Match 1: Intercontinental Championship - The Miz © vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Sin Cara
Definitely cool to hear JBL back in the booth and seeing Mysterio again in the ring. This was a perfect way to open up the show, the action was not too fast but it was fast enough to get the crowd going and have a pretty damn good match. Things started off feeling like a tag match with the heels siding with each other and the faces, too. But as the action progressed, everyone was all for themselves and things started to spill in and out of the ring. Sin Cara pulled out a mask to put over the face of Cody Rhodes until things backfired. The mask was placed on the face of Miz who lands a Skullcrushing Finale on Rhodes to pick up a blind win. A pretty cheesy finish to a pretty fun match overall. The ending felt unnecessary and somewhat drew away from an entertaining match. All in all, a nice start to the show in Boston.
Winner: The Miz
Rating: **¾
Match 2: WWE World Tag Team Championships - Kofi Kingston & R-Truth © vs. Daniel Bryan & Kane
This whole thing between Bryan & Kane may sound odd on paper, but it is easily becoming the best thing on WWE television. Kane needs some sort of award for all the things he has done for the company. Incidentally, the two form a team to challenge for the championships on the second match of the night. Crowd virtually has no interest in the team of Kingston & Truth with the focus being centered around Bryan & Kane. With that being said, interesting match that showed again, zero focus on the team of Kingston & Truth with Bryan eventually pushing Kane on top of Kingston from the top rope to get the victory. Proper win to advance the storyline for these guys and this should certainly make for some interesting television and matches down the road.
Winners: Daniel Bryan & Kane
Rating: *¾
Match 3: United States Championship - Antonio Cesaro © vs. Zack Ryder
These two guys are on two completely different ships in the WWE. Ryder is on a sinking one while Cesaro is simply getting ready to depart. Cesaro is such a joy to watch, it is really cool to see how he translated his work from ROH or other independent companies to the WWE style. JBL did a fantastic job of building up the guy and the match itself which was for the better part, dominated by Cesaro. Cesaro makes pretty quick work of Ryder to pick up another victory. Big things seem to be on the horizon for this man.
Winner: Antonio Cesaro
Rating: *¼
Match 4: Dolph Ziggler vs. Randy Orton
I guess you can look at this match as the seeds to be planted for a future feud down the line. The pacing of the match started off slowly like nearly all Orton matches but everything picks up in the final minutes down the stretch. And let me tell you something, nobody in the WWE can finish off a match like Randy Orton. Things were going back and fourth with Ziggler seemingly getting the better of things until Orton takes things outside. Lands a nasty DDT on the floor and tosses up Ziggler before hitting a sweet RKO to cap off the match. Say what you want about the slowness early on but there is no doubting that they took us on a ride before the closing minutes of the match. As a matter of fact, the beginning stages of the match were just used to build what would end up being a wild finish. Ziggler takes a loss here but manages to still look strong in the process as he is facing Randy Orton. Both benefit from the match and this may be a sleeper hit for the show tonight.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***¼
Match 5: Divas Championship - Layla © vs. Eve
In place for an injured Kaitlyn who was attacked backstage, Eve challenges Layla for the Divas Championship. Match was as basic as it gets but they still managed to pull through with a crowd being very unsupportive for their efforts. Layla falls into Eve’s traps with a fake handshake which allowed Eve to gain an upper hand. Eve quickly gets the win over Layla to win the Divas Championship. Not much to say here other than another title change for the night as Eve continues her streak as a heel.
Winner: Eve
Rating: ¾*
Match 6: World Heavyweight Championship - Sheamus © vs. Alberto Del Rio
Sheamus is having a career year in WWE and faces Del Rio once again. The twist this time around is that Sheamus is banned from using his patented Brogue Kick. The storyline leading into this match surrounds this twist and allows for Sheamus to be more versatile. However, Booker T decides to legalize the Brogue Kick right before the match. Sheamus lands a big kick to David Otunga right after the announcement and the match begins. Very similar to their other encounters and nothing different from what we have seen. Sheamus was playing the John Cena role for a larger part of the match with Del Rio dominating much of the contest. Del Rio is a great heel and a perfect one for Sheamus to go against as the World Heavyweight Champion. Sheamus gets the win after finally hitting his Brogue Kick after Del Rio missed his flying kick in the corner. Again, nothing out of the ordinary here, just another victory for Sheamus. We won’t be talking about this in a year from now.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: ***
Match 7: WWE Championship - CM Punk © vs. John Cena
Down the road, I strongly feel like people will be referring to this feud as the Austin vs. Rock of the era. This feud goes back to Money in the Bank 2011 and Summerslam 2011 where the two squared off. Rarely do we see guys tangle up again more than a year later in the main event but here we are. This time, instead of being in Punk’s hometown, we are in Cena’s hometown of Boston, MA. Punk comes out in Yankees pinstripe tights and proudly raises his title for an extended period of time to the dislike of the crowd before the match begins. My biggest fear of this was that it would be too similar of their previous bouts and while the match was still excellent in its own regard, it did feel like I was watching a lot of the same. While trying to keep this thought away from my mind, I enjoyed an old school type of match that often felt like a match with a caliber to be a WrestleMania main event. A perfect blend of technical wrestling, storytelling, and just the right amount of near falls to keep us on the edge of our seats while not being pushed off. Can’t say enough good things about JBL on commentary, all he does is make these guys sound like a million dollars. He has incredible insight to both guys and offers his takes from a perspective of a guy who has faced off against both men. Every move and every counter made more sense when JBL explained them accordingly. And trust me, there was a ton of different moves and counters. Let’s not forget about Paul Heyman, too. While he didn’t really do anything to affect the match itself, his sheer presence was enough to add a different kick to the match. After nearly thirty minutes of great action, Cena lands a suplex on Punk from the top rope to get the big win until the referee reverses the decision after announcing that both men had their shoulders on the mat. The result was a tie. Punk retains and knocks out Cena with the belt before walking out and proclaiming himself as the best in the world. I normally hate these types of false finishes, especially considering that this is the main event for the WWE Championship of all things. However, considering the circumstances of Punk’s title reign and the current feud surrounding the idea of respect, this was brilliant. Punk weasels his way out of another win and his long reign continues.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ****¼
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Night of Champions is one of my favorite PPV concept styles that the WWE has produced in the last few years. I really wish they would make this show a bigger deal and the main event just adds the event’s history. Even still, this was a bad effort at best and didn’t really capture the essence of momentum that Summerslam had created. A couple good matches don’t make up for what should be considered as a letdown of a show.
Rating: 5.75/10
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Saturday, October 5, 2013
WWE Summerslam 2012 Review
Match 1: Dolph Ziggler vs. Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho has seemingly missed his chance to win the big one in several years. He hasn’t necessarily won any marquee matches since 2008 or 2009. Ziggler has let this be known to Jericho where the two will face each other in the opening contest of the night. This is the perfect match to set the pace of the night, Ziggler is becoming the guy to open up Summerslam throughout the past few years. Jericho’s veteran instincts really brought out the best of Ziggler here and his unselfishness really was in display here at a forefront. Jericho has become popular for simply making his opponents look stronger in recent years. Fun back and fourth action from the two mixed with a little bit of everything. Jericho is selling is injured ribs nicely and Ziggler is making the most out of his opportunities. Even still, Ziggler isn’t able to pull through as Jericho makes Ziggler tap out to get a big Summerslam win! Great opening match to set up the night, Ziggler eating a loss doesn’t hurt him as he put in a very great wrestling display.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Rating: ***¼
Match 2: Daniel Bryan vs. Kane
The crowd is really getting into Bryan, a huge push should be in order for him soon as he faces Kane in the second match of the night. Bryan practically has great chemistry with everybody on the roster and while Kane may be a challenge for even him, the two had a fun little match here. Nothing that we haven’t come to expect from the two, just a good match to have following the opener with Bryan picking up the surprise win after Kane tries to take out Bryan after hitting a Chokeslam.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Rating:**½
Match 3: Intercontinental Championship - The Miz © vs. Rey Mysterio
It is no secret that Mysterio is nearing the end of his course. But that doesn’t mean that he is not capable of putting on fun matches with guys like The Miz. The crowd is actually pretty split for the two as their star powers have easily dwindled throughout the course of the year due to their absences. Even still, they put on a good match with a few nifty spots until Miz eventually gets the best of Mysterio for the win. Life in this title is at a low, Miz holding it somewhat brings a little more credibility and especially considering how he defeats Mysterio at Summerslam. Match was good for what it was and served its purpose in a short period.
Winner: The Miz
Rating: **¼
Match 4: World Heavyweight Championship - Sheamus © vs. Alberto Del Rio
Coming off their match at Money in the Bank, their feud spills over into Summerslam. As expected, the action was similar to that match but it doesn’t really take anything away from the match. Both men have established themselves as the top dogs on SmackDown and their match here shows it. Great back and fourth action from the two as the crowd was definitely into the action. After Del Rio nearly picks up the win, he tries to cleverly get the win by having Ricardo Rodriguez toss him his shoe. However, Del Rio misses the catch and Sheamus gets a hold of it to land a nasty blow. Sheamus hits an Irish Curse to get the victory only after the referee doesn’t see Sheamus shoving Del Rio’s foot off the rope. The finish felt so awkward but still a cool way for Sheamus to get the win. In a way, in kind of reminded me of Eddie beating Kurt Angle at WrestleMania XX. The only difference being that this wasn’t executed as nicely. It hurt the match more than anything. Good match that suffered a bit from an odd finish.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: ***
Match 5: WWE Tag Team Championships - Kofi Kingston & R-Truth © vs. The Primetime Players
Just a basic filler match to pass time and get these guys a quick spot on the card. Really feel like The Primetime Players are starting to rise above and have definitely earned my consideration for champions. Good match with your typical action you would normally see on an episode of Raw. Kingston & Truth retain as they continue their reign as champions.
Winners: Kofi Kingston & R-Truth
Rating: *¾
Match 6: WWE Championship - CM Punk © vs. John Cena vs. The Big Show
For all the times these guys have done battle, there is still interest in them feuding and a triple threat match works nicely for the WWE Championship match. They have established Big Show as the dark horse of the match with the main focus being between Punk and Cena and the action nicely demonstrates that with Show not necessarily being the focal point of the match. However, he still is able to get in a great amount of offense and not let the audience forget that he is still in the match. Punk and Cena both lock Show simultaneously in submissions and Show cannot carry on as he taps out. A winner cannot be declared so AJ Lee comes out to restart the match. I normally hate it when matches have this type of scuffle but considering the feud heating up between the two, it worked. Show immediately lands a Chokeslam to both guys but is not able to secure the victory. Cena eventually hits Show with an Attitude Adjustment but Punk tosses Cena out of the ring and covers Show to get the win. While the finish was predictable, it worked as Punk is still looking to get going as a heel and get the feud really cooking. Punk mocks Cena and celebrates after as his long reign goes on.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ***¼
Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H
It’s the perfect storm. The main event of Summerslam 2012 in Los Angeles at the Staples Center features Triple H stepping in the ring against Brock Lesnar. This is probably the most hyped Summerslam main event in the past decade or so. Stemming from Lesnar breaking Triple H’s arm a few months back on Raw, The Game had no other option but to gain his revenge. WWE has done an excellent job at promoting this match and it doesn’t stop at the event itself. Beautiful video packages along with top notch commentary allow this match to beckon a big match type of feel. Things start off hot with Triple H getting the better of the exchange early on but only makes Lesnar angry and allows him to take advantage. Lesnar looked dominant throughout but not to the point where it became lopsided because Triple H managed to fight back and make things very interesting. Triple H focused on the stomach of Lesnar after driving him into the corner of the table and nearly became the downfall for Lesnar who has a huge history of stomach problems. Lesnar proved to be too strong and too powerful for The Game to handle as Lesnar made Triple H tap out with the Kimura submission when Triple H when for a pin attempt from the Pedigree after focusing on Triple H‘s arm throughout the match. The near falls were believable, the counters were just ridiculous, the psychology was there, the crowd was alive yet this will be one of the most overlooked Summerslam main events. I think many just simply dislike the fact that Triple H is again inserted into another main event but there is no denying the effort that both men put into this match to make it what it was. Let’s also not forget the presence of Paul Heyman. His shouting and screaming added another layer to the match and only made the audience hate Lesnar more than they already do. Aside from that, referee Scott Armstrong was informed by Triple H to only end the match via pin fall or submission and seeing Lesnar land a low blow upon Triple H made him look like a nasty heel. Pure awesome. This match definitely matches up to Lesnar’s match against Cena back in May. Lesnar winning somewhat avenges his loss against Cena and makes him look like a beast in the process.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: ****½
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
A rather weak Summerslam with only a couple bright spots to look at when it is all said and done. Everything on the card is rather forgettable until we talk about the main event. Brock Lesnar is on top of his game and is easily the biggest attraction in wrestling today, bar none. The theme of the show is focused around the main event and in all honesty, it is for the right reason.
