SOS Pain & Gain Review.

“Jesus Christ has bestowed me with many gifts… and one of them is knocking people the f** out"

I have to say I was really looking forward to this as I sat down with my partner in crime Mike "Air" as the main cast was shaping up to be a good one with Mark Walberg and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson being in some decent films as of late. Then I saw that the director was the same man that killed my childhood Micheal Bay grrrrrr!!

I am a professional after all so I gave my time this film as I would with any other films I have watched. So did Michael Bay manage to kill the careers of the aforementioned actors like he did with Optimus Prime and chums? Or has he finally managed to direct a semi decent film? Read on my friends and find out more....

Plot

Based on the true story of Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) a Miami bodybuilder who wants to live the American dream. He would like to have the money that other people have. So he enlists the help of fellow bodybuilder Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) and ex-convict, Christian bodybuilder Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson). Their kidnapping and extortion scheme goes terribly wrong since they have muscles for brains and they're left to haphazardly try to hold onto the elusive American dream.

Review

It's very easy to ridicule Michael Bay's movies... and also great fun. Despite attempting to witness his latest endeavour Pain & Gain with an open mind, it was only a matter of time before a coping strategy was instigated to ensure some modicum of sanity was preserved throughout this painfully (not gainfully) overlong and execrable affair. More on that later...

Based on a true story, a fact which is shoehorned into viewers' minds with "THIS IS A TRUE STORY" captions intermittently flashing up during seemingly contrived sequences, Pain & Gain follows three pumped up bodybuilders as they embark on an evil and greedy quest involving kidnap, extortion and murder.

There's Mark Wahlberg's gym instructor Daniel, the ringleader who often adopts a saucer-eyed expression of derangement; Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's Paul, a Jesus-loving bodybuilder who likes to snort cocaine off the skinny derrières of strippers; and Anthony Mackie's trainer Adrian, who has rendered himself impotent through steroid use. They join forces in a bid to nab all of Tony Shalhoub's shady businessman Victor's money - only to have Ed Harris's retired investigator on their trail.

One would hope that the factual basis of the narrative would ensure that the makers steered clear of a hysterically sensationalised approach, or if not, at least the adoption of a satirical slant. But any shred of credence or intelligence is quashed by a plethora of one-dimensional ciphers masquerading as real-life people. This was Michael Bay's chance to show some storytelling prowess away from the mega-budget terrain and twisted metal of the Transformers franchise, but the same problems have materialised courtesy of a crass script that targets the lowest common denominator.

The representation of the central trio seeks to position them as more sympathetic than psychotic, with their despicable deeds played for laughs and their malevolent motivations attributed to a flawed interpretation of the American Dream. It's fair to say that Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is never challenged in that thematic respect. Not that mainstream, multiplex entertainment needs to have such weighty aspirations. It should just steer away from being insulting and patronising on so many levels, epitomised by the presentation of a dangerous brand of masculinity - all rippling biceps, quickfire wisecracks and callous dislike of the unlike - as being iconic and desirable.

That's why the aforementioned 'coping strategy' was spontaneously adopted during the film. This movie is one long orgy of women who are either pouting, flesh-baring sluts or morbidly obese figures of mockery with terrible personal hygiene. A movie where rampant homophobia is deemed funny and laddish, and where crude racial stereotyping is acceptable. Of course this is All presented with plenty of Michael Bay Slo-Mo just to prolong the agony and make us loathe the aesthetic as much as the script. If I had realised that this was Micheal Bay directed I may never have seen it, and honestly I wish I hadn't!

Verdict

Pain and Gain is awful beyond imagining. Awful beyond dictionary definitions of awfulness. Scenes of violence and torture are directed as if violence and torture were audio-visual rock ’n’ roll. The story structure sways like a drunken elephant. The permutating voiceover narrations resemble an idiot’s Citizen Kane. Mark Wahlberg, looking overweight, and Dwayne Johnson, looking dazed, search vainly for that seam of gold that lies somewhere between comedy and tragedy. It is a search that has defeated better actors and much better films.

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KEEP YOUR SHITE TIGHT

ECW Hardcore Heaven 1997

This is my first ECW back catalogue report, this is the Hardcore Heaven 1997 PPV. Not a clue what happens on this PPV. Will be interesting to see what goes down.

Segment 1.

Joey Styles kicks the show off in the ring announcing some of the matches but gets interrupted by Ravishing Rick Rude!!! WTF!!! Joey Styles berates him for turning his back on ECW, gives him the microphone and then leaves. The Ravishing One then berates the crowd and demands they respect Chris Candido, who then makes his way to the ring.

Todd Gordon makes his way to the ring and tells Ravishing that he needs to leave the ringside area as he isn’t a real manager and that he has till the 10 count, so Rick Rude leaves.

The titles roll for ECW HARDCORE HEAVEN 1997.

Match # 1 ECW TV Title match

Chris Candido vs. Taz (c)

Don’t think I’ve seen that many Taz matches from his earlier ECW days so this should be cool, I also hear Candido wasn’t too bad either as a performer.

Match starts off pretty technical, always good to see that on an ECW show. I keep forgetting that ECW didn’t really have any rules within 3 minutes Taz hit a low blow and Candido had raked Taz’s eyes. Ha! Joey Styles reveals that Taz is only 29 at this PPV event, my god this is an old show isn’t it. Candido’s finisher is the “Blonde Bombshell” that according to Joey Styles is a top rope powerbomb, damn that seems like a pretty tough finisher to hit. I am also a huge fan of how every suplex Taz throws is renamed Taz-plex instead, a bit like every move Mike Awesome does gets the prefix “awesome” instead.

Candido puts Taz on the top turnbuckle, turns around like an idiot, Taz locks on the Taz-mission, takes down Candido and then forces the submission to retain the ECW TV title belt. That was actually quite a good match to open the show; I think you can feel from the crowd’s responses to this match that Taz was certainly destined to be the top guy of ECW. Looking forward to seeing Candido in future shows too.

Segment 2

We go to the announcers area and Joey Styles thanks everyone for buying the show (Idiot this is an old show), he then says that pre show the Insane Clown Posse were in the ring and leads to footage of RVD & Sabu kicking the crap out of them, was quite pointless.

Match # 2 - Spike Dudley vs.  Bam Bam Bigelow

I hear Spike was a hell of a worker in ECW, so guess I will see now won’t I. I know they were going for a giant killer kind of gimmick with Spike, they had him tackle all the really big buys like Bam Bam. This match was booked because Spike beat Bam Bam on TV the week before, so obviously Bam Bam wants some payback.

Can imagine Spike is going to take some nasty bumps in this match, a few minutes in and boy has he taken some nasty bumps, he has been thrown, dropped and bombed, it isn’t a pretty site, especially when he body press throws Spike into the crowd.

Bam Bam drags Spike from the crowd into the ring, hits him with a shoulder breaker / pile driver move, then heads to the top rope and flies off squashing poor Spike and gets the pin fall victory.

That was a SQUASH match, my god Bam Bam threw him round like a rag doll, Spike got very little offence in that match but was still quite cool (I know I’m sick). Not much to talk about here so onto the next bit.

