WWE Monday Night Raw 11/25/13

Honestly I miss wrestling and have been out of touch since just after SummerSlam. Time to get back into it.

-Episode 1070 starts with Randy Orton, the WWE Champion who claims he is owed an apology from those who think he would lose the WWE Title at Survivor Series. He brings out Triple H and Stephanie who are pleased Orton is still the champion. Orton is upset that Triple H and Stephanie came down at SS and ran interference in his match. Orton then cuts a promo about being the greatest champion in the 50+ year history of the company. It is a pretty good heel promo but out comes World Champion John Cena and if this feud they have ends in an undisputed title I am all for it. Cena goes on a tirade about the fans loving Daniel Bryan because they are tired for the administrative BS of the Helmsleys. He then wants an undisputed champion which I popped for. There are some underlying aspects of this segment which suggests a future Cena heel turn. The relationship between Orton and the Helmsleys is far from smooth and Orton mention Cena talking with the Helmsleys of this title unification idea. HHH announces a title unification ladder match between Orton and Cena.

The Shield vs Cody Rhodes, Goldust and Rey Misterio Jr.

Even with the rise of Roman Reigns I am still a big Dean Ambrose fan. He had a lot of wacky selling in this one which adds an entertainment aspect to his wrestling. The match is acceptable but a large portion of the heat segment is during the commercial. Reigns counters a 619 with a massive spear. Ambrose gets the pin on Rhodes with his unnamed bulldog like maneuver, which is odd because usually the WWE will give finishers a name.

-MizTV is next *groan* and his guest is Michael Strahan or should I say Titus O'Neal who is parodying Strahan to put himself over. First of all everyone knows who it is so he gains nothing by this. Maybe treating the WWE as a sport leads me to be frustrated by things like this. Strahan is out to announce a match and this crowd does not care though his comparing Kelly Rippa as tougher than Miz got a good reaction including a Kelly Rippa chant. Miz does drop an insider term saying Strahan was stiff when the hip toss did not go as planned. I miss the NWA.

Ryback and Curtis Axel vs Big E Langston and Mark Henry

This was a complete squash with Heny delivering the Worlds Strongest Slam for the pin. Curtis Axel's stock seems to slipped rather quickly.

7 on 7 Survivor Series Divas Elimination Match

I am not a fan of many of the Divas as they have no wrestling ability save for AJ, Katlyn and Natalya. Of course the Bellas and Eva Marie are the winners. There is a teased AJ/Natalya feud which has possibilities. Fans were solidly behind AJ because she has both personality and wrestling ability, a combination which none of the have. Like many of the Divas matches have become this was an extended ad for the Total Divas show.

Damien Sandow vs Dolph Ziggler - Hamptons Hardcore Match

Sandow and Ziggler keep things energetic and make this a fun match. Of course this is a total PG street fight, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. The Sandow win surprises me but I haven't been keeping track of what has transpired in the feud thus far. Sandow got the pin with a slam through a trash can.

Strahan and Santino are in the back in a comedy sketch with THE WYATTS of all people. A yes chant breaks out for Strahan to put the sheep mask on, which he does.

Punk takes some time to make points with Daniel Bryan shouting YES to every point. The team name seems to have become The Beard and The Best. Punk references the Ring Crew Express which got a pop from me. Punk addresses The Authority putting those they hate in handicap matches hoping it will fix the problem but they are not scared of the Wyatts.

The Beard & The Best vs The Wyatt Family

I love B&B and the Wyatt's character however the Wyatt's can be a little on the boring side in the ring. Punk played a great face in peril and Daniel Bryan is as firey a babyface as you can find but the match lacked a lot. This can also be attributed to it being a rematch to further the feud. The Wyatt's get disqualified by not clearing the ring. The Wyatt's kidnap Bryan and Roman Reigns spears Punk from out of nowhere. The Shield triple powerbombs Punk as a message from The Authority.

Kofi Kingston vs The Miz

Kofi has lost a lot of muscle and it shows. These two had a match I really didn't pay much attention to. Miz wins with another version of a rollup (in this case a crucifix) which are set in a way that his victories appear as flukes. I am not a huge fan as either but Miz is worlds better as a heel and would fit well if he was added to The Authority.

Xavier Woods vs Heath Slater

I like Slater a lot he is selfless and seemingly enjoys his role as a man the WWE trusts with newcomers and legends. This is Woods debut and he is paired with R-Truth and the Funkadaklyles for reasons unknown. He wins the match with Gail Kim's Eat Defeat and looked pretty good in doing so. I wouldn't say it was the most impressive debut I have ever seen but the man has potential.

-I can't lie this was the best of Strahan's appearances where he signs footballs for The Bellas who are Eagles fans, the Funkadaklyles who are fantastic. The red headed chick lets him know she is there and Goldust is just awesome.

Randy Orton & Alberto Del Rio vs John Cena & Big Show

The match was just a match until the angle with Show's concussion kicked in. He lost by being kicked in the head the previous night and then was kicked in the head twice during the match. The doctor temporarily stopped the match but that did not last long as Orton started back on the attack. Show got in a spear on instinct, made the tag and was on the outside for the rest of the match. That was ok as Super Cena was here to take care of business and won with the STF. After the match Orton blasted Cena with the World Title, fade to black.

Overall it was a decent show moving things somewhat along but nothing groundbreaking. Ziggler/Sandow was match of the night by a good margin.

WWE Monday Night RAW 08/19/13

First off this show comes on the heels of one of the most important PPV's of the year. SummerSlam saw Daniel Bryan pin John Cena clean in the middle of the ring in a ****1/2 technical wrestling clinic, however Triple H turned on Bryan and allowed Randy Orton to cash in the Money in the Bank contract to win the title. This was a well thought out, well planned angle that will give Daniel Bryan a lot of motivation to chase Orton and his title. I have high hopes the WWE does right with this angle, but I had high hopes for "The Summer of Punk" in 2011 and they dropped the ball with it. Speaking of Punk he lost an incredible ****3/4 match to Brock Lesnar due to his inability to keep his focus off of Paul Heyman. This could prove to be an important episode of RAW, though we will see if the events of last night give the company some new legs.

Live from Anaheim, CA

-John Cena comes out for some mic time basically giving a farewell to the fans while putting over Daniel Bryan as the better man. He shows the massive ball of fluid on his elbow, which is the result of a torn tricep and it looked disgusting, and will keep out 4-6 months. In an odd moment Cena calls out Bryan only to shake his hand, give him the mic and leave. No banter no nothing, which is unlike Cena. I guess he said his peace and is gone until he heals. Stephanie McMahon comes out to put the corporate spin on recent events. Daniel Bryan says that no one can take his passion away and if he is going to be fired he is going to go out with a bang. Stephanie comes back saying they don't want to fire him but not everyone is championship material and calls him a B+. This obviously pisses Bryan off and he knocks the mic from her hand and out of the ring. She grabs another from ringside and starts talking down to Bryan almost like a child and calls security to haul him away. Stephanie was awesome here as the bitchy executive. When Bryan turned around after being lead away to lead a No chant as an act of defiance, she gave an awesome facial. This entire thing was amazing.

Damien Sandow vs Cody Rhodes

These two proceed to have a match. I like Sandow better than Rhodes but neither are lighting the world on fire. Sandow blocked the Cross Rhodes that beat him last night but lost to, of all things, a sunset flip. I guess the story is that Rhodes has Sandow's number. After the match Rhodes claims he should be the #1 Contender because he beat a Money in the Bank holder twice, which is rediculous on a number of levels. First Rhodes is still not over enough to challenge for the title, he really needs more grooming. Second, when does beating the MITB holder make you a contender? Ziggler lost all the time while holding the case and no one got a title shot as a result. This claim was absurd.

-Brad Maddox was sheepishly smiling backstage and announced that due to Dolph Ziggler's tweet where he criticized HHH, Ziggler will be wrestling a 3 on 1 handicap match against The Shield tonight. One interesting part of this show will be who aligns themselves with whom. So far Maddox is in the HHH camp to keep his GM job, and obviously Stephanie sides with her husband. On the other side we have Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler. At this point I am not sure if The Shield sides with HHH or are just pawns in the story.

-Paul Hayman is in the ring as we come back from break. He cuts a disingenuous promo about forgiving Punk and wanting to be the best in the world with him. He wants to end the family feud and help Punk gets to the main event of Wrestlemania. If only Punk apologizes to him.

-The Bellas tell the Funkadaktles they hope their match is more interesting then their involvement on Total Divas. Cameron completely annoys me.

The Funkadaklyles vs Layla & AJ Lee

AJ and Naomi have an okay match then Layla tags in and immediately gets rolled up for the pin. Then gives the worst shocked face I have ever seen. Just bad, I expect better from Layla.

Dolph Ziggler vs The Shield

We get a more competitive match than this had any right to be considering the odds. Ziggler was overwhelmed and lost to an awesome Reins spear. After the match all three dismantle Ziggler and do a triple powerbomb which might have been a good strategy during the match to end it faster. All's well that ends well for The Shield I guess.

Alberto Del Rio vs Sin Cara

This was complete angle and didn't last more than a minute. Sin Cara went for a dive and "landed on his wrist". In the replay he does not land in such a way to hurt anything. As soon as he landed he signaled to the ref for help. Just an odd waste of time. After the match he cuts another promo about being the representative for the Latino community. He actually gets cheers for this even though it seems very backhanded and halfhearted. Ricardo comes out to a nice pop and says Del Rio is a hero to no one. Ricardo is still a manager now managing Rob Van Dam. RVD sprints in and destroys the World Champion and is in position for the 5-star frog splash when Del Rio bails. RVD and Ricardo are an odd paring but I like Ricardo so more Ricardo is good.

