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martedì 13 agosto 2013

WWE Raw TV report!!


WWE Monday Night Raw

August 12, 2013
Sacramento, CA

Rob McCarron

This week's event opened up with Daniel Bryan coming to the ring. His hair was no longer pulled back. It looks like we're getting Wade Barrett vs Daniel Bryan!

Wade Barrett vs Daniel Bryan
Brad Maddox was the guest referee. As referee, he screwed Bryan over. D-Bry was hitting some kicks to Wade's chest before going for his head kick. Wade ducked the headkick, schoolboyed Daniel, and Brad counted a fast three. Brad was impartial up to the finish of what was a normal match for the most part.

After the match, Brad escaped Bryan's wrath. The announcers were speculating while Brad did this to Bryan.

Later tonight, The Miz hosts Miz TV with Daniel Bryan and John Cena. CM Punk wrestles Paul Heyman tonight, as well.

Damien Sandow vs Cody Rhodes is official for SummerSlam.

Damien Sandow vs Randy Orton
Damien has a new wooden briefcase for his Money In The Bank contract, and he handcuffs the case to the turnbuckle before his matches. Randy Orton pinned Damien with the RKO after Sandow was distracted by Cody Rhodes, at ringside doing commentary, walking towards the handcuffed briefcase.

RVD was backstage preparing for a 20 Man Battle Royal. The winner faces Dean Ambrose for the US Title at SummerSlam.

Backstage, The Shield were wondering how lazy, old guys were still employed. Roman and Seth challenged any two fellows to wrestle them for the tag titles at SummerSlam. Dean then had the line of the night. "If Andre The Giant's ghost isn't in this battle royal tonight, then I ain't losing at SummerSlam."

We saw a replay of a Brock Lesnar promo about CM Punk that I believe originally aired on Smackdown. Short, to the point, and good build for SummerSlam's real main event.

Backstage, CM Punk wondered what Paul Heyman's plan for tonight's match is. Punk knows Paul has a plan, but Punk is ready for that and ready for Brock at SummerSlam.

Great Khali & Natalya vs AJ Lee & Big E
Finish got fucked. Natalya and Khali won. AJ Lee, after Natalya had released her first sharpshooter attempt, tapped out. So the match continued because how could the ref end the match when AJ was tapping to nothing, I guess.. This lead to Natalya putting her back in the sharpshooter, with AJ tapping again. It legit almost got fucked up again, as Natalya lost her grip right before AJ decided to tap. Ugh. All time ugly. AJ hit a shining Wizard during the match, though, so that's something. Great Khali dumped Big E out of the ring afterwards to allow them to stand tall leading into their... well, nothing.

The US Title match will be the SummerSlam pre-show bout. Plus, Shawn Michaels, Natalya, and Booker T will be the pregame panel.

Mr. McMahon is Here
Vince called out Brad Maddox to explain himself for his actions earlier in the night. Brad said that he needed to take control, because Daniel Bryan matches tend to get out of hand. Brad said he was excited, so his count may have been unintentionally fast. Vince said that everyone makes mistakes. Brad asked for a second chance to prove he's on the level. He asked to be the referee for Cena vs Bryan at SummerSlam. Vince thought this was a great idea! As he was about to name Brad the referee, Triple H interrupted. HHH agreed that there needs to be a guest referee who is impartial and unrelenting. He, however, did not think Brad should be that guy. He then pedigreed Brad, and Vince stormed off. Looks like Trips will be the guest referee for the main event of SummerSlam. Starting to look a lot like two years ago.

Kane vs Titus O'Neil
Kane pinned Titus in a quick match. Afterwards, the Wyatt Family came down to the ring in a darkened arena. During their entrance, Kane escaped and made his way to the top of the ramp unbeknownst to Bray. Kane then raised fire from the turnbuckles while Bray laughed.

Backstage, Josh Mathews asked the Bellas about their thoughts on Natalya trying to take control of the Divas division. None of these three broads are the champion, by the way. Natalya vs Brie was announced for SummerSlam. Natalya mentioned that she'll be bringing friends. Cameron and Naomi were on her side, with more to come at SummerSlam, I'm sure.

Alberto Del Rio vs Kofi Kingston
Alberto countered a Kofi high flying attack with knees to the chest, followed by the armbar for the win. Basic match. Crowd, which had been hot all night, died as these two men came out but go into it as the match went on. If you haven't been watching Smackdown, you'd probably have no idea that Christian vs Alberto is happening on SummerSlam. Almost nothing has been done on Raw the past few weeks to promote it. At least not well.

