivalry a little more. This will hopefully go towards cementing Jericho's heel persona as they test the Strait Edge storyline.

Segment # 8

We getting some Funkasaurus on Wrestlemania. He calls his momma and we get some dancing.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Good! 'Somebody call my momma' Funk is on a roll with this one but, I think the funkasaurous should have been included in the 7 on 7 match instead of Khali! Just don't get why he still has a contract? Brodus or Boob?

Match # 8 THE ROCK VS JOHN CENA

This has been a year in the build and lord knows how many in the making. This is as big if not bigger than The Rock vs Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 18 and 10 years later we get to see another generations collide just instead of it being the 80’s/90’s vs the Attitude Era its now the Attitude Era vs The PG era.

MGK with some blonde fitty sings Invincible, I really like it actually, got it downloading as I write this, Cena is out with a new GREEN t-shirt. I CAN SEE YOU JOHN!!!! Rise above the hate people, Cena is awesome; this is going to be immense. Flo Rida is out to perform some music and I still don’t care. The Rock is finally here and he is looking in great shape.

Both men stare down but you can hear the chants from the crowd, firmly behind The Rock. They lock up and Cena does the Hogan throw, only missing a muscle flex at the end. We can hear a let’s go Cena / Cena sucks chant. Another tie up but this time The Rock gets the advantage, Rock gets a headlock on Cena and Rock switches and we get a nice arm drag combo and a near pin fall on Cena. Rock goes for the sharpshooter but Cena rolls out of the ring, as Cena tries to get back in The Rock kicks Cena but Cena quickly recovers and hits a shoulder charge in the corner on the Rock, followed by a huge clothesline.

Cena goes for a bear hug on the floor but Rock comebacks back but gets thrown over the ropes by Cena. John Cena throws Rock into the announcers table and gets back in the ring, but quickly comes back out to pull Rock back into the ring where he hits a belly to belly side slam on the ring and traps in the bear hug again. The rock breaks the hold and counters with the DDT, leading to Rocky teasing the peoples elbow but Cena reverses it and goes for the Cena comeback (YOU SEE WHAT I KEEP DOING THERE) before going for the 5 knuckle shuffle which connects. Cena looking for the AA but Rock counters but both men hit each other with a clothesline for the rest.

Both men up by 7, trading blows back and forth, Rock goes for the spit punch but gets the AA for his trouble but only gets a 2 count, Cena goes to pick Rock up and gets a Rock Bottom, but Rock only gets a 2 count. Cena goes up top and drops the leg on the back of the Rock’s head but again only gets a 2 count for his trouble. Cena runs at Rock, but gets speared and then locked into the sharpshooter submission by the Rock, yet he crawls to the bottom rope forcing the break, he pulls Cena back and locks him back into the sharpshooter and again he forces the break.

The Rock gets Cena on the outside and launches him into the ring steps, he throws Cena back in but Cena quickly comes back and locks in the STF on the Rock and Cena pulls the same trick as the Rock and pulls him back into the centre of the ring, he begins fading and the ref drops the hand two times but as we get to the third The Rock gets his wind back and he crawls to the ropes to force the break.

Rock back to his feet first so gets the initial volley against Cena, but Cena starts to fire back but The Rock levels him with the spine buster and tosses out the elbow pad for the peoples elbow, hits with the elbow but only gets a 2 count from the cover. Cena rolls up the Rock, but gets a 2 count and now both men are down. Cena launches the Rock into the turnbuckle and goes for another roll up but again only hits the 2 count, Cena puts Rocky into the corner and on the top rope, Cena sets him up for the suplex but Rock fights back and now Rock goes up and hits the splash but Cena rolls through and hits the AA on the Rock!!! Only gets a 2 count though.

Now Cena teases the peoples elbow but gets Rock Bottomed and the Rock gets the 3 count and the win!!

Hmmm, not sure what to say about that to be honest. I don’t think that was the right call, The Rock needed to lay down for Cena really. Basically just buried the entire WWE roster by saying their top guy can’t beat a guy who has wrestled two times in the last 8 odd years, really disagree with The Rock getting the win there!!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

FU gly! Wow The Rock was awful! He was bad at Survivor Series but this was just plain Shite. Why did he win this? Gotta agree with my boy on this one.... By letting the Rock win they have just buried the roster and everything they work hard to be! I hope they do this 2 out of 3 matches because this was just a bad idea. I don't see this happening with return of Brock Lesner though!