Rating: 6.5/10
Chris Jericho has seemingly missed his chance to win the big one in several years. He hasn’t necessarily won any marquee matches since 2008 or 2009. Ziggler has let this be known to Jericho where the two will face each other in the opening contest of the night. This is the perfect match to set the pace of the night, Ziggler is becoming the guy to open up Summerslam throughout the past few years. Jericho’s veteran instincts really brought out the best of Ziggler here and his unselfishness really was in display here at a forefront. Jericho has become popular for simply making his opponents look stronger in recent years. Fun back and fourth action from the two mixed with a little bit of everything. Jericho is selling is injured ribs nicely and Ziggler is making the most out of his opportunities. Even still, Ziggler isn’t able to pull through as Jericho makes Ziggler tap out to get a big Summerslam win! Great opening match to set up the night, Ziggler eating a loss doesn’t hurt him as he put in a very great wrestling display.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Rating: ***¼
Match 2: Daniel Bryan vs. Kane
The crowd is really getting into Bryan, a huge push should be in order for him soon as he faces Kane in the second match of the night. Bryan practically has great chemistry with everybody on the roster and while Kane may be a challenge for even him, the two had a fun little match here. Nothing that we haven’t come to expect from the two, just a good match to have following the opener with Bryan picking up the surprise win after Kane tries to take out Bryan after hitting a Chokeslam.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Rating:**½
Match 3: Intercontinental Championship - The Miz © vs. Rey Mysterio
It is no secret that Mysterio is nearing the end of his course. But that doesn’t mean that he is not capable of putting on fun matches with guys like The Miz. The crowd is actually pretty split for the two as their star powers have easily dwindled throughout the course of the year due to their absences. Even still, they put on a good match with a few nifty spots until Miz eventually gets the best of Mysterio for the win. Life in this title is at a low, Miz holding it somewhat brings a little more credibility and especially considering how he defeats Mysterio at Summerslam. Match was good for what it was and served its purpose in a short period.
Winner: The Miz
Rating: **¼
Match 4: World Heavyweight Championship - Sheamus © vs. Alberto Del Rio
Coming off their match at Money in the Bank, their feud spills over into Summerslam. As expected, the action was similar to that match but it doesn’t really take anything away from the match. Both men have established themselves as the top dogs on SmackDown and their match here shows it. Great back and fourth action from the two as the crowd was definitely into the action. After Del Rio nearly picks up the win, he tries to cleverly get the win by having Ricardo Rodriguez toss him his shoe. However, Del Rio misses the catch and Sheamus gets a hold of it to land a nasty blow. Sheamus hits an Irish Curse to get the victory only after the referee doesn’t see Sheamus shoving Del Rio’s foot off the rope. The finish felt so awkward but still a cool way for Sheamus to get the win. In a way, in kind of reminded me of Eddie beating Kurt Angle at WrestleMania XX. The only difference being that this wasn’t executed as nicely. It hurt the match more than anything. Good match that suffered a bit from an odd finish.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: ***
Match 5: WWE Tag Team Championships - Kofi Kingston & R-Truth © vs. The Primetime Players
Just a basic filler match to pass time and get these guys a quick spot on the card. Really feel like The Primetime Players are starting to rise above and have definitely earned my consideration for champions. Good match with your typical action you would normally see on an episode of Raw. Kingston & Truth retain as they continue their reign as champions.
Winners: Kofi Kingston & R-Truth
Rating: *¾
Match 6: WWE Championship - CM Punk © vs. John Cena vs. The Big Show
For all the times these guys have done battle, there is still interest in them feuding and a triple threat match works nicely for the WWE Championship match. They have established Big Show as the dark horse of the match with the main focus being between Punk and Cena and the action nicely demonstrates that with Show not necessarily being the focal point of the match. However, he still is able to get in a great amount of offense and not let the audience forget that he is still in the match. Punk and Cena both lock Show simultaneously in submissions and Show cannot carry on as he taps out. A winner cannot be declared so AJ Lee comes out to restart the match. I normally hate it when matches have this type of scuffle but considering the feud heating up between the two, it worked. Show immediately lands a Chokeslam to both guys but is not able to secure the victory. Cena eventually hits Show with an Attitude Adjustment but Punk tosses Cena out of the ring and covers Show to get the win. While the finish was predictable, it worked as Punk is still looking to get going as a heel and get the feud really cooking. Punk mocks Cena and celebrates after as his long reign goes on.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ***¼
Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H
It’s the perfect storm. The main event of Summerslam 2012 in Los Angeles at the Staples Center features Triple H stepping in the ring against Brock Lesnar. This is probably the most hyped Summerslam main event in the past decade or so. Stemming from Lesnar breaking Triple H’s arm a few months back on Raw, The Game had no other option but to gain his revenge. WWE has done an excellent job at promoting this match and it doesn’t stop at the event itself. Beautiful video packages along with top notch commentary allow this match to beckon a big match type of feel. Things start off hot with Triple H getting the better of the exchange early on but only makes Lesnar angry and allows him to take advantage. Lesnar looked dominant throughout but not to the point where it became lopsided because Triple H managed to fight back and make things very interesting. Triple H focused on the stomach of Lesnar after driving him into the corner of the table and nearly became the downfall for Lesnar who has a huge history of stomach problems. Lesnar proved to be too strong and too powerful for The Game to handle as Lesnar made Triple H tap out with the Kimura submission when Triple H when for a pin attempt from the Pedigree after focusing on Triple H‘s arm throughout the match. The near falls were believable, the counters were just ridiculous, the psychology was there, the crowd was alive yet this will be one of the most overlooked Summerslam main events. I think many just simply dislike the fact that Triple H is again inserted into another main event but there is no denying the effort that both men put into this match to make it what it was. Let’s also not forget the presence of Paul Heyman. His shouting and screaming added another layer to the match and only made the audience hate Lesnar more than they already do. Aside from that, referee Scott Armstrong was informed by Triple H to only end the match via pin fall or submission and seeing Lesnar land a low blow upon Triple H made him look like a nasty heel. Pure awesome. This match definitely matches up to Lesnar’s match against Cena back in May. Lesnar winning somewhat avenges his loss against Cena and makes him look like a beast in the process.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: ****½
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
A rather weak Summerslam with only a couple bright spots to look at when it is all said and done. Everything on the card is rather forgettable until we talk about the main event. Brock Lesnar is on top of his game and is easily the biggest attraction in wrestling today, bar none. The theme of the show is focused around the main event and in all honesty, it is for the right reason.
Rating: 6.5/10
Thursday, August 22, 2013
WWE Money in the Bank 2012 Review
Match 1: World Heavyweight Championship Contract Money in the Bank - Dolph Ziggler vs. Damien Sandow vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Santino Marella vs. Sin Cara vs. Christian vs. Tensai
Differentiating each match from the past year is always the biggest challenge for the competitor’s in the ring. While this group doesn’t look like the most promising on paper, I still had confidence that they would pull off a good one. This match came off as a bit of a cluster and very sluggish at times. It looks like they wanted to pull off big moves to impress but on occasion, came up a bit too short. However, more than most of the time, they managed to create some daring and innovative spots including Tensai recalling last year’s match by slamming Sin Cara on top of a ladder. Tyson Kidd was the sleeper hit of the match. While not the most recognized face of the match, he definitely took advantage of his spot in the match and made an impact. Aside from maybe Cody Rhodes and the winner, nobody really came off as strong and it took away much of the match. It felt like many of the guys in the match were just there to fill spots. As Christian climbed the ladder to retrieve the briefcase, Ziggler popped out of nowhere and retrieved it himself. Christian is never going to win one of these. Wasn’t really expecting anyone else to win this match but it didn’t take anything away from the fun. Again, lots of sluggish spots but that is going to happen in this type of environment. Ziggler should be in the main event slot soon and as for everyone else, the future doesn’t look as promising. Sometimes, the obvious choice is the best choice.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: ***½
Match 2: World Heavyweight Championship - Sheamus © vs. Alberto Del Rio
This feud has become personal after Del Rio smashed Sheamus with the hood of his car. Sheamus looks to get revenge by successfully defending against Del Rio. This was the type of match you would expect from these two, good but nothing that necessarily crosses the line. Del Rio smartly focuses on the already damaged arm of Sheamus and looks to win using his submission lock. Crowd is a bit turned off by this style of wrestling and have definitely cooled down after the opener. This probably wasn’t the best spot to put this match on the card. The match itself just feels unimportant and lacks that flavor the previous match had to carry on the flame. Sheamus lands a White Noise on Del Rio with a huge Brogue Kick afterwards to pick up the win. Del Rio attacks Sheamus after the match which causes Dolph Ziggler to run out and try to cash in. However, Sheamus recovers in time to hit a Brogue Kick on Ziggler before the referee could start the match. A nice match with nice pacing and a good amount of time to go with it. The crowd wasn’t much into the action but I’m sure the viewers at home still enjoyed it. The feud definitely doesn’t end here and will likely carry into Summerslam.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: ***
Match 3: Epico & Primo vs. The Primetime Players
Really unsure why they felt the need to put this match on the card. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth come out to do commentary ringside. This really feels like it’s straight out of Raw. Abraham Washington accompanies The Primetime Players after turning on Epico & Primo a month ago. He adds an extra layer to the team and as odd as this may sound, he was a refreshing taste added to what was a dull match with an even duller commentary on the side. Epico & Primo get the surprise win but The Primetime Players don’t take it lightly as they go up to the faces of Kingston & Truth before Truth splashes water in Washington’s face. Unnecessary added match to the card that really didn’t serve any real purpose other than to give a gap between the title matches.
Winners: Epico & Primo
Rating: **
Match 4: WWE Championship - No Disqualification - CM Punk © vs. Daniel Bryan
With AJ playing the role as a special guest referee, this match has something odd written all over it. The two pulled off an amazing match at the May PPV in Over the Limit and look to repeat magic once again. I was scared that AJ would steal the action these two would put on in the ring and it happened to be the case here. I understand where this feud is headed and how it revolves mainly around her, but I don’t think anyone wanted her to become a distraction in what should be an awesome match. The other stipulation added to the match that there would be no disqualifications and this rule definitely helped elevate the match and separate it from its predecessor. The use of a chair, kendo stick, and a table at the end added not only to the match, but the heat that was between them. When foreign objects in wrestling are used in a correct manner, it can be so much fun to watch. The chemistry these two have in the ring is top notch and it was no different here as they took the crowd in a roller coaster of a match. AJ as a referee added an interesting dynamic to the mix but I just felt like the match could have been much better off with her interfering in it or something. A fun match with tons of back and fourth action but I couldn’t help but feel under whelmed when the match was over. My expectations going into this one were through the roof and while I still felt they delivered, I feel like a bigger deal could have been made. Punk’s reign continues into Summerslam.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ***¾
Match 5: Ryback vs. Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks
Since both guys could not beat Ryback individually, they get another shot in a handicap match. Just another predictable squash match to further Ryback. Looks like the guys in the back are really getting behind Ryback considering he gets another quick showing on PPV. Squash matches get crazy annoying.