As I say that, here's a video package on Christian. It featured many past clips of Christian in his tag team days, IC title days, and ECW title run.

Backstage, Renee Young asked Christian about his thoughts on regaining the World title. Alberto came up, laughing at Christian. He spoke spanish, and flaunted the title in front of Christian before leaving.

El Americanos Real vs The Usos
Zeb Colter cut a pre match promo, basically saying he wished a devastating earthquake would hit California and send it off into the sea. The Usos won when one of the brothers pinned Jack Swagger with a schoolboy. Zeb Colter tried to get involved, but his attempt backfired as his tag team failed once again to gain a win on the Usos.

Miz TV
Daniel Bryan and John Cena are guests. Bryan is happy Triple H is the referee, as is John. Both believe a fair fight is now in store. Don't be so sure! Miz asked if there are any underlying issues between John and Bryan, but John said this match is purely about the championship. Miz then tried to get a rise out of Bryan. Bryan said he's not just able to put up a good fight, and he's not an easy victory. Bryan called Cena out for being in the business for the glory, and not the wrestling. So what? Bryan called Cena a parody of wrestling. He was cutting a more heelish promo, while Cena was full on good guy. He said he stands for loyalty, saying Daniel Bryan is just another guy trying to bring John down for being loyal to the fans. John says he wrestles for the people, for the make-a-wish kids who fight their battles with hope, and for the man he has become. It's impossible to hate this guy. Cena listed off names that he's beaten, and Bryan took issue with the list as if they are so much better than him. Cena said Bryan is not in the league of Punk, Rock, Batista, and Triple H. He isn't in that league until he can win the big one. Bryan played it off like Cena didn't respect him. Bryan told a story from when he was in Japan, and how the guys would slap each other to light a fire and bring the best out of them. Bryan finished saying that Cena isn't a wrestler, so he didn't deserve the slap. John slapped Bryan. As they faced off, Triple H came out, followed by Randy Orton. Orton raised his briefcase, reminding the two that he is lurking. With that, I don't see the point unless Orton does indeed cash in on Sunday.

The Bryan build has been so bad for a month after being so great for a year. Cena was great here, while Bryan was fine for what he was given. The ending, with Orton coming out, took all heat off Cena and Bryan, though.

FANDANGO vs R-Truth
Before grappling, these two men had a dance off. As R-Truth had his turn, Fandango attacked him. The two brawled briefly before Fandango got sent packing, and that was it. Basically a walk out finish without Fandango actually walking out.

Backstage, Paul Heyman was having second thoughts about his battle with Punk.

20 Man Battle Royal
Mark Henry and Rob Van Dam were the final two. The two teamed up to eliminate Ryback, leaving them to battle for the US title shot. RVD was crotched on the top rope by Henry, and when Henry went to charge at him for elimination, RVD ducked, pulled the rope, and sent the monster packing for the win.

RVD vs Dean Ambrose opens the SummerSlam kick off show.

After the match, a solemn looking Henry congratulated RVD on the win. The Shield's music hit, leaving Henry and RVD alone in the ring as the trio surrounded them. Big Show returned. The Shield backed off as Big Show, wearing jeans and a polo shirt, joined Henry and RVD in the ring. Henry & Show may be the challengers for the tag titles at SummerSlam, right?

Paul Heyman vs CM Punk
Before the match, Paul Heyman came out telling the crowd that OF COURSE this was a trap. D'uh, he says. At 11:04, Paul Heyman introduced Brock Lesnar and showed a video package of the Beast. Paul then revealed his trap. He put over Brock as a genius for coming up with this trap. The trap... a 2-on-1 handicap match with Paul & Brock vs Punk. Paul said Punk doesn't have to be a hero tonight. He can wait for SummerSlam, but in the process, disappoint everyone in the crowd. So he can be a smart coward or a stupid hero.

Punk's music hit, and Brock and Paul stood facing the entrance ramp for Punk. Punk however came from the crowd, and attacked Brock from behind with a camera taken from a cameraman at ringside. Punk's attack on Brock left Heyman in the ring alone. Punk set his sights on Paul, but again, Paul escaped when Curtis Axel came out to intervene. Punk finished off Axel with a GTS on the entrance stage, and the show ended with Punk standing tall to the delight of the crowd.

Final thought: There is absolutely no way Daniel Bryan walks out of SummerSlam as the champion unless he turns full blown heel. Which... I  fully expect to happen.