Overall though that was an excellent PPV much better than last year’s Wrestlemania and hopefully this feud won’t end there and we will see some good fallout for the next PPV.

Question Time

Was the outcome of the last match the right decision by the bookers?

Does the outcome mean that The Rock was part of the celebrity contingent at this years show and not part of the wrestling faculty as he claimed?

Wrestlemania 28 Review

Wrestlemania 28 review

Before I get into the show itself I would just like to express my sadness, my sorrow and my overall disappointment this year as this is the 1^st Wrestlemania event since Wrestlemania 19 that I haven’t watched live on the night and on top of that this is the first Wrestlemania that I haven’t watched with my main man 12lve-Pac Luke Thorpe. So as much as I am looking forward to watching this show and sharing my thoughts on it, I am at the same time quite sad, just wanted you to know.

Segment 1

Lillian Garcia sings the national anthem, I am not strictly a fan of the song but Lillian seems to make it appealing to me, then again, she is appealing to me.

Match # 1 World Heavyweight Title Match

Daniel Bryan (c) vs Sheamus

The match that was relegated from last year’s Wrestlemania show is now the opening match this year and also for the World Heavyweight Championship as the “Royal Rumble” winner’s main event. It is worth noting that this is the 2^nd year in a row that the Royal Rumble “main event” has been demoted to the opening match on the card. Sheamus is in first followed by Bryan, with AJ (who is just hot). This match has had a good build up, both men have been on a roll as of late, both really getting into their latest evolutions of their characters.

A BROGUE KICK!!! 1,2,3 and Sheamus wins the World Title, what the hell, didn’t realise that the World title had been kicked down to ECW title levels. I can’t even rate that match as it didn’t even go over 3 minutes, in fact it lasted 18 seconds. Not a good way to open up your biggest event of the year!

Segement 2

Team Johnny is in their locker room and Miz is giving it the big talk but no one else cares, Otunga is in to introduce Johnny, who is wearing one hell of a nice suit, completely white except for the red tie. Gives his team a pep talk, god he is boring.

Match # 2 KANE vs Randy Orton

I am looking forward to this match, it’s just a shame that Kane is being used as a filler for Wade Barrett and that Kane has been jobbed out to pretty much everyone he has faced since coming back with his new / old look. Now Orton’s in, goes straight on the attack throwing some punches as Kane, but the monster quickly recovers and gets some shots in himself. Orton goes for the DDT but Kane launches Orton onto the ring ropes and hits a big boot to Orton’s head, Kane locks in a sleeper hold but Orton recovers and both men trade blows with Kane coming out on top.

This match hasn’t been given the build up that Cena vs Kane was given, their build up actually made Kane look dominant, unlike this build up that has made Kane look a bit of a bitch. Randy drops Kane with an neck breaker but only gets a 2 count, Kane reverses to come back with a suplex but he only gets the 2 count and another sleeper applied by Kane for Orton to recover from. Orton reverses the sidewalk slam and hits Kane with the backbreaker, Orton comeback combination (WWE 12 REFERENCE THERE) and Orton goes right back for the ring rope DDT and this time connects.

Orton sets Kane up for the DDT but Kane counters with a big boot to the face, gets a 2 count, then decides to go for the big clothesline from the top rope, Orton gets him with a dropkick,  Orton goes for the Punt kick and Kane gets the chokeslam but only gets a 2 count himself. Again back and forth between the two with Kane on the top rope, Kane grabs Orton and chokeslams him from the top rope for the 3 count!!

I am immensely shocked that they jobbed out Orton here, Kane hasn’t been made to look dominant at all leading to this match, I am very glad he got the win here, he needed a big win like this just to confirm he is a monster heel to everyone.

Segement 3

Santino Marella and Mick Foley talking to some guy in the back, thinking he from “DEADLIEST CATCH”, they enjoying some nice fish with Mr. Socko and Cobra, but Ron Simmons is here with some words of advice “DAMN”

Match # 3 Intercontinental Championship

Cody Rhodes (c) vs Big Show

I love Cody, think the guy is amazing, however he needs to drop the belt now and there is no shame to lose it to the Big Show. His run has become a bit stale, to the same level that Dolph Ziggler’s US title reign became.

Cody runs from the Big Show however Big Show gets Cody cornered and begins to throw him round like a ragdoll, sits him in the corner and stink faces poor Cody. Show goes for the splash but Cody escapes and begins his assault on the Big Show, aiming for Big Show’s knee with a dropkick to get the big man down, aiming for the leg Cody is just picking apart the Big Show. Show manages a comeback but Cody hits the Beautiful disaster kick, goes for a 2^nd but gets hit with a spear from Big Show. Big Show throws the WMD at Cody and wins the Intercontinental championship.

