From December 6, 2011.
Match 1: The All Night Express vs. Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly
The
two hot tag teams open up the show and look to end 2010 with a win as
they both head into the shining 2011. Great action from all four men
that got the crowd responding for everything! A lot of nasty moves as
well such as King getting a DDT on the ring side apron or O'Reilly's
dropkick to the outside. Ending came when Titus held up Adam Cole as
King landed a neck breaker on him as they picked up the win. A great
opening contest with a very responsive crowd. Both teams are looking
good as they head into the new year. Credit them for the improvements
that they displayed throughout the entire year as well.
Winners: The All Night Express
Rating: ***3/4
Match 2: TJ Perkins vs. Colt Cabana
This match was labeled as a scientific showdown as the returning TJ
Perkins takes on the comedic Colt Cabana. I've always been a Perkins fan
considering I love watching his athletic and fast move set along with
his technical skills and he displayed those abilities here in his match
with Cabana. Perkins came off more as an underdog while the bigger
Cabana seemed more in control as he seemingly joked around the entire
time with Perkins being more serious and trying to defeat him with his
technical mat skills. Perkins tried and tried but Cabana scored the win
with an unexpected pin to get the win. Good match and I would definitely
like to see more of Perkins in ROH.
Winner: Colt Cabana
Rating: ***
Match 3: Amazing Kong & Daizee Haze vs. Sara Del Rey & Serena Deeb
The women take the stage here as Kong returns to team up with Daizee
Haze to take on the team of Sara Del Rey & the returning Serena
Deeb. Unlike your typical Divas match, the women here actually know what
they were doing and they showed that with their move sets and counters.
The early part of the match showed Del Rey & Deeb in control as
they wouldn't allow Kong to get tagged in but once Kong got in, hell
broke loose. Back and forth action from then on until Serena hit's a
Spear on Kong and Del Rey takes out Haze to get the win. Good match with
some fun action that may have suffered from some time issues.
Winners: Sara Del Rey & Serena Deeb
Rating: **1/2
Match 4: Eddie Edwards vs. Sonjay Dutt
This match was originally supposed to be Edwards and Omega but due to
Omega's injury, Dutt came in and took over. A big chip on Dutt's
shoulder here as most fans don't quite he was the suitable replacement
for Omega but he managed to get in a great mid card match here with the
rising Eddie Edwards. Edwards' star is shining brighter and brighter as
the days go by and he shows off how much he has improved over the course
of the year here with his amazing and hard hitting arsenal ranging from
his kicks to his chops which he lands with precision. Dutt also looked
pretty good here in his ROH return and managed to get some decent heat
from the crowd but this match was all Edwards who had the New York crowd
in the palm of his hands. Eddie lands a 2K1 Bomb on Dutt to end the
match and get the victory. Good match and no one on the ROH roster has a
better 2011 outlook than this man.
Winner: Eddie Edwards
Rating: ***1/2
Match 5: Christopher Daniels vs. Homicide
It's a clash between two ROH legends in the fifth match of the night.
Homicide's return to ROH thus far has been decent at best but looks to
change that in his match here against the hot Christopher Daniels. Match
was slow at times but that's just the way Homicide works these days but
he did manage to successfully land a dive to the outside which is
definitely something we are not used to seeing from him these days. Some
good back and forth action from the two in where I feel like it was
Daniels who was carrying the load at times who knew what kind of pace he
wanted to set from the start and carried on from there. End result came
when Homicide landed his finisher and got the win over Daniels. Decent
match but nothing to write home about. Disappointing but again, it's
Homicide in 2010, can't really expect much.
Winner: Homicide
Rating: ***
Match 6: The Kings of Wrestling & Shane Hagadorn vs. Jay, Mark, & Papa Briscoe
This is a match that is basically a year in the making and stems from
Hero knocking out Jay & Mark's father which led to him and Hagadorn
to be involved in the match. Surprisingly, Jay & Mark come out to a
chorus of boos from the New York crowd with The Kings coming out to a
much nicer applause. Not a fan with this match being the blow off to the
feud but it does make sense. Lots of action between The Kings and
Briscoes for the majority of the match which was expected but it's like
watching their older matches over again since they've wrestled against
each other countless times throughout the course of 2010. However, all
of those matches have been good to excellent and I don't mind seeing
them go at it one last time. Good stiff action throughout from both
teams with Hagadorn trying his best to stay out of the match and stay
away from Papa Briscoe. Papa Briscoe got involved in a good amount of
the match as he did his best to destroy Hagadorn but later on failed as
he got elbowed in the jaw by Hero after Hagadorn chased Papa Briscoe
into the ring. Finally, Jay & Mark go at it with The Kings until
they finally get their hands on Hagadorn. Jay lifts him in the air for
the Doomsday as Papa Briscoe soars from the top rope and takes him out
to get the win. A fun match to cap off the feud but nothing we haven't
seen before or anything that was out of the ordinary.
Winners: Jay, Mark, & Papa Briscoe
Rating: ***
Match 7: ROH World Championship - Roderick Strong © vs. Davey Richards
The first main event of the night is for the ROH World Championship as
Davey Richards finally gets another shot at being the top dog by
challenging Roderick Strong. The two have had epic battles in the past
but none can equal to the level that this match has achieved. The story
of Davey deciding not to retire to capture his dream of being the ROH
World Champion writes itself. Both men enter the ring and Davey offers
his hand to follow the code of honor with another hand clinched in a
fist position but Strong declines which leads to the bell sounding. This
match was exactly what you would expect it to be, an all out stiff
battle with lots of counters, kick outs, chops, punches, kicks, and
crazy moves. Davey tries to get Strong early by diving onto him to the
outside but it's not enough to keep Strong down. Davey also managed to
lock on an Ankle Lock which led to Strong tapping off but the referee
had his back turned due to Truth Martini at ringside distracting him.
Davey then lands a nasty kick to the chest of Martini. Strong then
dictates the pace of the match soon after by starting his onslaught of
ridiculous back breaking moves starting from a huge slam on the top rope
which leads to Strong dropping Davey back first onto the ringside
table! Right after, Strong slams Davey on the ringside floor and tosses
him into the crowd and tries to get the count out victory! This plan
doesn't go well as the fans at ringside encourage Davey to get up and
this helps him make it to the ring before being counted out. The
onslaught, however, has just begun. Strong lands kick after kick and
backbreaker after backbreaker and does his best to destroy the
relentless Davey Richards but to no avail! There had to have been at
least five kick outs from Davey in the last few minutes which somewhat
got repetitive and made the match lost a bit of steam in my opinion. The
kicks and backbreakers weren't enough so Strong locked on the
Stronghold and the referee finally called for the bell as Strong defeats
Richards to retain the belt. Amazing title match but I can't help but
feel like this was somewhat of a spot fest with all the big time moves
they incorporated into the match. The near falls were great but they
definitely abused it near the end of the match when Strong repeatedly
attacked Davey with his outburst of adrenaline. If you can look past
that, you have one classic match put on by two amazing athletes.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Rating: ****1/4
Match 8: Non Sanctioned Fight Without Honor - Kevin Steen vs. El Generico
It is finally time for the main event, a match that's been a year in
the making with added stipulations. It's Kevin Steen vs. El Generico and
if Steen wins, Generico must unmask. However, if Generico wins, Steen
must leave ROH. That match is supposedly unsanctioned by ROH due to the
violence that is going to ensue. Both men come out to their dark
entrances as Steen offers his hand to Generico who spits right in his
face. Steen spits right back and Generico retaliates by kicking Steen
out of the ring and we are on! The months and months of brutal warfare
culminates here tonight as both men tried their best to absolutely kill
one another. I don't even know where to begin with this match so I'll
start with the psychology and storytelling they were able to demonstrate
here. A match of this magnitude screams spot fest but both men were
able to incorporate a better told story and better psychology with an
early on slower paced match so one can soak in what one man had just
done. For example, Generico kicks Steen at the beginning of the match
but rather than Steen getting up immediately or Generico going right
after him, Generico soaks in the atmosphere of the crowd and gets them
going. It's a risky approach but I feel like it worked to perfection.
The match was a blood filled war fueled by hated and emotion. They used
weapons from matches past such as ladders, tables, chains, and chairs
which in my opinion, adds to the emotion and storytelling of the match.
Steen covering himself in blood also helped matters, even if it was
ridiculously disgusting. He managed to show his psychotic hate for this
man through that and get the crowd more invested into things. I'm sure a
lot of people reading this will be thinking Steen covering himself in
blood didn't do much to the match but I personally feel like it added
more drama and rage. Later in the match, Steve Corino gets himself
involved in the match even though he stated he wouldn't and attacked El
Generico. He evens goes as far as decking the referee in the face!
Corino grabs the chair that was used at Glory by Honor and attempts to
kill Generico with it with Cabana runs in and makes the save! Cabana
grabs the chair and launches it to Steen's face and chases Corino out of
the match. Generico goes for a boot to Steen's face but misses and
Steen lands a Package Piledriver on Generico but doesn't get the win!
Steen then hits one on the referee! Angry, Steen sets up a chair and
hits another Package to Generico on it! Steen sets up Generico on the
top turnbuckle and tries to take out Generico with his own move but
Generico drops him and lands a top turnbuckle Brainbuster of his own but
Steen kicks out! Shocked, Generico picks up a chair and looks at Steen
who is positioned on his knees just like how Generico was one year ago.
Generico winds up the chair but Steen holds up his mask and begs for
mercy! Generico grabs the mask but cloaks Steen in the face and gets the
win! Amazing finish! Beautiful ending to the storied feud with
masterful storytelling and psychology. It wasn't a spot fest, it was
wrestling with style. Generico puts on his old mask and celebrates with
Cabana to end the show!
Winner: El Generico
Rating: *****
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This was basically a show with a great undercard that was overshadowed
with the two final main events. The blow off to the Generico vs. Steen
feud was incredible and well worth the price of admission. Do yourself a
favor and buy this show.
Rating: 9.25/10
Saturday, July 19, 2014
ROH Richards vs. Daniels Review
From November 11, 2011.
Match 1: The All Night Express vs. Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly
Two hot tag teams open up the show for the big night. All Night Express is really gaining the crowd's attention as of late and their trash talking with Cole & O'Reilly get things going early on. All Night Express managed to look like veterans in this one due to them looking like dominant and title contending team against the younger team of Cole & O'Reilly who managed to hold up against them. Lots of great back and forth action with a lot of near falls and counters in this one, just as you would expect. A few mistakes in the end cause The All Night Express to get the win in the opening match of the night. Great way to start off the show with both teams looking great in either win or loss. Big things on the horizon for these four guys.
Winners: The All Night Express
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Andy Ridge vs. Ricky Reyes
This is Ridge's second match in the Trial Series and it's against the always charismatic Ricky Reyes. That was sarcasm for those who didn't catch that. Decent wrestling affair from the two but never seemed important and just felt like a complete filler. Reyes looked pretty good but Ridge just didn't appeal to me. Having a good look isn't very important to me but this guy is the definition of generic. He has generic music, lame tights, and a personality that he doesn't even believe in what he's saying. He's definitely on the right track to becoming a better wrestling but as for now, I'm not appealed at all to this guy. The match was good but again, felt very tossed in the mix and just not important on this night.
Winner: Ricky Reyes
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: Daizee Haze & Jamilla Craft vs. Lady JoJo & Nevaeh
Time for the women to take the stage in a tag team match. A little altercation spills out before the match with a fan who harassed Lady JoJo & Neveah. Looks like they're filming another segment for a reality show which is fine since this match really wasn't any big deal to be honest. Same wrestling you would normally see from these women with some decent action here and there but the crowd just couldn't care less. Nothing special here as usual.
Winners: Lady JoJo & Naveah
Rating: 1/2*
Match 4: Homicide vs. Kevin Steen
The crazy Homicide makes his return to Chicago against the crazier Kevin Steen! Crowd was a bit dead following the last two matches but once Steen's music hit, things changed! If you were expecting a brawl and nothing else from this match, then you will not be disappointing. Both men managed to grab the crowd with their hands and control them from the start. Lots of brawling and a lot more funny moments including them reaching their fingers into their opponent's noses, cussing really loudly for no reason, and cracking senseless jokes to get the crowd involved. I know a lot of people don't like the joking around kind of stuff but if it's to lighten the mood after two boring matches, I don't see the harm in it. Homicide cracks Steen with a neck breaker off the top rope and gets the win. After, he gets on the microphone to put over the company before Steen returns to the ring and brawls with Homicide which causes guys in the back to come out and split them apart. Great match with lots of great brawling and laugh out loud moments.