BYE~!

venerdì 9 agosto 2013

Big first-time ever match added to next ROH show!!


Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov, the Forever Hooligans, will face The Young Bucks, Matt & Nick Jackson, on the 8/17 ROH show at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
The show is headlined by Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards defending the ROH tag titles against Kyle O'Reily & Bobby Fish and three matches in the ROH title tournament.

giovedì 8 agosto 2013

A look at All the details on the Tito Ortiz/QuintonJackson feud in TNA and Bellator!


Bellator will be holding its first PPV show, and it will be like nothing ever attempted in the U.S., in the sense there will be a synchronized merging of promotion between an MMA and pro wrestling company.
The 11/2 show at the Long Beach Arena, headlined by Tito Ortiz vs. Rampage Jackson, will be promoted by Viacom, the owners of Bellator, and will include a level of multi-platform promotion on PPV that in the past has been limited to only the biggest boxing matches.
Viacom will be promoting the show on all its cable channels, including Spike, MTV, MTV 2, Comedy Central, BET, CMT and other outlets. The prime promotion will be on Bellator television and on TNA Impact, where Ortiz was introduced as a secret addition at the 8/1 tapings in Wichita Falls, TX.
Without going into detail, Bellator MMA CEO Bjorn Rebney said that a storyline is in place regarding Ortiz and Jackson for TNA wrestling, that would build to the PPV match. He indicated, but didn’t outright say, that TNA’s Bound for Glory PPV in San Diego will be part of the build.
There had been teases of a Bellator PPV that would be headlined by a boxing match with Roy Jones Jr. vs. Jackson, put out to end up as a surprise when Ortiz was announced.
According to Jackson, he had been in talks with Bellator and believed he would be boxing against Jones on the first PPV, until he found out from Ortiz, who is a long-time friend, that he was coming to Bellator for a match with him.
Ortiz said that he opened up negotiations for the match on 7/7, essentially the day his one-year legal matching rights period with UFC ended. He said the two sides had a meeting on 7/8 and got the deal largely agreed to within a week, and finalized shortly after that.
On the 7/31 Bellator television show, they announced early on that there would be a big announcement. They actually went so far as to fly Jones to Albuquerque and put him on the screen to swerve the viewers.
The announcement came with Jackson in the cage talking about his next show, talking about how he would love to fight Roy Jones Jr., but not to believe the Internet, and that his opponent would be coming out. Ortiz then came out and the date and location of the PPV was announced.
On TNA, they had promoted, starting on 7/26, that there would be a mystery August surprise who would debut on the 8/1 show. Why they chose to announce it on the Internet as opposed to on their own television show the night before is one of life’s great mysteries. As it turned out, the ratings for the taped show on 7/25 were slightly higher than for the live show, which hyped the surprise big for two hours but there was no real last quarter pop.
During the show, Taz, who didn’t announce, was shown outside the arena, and opened up a door to the van to find out who was in it, and acted shocked when he opened it. But when the cameras went in, it was just a computer playing the video.
At the end of the show, with the Main Event Mafia and Aces and 8s brawling, the lights went on. Suddenly, walking down the ramp was Ortiz. Unlike when Jackson debuted, which had been promoted, and there was a huge live reaction and it came across like he was a superstar, for Ortiz, arguably a bigger star in MMA, there was no reaction at all.
Part of it was that with his shaved head instead of his trademarked dyed blond hair, most people likely had no idea who he was.
The angle got an immediately and almost universal negative reaction. MMA people didn’t like the idea of a pro wrestling storyline-created MMA match, even though many MMA storylines are also created. Pro wrestling fans resented another MMA fighter with no pro wrestling background on the show. Whether TNA, which does have 1.0 to 1.5 million people watching weekly but hasn’t been able to convert all but a minuscule percentage to buy its own PPVs, will be able to create a storyline that will help an MMA show is questionable. The PPV crossover between MMA fans and TNA fans can be debated forever. The only thing this year has proven is that Bellator did 808,000 viewers from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Thursday after Impact on average in the spring, then without a TNA lead-in, did 480,000 viewers on 6/19 for a normal show with King Mo (one of its signature stars) and 679,000 viewers for the most loaded up show in company history airing earlier in the evening.
The main event was also criticized, given Jackson and Ortiz are both past their primes as fighters. But from a Spike standpoint, the two are proven ratings winners and PPV draws. How much that means today is another issue, and can the nostalgia pop that is definitely a proven part of pro wrestling and entertainment carry over into MMA in 2013. In 2006, with Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie, it did. But part of that was because most viewers didn’t realize Shamrock was past his prime and had no idea how much the sport had evolved from the Gracie heyday. In 2013, everyone is fully aware that Jackson and Ortiz are not top guys. Whether they can be marketed successfully in spite of that, is a different question.