Segment 3

We go back to the beat down of the Insane Clown Posse, with Sandman trying to get involved but he gets beaten up too for his troubles. Thank god for Sabu & RVD, I hate the Sandman.

Match # 3 - Rob Van Dam (With Bill Alfonso) vs. Al Snow

Ok, aside from Al Snow this should be good, I’m joking I’m sure it will be good, despite Al Snow doesn’t have HEAD yet. Nobody can decide who they want to cheer and boo in this match, looking about 60/40 to RVD being cheered more than booed.

Always been quite a fan of RVD anyway, really liked his early WWF work with the invasion angle and then again towards the end of his WWE run with the ECW brand. No wonder WWE hired both these guys, this is certainly more of a wrestling match then the 1^st two matches of the show, bit more of a story being told in this encounter. Back & forward offence, false finishes and some good wrestling in between J.

Rob Van Dam wins after hitting the Van Daminator and then pinning Al Snow for the 3 count.

Segment 4

Joey Styles says that they have a helicopter following the ambulance that Sandman has been taken to the hospital in. Lance Wright is in the chopper reporting, how rubbish is his reporting?

Turns out that Sandman has stolen the ambulance and is now driving it back to the arena.

We cut to Jerry Lawler in the back, he cuts a promo on Tommy Dreamer telling him that he is gonna kick his ass.

Segment 5

We cut to the ring, where the Dudley Family, Joel Gertner and Jenna Jameson are in the ring. Joel then introduces the remaining Dudley boyz.

Match # 4 – ECW Tag Team Championship Match

The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D’Von) vs. Pg-13 (No Clue i’m Sorry)

PG-13 cut a promo on the dudleyz, not too bad but I think these guys are going to get their asses whooped.

The Dudley Boyz win after hitting the 3-D on the PG-13 guy wearing red shorts :-? To retain their tag team championships. Good match, lots of back and forth between the two teams, some nice double teams from both sides and plenty of interference from the Dudley family with Jenna Jameson to help the Dudley Boyz in the defence of their titles. Quite fun to see some old school Dudley Boyz, such a good tag team and they didn’t need to pull out the tables to put this one away.

Segment 6

Back to the choppa, where we are still following the commandeered ambulance that the Sandman is driving, I imagine he will get back to the show during the ECW title match.

Back to the ring we have Jerry Lawler in the ring; he cuts a promo on the people watching the show and plugs the upcoming WWF GROUND ZERO PPV event, funny stuff from the King, repeats the same stuff he said on camera earlier in the show.

Match # 5 Jerry “The King” Lawler vs. Tommy Dreamer (With Beulah)

This is a unique contest if anything, didn’t realise the WWF involvement with ECW was so soon into their PPV history. Beulah is one fine young lady I may note. This is Tommy Dreamers PPV debut according to Joey Styles too. I imagine this match will be a little bit more violent in comparison to the previous tag team title match, can’t imagine Jerry Lawler doing too well in this match.

I can say that Lawler isn’t liked by the ECW crowd, they are all over him from the second he appeared in the ring, and Dreamer is certainly the crowd favourite for this match.

The lights go out during the match, when they come back on Rick Rude is clobbering Dreamer with a trash can, throws him back into the ring but Lawler only gets a 2 count. The lights go out again shortly after and when they come back on we have Jake “The Snake” Roberts in the ring and he clotheslines Dreamer and then DDTs him before. Jerry Lawler goes to shake the hands of Jake but gets a clothesline for his troubles before Jake leaves. Shortly after the lights go out again!!!! My god! This time its Sunny who sprays Tommy in the face with something but Beulah gets in the ring and they catfight for a bit.

Beulah hits a low blow on the King after he tries to piledrive her, Dreamer then hits the DDT to get the pinfall victory over Jerry Lawler.

Segment 7

Back to Joey Styles, he introduces the main event the ECW world title match.

Then back to the choppa for the ambulance chase. The Sandman seems to have finally found his way back to the arena. What a loser.

Match # 6 ECW World Title Match Three Way Dance

Sabu (c)(With Bill Alfonso) vs. Terry Funk & Shane Douglas (With Francine)

This match is a rematch from 1994, which went to a 1 hour time limit draw. Not really a fan of any of these guys, I guess if I was to be it would be “The Franchise” Shane Douglas, he is more of a wrestler than the other two and isn’t known for his use of weapons or blood soaked matches.

Francine tries to pay Terry Funk to leave but to no avail, rather funny bit as he slaps the cash out of her hands. I keep forgetting the 3 WAY DANCE matches are of course elimination, two men need to be eliminated to end the match. With Funk being the only face in this match I am going to assume that Douglas will be eliminated first leading to a one on one with Sabu & Funk. I also expect to see some of the Sandman in this match, with arriving back at the arena after suffering an assault from Sabu & RVD earlier.

Im surprised no one just smashed Bill Alfonso in the face, his constant blowing of that fucking whistle is just the most god damn annoying thing this show has produced. Todd Gordon comes out and attacks Bill Alfonso, however Shane Douglas interferes and puts him on a table for Sabu to jump onto. However Funk attacks Douglas and puts Alfonso on the same table just as Sabu dives onto it crushing both Gordon and Alfonso.

Sandman hits the ring and attacks Sabu, then security come and drag Sandman out of the building as Funk & Douglas cover Sabu removing him from the match by pinfall elimination. Sabu then gets up, hits the ropes and dives onto the Sandman and security on the outside the ring, they both then get dragged out of the arena. As Francine & Douglas set Funk up to get put through a table Dory Funk Jr enters and attacks Douglas then chases Francine from the ringside area.

After a series of exchanges Shane Douglas hits his Belly to Belly Suplex to pin Terry Funk to win the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.

Francine and Douglas celebrate by whipping Funk with the belt and beating him down. Joel Gertner enters the ring along with the Dudley Boyz, he asks Douglas to join forces with the Dudley Boyz and ditch his current partners “The Triple Threat”, who then of course make their way to the ring and this turns into a brawl as the Dudley Boyz beat up half the ECW roster as the “Triple Threat” leave in the confusion. The Dudleys being the only people left in the ring closes the show.

Oh and incase you don’t know the Triple Threat is Shane Douglas, Chris Candido & Bam Bam Bigelow. I didn’t know so its more relevant to me I guess. Well thats the end of the 2^nd ever ECW PPV event, wasn’t a bad show actually, its a bit shit that these shows were all before my time with regards to watching wrestling as I didn’t start till 2000. Quite looking forward to seeing some more of them as I hope you are excited to read about them.

Follow me on twitter @bigboss010, SOSgames @siteofshite and my good friend Jim @KingJimmeh

I’ve been Big Boss, see you next time and I’m out! PEACE!

ECW One Night Stand 2005

As a bit of nostalgia I decided to watch ECW One Night Stand from 2005 (The good one) and just write a bit about each segment and match, this PPV really attracted me to the brand as I had never really seen any of the ECW TV or PPVs before this and my only real ECW experience was the invasion angle that WWE ran back in 2001. I currently in the Process of downlo.... I mean procuring the ECW PPV back catalogue so if I find any of the past PPVs are worth writing about I will do a quick write up for your reading pleasure.

