WWE Raw Review - 6th April 2009

After a below standard Wrestlemania could the creative team restore my faith in good ship WWE.

Good Points

Wheels set in motion for Backlash

Vice was out on Raw to let Randy know that he would not be facing HHH one on one at Backlash but instead it would be a six man tag with HHH, vince and Shane McMahon going up against Legacy. However this then changed to a title match meaning if anyone on HHH side wins HHH keeps the belt but if anyone from Legacy wins Orton wins the belt. Vickie Guerrero also announced that it would be Edge vs. Cena in one on one competition for Backlash.

The return of the Animal

Batista made his return to raw last night a night after I predicted he would turn up. Batista came in to make the save for the McMahons and HHH after they were getting beaten down by legacy. This lead Vince to give his spot in the Backlash main event Batista. I smell a doublecross here, I think Batista will turn on HHH and the McMahons costing them the match at Backlash and helping Orton get the belt.

Tag match gets centre stage

After missing out on the main card at Wrestlemania The Colons and Miz & Morrison put on a superb match which would get anyone questioning why they lost their spot. I just hope the get a match on the main Backlash card.

Bad Points

HHH pushed to the side

After being victorious at mania I thought HHH would be given more ring and mic time but instead he had to take a backseat to his Father-in-Law Vince. I hope it gets back to normal next week letting HHH and Orton lead the feud.

All star mess

This was a weak creative idea and showed that creative team hadn’t put much thought in to what to do with these guys after mania. Seeing Steamboat on a one off was good but not any more and why have Edge and Big Show on the same team after they fought against each other last night.

Overall

A very decent raw with a great main event for Backlash pushed, build a couple of good things around it and it should be a good event.

WWE Wrestlemania 25 Review

Now that all the dust has settled on Wrestlemania 25 here are my thoughts looking back at The Grand Daddy of them All.

Money in the Bank

As with each year there were some great innovative spots which as predicted were lead by the likes of Shelton, Christian and Kofi. I thought the pacing of the match could have been better as it was very noticeable when wrestlers were missing or taking a break. I thought it was good to have CM Punk create history with the win and getting him going again but the ending could have been a lot better.

25 Diva Battle Royal

The commentators did a rubbish job on this one at times had no clue who was in the ring and who was getting thrown out. As predicted Santino got involved and it was funny to see him in Drag as Santina which provided our comedy moment of the night.

Chris Jericho vs. The Legends

Luckily this match didn’t go long. The only legend that proved he could still go was Steamboat and there was a good five minutes or so between him and Jericho after the others had been eliminated. Jericho picked up the win but as predicted Rourke jumped in the ring at the end and beat on Jericho.

Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy

These two put on a good little match but due to the MITB using so many ladders Jeff couldn’t use his specialty. As I hoped for Matt got the win and they have built the match as a feud that could long continue, the innovative ending looked sick.

Rey Mysterio vs. JBL

This match had me thinking back to Adam Bomb vs. Earthquake at WM10. Was over in the blink of an eye as Rey Mysterio picked up a quick win leading to JBL announcing his retirement. I’m glad JBL got to retire on the biggest stage in his own home state but to do it like that was awful.

The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

As expected match of the night by far as these two put on a drama packed thirty minutes of action. Undertaker took some sick bumps especially one to the outside which looked like he had dropped on his head. This match had lots of false finishes and some great back and forth action but in the end it was The Streak that was maintained as Taker ended up the victor.

John Cena vs. Edge vs. Big Show

This match was better than most expected and gave some good spots including a brilliant ending which saw Cena go one further than he did at WM20 when he did his finisher on Big Show by picking up both Big Show and Edge. As predicted Cena won the belt although I would have much preferred to see Edge retain.

HHH vs. Randy Orton

What an anti-climax if I ever did see one. After two months of great build it was all ruined by Vince’s want to send the fans home happy and have the face end the main event with the Title. They tried to do a different style in the match which was more of a fight style than pure wrestling but it just lacked the intensity and I can’t say I was that surprised to see HHH winning after year upon year of loses at Mania but it just made no long term sense.