Rebney didn’t go into detail on what programming would be done to hype the fight, but the hints were of a multi-week series since he noted that both fighters lived in Southern California so they could follow them almost 24/7 as they counted down to the date.
Ortiz peaked as a draw in 2006, with his 1 million buy effort with Chuck Liddell, a 775,000 buy effort with Ken Shamrock and his TV rematch with Ken Shamrock was the second most impressive TV ratings success in cable history (trailing only the Kimbo Slice vs. Roy Nelson Ultimate Fighter fight). Jackson spent much of his career in Japan, which he brings up constantly, with his view that it’s about entertaining the audience, and not all about winning and losing. Jackson had his own 1 million buy show against Rashad Evans in 2010 and did big numbers with Liddell and Jon Jones. The two most successful seasons of Ultimate Fighter were those coached by Jackson and Evans, building their fight, and Ortiz and Shamrock.
What that means in 2013 isn’t clear. If everyone involved does a great job of marketing and building the fight, who is to say how it will do. If this was a UFC main event next month, it’s hard to say what it would do given the Evans (who has a good drawing history) vs. Dan Henderson numbers. And how much of the UFC audience would buy a Bellator PPV? Is the dynamic more like WWE and TNA where people aren’t going to buy a PPV with Jeff Hardy and Kurt Angle in TNA, but those same guys on WWE television would do ten or 20 times more, or is it closer to boxing where the lure is the fighters, and who the promotion is doesn’t make a difference to most viewers.
It’s easy to declare this show DOA, particularly with second row seats still available at press time. But PPVs are sold in the last two weeks. We don’t know the storyline, although I’m skeptical any pro wrestling storyline will be much help. I’m also skeptical they can manufacture the grudge match aspect that is so important in selling a fight of this type, given that people know the two are close friends, nor do they hide it. However, both have historically been very good at building up fights, and in the last week, that’s going to be the make-or-break. This isn’t Affliction trying to get big numbers with no television.
Jackson started training with Ortiz early in his career, and noted that Ortiz and Ricco Rodriguez would have their way with him early on. But he noted that he got better and more competitive and they had spirited competition that nobody saw.
With Ortiz, the biggest factor is the usual Tito factor. He always says he’s healthy and in the best shape of his life, and then, after the fight, comes up with a laundry list of ailments. The ailments are real. His knees, back and neck are all shot at 38 years old. But when he says he’s healthy now, it’s hard to not have skepticism. Ortiz is only three months removed from full reconstructive knee surgery after a torn ACL, an injury that usually keeps a fighter out of serious training for nine months to a year. He also had neck surgery at the end of 2012, but said he made a remarkable recovery from that, even though it’s not his first neck surgery either. He will be fighting six months after a full ACL repair. Ortiz said the knee feels fine, that he was drilling in six weeks and that he’s got better recuperative powers now that he’s older, which goes against every law of nature.
Rebney promised the best fights Bellator has ever had underneath, and hoped to have the card done in about six weeks. He gave the impression that the card would have one or two-hours of live fights on Spike, similar to what UFC does, to push late buys.
The five fight card would be an opener, and the hint was as many as three title fights, but he said multiple five-round title fights with the idea of being a potentially longer show with all the five-rounders, followed by a three-round Ortiz vs. Jackson main event as a light heavyweight fight.
The only name he mentioned that he’d like to get on the show was Michael Chandler, the company’s lightweight champion, who has been the most impressive fighter they’ve had. In theory, Chandler should next face Dave Jansen, who earned the shot with a tournament win. One would think they will try and make a deal to bring Eddie Alvarez back if possible, which may be why Rebney wouldn’t commit to Jansen. Chandler’s title win over Alvarez on November 19, 2011, is generally considered the best fight in company history. The two at first couldn’t be rematched based on Rebney’s insistence the only way to get a title shot is winning a tournament, and Alvarez’s lack of interest in doing a tournament. However, Alvarez was promised a title shot with Chandler if he signed a new contract. Currently, Alvarez has sued to get out of the matching terms aspect of the contract.
In many ways, the real key to this show is not so much whether it gets enough buys to be profitable, but that the build-up focuses on three fights as opposed to one. If it has a chance of drawing, it is Ortiz vs. Jackson, but even so, they aren’t the future. This is where Chandler needs to be on the show. They need to get Chandler, as much as Ortiz and Jackson, on the various Viacom networks, doing the media and focused on in the countdowns with the hope that his fight and hopefully other fights become star making performances. Granted, Chandler has looked tremendous in two Spike fights already and really has no traction past the Bellator faithful. In theory, more will see him on free TV than PPV. But a PPV fight resonates stronger and is remembered better, largely because a PPV fight is hyped more coming in.
The key is to pick a few stars, Chandler as a given, and the others can be debated, and focus on them in the building of the show, and hope they perform when the lights are on.
Of the company’s other champions, heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov hasn’t fought sin