Winner: Homicide
Rating: ***1/4
Match 5: Mike Mondo vs. The Metal Master
Both men return to take on each other following the huge brawl between Homicide and Kevin Steen. Mondo is a former member of The Spirit Squad in the WWE while The Metal Master is a highly technical wrestler who can be very fun to watch. There was a huge amount of reversals in this one and most of the credit goes to Metal Master as Mondo was seemingly following him late for every move. Crowd was surprisingly into the action but Metal Master submits Mondo to get a quick victory not much to the crowd's liking. Good match and I'd love to see more of The Metal Master but again, Mike Mondo is doing nothing for me.
Winner: The Metal Master
Rating: *1/2
Match 6: Elimination - The Kings of Wrestling vs. The Briscoes
This tag match will be contested under elimination rules and is not for the titles. We've seen these two great teams go at it in many matches in the past and this will be their first in Chicago and first under these rules. The Kings look very dominant in the opening minutes by utilizing their size and strength over The Briscoes. The first pin and elimination comes when Claudio slips the loaded elbow pad to Chris Hero. Hero gets placed atop of Jay's shoulder's to which Mark leaps off the top rope looking to take out Hero only to get blasted in the face with the elbow and get eliminated. Nicely done elimination with a cool spot and the right man getting out first. It's basically a handicap match now as Jay Briscoe must fend off both Claudio Castagnoli & Chris Hero. The Kings easily dominate early on once again but Jay fights back and nails Castagnoli with the Jay Driller! It's now Chris Hero vs. Jay Briscoe! Hero puts back on the loaded elbow pad and rolls into the ring but Jay ducks the elbow and pins Hero to get the win for him and Mark. Good match but very underwhelming compared to their other wars.
Winners: The Briscoes
Rating: **3/4
Match 7: I Quit - Colt Cabana vs. Steve Corino
Colt Cabana and Steve Corino look to end their personal feud in a brutal fight in Colt Cabana's hometown of Chicago, IL. The interesting thing here is that Kevin Steen will be in ringside in a straight jacket. This allows Steen's involvement to be restrained but the problem here is that Steen took a lot of the attention away from the match. His constant grab for attention is entertaining but when it's a personal match like this, it somewhat becomes a decline in the match's seriousness. With that being said, both men involved in the match did a great job of displaying their hatred towards each other by brutally beating each other with nasty punches, huge chair shots, and a few really cool spots. However, Corino eventually unties Steen out of the straight jacket which leads to chaos being unleashed upon the match. Steen gets restrained by guys in the back and in the locker room so now his involvement is set back. Corino now has to take on an enraged Colt Cabana by himself and Cabana gets the best of him by driving Corino through a table and slashing his arm with a shard of the table. Corino screams, shouts, and eventually quits. Cabana then gets on the microphone and proclaims that it's finally over. Great match to end this personal feud between Cabana and Corino and also a great way to further the angle between Steen and Generico. Lots of blood and some cool spots make this one a fun watch.
Winner: Colt Cabana
Rating: ***1/4
Match 8: Christopher Daniels vs. Davey Richards
It is now finally time for the main event, the match the entire Ring of Honor world has been waiting for, the match that is six months in the making… Christopher Daniels taking on Davey Richards for the first time ever. Both men come out to their usual entrances, follow the Code of Honor, and we're off. The crowd is on fire and reenergized as both men lock up in what is seemingly going to be a stalemate. The two go hold for hold in the opening minutes with a lot of reversals early on the match. As the two men go at it back and forth, the crowd roars in an evenly split contest. They decide to then take matters outside the ring where Davey landed a nasty punt upon Daniels' chest. Davey kicks Daniels outside and tosses him back in where he puts his focus on his varied submission moves. Davey finally looks to be in control of the match but just like Davey early on in the match, Daniels doesn't give up and gets back into the match even after a relentless assault by Davey and his educated legs. Daniels finally gets back in control after crushing Davey's head in who was looking to toss his body through the second rope onto Daniels. This leads Daniels to putting Davey back in the firefight where Daniels puts the pressure on Davey. Again, the crowd is evenly split for both men as Daniels begins to get frustrated over Davey refusing to lose the match. However, Davey gets back into the match once again and even manages to land a diving head butt off the top rope! This match is going back and forth every minute, both men refuse to back down. Both men fight atop the top rope where Davey utilizes his head as a fist and destroys Daniels with it until landing a suplex off the top! Davey then destroys Daniels with more of his educated feet but Daniels pushes Davey away which does nothing but pump Davey up! The two men go at it with punches, kicks, and nasty blows! Daniels gets the better of the exchange and puts Davey in a Koji Clutch which is reversed by Davey into an Ankle Lock! Daniels reverses it again into his own Ankle Lock! Davey tosses him out of the ring and dives out onto Daniels and into the crowd! An absolutely incredible sequence! They get back into the ring where Davey looks to still be in control and lands a handspring kick to the face of Christopher Daniels. However, Daniels gets Davey down on the mat which leads him to run up to the top rope but Davey suplexes him off and Daniels basically flips over and lands hard on the mat! Davey then goes up and tries to land a Shooting Star Press but Daniels reverses it into another Koji Clutch! The crowd which had basically been quiet the entire show is standing and applauding what they are witnessing. Davey escapes and both men take it to the side of the ring apron where Davey gets slammed onto the side of the ring with a Death Valley Driver! Davey's spine, neck, and body crash and burn! Both men are down and hurt on the floor! Daniels climbs back in the ring quickly as the referee is counting down Davey who makes it in the ring with a second to spare! Back in the ring, Davey rises and begs Daniels to bring it on! Daniels chops Davey out of the ring who quickly gets back in and shouts for more! Davey unleashes an onslaught of punches but Daniels counters and drops Davey with the Angel's Wings! Davey kicks out and Daniels is shocked! The crowd is eating it up! Daniels goes up top again and looks to hit him with a Moonsault but Davey counters again and puts Daniels in an Ankle Lock! Daniels escapes but Davey quickly destroys him with a devastating clothesline! He then lands a huge hurting on Daniels with nasty kicks and a DR Driver to top it off! Davey locks in the Anke Lock and Daniels has no choice but to tap out! Davey Richards defeats Christopher Daniels in an incredible match! Both men sell the beatings they just took as Daniels raises Davey's hand. Crowd is still on their feet and give them a much deserved ovation. Daniels takes the microphone and gives us an emotional speech as he praises Davey Richards and the match. They then shake hands as Davey grabs the microphone and thanks the competition and the fans as he proclaims that he will be Ring of Honor World Champion. Maybe I'm overrating this match but I loved everything about it. The build, the match, the speeches, the crowd, the location, the date, and the execution. Matches like this are why we watch this sport, to forget about the bullshit and to escape into a world where the bullshit isn't welcome. One word to describe this match… amazing. Do yourselves a favor and watch this match. You won't be disappointed.
Winner: Davey Richards
Rating: *****
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
You're basically checking out this show for the main event. The matches before were all nothing special but it did have it's moments and we do have to take into consideration that this show was missing both Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong. However, everything is overshadowed by the main event. That match was most definitely one of the most amazing matches I have ever witnessed. Wrestling is alive, wrestling is well, and wrestling is great. Watch Christopher Daniels vs. Davey Richards.
Rating: 8/10
Match 1: The All Night Express vs. Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly
Two hot tag teams open up the show for the big night. All Night Express is really gaining the crowd's attention as of late and their trash talking with Cole & O'Reilly get things going early on. All Night Express managed to look like veterans in this one due to them looking like dominant and title contending team against the younger team of Cole & O'Reilly who managed to hold up against them. Lots of great back and forth action with a lot of near falls and counters in this one, just as you would expect. A few mistakes in the end cause The All Night Express to get the win in the opening match of the night. Great way to start off the show with both teams looking great in either win or loss. Big things on the horizon for these four guys.
Winners: The All Night Express
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Andy Ridge vs. Ricky Reyes
This is Ridge's second match in the Trial Series and it's against the always charismatic Ricky Reyes. That was sarcasm for those who didn't catch that. Decent wrestling affair from the two but never seemed important and just felt like a complete filler. Reyes looked pretty good but Ridge just didn't appeal to me. Having a good look isn't very important to me but this guy is the definition of generic. He has generic music, lame tights, and a personality that he doesn't even believe in what he's saying. He's definitely on the right track to becoming a better wrestling but as for now, I'm not appealed at all to this guy. The match was good but again, felt very tossed in the mix and just not important on this night.
Winner: Ricky Reyes
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: Daizee Haze & Jamilla Craft vs. Lady JoJo & Nevaeh
Time for the women to take the stage in a tag team match. A little altercation spills out before the match with a fan who harassed Lady JoJo & Neveah. Looks like they're filming another segment for a reality show which is fine since this match really wasn't any big deal to be honest. Same wrestling you would normally see from these women with some decent action here and there but the crowd just couldn't care less. Nothing special here as usual.
Winners: Lady JoJo & Naveah
Rating: 1/2*
Match 4: Homicide vs. Kevin Steen
The crazy Homicide makes his return to Chicago against the crazier Kevin Steen! Crowd was a bit dead following the last two matches but once Steen's music hit, things changed! If you were expecting a brawl and nothing else from this match, then you will not be disappointing. Both men managed to grab the crowd with their hands and control them from the start. Lots of brawling and a lot more funny moments including them reaching their fingers into their opponent's noses, cussing really loudly for no reason, and cracking senseless jokes to get the crowd involved. I know a lot of people don't like the joking around kind of stuff but if it's to lighten the mood after two boring matches, I don't see the harm in it. Homicide cracks Steen with a neck breaker off the top rope and gets the win. After, he gets on the microphone to put over the company before Steen returns to the ring and brawls with Homicide which causes guys in the back to come out and split them apart. Great match with lots of great brawling and laugh out loud moments.
Winner: Homicide
Rating: ***1/4
Match 5: Mike Mondo vs. The Metal Master
Both men return to take on each other following the huge brawl between Homicide and Kevin Steen. Mondo is a former member of The Spirit Squad in the WWE while The Metal Master is a highly technical wrestler who can be very fun to watch. There was a huge amount of reversals in this one and most of the credit goes to Metal Master as Mondo was seemingly following him late for every move. Crowd was surprisingly into the action but Metal Master submits Mondo to get a quick victory not much to the crowd's liking. Good match and I'd love to see more of The Metal Master but again, Mike Mondo is doing nothing for me.
Winner: The Metal Master
Rating: *1/2
Match 6: Elimination - The Kings of Wrestling vs. The Briscoes
This tag match will be contested under elimination rules and is not for the titles. We've seen these two great teams go at it in many matches in the past and this will be their first in Chicago and first under these rules. The Kings look very dominant in the opening minutes by utilizing their size and strength over The Briscoes. The first pin and elimination comes when Claudio slips the loaded elbow pad to Chris Hero. Hero gets placed atop of Jay's shoulder's to which Mark leaps off the top rope looking to take out Hero only to get blasted in the face with the elbow and get eliminated. Nicely done elimination with a cool spot and the right man getting out first. It's basically a handicap match now as Jay Briscoe must fend off both Claudio Castagnoli & Chris Hero. The Kings easily dominate early on once again but Jay fights back and nails Castagnoli with the Jay Driller! It's now Chris Hero vs. Jay Briscoe! Hero puts back on the loaded elbow pad and rolls into the ring but Jay ducks the elbow and pins Hero to get the win for him and Mark. Good match but very underwhelming compared to their other wars.
Winners: The Briscoes
Rating: **3/4
Match 7: I Quit - Colt Cabana vs. Steve Corino
Colt Cabana and Steve Corino look to end their personal feud in a brutal fight in Colt Cabana's hometown of Chicago, IL. The interesting thing here is that Kevin Steen will be in ringside in a straight jacket. This allows Steen's involvement to be restrained but the problem here is that Steen took a lot of the attention away from the match. His constant grab for attention is entertaining but when it's a personal match like this, it somewhat becomes a decline in the match's seriousness. With that being said, both men involved in the match did a great job of displaying their hatred towards each other by brutally beating each other with nasty punches, huge chair shots, and a few really cool spots. However, Corino eventually unties Steen out of the straight jacket which leads to chaos being unleashed upon the match. Steen gets restrained by guys in the back and in the locker room so now his involvement is set back. Corino now has to take on an enraged Colt Cabana by himself and Cabana gets the best of him by driving Corino through a table and slashing his arm with a shard of the table. Corino screams, shouts, and eventually quits. Cabana then gets on the microphone and proclaims that it's finally over. Great match to end this personal feud between Cabana and Corino and also a great way to further the angle between Steen and Generico. Lots of blood and some cool spots make this one a fun watch.