Segment 1

As we kick off the show we get a little introduction to our announcers for the PPV, the firstly being Joey Styles and then he introduces his partner for the evening Mick Foley, as Cactus Jack.

Beginning Credits Roll.

Match # 1 “LionHeart” Chris Jericho vs. Lance Storm (With Dawn Marie)

I remember the first time I watched this match, I saw it live when the PPV aired on TV and I was blown away by just how technical this match starts off as, I also learned that Jericho and Storm trained together at the Hart school. I had only ever really knew Lance Storm as his Team Canada character in WCW or his Un-American persona in WWE and I couldn’t stand him either way but after seeing this match I had a new appreciation for him.

Lance Storm wins the match by pin fall after Justin Credible interferes hitting Jericho in the head with a kendo stick. Fantastic match even with the screwed finish, was a great way to open the show and the fans obviously loved it.

Segment 2

Pitbull Gary Wolf introduces a video package of all the ECW wrestlers who had passed away.

Match # 2 Three Way Dance match

Taijiri (With Mickey Whipwreck & The Sinister Minister) vs. Little Guido (With the F.B.I) vs. Super Crazy

Didn’t know how to take this match when I first saw it, was never a fan of the WWE version of the FBI and I was never too struck on Taijiri either, since I had never seen Super Crazy I didn’t want to judge. I think we got to see more of Little Guido (Nunzio in WWE) in this match then we ever got to see of him in his WWE career with regards to actual wrestling. This match does feature a pretty sweet balcony dive from Super Crazy hitting pretty much the entire FBI with a moonsault from the balcony.

Little Guido is the first to be eliminated, he gets pinned by Taijiri after Mickey Whipwreck hits the WhipperSnapper on Little Guido allowing Taijiri to get the pin.

Super Crazy wins after pinning Taijiri after hitting a top rope moonsault. Not a bad match, was a little hectic with all the interference that took place but still a quick paced match that kept the crowd interested.

Video Package

A quick recap of the history of ECW

Match # 3 Extreme Lucha Match

Rey Mysterio Jnr vs. Psicosis

Rey announced as Jnr, which was dropped when he came to WWE. I must admit I’m not a fan of the lucha style of wrestling, nor am I a fan of Rey Mysterio... I’m sorry.

This is also the first match that the fans boo during the course of the show, it isn’t as action packed as you would expect it to be from the get go, they do have a really slow start.

Rey Mysterio Jnr wins after hitting the 619 followed by the West Coast Pop to get the pin fall.

Wasn’t to my taste the match but again I’m not really a fan so I’m sorry.  

Segment 3

Almost as soon as the match finishes the superstars from Smackdown turn up to the show to “invade” the show. Also if your watching the DVD of this you can now cut off the Mick Foley & Joey Styles commentary and switch to the JBL commentary which is so much cooler.

Video Package

Another small video talking about the history of ECW.

Segment 3 Continued

The segment continues with Joel Gertner trying to interview the Smackdown superstars but he gets smacked and pushed away, Kurt Angle takes the microphone and starts ranting about how crap ECW is. Then hands the microphone to JBL and he goes off on a rant about ECW too.

This was an interesting idea of the RAW / SMACKDOWN invasion of ECW but it wasn’t really needed, I think this was another case of WWE not believing that ECW would sell if it didn’t have WWE talent on the show.

Segment 3 Still Continued

Their rants get interrupted by Rob Van Dam with Bill Alfonso, he talks about how much ECW meant to him and that if he wasn’t injured he would be performing rather than talking. RVD talks about his ECW career and what he accomplished in ECW. This eventually leads to Rhino interrupting and Goring RVD out of his shoes.

Then the lights goes off and when they come back on Sabu is in the ring... so is a referee!

Match # 4 Impromptu match

Rhino vs. Sabu (With RVD & Bill Alfonso)

I cannot stand Sabu, I think he was just a lot of sizzle but no steak as my friend Jim would say (Follow him on twitter @KingJimmeh), he never really did anything for me as a performer, maybe it’s because I never saw his real ECW work but his work in WWE’s ECW was rubbish. Rhino on the other hand is a different story, I always enjoyed Rhino as a performer in WWE, loved the Gore as a finisher and thought he could actually wrestle and wasn’t restricted to the hardcore style that ECW focused on.

RVD interferes in the match hitting Rhino with the Van Terminator in the corner.

Sabu wins the match after hitting the Arabian Skull Crusher using a chair through a table following the interference from RVD.

The crowd are on their feet and chanting loudly, was a quick match but was good, Rhino is a lot quicker than you would think he would be. I think a little too much emphasis is put onto Sabu using chairs, he doesn’t really hit anyone with them, he just does moves off them, hardly impactful.

RVD, Sabu and Alfonso celebrate as they head to the back.

Segment 4

Al Snow is in the back talking to HEAD about the ECW one night stand show, this leads into another video package about ECW’s history.

This leads into the arrival of Eric Bischoff and the Raw superstars, for their part in the invasion. I really think this angle took the spot light away from the ECW guys and I think that was a bit crappy.

Match # 5 Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero

No one would have thought these two guys wouldn’t be with us now at this stage, you have two of the best technical wrestlers in the world ever and its a sad case that neither of them are still around.

However this match would have been made a bit better if Eddie had dropped the gimmick he was running at the time just for this one night to be part of ECW rather than the Smackdown story.

Chris Benoit wins via submission after locking Eddie in the crippler crossface. Fantastic match is without a doubt in the top 3 matches of the whole show. These guys bring a real wrestling aspect to a company based on a hardcore style. Its just a shame the fates that awaited both these men.

Video Package

A bit more of an advertisement to THE RISE AND FALL OF ECW dvd.

Segment 5

Joel Gertner is back to try and interview Eric Bischoff, he pleads for a job working for Eric Bischoff, Easy E has him removed and cuts a promo on ECW, starting to think this was some really bad booking!! We could have had another match here instead.

Match # 6 Mike Awesome Vs. Masato Tanaka

This takes the prize for the match of the night, these guys tear it up and regardless of how many times I watch this match I’m always captured by how freaking violent it gets.

On a side note though, if you’re watching the DVD of this PPV you need to listen to the JBL commentary for this match, it is hilarious! He doesn’t really sell the match but certainly provides more entertainment then Joey Styles commentary.

Mike Awesome wins after hitting Tanaka with an Awesome Bomb out of the ring onto a table, followed by a dive onto Tanaka outside to get the pinfall at ringside. WOW, they must run up one hell of a bill in this match for tables, they smash loads of them. Even the crowd turn in this match, they start proper on Mike Awesome but by the end they are cheering him as much as Tanaka. The only problem I ever had with this match was that every move that Mike Awesome does gets the prefix Awesome!!! A bit unnecessary I think!

After the match Awesome hits an AwesomeBomb on the referee, don’t quite know why but its funny as hell. 