Good match, Cody got his offence in and it was about time Big Show got a title again, also I hear that this now means that Big Show has held all singles title in WWE.

Match # 4 Kelly Kelly / Maria Menounous vs Beth Phoenix / Eve

Well Kelly Kelly and Eve start the match off, after getting the advantage Kelly tags in Maria to do a double team stink face on Eve. Eve gets the momentum going and gets Maria in hold, Eve reaches out and tags in Beth, who now thinks she is Chris Jericho and throws the “ASK HER” remark. Eve gets tagged back in and so does Kelly Kelly, who clears house.

Kelly Kelly just hit the “Molly – go –round”

Maria gets the pin on Beth!

Segment # 4

HBK is with Matt Striker in the back. Shawn says how he has the power to end an era.

Jim Ross gets brought to commentary for the next match, he has a goatee!

Match # 5 Hell in a Cell Match

Undertaker Vs Triple H with Special Referee Shawn Michaels

I must admit to not being a fan of overwhelmingly long promos, so I pretty much have not watched any of the build up for this match. All I know is that Undertaker has shaved his head, which I am interested to see. A Hell in a cell match at Wrestlemania is unusual but if any two men can use it to really blow their match up it is HHH and Taker.

No over theatrical entrance from Triple H this year, that’s unusual, I guess they are letting the Hell in a Cell speak for itself. Triple H is looking ripped, very 2002. Now the Undertaker makes his entrance, you might as well go make a coffee, nothing is going to happen for at least 25 minutes, quite liking his entrance attire, it is very Shogun inspired. He lifts off the hood to reveal the new hairdo, actually quite suits him. The cell lowers while to two stare each other down.

JR reminds people of what I like to remind people of, the Undertaker hasn’t won as many Hell In a Cells as Triple H. Both men kick off with a barrage of strikes, with Undertaker getting the advantage. Taker just beating HHH round the cell like he is nothing, looking really quite angry while he does it too. Taker hits the old-school clothesline from the top rope, then takes HHH back outside and hits him in the face with the ring steps, sets him up and drops the big leg drop off the ring apron.

Triple H hits a quick DDT to get some momentum going in this match, trys for a pedigree on the steel steps but Undertaker back body drops Triple H off the steps into the ring. Taker goes right back on the assault, however Triple H reverses into a spine buster on the ring steps, as Triple H goes for the Undertaker, he locks in the Hell’s gate submission but Triple H manages to lift him up this year and drop Undertaker on his back. Triple H leaves the ring and goes for a chair, attacks the Undertaker with it, then sets up the steps in the corner and throws Undertaker into them before throwing them out of the ring.

Triple H again attacks the Undertakers back with the chair, HBK throws out the chair, and Triple H grabs another and continues his attack on the spine of the Undertaker, he goes for the cover but only gets a 2 count. Triple H goes and gets the sledgehammer from under the ring; HBK and Triple H argue in the ring until Triple H nails Undertaker with the sledgehammer and again goes for the cover but again only gets a 2 count. Triple H goes for another big shot but HBK throws out the hammer.

HBK goes in for a look on Undertaker but he too gets locked in the Hell’s gate submission, Triple H breaks the hold by dropping a sledgehammer on Undertaker, Triple H checks on HBK but turns into a low blow from Taker and then another Hell’s gate submission, But Shawn is out in the corner.

Charles Robinson runs to the ring to get inside the cell to ref the match, just as Taker hits the chokeslam and goes for the cover but only gets a 2 count, so Taker chokeslams poor Charles Robinson. Taker goes for the Tombstone on HHH but HBK hits him with Sweet Chin Music, he turns to get a pedigree too from HHH and he goes for the cover but only gets a 2 count, Triple H again goes for the hammer but HBK stops him only to get thrown out of the ring by HHH. Taker sits up and begins to beat on Triple H with the Undertaker comeback (ANOTHER WWE 12 REFERENCE THERE), he hits Triple H with the Tombstone but he only gets a 2 count.

Both men are back up and trading blows, Triple H hits the pedigree again on the Undertaker but again only gets a 2 count. Undertaker again sits back up, and crawls towards the chair, but HHH has crawled towards the hammer, Undertaker stops HHH from getting the hammer and clobbers him with the chair again and again. Now HBK stops Taker from smashing HHH with the chair, neither of these guys want to let this match finish do they? Triple H goes for the hammer shot but Taker cuts him off, HHH gives him the crotch chop and then Taker smashes him with the hammer and signals for another Tombstone and we get a 3 count. Undertaker is 20-0.