Winner: Colt Cabana
Rating: ***1/4
Match 8: Christopher Daniels vs. Davey Richards
It is now finally time for the main event, the match the entire Ring of Honor world has been waiting for, the match that is six months in the making… Christopher Daniels taking on Davey Richards for the first time ever. Both men come out to their usual entrances, follow the Code of Honor, and we're off. The crowd is on fire and reenergized as both men lock up in what is seemingly going to be a stalemate. The two go hold for hold in the opening minutes with a lot of reversals early on the match. As the two men go at it back and forth, the crowd roars in an evenly split contest. They decide to then take matters outside the ring where Davey landed a nasty punt upon Daniels' chest. Davey kicks Daniels outside and tosses him back in where he puts his focus on his varied submission moves. Davey finally looks to be in control of the match but just like Davey early on in the match, Daniels doesn't give up and gets back into the match even after a relentless assault by Davey and his educated legs. Daniels finally gets back in control after crushing Davey's head in who was looking to toss his body through the second rope onto Daniels. This leads Daniels to putting Davey back in the firefight where Daniels puts the pressure on Davey. Again, the crowd is evenly split for both men as Daniels begins to get frustrated over Davey refusing to lose the match. However, Davey gets back into the match once again and even manages to land a diving head butt off the top rope! This match is going back and forth every minute, both men refuse to back down. Both men fight atop the top rope where Davey utilizes his head as a fist and destroys Daniels with it until landing a suplex off the top! Davey then destroys Daniels with more of his educated feet but Daniels pushes Davey away which does nothing but pump Davey up! The two men go at it with punches, kicks, and nasty blows! Daniels gets the better of the exchange and puts Davey in a Koji Clutch which is reversed by Davey into an Ankle Lock! Daniels reverses it again into his own Ankle Lock! Davey tosses him out of the ring and dives out onto Daniels and into the crowd! An absolutely incredible sequence! They get back into the ring where Davey looks to still be in control and lands a handspring kick to the face of Christopher Daniels. However, Daniels gets Davey down on the mat which leads him to run up to the top rope but Davey suplexes him off and Daniels basically flips over and lands hard on the mat! Davey then goes up and tries to land a Shooting Star Press but Daniels reverses it into another Koji Clutch! The crowd which had basically been quiet the entire show is standing and applauding what they are witnessing. Davey escapes and both men take it to the side of the ring apron where Davey gets slammed onto the side of the ring with a Death Valley Driver! Davey's spine, neck, and body crash and burn! Both men are down and hurt on the floor! Daniels climbs back in the ring quickly as the referee is counting down Davey who makes it in the ring with a second to spare! Back in the ring, Davey rises and begs Daniels to bring it on! Daniels chops Davey out of the ring who quickly gets back in and shouts for more! Davey unleashes an onslaught of punches but Daniels counters and drops Davey with the Angel's Wings! Davey kicks out and Daniels is shocked! The crowd is eating it up! Daniels goes up top again and looks to hit him with a Moonsault but Davey counters again and puts Daniels in an Ankle Lock! Daniels escapes but Davey quickly destroys him with a devastating clothesline! He then lands a huge hurting on Daniels with nasty kicks and a DR Driver to top it off! Davey locks in the Anke Lock and Daniels has no choice but to tap out! Davey Richards defeats Christopher Daniels in an incredible match! Both men sell the beatings they just took as Daniels raises Davey's hand. Crowd is still on their feet and give them a much deserved ovation. Daniels takes the microphone and gives us an emotional speech as he praises Davey Richards and the match. They then shake hands as Davey grabs the microphone and thanks the competition and the fans as he proclaims that he will be Ring of Honor World Champion. Maybe I'm overrating this match but I loved everything about it. The build, the match, the speeches, the crowd, the location, the date, and the execution. Matches like this are why we watch this sport, to forget about the bullshit and to escape into a world where the bullshit isn't welcome. One word to describe this match… amazing. Do yourselves a favor and watch this match. You won't be disappointed.
Winner: Davey Richards
Rating: *****
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
You're basically checking out this show for the main event. The matches before were all nothing special but it did have it's moments and we do have to take into consideration that this show was missing both Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong. However, everything is overshadowed by the main event. That match was most definitely one of the most amazing matches I have ever witnessed. Wrestling is alive, wrestling is well, and wrestling is great. Watch Christopher Daniels vs. Davey Richards.
Rating: 8/10
ROH Allied Forces Review
From October 15, 2011.
Match 1: Mark Briscoe vs. Mike Mondo
Mike Mondo returns to Ring of Honor in a match up against one half of The Briscoes, Mark Briscoe. Mondo is looking to make a name for himself but Mark seemingly got the better of him throughout the large part of the match. Some good action here and there but nothing that stands out. Mondo just isn't very interesting enough to open up a show but still managed to have a pretty fun match here. I just don't see him in Ring of Honor as a regular.
Winner: Mark Briscoe
Rating: **
Match 2: Daizee Haze vs. Lady JoJo
The Women of Honor take center stage for the second match of the night. I have said this many times before and I'll say it again, women's wrestling isn't very appealing to me but that doesn't mean I have the utmost respect for them. This match just really didn't do anything for me, the crowd was quiet and all I heard was basically them screaming for 5 minutes and it gets difficult to pay attention to the match at hand. Daizee gets the win by hitting a German Suplex into a pin.
Winner: Daizee Haze
Rating: *
Match 3: Trial Series - Andy Ridge vs. Colt Cabana
This is the first match in Andy Ridge's Trial Series in which he will be taking on ROH veterans. This kid is about 160 pounds or so, imagine him going against Davey. Anyway, Cabana is Andy's first opponent and Cabana makes light of the situation by joking around a lot with legitimately funny jokes about the kid. After, the two put on some great chain wrestling moves as Cabana made Ridge look really good out there. Cabana eventually made Ridge tap out with the Billy Goat's Curse to pick up the win. Afterwards, he put over Ridge and shook his hand. Surprisingly really good match from the two, just a fun and worthwhile match to watch.
Winner: Colt Cabana
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Kevin Steen & Steve Corino vs. Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly
Before the match, Steen cuts a hilarious promo about dressing as El Generico for Halloween and how he found a political sign with his name on it. Steen & Corino, like Cabana, really took this match lightly and it showed as they were constantly making jokes throughout the match but I guess that's expected from a match with these two. Much like Ridge, Cole & O'Reilly benefited from working with the two veterans and were able to get in a great deal of offense and especially when O'Reilly was able to display his abilities with his educated feet. Davey Richards came out during the match to watch his boys which led to Steen & Corino cracking more jokes and continuously taking the match lightly even though Cole & O'Reilly were relentless throughout. Steen eventually was able to launch Adam Cole into a turnbuckle and scored the victory for his team. Great mid card match with everyone looking good. Steen & Corino joking around didn't take anything away from the match since everyone got a great amount of offense in and they kept the crowd invested with it.
Winners: Kevin Steen & Steve Corino
Rating: ***1/2
Match 5: Ricky Reyes vs. The Metal Master
Following the tag match, two undercard guys step in. It's Ricky Reyes taking on The Metal Master who is a great technical wrestler. Lots of really good technical wrestling from the beginning with a lot of slow pacing to follow. Crowd was just completely not into the action at all but the two managed to wrestle a good match through that. A planted fan started talking trash to Reyes and decided to run in during the match where he was taken down by security. That was actually the highlight of the match even though the match itself was pretty good. The ending came when Reyes poked Metal Master in the eyes and swung his neck to get the win. Definitely a filler match and definitely a type of match you would expect to see in this market.
Winner: Ricky Reyes
Rating: **
Match 6: Jay Briscoe vs. Rhett Titus
Both of these men are in singles roles tonight and are facing each other in a mid card match up. This is Rhett's time to shine since his limelight is somewhat taken over by Kenny Kings and he has a chance to show the ROH world that even as a singles competitor, he's legit. His opponent is Jay Briscoe and the two start off the match with some good ground work to get the ball rolling. The two managed to keep the ball rolling throughout the entire course of the match and nothing seem forced as the action kept moving without them dragging it out. Titus was even able to dropkick Jay Briscoe off the top rope in which he landed onto the ringside table. However, Jay got back into things and landed a Jay Driller to get the win. A good mid card match displaying the singles abilities of both men where they got a great amount of time to put on this type of match. Afterwards, Briscoe offers a handshake to which Titus declines and flips him off.
Winner: Jay Briscoe
Rating: ***1/4
Match 7: Homicide vs. Kenny King
After Rhett Titus had his singles match against Jay Briscoe and lost, Kenny King looks to avenge his partner's loss against the returning Homicide. Homicide definitely showed off some ring rust here as he definitely isn't in the shape he was once in and wasn't able to execute his moves better than or up to the point of what he once did. King looked pretty good here but like Homicide, a lot of his moves looked pretty sloppy and they weren't able to get the crowd going unless they had something funny or clever to say. Titus came out later to assist King but it was no use as Homicide ended up getting the pin and the win which meant that The All Night Express didn't pick up any wins for the night. Afterwards, the two attack Homicide which leads to Jay Briscoe coming out and making the save. Homicide gets in Briscoe's face and tells him he doesn't need his help. They're then split apart as they get in each other's faces. A pretty decent match followed up with a good post match follow up. Homicide definitely has his work cut out for him.
Winner: Homicide
Rating: *3/4
Match 8: ROH World Tag Team Championships - The Kings of Wrestling (c) vs. Davey Richards & Christopher Daniels
Before the two tear each other apart in Chicago, Davey Richards & Christopher Daniels team up to take on The Kings of Wrestling for the ROH World Tag Team Championships. The crowd that has been mostly quiet for the better part of the night finally gets going for these four men even before the bell tolls as the trash talk starts early on. Richards wants to go against Hero early on but Hero won't let it happen and continues to bury Richards with an onslaught of trash talk. Match gets going on a fast pace early on and that's the type of match we need here considering the whole night has been pretty bland. For the first time as a tag team, Richards & Daniels took The Kings to the limit and even worked great together as a team. However, miscommunication got in the way of things and The Kings took advantage of it quickly. Deep in the match, Richards accidentally bumps into Daniels which leads to The Kings capitalizing on the dilatation by taking out Richards out of the ring and planting Daniels on the mat to pick up the win which means they retain their titles. Afterwards, Richards & Daniels exchange words in a heated argument to which Hero picks up the microphone and declares that The Kings are unstoppable. Davey tells Hero that come December, he's gonna get Eddie Edwards into the fray to become ROH World Tag Team Champions. He then shifts his focus to Christopher Daniels and tells him that he stands in his way to becoming ROH World Champion. What a main event. The action was fast, the near falls were great, the drama was there, the storyline progression was there, and the moves that all four men landed looked devastating and beautiful. This was just a great way to lead into the main event the following night. It's Christopher Daniels vs. Davey Richards for the very first time.
Winners: The Kings of Wrestling
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
A very bland show that managed to feature good storyline progression and an awesome main event. Nothing too special here but it's a nice way to lead in to the next night's show.
Rating: 6/10
Match 1: Mark Briscoe vs. Mike Mondo
Mike Mondo returns to Ring of Honor in a match up against one half of The Briscoes, Mark Briscoe. Mondo is looking to make a name for himself but Mark seemingly got the better of him throughout the large part of the match. Some good action here and there but nothing that stands out. Mondo just isn't very interesting enough to open up a show but still managed to have a pretty fun match here. I just don't see him in Ring of Honor as a regular.
Winner: Mark Briscoe
Rating: **
Match 2: Daizee Haze vs. Lady JoJo
The Women of Honor take center stage for the second match of the night. I have said this many times before and I'll say it again, women's wrestling isn't very appealing to me but that doesn't mean I have the utmost respect for them. This match just really didn't do anything for me, the crowd was quiet and all I heard was basically them screaming for 5 minutes and it gets difficult to pay attention to the match at hand. Daizee gets the win by hitting a German Suplex into a pin.
Winner: Daizee Haze
Rating: *
Match 3: Trial Series - Andy Ridge vs. Colt Cabana
This is the first match in Andy Ridge's Trial Series in which he will be taking on ROH veterans. This kid is about 160 pounds or so, imagine him going against Davey. Anyway, Cabana is Andy's first opponent and Cabana makes light of the situation by joking around a lot with legitimately funny jokes about the kid. After, the two put on some great chain wrestling moves as Cabana made Ridge look really good out there. Cabana eventually made Ridge tap out with the Billy Goat's Curse to pick up the win. Afterwards, he put over Ridge and shook his hand. Surprisingly really good match from the two, just a fun and worthwhile match to watch.