  

Segment 6

Paul Heyman makes his way to the ring and cuts a pretty cool promo on the Raw / Smackdown superstars, the highlights being about JBL’s WWE title reign being due to HHH not wanting to work Tuesdays and Edges relationship to Lita at the expense of Matt Hardy, that gets a massive “You Screwed Matt” chant. Otherwise pretty much the same stuff as usual, thanks everyone who helped put the show together and thanks the fans for supporting the show.

Made sense for Heyman to get some microphone time during this show, but again it does slightly take away from wrestling aspect of the show.

Match # 7 Tag Team Match

The Dudley Boyz (D’Von & Bubba Ray) vs. Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman

The first thing I need to mention is that their entrance music is dubbed as they used “Bombshell” not their previous theme that is used on the DVD instead, also Tommy Dreamer’s entrance isn’t his original music either, in fact neither is the Sandman’s music, he gets some sample track instead of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”. Wow. WWE really skimped out on the production for this DVD.

I cannot stand the Sandman, he just can’t really wrestle, he may have been a big deal in the original ECW but on this show he just comes across as a bit of a drunken mess, later on this is highlighted during the final segment, he is just a pillock, again as Jim would say “All sizzle and no steak” (Follow him on twitter @KingJimmeh). Tommy Dreamer isn’t too bad, never had a problem with him as I enjoyed his work during his 2001 during the invasion and also the work he did after that when he remained in the company. Then we get to the Dudley Boyz, that’s all you really need to say isn’t it, they are the most decorated tag team EVER, certainly one of the most popular and have managed hugely successful runs in ECW, WWF / E and TNA, they are exceptionally talented and are probably one of my top 5 tag teams of all time. Hell even my good friend 12ve-Pac and I parody the Dudley Boyz for our WWE 13 characters (Follow him on twitter @SiteOfShite).

Before the match starts we get an appearance by the bWo (Da Blue Guy, Hollywood Nova & Big Stevie Cool) to cut a promo ending with Stevie super kicking Sandman in the face, then the remaining people beat on Dreamer. Kid Kash comes to make the save but gets tossed out of the ring (Poorly) and then Axel Rotten & Balls Mahoney come to make the save. Turns into a pier 6 brawl until the Kid Kash finally does something and dives onto everyone knocking them all down, eventually we get a match though.

Half way through the match we even get the Impact Players (Lance Storm & Justin Credible) jumping in for interference to attack Dreamer & Sandman, this leads to Francine coming out to kick Dreamer in the nuts, followed by Beulah McGillicutty hitting the ring to attack Francine, everyone eventually clears the ring.

The Dudley Boyz win after powerbombing Tommy Dreamer through a flaming table, this is achieved by Spike Dudley coming down to set fire to the table, Bubba Ray then leaps onto Tommy to get the pin fall victory. This is without a doubt the most violent match of the night, lots of random foreign objects such as cheese graters being used and a tonne of blood spilt all in the name of entertainment. J.

Segment 7

The Dudley Boyz go to attack Beulah but Sandman makes the save, then shouts demanding a beer, bringing out Stone Cold Steve Austin. People often forget that Austin was in ECW, not for very long but he was there.

He invites all the ECW guys to the ring for a beer bash, then before handing out the beer he invites the RAW / SMACKDOWN superstars to the ring for a brawl. They oblidge, come down and enter the ring, as the battle lines are drawn, TAZ’s music plays, he walks to the ring, enters and him and Kurt Angle start the brawl off against each other while the others fight away. As the RAW / SMACKDOWN superstars are cleared from the ring, Austin gets back on the microphone, here is where Sandman makes a fool of himself, he then tells Mick Foley to bring Bischoff from the commentary table to the ring to be royally beaten on. First he gets the 3D from the Dudley Boyz, followed by a diving headbutt from Benoit and then a 619 from Mysterio to finish off the flurry. Austin then gets back on the microphone and he asks Bischoff his thoughts of the evening to which he replies “Fuck ECW” which annoys Austin who has Bischoff picked back up and stunned! The Duldey boyz then remove Bischoff from the building as the beer bash begins.

The show ends with Sandman and Austin on the entrance way raising their hands. This ending sucked in my view, Sandman was blatantly off his face but never mind. This is still one of the best value for money PPV events I ever bought and is still one of my favourite shows to sit and watch, it was also the only real ONE NIGHT STAND event as the next one was a bit more WWE vs ECW themed and lost a bit of the point really. I hope you enjoyed this little recap and if you haven’t seen the PPV i suggest you go watch it, with the JBL commentary of course ;-) . I’ve been Big Boss (Follow me on twitter @bigboss010) I’m out Peace!!!

MONEY IN THE BANK 2013

Sadly have had a really busy month so haven’t been able to watch a lot of the lead up into this PPV event, however the Money in the Bank usually isn’t that a bad a PPV. The confusing part of this PPV is an all HEEL money in the bank competing with an all FACE money in the bank match. The return of ROB VAN DAM should also go down well. The WWE championship match will see John Cena get his wig split (we hope). Also the Jericho / Ryback match should be interesting provided Ryback can deliver the goods instead of just being a bit rubbish. Also the rise of the Divas, lets see if Kaitlyn & AJ can recreate the magic from Payback.

Match # 1 MONEY IN THE BANK MATCH – World Heavyweight Championship

Fandango vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Wade Barrett vs. Jack Swagger vs. Antonio Cesaro vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Damien Sandow.
With 2 tag teams in this match we are hopefully going to see some good double team moves, also with the singles guys throwing their hats in. My personal choice for this match to win was Wade Barrett as he in my mind is the only guy out of these that has seen the main event scene in a big way multiple times so could probably hold the world title believably. My pick for least likely to win is Fandango as he simply hasn’t done enough yet to justify him getting the money in the bank case.  The other participants are just in between for me and don’t make me believe they could be world champion, but I am always happy to be proved wrong.

Winner – Damien Sandow

I didn’t see that coming, I guess this means we will see Sandow as the world champion within the next year or so, sadly I can see his run being as memorable as Jack Swaggers (really, he won the world title), but we will see, this could be the start of a big push for him and Rhodes potentially. This was a pretty fun match and I am surprised a ring full of heel wrestlers managed to get such a good reaction from the crowd. The team work from Cesaro & Swagger was really fun and Cody Rhodes clearing house was quite cool to see as well.

Segment 1

The new Raw GM Brad Maddox is in the ring, says how proud he is of being the new GM. This guys sucks.
He shows a video package of Vickie G, taking the piss out of her really, sucks just like he sucks.

Match # 2 – Intercontinental Championship Match

Curtis Axel (c) vs. The Miz
Good to see they are going to do something with Axel, pairing him with Heyman is a good start but they need to get him moving on his own sooner rather than later otherwise people wont buy him as an actual talent away from Heyman. The Miz has been floundering as of later so his feud with Axel may do wonders not only for him but for Axel as well, after all The Miz is a former WWE champion.

Winner – Curtis Axel gets the pin fall after hitting the neckbreaker on the Miz, to retain the IC belt.

Good choice to get rid of Heyman early in the match, means Axel winning without him there only strengthens his character, also the defeat of a former WWE champion is a big deal for Axel, will be interesting to see what else they do with him over the next few months. Good match, was good to see some back and forth between the two with Axel just coming out on top. Would like to see this feud continue for a bit and see where it can go.