Winner: Ryback
Rating: ½*
Match 6: Layla, Kaitlyn, & Tamina Snuka vs. Beth Phoenix, Natalya, & Eve
Layla is on fire as of late and looks to continue her streak in this tag match. Decent action from the Divas but they per usual, they don’t get the efficient amount of time to fully develop their matches. Therefore, every match comes off as stale and repetitive. However, I will admit that they made great use of their time and had a nice little match prior to the main event.
Winners: Layla, Kaitlyn, & Tamina Snuka
Rating: *
Match 7: WWE Championship Contract Money in the Bank - Kane vs. Chris Jericho vs. The Miz vs. John Cena vs. The Big Show
This is easily, if not the biggest Money in the Bank match of all time. Star power is written all over this one and they started off hot. Since this was the main event, not only did they have to be different, but they had to do something special to cap off the night. Starting off with Cena driving Show through the table with everyone burying him in ladders soon after, the action was nonstop for the most part and they managed to keep things interesting throughout. There are two of these matches in the night so in order to make sure this match is memorable, the guys need to be innovative. The hot crowd and action reminded me of one of those TLC matches back in the day. However, the match seemingly paced down near the final stages of the match where things cooled down and the match felt like a completely different animal from what I was watching just a few minutes ago. Big Show destroys all the ladders before bringing out an enormous ladder for him to propel himself slowly to the top. However, things get hectic when The Miz and Jericho try to stop him until they get punched to the ring below. Cena is in pursuit of the contract as he nails Show with the briefcase and takes it off its hook in the process. Cena wins in a really exciting fashion and lands a couple more blows to Show’s head with the briefcase for good measure. Just a fun match and a fitting way to cap off the night. Cena winning doesn’t really excite me considering how much we’ve seen him in the title picture. However, it doesn’t take away from what a unique match this was.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ****
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While this was still a pretty nice effort from the WWE, it just feels like they came up short just a tad bit. The 2011 version of this PPV was amazing and while nobody expected this event to be as memorable as that one, there was still this high expectation that was seemingly buzzing in the air. Even still, you won’t go wrong with checking this event out for a little bit of fun.
Rating: 7.75/10
Differentiating each match from the past year is always the biggest challenge for the competitor’s in the ring. While this group doesn’t look like the most promising on paper, I still had confidence that they would pull off a good one. This match came off as a bit of a cluster and very sluggish at times. It looks like they wanted to pull off big moves to impress but on occasion, came up a bit too short. However, more than most of the time, they managed to create some daring and innovative spots including Tensai recalling last year’s match by slamming Sin Cara on top of a ladder. Tyson Kidd was the sleeper hit of the match. While not the most recognized face of the match, he definitely took advantage of his spot in the match and made an impact. Aside from maybe Cody Rhodes and the winner, nobody really came off as strong and it took away much of the match. It felt like many of the guys in the match were just there to fill spots. As Christian climbed the ladder to retrieve the briefcase, Ziggler popped out of nowhere and retrieved it himself. Christian is never going to win one of these. Wasn’t really expecting anyone else to win this match but it didn’t take anything away from the fun. Again, lots of sluggish spots but that is going to happen in this type of environment. Ziggler should be in the main event slot soon and as for everyone else, the future doesn’t look as promising. Sometimes, the obvious choice is the best choice.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: ***½
Match 2: World Heavyweight Championship - Sheamus © vs. Alberto Del Rio
This feud has become personal after Del Rio smashed Sheamus with the hood of his car. Sheamus looks to get revenge by successfully defending against Del Rio. This was the type of match you would expect from these two, good but nothing that necessarily crosses the line. Del Rio smartly focuses on the already damaged arm of Sheamus and looks to win using his submission lock. Crowd is a bit turned off by this style of wrestling and have definitely cooled down after the opener. This probably wasn’t the best spot to put this match on the card. The match itself just feels unimportant and lacks that flavor the previous match had to carry on the flame. Sheamus lands a White Noise on Del Rio with a huge Brogue Kick afterwards to pick up the win. Del Rio attacks Sheamus after the match which causes Dolph Ziggler to run out and try to cash in. However, Sheamus recovers in time to hit a Brogue Kick on Ziggler before the referee could start the match. A nice match with nice pacing and a good amount of time to go with it. The crowd wasn’t much into the action but I’m sure the viewers at home still enjoyed it. The feud definitely doesn’t end here and will likely carry into Summerslam.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: ***
Match 3: Epico & Primo vs. The Primetime Players
Really unsure why they felt the need to put this match on the card. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth come out to do commentary ringside. This really feels like it’s straight out of Raw. Abraham Washington accompanies The Primetime Players after turning on Epico & Primo a month ago. He adds an extra layer to the team and as odd as this may sound, he was a refreshing taste added to what was a dull match with an even duller commentary on the side. Epico & Primo get the surprise win but The Primetime Players don’t take it lightly as they go up to the faces of Kingston & Truth before Truth splashes water in Washington’s face. Unnecessary added match to the card that really didn’t serve any real purpose other than to give a gap between the title matches.
Winners: Epico & Primo
Rating: **
Match 4: WWE Championship - No Disqualification - CM Punk © vs. Daniel Bryan
With AJ playing the role as a special guest referee, this match has something odd written all over it. The two pulled off an amazing match at the May PPV in Over the Limit and look to repeat magic once again. I was scared that AJ would steal the action these two would put on in the ring and it happened to be the case here. I understand where this feud is headed and how it revolves mainly around her, but I don’t think anyone wanted her to become a distraction in what should be an awesome match. The other stipulation added to the match that there would be no disqualifications and this rule definitely helped elevate the match and separate it from its predecessor. The use of a chair, kendo stick, and a table at the end added not only to the match, but the heat that was between them. When foreign objects in wrestling are used in a correct manner, it can be so much fun to watch. The chemistry these two have in the ring is top notch and it was no different here as they took the crowd in a roller coaster of a match. AJ as a referee added an interesting dynamic to the mix but I just felt like the match could have been much better off with her interfering in it or something. A fun match with tons of back and fourth action but I couldn’t help but feel under whelmed when the match was over. My expectations going into this one were through the roof and while I still felt they delivered, I feel like a bigger deal could have been made. Punk’s reign continues into Summerslam.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ***¾
Match 5: Ryback vs. Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks
Since both guys could not beat Ryback individually, they get another shot in a handicap match. Just another predictable squash match to further Ryback. Looks like the guys in the back are really getting behind Ryback considering he gets another quick showing on PPV. Squash matches get crazy annoying.
Winner: Ryback
Rating: ½*
Match 6: Layla, Kaitlyn, & Tamina Snuka vs. Beth Phoenix, Natalya, & Eve
Layla is on fire as of late and looks to continue her streak in this tag match. Decent action from the Divas but they per usual, they don’t get the efficient amount of time to fully develop their matches. Therefore, every match comes off as stale and repetitive. However, I will admit that they made great use of their time and had a nice little match prior to the main event.
Winners: Layla, Kaitlyn, & Tamina Snuka
Rating: *
Match 7: WWE Championship Contract Money in the Bank - Kane vs. Chris Jericho vs. The Miz vs. John Cena vs. The Big Show
This is easily, if not the biggest Money in the Bank match of all time. Star power is written all over this one and they started off hot. Since this was the main event, not only did they have to be different, but they had to do something special to cap off the night. Starting off with Cena driving Show through the table with everyone burying him in ladders soon after, the action was nonstop for the most part and they managed to keep things interesting throughout. There are two of these matches in the night so in order to make sure this match is memorable, the guys need to be innovative. The hot crowd and action reminded me of one of those TLC matches back in the day. However, the match seemingly paced down near the final stages of the match where things cooled down and the match felt like a completely different animal from what I was watching just a few minutes ago. Big Show destroys all the ladders before bringing out an enormous ladder for him to propel himself slowly to the top. However, things get hectic when The Miz and Jericho try to stop him until they get punched to the ring below. Cena is in pursuit of the contract as he nails Show with the briefcase and takes it off its hook in the process. Cena wins in a really exciting fashion and lands a couple more blows to Show’s head with the briefcase for good measure. Just a fun match and a fitting way to cap off the night. Cena winning doesn’t really excite me considering how much we’ve seen him in the title picture. However, it doesn’t take away from what a unique match this was.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ****
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While this was still a pretty nice effort from the WWE, it just feels like they came up short just a tad bit. The 2011 version of this PPV was amazing and while nobody expected this event to be as memorable as that one, there was still this high expectation that was seemingly buzzing in the air. Even still, you won’t go wrong with checking this event out for a little bit of fun.
Rating: 7.75/10
Monday, July 22, 2013
ROH Best in the World 2012: Hostage Crisis Review
Match 1: The Briscoes vs. The Guardians of Truth
The Guardians of Truth is Truth Martini’s big surprise as two guys with completely blackened masks come out and look to face off against The Briscoes. We have no apparent idea who these guys are and the commentators are left confused. The Guardians start off strong but in essence, this match comes off as a glorified squash match as The Briscoes quickly get the better of the team as Jay Briscoe rolls up one of them to get the pretty easy victory. Afterwards, Briscoes pick up Truth Martini and look to knock him out until The Guardians rescue him. The right match to open the show and nothing really notable here.
Winners: The Briscoes
Rating: *¼
Match 2: Eddie Edwards vs. Homicide
After Homicide attacked Edwards on television, a match between the two was officially signed for the iPPV. I’m a big fan of both guys so watching them go at it was very enjoyable as their wrestling styles gelled together nicely. Although Homicide is from New York and Edwards is from Boston, it was cool to see Edwards get the bigger pop from the crowd. The match didn’t last too long and in some sense, was the best call considering the large card for the rest of the show. What I did not like was seeing Homicide go over Edwards. I understand that they want to have Homicide challenge for the ROH World Championship but it shouldn’t be at the expense of Edwards.
Winner: Homicide
Rating: **¼
Match 3: Hybrid Fighting - Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly
The rules for this match are somewhat odd but it is very fitting and should make for an exciting match. Off the gate, the action was quick and O’Reilly looks to have the advantage with his extensive training. However, the two land nasty kicks to each other simultaneously during the middle of the match that left Cole bleeding ridiculously from his mouth. The amount of blood that dripped out was insane and added a whole new level to the match. O’Reilly seemingly has this one in the bag but Cole refuses to give up and allows the blood to become a means of inspiration. Cole is fired up and the crowd is eating every little minute of it. The commentators also did a great job of building the moment and noting how Cole’s refusal to wear a mouth guard ended up biting him in the rear end. Cole still doesn’t let up and the two exchange insane blows until the submission game becomes the weapon of choice. An awesome stretch of reversals results in Cole putting O’Reilly in the Figure Four to pick up the huge win. Cole offers his hand to O’Reilly which leads to O’Reilly slapping Cole in the face. The huge rivalry is over but not before creating a huge star in Adam Cole. An amazing performance from both men.
Winner: Adam Cole
Rating: ****
Match 4: Michael Elgin vs. Fit Finlay
Tensions between the guys in House of Truth grow as Roderick Strong continues to toy with Elgin and Elgin demands that no one accompany him ringside. In a lot of ways, this match was very similar to Roderick’s match a month back. Finlay has a very distinct style of wrestling and it shows in nearly all of his matches. There’s no reason to change your style when something has been working for decades. Just a very tough brawl with tons of technical moves, lots of fun to see but maybe not too much for the live New York crowd. Elgin tries to counter Finlay’s flawless wrestling technique with his powerful strength and it prevails for him. Elgin manages to kill off Finlay with a couple nasty bombs and like Roderick, gets the big win. Afterwards, Truth Martini runs out and celebrates as if he was the one that defeated Finlay. Elgin takes exception to this as he shoves Martini out of the way to shake Finlay’s hand. Good match with a really cool ending that sets up big things within House of Truth.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Rating: ***
Match 5: Mike Bennett vs. Mike Mondo
A quick impromptu match after Mondo interrupts Bennett’s Live PSA and basically calls Maria a whore. Not much to say here that hasn’t already been said. Typical action that we have come to expect from the two and the crowd really wasn’t much into the action. I don’t know why cussing in promos feels like a necessity for some wrestlers. To me, it just comes off as a desperate attempt to gain heat. Anyway, Mondo picks up the upset win against Bennett. Again, nothing to se here, just a way for these guys to get on the card and create a leeway for the main events.