Winner: Colt Cabana
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Kevin Steen & Steve Corino vs. Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly
Before the match, Steen cuts a hilarious promo about dressing as El Generico for Halloween and how he found a political sign with his name on it. Steen & Corino, like Cabana, really took this match lightly and it showed as they were constantly making jokes throughout the match but I guess that's expected from a match with these two. Much like Ridge, Cole & O'Reilly benefited from working with the two veterans and were able to get in a great deal of offense and especially when O'Reilly was able to display his abilities with his educated feet. Davey Richards came out during the match to watch his boys which led to Steen & Corino cracking more jokes and continuously taking the match lightly even though Cole & O'Reilly were relentless throughout. Steen eventually was able to launch Adam Cole into a turnbuckle and scored the victory for his team. Great mid card match with everyone looking good. Steen & Corino joking around didn't take anything away from the match since everyone got a great amount of offense in and they kept the crowd invested with it.
Winners: Kevin Steen & Steve Corino
Rating: ***1/2
Match 5: Ricky Reyes vs. The Metal Master
Following the tag match, two undercard guys step in. It's Ricky Reyes taking on The Metal Master who is a great technical wrestler. Lots of really good technical wrestling from the beginning with a lot of slow pacing to follow. Crowd was just completely not into the action at all but the two managed to wrestle a good match through that. A planted fan started talking trash to Reyes and decided to run in during the match where he was taken down by security. That was actually the highlight of the match even though the match itself was pretty good. The ending came when Reyes poked Metal Master in the eyes and swung his neck to get the win. Definitely a filler match and definitely a type of match you would expect to see in this market.
Winner: Ricky Reyes
Rating: **
Match 6: Jay Briscoe vs. Rhett Titus
Both of these men are in singles roles tonight and are facing each other in a mid card match up. This is Rhett's time to shine since his limelight is somewhat taken over by Kenny Kings and he has a chance to show the ROH world that even as a singles competitor, he's legit. His opponent is Jay Briscoe and the two start off the match with some good ground work to get the ball rolling. The two managed to keep the ball rolling throughout the entire course of the match and nothing seem forced as the action kept moving without them dragging it out. Titus was even able to dropkick Jay Briscoe off the top rope in which he landed onto the ringside table. However, Jay got back into things and landed a Jay Driller to get the win. A good mid card match displaying the singles abilities of both men where they got a great amount of time to put on this type of match. Afterwards, Briscoe offers a handshake to which Titus declines and flips him off.
Winner: Jay Briscoe
Rating: ***1/4
Match 7: Homicide vs. Kenny King
After Rhett Titus had his singles match against Jay Briscoe and lost, Kenny King looks to avenge his partner's loss against the returning Homicide. Homicide definitely showed off some ring rust here as he definitely isn't in the shape he was once in and wasn't able to execute his moves better than or up to the point of what he once did. King looked pretty good here but like Homicide, a lot of his moves looked pretty sloppy and they weren't able to get the crowd going unless they had something funny or clever to say. Titus came out later to assist King but it was no use as Homicide ended up getting the pin and the win which meant that The All Night Express didn't pick up any wins for the night. Afterwards, the two attack Homicide which leads to Jay Briscoe coming out and making the save. Homicide gets in Briscoe's face and tells him he doesn't need his help. They're then split apart as they get in each other's faces. A pretty decent match followed up with a good post match follow up. Homicide definitely has his work cut out for him.
Winner: Homicide
Rating: *3/4
Match 8: ROH World Tag Team Championships - The Kings of Wrestling (c) vs. Davey Richards & Christopher Daniels
Before the two tear each other apart in Chicago, Davey Richards & Christopher Daniels team up to take on The Kings of Wrestling for the ROH World Tag Team Championships. The crowd that has been mostly quiet for the better part of the night finally gets going for these four men even before the bell tolls as the trash talk starts early on. Richards wants to go against Hero early on but Hero won't let it happen and continues to bury Richards with an onslaught of trash talk. Match gets going on a fast pace early on and that's the type of match we need here considering the whole night has been pretty bland. For the first time as a tag team, Richards & Daniels took The Kings to the limit and even worked great together as a team. However, miscommunication got in the way of things and The Kings took advantage of it quickly. Deep in the match, Richards accidentally bumps into Daniels which leads to The Kings capitalizing on the dilatation by taking out Richards out of the ring and planting Daniels on the mat to pick up the win which means they retain their titles. Afterwards, Richards & Daniels exchange words in a heated argument to which Hero picks up the microphone and declares that The Kings are unstoppable. Davey tells Hero that come December, he's gonna get Eddie Edwards into the fray to become ROH World Tag Team Champions. He then shifts his focus to Christopher Daniels and tells him that he stands in his way to becoming ROH World Champion. What a main event. The action was fast, the near falls were great, the drama was there, the storyline progression was there, and the moves that all four men landed looked devastating and beautiful. This was just a great way to lead into the main event the following night. It's Christopher Daniels vs. Davey Richards for the very first time.
Winners: The Kings of Wrestling
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
A very bland show that managed to feature good storyline progression and an awesome main event. Nothing too special here but it's a nice way to lead in to the next night's show.
Rating: 6/10
WWE Summerslam 2011 Review
From September 21, 2011.
Match 1: Rey Mysterio, John Morrison, & Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz, R-Truth, & Alberto Del Rio
Since these guys don't have a match booked for tonight, they're put in a tag match together to kick open the night. Felt like a good Raw match with everyone getting a good amount of offense in and looking good in front of a large crowd here. Just the basic six man tag team match quickly put together to get things going with Mysterio hitting the 619 to get the win. Nothing special here but still a nice quickly put together opening bout.
Winners: Rey Mysterio, John Morrison, & Kofi Kingston
Rating: **1/2
Match 2: Sheamus vs. Mark Henry
Mark Henry's huge roll continues here against Sheamus who is standing up to him after Henry continued his weeks and weeks of his bullying ways on SmackDown. Sheamus gets the good part of Henry throughout the match and is able to go toe for toe up against the huge beast. However, Henry is able to show off his strength and gets the better part of the match as well including easily tossing Sheamus into the ring after yelling after Michael Cole. Once they take it outside again, Henry slams Sheamus into the ring post and through the barricade to get the ten count and the win! Good big man match and Henry continues to shine. Sheamus looked good here as well as his loss didn't damage his character's reputation.
Winner: Mark Henry
Rating: **
Match 3: Divas Championship - Kelly Kelly (c) vs. Beth Phoenix
After being disrespected by Beth Phoenix, Kelly decides to put her title on the line. Not much to say here that hasn't already been said about these Divas matches but it seems as if Kelly is stepping up her game as of late so you got to give credit where credit is due. She even managed to fire up the crowd with her loud and primal scream but eventually, Phoenix picks up Kelly and goes for the Gland Slam! Kelly reverses it into a roll up pin and gets the surprising win in a surprisingly pretty good match.
Winner: Kelly Kelly
Rating: *1/4
Match 4: Wade Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan
For weeks, Barret has tried his best to get the best of Mr. Money in the Bank, Daniel Bryan. One year ago, these two took part in the main event as opponents and here they are now, wrestling each other in a singles contest as rising stars. Really good stiff action going back and forth between the two that even Michael cole had no choice but to praise Bryan. Bryan put some great emphasis on his ground work with his fantastic array of submissions and Barrett looked good as well by not giving up and going toe to toe against him with his hard hitting moves. Barrett later drops Bryan off the top rope and hit's the Wasteland move to end the match in a great back and forth match with no clear cut winner from the start. Bryan got the loss but managed to look good in the process.
Winner: Wade Barrett
Rating: ***1/4
Match 5: No Disqualification - World Heavyweight Championship - Christian (c) vs. Randy Orton
For months and months now, these two have been going at it in a personal rivalry for the World Heavyweight Championship which leads to this No Disqualification match. Before the match, Christian calls out Edge to come down to the ring as Christian's big surprise. However, things backfire and Edge calls Christian a whiney bitch before storming out of the ring. Match starts and we're off, they quickly bring in the kendo stick into the ring and Christian tries his best to take out Orton with it, including jamming it against his neck. The relentless Randy Orton refuses to give up as Christian seemingly as his number but the pace changes as Orton landed an RKO through the announcers table! Chaos is about to ensue after this when they take it back to the ring where Christian hit's a Killswitch which wasn't enough to get the win! Christian then brings out two chairs and looks to hit Orton with the Con-Chair-To! He spits on Orton's motionless body and misses the chair swing! Pissed off, Orton grabs a chair and destroys Christian with it and even uses it to toss Christian out of the ring and onto a table set outside! The tide has quickly changed back to Orton's favor. Back in the ring where Orton destroys Christian with kendo stick shots and then power slams Christian through another table set up on the turnbuckles just when Christian was seemingly getting to turn the match towards his liking. Orton looks to finish things off with an RKO on part of the steel steps that they brought into the ring but Christian nails Orton with the kendo stick! Christian leaps off the middle rope but lands right into an RKO onto the steel steps! Orton covers and gets the win! Sick match and a sick finish! Every spot meant something as Orton continues to look like the beastly star that he is! Phenomenal effort from both men!
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ****1/2
Match 6: Undisputed WWE Championship - John Cena vs. CM Punk
In the main event, the WWE Champion looks to take on the other WWE Champion. It's John Cena taking on CM Punk in a rematch from last month's Money in the Bank PPV. The other big difference here is that Triple H is the special guest referee but has announced to call the match down the middle already. Just like the rapid Chicago crowd, the Los Angeles crowd is all on their feet and are going nuts for this match! Things start off with the usual technical wrestling and the groundwork from both men to build the anticipation for things to come. Crowd is also leaning towards Punk's side as they are vocal for his punches, chops, and kicks against Cena. The two go at it for a good while with fun technical wrestling and tons of reversals in front of the loud crowd before Punk dives to the outside and takes out Cena. Both men are unable to answer Triple H's count who then tosses both men back into the ring rather than going with the ten count. This is where the action really begins to pick up and the anticipation that they built up in the opening minuets of the match will finally pay off. Counter after counter from both men! Punk is able to kick out of Cena's Attitude Adjustment to the shock of everyone! Punk later hits a GTS on Cena but he as well doesn't get the win! The crowd is going absolutely crazy at this moment and Cena lands another Attitude Adjustment but Punk once again kicks out! This is great wrestling, every pin fall is meaningful and the near falls aren't being hit for the sake of having them. Punk then gets Cena in another GTS and gets the three count from Triple H who didn't see Cena's foot on the bottom rope. Regardless, CM Punk is the Undisputed WWE Champion. Beautiful and crisp wrestling from both men. The crowd bought everything they did and so did I. Great slow buildup from the start of the match leading to the epic exchange of finishers in the closing minutes of the match. After, Kevin Nash appears out of nowhere and destroys CM Punk! Triple H returns to the ring and is absolutely shocked.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ****1/2
Match 7: Undisputed WWE Championship - CM Punk (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio
Mr. Money in the Bank then comes out to pick up the pieces and cash in on his big opportunity! He lands a huge kick to the side of Punk's head and covers for the win! We have a new champion! The appearance of Kevin Nash was a bit odd but this definitely helped things. Alberto Del Rio has quickly become one of WWE's top heels and this WWE Championship win was a must.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Rating: n/a
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
The first half of this show was pretty weak but it did feature good storyline progression so that's definitely a plus. However, the second half totally and completely blows everything out of the water. The two main events were both phenomenal and heart pounding. Orton, Christian, Punk, and Cena are definitely a great collection of wrestlers and they proved that here in two amazing main event bouts.
Rating: 9/10
Match 1: Rey Mysterio, John Morrison, & Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz, R-Truth, & Alberto Del Rio
Since these guys don't have a match booked for tonight, they're put in a tag match together to kick open the night. Felt like a good Raw match with everyone getting a good amount of offense in and looking good in front of a large crowd here. Just the basic six man tag team match quickly put together to get things going with Mysterio hitting the 619 to get the win. Nothing special here but still a nice quickly put together opening bout.
Winners: Rey Mysterio, John Morrison, & Kofi Kingston
Rating: **1/2
Match 2: Sheamus vs. Mark Henry
Mark Henry's huge roll continues here against Sheamus who is standing up to him after Henry continued his weeks and weeks of his bullying ways on SmackDown. Sheamus gets the good part of Henry throughout the match and is able to go toe for toe up against the huge beast. However, Henry is able to show off his strength and gets the better part of the match as well including easily tossing Sheamus into the ring after yelling after Michael Cole. Once they take it outside again, Henry slams Sheamus into the ring post and through the barricade to get the ten count and the win! Good big man match and Henry continues to shine. Sheamus looked good here as well as his loss didn't damage his character's reputation.