Who is in Charge now for the TNA's Creative Process!


Creative is now in the hands of Eric Bischoff as the guy in charge, with David Lagana and Matt Conway as the writers. The feeling is the direction isn’t going to be changing much from what was happening with Bruce Prichard out of the mix.

Taryn Terrell-TNA Update!


Taryn Terrell, 27, missed the TV this weekend for personal reasons and at this point she’s not expected back any time soon. Terrell was actually scheduled to win the Knockouts title from Mickie James at Bound for Glory in October. That leaves them with five woman wrestlers on the roster, Velvet Sky, Gail Kim, ODB, Miss Tessmacher and James. And James’ contract is expiring soon. James and A.J. are pretty clearly the two best female characters in wrestling right now, but her being let go by WWE was not an issue of her performance, so who knows if they’ll be interested in her. I’d almost bet not since, even though there are no longer any restrictions from the top like there were when the lawsuit was going on, WWE has not been quick to go after TNA talent.

Complete Story of ROH Talents Possibly Going to TNA or WWE!!


Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards are at this point only committed short term, having contract extension. They are working at least through the 8/17 show in New York. Their winning of the tag titles from Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov on 8/3 in Toronto doesn’t change that situation or indicate they are staying long past that date. This had been a long-term plan and even though their deals expired on 8/1, they agreed to continue the original plans for now. The match was said to be really good. Richards & Edwards defend the belts as the main event of the 8/17 show in New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom against former champs Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish. The nature of the extensions they signed allows them the right to negotiate with WWE and TNA at this time. Right now they aren’t advertised on shows past this point. 

My impression is the fate of the Briscoes, as to whether they get signed by WWE, go to TNA (and the talk is that they would have an offer there if they chose to take it) or stay with ROH will be decided within the next two months or so. At one point, Jay was going to return in Toronto. They are in talks about signing new deals and the company believes things are going well. 

There is a basic feeling in ROH among the guys whose contracts are up that they aren’t that hot on going to TNA. Some may, but more than ever, there is uncertainty about TNA and whether right or wrong, the feeling is if you sign with TNA, you may never get to WWE, which seems to be most people’s ultimate goal. There are guys who believe they could go to TNA and seem more likely to stay here for another year and hope WWE will give them a shot. The thing is, if you are signed and put in developmental with the other 100 guys, your odds in TNA of making a name is so much higher.

martedì 6 agosto 2013

Photo of CM Punk's Injury!


The Very Latest on Jeff Jarrett's Current Position & Status in TNA Wrestling!


According to The Wrestling Observer, Jeff Jarrett not appearing on the recent "One Night Only" PPV featuring past TNA champions is very telling of his current status/position in the company.
The report notes that Jarrett lost all his power in TNA back when Dixie Carter felt Jarrett lied to her about his relationship with Kurt Angle's then-wife Karen Angle who is now married to Jarrett. At the end of 2011, both Karen and Jeff Jarrett were written off TNA TV so Jeff could focus on the Ring Ka King project in India.
When the Ring Ka King project was not renewed in India and the All Wheels Wrestling project for The Speed Channel failed, Jarrett was left with very little to do in TNA, and he has since worked on a few smaller projects outside the company including filming a scene for the movie "Spring Breakers." It's being said that both Eric Bischoff and Bruce Prichard were against the idea of bringing Jarrett back to TNA as an on-air talent.
Former WWE writer Court Bauer said during the July 31 MLW Radio podcast that TNA has brought in co-founder Jeff Jarrett to handle talent relations for the company.

