Match 1: Mike Bennett vs. Adam Cole vs. Michael Elgin vs. Grizzly Redwood
Just a totally fun opening contest that showcases Elgin to his fullest potential. The build for this man has been fantastic and while everyone else in this match looked good, no one stood out like the 2011 Survival of the Fittest.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Rating: ***½
Match 2: Jimmy Jacobs vs. Tommaso Ciampa
This match was mainly to push the storyline involving Kevin Steen who was sitting ringside as he tossed his drink onto Jacobs which led to a huge fight that ended the match in a no contest. Both men are a pleasure to watch in the ring.
Winner: n/a
Rating: *
Match 3: Tomasso Ciampa vs. Harlem Bravado
Harlem comes out after the mayhem and a match between Ciampa and Bravado ensues. Ciampa destroys Bravado for the win. I understand that Ciampa needs to look strong but why at this expense?
Winner: Tomasso Ciampa
Rating: n/a
Match 4: Eddie Edwards vs. Kyle O’Reilly
I only wish that this match had a bigger build to it and possibly lead into a big feud. However, the push for Final Battle continues in a great match between the two. Lots of great technical wrestling, interesting psychology, and an awesome finishing sequence. Both men look strong coming off the bout.
Winner: Eddie Edwards
Rating: ***¾
Match 5: The Briscoes vs. The Young Bucks
A strong match between these two great teams. Crowd is really behind The Briscoes as their chase for the belts continues. I always felt like these two teams didn’t have the best chemistry ever but this one was definitely otherwise.
Winners: The Briscoes
Rating: ***½
Match 6: Proving Ground - Jay Lethal vs. Roderick Strong
We now have a Proving Ground contest between Jay Lethal and Roderick Strong who is trying to gain a shot at the Television Championship. Some really good wrestling from the two that really shows off how crafted they have become in the ring. Pretty cool to see how different their styles are compared to the earlier matches. Strong gains a shot for the championship after surviving the time limit. However, they go an extra five minutes in which Lethal drops Strong on his neck for the win.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Rating: ***¼
Match 7: ROH World Tag Team Championships - Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team © vs. The All Night Express
This is The All Night Express’ big chance for the belts and these guys delivered an awesome match. The match had great flow and timing and while I was a bit turned off in the beginning, they really turned things up a notch as the crowd began to get heavily invested in the contest and all four men put on one hell of a show. A great ending with King and Haas cussing each other out leads to Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team retaining.
Winners: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
Rating: ***¾
Match 8: ROH World Championship - Davey Richards © vs. El Generico
I’ve always felt that these two have tremendous chemistry and this match is a great example. The story behind this match was just perfect for a championship main event. Two good guys going at it with Richards as a legit champion and Generico as a legit competitor. Both bounded by the glory of becoming ROH World Champion. As you would come to expect, the match was fast and the crowd was most definitely into every bit of it. It was pretty clear that Richards was going to retain but both men managed to still keep everyone on their toes. Richards kicks Generico in the head to retain. Afterwards, Steen comes through the crowd to fight with everyone as Richards closes out the show with a great speech afterwards. Fantastic main event with a fantastic way to end the night on a cliffhanger. Richards is the face of this company and as I previously stated, he comes off as a legit champion. He is definitely the man to close these big shows out.
Winner: Davey Richards
Rating: ****
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Glory by Honor has become one of my favorite annual shows and this year featured a great show with a fantastic main event that leads the company in many directions. For all the hate Richards gets, there is no denying that he is shining in his role as the face of the company. That is where he belongs and where he needs to be. The road to Final Battle is looking good.
Rating: 8.5/10
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
WWE Hell in a Cell 2011 Review
Match 1: Christian vs. Sheamus
A very strong way to open up the night as Sheamus continues his hot streak. The crowd is really getting behind him and his build is growing nicely. A great back and fourth contest which saw Sheamus get the better of Christian. Both should be having strong roles on the Friday show.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: ***¼
Match 2: Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara
This very odd feud hopefully comes to an end here as Sin Cara Blue takes on Sin Cara Black. Yes, that’s the names we are going by. The match was the normal Sin Cara match you’d expect and the crowd wasn’t into the action at all. A bland match with a pretty cool finish by Blue.
Winner: Sin Cara
Rating: *
Match 3: WWE Tag Team Championships - Air Boom © vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger
Another match that felt as if it were a television contest. It’s cool to see that the tag team division is being rebuilt supposedly but matches like this don’t do much. Things just seemed rushed and clustered.
Winners: Air Boom
Rating: **
Match 4: World Heavyweight Championship - Hell in a Cell - Mark Henry © vs. Randy Orton
Still awesome to see Henry walk down the aisle with the belt on his shoulder. His matches have been great and this one surpassed everyone’s expectations. Great psychology from bell to bell with Henry showing off his dominance as Orton fought but just couldn’t beat him. However, Orton did manage to fend off Henry after the match with a steel chair to keep the ball rolling.