Winner: Mark Henry
Rating: **
Match 3: Divas Championship - Kelly Kelly (c) vs. Beth Phoenix
After being disrespected by Beth Phoenix, Kelly decides to put her title on the line. Not much to say here that hasn't already been said about these Divas matches but it seems as if Kelly is stepping up her game as of late so you got to give credit where credit is due. She even managed to fire up the crowd with her loud and primal scream but eventually, Phoenix picks up Kelly and goes for the Gland Slam! Kelly reverses it into a roll up pin and gets the surprising win in a surprisingly pretty good match.
Winner: Kelly Kelly
Rating: *1/4
Match 4: Wade Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan
For weeks, Barret has tried his best to get the best of Mr. Money in the Bank, Daniel Bryan. One year ago, these two took part in the main event as opponents and here they are now, wrestling each other in a singles contest as rising stars. Really good stiff action going back and forth between the two that even Michael cole had no choice but to praise Bryan. Bryan put some great emphasis on his ground work with his fantastic array of submissions and Barrett looked good as well by not giving up and going toe to toe against him with his hard hitting moves. Barrett later drops Bryan off the top rope and hit's the Wasteland move to end the match in a great back and forth match with no clear cut winner from the start. Bryan got the loss but managed to look good in the process.
Winner: Wade Barrett
Rating: ***1/4
Match 5: No Disqualification - World Heavyweight Championship - Christian (c) vs. Randy Orton
For months and months now, these two have been going at it in a personal rivalry for the World Heavyweight Championship which leads to this No Disqualification match. Before the match, Christian calls out Edge to come down to the ring as Christian's big surprise. However, things backfire and Edge calls Christian a whiney bitch before storming out of the ring. Match starts and we're off, they quickly bring in the kendo stick into the ring and Christian tries his best to take out Orton with it, including jamming it against his neck. The relentless Randy Orton refuses to give up as Christian seemingly as his number but the pace changes as Orton landed an RKO through the announcers table! Chaos is about to ensue after this when they take it back to the ring where Christian hit's a Killswitch which wasn't enough to get the win! Christian then brings out two chairs and looks to hit Orton with the Con-Chair-To! He spits on Orton's motionless body and misses the chair swing! Pissed off, Orton grabs a chair and destroys Christian with it and even uses it to toss Christian out of the ring and onto a table set outside! The tide has quickly changed back to Orton's favor. Back in the ring where Orton destroys Christian with kendo stick shots and then power slams Christian through another table set up on the turnbuckles just when Christian was seemingly getting to turn the match towards his liking. Orton looks to finish things off with an RKO on part of the steel steps that they brought into the ring but Christian nails Orton with the kendo stick! Christian leaps off the middle rope but lands right into an RKO onto the steel steps! Orton covers and gets the win! Sick match and a sick finish! Every spot meant something as Orton continues to look like the beastly star that he is! Phenomenal effort from both men!
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ****1/2
Match 6: Undisputed WWE Championship - John Cena vs. CM Punk
In the main event, the WWE Champion looks to take on the other WWE Champion. It's John Cena taking on CM Punk in a rematch from last month's Money in the Bank PPV. The other big difference here is that Triple H is the special guest referee but has announced to call the match down the middle already. Just like the rapid Chicago crowd, the Los Angeles crowd is all on their feet and are going nuts for this match! Things start off with the usual technical wrestling and the groundwork from both men to build the anticipation for things to come. Crowd is also leaning towards Punk's side as they are vocal for his punches, chops, and kicks against Cena. The two go at it for a good while with fun technical wrestling and tons of reversals in front of the loud crowd before Punk dives to the outside and takes out Cena. Both men are unable to answer Triple H's count who then tosses both men back into the ring rather than going with the ten count. This is where the action really begins to pick up and the anticipation that they built up in the opening minuets of the match will finally pay off. Counter after counter from both men! Punk is able to kick out of Cena's Attitude Adjustment to the shock of everyone! Punk later hits a GTS on Cena but he as well doesn't get the win! The crowd is going absolutely crazy at this moment and Cena lands another Attitude Adjustment but Punk once again kicks out! This is great wrestling, every pin fall is meaningful and the near falls aren't being hit for the sake of having them. Punk then gets Cena in another GTS and gets the three count from Triple H who didn't see Cena's foot on the bottom rope. Regardless, CM Punk is the Undisputed WWE Champion. Beautiful and crisp wrestling from both men. The crowd bought everything they did and so did I. Great slow buildup from the start of the match leading to the epic exchange of finishers in the closing minutes of the match. After, Kevin Nash appears out of nowhere and destroys CM Punk! Triple H returns to the ring and is absolutely shocked.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ****1/2
Match 7: Undisputed WWE Championship - CM Punk (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio
Mr. Money in the Bank then comes out to pick up the pieces and cash in on his big opportunity! He lands a huge kick to the side of Punk's head and covers for the win! We have a new champion! The appearance of Kevin Nash was a bit odd but this definitely helped things. Alberto Del Rio has quickly become one of WWE's top heels and this WWE Championship win was a must.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Rating: n/a
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
The first half of this show was pretty weak but it did feature good storyline progression so that's definitely a plus. However, the second half totally and completely blows everything out of the water. The two main events were both phenomenal and heart pounding. Orton, Christian, Punk, and Cena are definitely a great collection of wrestlers and they proved that here in two amazing main event bouts.
Rating: 9/10
WWE Money in the Bank 2011 Review
From September 11, 2011.
Match 1: SmackDown Money in the Bank - Sin Cara vs. Kane vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett vs. Justin Gabriel vs. Sheamus vs. Heath Slater vs. Cody Rhodes
The SmackDown Money in the Bank match kicks off the show. I have no idea where to start for this one. Incredible spots, carnage erupting everywhere, and a really hot crowd to go along with it. Early in the match, the biggest spot in the match happened where Sheamus threw Sin Cara off the side of the ring and through a ladder which caused Sin Cara to be carried out to the back and out of the match. The chaos doesn't end there as just about everyone in this match put their bodies on the line with some of the sickest and most innovative moves ever displayed in this type of match including Justin Gabriel hitting his 450 Splash off of a horizontal ladder on the top ring rope. Later in the match, Daniel Bryan fights off Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett to grab the briefcase and earn himself a shot against a World Champion within the next 12 months. Great opening contest with everyone playing their spots well and putting on a great performance. No one looked bad and the ending result probably came as a shock to most with a deserving Daniel Bryan winning.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Rating: ****
Match 2: Divas Championship - Kelly Kelly © vs. Brie Bella
Kelly Kelly looks to defend her championship against one of the Bella twins with Eve in her corner. Kelly looked really motivated all while looking very sloppy in the ring. Short match with Kelly picking up the win. Typical Divas match with nothing special to offer.
Winner: Kelly Kelly
Rating: 1/2*
Match 3: The Big Show vs. Mark Henry
Mark Henry has been on a roll of late since returning to SmackDown and after taking out Kane, he looks to do the same here with The Big Show. Normally, I'm not a fan of these big men matches but the way both men have been of late, I actually have a pretty good feeling about this match. Henry puts his focus on Show's left leg throughout the entire match before slamming Show twice and splashing him twice to get the huge win. Afterwards, Henry places a chair between Show's left leg and jumps off the middle rope which damages Show's leg to the max. Henry looked like a beast here and while the match wasn't really anything too special, give credit where credit is due. Both men looked good and the aftermath was great.
Winner: Mark Henry
Rating: *1/4
Match 4: Raw Money in the Bank - Rey Mysterio vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Alex Riley vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Evan Bourne vs. The Miz vs. R-Truth vs. Jack Swagger
The second Money in the Bank match kicks off with every man holding a ladder in their hands and attacking Del Rio with them due to his actions on Raw. Having two Ladder matches in one night is very difficult because it forces the guys in the ring to be different which is tough considering of how great the first one was. This match was just one huge fest of spots with jumps after jumps and spots after spots. A somewhat different pace from the first match of the night which I like. However, I feel like some of the spots on here got really repetitive at times and not every man got over like what happened in the first match. Other than the winner, the one person to really get over in this match was The Miz who is already an established wrestler after he came back to the ring from injuring his knee. The final two of the match were Mysterio and Del Rio. Mysterio was about to capture the briefcase until Del Rio ripped off Mysterio's mask and grabbed the briefcase to win. Good Ladder match but it just seemed very sloppy at times with a lot of botches but this is a Ladder match and those are bound to happen. Del Rio now has another chance at glory.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Rating: ***1/2
Match 5: World Heavyweight Championship - Randy Orton (c) vs. Christian
Following Christian's two losses against Orton, Christian gets another chance at glory. This time around, if Orton gets disqualified, the title changes hands over to Christian. Crowd is about evenly split between the two as the bell tolls and we're off. Both men brought the goods here with a lot of good psychology starting off with Christian handing over a chair to Orton in the beginning. From then on, Christian does his best to take out Orton but seemingly cannot as Orton has every reversal for every reversal from Christian. Christian eventually spits right in the face of Orton which leads to Orton going berserk and landing a blatant low blow in front of the referee. The referee then calls for the bell and Orton is disqualified! Christian is now champion! Frustrated, Orton continues his berserk mode and beats the living hell out of Christian after! Orton then placed Christian on the announcers table and lands an RKO! Orton then walked up the stage and returns to give Christian another RKO on the table! Orton looked like a beast here and the disqualification ending here goes well for the storyline. The match was great but the big spit and the post match following it was what sold me. Great match, great ending, and a phenomenal way to keep the storyline running strong.
Winner: Christian
Rating: ****
Match 6: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. CM Punk
It's not time for what might just be the most anticipated main event match in recent WWE history. CM Punk challenges John Cena for the WWE Championship. Let's also not forget to mention that this is CM Punk's last WWE match and that if Cena loses, he will be fired. Oh, and we're in Chicago, CM Punk's homeland. With that being said, CM Punk arrives to a huge crowd reaction. Probably one of the loudest crowd reactions ever! After, Cena comes out to a reaction that can be compared to his one at ECW: One Night Stand back in 2006. The bell tolls and the match has officially begun. Things start off at a good back and forth pace with great chain wrestling which kept the crowd enthralled throughout. Punk gave Cena his best and Cena fired right back and held up his own right against him. Really good interactions with the loud crowd from both men including Punk copying Cena's signature taunts as well as Cena going for a Five Knuckle Shuffle to the crowd's dismay. Once the dust settled and the chain wrestling ended, there was still no clear cut favorite here as both men managed to keep the match flowing at a nice and unpredictable pace. From then on, they turn the notch up with near fall after near fall and submission after submission. Punk manages to kick out of two Attitude Adjustments and also managed to reverse the STF into an Anaconda Vice. The crowd is going nuts for all of this! Cena manages to fire back and reverse Punk's GTS into the STF but Punk managed to dramatically crawl his way out by grabbing onto the bottom rope. However, Punk was able to hit Cena with a GTS later on the latter of the match but unfortunately for him, Cena falls through the second rope and out of the ring! Punk has no other option but to carry Cena's sandbagged body back into the ring but Cena fought back into the match and eventually puts Punk back into the STF once again. As Cena does this, Vince McMahon & John Laurinaitis try to pull another Montreal Screwjob but Cena punches Laurinaitis and tells McMahon that he wants to win fairly. As soon as Cena gets back in the ring, Punk hoists Cena up and nails him with the GTS! Punk covers and gets the win as the crowd goes into a frenzy! Shocked, McMahon calls for Alberto Del Rio to cash in his briefcase but gets drilled in the head with a kick by Punk! Punk blows a kiss to McMahon and leaves the arena with the WWE Championship. Phenomenal main event that is very reminiscent to John Cena vs. Triple H a few years ago in the same building at WrestleMania 22 with a hot crowd and marquee attraction. The involvement of McMahon made things more dramatic and I didn't feel like it took anything away from the match. This match perfectly closes out a great night of wrestling and will definitely be remembered for a long time coming.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Watch this show! The Ladder matches were great and the two main events were really great! Just take a look at those star ratings and decide for yourself. This is one show that will be remembered for a long time coming.
Rating: 9.25/10
Match 1: SmackDown Money in the Bank - Sin Cara vs. Kane vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett vs. Justin Gabriel vs. Sheamus vs. Heath Slater vs. Cody Rhodes
The SmackDown Money in the Bank match kicks off the show. I have no idea where to start for this one. Incredible spots, carnage erupting everywhere, and a really hot crowd to go along with it. Early in the match, the biggest spot in the match happened where Sheamus threw Sin Cara off the side of the ring and through a ladder which caused Sin Cara to be carried out to the back and out of the match. The chaos doesn't end there as just about everyone in this match put their bodies on the line with some of the sickest and most innovative moves ever displayed in this type of match including Justin Gabriel hitting his 450 Splash off of a horizontal ladder on the top ring rope. Later in the match, Daniel Bryan fights off Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett to grab the briefcase and earn himself a shot against a World Champion within the next 12 months. Great opening contest with everyone playing their spots well and putting on a great performance. No one looked bad and the ending result probably came as a shock to most with a deserving Daniel Bryan winning.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Rating: ****
Match 2: Divas Championship - Kelly Kelly © vs. Brie Bella
Kelly Kelly looks to defend her championship against one of the Bella twins with Eve in her corner. Kelly looked really motivated all while looking very sloppy in the ring. Short match with Kelly picking up the win. Typical Divas match with nothing special to offer.