The Real Americans vs Prime Time Players

Zeb Colter's pre-match promo included saying the best thing about America is seeing LAX fade away from the plane. We The People is the most over heel catchphrase in the company. The Prime Time Players picked up a huge win that may give them a shot at the tag titles. Darrin Young got the pin with a gut buster named (of all things) The Gut Check. Take that TNA! Match was pretty good as any match with the Real Americans would be. 

-Big show is interviewed backstage, and confirms he and Mark Henry will go after the tag titles. Sleezy Brad Maddox interrupts as apparently Big Show made some Negative remarks about the COO Triple H and Show will be wrestling The Shield in a handicap match with all three members of The Shield being legal. Show awesomely states "Are you sure you want to do that to The Shield". This confirms that The Shield lies on the corporate end of things. Big Show and by proxy Mark Henry are on the face side. So far this angle is building well.

-To show just how far Zack Ryder and Justin Gabriel have fallen their involvement on this show consists of listening to a Foot Locker rep explain the rules of a contest and then leave. Fandango dances in asks about dancing in sneakers. He says "I like this Foot Locker" then dances away. He SO sounded like Steven Segal here.

-The great bully Ryback proceeds to tell a jobber to do something then ask him why he is doing that. The jobbers bag ends up in the shower where he slaps the hell out of him before making him flood his bag. I actually want to see Ryback get killed for these segments, so I assume they work.

Big Show vs The Shield

As far as handicap matches go, this was pretty good. The Shield needed teamwork to get the win due to Show's size. Seth Rollins looked to have hurt his knee as he held it several times during the match. Reins got a nice spear on Showand the triple powerbomb finished Show off. I am dissapointed that Big Show didn't try to knock some one or two of The Shield out. You would think that would be a great strategy but the WMD was never used.

-CM Punk comes out to respond to Heyman and it was golden. After last night Punk has a major badass rep that the WWE is apparently,wetting run wild. Very very early in the promo one guy dares to boo Punk and gets kitty up verbally from him. Punk was starting up a slower methodic promo when this guy started booing. His boos could be heard on television and Punk's response to "the fat guy in the front row" really put over how pissed off Punk is and how much little things get to him moreso now than ever before. No idea if this was a shoot or work but it included Punk saying balls and bitch which were edited for TV but got MAJOR pops. Punk wants the Wrestlemania main event and the title then Heyman comes out with Curtis Axel. Punk wishes he could have taken Heyman's arm home with him. Heyman responded with appologizing for what is about to happen to Punk. Axel is going to fight Punk after the commercial break. This segment was amazing......just amazing

CM Punk vs Curtis Axel - Unsanctioned Street Fight

This was a good fight. JBL put over how hurt Punk is from last night and shouldn't be wrestling at all. Punk kept going towards Heyman but never paid for it like he did in the last month. Axel hurts Punks leg and almost Pillmanizes him. Punk gets the "win" after a GTS using the stairs instead of his knee.

Bray Wyatt vs R-Truth

This was a complete squash to show off Wyatt to the RAW audience. Nothing of note happens but Wyatt finishes Truth off with his finisher.

The Usos vs 3MB

These two teams wrestled a good match. The Usos got the win after a top rope splash. This match includes a tag from a plancha and an awesome one legged hoping enzaguri. 3MB even got a chant from the crowd. Was not sure if this was from boredom (which it shouldn't have been) or that maybe 3MB has gotten over with a segment of the crowd. It was a true dueling Usos/3MB chant.

The Miz vs Wade Barrett

Poor Barrett is in a bad spot as he seemingly jobs for everyone. Losing to Daniel Bryan in a great Smackdown match was one thing but losing to Tbe Miz is a different animal. This is a needless match with 15 minutes left in the show's timeslot. A pointless match that Fandango interferes in to get Barrett disqualified. No point.

-Backstage Maddox informs Stephanie that security has informed him that Daniel Bryan is back in the building which got a monster pop.

-Stephanie and Vince are in the ring when we come back and every WWE superstar is on the stage, with TripleH coming down the aisle. Triple H's promo was a little rambling but the gist is that HHH didn't want to do the turn last night but it was good for business and ensuring the legacy of the WEE for generations to come. An overachieving B+ Bryan was not as good a champion as A+ Orton. HHH described Orton as a lump of coal turned into a diamond. I should note that The Shield was standing ringside guarding the aisle way. Orton hugs the McMahons and thanks them. HHH invites Bryan to come down. The Shield attacks Bryan as he comes down. HHH lets Bryan crawl into the ring, even mentioning Fighting Spirit, and as he gets in Orton RKO's Bryan. 

RAW was good and the WWE is building something great but they certainly did not give Bryan a platform at the end. He was utterly dominated by the numbers (8-1) and never had a chance. The WWE has a direction that feels fresh with Cena on the sidelines and Bryan/Punk taking over the too two spots while going in completely different directions. It is nice to be excited about the WWE product again.

Why I Love Professional Wrestling 4

Eddie Gilbert & Tommy Rich: The Tag Team of the Year (Memphis 1984)

We get a great capsule of The Eddie Gilbert and Tommy Rich feud. First we see the ceremony for Rich and Gilbert to receive the Tag Team of the Year award, sadly the team is no more and they have a bloody brawl in the studio after Gilbert is too good for the local Memohis fans after he has won the International title and is elsewhere defending it. After the initial brawl Gilbert makes up with Rich then attacks him. Just a crazy angle not to be repeated in today's wrestling environment. Next we get a clip of Gilbert running in to cost Rich a match behind the referee's back. This looked like a crazy feud that I wish I was able to see the blowoff of. It is stuff like this that made Memphis so awesome.

Sergio El Hermoso, Bello Greco & Rudy Reyna vs Solar I, Ultraman, Super Astros (UWA 2/84)

I can't say I know much about Lucha Libre, fact is it usually confuses me to the point of giving up on it completely. I have done enough research to understand The different components of Lucha but can never seem to put it together when watching matches. The wrestlers in this match give a fantastic performance while delivering a good story. Los Exoticos (El Hermoso/Greco/Reyna) are extremely flamboyant characters facing lichadors, who are the embodiment of everything good in Mexico. This match has everything from great ground grappling to comedy to dives into the crowd. The Luchadors win in an extremely entertaining match that has me wanting to watch more Lucha.

Jerry Blackwell vs Blackjack Mulligan (JCP 1978)

Though I have seen very little of either of these wrestlers, I know Jerry Blackwell is a big fat monster and Mulligan is a big Texan. Jerry Blackwell breaks the boring slow big man stereotype by going out and dominating Mulligan with interesting offense. Blackwell threw some stiff forearms to take a quick advantage. Jerry's greatest offensive weapon is his size which he used for a bulk of the match, he even broke out a splash from the bottom rope. Mulligan got the win with his great claw finisher that just wore down and finally outlasted Blackwell. This was a fantastic television match.

Roddy Piper Interviews (Al Tomko's All-Star Wrestling 1979?)

This was four interviews Piper had in the Vancouver and, as expected, all are top notch but I was to focus in on the last interview. Piper is hyping a future cage match between he and Rick Martel against the Sheephearders. To hype the match he takes an unopened beer bottle and smashes it over his head then gives an emotion driven promo while blood and beer roll down his face. His line about the $45,000 difference between winning and losing was a highlight. Piper is much more than what we got in WWF and WCW and his 70s and early 80s stuff is worth tracking down.

Why I Love Professional Wrestling 3

Buddy Landel: Smooth Operator (JCP 1985)

If this isn't a reason to love pro wrestling, nothing is. The segment is about JJ Dillon prepping Buddy Landel for his match with Ric Flair by analyzing tape on Flair. JJ even says "He is not infallible", Landel shrugs all of it off in his overconfidence. This is when the awesomeness explodes. Smooth Operator starts playing, and much to JJ's dismay, Landell goes on the town with two ladies. JJ follows him and just shakes his head. It is a harmless fun segment that I wish were still around in wrestling today. I do not know where this was leading but based on the time period I wonder if this leads to JJ turning on Landel to manage Flair and start The Four Horsemen. However, that is just speculation on my part.

The Year That Was 1996 - Part 4

Please note that with this part I will start rating all matches shown in full.

Tommy Rich & Doug Gilbert + PG-13 Feud Recap (USWA 1/6/96)
We start with clips of PG-13 winning a Texas Death Match with The Rock and Roll Express. Jessie James Armstrong. and Tracy Smothers attack PG-13 after the match. Tommy Rich and Doug Gilbert have words with PG-13 after Rich was inadvertently punched by Wolfie D and this brings about some wild southern brawling. The USWA sets up a round robin tag tournament with the winner facing WWF Tag champs The Smoking Gunns. There is also some prior history between Rich/Gilbert and PG-13. This involves the teams trading wins (Rich/Gilbert through cheating and PG-13 stealing a win with a schoolboy rollup), in the rubber match Rich and Gilbert cheat to win the tag belts. I must mention these two teams had a great brawl all over the studio, something that is missing in today's wrestling. Rich/Gilbert spray a chemical in Wolfie D's eye and PG-13 retaliates by hitting Rich's left arm with a baseball bat. There is so much here, what a feud they have built. There's more, Rich beats Wolfie D in a hair vs hair match by having Gilbert run in with an ether soaked towel to know out D. Wolfie D does a complete Jimmy Valiant with his facial expressions during the shaving. PG-13 them win the tag titles from Gilbert and Rich in a cage match only to be piledriven through a table. I will also mention that the cage they had this match in surrounds the ringside area ala Hell in a Cell, Vince steals ideas from everyone. Fast forward to the current date and they confront each other over their past and another wild brawl ensues.

Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert vs. PG-13 - USWA Tag Team Championship (USWA 1/6/96) [**3/4]
We get a good TV match that had a good flow but lacked the psychology I love. There wasn't a lot of wrestling here but more along the lines of southern brawling. PG-13 wins the titles after Gilbert mistimes a punch with a chain wrapped fist and nails his partner. The story got across that Doug Gilbert isn't all in with Rich and there is some developing friction between the two.

HBK Press Conference (RAW 1/8/96)
Against doctors orders Shawn declares his intent to enter the Royal Rumble. He claims he will win the title at Wrestlemania and be the champion to being the WWF into the new millennium. How wrong he would be as he would be temporarily out of wrestling in a little over 2 years. Scheme Gene says that he has another name entering the Rumble but you will have to call the hotline to find out who it is. Jim Ross goads the information out of him and Gene says its Vader Time. The Scheme Gene stuff was actually good here, not as offensive as it would later become.

Brother Love Show: Steve Austin & Ted DiBiase (RAW 1/8/96)
This was the Ringmaster, where he states his intentions to win the Rumble, and go on to win the title. The gimmick isn't horrible but it is not suited for Austin. He is pretty much in Stunning form here as opposed to the Stone Cold he would be by May. Besides being officially crowned the million dollar champion, there wasn't much of substance here.

Billionaire Ted Skit (RAW 1/8/96)
This is where we start really getting some underhandedness from these skits. What is inferred here is that the WCW wrestlers do not undergo drug tests and are roided freaks. They attack WCW's brad of wrastlin' as not believable and these skits are horrible on many levels.

Legend The Pro-Wrestling 2013 (01/13)

Akifumi Saito vs Nobuyuki Kurashima [1/2*]
Witchfinder on CAGEMATCH sums up my sentiments on Kurashima perfectly, "Wow! Taro Kurashima has 16 years of ring experience and has done absolutely nothing." There was a point where Kurashima kicks Saito runs to the corner only to run back and cover Saito without performing another offensive maneuver. It was an extreme waste of motion in the least, and certainly looked awkward. Saito ends this with a German Suplex Hold.

AKIRA & Gran Hamada vs Hiro Saito & Masashi Aoyagi [1/2*]
Someone needs to make a game like Darkness with Gran Hamada as Death. He certainly looks like he could play the part based on the prematch graphic. Poor guy is a legend and still able to get in the ring and mix it up. Sadly there really isn't much here, mainly Gran Hamada getting squashed by a fat Saito senton. This match is pushing it even for hardcore fans, good thing it is short.

Alexander Otsuka & Katsumi Usuda vs Super Tiger & Tiger Shark [**]
I see that Otsuka gets great reviews on CAGEMATCH but I am not blown away by his effort here. That isn't to say it was outright bad but nothing popped as amazing. Usuda had a fun kick exchange with Super Tiger and Tiger Shark delivers a fantastic moonsault. The match was competent enough but nothing to go out of your way for.

Akitoshi Saito & Tatsuhito Takaiwa vs Daisuke Sekimoto & Tomohiro Ishii [****]
This match is why I took on this project. Everyone knows about the MOTYC's but finding these little diamonds in the roughs are what makes this fun. This match is completely out of left field for me but is what happens when two freight trains collide. It is so much fun to see these four test each others strength and will with shoulder blocks, chops, forearms, and clotheslines. This is not a strong style match where suplexes are a dime a dozen but they become the highspots in a match based on striking. I almost popped huge for Sekimoto's Chaos Theory but sadly it was broken up. He did get the win with a German Suplex Hold. Also I am not sure of the genesis of the heat between Sekimoto and Ishii but their feuding tag partners story adds another dimension to the match. Just a steller effort from all four...go see this now!!

Bear Fukuda & Mitsuya Nagai vs Ikodu Hidaka & Shinjiro Otani [**1/2]
Who doesn't love some Otani. He is a big crowd favorite and they always chant along with his face wash spot. Near the end of the match he throws a killer top rope drop kick for a man entering his 40's. This match didn't win me over as the last one did. Otani gets the win with the cobra clutch.

Atsushi Onita & Ichiro Yaguchi vs First Tiger Mask & Kuniaki Kobayashi [**1/4]
First let me say that the video package on the history these four men have with each other is amazing. Onita and Yaguchi are aparently known as the Barbed Wire Bad Outlaws, which is yet another awesome Japanese tag team name. Onita attacked Tiger Mask with a barbed wire baseball bat and Yaguchi spit red mist in the face of 57 year old Kobayashi. BWBO train by hitting a poor guy in the crotch with a barbed wire baseball bat while the face team performs a double brainbuster on a training partner. I wish the match was as good as this video package, but sadly it was not. It is an odd combination of a good story surrounding a pedestrian match. One big problem I have is that Kobayashi gets beat and even double teamed with a barbed wire bat while his partner Sayama stands on the apron watching. He should at least try to get in the ring and do something. Sadly getting in the ring and doing stuff is not First Tiger Mask's strong suit. Kobayashi literally wrestles the entire match. The heels offense was okay. Yaguchi incorporates a barbed wire bat into every single maneuver he attempted. Tiger Mask & Kobayashi get the win with their double brainbuster, which Kobayashi holds onto as a fishermans buster for the win out of nowhere. I like the story, but do not think much of the match. The heels attack the faces after the match which means there will be a rematch down the road.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Jushin Thunder Liger & Masahiro Chono vs Riki Choshu, Tatsumi Fujinami & Yokio Sakaguchi [***]
There is a major issue between Liger and Sakaguchi. They were at each others throats before the opening bell and after the final bell. This was a solid wrestling match and nothing more. The ending looked to be screwed up. Tenzan hit Choshu with a moonsault and Choshu never had his shoulders on the mat and seemed to kick out before three, but the ref made the count anyway. Odd occurrence for seasoned vets in the main event.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: This card is very much hit or miss. The hit (Saito/Takaigawa vs Sekimoto/Ishii) is a major hit that is well worth going out of your way for. The rest really depends on your taste in wresting. The Onita tag is a slight nod to FMW, while the main event is a solid six man in the mold of 80's New Japan.

DDT: Sweet Dreams! (01/27/13)

Akito & Makato Oishi vs Daichi Kazato & Tetsuya Endo [*1/2]
The young boys were energetic enough but are only given 5 minutes and there is only so much anyone can do in that amount of time. Oishi slips on an attempted moonsault and lands on the back of his head. He recovered moderately as the crowd got a good laugh out of it. You could see by the look on his face he knew he screwed up badly. Akito picks up the win with an odd looking figure four. Instead of his foot being tucked under his opponents tailbone it was squarely in the poor guys nuts, talk about an easy submission!

Gota Ihashi vs Batten Tamagawa, DJ Nira, Hiroshi Fukuda, Hoshitango & Michael Nakazawa [*]
For a DDT comedy match there is a lot to explain here. This starts out as a 4 on 2 handicap match (despite being billed as 5 on 1). During the match Ihashi's partner turns on him and leaves. The wrestler I believe was DJ Nira congratulates the other three members as they attack Ihashi then leave. Nira attempts a fishermans suplex only to have Ihashi kickout.Ihashi gets the win with a crucifix after DJ Nira was upset his plan did not work. Total comedy match with very little substance therein.

FUMA, HARASHIMA & Yasu Urano vs Hikaru Sato, Masa Takanashi & MIKAMI [**3/4]
This match was a huge surprise for me as I was not expecting it to be this good. It has a lot of variety between comedy spots, fast junior spot and hardcore chops to the face. We do not get a technically perfect match by no means but this was a lot of fun to watch.

Danshoku Dino & Yoshiko vs Sanshiro Takagi & Yuzuki Aikawa [***1/2]
Yoshiko and Aikawa are from Stardom and this intergender tag match ruled. Aikawa is the star of the show with her partner and opponents all riffing or mocking her moveset. God bless Aikawa for getting her face shoved in Dino's ass. She is a trooper. I completely laughed my ass off at some of the stuff here. Dino and Yoshiko win after Dino piledrives Takagi and pins him with his nuts in Takagi's face. This is a whale of a comedy match, and worth checking out.

Konosuke Takeshita vs Kota Ibushi [***1/4]
Ibushi was great here and he throws one of the greatest suplexes I have ever seen. He lifts Takeshita into the powerbomb position but instead of dropping him on the mat he keep going back and Takeshita does a face plant into the canvas while Ibushi does a bridge. From there Ibushi rolls back into the tightest single leg crab I have ever seen for the submission victory. This match had a lot of stiff strikes, kicks and even a moonsault into a nasty knee drop. While there is some great action nothing really binds the match together except the will to win. Still this was very good.

Team Dream Futures© vs Monster Army - KO-D Six Man Tag Team Titles [**]
Crazy that DDT books one of their two title matches so short. Action here comes at you fast and furious. Monster Army has the most over gimmick of the two, that being they think they are a real army complete with belly crawling contest and a machine gun dropkick. Monster Army takes the titles after a nice suplex by Honda.

Kenny Omega© vs Isami Kodaka© - KO-D Openweight Title/DDT Extreme Title [***]
There are three Puro wrestlers I love; Liger, Tanahashi and Omega. Kenny Omega has charisma that goes on for miles and a great moveset to go with it. As much as I like Omega this match wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. The middle portion was dragged down by Kodaka's slow brawling. If this match is any indication Kodaka wrestles a classic ECW style where he does the slow brawling to setup the big spot near the entrance. In this case it was a double knee drop to Omega's sternum. Omega was off a little here as well by not bringing his awesome doucheiness to the match. This isn't to say the match wasn't good but it was far from great. The match dragged a lot in the middle but the last third was good. Omega took the win and both titles with Aoi Shoudou.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Sweet Dreams is a good with 3 of the last 4 being worth seeing. The intergender tag would be a comedy MOTYC if a category actually existed. I recommend the event for those that keep up with Puro but isn't a completist, though this wouldn't be a waste of time for a fair weather Puro fan.