Overall

There should be more than just one great match at Wrestlemania that’s what you expect from the other PPV’s. I thought it was scandalous to see the tag title match getting pushed to the dark match when we had ten minutes of Kid Rock giving a terrible performance. This was the worst Wrestlemania I have seen in some time, Wrestlemania 11 still holds the record of worst ever Wrestlemania for me but this wasn’t far off.

Wrestlemania 25 - My Predictions

This weekend is the biggest weekend on the wrestling calendar as we all await Wrestlemania 25 this Sunday so with this in mind I thought you guys may like to know my thoughts and predictions on all the matches on the card.

Intercontinental Title Match
JBL vs. Rey Mysterio

Being in his home state could prove to be the deciding factor for JBL. WWE really haven’t done anything with Rey since his world title push and I don’t think he is in line for another crack at it so my predictions are a JBL win here. JBL hasn’t got that many memorable Wrestlemania wins under his belt and in what could and should be his last year I think he will get the win. As a match I am not expecting much from it and it could well be our opening match.

Winner: JBL

Tag Team Lumberjack Title Unification match

The Colons vs. The Miz and Morrison

This is a match I have been waiting for on PPV for some time. Over past months WWE haven’t really pushed any tag match at a PPV but hopefully now these two teams will have the stage to show why Vince should put more effort behind the tag scene. I am really torn in this one because I do think both teams are great. The only thing that will ruin this match is it being a Lumberjack Match, why WWE couldn’t just let these two teams bring the house down I don’t know, so I do fear that would could be a great match could get ruined.

Winner: The Miz and Morrison

Diva Battle Royal

The way they schedule Diva matches at Wrestlemania can sometimes be stupid. For many years they have sandwiched it in between the semi main event match and the main event match which instead of giving the fans some breathing space has killed them so I hope they get this one out of the way early. Expect Santino to get involved somehow and look out for a possible appearance from Trish Stratus but whatever you do don’t expect a great match.

Winner: Gail Kim

Money in the Bank
CM Punk vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Christian vs. Finlay

In this match expect Kofi, Shelton and Christian to provide you with some new and innovative bumps. Vince is down on Christian at the moment so don’t expect the obvious win for him given his history in ladder matches. If CM Punk were to win he would make history as first person to win it back to back but I don’t see WWE pushing him that hard. My thoughts are they could either give it to Kane as he hasn’t won before and is one of Vince’s most consistent stars, give it to MVP and finally give him the push they have been promising or an outside bet is Shelton Benjamin as I know a lot of people backstage are impressed with him right now.


Winner: Kane

Chris Jericho vs. Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat and Jimmy Snuka

What should have been a great entertaining match could be flop of the night, not many people want to see either of the legends wrestle let alone all three. Expect Jericho to go in to monster heel roll and beat on the legends a fair bit and then for them to have a heroic comeback with Flair helping them to the win.

Winners: The Legends

Extreme Rules Match: Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy

The only thing that was going to make this match great at Mania was if there was some heat between the two of them and a great feud which had been built up for months but instead this match has really limped in to mania. As a tag team there styles use to compliment each other but against each other I really don’t think it is going to work. The only thing that will make the match interesting is the extreme rules stipulation so expect some ladders to come in to play and for one of the brothers to be taken out of there on a stretcher.

Winner: Matt Hardy

World Heavyweight Championship
Edge vs. Big Show vs. John Cena

In this match I really like the Love Triangle storyline but not sure if I am looking forward to the match. Edge is really going to have to keep this match together as Big Show and Cena can provide entertainment but without Edge it would just be a mess. I think we are going to see Edge and Big Show trying to team up on Cena and then double crossing each other. If they want to finish the love triangle storyline at Mania they will have Vickie come out cost both Big Show and Edge the match, leave the ring and let Cena pick up the win.