Match # 3 – Divas Championship Match

A.J Lee (c) vs. Kaitlyn
Usually would go for a piss break now but their match on PAYBACK was actually quite good so I’m hoping they will do even better this time. They have been really giving these girls some screen time and I hope it’s an improvement to the division as it is in a desperate need of some help.

Winner – A.J Lee retains the Divas title after making Kaitlyn tap out to the Black Widow submission

Not a bad match, think last month’s match had my attention a little more but was still one of the best divas matches I’ve seen in a while.

Match # 4 – Ryback vs. Chris Jericho
Another Jericho vs Goldberg match ;-). Lets see if Jericho can carry Ryback to a reasonable match here. Rybacks big push has kind of taken some hits with losing to Cena so many times while Jericho has actually had some good matches since returning this year.

Winner – Ryback after a school boy roll up pin.

That was a disappointing finish, really was, makes Ryback look like a bit crap doesn’t it, that he cant beat Jericho without using a cheap tactic like a roll up. Quite disappointing end to a reasonably ok match, Jericho certainly carried Ryback there.

Match # 5 – World Heavyweight Title match

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
After last month’s fantastic double switch match this match has all the makings of being even better, Ziggler as a face character is great as the crowd are behind him and Del Rio needed a change as he was a really dull face character. I expect we will see Del Rio focus mainly on the head following the concussion angle they ran with Ziggler last month, will also be interesting to see if AJ / Big E will get involved. The other thing to note is that Ricardo will not be at ringside this month as he has been suspended for failing a drugs test, like it matters if he takes drugs, however as my mate Jim pointed out, his main face reactions were due to Ricardo so it may be easier for him to be a Heel without Ricardo there.

Winner – Alberto Del Rio retains the World Title after AJ gets Ziggler DQ’d by attacking Del Rio.

Well was a good match despite the screwed finish, as soon as AJ came out you could see that coming though. Dolph was on form as usual and the crowd were really behind Ziggler the whole match, Del Rio as usual excellent. With his focus on the head of Ziggler and playing his latest heel character to perfection.

 

Match # 6 – WWE Championship Match

John Cena (c) vs. Mark Henry
THATS WHAT HE DOES!! If Mark Henry is charging you for air then you had better keep your bill paid!!! If you hadn’t already guessed I really really really want Henry to win this match, I know he won’t but by god imagine if he did!! How awesome would that be, don’t get me wrong I still don’t feel towards Cena as badly as others do but we do need a new WWE champion. I can imagine this being all Henry on the offensive until Cena comes back with his 5 moves and then wins the match.

Winner – John Cena via submission, Mark Henry taps to the STF

My main point first... NO ONE kicks out of the world’s strongest slam!!! Except Super Cena of course. The match was what it was, usual Cena match, real shame too because I think Mark Henry would be an awesome WWE champion. Another thing to point out was the huge reaction Henry got during his entrance to the ring! Everyone loves the World’s Strongest Man!! Hopefully this won’t be their final encounter.

 

Match # 7 – Money in the Bank Match for the WWE Championship

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton vs. RVD vs. Sheamus vs. Christian vs. Daniel Bryan
Sadly we lost Kane from this match due to the attack from the Village people, I mean the Wyatt Family on the Raw show before the PPV. RVD is out first to an obviously HUGE reaction from the Philadelphia crowd. My personal pick for this match was Randy Orton or Christian, I think they are the two that need the case the most, Christian just returning from his injuries and Orton just being kept at a base level since getting his 2^nd wellness violation a while back. The others in the match do not need the case to A. Get over or B. Rejuvenate themselves like Orton and Christian need.

Winner – Randy Orton

Wow, at least I got 1 MITB result right, I’m glad that it was this one too, cannot wait to see Randy Orton with the WWE strap again, it’s been way too long since he had the belt. May even get that heel turn we have all been dying for. Curtis Axel’s interference and him attacking Daniel Bryan was interesting, it’s whether they follow that up with anything though, this of course leads to Paul Heyman turning on Punk, this part was a bit obvious, you really did see it coming but at least it helps Punk’s face turn.  Then as RVD flies he gets smashed with the RKO in mid air, allowing Orton to grab the case, fantastic.

Think that was a reasonably good PPV, the MITB matches themselves were really good and the title matches were pretty good too. Only real let down for me was Sandow winning the MITB for the world title, but I guess we will see where they go with it. Match wise the Jericho / Ryback match was a little disappointing if only for the ending really.

I do believe our next outing will be Summerslam, however I will be hanging out with my comrades from over at SOS for that. I’m sure we will be posting up allsorts over the weekend for your enjoyment.

I'm Big Boss and for now, I’m out... Peace.  

WWE Payback 2013 PPV Review.

Hello PEOPLE,
Sadly I missed Extreme Rules altogether which was sad but managed to sneak in a viewing of Payback and here is my opinions and review.

 

Match #1 – Triple Threat Match for Intercontinental Championship

The Miz vs. Wade Barrett (c) vs. Curtis Axel
Ok first things first, I swore Fan-Dan-Go was supposed to be in this match??? Also how many freaking entrance themes has Wade Barrett now had, this has to be his like 5^th! Nexus, Corre, Solo 1, Solo 1 remix and now this “God Save The Queen” trash, poor Barrett, so much potential flushed down the bog, after he returned from injury he should have been pushed and he hasn’t been so any potential build you can do has been ruined. Now the Miz, a another waste of talent here, since jobbing to Cena and losing the WWE title like 2 years ago this guy has just floundered and even the Ric Flair “Rub” he go hasn’t helped make him anymore interesting. Curtis Axel, I think when you start naming them as “Paul Heyman Guys” I think you have lost the magic that is there, however they have shown faith in him by letting him go over (all by pot luck) HHH and John Cena! That has to say something; I hope that given time he can evolve on the microphone as he hasn’t displayed much use on that front yet, so all in all he has portentially a very bright future. I hope this match will be a good show, yet somehow I feel a level of disappointment looming.

Curtish Axel pins Wade Barrett while he is in the Figure Four Leg Lock to win the Intercontinental championship. Wow, a good match with a good finish, the crowd were hot behind both Axel and The Miz, which I wasn’t expecting to be honest. Quite a good opener there, hope the rest of the show follows suit.

ADVERT

Mark Henry return promo and let me tell you now, if Mark Henry is charging for air then you had better keep your bill paid son or enter the Hall of Pain.

Backstage

Curtis Axela and Paul Heyman are walking, bump into HHH and they face off but Vince interrupts and sends them on their way.

Match #2 Divas Championship Match

Kaitlyn (c) vs. A.J Lee
Ok so they have been doing this “Secret Admirer” story...... Yeah, I know, seriously. Well this has lead to this match, should be ok as AJ can wrestle at least. Aside from her quite ample rack I’ve never paid much attention to Kaitlyn (Hey, honesty is the best policy)

A.J Lee makes Kaitlyn submit using the Black Widow submission move to win the Divas championship.