Winner: Mike Mondo
Rating: *¼
Match 6: ROH World Television Championship - Roderick Strong © vs. Jay Lethal vs. Tommaso Ciampa
The Border Wars match between Lethal and Ciampa was one to remember, I’m hoping these guys could repeat that May magic. Tensions between all parties are intense, especially between Lethal and Ciampa who have a shoving contest before the bell. Strong looks to be the forgotten third wheel. Off the bat, the action is fierce and this is the perfect way for the match to be going along considering how the other matches on the card have been. It feels like something refreshing to see these guys wrestle at such a fast pace. Everyone played their roles nicely and it led to a few memorable spots including a huge chopping contest and Lethal locking both his opponents in submissions. However, controversy ended up becoming the main dish here with Strong pinning Ciampa after Prince Nana rolled in the ring that allowed Strong to sit and pin Ciampa. Afterwards, Strong destroyed Lethal with his nasty finisher to get the win. Fun roller coaster of a match that lacked time to fully develop into something special like the Border Wards match. Like the Elgin match earlier, many stories coming out of this one.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Rating: ***¼
Match 7: ROH World Tag Team Championships - Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team © vs. The All Night Express
The big match feel is once again back and the crowd is all over WGTT as they look to fend off The All Night Express. I can’t get over how awesome WGTT is as heels, they toy with the audience so much to the point where it just becomes so amusing to witness. From the start, WGTT look to have a huge advantage as their size and strength look to be too much for The All Nights to overcome. Even with Kenny King yelling in his corner, Rhett Titus looks to be the whipping boy of the match and seemingly takes the worst beating out of anyone. There was a point during the match where Haas got on the microphone and declared that if the referee didn’t prematurely end the match, WGTT would have to kill Titus. However, The All Nights don’t give up and do everything necessary in order to pick up the win including trying to get the fluke victory by tossing a chair into the hands of Shelton, a callback to Eddie Guerrero. When that doesn’t work, just have Titus drop a nasty DDT on it with the referee’s back turned. The match is becoming hectic and tons of fun. However, WGTT look to turn the tides and have Titus on the ropes until King saves the day and knocks out Benjamin. Titus, who took the biggest beating in the match, takes advantage of this and rolls up Haas for the win! The All Night Express are finally crowned! King & Titus celebrate afterwards before WGTT beat the living hell out of them. I think I liked this match more than most, seeing The All Nights prevail after a nasty beating by tow nasty heels was so cool. Finally, they’re on top.
Winners: The All Night Express
Rating: ***¾
Match 8: ROH World Championship - Anything Goes - Kevin Steen © vs. Davey Richards
While I was not a fan of their match at Border Wards, I have tons of interest in this match for whatever reason. I feel like their chemistry will gel in a much better form under these rules. The crowd has been great all night and they are at an insanely high level right now. Richards has vocally and publicly stated in numerous interviews that he does not like working these types of matches. However, considering the stakes involved here, this type of match was certainly a necessary ingredient to this big feud. The storytelling here was fantastic. To start the match, Kyle O’Reilly comes out and basically berates Richards and the New York crowd as he stated that he will not be in the corner of Davey Richards. Soon after, Richards got the match going with a bang by shoving Steen off the ring apron and through a table. We were able to look at the match and see how badly each man wanted to win. They turned the fight up a few notches and Richards looked like a rabid heel in the process. It’s almost as if he fights in a different manner with this type of character and it worked so well here in New York where the crowd is easily leaning towards Steen. The awesome table spots were innovative and came at crucial moments of the match, the use of the chain was awesome, and the two toying around with each other with Richards’ mouth guard made for such entertaining moments. Normally, I get generally annoyed when a match turns into a wreck in which things get hectic and out of control. However, this idea worked so perfectly because it simply defined the ambience the match was trying to convey. Both guys knocking out the referees made for unpredictable spots, Jim Cornette getting beaten down by Steve Corino was a fitting way for the match to wind down to its end, and Jacobs jumping on Richards in effort to help Steen showed how relentless this group was in its pursuit of taking over the company. Steen hits Richards in his stomach with the spike before finally putting him away to get another huge win. Steen gets on the microphone and puts over Richards as the best in the world while he labels Cornette, the New York City audience, and himself as hypocrites. Very cool to see him put over Richards like that after this huge rivalry. Richards won’t get the credit he simply deserves for this match and for this whole roller coaster of a feud. I liked this match over their previous one a million times over. One of the best ROH matches of the year and one of the best no disqualification matches that I have ever seen. While many believe that I underrated their Border Wars match, I’m sure they will also think that I am overrating this one. I loved the action, I loved the storytelling, I loved the atmosphere, and I loved the madness that ensued. If I had any gripes, it would probably be over how the big spots did not seem to necessarily take a toll of their bodies throughout the match but that can be easily forgiven due to the severities of the match. An awesome match, one that I hope doesn’t go forgotten.
Winner: Kevin Steen
Rating: ****¾
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
A strong showing from Ring of Honor that will ultimately be remembered for its main event. While a couple matches felt out of place, everything seemingly fell into the correct order and the show just had a great flow of things. Definitely the best New York outing that has been put out in quite some time. Steen vs. Richards II should be a match that needs to be watched by the wrestling world. Best in the world.
Rating: 9/10
The Guardians of Truth is Truth Martini’s big surprise as two guys with completely blackened masks come out and look to face off against The Briscoes. We have no apparent idea who these guys are and the commentators are left confused. The Guardians start off strong but in essence, this match comes off as a glorified squash match as The Briscoes quickly get the better of the team as Jay Briscoe rolls up one of them to get the pretty easy victory. Afterwards, Briscoes pick up Truth Martini and look to knock him out until The Guardians rescue him. The right match to open the show and nothing really notable here.
Winners: The Briscoes
Rating: *¼
Match 2: Eddie Edwards vs. Homicide
After Homicide attacked Edwards on television, a match between the two was officially signed for the iPPV. I’m a big fan of both guys so watching them go at it was very enjoyable as their wrestling styles gelled together nicely. Although Homicide is from New York and Edwards is from Boston, it was cool to see Edwards get the bigger pop from the crowd. The match didn’t last too long and in some sense, was the best call considering the large card for the rest of the show. What I did not like was seeing Homicide go over Edwards. I understand that they want to have Homicide challenge for the ROH World Championship but it shouldn’t be at the expense of Edwards.
Winner: Homicide
Rating: **¼
Match 3: Hybrid Fighting - Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly
The rules for this match are somewhat odd but it is very fitting and should make for an exciting match. Off the gate, the action was quick and O’Reilly looks to have the advantage with his extensive training. However, the two land nasty kicks to each other simultaneously during the middle of the match that left Cole bleeding ridiculously from his mouth. The amount of blood that dripped out was insane and added a whole new level to the match. O’Reilly seemingly has this one in the bag but Cole refuses to give up and allows the blood to become a means of inspiration. Cole is fired up and the crowd is eating every little minute of it. The commentators also did a great job of building the moment and noting how Cole’s refusal to wear a mouth guard ended up biting him in the rear end. Cole still doesn’t let up and the two exchange insane blows until the submission game becomes the weapon of choice. An awesome stretch of reversals results in Cole putting O’Reilly in the Figure Four to pick up the huge win. Cole offers his hand to O’Reilly which leads to O’Reilly slapping Cole in the face. The huge rivalry is over but not before creating a huge star in Adam Cole. An amazing performance from both men.
Winner: Adam Cole
Rating: ****
Match 4: Michael Elgin vs. Fit Finlay
Tensions between the guys in House of Truth grow as Roderick Strong continues to toy with Elgin and Elgin demands that no one accompany him ringside. In a lot of ways, this match was very similar to Roderick’s match a month back. Finlay has a very distinct style of wrestling and it shows in nearly all of his matches. There’s no reason to change your style when something has been working for decades. Just a very tough brawl with tons of technical moves, lots of fun to see but maybe not too much for the live New York crowd. Elgin tries to counter Finlay’s flawless wrestling technique with his powerful strength and it prevails for him. Elgin manages to kill off Finlay with a couple nasty bombs and like Roderick, gets the big win. Afterwards, Truth Martini runs out and celebrates as if he was the one that defeated Finlay. Elgin takes exception to this as he shoves Martini out of the way to shake Finlay’s hand. Good match with a really cool ending that sets up big things within House of Truth.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Rating: ***
Match 5: Mike Bennett vs. Mike Mondo
A quick impromptu match after Mondo interrupts Bennett’s Live PSA and basically calls Maria a whore. Not much to say here that hasn’t already been said. Typical action that we have come to expect from the two and the crowd really wasn’t much into the action. I don’t know why cussing in promos feels like a necessity for some wrestlers. To me, it just comes off as a desperate attempt to gain heat. Anyway, Mondo picks up the upset win against Bennett. Again, nothing to se here, just a way for these guys to get on the card and create a leeway for the main events.
Winner: Mike Mondo
Rating: *¼
Match 6: ROH World Television Championship - Roderick Strong © vs. Jay Lethal vs. Tommaso Ciampa
The Border Wars match between Lethal and Ciampa was one to remember, I’m hoping these guys could repeat that May magic. Tensions between all parties are intense, especially between Lethal and Ciampa who have a shoving contest before the bell. Strong looks to be the forgotten third wheel. Off the bat, the action is fierce and this is the perfect way for the match to be going along considering how the other matches on the card have been. It feels like something refreshing to see these guys wrestle at such a fast pace. Everyone played their roles nicely and it led to a few memorable spots including a huge chopping contest and Lethal locking both his opponents in submissions. However, controversy ended up becoming the main dish here with Strong pinning Ciampa after Prince Nana rolled in the ring that allowed Strong to sit and pin Ciampa. Afterwards, Strong destroyed Lethal with his nasty finisher to get the win. Fun roller coaster of a match that lacked time to fully develop into something special like the Border Wards match. Like the Elgin match earlier, many stories coming out of this one.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Rating: ***¼
Match 7: ROH World Tag Team Championships - Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team © vs. The All Night Express
The big match feel is once again back and the crowd is all over WGTT as they look to fend off The All Night Express. I can’t get over how awesome WGTT is as heels, they toy with the audience so much to the point where it just becomes so amusing to witness. From the start, WGTT look to have a huge advantage as their size and strength look to be too much for The All Nights to overcome. Even with Kenny King yelling in his corner, Rhett Titus looks to be the whipping boy of the match and seemingly takes the worst beating out of anyone. There was a point during the match where Haas got on the microphone and declared that if the referee didn’t prematurely end the match, WGTT would have to kill Titus. However, The All Nights don’t give up and do everything necessary in order to pick up the win including trying to get the fluke victory by tossing a chair into the hands of Shelton, a callback to Eddie Guerrero. When that doesn’t work, just have Titus drop a nasty DDT on it with the referee’s back turned. The match is becoming hectic and tons of fun. However, WGTT look to turn the tides and have Titus on the ropes until King saves the day and knocks out Benjamin. Titus, who took the biggest beating in the match, takes advantage of this and rolls up Haas for the win! The All Night Express are finally crowned! King & Titus celebrate afterwards before WGTT beat the living hell out of them. I think I liked this match more than most, seeing The All Nights prevail after a nasty beating by tow nasty heels was so cool. Finally, they’re on top.