Stardom Season 10 New Year Stars 2013 - Night 2 (01/14)

Hailey Hatred vs Yuhi [***]
Odd fact, Hailey Hatred is in the midst of a 3100+ day TLW Womens Title reign. I doubt it is a major title as it was defended once in 2012. Hailey towers over the tiny Yuhi which gives a great dynamic to this match. It is a lot of fun watching Hailey deliver huge power moves only to have Yuhi kick out. Double H gives a WTH OMG WTF look after a Yuhi escape which was awesome. This match made a good impression on me but is not without its flaws. The biggest is that at times the flow Yuhi needs for her moveset just isn't there. There is no doubt Yuhi could be one of the next big stars of Joshi but despite her natural ability she is still rough around the edges. Hailey destroys Yuhi with a powerbomb for the pin.

Miho Wakizawa, Tsukasa Fujimoto & Yui Yokoo vs Act Yasukawa, Natsuki Taiyo & Saki Kashima - Artist of Stardom Title Semi-Final [*3/4]
There was a lot of action here but the whole thing is hard to follow with the clipping not helping either. The team of Act/Natsuki/Saki win after an awesome suplex by Saki Kashima (I think).

Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani & Natsumi Showzuki vs Kellie Skater, Portia Perez & Tomoka Nakagawa - Artist of Stardom Title Semi-Final [**]
This flowed a little better than the first semifinal, but was disjointed in places. The SHIMMER girls did not show anything out of the norm, Nakagawa gets the pin after a Lariat.

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs Yoshiko [**3/4]
These two ladies hate each other stemming from an indecent in 2011. Only about half of the match is shown of this stiff 15 minute draw. We get a lot of forearm shots, shoulderblocks and clotheslines. A pretty intense midcard match.

Yuzuki Aikawa&copy vs Kairi Hojo - Wonder of Stardom Title [**1/2]
I think my expectations for wrestling matches may be way too high. After the opening video package I was hoping for an epic encounter but we get nothing of the sort. It is a good match but it REALLY dies toward the end with Aikawa taking over and retaining the white belt with a couple of kicks to the head. This match would have been a lot better had they kept the pace they started with as they were really laying in some shots at the beginning.

Act Yasukawa, Natsuki Taiyo & Saki Kashima vs Kellie Skater, Portia Perez & Tomoka Nakagawa - Artist of Stardom Title [**1/4]
Stardom features some incredibly short matches where the wrestlers try to throw any and everything in within the time frame given. With only 9 minutes we get a flurry of spots and it feels like the old scramble matches from ROH. The team of Yasukawa, Taiyo and Kashima get the win to become the first Artist of Stardom champions after a rollup that came out of nowhere. The Stardom wiki says the three belts are each a different color but we do not get to see them here.

Nanae Takahashi&copy vs Kyoko Kimura - World of Stardom Title [***1/2]
This was by far the best match on the card. Kimura looks like a badass redneck girl who takes off her shirt to fight. She brought her A game injuring Takahashi's arm in the first 30 seconds and it was on. Takahashi sold the arm deep into the match like a champ. These two even exchanged some stiff hands free headbutts. This match was well built, well paced, and well executed. Takahashi retained her title after what I think was the Nana Rocker, but it was a side suplex from the body slam position with Kimura's arm chicken winged behind her. Great little match, well worth checking out.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: The main event is really really good and just a couple of steps from being really special. The Haley Hatred/Yuhi and World of Stardom matches are worth a look otherwise the event is just for the hardcores.

NJPW/CMLL Fantasica Mania 2013 - Night 3 (01/20/13)

Maximo vs Taichi [*1/2]
This was not as good as the tag match the previous night. Maximo's gimmick worked so well with more people involved in the match. Maximo does a great job at putting over his kiss as a move that will make the recipient faint for three seconds. The ending is so epic where Taichi turns the gimmick around on Maximo with great success and ends up winning the match. Apparently Taichi has taken a liking toward men as he chases his partner TAKA to the back. Odd is the only way to sum up this match.

BUSHI, Diamante, Jushin Thunder Liger, Mascara Dorada, Tiger Mask & Titan vs CHAOS, Misterioso Jr & OKUMURA - 12 Man Elimination Torneo Cibernetico Match [***]
The heels/rudos have won more than I expected during this weekend. We got a fun Cibernetico with tons of action. The eliminations were super fast and included Liger getting a pin with a Thez Press. Tomohiro Inishi of CHAOS picked up the win in a super fun, super fast match.

Rey Escorpion vs Rush [**1/2]
I wasn't as big a fan of this match as I had hoped I would be. Rush is a wrestler with a dynamite look and a killer finisher but showed very little in between to me. His Rush Driver is boss and another finisher (like Escorpion's Aguijon Mortal) that can end a match in an instant. In a great show of continuity from the previous night's tag match where Escorpion flattened Rush with the Aguijon Mortal, this time Rush countered into his Rush Driver for the pin.

Dragon Rojo Jr© vs La Sombra - NWA World Middleweight Title [***]
This was a good title match with both guys working hard and laying in all of their spots. La Sombra is a crowd favorite and gets the win and the title here after the Brillante Driver. This was pure Lucha with the combatants fighting all over the ringside area and dives aplenty. These two are fun to watch.

La Mascara© vs Volador Jr - Mexican National Light Heavyweight Title [**1/4]
I was not a huge fan of this match. They went with a breakneck pace for a couple of minutes and then rest then repeat. A gradual build or a consistent pace would have done this match a lot of good. Their moves were very good, including a moonsault suicida which is a favorite of mine. La Mascara takes the match with La Campana submission.

Euforia, Kazuchika Okada & Mephisto vs Atlantis, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Prince Devitt [***]
We get a very short main event that provides good action but a finish I hate. Mephisto hits the Demon Driller on Atlantis and only gets two. Atlantis immediately gets up and applies La Atlantida for the submission win. There was no setup for Atlantis's finisher just kick out and apply the hold and its over. Okada and Tanahashi get a very nice exchange near the end with Okada striking out on two Rainmaker attempts and getting High Fly Flowed on the floor. They have such great chemistry together I would love to see another rematch, though I may be in the minority on that front.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Night 3 was very good and might even top Night 2 in quality. I like the Cibernetico match which was all action and the Middleweight Title match was the match of the night. Nothing special here just a good solid night of wrestling.

NJPW/CMLL Fantasica Mania 2013 - Night 2 (01/19/13)

Maximo & Toma Tonga vs Suzuki-Gun [**1/2]
My first thought in watching this was how do I rate it. We get an awesome comedy match but it is just that a comedy match. Maximo is more than just the star of the match, he is the match. Everything here revolves around his gay gimmick from his offense, the offense of his competitors, Toma Tonga playing the lead in their salsa pair, and even putting an announcer out of action with a kiss to the forehead. Maximo has his gimmick down and goes all over the place with it, which makes the match so much fun to watch. Toma Tonga looked a lot better in this than he did the previous night. He got some good moves in and looked to be having a lot of fun. Maximo got the pin after a kiss on Taichi.

Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask & Titan vs World Class Tag Team & Misterioso Jr [**3/4]
Whatever funk the workers were in last night (jet lag?) they are wrestling at a higher level tonight. Titan is fun to watch and his handstand is an amazing feat. The NJPW wrestlers seem to be there to keep a Japanese structure while the CMLL workers pull off the awesome Lucha spots. Misterioso Jr gets the pin after a crazy La Rosa Driver. Fun match.

Diamante & Mascara Dorada vs Mephisto & OKUMURA [**1/4]
My rating and feelings on this match are very much skewed by my view of Lucha. There is a lot I cannot wrap my head around. Its stuff like Diamante jumping off the second rope straight up in the air, obviously not attempting to hit OKUMURA and is jumping solely to be dropkicked. I understand this form of wrestling takes a lot of skill to pull off (like the stereo sequences) but like I have been bitching these past couple of reviews I don't get it. Mephisto has the coolest finisher, the Demon Driller. It is very simple yet is such an impressive visual especially when he holds his opponent in position before dropping him face fist to the mat. All four wrestlers worked very hard here and the fans appreciated everything, even chanting for Mephisto after the match. Diamante has this amazing ability to pull any areal maneuver out of his rear at any moment. Mephisto and OKUMURA win after the Demon Driller on Dorada.

Apollo 55 & BUSHI vs CHAOS & Dragon Rojo Jr [**3/4]
I like Apollo 55, especially Devitt. These six work hard and have an entertaining match. I love the stereo plancha by Apollo 55 & BUSHI. I hated the ending as it came out of nowhere without any buildup whatsoever. One move and boom Rojo Jr has BUSHI down for the count.

Atlantis vs Euforia [***]
This was a good match with an ending that made a lot of sense. Atlantis worked on the back of Euforia leading up to his La Atlantida submission finisher. These two older heavyweights went all out and had a pretty good match. Amazing that at 50 years old Atlantis will still dive to the outside. Very few his age are still willing or able to pull off that move. Match of the night thus far.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, La Mascara & Rush vs Kazuchika Okada, Rey Escorpion & Volador Jr [***1/4]
Coming into this match I was looking for a big Tanahashi/Okada showdown but it didn't happen. They were in the ring together here and there but nothing of significance happened. What we get is a fantastically worked match between six pros. I have no idea how La Mascara wrestles a long match in his ring attire that literally covers him from head to toe, especially in some of the sweat boxes south of the border. Rey Escorpion gets the win with an awesome package piledriver (Aguijon Mortal?) that gets a massive pop from the crowd. It is such an impressive finisher that looks like a match ender even lacking any setup. Great stuff here.