Winner: John Cena

The Undertaker vs. HBK

This is match I am looking forward to more than anything else on the card the two biggest legends in WWE right now both going at it in their own home state. The build up has been immense and miles better than anything else on the card. The only problem is I think the build up has been too good and overshadowed the title matches, just have to be careful we don’t get another Hogan / Rock Wrestlemania 18 situation where this match wasn’t the main event but burned the fans out before the main event. HBK in the past got some big wins over Undertaker, In Your House 17 first hell in a Cell and Royal Rumble 1998 casket match so I expect The Undertaker to get his revenge and keep the streak. Last year HBK got to steal the show and get a win over Flair so I think he should do the job and the honors for The Undertaker this year.

Winner: The Undertaker


WWE Championship
Triple H vs. Randy Orton

I have been saying for some time now that I think it is time for the year of Orton and over the last four months Orton has delivered. The segments between him and HHH have been brilliant and that has mainly been down to Orton and not HHH. These two have told an intense storyline which makes us all believe they really hate each other which is what great storytelling is all about and these two have the ability to back it up with a great match. Now HHH has lost quite a few big matches at Mania over the last six years so he is more than in line for a big win at Mania which would give me cause to believe it was going to be HHH retaining but I think Orton is just to on his game at the moment.

Winner: Randy Orton

Other things to watch out for

We have both Ken Kennedy and Batista who could make an appearance. Kennedy has been doing a lot of international PR for Mania so would make sense to see him and news on Batista and his recovery from injury has been very quiet as of late. The night before Mania Steve Austin is getting inducted to the hall of fame so in his home state will he make a Wrestlemania appearance and make an impact? With mania you always get the rumor mill and gossip but I really think there is a strong possibility of one of these things happening.

WWE Raw Review - 30th March 2009

Normally in the build for Wrestlemania all the storyline development is finished a couple of weeks before Mania with the last week just being used to hype Mania so I had no doubt it would be the same this year.

Good Points

HBK earning the title of Mr. Wrestlemania

HBK did another great set with the Undertaker, we first saw him inside a hearse backstage and then he brought a casket to the ring with him to deliver a promo on The Undertaker. During his promo the lights went out and Undertaker was in the ring but HBK had disappeared only for him to emerge from Under the coffin to lay another attack on Taker. Can’t wait to see these two go at it at Mania.

The fighting McMahon family

I always thought Vince and Shane would come back to fight alongside HHH against Legacy but I didn’t expect it to happen until Mania. Instead the show ended with Vince and Shane walking down the ramp with HHH and having a scrap with Legacy which I thought was a nice way to end the show.

Bad Points

Cena not given a chance

After hardly being in the ring and on TV as of late I think it was wrong to have him lose to Big Show and to then get beaten up by Edge. We know the main storyline is between Edge and Big show but it doesn’t mean they need to write off Cena completely.

Jericho fighting a losing battle

Jericho continued to put in some good work in the ring and on the mic but it is all really for nothing. This week he fought Lawler who many thought would be his Wrestlemania opponent. Jericho beat him in the match but didn’t do one of usual attacks and his opponents for Mania were nowhere to be seen.

Overall

A couple of highlights but all in all as expected a thin shown with not much going on.

TNA iMPACT Review - Thursday 26th March 2009

After a good little show last week it was time for TNA to bring us one step closer to Lockdown. At the moment they may be in WWE’ shadow with Wrestlemania upon us but TNA still need to show us what they can bring.

Good Points

The build for Lethal Lockdown

Tonight’s show was all about getting us ready for Lethal Lockdown with forty minutes spent deciding on team captains. To decide on captains they held a 20 man gauntlet match in a cage with the last standing being opposing team captains. Angle had promised to win it and captain MEM and he would stop at nothing to do it but after a very entertaining PPV quality match it was Samoa Joe that came out the victor beating Angle.

Sting has enough of Foley

Sting was in no mood to joke about with Foley this week as a little bit of heat got added to this feud from Sting’s side. This feud was started off by Sting trying to look out for Foley but now its personal and with Foley telling Sting he still has some cage dives left in him it should be an ok match at Lockdown.

Bad Points

Segment order

Again with TNA we had four non wrestling segments back to back. It’s not rocket science but TNA need to start mixing it up a little bit more in their running order to make the show flow better.