Winner: Kelly Kelly
Rating: 1/2*
Match 3: The Big Show vs. Mark Henry
Mark Henry has been on a roll of late since returning to SmackDown and after taking out Kane, he looks to do the same here with The Big Show. Normally, I'm not a fan of these big men matches but the way both men have been of late, I actually have a pretty good feeling about this match. Henry puts his focus on Show's left leg throughout the entire match before slamming Show twice and splashing him twice to get the huge win. Afterwards, Henry places a chair between Show's left leg and jumps off the middle rope which damages Show's leg to the max. Henry looked like a beast here and while the match wasn't really anything too special, give credit where credit is due. Both men looked good and the aftermath was great.
Winner: Mark Henry
Rating: *1/4
Match 4: Raw Money in the Bank - Rey Mysterio vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Alex Riley vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Evan Bourne vs. The Miz vs. R-Truth vs. Jack Swagger
The second Money in the Bank match kicks off with every man holding a ladder in their hands and attacking Del Rio with them due to his actions on Raw. Having two Ladder matches in one night is very difficult because it forces the guys in the ring to be different which is tough considering of how great the first one was. This match was just one huge fest of spots with jumps after jumps and spots after spots. A somewhat different pace from the first match of the night which I like. However, I feel like some of the spots on here got really repetitive at times and not every man got over like what happened in the first match. Other than the winner, the one person to really get over in this match was The Miz who is already an established wrestler after he came back to the ring from injuring his knee. The final two of the match were Mysterio and Del Rio. Mysterio was about to capture the briefcase until Del Rio ripped off Mysterio's mask and grabbed the briefcase to win. Good Ladder match but it just seemed very sloppy at times with a lot of botches but this is a Ladder match and those are bound to happen. Del Rio now has another chance at glory.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Rating: ***1/2
Match 5: World Heavyweight Championship - Randy Orton (c) vs. Christian
Following Christian's two losses against Orton, Christian gets another chance at glory. This time around, if Orton gets disqualified, the title changes hands over to Christian. Crowd is about evenly split between the two as the bell tolls and we're off. Both men brought the goods here with a lot of good psychology starting off with Christian handing over a chair to Orton in the beginning. From then on, Christian does his best to take out Orton but seemingly cannot as Orton has every reversal for every reversal from Christian. Christian eventually spits right in the face of Orton which leads to Orton going berserk and landing a blatant low blow in front of the referee. The referee then calls for the bell and Orton is disqualified! Christian is now champion! Frustrated, Orton continues his berserk mode and beats the living hell out of Christian after! Orton then placed Christian on the announcers table and lands an RKO! Orton then walked up the stage and returns to give Christian another RKO on the table! Orton looked like a beast here and the disqualification ending here goes well for the storyline. The match was great but the big spit and the post match following it was what sold me. Great match, great ending, and a phenomenal way to keep the storyline running strong.
Winner: Christian
Rating: ****
Match 6: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. CM Punk
It's not time for what might just be the most anticipated main event match in recent WWE history. CM Punk challenges John Cena for the WWE Championship. Let's also not forget to mention that this is CM Punk's last WWE match and that if Cena loses, he will be fired. Oh, and we're in Chicago, CM Punk's homeland. With that being said, CM Punk arrives to a huge crowd reaction. Probably one of the loudest crowd reactions ever! After, Cena comes out to a reaction that can be compared to his one at ECW: One Night Stand back in 2006. The bell tolls and the match has officially begun. Things start off at a good back and forth pace with great chain wrestling which kept the crowd enthralled throughout. Punk gave Cena his best and Cena fired right back and held up his own right against him. Really good interactions with the loud crowd from both men including Punk copying Cena's signature taunts as well as Cena going for a Five Knuckle Shuffle to the crowd's dismay. Once the dust settled and the chain wrestling ended, there was still no clear cut favorite here as both men managed to keep the match flowing at a nice and unpredictable pace. From then on, they turn the notch up with near fall after near fall and submission after submission. Punk manages to kick out of two Attitude Adjustments and also managed to reverse the STF into an Anaconda Vice. The crowd is going nuts for all of this! Cena manages to fire back and reverse Punk's GTS into the STF but Punk managed to dramatically crawl his way out by grabbing onto the bottom rope. However, Punk was able to hit Cena with a GTS later on the latter of the match but unfortunately for him, Cena falls through the second rope and out of the ring! Punk has no other option but to carry Cena's sandbagged body back into the ring but Cena fought back into the match and eventually puts Punk back into the STF once again. As Cena does this, Vince McMahon & John Laurinaitis try to pull another Montreal Screwjob but Cena punches Laurinaitis and tells McMahon that he wants to win fairly. As soon as Cena gets back in the ring, Punk hoists Cena up and nails him with the GTS! Punk covers and gets the win as the crowd goes into a frenzy! Shocked, McMahon calls for Alberto Del Rio to cash in his briefcase but gets drilled in the head with a kick by Punk! Punk blows a kiss to McMahon and leaves the arena with the WWE Championship. Phenomenal main event that is very reminiscent to John Cena vs. Triple H a few years ago in the same building at WrestleMania 22 with a hot crowd and marquee attraction. The involvement of McMahon made things more dramatic and I didn't feel like it took anything away from the match. This match perfectly closes out a great night of wrestling and will definitely be remembered for a long time coming.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Watch this show! The Ladder matches were great and the two main events were really great! Just take a look at those star ratings and decide for yourself. This is one show that will be remembered for a long time coming.
Rating: 9.25/10
WWE Extreme Rules 2011 Review
From September 5, 2011.
Match 1: Last Man Standing - Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
The feud between the both men continue here at Extreme Rules when Punk looks to extract his revenge upon Orton who cost him his World Heavyweight Championship years ago. Punk comes to the ring with The New Nexus until the anonymous Raw GM dismisses them so it's now a one on one contest. Much like their WrestleMania encounter, the two were able to "paint a picture" by using more psychology than landing spot after spot. Lots of weapons were used here like bamboo sticks, chairs, and stairs. Adding to the drama, a lot of unique spots like Punk landing a GTS on the steel steps and Orton landing an RKO on the announcers table were landed and made the match seem over each time. Both men looked exceptionally good with Punk getting over as a sneaky heel and Orton coming off as a straight beast. The ending comes when Orton lands an amazing RKO off the top rope. Great opening match with both men once again going with a slower match in order to make each move seem more important rather than both men just beating the holy hell out of each other with no selling. This match worked better than how these matches normally go.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***3/4
Match 2: United States Championship - Tables - Sheamus (c) vs. Kofi Kingston
After attacking Kofi on SmackDown, Sheamus was forced to defend his title against Raw's Kofi Kingston in a match that must be won by putting your opponent through a table. Sheamus was basically in control for the good part of the match as he is much larger and stronger than Kofi who landed his normal unique and quick moves. Kofi managed to get Sheamus to the outside where he dropped his entire body off the top rope and onto the outside where he went right through Sheamus and right through a table. Good bonus match and a good way to get the belt back to Raw. I liked the ending as well but Sheamus is seemingly getting stuck in the mid card spot.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: Tag Team Country Whipping - Michael Cole & Jack Swagger vs. Jerry Lawler & Jim Ross
After losing to Cole at WrestleMania, Lawler makes sure he will avenge that loss by taking on him and Swagger with Jim Ross at his side. I'm just going to cut to the chase, this match wasn't much different from their WrestleMania match. This was basically just a glorified angle with lots of stupid whipping and slow movement. Cole rolled up Ross and gets the pin. I wish they would really just end this already.
Winners: Michael Cole & Jack Swagger
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: Falls Count Anywhere - Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes
Picking up from their WrestleMania contest as well, Mysterio and Rhodes go at it in a Falls Count Anywhere match. The two took it all around the building including from the top of the stage, into the concourse areas, and even into the crowds. I'm normally not a fan of these types of matches but it somewhat works with Mysterio's type of offense and was able to land some unique moves while outside of the ring. Mysterio wins after Rhodes places him on the top rope to which Mysterio spits in Rhodes' face with mist. After, Mysterio lands the 619 on Rhodes to get the win. Decent affair and a cool ending that was totally unexpected. Crowd wasn't too much into it and they just couldn't really get the ball rolling.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: Extreme Rules - Loser Leaves WWE - Michelle McCool vs. Layla
Both Divas used to be best friends until things came in between it all and they decided that their differences weren't able to put aside so a loser leaves WWE match was made. This was actually a really good Divas contest which I was a little bit turned off by with the dead crowd who just wasn't buying into this. Lots of good action from both including McCool reversing one of Layla's moves into McCool's finisher to which Layla was able to roll her up afterwards and get the win. Both Divas break down into tears as Kharma makes her debut afterwards and destroys Michelle McCool which shocks the crowd. Good Divas contest that was unfortunately overshadowed by Kharma's big debut.
Winner: Layla
Rating: **
Match 6: World Heavyweight Championship - Ladder - Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio
Following the shocking retirement of Edge, the World Heavyweight Championship was left vacated and it was Christian who took over his spot in this match against Alberto Del Rio. Like Edge, Christian is definitely one to use ladders and this match was no exception. Del Rio went with a smarter game plan for this match as he turned his attention to weakening Christian before going for any big moves unlike his chance at WrestleMania against Edge. This Ladder match was also different from others in that they incorporated less big time moves than how Ladder matches normally are. Even still, there were some really awesome spots in this one such as Del Rio crashing through a ladder on the outside, Del Rio locking in Christian's arm between a smaller ladder, and Christian dodging a big fall off the top rope by jumping onto a nearby ladder. Each spot made sense and didn't happen for no reason which I liked. There were also no ridiculously slow climbs up the ladder which have definitely become a pet peeve of mine so that's an added bonus as well. After Del Rio's big spill on the outside, Christian looked to take advantage of things and climb the ladder only to be stopped by Brodus Clay who threw the ladder away but Christian hanged on to the title! Christian dropped onto Clay and threw him against a ladder placed in a corner which caused Clay to bleed profusely. Del Rio then locked in Christian's arm between the smaller ladder and proceeded to climb up only to hear a loud car horn which came from Edge's car! Shocked, Del Rio delayed his climb and Christian threw him down to the floor across Brodus Clay & Ricardo Rodriguez! Christian then climbs up the ladder and grabs the title with Edge celebrating ringside! Christian is finally a World Heavyweight Champion! Great moment and a great match!
Winner: Christian
Rating: ****1/4
Match 7: WWE Tag Team Championships - Lumberjack - Kane & The Big Show (c) vs. The Corre
Looking to regain their titles, Kane & The Big Show take on The Corre with lumberjacks surrounding the ring including some members of The Corre. It was your basic quick match with the regular action which been accustomed to seeing from these guys on SmackDown only with lumberjacks around the ring. Big Ezekiel Jackson lifted up The Big Show only for his partner Wade Barrett to tag himself in and get slammed and pinned by Show to end the match. Mad, Jackson storms off as Kane & The Big Show destroy the other members of The Corre.
Winners: Kane & The Big Show
Rating: *
Match 8: WWE Championship - Cage - The Miz (c) vs. John Cena vs. John Morrison
The main event featured these three men being locked up in a steel cage for the WWE Championship with the winner being determined by pin fall, submission, or escape of the cage. There was some pretty good action from top to bottom but nothing that really stands out. There wasn't really much drama added to the match unless Morrison was doing something because the crowd was too drained to do anything and Cena and Miz don't exactly have the best chemistry. Morrison looked to win his first WWE Championship by exiting the cage until R-Truth appeared out of nowhere and beat down Morrison and symbolically left the cage by climbing out. With Morrison out of the equation, Cena was able to execute an Attitude Adjustment off the top rope on The Miz to once again capture the WWE Championship. I liked the match but from what we've seen tonight already, this was a bit too slow but still really enjoyable. Again, the crowd may have been an issue as well but all three men did their thing out there and I really respect them for that. Nice way to close out the show with Cena declaring himself the WWE Champion.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
A pretty good PPV from the WWE with the main point of interest being the World Heavyweight Championship match that saw Christian reach the pinnacle of his career. Good show but the WWE can really do better.