Ok, I will put my hand up and admit, that wasn’t a bad match actually. Wasn’t overly struck on the lead to the finish but I reckon they will keep this rivalry going, if every match they have can improve on that then they should be good. Even the sympathy set up at the end doesn’t even get people behind Kaitlyn, we get Layla out to support her friend.... they don’t make out... how disappointing.

Backstage

The divas try to support Kaitlyn, she leaves.

Advert

Money in the Bank preview advert.

Payback panel of R-Truth, Big Show and Cody Rhodes talk about the matches. Josh Matthews introduces another Wyatt Family promo. Going for a Devils rejects kind of gimmick I think..... At least Husky Harris has got a gimmick.

Match # 3 United States Championship Match

Kane vs. Dean Ambrose (c)
Ok well Kane hit the pyro so this is a closed case already. Congrats to Dean Ambrose on the win. Don’t quite understand why Kane is in this match and not Randy Orton. The Shield has been booked to precision and have yet to lose a PPV match, Ambrose has been poised as the diamond of the group so getting him into some high profile PPV matches with experienced guys like Kane is going to be critical in building him as a “to be reckoned with” talent. Sadly Kane doesn’t really need a win or a belt anymore as he has a reputation of being a genuine bad ass and has been flexible to support newer rising stars, I do however think that if someone like Kane loses too often then it really devalues him when he is a pretty useful guy to have around.

Dean Ambrose wins the match to retain the United States championship via a count out victory.

Wasnt as good as the IC title match in my opinion, wasn’t really feeling it as I felt the result was very obvious there, was still an ok match though don’t get me wrong.

Advert

RVD is back!!! Awesome to hear but will be interesting to see how he is used.

Match # 4 World Heavyweight Championship Match
Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler(c)
Been a long time in the build for this match due to Ziggler having a concussion, Del Rio has had a best of 5 series with Big E Langston and a # 1 contenders match with Jack Swagger since then and is now primed for his match with Ziggler.  I’m a little disheartened that Ricardo is speaking English not Spanish, kind of takes away from the intro. The crowd are behind this match, chants for both guys going on, both guys are brilliant at what they do so I imagine they will bring a good show.

Alberto Del Rio wins the match to gain the World Heavyweight championship after a straight up kick to the face as Ziggler was prone.

Good psychology in the match with Del Rio aiming a lot in the head area, then the added bonus of seeing Big E Langston removed from ringside and then the fantastic reverse superplex. The way the crowd turned on Del Rio in this match and then with Del Rio playing it up could be moving towards turning Del Rio back heel, will see how he gets booked after this PPV. A very good match and both guys really played on the concussion angle and that really added to the match. Ziggler gets the sympathy spot at the end and the crowd are very loud chanting for Ziggler.

Segment

We are back to the Payback panel and they talk about Del Rios visicous attack on Ziggler to win the belt.

Del Rio comes back out and gets booed out of the building, he asks for the support of the people as the new world champion. I can see a heel turn here! Fantastic, he was much better as a heel.

Match # 5 - CM Punk vs Chris Jericho

Its been an interesting build to this match and one that seems to be a replay of their feud last year in a feud to decide who is the “Best in the World”, Jericho and Punk had some good matches last year so hopefully they will repeat this time. Jericho as usual hasn’t done much since returning except getting pinned by Fandango and Curtis Axel, but does generally put on a good show. Punk hasn’t been seen since the just after Wrestlemania but will be good to see him back in action, the crowd reaction for Punk is absolutely massive and understandably so, Punk is also sporting the Wolverine look, not good.

CM Punk wins after hitting the GTS after a pretty fantastic match, think the crowds reactions really added to the match as well, both guys really put on a good show! Good to have CM Punk back looking forward to seeing what they do with him next.

Match # 6 Tag Team Championship Match

The Shield (Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins) (c) vs. Randy Orton & Daniel Bryan
I do not understand this match unless it is building to an Orton vs. Bryan feud, as surely Kane & Bryan would be the best challengers for the tag straps. The Shield again has been booked pretty on point and they will surely bring some interest to the tag belts and even the US belt as well. Orton just seems a random pick here; I hope it does lead to a Bryan vs. Orton match as that would be pretty epic I think. Daniel Bryan, currently the best hot tag in the business today, is apparently on route for a major push so will be great to see where the next few months take him, hopefully separating from Kane will help to refresh his character.

Seth Rollins pins Daniel Bryan after a flurry of finishers to retain the tag team championships, a reasonably good match if a little confusing about the participants. Hoping this will lead to more Bryan vs. Orton booking, very interested to see who will be next up to face the Shield as there are some teams available but whether they will have the shield go over them or not is another thing.

Match # 7 WWE Championship match in Three Stages of Hell match

John Cena (c) Vs. Ryback
This match shouldn’t have been the main event, cant imagine anyone in Chicago caring about either of these guys in comparison to Jericho vs. Punk from earlier. Ryback’s heel turn has been a long time in coming, the “Feed Me More” gimmick could only go so far, so now we get to see what Ryback can actually do, I missed Extreme Rules so didn’t see how he performed at the PPV and with Cena being in there I can imagine Ryback getting the bulk of the offense. The stipulations for this match are interesting as usually these choices would be fall number 3 really, guess they wanted to push the bar a little for this one. May I also add in my two cents about the new WWE title belt... I HATE IT!!!! Now everyone gets their own custom title belt.. oh the joy.

A “You both suck” chant echoes at one stage.

Stage 1 (Lumberjack Match) – Ryback wins the fall via pinfall after hitting the Shellshocked.

Stage 2 (Tables Match) – John Cena wins the fall after using the Attitude Adjustment to put Ryback through a table.

Stage 3 (Ambulance Match) – John Cena wins the fall after using the Attitude Adjustment to put Ryback through the roof of the ambulance..... really!!!!

John Cena wins falls 2 and 3 to retain the WWE championship, this match was what it was, yeah Ryback got some good offence but Cena just pulls off the win as expected. Wasn’t a classic but was what it needed to be I guess. I still hate that new belt though.... its awful.

Well I think the shining stars of this PPV were the IC title match, the CM Punk / Jericho match and the Del Rio / Ziggler match for me personally. The major let down was the US title match, it just didn’t bring me in as much as the others, even the Divas match was a suprise for me so for the US match to not overshadow that match in my eyes is a little disappointing, considering the two wrestlers who were in there. So thats my two cents thrown in again for another PPV, I enjoyed it and I hope you did too.

Well the next PPV will be Money in the Bank PPV in July where we will see the return of the “Whole Dam Show” Rob Van Dam, I’m very much looking forward to it but for now, thanks for reading. Peace.

Welcome to 2013, this is my first review this year; the Rumble was spent with my SOS tag team partner at his house so wasn’t able to write anything up. This is a new year and I hope to be writing some more articles for the blog spot but for now this is my first review, enjoy.