Shinsuke Nakamura© vs La Sombra - IWGP Intercontinental Title [***3/4]
I am officially a Nakamura mark, as he has had one hell of a start to 2013. These two went back in forth in an incredible title match. There were a couple of rollups where I thought La Sombra could have taken the match but Nakamura got out just in the nick of time. La Sombra broke out some awesome areal maneuvers, anything twisty I am a mark for, as well as an incredible moonsault. Nakamura retained his title with the Bomba Ye. We are getting to the point where I will mark out when I see a Nakamura title defense on the card. Hope he keeps delivering these great matches for the rest of his title reign.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Night 2 was worlds better than Night 1. This is what you expect when two major companies get together for a night of wrestling. Even though I don't completely understand Lucha, I know wrestling and when guys are working hard, as well as when I am entertained. There was plenty of entertainment to be had on this night. This is not required viewing but you will not be wasting your time if you decide to do so.

NJPW/CMLL Fantasica Mania 2013 - Night 1 (01/18/13)

Euforia & OKUMURA vs Tama Tonga & Titan [*]
Tama Tonga is half of the CMLL Tag Champs and does not impress me here. This was one of those matches which was kinda there. Nothing about it wowed me yet nothing made me throw my hands up in disgust. I guess this was okay for what it was, the curtain jerker. Tama Tonga gets the pin with what I think was the Headshrinker (Hanging DDT).

BUSHI, Diamante & Ryusuke Taguchi vs CHAOS & Ray Escorpion [*]
We get nothing here to get me invested into the match, and nothing really sets this apart from the opener. Diamanté has a cool dive a d Escorpion has a sweet finisher Aguijon Mortal.

Rush vs YOSI-HASHI [*1/4]
I haven't been real enthused with this show so far. These matches feel like straight exhibitions lacking emotion. Rush has a great look and some nice moves. He finishes YOSHI-HASHI off with a Rush Driver.

La Mascara, Mascara Dorada & Maximo vs Suzuki-Gun, & Volador Jr
Match not uploaded to Daily Motion

Atlantis, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask vs World Class Tag Team & Mephisto [**]
We mostly get Liger against Gedo and Jado which consisted of attempting to rip the mask off Liger. Mephisto looks awesome and has an awesome finisher too. He hits Atlantis with the Demon Driller (think Angels Wings from the second rope) for the win.

Dragon Rojo Jr vs Prince Devitt [**1/2]
Prince Devitt using the song from Karate Kid wins a lot of points from me. I have to blame unfamiliarity between the NJPW and CMLL wrestlers because everything on this show is sub par to both companies normal shows. This has been the best match of the night thus far but was still a little disjointed in spots. This is still a decent mat based junior match though both are capable of a lot more.

Hiroshi Tanahashi & La Sombra vs Misterioso Jr & Shinsuke Nakamura [**3/4]
This was the most entertaining match of the night. All four work well enough together but once again we get nothing that sticks out as memorable which seems to be the theme for the night. La Sombra messed up his Brillante Driver finisher yet still manages to get the winning pin on Misterioso Jr.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: If this night is any indication on how the next two nights of Fantastica Mania will go then it will be a rough getting through those shows. Matches here feel like wrestling exhibitions and miss hatred, intensity and story that are the heart and soul of pro wrestling. This show is only for hardcores who must see everything, otherwise spend your time elsewhere.

AJPW New Year Shining Series 2013 - Night 2 (01/03)

The Japanese Wrestling 2013 Match Rankings
http://briscoiswrestling.blogspot.com/2013/01/puro-2013-match-rankings.html

Osamu Nishimura vs Yasufumi Nakanoue [3/4*]
Not too much here, granted my feed freezes halfway through the match. Nothing interesting was going on when it went out and that didn't change when it came back in just in time for the finish. Nishimura wins with a backslide.

KENSO & MAZADA vs Andy Wu & SUSHI [*]
We get a comedy match which is right up SUSHI's alley but KENSO is the star. Before a dive he wins me over by doing many of Hulk Hogan's mannerisms, and not the normal poses you would think of. KENSO gets the pin after an elbow off the top rope.  

Kazushi Miyamoto vs Masayuki Kono [*3/4]
We get a pretty standard AJPW mid card match. Neither competitor does anything to really draw me in. The highspot was a quick knee from Kono followed by a top rope knee drop to the throat for the win.

Get Wild, Hiroshi Yamato, Ryota Hama & Suwama vs Keji Muto, Masakatsu Funaki, Masanobu Fuchi, Taiyo Kea & TAKA Michinoku [**]
We get another tag in the Taiyo Kea retirement tour. The ending was never in doubt as you had to know Kea was going over with the TKO, even the man on the losing end of the fall (Yamato) was never in doubt. There would be no reason to put Kea over the tag champs and Hama is too big to take the TKO. Suwama is the only opponent other than Yamato who could have taken the loss. The action was interesting, especially if you know the strengths of the wrestlers involved. This would have garnered a higher rating if there wasn't so much dead weight in this match. Michinoku, Funaki, Hama, Suwama and Yamato all did little more than a spot or two and did little to make the match more entertaining. Like I said I enjoyed this match just was hoping for a little more with those involved.

Akebono vs Joe Doering - Triple Crown #1 Contenders match [*1/4]
Being that this is for a shot at the famed Triple Crown Heavyweight titles I was expecting loads more than what this match delivered. First off it only goes 5 minutes and even super workers cannot deliver an impressive match in only 5 minutes. Sadly they do not even tease a Revolution Bomb spot, a move Doering has hit Akebono with in the weeks leading up to this match. This match is not loaded with strategy but it is power vs power and the former sumo wrestler wins after three splashes on Doering.


Junior Stars © vs Team 246 - All Asia Tag Team Titles [***3/4]
The tag title match starts slow but is molten hot by the end. This match was so good and included a couple of near falls that I completely marked out for, though I knew the Junior Stars retained. The last ten minutes are just pure action and this is a must see match. The Junior Stars retain with Tanaka's cross armbreaker. Definite recommendation. 

Seiya Sanada© vs Tomoaki Honma - GAORA TV Title [**3/4]
While this wasn't atrocious it was a far cry from the greatness that preceded it. Honma made this a brawl during the first portion, even going so far as to brawl into the stands and hit Sanada with chairs in full view of the ref, which did not draw a DQ. Homna's Tumeric Storm partner Miyamoto interferes only to be weakly carted off by Sanada's second. The match gets a lot better down the stretch with Sanada hitting an awesome RKO on a diving Honma and finishes the match with THIS IS IT to retain.

8-Man Battle Royal including Andy Wu, Hiroshi Yamato, Kaz Hayashi, Koji Kanemoto, Masanobu Fuchi, MAZADA, Shuji Kondo, SUSHI & TAKA Michinoku [*1/2]
The battle royal was okay, nothing great. There were some fun spots like the Fuchi elimination, but all in all it was very underwhelming. Yamato picks up the underdog win by pinning Kanemoto.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: This is a one or two match show (depending on your thoughts of the TV Title match). There isn't much out side of the two title matches. Go out of your way to see the AA Tag Title match.

AJPW New Year Shining Series 2013 - Night 1 (01/02)

KENSO vs SUSHI [*1/4]
This match didn't hold my interest. It was an opener that did its job in getting the crowd amped but nothing to make me care about the two combatants involved. The crowd loved both men, which was odd to me since KENSO is obviously supposed to be a heel. He even chokes SUSHI with a scarf in full view of the ref and still does not get a DQ. KENSO does the worst thing a wrestler can do in a match which is screw up the finish. KENSO slips off the top rope when, he recovers well enough and finished SUSHI off with an elbow off the top rope.

Junior Stars vs Andy Wu & Osamu Nishimura [*3/4]
Junior Stars are Koji Kanemoto and Minoru Tanaka. Andy Wu does not have a profile on CAGEMATCH which tells me he either sucks or is taking the fall in this one. Luckily for me this is the latter as he is in the ring for the lion's share of the short match and is competent enough to keep it together. This is little more than a squash as the result was not in doubt. Tanaka makes Wu sumbit to the Minoru Special.

Seiya Sanada & Yasufumi Nakanoue vs Turmeric Storm [**3/4]
Tumeric Storm brings the hate here and it is awesome. This match has an intensity that the rest of the undercard cannot match. Honma gets his team disqualified for using a chair on Sanada, but even without a finish this is worth checking out. Not a MOTYC by any means but a solid AJPW undercard match.

Last Revolution vs SMOP [**3/4]
I really liked this match, a definite solid outing by both teams. SMOP have an issue in their strategy, they use  the big avalanche way too much and it. It is their version of a high risk top rope maneuver, when it misses it misses big. I am a fan of SMOP because they are fun to watch, especially with good opponents like Doering and Suwama. There is no major buildup to the win here but the ending is rather impressive. Doering hits Akebono with a Death Valley Driver and the crowd is quite impressed. Last Revolution will have a title shot in their future.

GURENTAI vs Kaz Hayashi, Kenji Muto & Masanobu Fuchi [***]
GURENTAI are awesome coming out to "I Need A Hero". We are in the midst of a Taiyo Kea retirement tour as he plans to go into business management. Muto was amazing in this, dispite his age and larger size he can still move. I think he can do everything he could in the 80s short of the handspring elbow. Fuchi brings comedy to the match and Hayashi doesn't do more than screw up a backbreaker almost dropping MAZADA on his cranium. This was a strong, well built match that ended with a schoolboy rollup from Fuchi on MAZADA. Worth a look.