Rating: 7/10
Match 1: Last Man Standing - Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
The feud between the both men continue here at Extreme Rules when Punk looks to extract his revenge upon Orton who cost him his World Heavyweight Championship years ago. Punk comes to the ring with The New Nexus until the anonymous Raw GM dismisses them so it's now a one on one contest. Much like their WrestleMania encounter, the two were able to "paint a picture" by using more psychology than landing spot after spot. Lots of weapons were used here like bamboo sticks, chairs, and stairs. Adding to the drama, a lot of unique spots like Punk landing a GTS on the steel steps and Orton landing an RKO on the announcers table were landed and made the match seem over each time. Both men looked exceptionally good with Punk getting over as a sneaky heel and Orton coming off as a straight beast. The ending comes when Orton lands an amazing RKO off the top rope. Great opening match with both men once again going with a slower match in order to make each move seem more important rather than both men just beating the holy hell out of each other with no selling. This match worked better than how these matches normally go.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***3/4
Match 2: United States Championship - Tables - Sheamus (c) vs. Kofi Kingston
After attacking Kofi on SmackDown, Sheamus was forced to defend his title against Raw's Kofi Kingston in a match that must be won by putting your opponent through a table. Sheamus was basically in control for the good part of the match as he is much larger and stronger than Kofi who landed his normal unique and quick moves. Kofi managed to get Sheamus to the outside where he dropped his entire body off the top rope and onto the outside where he went right through Sheamus and right through a table. Good bonus match and a good way to get the belt back to Raw. I liked the ending as well but Sheamus is seemingly getting stuck in the mid card spot.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: Tag Team Country Whipping - Michael Cole & Jack Swagger vs. Jerry Lawler & Jim Ross
After losing to Cole at WrestleMania, Lawler makes sure he will avenge that loss by taking on him and Swagger with Jim Ross at his side. I'm just going to cut to the chase, this match wasn't much different from their WrestleMania match. This was basically just a glorified angle with lots of stupid whipping and slow movement. Cole rolled up Ross and gets the pin. I wish they would really just end this already.
Winners: Michael Cole & Jack Swagger
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: Falls Count Anywhere - Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes
Picking up from their WrestleMania contest as well, Mysterio and Rhodes go at it in a Falls Count Anywhere match. The two took it all around the building including from the top of the stage, into the concourse areas, and even into the crowds. I'm normally not a fan of these types of matches but it somewhat works with Mysterio's type of offense and was able to land some unique moves while outside of the ring. Mysterio wins after Rhodes places him on the top rope to which Mysterio spits in Rhodes' face with mist. After, Mysterio lands the 619 on Rhodes to get the win. Decent affair and a cool ending that was totally unexpected. Crowd wasn't too much into it and they just couldn't really get the ball rolling.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: Extreme Rules - Loser Leaves WWE - Michelle McCool vs. Layla
Both Divas used to be best friends until things came in between it all and they decided that their differences weren't able to put aside so a loser leaves WWE match was made. This was actually a really good Divas contest which I was a little bit turned off by with the dead crowd who just wasn't buying into this. Lots of good action from both including McCool reversing one of Layla's moves into McCool's finisher to which Layla was able to roll her up afterwards and get the win. Both Divas break down into tears as Kharma makes her debut afterwards and destroys Michelle McCool which shocks the crowd. Good Divas contest that was unfortunately overshadowed by Kharma's big debut.
Winner: Layla
Rating: **
Match 6: World Heavyweight Championship - Ladder - Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio
Following the shocking retirement of Edge, the World Heavyweight Championship was left vacated and it was Christian who took over his spot in this match against Alberto Del Rio. Like Edge, Christian is definitely one to use ladders and this match was no exception. Del Rio went with a smarter game plan for this match as he turned his attention to weakening Christian before going for any big moves unlike his chance at WrestleMania against Edge. This Ladder match was also different from others in that they incorporated less big time moves than how Ladder matches normally are. Even still, there were some really awesome spots in this one such as Del Rio crashing through a ladder on the outside, Del Rio locking in Christian's arm between a smaller ladder, and Christian dodging a big fall off the top rope by jumping onto a nearby ladder. Each spot made sense and didn't happen for no reason which I liked. There were also no ridiculously slow climbs up the ladder which have definitely become a pet peeve of mine so that's an added bonus as well. After Del Rio's big spill on the outside, Christian looked to take advantage of things and climb the ladder only to be stopped by Brodus Clay who threw the ladder away but Christian hanged on to the title! Christian dropped onto Clay and threw him against a ladder placed in a corner which caused Clay to bleed profusely. Del Rio then locked in Christian's arm between the smaller ladder and proceeded to climb up only to hear a loud car horn which came from Edge's car! Shocked, Del Rio delayed his climb and Christian threw him down to the floor across Brodus Clay & Ricardo Rodriguez! Christian then climbs up the ladder and grabs the title with Edge celebrating ringside! Christian is finally a World Heavyweight Champion! Great moment and a great match!
Winner: Christian
Rating: ****1/4
Match 7: WWE Tag Team Championships - Lumberjack - Kane & The Big Show (c) vs. The Corre
Looking to regain their titles, Kane & The Big Show take on The Corre with lumberjacks surrounding the ring including some members of The Corre. It was your basic quick match with the regular action which been accustomed to seeing from these guys on SmackDown only with lumberjacks around the ring. Big Ezekiel Jackson lifted up The Big Show only for his partner Wade Barrett to tag himself in and get slammed and pinned by Show to end the match. Mad, Jackson storms off as Kane & The Big Show destroy the other members of The Corre.
Winners: Kane & The Big Show
Rating: *
Match 8: WWE Championship - Cage - The Miz (c) vs. John Cena vs. John Morrison
The main event featured these three men being locked up in a steel cage for the WWE Championship with the winner being determined by pin fall, submission, or escape of the cage. There was some pretty good action from top to bottom but nothing that really stands out. There wasn't really much drama added to the match unless Morrison was doing something because the crowd was too drained to do anything and Cena and Miz don't exactly have the best chemistry. Morrison looked to win his first WWE Championship by exiting the cage until R-Truth appeared out of nowhere and beat down Morrison and symbolically left the cage by climbing out. With Morrison out of the equation, Cena was able to execute an Attitude Adjustment off the top rope on The Miz to once again capture the WWE Championship. I liked the match but from what we've seen tonight already, this was a bit too slow but still really enjoyable. Again, the crowd may have been an issue as well but all three men did their thing out there and I really respect them for that. Nice way to close out the show with Cena declaring himself the WWE Champion.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
A pretty good PPV from the WWE with the main point of interest being the World Heavyweight Championship match that saw Christian reach the pinnacle of his career. Good show but the WWE can really do better.
Rating: 7/10
WWE WrestleMania XXVII Review
From August 25, 2011.
Match 1: World Heavyweight Championship - Edge (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio
For the first time ever in WrestleMania history, the World Heavyweight Championship is on the line in the opening bout. It is Edge being accompanied by Christian defending his title against Alberto Del Rio who is accompanied by Brodus Clay. Del Rio has to be the fastest person to ever be in a marquee match as he looks to focus on Edge's arm and capture the World Heavyweight Championship where he looks absolutely confident in his work. Good match with lots of arm work from Del Rio early on before things get a little bit out of hand. Del Rio nearly scored a fluke victory early on when Ricardo Rodriguez pushed Edge's leg off the bottom rope disrupting a rope break. Brodus Clay also got involved by pulling Edge into a ring post but Christian took care of him which led to Del Rio getting Speared after being locked in a submission from Edge. Afterwards, Edge and Christian both destroy Del Rio's car and celebrate the victory. Good match and a good moment to see Edge and Christian atop the ladder.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ***
Match 2: Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes
In a feud that started over Mysterio hitting a 619 on Rhodes which led to apparently getting his face ruined, the two took on each other at the grandest stage of them all. Cody has come a long way from wrestling pointless matches to having a great one with a star like Mysterio who dressed as Captain America here at WrestleMania. Some decent action was filled throughout the match but they just seemingly couldn't get the ball rolling and the crowd wasn't much into the action. Rhodes, however, did look pretty impressive his amazing delayed suplex on the second rope as well as playing the classic heel by using his face mask as a weapon. Mysterio later removed that mask and tried to put it on to which the referee then took it off of him. This have Rhodes the chance to capitalize on the turned away referee who then nailed Mysterio over the head with the knee brace and then hitting his finisher to pick up the win. A good match but nothing too impressive. Nice to see Rhodes get the win at the big show.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: The Big Show, Kane, Kofi Kingston, & Santino Marella vs. The Corre
It's not time for the match that is just there to get guys on the card somehow. Big Show & Kane have been having some beef with The Corre and they look to settle things here with Santino & Kingston. Kingston is replacing Kozlov's spot as he was attacked earlier by The Corre. Really quick match with melee ensuing about a minute in which led to Santino hitting The Cobra on Heath Slater by Show knocking him out. Nothing special, just here to get them on the card. No harm, no foul.
Winners: The Big Show, Kane, Kofi Kingston, & Santino Marella
Rating: 1/2*
Match 4: Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
Two years ago, Orton punted Punk in the skull and caused him to lose the World Heavyweight Championship. Due to Punk holding grudges over people, he decided to finally capture his revenge and do his best to make Orton's life a living hell. For the weeks and even months leading to WrestleMania, CM Punk & The New Nexus did just that and even injured Orton's knee. However, without any men at ringside, Punk had to take on Orton one on one. Much of Orton's matches consist of slow and methodical wrestling and this was no different but only for the better. Things were really personal here so a slow and methodical match wouldn't make much sense but because of Orton's knee, Punk allowed himself to thrive on Orton's in ring abilities and make things much more interesting. His focusing on Orton's knee was brilliant as he relentlessly tore apart his knee throughout the course of the match while mocking Orton all the way through which in my opinion, allows the viewers to soak themselves in Punk's methodical beat down of Orton's knee. Punk controlled the majority of the match through this tactic but Orton knocked Punk's lights out with an RKO after Punk jumped off the top rope. Great match with a lot of psychology coming into play, may not be for everyone but still enjoyable.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 5: Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler
For months and months, the commentators of Cole and Lawler have been going at it and they look to settle things at WrestleMania. Funny thing, this is the one match that has gotten the most storyline time and development. Steve Austin was announced as the special guest referee in this one with Jack Swagger being Cole's guard at ringside. Not going to get into this one too much because it basically was as bad as a typical Divas match. Lawler makes Cole tap out with the Ankle Lock but because of Austin's bias duties as a referee, the anonymous Raw GM reversed the decision and Cole was then announced as the winner. You can skip this because this was as boring as it gets and went for over 20 minutes.
Winner: Michael Cole
Rating: 1/4*
Match 6: No Holds Barred - The Undertaker vs. Triple H
This is no doubt the biggest match on the card and is quite possibly one of the biggest matches in WrestleMania history, it's The Undertaker taking on Triple H as Triple H looks to snap The Streak. It should be noted that this is also Triple H's first televised match in over a year so let's see how ring rust plays a factor during the course of this match or not. Triple H makes his epic entrance in front of over 70,000 people with a group of men with shields barricading him before they make room for The Game. Triple H waits for a few seconds in the ring alone before The Undertaker arrives and makes his way to the ring! Bell sounds and it's game time! The two go right at it early on and eventually take it outside where they won't be counted out. While outside, Triple H slams Undertaker through Michael Cole's little cube and then tries to land a Pedigree on the announcers table. However, Undertaker counters by back dropping Triple H up and over the table and onto the ringside floor! Undertaker gets back in the ring and leaps over the top rope and onto The Game! Great sequence of events there. It's kind of like a foreshadowing of what is next to come. Undertaker then does his best to demolish Triple H on the outside and even slams his face onto the bottom half of the steel steps. Undertaker places him on the steps and runs as fast as he can towards him to take him out but Triple H lands a Spinebuster onto the table! Back in the ring we go but both men seem a bit drained from that outside brawl. However, as soon as they back in the ring, Undertaker lands a Chokeslam out of nowhere but it's not enough to pin Triple H! Good surprise there but I find it odd how Undertaker is all of a sudden okay after that table spot. Later on, Triple H brings in a steel chair and this is where the brutality of the match kicks up an extra notch. Undertaker immediately grabs the chair from him and drills Triple H with it! Right after, Triple H lands a Pedigree out of nowhere but doesn't get the full count! Undertaker gets back into the thick of things and lands both The Last Ride and a Tombstone on Triple H but Triple H kicks out of both! While not as dramatic as it seems, the match's pace is amazing and they are putting on a show. Triple H then takes advantage of things by landing a DDT on the chair and another Pedigree but it's still not enough to get the win! The Game decides to go for another Pedigree and hits it but it's still not enough to get the win! Triple H is irate! He now picks up the chair and as death in his eyes. He starts destroying Undertaker with it by striking him with shot after shot and yelling for him to stay down, a flashback of last year's WrestleMania main event. Beautiful. With all the yelling being done by The Game, Undertaker grabs Hunter by the throat but doesn't have enough strength or energy to do anything. This leads to Triple H hitting a Tombstone on Undertaker who kicks out! What an incredible two minutes! Absolutely amazing with the crowd going nuts, you can't script this emotion. This only leads to Triple H going for the deadly sledgehammer but Undertaker locks in the Hell's Gate! Triple H does all he can to fight back and as he lifts the hammer in the air to take out Undertaker, he drops it due to exhaustion and taps out! The ending sequence was amazing but went on for a little too long but that doesn't take away from what was an amazing match. Both men deserve credit for this piece of art and what will surely be remembered as an all time WrestleMania great.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****1/2
Match 7: Trish Stratus, Snooki, & John Morrison vs. Layla, Michelle McCool, & Dolph Ziggler
This is the celebrity part of the show and it involves Snooki. Really don't want to get into this one since this was just one stupid filler match in there to get these guys on the show as well as Snooki. It was great to see Trish back in the ring but she didn't do much, nor did anyone else since this match was really short. Snooki showed off her athletic side and pinned Michelle McCool to get the win for her team. Short and something to fill the gap between the last match and the main event. I didn't like it but it'll give WWE some mainstream attention and the gap was much needed.