This PPV has some interesting matches, the main focus of course is The Rock vs. C M Punk 2, The Royal Rumble win was a bad booking decision in my opinion but I am not the booker so I don’t know where they are going with the angle. The elimination chamber is only going to be seen 1 time in this PPV which is a new deal as for the last few years it has been featured twice, once for each world title. We have a 6 man tag match with Team Cena (John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus) Vs. The Shield (Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins), should be a good match if Cena stays out of the ring. Ha!

We have Cole, Jerry Lawler and the wrestling god himself JBL on commentary.

Match #1 – World Heavyweight Title Match

Alberto Del Rio (c) Vs. The Big Show

Well I still think the Royal Rumble should have been where Del Rio won the belt but again I am not the booker for WWE, wish I was, reckon it could be fun. ;-). Big Show was a dominant world champ but Del Rio has picked up some real momentum after winning the belt, momentum he needed really as he had started to flounder, I am however disappointed that he has stopped coming to the ring with the fancy cars. Sad times.

Winner: Alberto Del Rio via Submission (Cross Arm Breaker)

Moment of the Match: The finishing flurry, Del Rio hits about 3 different kicks to the Big Shows face then follows it up with the Arm Breaker.

Not a bad opening match, good to see Del Rio keeping up his momentum for Wrestlemania, be good to see him as the champion on the show.

Match #2 – United States Championship match

Antonio Cesaro (c) vs. The Miz

This should be good, Antonio Cesaro is one of the best wrestlers in the company and The Miz despite being a rubbish good guy is still quite good in the ring. Cesaro has been picking up so much momenbtum especially when he gets to show just how freakishly strong he is, just to add to how good he is technically as well.

Winner: Antonio Cesaro by DQ after The Miz accidently low blowed Cesaro

Moment of the Match: Cesaro lifting up the Miz with one arm, massive show of power.

Great match with some good psychology with Cesaro working on the injured shoulder of The Miz and then the Miz doing a little work to Cesaro’s left knee. Not the best finish but didn’t take away from the main body of the match. After the match Miz intentionally low blows Cesaro and talks some trash to Cesaro.

Segment 1

In the back with Kane and Daniel Bryan, still not getting on since they eliminated each other from the Royal Rumble. Talk about how important it is to win the chamber and they agree to watch each others back in the chamber.

Match #3 – Elimination Chamber match for the #1 Contenders spot for the World Title.

Chris Jericho vs. Jack Swagger vs. Mark Henry vs. Kane vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton

Ok, this is the Elimination Chamber PPV and the Elimination chamber is on 3^rd!!!!! WTF!! Doesn’t seem quite right but again I am not a WWE booker. I have sadly read the spoilers for this match so i know who wins, am still looking forward to seeing how it plays out though. We have Jack Swagger back from a short hiatus and Mark Henry back from injury so it will be good to see how they get on in the match. Kane, Randy Orton and Chris Jericho are no strangers to the Elimination Chamber and they will obviously put on a great show. Daniel Bryan is just brilliant so he will bring a more technical game to the violence of the chamber.

Jack Swagger is out first with Dirty Dutch Mantel; sorry Zeb Colter, cuts himself a promo, but wasn’t really listening though sorry. Kane is out next, can’t imagine he will cut a promo ;-). Next out is the World’s Strongest Man Mark Henry, someone is going to get their wig split, just remember folks if Mark Henry is charging for oxygen you need to keep your bill paid son, I think he should hit the world’s strongest slam on the chamber itself and kill everyone inside, be a sure fire winner then. Randy Orton is the next wrestler out, meaning that Chris Jericho, his sparkly coat, Daniel Bryan and his beard will be starting the match off.

3^rd entrant: Jack Swagger

4^th entrant: Kane

5^th entrant: Randy Orton

6^th entrant: Mark Henry

1^st man eliminated: Daniel Bryan by Mark Henry after a world’s strongest slam.

2^nd man eliminated: Kane by Mark Henry after a world’s strongest slam

3^rd man eliminated: Mark Henry by Randy Orton after an RKO

4^th man eliminated: Chris Jericho by Randy Orton after an RKO

Final elimination: Randy Orton by Jack Swagger with a roll up.

Moment of the match: Mark Henry being eliminated, then coming back into the chamber and hitting the world’s strongest slam on everyone left in the chamber. Brilliant.

Not a bad match, shame it wasn’t the main event and I’m glad Swagger won with a roll up as I can’t believe anyone would have bought into him beating Orton fair and square. Gonna be interesting to see what they do with Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger leading upto their match at Wrestlemania, obviously with the new character and manager they going with the Anti immigration angle.

Match # 4 – 6 Man Tag Team

THE Ryback, Sheamus & John Cena vs. The Shield
Should be a good match, I have also been told the winner of this match but it will be fun to see how it all comes about. The Shield have been booked really strong, even if they get beaten up on a show they still come out the winners at the PPV, they beat Hell No & Ryback at TLC and now I think they will do really well to go over these three guys.

Winner: The Shield, Roman Reigns spears Ryback and Seth Rollins pins Ryback

Moment of the Match: Ryback being tagged in for the first time, cant get over how he just man handled all three members of The Sheild.

Not the best match, was good to see The Shield go over the combination of Ryback, Cena and Sheamus. Be interesting what will happen from here with regards to The Shield and Ryback.

Segment 2

Dolph Ziggler, Big E Langston & AJ are in the ring, Dolph Ziggler talks about how he steals the show and how he is Mr Money in the Bank. Booker T comes out, figure we having a impromptu match, Booker brings out Kofi Kingston.

Match # 5 Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston

Not bad match to just throw into the show. Not so big on Kofi but am a huge Ziggler mark.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler after hitting the Zig Zag

 

Not a bad little match really, not very long but gets Ziggler on the PPV. Reminds people that he still has the money in the bank case.

Big E Langston then beats up Kofi after the match. Don’t see the point of that myself but gets him in the ring.

SIDE NOTE:
Great comment from JBL as the commentators talk about the WWE app, Jerry Lawler says he has a picture of him and his girlfriend as his background and JBL replies with “I got a picture of your girlfriend too”. Sorry just made me laugh!!

Segment 3

Brodus Clay is in the back playing with toys, Tensai comes in they joke about his tattoos then start dancing.... how crappy.

Match # 6 - Divas Championship Match

Kaitlyn (c) vs. Tamina Snucka

Divas match.... you know the deal, BRB. ;-)              

Winner: Kaitlyn pins Tamina after a spear.

Moment of the match: The End!

Match # 7 – WWE Championship Match

The Rock (c) vs. C M Punk

I could write a huge rant here about what I think of The Rock winning the title but I’m not going to, I am simply going to say that I think it is a bad choice. I have again been spoiled to the result of this match and let me tell you I think it’s a bad choice to have The Rock as WWE champion. The man is in no fit shape to be in the ring, he was puffing after about 4 minutes at the Rumble and we are now going to be subjected to Rock vs. Cena 2... so much for once in a lifetime. Punk should have been the champ until Wrestlemania and then they should have had him job the belt out to end his streak. I have just noticed this is turning into a rant so will just end it there.

Winner: The Rock pins C M Punk after the Rock Bottom.
Moment of the Match: C M Punk Rock Bottoming The Rock on the announce table, shame the table didn’t break.