Get Wild© vs Stack of Arms - AJPW World Tag Team Titles [***1/4]
We get all out action from the outset, not sure what happened in Soya's Big Japan singles match from the same day but this was in a different stratosphere. It is interesting what Japanese fans boo as wrestlers I thought would be heels got cheers tonight but when Soya's attempted suplex out of a hanging front facelock is broken up, the fans give major heel heat. Omori finishes the match with the awesome Axe Guillotine Driver. Very enjoyable match.

Hiroshi Yamato© vs Shuji Kondo© - AJPW World Jr Heavyweight Title/GHC Jr Heavyweight Title [**3/4]
I wasn't as big a fan of this as I was expecting to be. Yamato wrestled the match from so far underneath that I never took him to be a threat to win. As the match went on he got some desperation moves in but nothing that sucked me into believing he would take the GHC title. Kondo hits a couple of nice lariats to end the 143 day AJPW Jr Heavyweight Title reign of Yamato. Kondo become the 34th champion. This match was okay but I preferred the two that preceded it.

14 Man Battle Royal including Joe Doering, Kazushi Miyamoto, Kenji Muto, KENSO, Manabu Soya, Masayuki Kono, Osamu Nishimura, Royota Hama, Seiya Sanada, Suwama, Taiyo Kea, Takao Omori, Tomoaki Honma, and Yasufumi Nakanoue [**]
Going into this match I was trying to decide how a Japanese promotion would approach a battle royal since I had never seen one from Japan. No one in this match gave much of an effort and while there were some decent spots like KENSO hanging on for dear life, the 10 man chinlock and double crosses, but there just wasn't much here. The combatants made good use of pinfalls since they were legal and there were more than one double pin. Taiyo Kea won with the TKO and is as good of a choice to win this match as any.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: The middle portion of the event is good, but it ended in a bust for me.

TNA: iMPACT 01/17/13

I have fallen way behind in my wrestling viewing, it's catch up time!!

I am reminded of the Bully/Brooke wedding and immediately hate on this show. Spike Dudley and Tommy Dreamer show up to congratulate Bully. Everyone wonders if Hulk will show for the wedding.

Jeff Hardy comes down and reminds me why I dislike him so much. He hasn't changed much since at least 2006. Christopher Daniels says we can worship him when he wins the title next week. Kaz and Daniels jump Hardy which brings out James Storm. TNA liberally borrows from the Teddy Long school of booking to make a tag team match tonight.

Jeff Hardy and James Storm vs Kaz and Christopher Daniels
The good thing coming out of this match is a name for Kaz and Daniels, Bad Influence. I wonder about the state of wrestling. I am not sure if it is the over saturation compared to the 80s but the TV matches in the 80s seem like they had more flow to them. It seems like they were more memorable for sure. There was nothing here to separate this match from any other match on any other Impact. Don't get me wrong there was nothing offensive about the match, it is four good performers plying their trade but nothing to run to the Internet and write about.......oh. Hardy got the win with the Twist of Fate. Daniels attacks afterwards with a sweet Angels Wings on the title and then lays on Jeff with the title over his shoulders in a classy move.

The Gut Check judges deliberate over the two candidates but refuse to make a decision just yet. Neither candidate made a huge impression on me last week. Nerves and lack of time to do much hurts getting a good evaluation on the two wrestlers.

In the back Spike reeks of beer and strippers. Joseph Park gives Bully non street legal cigars. I do not like wrestling weddings. I watch to see men FIGHT!

Gut Check Decision Time
Jay Bradley gets the contract despite the crowd chanting "No". It's way too early to tell if they made the right decision. I am not sure I like having two gut check contestants. There is a lot that can be accomplished with a contestant beating a TNA guy.

Christian York vs Kenny King
I cannot believe King did not win the tournament. I feel there is more money to be made off of King than York. King brings a lot to the table. I need to watch some York matches from last decade to see if he was always bad or if he has just gotten slower over the years. Maybe they are doing spots too complicated for him because York seems like he is always a step too slow. It really hurts the flow of the match, at least King gets the win with a schoolboy rollup.

The big drama over the wedding is whether or not Hulk will show up. Sting says he will attempt to talk to Hulk for Bully.

Aries and Roode trying to upstage each other is awesome in every way possible. They agree to work together to accomplish their goals. They are a fun team that I hope will have some awesome matches.

Sting gets Hogan in the ring and corners him about going to the wedding. Hogan, in so many words, says he will do the right thing.

Gail Kim confronts the ref about what she missed (foot on the ropes) that cost Gail the #1 contedendership at the PPV. She gets a rematch tonight.

Gail Kim vs Velvet Sky - #1 Contenders Match
Why have a rematch for a contenders spot? It renders the previous match as pointless. I wonder if they screwed up the ending at the PPV and had to have a rematch here. Velvet wins again with a pedigree. They messed up some stuff here, not that great of a match.

This is such an angle driven show. Now we get Brooke and Dixie having a little heart to heart.

Before our wedding we get Aries and Roode coming out upset the show is about a wedding and not about them. Their claim that they are the best thing on the show is hard to argue with. The tag champs come down and object to the objections and we have a fight on our hands. If this leads to Aries and Roode as tag champs I am all in!

Bully Ray and Brooke Hogan Wedding
As a wedding this sucked but as an angle it was awesome. Taz reveals himself as the newest A&8's member and the ensuing beatdown by A&8's was fantastic. The crowd legitimately was floored by the reveal. There was a girl in the background just stunned shouting "WHAT, WHAT!!" This was great pro wrestling. Brooke audibly tells her dad her boobs are out, while Bully gets hit by D-von withone of the stage pieces. this is the sort of chaos wrestling has been missing for the last ten years. Let's hope they capitalize on it.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:<\b> A complete angle driven show that really lacks on the wrestling side. The angle is really good but really short. I am actually looking forward to this Thursday's Impact so I guess this week's show did its job.

The Year That Was 1996 - Part 3

Sabu vs. Stevie Richards (ECW 1/5/96)
The critiques of Sabu and his pension for botchiness is well known in wrestling circles. He has several full episodes of Bothchamania, entiled Sabuamania, dedicated to his mistakes in the squared circle. I am used to thinking its just Sabu, no big deal. What I see here is a younger more spry Sabu that is very impressive. This is not to say that he doesn't screw up, but it is not as noticeable as it would become later in his career. His trademark top rope springboard moves to the outside after coming off of a chair are performed so fluid it is amazing. I can see why fans were gaga over him in the early-mid 90s. Neither wrestlers are scientific masterminds, but what they pull off is an intense brawl that tells a solid story. ECW was a macho wrestling company with action tailored towards men. The story's are rarely of the scientific variety, which was smart since they wanted to be different from WWF and WCW, and they did not have the talent to pull off scientific matches night in and night out. This is a coming out party of sorts for Stevie Richards. He is able to take all of Sabu's best shots, and through a loss he elevates himself in the eyes of the fans as a wrestler that is tougher than his persona would indicate and if he faced Sabu again might be able to steal a victory. Stevie took a sunset flip to the floor which was brutal since ECW did not have any padding on the floors at this time. The highspots I remember the most is the Big Stevie Kick that takes Sabu's head off. This kick looked as if it could have hurt Sabu, it was that good. The Arabian Facebuster is vintage Sabu and enough to finally put Richards away.

Public Enemy vs. The Gangstas (Public Enemy Farewell) (ECW 1/5/96)
There isn't much to analyze here, it is four guys beating the tar out of each other. I only counted two wrestling moves, a spinning toe hold and figure four leglock, in the entire match. They find any and everything to hit each other with including pies and cheese graters. While it is packed with a lot of action, it starts to wear a bit thin by the end. Flyboy hits a Drive By through a table for the win. Kind of surprised with Paul E's penchant for good booking he didn't do something more epic for TPE's last match. The match is followed by a quick retrospective of the Public Enemy's ECW career.

WWE: Main Event 01/16/13

Randy Orton vs Antonio Cesaro
This was a great Main Event match, that put over the new Miz/Cesaro issue. I have grown to like Miz since he has started in the commentary booth, he really adds a lot to the show. Cesaro uses a move or two from Miz to drive home the point that he is studying Miz. Cesaro went airborne, getting great height, on a double axhandle. Most of the match revolves around Orion's injured shoulder, all for nought though as The Shield make a run in. After Orton and Miz are left lying around Cesaro neutralizes Miz.

Prime Time Players vs The Usos
Beef Wellington comes down for commentary and it rules, I have become a big Brad Maddox fan. The match was secondary to Maddox being unbelievably awesome here. He steal JR's lines, makes fake promotional sponsors, creates tweets on air, does the lead in to a break that isn't happening. I really didn't pay attention to the match, Maddox was that entertaining. I doubt Cole and Maddox even called one move the entire match. The Vesselmania 13 promo had Cole trying not to lose it on camera. Usos win but I don't care, WWE needs to let the Beef loose!

Thoughts: Great main event and an entertaining tag match make this worth your while to find on YouTube. Very enjoyable show!

WWE: RAW 01/14/13 - 20th Anniversary Show

We start with Vince McMahon in the ring hyping the big 20th Anniversary show. We will get a Cena/Ziggler cage match. The Big Show interrupts and is upset over the circumstances surrounding his title loss. Show had me cracking up when he mentions that he has an ironclad contract which makes him better than everyone in the world. He must have one good agent. Alberto Del Rio comes out and is awesome. First off Ricardo is the most likable man in wrestling. His announcements of ADR have become "sing along with Ricardo" moments. ADR wanted to defend the title tonight but Show wanted to be prepared so it is made for the Royal Rumble. The crowd reacting to ADR is awesome. They start chanting "Si" when they approve of his suggestions. It is a fun environment in Houston. Ricardo throws confetti on Show and Del Rio deposits Show out of the ring. There was a lot going on in this segment and it was fun. Alberto Del Rio looks refreshed and having a lot of fun as a face. I think his problem was that he had gotten stale doing the same shtick since his debut.