Winners: The All Night Express
Rating: ***¾
Match 8: ROH World Championship - Anything Goes - Kevin Steen © vs. Davey Richards
While I was not a fan of their match at Border Wards, I have tons of interest in this match for whatever reason. I feel like their chemistry will gel in a much better form under these rules. The crowd has been great all night and they are at an insanely high level right now. Richards has vocally and publicly stated in numerous interviews that he does not like working these types of matches. However, considering the stakes involved here, this type of match was certainly a necessary ingredient to this big feud. The storytelling here was fantastic. To start the match, Kyle O’Reilly comes out and basically berates Richards and the New York crowd as he stated that he will not be in the corner of Davey Richards. Soon after, Richards got the match going with a bang by shoving Steen off the ring apron and through a table. We were able to look at the match and see how badly each man wanted to win. They turned the fight up a few notches and Richards looked like a rabid heel in the process. It’s almost as if he fights in a different manner with this type of character and it worked so well here in New York where the crowd is easily leaning towards Steen. The awesome table spots were innovative and came at crucial moments of the match, the use of the chain was awesome, and the two toying around with each other with Richards’ mouth guard made for such entertaining moments. Normally, I get generally annoyed when a match turns into a wreck in which things get hectic and out of control. However, this idea worked so perfectly because it simply defined the ambience the match was trying to convey. Both guys knocking out the referees made for unpredictable spots, Jim Cornette getting beaten down by Steve Corino was a fitting way for the match to wind down to its end, and Jacobs jumping on Richards in effort to help Steen showed how relentless this group was in its pursuit of taking over the company. Steen hits Richards in his stomach with the spike before finally putting him away to get another huge win. Steen gets on the microphone and puts over Richards as the best in the world while he labels Cornette, the New York City audience, and himself as hypocrites. Very cool to see him put over Richards like that after this huge rivalry. Richards won’t get the credit he simply deserves for this match and for this whole roller coaster of a feud. I liked this match over their previous one a million times over. One of the best ROH matches of the year and one of the best no disqualification matches that I have ever seen. While many believe that I underrated their Border Wars match, I’m sure they will also think that I am overrating this one. I loved the action, I loved the storytelling, I loved the atmosphere, and I loved the madness that ensued. If I had any gripes, it would probably be over how the big spots did not seem to necessarily take a toll of their bodies throughout the match but that can be easily forgiven due to the severities of the match. An awesome match, one that I hope doesn’t go forgotten.
Winner: Kevin Steen
Rating: ****¾
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
A strong showing from Ring of Honor that will ultimately be remembered for its main event. While a couple matches felt out of place, everything seemingly fell into the correct order and the show just had a great flow of things. Definitely the best New York outing that has been put out in quite some time. Steen vs. Richards II should be a match that needs to be watched by the wrestling world. Best in the world.
Rating: 9/10
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
WWE Extreme Rules 2012 Review
Match 1: Falls Count Anywhere - Randy Orton vs. Kane
Kicking off the big show is a rematch from WrestleMania between these two in a feud that has led to their families getting involved. I’m normally not a fan of this type of match but these two have a very good chemistry and they managed to make this match more than enjoyable. Fighting through the crowd can become so repetitive but in this case, the first match of the night with two big stars going at it, lots of fun to watch. More than anything, this match was simply two guys beating the living hell out of each other in a fight that led in the crowd and backstage. Zack Ryder even tried to take out Kane but he had no effect at all as Kane continued his focus on the slithering Randy Orton. Great back and fourth action before Kane looks to slam Orton atop a folded chair until Orton escaped Kane’s grip and landed a nasty RKO to avenge his loss a month ago.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***¼
Match 2: Brodus Clay vs. Dolph Ziggler
Not liking how we get more Brodus Clay matches on PPV and this should be example A. Ziggler is going to be a future big name for the company so putting him against Clay on PPV in a glorified squash match is so odd to me. Clay gets the win and does the normal routine dances. Nothing to say here, same thing we have seen for months on end.
Winner: Brodus Clay
Rating: ½*
Match 3: Intercontinental Championship - Tables - The Big Show © vs. Cody Rhodes
Another WrestleMania rematch as before the match started, Teddy Long spun a wheel that declared that the two would go at it in this type of match. The match ran for about five minutes with The Big Show basically tossing Rhodes around with ease and looked to have a major advantage in the match due to his size and strength. However, Rhodes managed to land a kick as Show was heading back into the ring which led to Show unintentionally breaking a table with his foot! The referee calls for the bell and Rhodes picks up the fluke win along with the Intercontinental Championship. Show absolutely destroys Rhodes by a Chokeslam through one table followed by tossing him outside of the ring onto another. Interesting way for Rhodes to get the win, something fun and different which may not be liked by most, but I liked it. Show dismantling Rhodes after was also really cool.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Rating: *½
Match 4: World Heavyweight Championship - 2 out of 3 Falls - Sheamus © vs. Daniel Bryan
Yes, it is another rematch from WrestleMania and this time, we will not be getting a squash match for the World Heavyweight Championship! The action kicking off the match is just brilliant, Bryan is truly a master craftsman in the ring and his abilities to counter move after move and use submission after submission shows that. The crowd is hot for this one and Bryan is easily the favorite as they are serenading him in all sorts of chants. Bryan puts his focus into the shoulder of Sheamus and gets disqualified after landing an array of nasty kicks to his shoulder. Bryan doesn’t look the slightest bit concerned as he smiles knowing that he has Sheamus on the ropes. He locks in the Yes Lock and the referee has no choice but to give a fall to Bryan to even up the score. Such a thrilling rematch that looks to have no line of stopping in sight. The doctors are checking up on Sheamus as we get set to begin the final chapter of the match. Sheamus lands a quick Brogue Kick upon Bryan but Bryan kicks out and the crowd goes crazy. Bryan and Sheamus go back and fourth once more until Sheamus lands another Brogue Kick for the big win. That was probably the best match that we have seen from the two in the WWE so far, an amazing wrestling match in front of an amazing crowd. Bryan needed a match like this to legitimize himself once again following his ridiculous match at WrestleMania. However, let’s not discount Sheamus of anything here. He held his own against the red hot Daniel Bryan and looked so confident and worthy of being called champion. Fantastic match that I believe that may end up being the sleeper hit of the night.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: ****¼
Match 5: Ryback vs. Aaron Relic & Jay Hatton
I am not a fan of squash matches on PPV. This looks to be a complete mess with Ryback, a guy who is to premature to be on this PPV stage in front of Chicago. He faces these two jobbers and destroys them in under a minute. I understand the exposure reasons but the crowd didn’t like it and I am sure as hell that the people at home watching didn’t care for it.
Winner: Ryback
Rating: n/a
Match 6: WWE Championship - Chicago Street Fight - CM Punk © vs. Chris Jericho
This is the fourth and final rematch from WrestleMania. This one certainly has the chance to blow them all away. In front of Punk’s hometown of Chicago and in front of his family, Jericho has quite the load to deal with. Due to the heavier circumstances of the situation, this match was much more different than their last match. In wrestling terms, this is called psychology and it was nicely in full effect here. Lots of brawling to start off the match with Punk bringing in the always fun kendo stick into the thick of things. However, Jericho looked strong in his role and even toyed with Punk’s sister in the audience before Punk ambushed Jericho and landed nasty blows. Seeing them bring Punk’s sister into the action was great and really makes the audience at home watching see what a jerk Jericho is. He is been amazing in his role as a heel and he is displaying it here. Cool spots in the match included a huge elbow dive off the top turnbuckle from Punk onto the commentators table, Punk escaping a Walls of Jericho with a fire hydrant, and Jericho escaping an Anaconda Vice with nasty kendo stick shots onto Punk’s head. The action was fast, the action was brutal, and the crowd ate up every second of it. It’s almost as if the two were thriving off the energy the crowd was pouring onto them and when Punk reversed Jericho’s attempt of a GTS to his own GTS, the crowd exploded even more. A fitting end to a really special match, I personally don’t think that it topped the World Heavyweight Championship bout earlier but it was close. A big win for Punk as his reign as top dog continues.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ****
Match 7: Divas Championship - Nikki Bella © vs. Layla
Because Beth Phoenix was unable to compete, Eve set a surprise opponent for Bella which ended up being the returning Layla. Crowd is definitely not into this match at all as the anticipation for the main event overshadows everything about this match. Even still, the two had a fun little Divas match which saw Layla win in her return.
Winner: Layla
Rating: *¼
Match 8: Extreme Rules - Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena
This is it. One of the biggest matches in modern day professional wrestling history is about to take place as the returning Brock Lesnar looks to tackle down the face of the WWE, John Cena. The crowd is absolutely hyped for this match and the commentators are nicely building this match as a groundbreaking match in the WWE. Lesnar quickly destroys Cena in the opening seconds of the match with nasty elbows that cuts Cena open up big time. Blood pours out of Cena’s head as this match looks to a complete polar opposite of the PG style wrestling that we have come accustomed to seeing in the WWE. Lesnar looks like an absolute animal in this match as Cena looks to be struggling to even stand correctly. While we have seen many Cena matches that have the same type of story, nothing can simply compare to how real this feels. Lesnar is a beast, him manhandling Cena around in and out of the ring makes perfect sense and allows the viewers at home to gain sympathy for Cena in a different shade of light. To add more fuel to the flame, the referee bumps in this match actually made sense and made Lesnar look stronger than he already was. Lesnar looks to have easy control of the match until Cena uses the chain he brought out to the ring to nail Lesnar straight into his head. Lesnar is cut open! Cena takes a dazed Lesnar and lands an Attitude Adjustment onto the steel steps in the middle of the ring to capture the big win! The Chicago crowd erupts as Cena has tackled the beast in a respectful and incredible effort. It’s tough to see where Lesnar goes after this but that was one fantastic match. I don’t remember a time when Cena pulled out a match like this and the same goes for Lesnar. This match was worthy of headlining a WrestleMania and hopefully, we will be able to see the rematch in the future.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ****½
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Three fantastic matches easily ranks this PPV among the best in a long time. Sheamus had his best match in his career against Daniel Bryan in a match that legitimizes Bryan after his tough loss, Punk put on a show in front of his hometown against Chris Jericho, and John Cena closed out the night in a memorable main event against the beast incarnate. Ignore the fillers and focus on these matches so you can go out of your way to see this show because this show may be the one that defines the year when all is said and done.
Rating: 9.25/10
Kicking off the big show is a rematch from WrestleMania between these two in a feud that has led to their families getting involved. I’m normally not a fan of this type of match but these two have a very good chemistry and they managed to make this match more than enjoyable. Fighting through the crowd can become so repetitive but in this case, the first match of the night with two big stars going at it, lots of fun to watch. More than anything, this match was simply two guys beating the living hell out of each other in a fight that led in the crowd and backstage. Zack Ryder even tried to take out Kane but he had no effect at all as Kane continued his focus on the slithering Randy Orton. Great back and fourth action before Kane looks to slam Orton atop a folded chair until Orton escaped Kane’s grip and landed a nasty RKO to avenge his loss a month ago.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***¼
Match 2: Brodus Clay vs. Dolph Ziggler
Not liking how we get more Brodus Clay matches on PPV and this should be example A. Ziggler is going to be a future big name for the company so putting him against Clay on PPV in a glorified squash match is so odd to me. Clay gets the win and does the normal routine dances. Nothing to say here, same thing we have seen for months on end.