WOW!! What a match, that was pretty damn good, much better than last years match, both men look fucked! Undertaker’s back is a mess. Phenomenal match and that isn’t even near the main event yet!!  

D.S.C EXTRA NOTE: I bet Ryan is crying bout about now as I would bet he would have been saying non-stop that HHH was going to win this match. What a MARK!! (Love you Ryan ;-)

Segment # 5

The HALL OF FAME class of 2012 all appear on the ramp.

Flo Rida meets Heath Slater and it’s not interesting.

Match # 6 Team Johnny vs Team Teddy

I hope this match doesn’t go on too long, no match with the Great Khali should go on very long, at least we get to see both the Bella sisters and Aksana. ;-)

Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler start the match off, some nice quick paced action, Kofi tags in R-Truth who continues the momentum on Ziggler. Dolph tags in Drew McIntyre, was he fired like 60 times over the last few months? R-truth tags in Khali who hits Drew with a Big Show style chest chop and then tags in Booker T to keep beating on Drew, at least he getting the PPV bonus cheque at least. Thanks to Otunga, McIntyre gets the advantage and tags out to Jack Swagger.

Swagger tags in Mark Henry and now Booker is going to get his wig split, oh no as Henry tags in the Miz and look at Aksana, she is pouring her heart out!! Miz tags Dolph back in.

Quote of the night is from the King when he is talking about Vickie “She’s been on more manhunts then the FBI!” We love you King. Henry hits the World’s strongest slam on Booker, then Khali hits him with the Brain Chop and now it all begins to break down and even Vickie and Aksana begin cat fighting on the outside. Booker tags in Santino and he begins slapping around the Miz, he hits the diving head butt and then goes for the Cobra on Miz and hits it, Dolph breaks up the pin fall only for Zack Ryder to get the tag and hits the Rough Ryder on Ziggler, Eve is out and accidentally distracts the ref and Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale for the 3 count...... Eve is trying to play it up but then low blows Zack Ryder then struts off, I like Eve, she is hot.

Segment #6

Johnny meets CM Punk and he tells Punk that he wants to see some good wrestling and decides that if Punk gets DQ’d then he will lose his title to Jericho.

Match # 7 WWE Championship Match

CM Punk (c) vs Chris Jericho

A new even more sparkly coat from Chris Jericho, may I just say how much I would love to have that coat, could use it for my Tuesday night poker games he also has BEST IN THE WORLD written on his trunks. These guys have had an immense build up and despite the Jericho return nosedive it has the potential to be truly awesome.

Punk just beating on Jericho in the early going, Jericho even throwing some sly comments to try and get Punk to lose his temper and get DQ’d. Punk heads up top for the elbow drop but Jericho rolls out of the ring but Punk launches himself to the outside instead, Jericho throws another comment but Punk doesn’t fall for it but Jericho hits a kick to start building some momentum. Now Jericho is on the attack and suplexes Punk to the outside and then brings him back in and hits him with a butterfly backbreaker. Punk tries to come back but Jericho hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Punk.

Jericho working on the back and neck of Punk, he goes for the running bulldog but Punk reverses it throwing Jericho into the corner. Punk comes back and hits a nice neck breaker on Jericho, goes for the cover but only gets a 2 count, Punk hits the knee strike in the corner and goes for the Bulldog but Jericho reverses it into a Lionsault that Punk reverses but Jericho avoids it and goes for the Walls of Jericho, but again Punk reverses. He slams Jericho and goes up for the elbow drop, this time Jericho counters and Punk lands on the outside of the ring. Jericho throws him back in but Punk captures Jericho with a GTS and connects, crawls in for the cover but Jericho gets his foot on the bottom rope to break up the count.

Punk hits Jericho with some nice kicks and follows it up with a powerslam. Jericho comes back and hits the lionsault but only gets a 2 count from that assault, Jericho goes up to the top, Punk stops him and tries to go for a hurricanrana but Jericho reverses into a Walls of Jericho! Punk reaches the bottom rope though and breaks the hold, Punk back to his feet and throws Jericho to the outside, he eyes Jericho up for a suicide dive and hits it, and he follows it up with another knee strike to Jericho but against the ring post. Both men back in the ring, Punk springboards at Jericho but Jericho lashes out with the Codebreaker on Punk, he covers but only gets a 2 count. Jericho again going up to the top rope but Punk catches him with a kick, picks up Jericho with the GTS but Jericho reverses again into the Walls of Jericho, Punk crawls towards the ropes, Jericho moves back into the middle of the ring, Punk reverses into a pin but Jericho Kicks out.