Wade Barrett&copy vs Randy Orton - Intercontinental Championship
Could not believe Barrett was put over that strong over Orton. A true landmark win for Barrett and should mean his career is still heading upwards, or possibly Orton falling out with management. Match was okay with nothing really special or worth remembering happening. The ending Bull Hammer elbow was awesome. Great to see Barrett with the clean win.

Book lays down a stip for the Divas championship match tonight. If Eve gets DQ'ed or counted out she looses the title. Eve laid an awesome slap on Teddy Long.

Team Hell No is sent back to the doctor for a follow-up where they plan to lie and tell him what he wants to hear to get out. Dr Shelby brings in Rhodes Scholars to try a new treatment, however they criticize the doctor and he lets Hell No chase them away. These segments are always funny and this was no different. Amazing how much chemistry Kane and Bryan have.

Kane vs Damien Sandow
Most matches featured on RAW aren't much and this certainly was more of the same. Kane wins this extended squash with a

Mick Foley is announced as going into the Hall of Fame. The Shield attempts to make a name for themselves at his expense but Ryback, Orton and Shaemus come in for the save and a decent brawl. Ryback says he is determined to destroy the Shield. He isn't a bad interview in a caveman sort of way.

Skipped the DIVAS match because I frankly do not care. Katelyn is your new champ, as Eve is leaving to get married.

Brodus Clay has foul words for Punk. Looks like we might have a match.

Brodus Clay vs CM Punk
Fun little squash by Punk. The ending was cool as Punk transitioned the Macho elbow into the Anaconda Vice. Being a special show, RAW hasn't provided anything great in matches.

Mick Foley is in the back and is found by The Rock. Vickie interrupts, and actually shuts them up. Rock doesn't respond, as he will choose to respond during his concert.

Shaemus vs 3MB - Over the Top Rope Challange
I like the booking of a fluke win for 3MB. Shaemus is clearly better than all three combined but a missed Brogue Kick puts him on the Apron where the two eliminated members pull Shaemus off the ring. Shaemus tears them a new one afterwards.

Cena claims RAW is his house and he is going to destroy Ziggler. He also mentions taking a dump the size of Papa Shango.

MIZ tv with Ric Flair
A complete nostalgia segment with Antonio Cesaro playing the heel the faces trash. Amazing how a special show can be so crappy, and I enjoy the WWE midcard more than most.

Ziggler lays down a passionate promo promising the greatest performance in the history of RAW.

Dolph Ziggler vs John Cena - Steel Cage Match
Jim Ross has joined the commentary team for this match. I was not happy about the Cena win here. He wrestles the Hogan formula but his comeback is instantaneous instead of having to chain together moves like Hogan did. I like Ziggler a lot and keep hoping he can keep his momentum after the big PPV win. I will say Big E Langston was boss taking that briefcase to the head, it was one of the harder shots to the head in recent memory. This match is good and the fans were very much into it. This would be worth inclusion on a 2013 comp.

The Rock ends the show with a hilarious concert about Vickie Guererro and a brawl with CM Punk. They were running so late that the brawl was the shortest part of this segment. Rocky is a great entertainer.

Overall Thoughts: I was hoping for a blow away show and we just didn't get it. It was one of those RAW's that seemed to drag on forever and by the end you are so tired you just want it to be over. Hope they find a way to add some life to the marathon show.

WWE Smackdown 01/11/13

First let me say that I am seemingly always behind watching wrestling but that is the great thing about a DVR. Second I did check out the big spoiler for this show, since I do all of my reviews live that knowledge will be factored to the review too.

Booker comes out and makes US and World Title matches. Big Show is understandably upset and runs down the Latinos in Miami effectively getting a good face reaction for Del Rio. ADR comes down and knocks Show out of the ring.

Antonio Cesaro© vs Randy Orton - United States Championship
Not much was shown but I though what was was okay, this was mostly here for The Shield to further their issue with Orton. I think a clean win for Cesaro would get him where they are taking him a lot faster.

3MB is interviewed and says they are ready for the Royal Rumble but first they are going to et even with Shaemus. At this point I must mention the awesomeness of JBL on commentary. He has been great all night really putting over the fighting show Smackdown is. Matthews asks JBL is there is a chance 3MB can win the Rumble, to which he simply replies "No!" It was so short and direct that it made me laugh and laugh hard.

CM Punk sends a tape of an awesome promo he cut in Miami telling the Rock he can come back to Miami but never come back home. It is hard to describe these promos because Punk is on such a high level right now that you have to see them to take in everything he is trying to say.he is that good.

Dolph Ziggler & AJ vs The Great Khali & Natalya
What was this?? Horrible match that showed how slow Khali has become, I must have bought into the WWE hype machine the last few weeks because this was a different Khali tonight. AJ skips around the ring bites Natty and a Sliced Bread #2 for the win. Waste...of....time.

Another great promo by CM Punk, amazingly I am starting to think that CM Punk could win this match. He is talented.

The Rock comes out and is The Rock of 2000. Rhodes Scholars interrupts and awesomeness follows. Lots of fun from The Rock. The Craigslist and Caterpillar lines were the best of the night.

Team Hell No vs Prime Time Players
Daniel Bryan's knee is still messed up from RAW. He sells better than 99% of wrestlers in the world. This is essentially a squash with THN winning with a Kane chokeslam. Amazing how fast the PTP's have fallen. They should be in the title picture.

The Big Show© vs Alberto Del Rio - Last Man Standing - World Heavyweight Title
Get this match, if you can find it!! it is such a great moment booked very very well. ADR needs to drop the large champ so he hits him repeatedly with the steps until he drops, then turns the announce table on too of Show. I don't think the fans were convinced ADR was going to win until the ref hit 9. Amazing moment for a wrestler that has had some false starts. Before this win, ADR was good not great and could have been released in a year or two. Hopefully this will become the memorable reign he needs to become a mainstay in WWE.

Zero1: Happy New Year 01/01/13

Hayato Mashita vs Yoshikazu Yokoyama [*]
This was a super fast sprint that was clipped. We have two young boys with a combined 7 years wrestling experience. There were slaps galore and a cool spear to the back. The younger Yokoyama prevails with a camel clutch.

Meiko Satomura vs Yuhi [**]
The first JOSHI match of the year and it was pretty good, though I might be too accustomed to women's wrestling in America. This felt little more than an exhibition with the only story being who could hit one of their many kicks to win. One of the big faults in the match is that the kicks do not come into play in the finale. After a backdrop suplex Satomura puts Yuhi in a sleeper and its lights out. For a 17 year old in her rookie year (she started April '12), Yuhi impressed me. She is high energy and uses her kickboxing background extensively. Yuhi sold the sleeper very well by flopping around like a fish out of water until she was wrapped up by Satomura. 

Bikuma, Craig Classic & Menso-re Oyaji vs Mineo Fujita, Travis Banks & Yuki Sato [1/2*]
This was both JIP and hacked to pieces. We mostly see Menso-re Oyaji and Fujita. Fujita gets the win with a beautiful swanton.

KAMIKAZE, Kohei Sato, Onryo & Ryouji Sai vs Jesse Williams, Shito Ueda, Will Gibson & Yusaku Obata [1/4*]
There is no two ways about it, this match was not good. You have eight men in a match that can turn into a Dragon Gate sprint or an awesome suplexfest or something you know interesting. I zoned out twice through the match looking at other posts on DVDVR or something on CAGEMATCH. Onryo's vampire dust (or whatever the stuff is called) was the most engrossing thing in the match. Onryo gets the pin on Will Gibson after sitting down to escape a full nelson and rolling him up, think last half of a victory roll.

Akebono vs Jason New & Jo Kyung-ho - Handicap Match [*3/4]
I maybe overrating this but I really enjoyed Akebono destroying these two young boys. New and Kyung-ho must be the youngest of the young boys as neither has a page on CAGEMATCH (cagematch.net). These two actually get a good amount of offense in but that allows Akebono ample opportunity to look boss no selling it. One of Akebono's opponents attempts a swanton bomb from 3/4ths of the way across the ring and comes dangerously close to landing on the top of his head. I actually cringed when I first saw it. If Akebono was any smaller that guy could have broken his neck. Akebono wins with a big splash on both New and Kyung-ho. After the match there is a big angle but I don't speak Japanese.

Takuya Sugawara© vs Ikuto Hidaka - ZERO1 International Jr Heavyweight Title/NWA World Jr Heavyweight Title [**1/4]
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. The first half is filled with good leg work that is forgotten in the latter half of the match. The latter half of the match is fast paced but it is just move move move without a definitive story being told. If the leg work would have been carried past the midpoint in the match this could have been very good. Sugawara retains the titles after an impressive head dropping move that I think is the Shiisanpuuta or the T.C.O. Cannot find a YouTube clip to confirm this.

Daisuke Sekimoto & James Raideen vs Emblem (Masato Tanaka & Shinjiro Otani) [**3/4]
Raideen is the NWA UN Heavyweight Champion and he along with his partner Sekimoto come out to Sting's old NWA music which scores major points with me. The tag team action is good but yet again we get another match lacking something to bind the match together. Make no mistake this is a power match that features plenty of suplexes, shoulderblocks and clotheslines, but the mat wrestling never goes anywhere Sekimoto breaks out a Chaos Theory which I had never seen him do. Otani gets the pin on Raideen after a head and arm suplex and of course Raideen kicks out at three. In a complete Botchamania moment Otani slips on the second rope celebrating and drops to the canvas laying there with his foot trapped between the ropes for a couple of minutes. I enjoyed this match but it is nothing special nor is it worth going out of your way for.