Winner: Brodus Clay
Rating: ½*
Match 3: Intercontinental Championship - Tables - The Big Show © vs. Cody Rhodes
Another WrestleMania rematch as before the match started, Teddy Long spun a wheel that declared that the two would go at it in this type of match. The match ran for about five minutes with The Big Show basically tossing Rhodes around with ease and looked to have a major advantage in the match due to his size and strength. However, Rhodes managed to land a kick as Show was heading back into the ring which led to Show unintentionally breaking a table with his foot! The referee calls for the bell and Rhodes picks up the fluke win along with the Intercontinental Championship. Show absolutely destroys Rhodes by a Chokeslam through one table followed by tossing him outside of the ring onto another. Interesting way for Rhodes to get the win, something fun and different which may not be liked by most, but I liked it. Show dismantling Rhodes after was also really cool.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Rating: *½
Match 4: World Heavyweight Championship - 2 out of 3 Falls - Sheamus © vs. Daniel Bryan
Yes, it is another rematch from WrestleMania and this time, we will not be getting a squash match for the World Heavyweight Championship! The action kicking off the match is just brilliant, Bryan is truly a master craftsman in the ring and his abilities to counter move after move and use submission after submission shows that. The crowd is hot for this one and Bryan is easily the favorite as they are serenading him in all sorts of chants. Bryan puts his focus into the shoulder of Sheamus and gets disqualified after landing an array of nasty kicks to his shoulder. Bryan doesn’t look the slightest bit concerned as he smiles knowing that he has Sheamus on the ropes. He locks in the Yes Lock and the referee has no choice but to give a fall to Bryan to even up the score. Such a thrilling rematch that looks to have no line of stopping in sight. The doctors are checking up on Sheamus as we get set to begin the final chapter of the match. Sheamus lands a quick Brogue Kick upon Bryan but Bryan kicks out and the crowd goes crazy. Bryan and Sheamus go back and fourth once more until Sheamus lands another Brogue Kick for the big win. That was probably the best match that we have seen from the two in the WWE so far, an amazing wrestling match in front of an amazing crowd. Bryan needed a match like this to legitimize himself once again following his ridiculous match at WrestleMania. However, let’s not discount Sheamus of anything here. He held his own against the red hot Daniel Bryan and looked so confident and worthy of being called champion. Fantastic match that I believe that may end up being the sleeper hit of the night.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: ****¼
Match 5: Ryback vs. Aaron Relic & Jay Hatton
I am not a fan of squash matches on PPV. This looks to be a complete mess with Ryback, a guy who is to premature to be on this PPV stage in front of Chicago. He faces these two jobbers and destroys them in under a minute. I understand the exposure reasons but the crowd didn’t like it and I am sure as hell that the people at home watching didn’t care for it.
Winner: Ryback
Rating: n/a
Match 6: WWE Championship - Chicago Street Fight - CM Punk © vs. Chris Jericho
This is the fourth and final rematch from WrestleMania. This one certainly has the chance to blow them all away. In front of Punk’s hometown of Chicago and in front of his family, Jericho has quite the load to deal with. Due to the heavier circumstances of the situation, this match was much more different than their last match. In wrestling terms, this is called psychology and it was nicely in full effect here. Lots of brawling to start off the match with Punk bringing in the always fun kendo stick into the thick of things. However, Jericho looked strong in his role and even toyed with Punk’s sister in the audience before Punk ambushed Jericho and landed nasty blows. Seeing them bring Punk’s sister into the action was great and really makes the audience at home watching see what a jerk Jericho is. He is been amazing in his role as a heel and he is displaying it here. Cool spots in the match included a huge elbow dive off the top turnbuckle from Punk onto the commentators table, Punk escaping a Walls of Jericho with a fire hydrant, and Jericho escaping an Anaconda Vice with nasty kendo stick shots onto Punk’s head. The action was fast, the action was brutal, and the crowd ate up every second of it. It’s almost as if the two were thriving off the energy the crowd was pouring onto them and when Punk reversed Jericho’s attempt of a GTS to his own GTS, the crowd exploded even more. A fitting end to a really special match, I personally don’t think that it topped the World Heavyweight Championship bout earlier but it was close. A big win for Punk as his reign as top dog continues.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ****
Match 7: Divas Championship - Nikki Bella © vs. Layla
Because Beth Phoenix was unable to compete, Eve set a surprise opponent for Bella which ended up being the returning Layla. Crowd is definitely not into this match at all as the anticipation for the main event overshadows everything about this match. Even still, the two had a fun little Divas match which saw Layla win in her return.
Winner: Layla
Rating: *¼
Match 8: Extreme Rules - Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena
This is it. One of the biggest matches in modern day professional wrestling history is about to take place as the returning Brock Lesnar looks to tackle down the face of the WWE, John Cena. The crowd is absolutely hyped for this match and the commentators are nicely building this match as a groundbreaking match in the WWE. Lesnar quickly destroys Cena in the opening seconds of the match with nasty elbows that cuts Cena open up big time. Blood pours out of Cena’s head as this match looks to a complete polar opposite of the PG style wrestling that we have come accustomed to seeing in the WWE. Lesnar looks like an absolute animal in this match as Cena looks to be struggling to even stand correctly. While we have seen many Cena matches that have the same type of story, nothing can simply compare to how real this feels. Lesnar is a beast, him manhandling Cena around in and out of the ring makes perfect sense and allows the viewers at home to gain sympathy for Cena in a different shade of light. To add more fuel to the flame, the referee bumps in this match actually made sense and made Lesnar look stronger than he already was. Lesnar looks to have easy control of the match until Cena uses the chain he brought out to the ring to nail Lesnar straight into his head. Lesnar is cut open! Cena takes a dazed Lesnar and lands an Attitude Adjustment onto the steel steps in the middle of the ring to capture the big win! The Chicago crowd erupts as Cena has tackled the beast in a respectful and incredible effort. It’s tough to see where Lesnar goes after this but that was one fantastic match. I don’t remember a time when Cena pulled out a match like this and the same goes for Lesnar. This match was worthy of headlining a WrestleMania and hopefully, we will be able to see the rematch in the future.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ****½
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Three fantastic matches easily ranks this PPV among the best in a long time. Sheamus had his best match in his career against Daniel Bryan in a match that legitimizes Bryan after his tough loss, Punk put on a show in front of his hometown against Chris Jericho, and John Cena closed out the night in a memorable main event against the beast incarnate. Ignore the fillers and focus on these matches so you can go out of your way to see this show because this show may be the one that defines the year when all is said and done.
Rating: 9.25/10
Saturday, June 8, 2013
ROH Border Wars 2012 Review
Match 1: Eddie Edwards vs. Rhino
One full year ago, Edwards was main eventing the show against Chris Hero for the big one. Tonight, he is in the opening contest against Rhino. It just feels like ROH dropped the ball on Edwards after he lost the title and it is frustrating to see him wrestle these random matches like this. Rhino is a perfect fit for The House of Truth and the two pulled off a great opening bout here. Rhino looks to be in great shape and Edwards was great as usual. This should really come off as no surprise to anyone and of course, the Canada crowd was hot! Edwards rolls up Rhino to get the win and I am pretty confident this win for Edwards is going to be meaningless in a month.
Winner: Eddie Edwards
Rating: **¾
Match 2: The All Night Express & TJ Perkins vs. The Young Bucks & Mike Mondo
As expected, this match was jampacked with tons of action and tons of big moves. This was a great way to get everyone on the card and while I think it should have been the match to kick off the night, it was still great and the crowd absolutely loved it. Granted, the match was definitely sloppy at times but it is expected when you have six guys beating the living hell out of each other. Seeing all these guys land a massive array of kicks upon each other was such a joy to see. Creativity leads to a hot crowd and that is exactly what we got here. A fun match with The All Night Express & Perkins getting the big win. However, I just cannot seem to give this match a higher score considering all the hiccups they managed to make.
Winners: The All Night Express & TJ Perkins
Rating: ***
Match 3: Jay Lethal vs. Tommaso Ciampa
I expressed previously that I have no interest in this feud. Until now. These guys pulled out everything they had from start to finish in this match and it was one wild ride! Ciampa is riding a long undefeated streak and hopes to continue it here against Lethal. I know I shouldn’t be, but I was completely shocked to see that this match delivered and passed all my expectations. The crowd, the interfering Embassy, and the action and passion the two left in the ring was awesome. I have not seen too much variety from these guys but they definitely brought their A game here as the close falls and growing anticipation to a pin fall was very eminent. In most cases, I hate having interferences in matches but it was very fitting here and in all actuality, boosted the intensity of the match. Lethal nearly has Ciampa after the Lethal Injection until RD Evans pulls out Sinclair. Lethal hits Hail to the King. Ciampa kicks out. Lethal finally kills Ciampa after a crazy Lethal Combination to finally get the win and put an end to Ciampa’s streak. A great display of professional wrestling and maybe I am overrating this match, but I loved it. The show is off to a hot start. They did a nice job of showing their hate for each other before the match and they managed to pull off a roller coaster ride of a match which showed how badly they wanted to win. Good stuff.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Rating: ****½
Match 4: Lance Storm vs. Mike Bennett
Lance Storm came out to one of Chris Jericho’s songs. That is so damn cool! This match has managed to give off the big match type of vibe that that was not really there the last time around. Always amazed at the shape Storm is in with his age. I’m even more impressed to see him still go at it in the ring and this match is a great example. A better showing for the two here than the last time in Florida as the chemistry just meshed well better in this contest. They wrestled at a faster pace here and Bennett definitely went all out his this match here against Storm. Unfortunately for Bennett, bringing in a steel chair became his downfall as a distraction from Brutal Bob allowed Storm to hit him with a chair and nail a big kick for the win. Hate to see Bennett eat the pin but a cool Border Wars moment to see Storm celebrate in his hometown.
Winner: Lance Storm
Rating: ***¼
Match 5: Adam Cole vs. Michael Elgin
The strong Border Wards card continues as two guys who are on the verge of breaking out go at it. The House of Truth’s Michael Elgin taking on Adam Cole. The crowd seems a bit tired after the last few matches but when needed, they definitely added a little boost to this match. The action is dominated early on by Elgin and looks to easily be in control the match. While the front half of the contest was pretty slow, it built a nice gateway for a very strong second half that Elgin managed to show off his unreal strength. After a last back and fourth exchange, Elgin hits his finisher to pick up the big win. Afterwards, Truth Martini mocks Adam Cole until Cole lands a nasty kick upon him. Elgin picks Martini up and walks him to the back with a reluctant look on his face. Strong contest that really blends well with the card.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Rating: ***
Match 6: ROH World Television Championship - Roderick Strong © vs. Fit Finlay
It’s pretty surreal to see Finlay, a guy who I used to watch on WWE television growing up go against a Ring of Honor veteran on their iPPV. Finlay’s wrestling style may not be the flashiest, but it gets the job done and gives off an amazing story telling in the process. Strong was a perfect opponent for Finlay because he does a great job at adapting to different wrestling styles and he looked comfortable in his role with Finlay. The match was very methodical and while the crowd was quiet again, you can easily feel the sign of respect the crowd is displaying to Fit. Interesting wrestling from the two and pretty nostalgic to see Finlay in the ring and seeing him use his tactics in order to gain an advantage. However, Strong proved to be too much for Finlay as he picked up the big victory. The match was pretty good but way too long for my liking. Finlay receives a deserved standing ovation from the crowd afterwards.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Rating: **¾
Match 7: ROH World Tag Team Championships - Fight Without Honor - The Briscoes © vs. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
The feel and ambiance that this match is so reminiscent of The Briscoes going against The Kings of Wrestling in Canada the year beforehand. An unbelievably hot crowd and the action started off hot with Mark Briscoe running out in hockey gear attacking WGTT. Right from the start, all four guys brought it and the crowd was eating up every second of it. Having this type of match at this stage of the show is definitely a big risk but it looks to be very rewarding considering how hot the crowd is and hopefully, that can transcend into the main event. Everything was working until the very end when Haas decided to bring out a towel which he sprayed with something that allowed him to knock out Mark Briscoe. This led to WGTT winning the belts. I can’t be making this up. The commentators and planted fans in the audience sell the towel as WGTT walk out as champs. I’ve seen some pretty stupid things in wrestling, but this one is near the top. This was such a fun and wild match that unfortunately, turned into something stupid simply because of an insanely stupid finish.