SIDE NOTE

Another golden gem but this time from Jerry Lawler. JBL says that he should be worried about Punk as he gave the King a heart attack and he replies with “I think that was sitting next to Cole” Ha Ha!

Summary

This PPV was a bit of a letdown overall and there are a few reasons for it too, 1 is that the Elimination Chamber wasn’t the main event and that there was only the 1.

2. It did feel like a elongated trailer for G.I Joe, between adverts, plugs and pop ups I have had enough of the film and it isn’t even out yet.

3. The Rock retaining the belt, meaning we will be seeing Rock vs. Cena 2... Oh joy because the 1^st time round was soooo amazing. Also the fact he needs to get into better ring shape for Wrestlemania.

The chamber match itself was quite good and was very shocking to see Jack Swagger get himself into a world title match at Wrestlemania, never thought I would hear or say it.

For Wrestlemania I will be again with my partners from SOS so I’m sure we can get some videos and maybe my long awaited podcast too. Until next time. Peace.

TLC 2012 review

This PPV has had some real twists in its build, especially with the loss of CM Punk due to injury; the replacement match isn’t exactly mind blowing but am always happy to be proved wrong.

Match #1 – Tables match for #1 Contenders match for the tag team titles.

Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow

Go Cody’s stache!! I cannot stand Rey Mysterio, I like Sin Cara and I’m not such a huge Sandow fan either if I’m honest. With Cody being out injured this match hasn’t had much of a build but now Cody is back with his moustache, let’s hope we see some more of him on TV.

Team Rhodes Scholars wins after Rhodes pushes Sin Cara off the top rope through a table set up outside the ring. Not a bad match, except for the 5 minutes I couldn’t watch as the signal went on the feed I had downloaded, if that makes sense.

RECAP

The Shield promo. Not bad actually, I had yet to see it.

Match #2 – United States title match

Antonio Cesaro (c) vs. R-Truth

I love Cesaro, he is brilliant and anyone who doesn;t agree is just plain stupid, all you have to do is go back and watch any of his ROH or Chikara matches to see how good this guy is. R-Truth on the other hand is not quite so good, he was hot for about 5 minutes then somehow lost it which is a shame because he isn’t a bad wrestler.

Cesaro wins after hitting the neutralizer on R-Truth, was a good match, R-Truth looked quite strong in the match, but just fell at the last hurdle.

Matt Striker interviews Antonio after the match, he claims to be an international superpower and the best US champ in history, could very well be true.

BACKSTAGE

Josh Matthews interviews Dolph Ziggler (MR. Money In The Bank). Dolph complains that it isn’t fair that he has to put his money in the bank on the line and Cena has to put nothing on the line.

MIZ TV SEGMENT

Miz interviews the 3MB

REALLY! REALLY! REALLY!

(that is all)

Why is Ricardo Rodgriuez out here, then Alberto Del Rio comes out and gets beaten on by 3MB, is this a face turn????? This seems very confused!!

They challenge Alberto Del Rio and The Miz to find a partner to team together to face them.

BACKSTAGE

Team Hell No talk about Ryback. Bring back the YES! YES! YES!

Then Striker interviews Wade Barrett, he says he is confident about his match with Kofi for the IC belt.

Match # 3 – Intercontinental Championship match

Wade Barrett vs. Kofi Kingston (c)

I seem to be behind the bad guys this evening, I love Wade, the man is awesome, ok I do not like his finish, I prefer the Wasteland as a finish over the Bullhammer elbow shot. I have never been big on Kingston so it’s nothing new.

Kofi reverses the Bullhammer with Trouble in Paradise to get the pin on Wade and retain the IC title. Not a bad match but certainly felt the US title match was better to be honest.

SEGMENT

CM Punk is in the Skybox and he insults everyone. His new tshirt is brilliant, a parody of the Rock’s Boots to Asses t-shirt.

Match # 4 – TLC Match

Team Hell No & Ryback vs. The Shield

Team Hell No has grown on me, at first I didn’t like the fact they were taking two quite serious wrestlers and making them comedy characters but, its kinda working isn’t it?? Ryback is picking up some serious momentum, even if it is a little rushed and then you have the Shield who have all the talent they could possibly need and a platform to showcase it. A TLC match can generally go really well and will be good to see some good spots from all these men.

Some note worthy spots include Daniel Bryan being double suplexed off a table set up on the top turnbuckle, Ryback being powerbombed again through a table, Ryback double suplexing Rollins and Ambrose onto a ladder. The Shield get the pin after Reigns power bombs Daniel Bryan through a table. Really good match, very violent and a good result in the end.

Match # 5 – Divas Title Match

Eve Torres (c) vs. Naomi

OK!!! WHAT!!!

Eve is gorgeous and Naomi isn’t bad neither but I think she should stick to the semi lesbian dance routines with the other Funkadactyl, who I have learned is named Cameron. Good to know.

Eve wins with a neckbreaker, that no one cared about which is hilarious as it sadly wasn’t that a bad a match.

BACKSTAGE

Matt Striker interviews Big Show, he says he is gonna beat Sheamus.

Match # 6 – Chairs Match for the World Title

Big Show (c) vs. Sheamus

Haven’t paid much attention to the build up for this match as for some reason it is boring me, I like Big Show and I like Sheamus but together they just don’t click for me. Sheamus as the challenger is much cooler to watch then Sheamus as the champion I think. Big Show deserves to be the champion, he is such a massive human being that it makes sense to give the man the belt for a strong run.

Big Show wins after getting a MASSIVE chair from under the ring and smashing Sheamus with it, which was HILARIOUS!!! Not a bad match, what you expect from these two really.

BACKSTAGE

Cena and AJ talking in the back, she apologizes for everything that has happened and thanks him for being there. He says to hold off until he wins.

Match # 7 – 6 Man Tag Match

3MB (Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal & Drew McIntyre) vs. The Miz, Alberto Del Rio & The Brooklyn Brawler.

WTF is going on here, had Del Rio turned face? Why is the Brooklyn Brawler here? Half the crowd there don’t even know who he is!! OMG!! This is 2012 people!!

Brooklyn Brawler gets the submission victory after putting Jinder Mahal in the Boston crab. What happened here!!!??? I’m confused!!

Match # 8 – Ladder Match for the Money in the Bank contract

John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler has to win this, I will cry if he doesn’t, Cena doesn’t need the MITB case and Ziggler kinda does at this stage. Cena is just needing to stay busy till he gets to Wrestlemania, Ziggler is simply doing what Kane did last year, but hopefully this time the right person will win.

Oh wow, AJ pushes Cena along with the ladder over and this buys Ziggler time to climb the ladder and grab his case to win the match and retain his money in the bank contract!! Brilliant, proving that Ziggler deserves to be in the main event!

WOW what a PPV, pretty mad in places but quite good for sheer amount of matches thrown in there and is never a bad idea to have Ziggler in the main event. The next stop is the ROYAL RUMBLE! This will be great as I will be watching it live with my Tag partner over at Site of Shite and hopefully be lauching my own podcast too! Big things lined up for 2013 on the Genesis front I hope.

Catch you all then.