Dixie Carter tries to take the high ground and fails

This week Dixie Carter got in an argument on the internet where they both counter claimed that the other company isn’t producing family friendly TV and that they were. However Dixie needs to look at her own promotion if she is going to let wrestlers throw out throwaway lines which have sexual references which aren’t needed. This week it was Scott Steiner during a backstage segment with the Main Event Mafia.

Overall

A bit light but all in all a good show with a hot ending. Having these shows once in a while is great as it feels like you are getting PPV for free but they should go back to the usual format next week.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 27th March 2009

After some good segments on Raw I was hoping that Smackdown could do its job to entertain and further the storylines ready for raw next week.

Good Points

Michaels shows he isn’t afraid of The Undertaker

The ending to Smackdown was great this week. We had an Undertaker style entrance with druids coming out and smoke filling up the arena but when the character we thought was the Taker came in to the ring in a white version of the Taker’s outfit it was HBK that revealed himself from under the hat. HBK proceeded to quote the bible before The Undertaker appeared from below the ring pushing his way up through the canvas to try and get to HBK before HBK could run for safety. I can’t wait for this match at Mania.

Gail Kim returns

Was great to see the return of Gail Kim to the WWE as she interrupted the Divas title match between Michelle McCool and Maryse leaving them both lying and holding the title aloft. Gail is now my pick for the Miss Wrestlemania match.

Bad Points

Still not pushing the Hardy feud right

This week we saw a pre-recorded video from them both and we saw Matt Hardy in a match. Both videos could have been so much better Matt just tried to be cocky and a bit weird and we had one of these arty, dark sets for Jeff’s interview reminiscent of what they were doing with him last year. They need them both in the same place at the same time to build this feud.

Money in the Bank

Instead of developing intriguing feuds between some of the competitors the WWE keep putting them all in a match together. Looking around I think this could be the weakest MITB match in its short history.

Push for title matches

This week we had neither champion on the show. Big Show was left to compete against Jesse and Festus whilst Cena and Big show also provided a comedy moment in the ring. This isn’t good enough for less than two weeks before Mania.

Overall

Undertaker and HBK stole the show but besides from that there was hardly any storyline development going on which is crazy considering Mania is just around the corner.

WWE Raw Review - 23rd March 2009

After the Raw picked up a bit last week I was looking forward to seeing what they had to offer this week as are now under two weeks to Mania.

Good Points

Jericho proves a point

There is nothing like beating up an old respected man like Ric Flair to the point of making him bleed to cement yourself as a heel. Jericho is doing all he can to make his Wrestlemania match interesting but I fear now what could have been a major attraction if Rourke had gone through it with will now become a side attraction no matter what Jericho does. I just hope that Jericho gets the chance to continue his heel role in a better feud after Mania.

Orton’s turn to get one up

This week it was Orton’s turn to bash the living daylights out of HHH with the help of Legacy as the promise between the two not to touch each other before mania become a distant memory. This week they threw Steph in the mix as she came down to try and save HHH only to get knocked unconscious. I just think they either need to have someone fighting on HHH’s side or to get rid of Legacy for the last week to have an even battle before mania because I don’t think gang attacks do much to build characters.

Great video package

Really starting to look forward to Taker vs. HBK more than the two main events. Ok I don’t think Taker’s streak is any danger but the build up has been good with HBK this week doing a video package which saw at the graveyard burying Taker’s streak. The good thing with these two is that I know they can both deliver.

Bad Points

Poor build for Hardy feud continues

This week the build consisted of Jeff Hardy beating jobber to the stars Dolph Ziggler and then doing a ten second bit on the mic telling Matt that he hadn’t seen how extreme he can get yet. This could have been standout match but with the lack of these two being on the same show or doing anything meaningful when they have been together has spoiled it.

Cena on cruise control

Cena has been booked as a bit part player for Mania as this week he wasn’t in the arena due to an appearance on Jay Leno so all his segments were done through video as Edge and Big Show continue to tell the storyline for their match.

Overall

The show was made on the first and last segment, everything else expect the HBK bit was pretty much filler which isn’t good with Mania just round the corner.