Winners: Trish Stratus, Snooki, & John Morrison
Rating: 1/4*
Match 8: WWE Championship - The Miz (c) vs. John Cena
Coming out to grand entrances, it's John Cena challenging The Miz for the WWE Championship in the main event. Amazing how far The Miz has come and to see him now headlining a WrestleMania against John Cena. Crowd at this point seems absolutely dead and this is probably the quietest WrestleMania main event crowd I have ever seen. The action inside was decent but nothing that stood out or anything that was WrestleMania worthy. In fact, this kind of felt like watching a Raw main event. They did their regular moves but when the crowd is this tired out, it just doesn't seem like much and it's hard to get invested in. Cena takes Miz to the outside and clotheslines him off the ringside barricade where The Miz gets his head slammed straight onto the floor. Both men are unable to reach the count of 10 and the referee calls for the bell. The Rock then comes out and announces that the match must restart. Cena rolls Miz into the ring but gets planted by The Rock! Miz covers Cena and gets the win. Afterwards, The Rock Rock Bottoms The Miz and stands tall to close the show. I didn't like this at all. You have a match that feels like something you would see on Raw, a stupid restart, and a cheap finish. This all felt more like an angle on Raw than a PPV main event. The action that lasted in the ring was fine but again, nothing that stood out or anything to buy into. If they're going to toss away a WrestleMania event like this, then next year's main event should blow this entire show out of the water.
Winner: The Miz
Rating: *1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Definitely one of the weakest shows in a long time. Everything was either good, forgettable, or just bad. The Undertaker vs. Triple H match was definitely the highlight of the show and probably the one match that should justify your purchase of this show. The main event was very weak and a bad way to end the show. However, we must realize that this is 2011 and this show revolves more around sports entertainment rather than pure professional wrestling. The Rock couldn't even save this show himself.
Rating: 5.5/10
Match 1: World Heavyweight Championship - Edge (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio
For the first time ever in WrestleMania history, the World Heavyweight Championship is on the line in the opening bout. It is Edge being accompanied by Christian defending his title against Alberto Del Rio who is accompanied by Brodus Clay. Del Rio has to be the fastest person to ever be in a marquee match as he looks to focus on Edge's arm and capture the World Heavyweight Championship where he looks absolutely confident in his work. Good match with lots of arm work from Del Rio early on before things get a little bit out of hand. Del Rio nearly scored a fluke victory early on when Ricardo Rodriguez pushed Edge's leg off the bottom rope disrupting a rope break. Brodus Clay also got involved by pulling Edge into a ring post but Christian took care of him which led to Del Rio getting Speared after being locked in a submission from Edge. Afterwards, Edge and Christian both destroy Del Rio's car and celebrate the victory. Good match and a good moment to see Edge and Christian atop the ladder.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ***
Match 2: Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes
In a feud that started over Mysterio hitting a 619 on Rhodes which led to apparently getting his face ruined, the two took on each other at the grandest stage of them all. Cody has come a long way from wrestling pointless matches to having a great one with a star like Mysterio who dressed as Captain America here at WrestleMania. Some decent action was filled throughout the match but they just seemingly couldn't get the ball rolling and the crowd wasn't much into the action. Rhodes, however, did look pretty impressive his amazing delayed suplex on the second rope as well as playing the classic heel by using his face mask as a weapon. Mysterio later removed that mask and tried to put it on to which the referee then took it off of him. This have Rhodes the chance to capitalize on the turned away referee who then nailed Mysterio over the head with the knee brace and then hitting his finisher to pick up the win. A good match but nothing too impressive. Nice to see Rhodes get the win at the big show.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: The Big Show, Kane, Kofi Kingston, & Santino Marella vs. The Corre
It's not time for the match that is just there to get guys on the card somehow. Big Show & Kane have been having some beef with The Corre and they look to settle things here with Santino & Kingston. Kingston is replacing Kozlov's spot as he was attacked earlier by The Corre. Really quick match with melee ensuing about a minute in which led to Santino hitting The Cobra on Heath Slater by Show knocking him out. Nothing special, just here to get them on the card. No harm, no foul.
Winners: The Big Show, Kane, Kofi Kingston, & Santino Marella
Rating: 1/2*
Match 4: Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
Two years ago, Orton punted Punk in the skull and caused him to lose the World Heavyweight Championship. Due to Punk holding grudges over people, he decided to finally capture his revenge and do his best to make Orton's life a living hell. For the weeks and even months leading to WrestleMania, CM Punk & The New Nexus did just that and even injured Orton's knee. However, without any men at ringside, Punk had to take on Orton one on one. Much of Orton's matches consist of slow and methodical wrestling and this was no different but only for the better. Things were really personal here so a slow and methodical match wouldn't make much sense but because of Orton's knee, Punk allowed himself to thrive on Orton's in ring abilities and make things much more interesting. His focusing on Orton's knee was brilliant as he relentlessly tore apart his knee throughout the course of the match while mocking Orton all the way through which in my opinion, allows the viewers to soak themselves in Punk's methodical beat down of Orton's knee. Punk controlled the majority of the match through this tactic but Orton knocked Punk's lights out with an RKO after Punk jumped off the top rope. Great match with a lot of psychology coming into play, may not be for everyone but still enjoyable.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 5: Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler
For months and months, the commentators of Cole and Lawler have been going at it and they look to settle things at WrestleMania. Funny thing, this is the one match that has gotten the most storyline time and development. Steve Austin was announced as the special guest referee in this one with Jack Swagger being Cole's guard at ringside. Not going to get into this one too much because it basically was as bad as a typical Divas match. Lawler makes Cole tap out with the Ankle Lock but because of Austin's bias duties as a referee, the anonymous Raw GM reversed the decision and Cole was then announced as the winner. You can skip this because this was as boring as it gets and went for over 20 minutes.
Winner: Michael Cole
Rating: 1/4*
Match 6: No Holds Barred - The Undertaker vs. Triple H
This is no doubt the biggest match on the card and is quite possibly one of the biggest matches in WrestleMania history, it's The Undertaker taking on Triple H as Triple H looks to snap The Streak. It should be noted that this is also Triple H's first televised match in over a year so let's see how ring rust plays a factor during the course of this match or not. Triple H makes his epic entrance in front of over 70,000 people with a group of men with shields barricading him before they make room for The Game. Triple H waits for a few seconds in the ring alone before The Undertaker arrives and makes his way to the ring! Bell sounds and it's game time! The two go right at it early on and eventually take it outside where they won't be counted out. While outside, Triple H slams Undertaker through Michael Cole's little cube and then tries to land a Pedigree on the announcers table. However, Undertaker counters by back dropping Triple H up and over the table and onto the ringside floor! Undertaker gets back in the ring and leaps over the top rope and onto The Game! Great sequence of events there. It's kind of like a foreshadowing of what is next to come. Undertaker then does his best to demolish Triple H on the outside and even slams his face onto the bottom half of the steel steps. Undertaker places him on the steps and runs as fast as he can towards him to take him out but Triple H lands a Spinebuster onto the table! Back in the ring we go but both men seem a bit drained from that outside brawl. However, as soon as they back in the ring, Undertaker lands a Chokeslam out of nowhere but it's not enough to pin Triple H! Good surprise there but I find it odd how Undertaker is all of a sudden okay after that table spot. Later on, Triple H brings in a steel chair and this is where the brutality of the match kicks up an extra notch. Undertaker immediately grabs the chair from him and drills Triple H with it! Right after, Triple H lands a Pedigree out of nowhere but doesn't get the full count! Undertaker gets back into the thick of things and lands both The Last Ride and a Tombstone on Triple H but Triple H kicks out of both! While not as dramatic as it seems, the match's pace is amazing and they are putting on a show. Triple H then takes advantage of things by landing a DDT on the chair and another Pedigree but it's still not enough to get the win! The Game decides to go for another Pedigree and hits it but it's still not enough to get the win! Triple H is irate! He now picks up the chair and as death in his eyes. He starts destroying Undertaker with it by striking him with shot after shot and yelling for him to stay down, a flashback of last year's WrestleMania main event. Beautiful. With all the yelling being done by The Game, Undertaker grabs Hunter by the throat but doesn't have enough strength or energy to do anything. This leads to Triple H hitting a Tombstone on Undertaker who kicks out! What an incredible two minutes! Absolutely amazing with the crowd going nuts, you can't script this emotion. This only leads to Triple H going for the deadly sledgehammer but Undertaker locks in the Hell's Gate! Triple H does all he can to fight back and as he lifts the hammer in the air to take out Undertaker, he drops it due to exhaustion and taps out! The ending sequence was amazing but went on for a little too long but that doesn't take away from what was an amazing match. Both men deserve credit for this piece of art and what will surely be remembered as an all time WrestleMania great.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****1/2
Match 7: Trish Stratus, Snooki, & John Morrison vs. Layla, Michelle McCool, & Dolph Ziggler
This is the celebrity part of the show and it involves Snooki. Really don't want to get into this one since this was just one stupid filler match in there to get these guys on the show as well as Snooki. It was great to see Trish back in the ring but she didn't do much, nor did anyone else since this match was really short. Snooki showed off her athletic side and pinned Michelle McCool to get the win for her team. Short and something to fill the gap between the last match and the main event. I didn't like it but it'll give WWE some mainstream attention and the gap was much needed.
Winners: Trish Stratus, Snooki, & John Morrison
Rating: 1/4*
Match 8: WWE Championship - The Miz (c) vs. John Cena
Coming out to grand entrances, it's John Cena challenging The Miz for the WWE Championship in the main event. Amazing how far The Miz has come and to see him now headlining a WrestleMania against John Cena. Crowd at this point seems absolutely dead and this is probably the quietest WrestleMania main event crowd I have ever seen. The action inside was decent but nothing that stood out or anything that was WrestleMania worthy. In fact, this kind of felt like watching a Raw main event. They did their regular moves but when the crowd is this tired out, it just doesn't seem like much and it's hard to get invested in. Cena takes Miz to the outside and clotheslines him off the ringside barricade where The Miz gets his head slammed straight onto the floor. Both men are unable to reach the count of 10 and the referee calls for the bell. The Rock then comes out and announces that the match must restart. Cena rolls Miz into the ring but gets planted by The Rock! Miz covers Cena and gets the win. Afterwards, The Rock Rock Bottoms The Miz and stands tall to close the show. I didn't like this at all. You have a match that feels like something you would see on Raw, a stupid restart, and a cheap finish. This all felt more like an angle on Raw than a PPV main event. The action that lasted in the ring was fine but again, nothing that stood out or anything to buy into. If they're going to toss away a WrestleMania event like this, then next year's main event should blow this entire show out of the water.
Winner: The Miz
Rating: *1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Definitely one of the weakest shows in a long time. Everything was either good, forgettable, or just bad. The Undertaker vs. Triple H match was definitely the highlight of the show and probably the one match that should justify your purchase of this show. The main event was very weak and a bad way to end the show. However, we must realize that this is 2011 and this show revolves more around sports entertainment rather than pure professional wrestling. The Rock couldn't even save this show himself.
Rating: 5.5/10
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