Punk locks in the Anaconda Vice on Jericho, another reversal from Jericho, but Punk locks in the vice again and he taps out. Wow!! A LOT OF REVERSALS! Was exhausting watching it. Brilliant match, not sure Punk winning was the right move, yet this match was still very good.

Segment # 8

We getting some Funkasaurus on Wrestlemania. He calls his momma and we get some dancing.

Match # 8 THE ROCK VS JOHN CENA

This has been a year in the build and lord knows how many in the making. This is as big if not bigger than The Rock vs Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 18 and 10 years later we get to see another generations collide just instead of it being the 80’s/90’s vs the Attitude Era its now the Attitude Era vs The PG era.

MGK with some blonde fitty sings invincible, I really like it actually, got it downloading as I write this, Cena is out with a new GREEN t-shirt. I CAN SEE YOU JOHN!!!! Rise above the hate people, Cena is awesome; this is going to be immense. Flo Rida is out to perform some music and I still don’t care. The Rock is finally here and he is looking in great shape.

Both men stare down but you can hear the chants from the crowd, firmly behind The Rock. They lock up and Cena does the Hogan throw, only missing a muscle flex at the end. We can hear a let’s go Cena / Cena sucks chant. Another tie up but this time The Rock gets the advantage, Rock gets a headlock on Cena and Rock switches and we get a nice arm drag combo and a near pin fall on Cena. Rock goes for the sharpshooter but Cena rolls out of the ring, as Cena tries to get back in The Rock kicks Cena but Cena quickly recovers and hits a shoulder charge in the corner on the Rock, followed by a huge clothesline.

Cena goes for a bear hug on the floor but Rock comebacks back but gets thrown over the ropes by Cena. John Cena throws Rock into the announcers table and gets back in the ring, but quickly comes back out to pull Rock back into the ring where he hits a belly to belly side slam on the ring and traps in the bear hug again. The rock breaks the hold and counters with the DDT, leading to Rocky teasing the peoples elbow but Cena reverses it and goes for the Cena comeback (YOU SEE WHAT I KEEP DOING THERE) before going for the 5 knuckle shuffle which connects. Cena looking for the AA but Rock counters but both men hit each other with a clothesline for the rest.

Both men up by 7, trading blows back and forth, Rock goes for the spit punch but gets the AA for his trouble but only gets a 2 count, Cena goes to pick Rock up and gets a Rock Bottom, but Rock only gets a 2 count. Cena goes up top and drops the leg on the back of the Rock’s head but again only gets a 2 count for his trouble. Cena runs at Rock, but gets speared and then locked into the sharpshooter submission by the Rock, yet he crawls to the bottom rope forcing the break, he pulls Cena back and locks him back into the sharpshooter and again he forces the break.

The Rock gets Cena on the outside and launches him into the ring steps, he throws Cena back in but Cena quickly comes back and locks in the STF on the Rock and Cena pulls the same trick as the Rock and pulls him back into the centre of the ring, he begins fading and the ref drops the hand two times but as we get to the third The Rock gets his wind back and he crawls to the ropes to force the break.

Rock back to his feet first so gets the initial volley against Cena, but Cena starts to fire back but The Rock levels him with the spine buster and tosses out the elbow pad for the peoples elbow, hits with the elbow but only gets a 2 count from the cover. Cena rolls up the Rock, but gets a 2 count and now both men are down. Cena launches the Rock into the turnbuckle and goes for another roll up but again only hits the 2 count, Cena puts Rocky into the corner and on the top rope, Cena sets him up for the suplex but Rock fights back and now Rock goes up and hits the splash but Cena rolls through and hits the AA on the Rock!!! Only gets a 2 count though.

Now Cena teases the peoples elbow but gets Rock Bottomed and the Rock gets the 3 count and the win!!

Hmmm, not sure what to say about that to be honest. I don’t think that was the right call, The Rock needed to lay down for Cena really. Basically just buried the entire WWE roster by saying their top guy can’t beat a guy who has wrestled two times in the last 8 odd years, really disagree with The Rock getting the win there!! Overall though that was an excellent PPV much better than last year’s Wrestlemania and hopefully this feud won’t end there and we will see some good fallout for the next PPV.