Winner: Mark Henry
Rating: ***
Match 5: Intercontinental Championship - Cody Rhodes © vs. John Morrison
Rhodes reveals the rebooted Intercontinental Championship before learning that he must face John Morrison for the belt. Some good back and fourth action and a nice way to get both men some PPV time. Cody gets the quick win to retain his gold and upset Morrison.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Rating: **½
Match 6: Divas Championship - Kelly Kelly © vs. Beth Phoenix
Gotta give credit where it needs to be given. This match was not only much better than their last bout on PPV, but the action was actually pretty entertaining. Phoenix wins after Natalya gets involved. Definitely a pleasant surprise.
Winner: Beth Phoenix
Rating: **
Match 7: WWE Championship - Hell in a Cell - John Cena © vs. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio
For the first time ever, a triple threat Hell in a Cell match will be contested for the WWE Championship. A lot of uncertainties were going entering this match but this was really a fun match. However, the ambiance for this match has been lost and the big match feel was definitely lost. The action was there but the innovation and creativeness has seemingly disappeared. Ricardo Rodriguez becomes a crucial factor in the match when he unlocks the cage door which leads to Del Rio locking Cena out of the match as he then went on to pin Punk for the win. The celebration leads nowhere when Miz & R-Truth come out and eventually get handcuffed by the police as Triple H makes an appearance and lets out his frustrations.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Rating: ***¾
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Just like I stated in my review for the main event, the innovation and creativeness for this match is just about gone. The two Hell in a Cell matches had no right of being inside the cage. WWE continues to pour out pointless and meaningless PPVs that only lead to cliffhangers. I’m pretty sure this entire show will be forgotten in the next couple weeks.
Rating: 6/10
A very strong way to open up the night as Sheamus continues his hot streak. The crowd is really getting behind him and his build is growing nicely. A great back and fourth contest which saw Sheamus get the better of Christian. Both should be having strong roles on the Friday show.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: ***¼
Match 2: Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara
This very odd feud hopefully comes to an end here as Sin Cara Blue takes on Sin Cara Black. Yes, that’s the names we are going by. The match was the normal Sin Cara match you’d expect and the crowd wasn’t into the action at all. A bland match with a pretty cool finish by Blue.
Winner: Sin Cara
Rating: *
Match 3: WWE Tag Team Championships - Air Boom © vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger
Another match that felt as if it were a television contest. It’s cool to see that the tag team division is being rebuilt supposedly but matches like this don’t do much. Things just seemed rushed and clustered.
Winners: Air Boom
Rating: **
Match 4: World Heavyweight Championship - Hell in a Cell - Mark Henry © vs. Randy Orton
Still awesome to see Henry walk down the aisle with the belt on his shoulder. His matches have been great and this one surpassed everyone’s expectations. Great psychology from bell to bell with Henry showing off his dominance as Orton fought but just couldn’t beat him. However, Orton did manage to fend off Henry after the match with a steel chair to keep the ball rolling.
Winner: Mark Henry
Rating: ***
Match 5: Intercontinental Championship - Cody Rhodes © vs. John Morrison
Rhodes reveals the rebooted Intercontinental Championship before learning that he must face John Morrison for the belt. Some good back and fourth action and a nice way to get both men some PPV time. Cody gets the quick win to retain his gold and upset Morrison.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Rating: **½
Match 6: Divas Championship - Kelly Kelly © vs. Beth Phoenix
Gotta give credit where it needs to be given. This match was not only much better than their last bout on PPV, but the action was actually pretty entertaining. Phoenix wins after Natalya gets involved. Definitely a pleasant surprise.
Winner: Beth Phoenix
Rating: **
Match 7: WWE Championship - Hell in a Cell - John Cena © vs. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio
For the first time ever, a triple threat Hell in a Cell match will be contested for the WWE Championship. A lot of uncertainties were going entering this match but this was really a fun match. However, the ambiance for this match has been lost and the big match feel was definitely lost. The action was there but the innovation and creativeness has seemingly disappeared. Ricardo Rodriguez becomes a crucial factor in the match when he unlocks the cage door which leads to Del Rio locking Cena out of the match as he then went on to pin Punk for the win. The celebration leads nowhere when Miz & R-Truth come out and eventually get handcuffed by the police as Triple H makes an appearance and lets out his frustrations.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Rating: ***¾
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Just like I stated in my review for the main event, the innovation and creativeness for this match is just about gone. The two Hell in a Cell matches had no right of being inside the cage. WWE continues to pour out pointless and meaningless PPVs that only lead to cliffhangers. I’m pretty sure this entire show will be forgotten in the next couple weeks.
Rating: 6/10
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