Winners: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
Rating: **½
Match 8: ROH World Championship - Davey Richards © vs. Kevin Steen
I like Kevin Steen. As a matter of fact, he is one of my favorite wrestlers in the game right now. I find his matches to entertaining, however, I feel like many of them are simply a case smoke and mirrors. This match can be used as evidence in the big main event that has been anticipated for months. One of Steen’s biggest drawbacks is his lack of athleticism. Going against Richards was going to be his biggest test physically in a long time and he looked like a mess. While he later revealed that he was sick for the match, he look downright exhausted and it became frustrating to see that he could hardly keep up with the more athletic champion. From start to finish, it almost felt to me that Richards was the fuel that kept the match going with Steen simply tagging along. I’m not saying Steen did not help in his role, I’m just stating the facts as Steen did not look physically prepared and as a fan, it was frustrating. The crowd loved the match, they were ridiculously on Steen’s side and Richards had no choice but to play the role of a heel and he looked right at home. His reign as the man has been pretty lackluster and I can only imagine the difference there would be had he been this badass heel like he was here. Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs both were out ringside with Jacobs in the corner of Steen as Corino sat down next to the commentators eerily with nothing to say. The two cranked the match up near the end with Steen finally hitting his Package Piledriver to capture the belt, ending the disappointing reign by Richards. Cary Silkin looks frustrated and refuses to hand over the belt to Steen as Corino later comes in to hug Steen alongside Jacobs to close out the show. A complete shame that Jim Cornette was not there to witness all this. I hate saying that someone carried another individual in a match but this was exactly the situation here. For all the praise this match gets, most of the credit should belong to Richards. The physical shape this man is in is impressive and it is a shame that he had to drop the belt to someone in the exact opposite shape. I understand the flow of hate that may come my way and I am willing to take it. Even still, I am glad to see Steen as champion and I expect a lengthy reign. The match was good but nowhere near lived up to its large expectations. Even still, it was a very fitting way to cap off the Canada iPPV.
Winner: Kevin Steen
Rating: ***¾
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Simply put, this show will be remembered for the main event. This is a shame considering how strong everything else was and how ROH managed to pull off a fairly consistent iPPV show from top to bottom, especially Lethal vs. Ciampa. Steen winning the belt will be the moment everyone remembers along with him hugging Corino at the end. But I think this show should be symbolized as how bad the booking of Richards as champion was. For the first time in his reign, he looked like a badass animal. This just comes off as a missed opportunity in so many ways. The company is heading in a different direction, only time will tell if it’s going the right way.
Rating: 7.75/10
One full year ago, Edwards was main eventing the show against Chris Hero for the big one. Tonight, he is in the opening contest against Rhino. It just feels like ROH dropped the ball on Edwards after he lost the title and it is frustrating to see him wrestle these random matches like this. Rhino is a perfect fit for The House of Truth and the two pulled off a great opening bout here. Rhino looks to be in great shape and Edwards was great as usual. This should really come off as no surprise to anyone and of course, the Canada crowd was hot! Edwards rolls up Rhino to get the win and I am pretty confident this win for Edwards is going to be meaningless in a month.
Winner: Eddie Edwards
Rating: **¾
Match 2: The All Night Express & TJ Perkins vs. The Young Bucks & Mike Mondo
As expected, this match was jampacked with tons of action and tons of big moves. This was a great way to get everyone on the card and while I think it should have been the match to kick off the night, it was still great and the crowd absolutely loved it. Granted, the match was definitely sloppy at times but it is expected when you have six guys beating the living hell out of each other. Seeing all these guys land a massive array of kicks upon each other was such a joy to see. Creativity leads to a hot crowd and that is exactly what we got here. A fun match with The All Night Express & Perkins getting the big win. However, I just cannot seem to give this match a higher score considering all the hiccups they managed to make.
Winners: The All Night Express & TJ Perkins
Rating: ***
Match 3: Jay Lethal vs. Tommaso Ciampa
I expressed previously that I have no interest in this feud. Until now. These guys pulled out everything they had from start to finish in this match and it was one wild ride! Ciampa is riding a long undefeated streak and hopes to continue it here against Lethal. I know I shouldn’t be, but I was completely shocked to see that this match delivered and passed all my expectations. The crowd, the interfering Embassy, and the action and passion the two left in the ring was awesome. I have not seen too much variety from these guys but they definitely brought their A game here as the close falls and growing anticipation to a pin fall was very eminent. In most cases, I hate having interferences in matches but it was very fitting here and in all actuality, boosted the intensity of the match. Lethal nearly has Ciampa after the Lethal Injection until RD Evans pulls out Sinclair. Lethal hits Hail to the King. Ciampa kicks out. Lethal finally kills Ciampa after a crazy Lethal Combination to finally get the win and put an end to Ciampa’s streak. A great display of professional wrestling and maybe I am overrating this match, but I loved it. The show is off to a hot start. They did a nice job of showing their hate for each other before the match and they managed to pull off a roller coaster ride of a match which showed how badly they wanted to win. Good stuff.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Rating: ****½
Match 4: Lance Storm vs. Mike Bennett
Lance Storm came out to one of Chris Jericho’s songs. That is so damn cool! This match has managed to give off the big match type of vibe that that was not really there the last time around. Always amazed at the shape Storm is in with his age. I’m even more impressed to see him still go at it in the ring and this match is a great example. A better showing for the two here than the last time in Florida as the chemistry just meshed well better in this contest. They wrestled at a faster pace here and Bennett definitely went all out his this match here against Storm. Unfortunately for Bennett, bringing in a steel chair became his downfall as a distraction from Brutal Bob allowed Storm to hit him with a chair and nail a big kick for the win. Hate to see Bennett eat the pin but a cool Border Wars moment to see Storm celebrate in his hometown.
Winner: Lance Storm
Rating: ***¼
Match 5: Adam Cole vs. Michael Elgin
The strong Border Wards card continues as two guys who are on the verge of breaking out go at it. The House of Truth’s Michael Elgin taking on Adam Cole. The crowd seems a bit tired after the last few matches but when needed, they definitely added a little boost to this match. The action is dominated early on by Elgin and looks to easily be in control the match. While the front half of the contest was pretty slow, it built a nice gateway for a very strong second half that Elgin managed to show off his unreal strength. After a last back and fourth exchange, Elgin hits his finisher to pick up the big win. Afterwards, Truth Martini mocks Adam Cole until Cole lands a nasty kick upon him. Elgin picks Martini up and walks him to the back with a reluctant look on his face. Strong contest that really blends well with the card.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Rating: ***
Match 6: ROH World Television Championship - Roderick Strong © vs. Fit Finlay
It’s pretty surreal to see Finlay, a guy who I used to watch on WWE television growing up go against a Ring of Honor veteran on their iPPV. Finlay’s wrestling style may not be the flashiest, but it gets the job done and gives off an amazing story telling in the process. Strong was a perfect opponent for Finlay because he does a great job at adapting to different wrestling styles and he looked comfortable in his role with Finlay. The match was very methodical and while the crowd was quiet again, you can easily feel the sign of respect the crowd is displaying to Fit. Interesting wrestling from the two and pretty nostalgic to see Finlay in the ring and seeing him use his tactics in order to gain an advantage. However, Strong proved to be too much for Finlay as he picked up the big victory. The match was pretty good but way too long for my liking. Finlay receives a deserved standing ovation from the crowd afterwards.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Rating: **¾
Match 7: ROH World Tag Team Championships - Fight Without Honor - The Briscoes © vs. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
The feel and ambiance that this match is so reminiscent of The Briscoes going against The Kings of Wrestling in Canada the year beforehand. An unbelievably hot crowd and the action started off hot with Mark Briscoe running out in hockey gear attacking WGTT. Right from the start, all four guys brought it and the crowd was eating up every second of it. Having this type of match at this stage of the show is definitely a big risk but it looks to be very rewarding considering how hot the crowd is and hopefully, that can transcend into the main event. Everything was working until the very end when Haas decided to bring out a towel which he sprayed with something that allowed him to knock out Mark Briscoe. This led to WGTT winning the belts. I can’t be making this up. The commentators and planted fans in the audience sell the towel as WGTT walk out as champs. I’ve seen some pretty stupid things in wrestling, but this one is near the top. This was such a fun and wild match that unfortunately, turned into something stupid simply because of an insanely stupid finish.
Winners: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
Rating: **½
Match 8: ROH World Championship - Davey Richards © vs. Kevin Steen
I like Kevin Steen. As a matter of fact, he is one of my favorite wrestlers in the game right now. I find his matches to entertaining, however, I feel like many of them are simply a case smoke and mirrors. This match can be used as evidence in the big main event that has been anticipated for months. One of Steen’s biggest drawbacks is his lack of athleticism. Going against Richards was going to be his biggest test physically in a long time and he looked like a mess. While he later revealed that he was sick for the match, he look downright exhausted and it became frustrating to see that he could hardly keep up with the more athletic champion. From start to finish, it almost felt to me that Richards was the fuel that kept the match going with Steen simply tagging along. I’m not saying Steen did not help in his role, I’m just stating the facts as Steen did not look physically prepared and as a fan, it was frustrating. The crowd loved the match, they were ridiculously on Steen’s side and Richards had no choice but to play the role of a heel and he looked right at home. His reign as the man has been pretty lackluster and I can only imagine the difference there would be had he been this badass heel like he was here. Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs both were out ringside with Jacobs in the corner of Steen as Corino sat down next to the commentators eerily with nothing to say. The two cranked the match up near the end with Steen finally hitting his Package Piledriver to capture the belt, ending the disappointing reign by Richards. Cary Silkin looks frustrated and refuses to hand over the belt to Steen as Corino later comes in to hug Steen alongside Jacobs to close out the show. A complete shame that Jim Cornette was not there to witness all this. I hate saying that someone carried another individual in a match but this was exactly the situation here. For all the praise this match gets, most of the credit should belong to Richards. The physical shape this man is in is impressive and it is a shame that he had to drop the belt to someone in the exact opposite shape. I understand the flow of hate that may come my way and I am willing to take it. Even still, I am glad to see Steen as champion and I expect a lengthy reign. The match was good but nowhere near lived up to its large expectations. Even still, it was a very fitting way to cap off the Canada iPPV.
Winner: Kevin Steen
Rating: ***¾
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Simply put, this show will be remembered for the main event. This is a shame considering how strong everything else was and how ROH managed to pull off a fairly consistent iPPV show from top to bottom, especially Lethal vs. Ciampa. Steen winning the belt will be the moment everyone remembers along with him hugging Corino at the end. But I think this show should be symbolized as how bad the booking of Richards as champion was. For the first time in his reign, he looked like a badass animal. This just comes off as a missed opportunity in so many ways. The company is heading in a different direction, only time will tell if it’s going the right way.
Rating: 7.75/10
Monday, June 3, 2013
ROH Unity Review
Match 1: The All Night Express vs. Roderick Strong & Michael Elgin
The title of the show is very appropriate as we are set for a huge night of tag team action in the latter part of April! This is the first time ever these two teams will be colliding and they have the chance to get the show going at their pace. Michael Elgin has blossomed into an absolute star of the company and his strengths were on display early and often here. Great back and fourth action with everyone playing their roles nicely. Rhett Titus was the weak link of the match as he is returning from a knee injury while Kenny King is the guy that is trying to get the crowd energetic and in turn, give his side the momentum needed. Conversely, Roderick Strong is seemingly looking out for mainly himself and that shows when he apparently injures his knee near the end of the match which lets the referee not see that Elgin has Titus ready for a winning pin. This allows The All Night Express to capitalize and pin Elgin for the win. Elgin & Strong are visibly upset with each other and have a very heated conversation afterwards until Truth Martini breaks it up. I love when tag team wrestling is done right and this is a prime example. Everyone playing their roles properly with great action throughout.
Winners: The All Night Express
Rating: ***¼
Match 2: Mike Bennett vs. Mike Sydal
Mike Bennett comes out before the match with Maria to do the routinely heel shtick before Mike Sydal interrupts and we have an impromptu match tonight between these two. I must say, for a glorified squash match, this was pretty fun to watch. Bennett is that great new heel that the company really needs and his interactions with the crowd are wonderful. Plus, he has Maria by his side to help boost some heat. Bennett gets the convincing win and continues to make out with Maria after the match.