Overall Thoughts: Happy New Year is mediocre at best. This is probably for the hardcore Puro fans and not for everyone. Most of the matches give you something to enjoy, and though the rating doesn't reflect it the handicap match would be the only match I would recommend to see because it is harmless fun.

BJW 01/02/13

Amigo Suzuki & Atsushi Ohashi vs Hideyoshi Kamitani & Kazuki [*1/4]
They packed a lot in here but it still kept a nice flow without feeling overwhelming. This match contains the most violent backslide I have ever seen. It is a arm ringer into the backslide, cool spot. The Big Japan young boys win this short opener.

 
Bad Bones, Shinobu & Shinya Ishikawa vs Strong BJ (Diasuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi) & DJ Hyde [3/4*]
Strong BJ and Shinobu are the only guys to like here. DJ Hyde moved slower than a school bus driven by a 90 year old woman. The match put over Shinobu as one tough man by taking several lariats that folded him in half yet he still kicked out. Okabayashi finally put Shinobu down after a big splash from the top rope.

Danny Havoc, Drake Younger & Jaki Numazawa vs Jun Kasai, MASADA & Masashi Takeda - World War 2013 Death Match [**]
My experience with BJW is very limited and I have no history with watching CZW. I am a big MASADA fan since I was in the crowd to see him, apart of Texas Death Club (with Todd Sexton), win the NWA-Wildside tag team titles. I was impressed with his size and MASADA just looks cool. Drake Younger left an impression as he took his beating like a boss. Drama is an element I love in deathmatches and there is none here. It feels like all six got together and decided to have a deathmatch instead of hating and wanting to destroy one another. The ending gains points in my eyes for Danny Havoc being smart. I do not like "Hey buddy, hold this item while I kick it into your head" spots. Danny holds the light tubes until he reverses Kasai's move into a death valley driver through light tubes for the pin.

Yoshihito Sasaki&copy vs Manabu Soya - BJW Strong World Heavyweight Title [*3/4]
Nice to see Soya, a member of Get Wild in AJPW, win a singles title here. The match was slow until the end and was two bulls going at it. I may overuse that line but it is very true in its description of the match. They challenged each other in anything they could, who was stronger, who had the better shoulderblock, who had the hardest chop, etc. They pick up the pace towards the end and Soya takes the title with a lariat.

Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto&copy vs Sumerian Death Squad (Michael Dante & Tommy End) - BJW World Tag Team Titles [*1/2]
The crowd was dead for this match and so was I. While there were some nice moves there was not much of a context to put them in. In the end the champs isolate Michael Dante and put him away with a quick flury of offense. Dante screws up the ending by kicking out at three. Take a pass here.

Abdullah Kobayashi&copy vs Shuji Ishikawa - Glass Board and New Years Death Match - BJW Deathmatch Heaveyweight Title [***1/4]
Abdullah is my favorite deathmatch wrestler and his title reign goes out with a bang here. I think Abby outdid Ishikawa, though Ishikawa did take the bump through the pane of glass. We got a ton of violence with thumbtacks, nails, chairs, light tubes, a staple gun and a plant potted in a glass pot. My favorite spot of the match was the little arms behind their backs headbutt contest. They hold nothing back and it is as brutal as it sounds. Great match and worth a look.

TNA Impact 01/10/13

Opening segment seeing Sting, Angle and Joe come out and establish that they still do not like Aces and 8's (A&8's). The real issue with with Mr. Anderson's non involvement in the cage match last week. I do not like Mr Anderson so maybe it is good he is a heel. There were odd silent moments from the crowd during this, something not heard in the WWE. Angle used a form of the tired "You're either with us or against us" line. Angle and Anderson have a little exchange and Anderson bails. It may be that it has only been two weeks since I ended my Impact hiatus but I have no idea what A&8's objective is, other than giving midcard wrestlers something to do.

Brooke Hogan has been getting better but her fake answering of the phone looked just that fake. Her interview skills are better though she says nothing of note and nothing to do with pro wrestling.

Zema Ion vs Kenny King
Competitive match, but the result was never in doubt. Kenny King is going to win this little tournament and the title at Genesis. He is too good to not be pushed up the company. He won with his Royal Flush.

I take back what I said about Mr Anderson, I hate Robbie E much much worse. There is never a reason to say Bro....NEVER A REASON TO SAY BRO. Robbie must say it every other sentence. He asks one of the Knockouts to tag with him in his mixed tag. She says yes if she can tag with Robbie T (his bodyguard) instead of him. Not much of a segment, just hate seeing Robbie E on my TV.

I like all thing Joseph Park. He is ultra dedicated to this character and his facial expressions are second to none. It adds so much believability to everything he does. Tonight he is proud to not talk to Hogan as a lawyer but as a professional wrestler.

Jesse & Tara vs Robbie T & Miss Tessmacher
Not much here but is continuing the push for Robbie T. He is so big you wonder how he passed a drug test. Robbie T has a killer looking powerbomb that destroys Jesse and ends the match. And there was much dancing by all.

Brian Cage vs Jay Bradley - Gut Check
I forgot who the wrestlers were, which isn't a resounding vote of approval for these two. The most interesting move of the match was a superplex where the man delivering the move stood on the second rope and pulled his opponent up into the vertical suplex position. Cage won with his Boom Stick lariat and I predict he will win the contract next week.

Back at the biker shack A&8's talk about business and because Mike Knox lost his mask last week, he needs to earn his spot back into the business table or he will be out of the group.

I really like the Joseph Park character, and he gets any match he wants with A&8's. The segments turns into Brooke handling personal business with her father in public. Hulk says he will not reinstate Mark (Bully Ray's real name). Brooke has gotten better behind the mic......please TNA don't let her act!

Another thing I love is this new pairing of Aries and Roode. The are TNA's Team Hell No as they fight over everything and it is fun to watch. This week they fight over what they are wearing.

Austin Aries & Bobby Roode vs Jeff Hardy & James Storm
Aries and Roode are the best thing going in TNA. Their one upsmanship is the story of the match and it is so entertaining to watch. It is amazing to me that we complained about feuding tag team partners 10 years ago and now they are the "in" thing. I guess the better handling of these situations along with the better talent involved has helped matters. This match fell into 2000- era booking with the match going along fine until Kaz and Daniels make a run in and through all the craziness Aries hits Hardy with the belt causing the DQ. Good TV match brought a little higher with the Roode and Aries stuff. We are left with Aries and Roode in a tug of war over the belt.

Brooke Hogan calls Bully for a ride home....really.

Joey Ryan continues to be awesome, and I quote "Morgan and the organ, we will continue to show that size matters" the tag champs sneak attack them then after a brief scuffle run off.

Mr Anderson vs Kurt Angle
We get a no contest due to Mike Knox with the hammer in the ring on the neck of Angle. Angle gets stretchered out. I guess he gets back to the table of A&8's.

Sting vs Mike Knox
Sting comes out and calls out Knox. This was a complete squash. Sting dismantled Knox and after the match nailed Knox with the hammer.

After the match A&8's show they hold Brooke Hogan and Bully makes the save. Hulk still doesn't trust Bully, B Ray cuts a good promo and has the crowd on his side. It is by far the best promo of the show, though once he proposes the promo jumps the shark for me. We go from dating marriage in two weeks. This is WAY to fast to progress an angle. It takes wrestling and puts in giant flashing neon letters "WE ARE FAKE!!!"

Overall Thoughts: I was not a fan of the ending but the show wasn't bad. I liked most of the show, and the Aries/Roode stuff takes the cake for me.

WWE Main Event 01/09/13

-Prematch interviews has Shaemus extremely confident and Dolph Ziggler's bodyguard chasing off a reporter asking tough questions.

Shaemus vs Dolph Ziggler
I really like Shaemus. I can get through the comedy stuff however the "I just want to fight" part of his character is awesome. He is a big man with offense that can believably end a match quickly. Shaemus has high quality matches with virtually everyone with alarming regularity. Shaemus had a lot to work with here and this was a slight step below a PPV match without a quality finish. I was actually okay with the finish since it continues to put over Shaemus's Brogue Kick as a killer match ending move, however Ziggler rolls to the outside and flees protecting him from being pinned by Shaemus. It is good protective booking for a free TV show.

Wade Barrett vs Zack Ryder
I do not understand how a group of adults running an entertainment business have no idea what to do with a wrestler. Ryder has passion to be a wrestler and doesn't just want a check but isn't given a chance to succeed. Last year he got over with the fans due to his own merit with his YouTube show. Ryder's career is to the point now where nobody in their right mind would pick him to be the Intercontinental Champion in a non-title match. Wade Barrett has been skyrocketing through the WWE since coming back from injury. He has found a gimmick that is true to himself and easy to play. This is something that bothers me about the WWE, in the late 90's wrestling boom they gave wrestlers characters that were extensions of themselves and saw their family run company explode into a gigantic corporation. CM Punk was right in his infamous 2011 Las Vegas promo, Vince McMahon should be a Billionaire not just a millionaire. The WWE wastes time on characters and wrestlers doomed to fail. To succeed in the WWE you really need to love, no just like wrestling. You need to be able to reinvent yourself and not rely on the same gimmick that will grow stale over time. WWE also seems timid to make star as they are afraid their newly made stars will leave for brighter lights and bigger checks. In this match Ryder gave it a try but the fans never buy into him as a threat in this match and Barrett mops him up with the Bull Hammer elbow. Not a bad extended squash, but several steps below the previous match.

The show continues to be good. Make no mistake about it this is a complete wrestling show, unlike other programs the WWE produces