Winner: Mike Bennett
Rating: *¼
Match 3: The Young Bucks vs. The Bravados
The Bravado Brothers are returning from their Ring of Honor hiatus after months in a Pro Wrestling Noah Dojo against arguably the best tag team in the business. It is incredible to see how much The Bravados have improved, they look more confident in the ring and are managing to pull off extremely athletic and innovative moves in the ring. Keeping up with the fast Bucks is no easy task but these guys pulled it off. They went from being scrubs of the company to getting huge support from the fans as they defeat The Bucks here in a shocking manner. The Bravados are a cool representation of the company. They didn’t light the company on fire in their early stint but after learning and improving, they are poised for a much stronger future. A big win against The Young Bucks is a great start. Bucks get the attention for being a fantastic team, but it was The Bravados who stole the spotlight tonight.
Winners: The Bravados
Rating: ***¼
Match 4: No Disqualification - Kevin Steen & Jimmy Jacobs vs. El Generico & BJ Whitmer
Whitmer is a very fitting choice of partner for Generico considering the history between he and Jacobs. This match quickly gets turned from a regular tag match to a no disqualification match after Jim Cornette made the call via cell phone call to Todd Sinclair. That was really stupid. Anyway, this is the third year in a row that ROH has held a big no disqualification tag team match in April for a Chicago show. Unlike the last two, the guys put an emphasis on fighting each other and going for the win instead of simply beating the hell out of each other with a bunch of weapons. While the action did get chaotic, it did not get to the point where any cringing was necessary. It was just a fun match with lots of action and lots of cool spots. Although I was expecting much more, they managed to pull off a very enjoyable match that served its purpose and played the role of being a great transition into the big matches. Generico & Whitmer pick up the win after Whitmer slams Jacobs through a table off the top rope. The biggest gripe I just have with this match was Generico & Whitmer getting the win. It makes Steen come off as a weaker foe for Richards and this is so close to Border Wars.
Winners: El Generico & BJ Whitmer
Rating: ***½
Match 5: The Colony vs. Jay Lethal, Adam Cole, & TJ Perkins
I have not seen much from these Chikara guys but am definitely looking forward to this match. The match is going by Chikara’s Trios rules in which you can have a partner enter the match by simply rolling out of the ring. A simple, yet innovative rule to increase action. The crowd is somewhat split for both teams and you really get that sense of war from this match. A feeling the company is trying to convey through this event. Off the bat, I am definitely impressed by the communication and how well they complement each other. This is also the first time the ROH team is teaming together but they are already definitely showing their abilities to work well with each other. While the action sometimes fell into a cluster on occasion, it was still tons of fun to watch and the crowd was easily into the action. Tons of cool creative spots with the crowd eating it up on the way. Team Chikara gets the win after the Chikara referee does not see Perkins pinning a member of The Colony which eventually led to The Colony switching the pin over Perkins. A tainted win by Team Chikara which Cark Silkin gets very upset over. Nonetheless, that was a fun match which could have been tons more special had it gone on a bit longer.
Winners: The Colony
Rating: ***¾
Match 6: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team vs. Team Ambition
I love WGTT as heels, they play their roles so nicely and the crowd just eats it all up. Them facing Team Ambition is perfect for the night as Kyle O’Reilly is slowly becoming a heel. The only unfortunate part is how bad O’Reilly is at cutting promos and with his body language. It becomes embarrassing to watch him try to gain heat. The main problem I have with both sides is how many of their matches are hard to differentiate from each other. Watch one match and essentially, you have seen them all. I was pleased to see that this match not only was different, but simply felt different from the rest of the pack. This may be due to the drastic change in characters but the action just had a nicer flow to things. It was definitely a longer match but it never felt like the match was dragging. WGTT pick up the victory after miscommunication between Richards & O’Reilly throughout the match. O’Reilly basically left Richards to the pack of wolves during the match and later, accidentally pushed Richards. This all eventually led to Shelton Benjamin getting the pin on O’Reilly. Good match with a good win for WGTT. The right team definitely won here as O’Reilly gets ready for his heel turn and Richards gets ready for his match against Adam Cole.
Winners: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
Rating: ***½
Match 7: ROH World Tag Team Championships - The Briscoes © vs. Jigsaw & Hallowicked
This is the big finish to the ROH vs. Chikara weekend as The Briscoes look to successfully defend against Team Chikara after ROH suffered a tough loss earlier. Action between the two teams was stiff early and throughout with no team getting the real upper hand. Their styles complement each other nicely and the crowd is loving the fighting. They tried to separate this match from all the other tag matches that occurred earlier on and I feel like they were pretty successful in doing so. A match at a faster pace with more big moves instead of a methodically paced match. This works considering the tone the main event is set at. After guys come out to support each team, The Briscoes pull out the big win and retain to avenge ROH’s loss earlier in the night. Big show for the company that really needed something interesting to pull them out of this jam they are stuck in. The Briscoes picking up the big win at the end of the night prove that they are indeed the top tag team in independent wrestling and they still have bigger things on the horizon. Interesting to see where this whole feud goes after both sides celebrate at the end. It feels like a feud that could have a been so much more. It simply feels like a big missed opportunity.
Winners: The Briscoes
Rating: ***¼
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
The show felt fresh and something different, exactly what the company was lacking. The idea of this show was to not only display this huge ROH vs. Chikara feud, but also push Border Wars. It should easily be one of the biggest shows in company history. This was a great way for the company to push the stars and the show on the way there.
Rating: 7.75/10
The title of the show is very appropriate as we are set for a huge night of tag team action in the latter part of April! This is the first time ever these two teams will be colliding and they have the chance to get the show going at their pace. Michael Elgin has blossomed into an absolute star of the company and his strengths were on display early and often here. Great back and fourth action with everyone playing their roles nicely. Rhett Titus was the weak link of the match as he is returning from a knee injury while Kenny King is the guy that is trying to get the crowd energetic and in turn, give his side the momentum needed. Conversely, Roderick Strong is seemingly looking out for mainly himself and that shows when he apparently injures his knee near the end of the match which lets the referee not see that Elgin has Titus ready for a winning pin. This allows The All Night Express to capitalize and pin Elgin for the win. Elgin & Strong are visibly upset with each other and have a very heated conversation afterwards until Truth Martini breaks it up. I love when tag team wrestling is done right and this is a prime example. Everyone playing their roles properly with great action throughout.
Winners: The All Night Express
Rating: ***¼
Match 2: Mike Bennett vs. Mike Sydal
Mike Bennett comes out before the match with Maria to do the routinely heel shtick before Mike Sydal interrupts and we have an impromptu match tonight between these two. I must say, for a glorified squash match, this was pretty fun to watch. Bennett is that great new heel that the company really needs and his interactions with the crowd are wonderful. Plus, he has Maria by his side to help boost some heat. Bennett gets the convincing win and continues to make out with Maria after the match.
Winner: Mike Bennett
Rating: *¼
Match 3: The Young Bucks vs. The Bravados
The Bravado Brothers are returning from their Ring of Honor hiatus after months in a Pro Wrestling Noah Dojo against arguably the best tag team in the business. It is incredible to see how much The Bravados have improved, they look more confident in the ring and are managing to pull off extremely athletic and innovative moves in the ring. Keeping up with the fast Bucks is no easy task but these guys pulled it off. They went from being scrubs of the company to getting huge support from the fans as they defeat The Bucks here in a shocking manner. The Bravados are a cool representation of the company. They didn’t light the company on fire in their early stint but after learning and improving, they are poised for a much stronger future. A big win against The Young Bucks is a great start. Bucks get the attention for being a fantastic team, but it was The Bravados who stole the spotlight tonight.
Winners: The Bravados
Rating: ***¼
Match 4: No Disqualification - Kevin Steen & Jimmy Jacobs vs. El Generico & BJ Whitmer
Whitmer is a very fitting choice of partner for Generico considering the history between he and Jacobs. This match quickly gets turned from a regular tag match to a no disqualification match after Jim Cornette made the call via cell phone call to Todd Sinclair. That was really stupid. Anyway, this is the third year in a row that ROH has held a big no disqualification tag team match in April for a Chicago show. Unlike the last two, the guys put an emphasis on fighting each other and going for the win instead of simply beating the hell out of each other with a bunch of weapons. While the action did get chaotic, it did not get to the point where any cringing was necessary. It was just a fun match with lots of action and lots of cool spots. Although I was expecting much more, they managed to pull off a very enjoyable match that served its purpose and played the role of being a great transition into the big matches. Generico & Whitmer pick up the win after Whitmer slams Jacobs through a table off the top rope. The biggest gripe I just have with this match was Generico & Whitmer getting the win. It makes Steen come off as a weaker foe for Richards and this is so close to Border Wars.
Winners: El Generico & BJ Whitmer
Rating: ***½
Match 5: The Colony vs. Jay Lethal, Adam Cole, & TJ Perkins
I have not seen much from these Chikara guys but am definitely looking forward to this match. The match is going by Chikara’s Trios rules in which you can have a partner enter the match by simply rolling out of the ring. A simple, yet innovative rule to increase action. The crowd is somewhat split for both teams and you really get that sense of war from this match. A feeling the company is trying to convey through this event. Off the bat, I am definitely impressed by the communication and how well they complement each other. This is also the first time the ROH team is teaming together but they are already definitely showing their abilities to work well with each other. While the action sometimes fell into a cluster on occasion, it was still tons of fun to watch and the crowd was easily into the action. Tons of cool creative spots with the crowd eating it up on the way. Team Chikara gets the win after the Chikara referee does not see Perkins pinning a member of The Colony which eventually led to The Colony switching the pin over Perkins. A tainted win by Team Chikara which Cark Silkin gets very upset over. Nonetheless, that was a fun match which could have been tons more special had it gone on a bit longer.
Winners: The Colony
Rating: ***¾
Match 6: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team vs. Team Ambition
I love WGTT as heels, they play their roles so nicely and the crowd just eats it all up. Them facing Team Ambition is perfect for the night as Kyle O’Reilly is slowly becoming a heel. The only unfortunate part is how bad O’Reilly is at cutting promos and with his body language. It becomes embarrassing to watch him try to gain heat. The main problem I have with both sides is how many of their matches are hard to differentiate from each other. Watch one match and essentially, you have seen them all. I was pleased to see that this match not only was different, but simply felt different from the rest of the pack. This may be due to the drastic change in characters but the action just had a nicer flow to things. It was definitely a longer match but it never felt like the match was dragging. WGTT pick up the victory after miscommunication between Richards & O’Reilly throughout the match. O’Reilly basically left Richards to the pack of wolves during the match and later, accidentally pushed Richards. This all eventually led to Shelton Benjamin getting the pin on O’Reilly. Good match with a good win for WGTT. The right team definitely won here as O’Reilly gets ready for his heel turn and Richards gets ready for his match against Adam Cole.
Winners: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
Rating: ***½
Match 7: ROH World Tag Team Championships - The Briscoes © vs. Jigsaw & Hallowicked
This is the big finish to the ROH vs. Chikara weekend as The Briscoes look to successfully defend against Team Chikara after ROH suffered a tough loss earlier. Action between the two teams was stiff early and throughout with no team getting the real upper hand. Their styles complement each other nicely and the crowd is loving the fighting. They tried to separate this match from all the other tag matches that occurred earlier on and I feel like they were pretty successful in doing so. A match at a faster pace with more big moves instead of a methodically paced match. This works considering the tone the main event is set at. After guys come out to support each team, The Briscoes pull out the big win and retain to avenge ROH’s loss earlier in the night. Big show for the company that really needed something interesting to pull them out of this jam they are stuck in. The Briscoes picking up the big win at the end of the night prove that they are indeed the top tag team in independent wrestling and they still have bigger things on the horizon. Interesting to see where this whole feud goes after both sides celebrate at the end. It feels like a feud that could have a been so much more. It simply feels like a big missed opportunity.
Winners: The Briscoes
Rating: ***¼
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
The show felt fresh and something different, exactly what the company was lacking. The idea of this show was to not only display this huge ROH vs. Chikara feud, but also push Border Wars. It should easily be one of the biggest shows in company history. This was a great way for the company to push the stars and the show on the way there.
Rating: 7.75/10
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