TNA Chief Financial Officer Dean Broadhead and TNA President Dixie Carter's brother Todd Carter asked Jarrett to come into the TNA Offices in Nashville, Tennessee shortly after Bruce Prichard, the former vice president of talent relations, was released on July 18, Bauer said. Dixie was not involved. Jarrett was told about the company's status in terms of its current restructuring and asked to assume Prichard's role.

According to Bauer, although Jarrett has assumed Prichard's role, he won't be making decisions himself about who will be hired and released so much as he'll be executing Broadhead's and Carter's decisions. Jarrett is said to be very hands-on in terms of hiring talent and aggressively reestablishing relations with international wrestling promotions such as New Japan Pro Wrestling and Luca Libre AAA in Mexico in order to recruit new talent. TNA's previously established relations with such promotions were allowed to erode during the Eric Bischoff era, he said.

Bauer said fans should expect to see talent who were active when Jarrett was in charge of TNA such as Sonjay Dutt and Petey Williams show up more often in the Impact Zone because they're familiar to him and affordable. 

CM Punk Gets Stitches After Brawl With Brock Lesnar!!


- CM Punk required several stitches in his chin after being busted open during his brawl with Brock Lesnar on RAW. Punk was busted open after jumping off the RAW announce table onto his SummerSlam opponent.

G-1 Climax results day five Ishikawa!


Results from the fifth day of the G-1 Climax series from Ishikawa, Japan:
A block:  Satoshi Kojima (3-2) b Tomohiro Ishii (2-3) with a lariat
B block:  Hioroyoshi Teznan (2-3) b Toru Yano (1-4) with a moonsault
A block:  Katsuyori Shibata (3-2) b Lance Archer (2-3) with the penalty kick (hard kick tothe chest)
B block: Tetsuya Naito (3-2) b Shelton Benjamnin (2-3) with the stardust press
B block:  Minoru Suzuki (2-3) b Karl Anderson (3-2) with the Gotch piledriver
B block:  Yuji Nagata (3-2) b Kota Ibushi (3-2) with the bridging back suplex
B block:  Shinsuke Nakamura (3-2) b Yujiro Takahashi (3-2) with the bom a ye
A block:  Kazuchika Okada (2-3) b Davey Boy Smith Jr. (2-3) with the rainmaker
A block:  Hirooki Goto (4-1) b Prince Devitt (3-2) with the shoten kai
A block:  Hiroshi Tanahashi (2-3) b Togi Makabe (2-3) with the high fly flow     

WWE RAW REPORT: BROCK TELLS PAUL TO 'SAY SOMETHING STUPID' . . . DID HE? WHAT ABOUT VINCE?; THE FIRST BARE KNUCKLED BARBER?; PREMATURE E-CASHULATION?; WE HAVE TWO BRIEFCASES AGAIN; AND MORE


We are in Green Bay, Wisconsin and your announcers are Jerry ‘Lambeau Leap’ Lawler, Michael ‘Is Brett Favre running for Mayor of Green Bay’ Cole, and John ‘I will climb a mountain of cheese’ Layfield.
Stephanie McMahon is in the ring and she welcomes everyone to Raw. She tells us that her father, Vince McMahon does not believe that Daniel Bryan is championship material. She knows that many, including her husband, Triple H, disagree. She says that she has come up with a compromise to be more palatable.
Daniel agreed to a makeover and we see footage.
Stephanie brings out Daniel Bryan and he is wearing a suit. Stephanie says that Daniel looks sharp.
Daniel asks the people if they like his new look or not. Daniel says that he wants to thank Stephanie for all of the time and effort to do all of this. It is funny because he does not think that this is what the company actually wants. What the company actually wants is someone who is jacked up, wears cargo shorts, and a bright yellow t-shirt. They want someone who sells merchandise that nobody wants to buy.
He says that they want somebody like John Cena. He respects John Cena because John picked him to be his opponent at SummerSlam because John thought that he was the best contender. John does not think Daniel can win.
John is a superstar. He is in movies. He is on boxes of cereal.
Daniel says that he is 5’8”, he has a scraggly beard. He is from the middle of nowhere in the Pacific Northwest. How can someone as lowly has him beat the king of the mountain?
Daniel says that John Cena is an entertainer and Daniel Bryan is a wrestler. While John has been up here for the last ten years, he hasn’t seen the holes that he has dragged himself out of or the mud he has climbed out of because Daniel is a wrestler.
If John Cena gets fired tomorrow, he goes back to his home, his twenty cars, his multi-million dollar lifestyle and he will never have to wrestle again.
If Daniel gets fired, he will be in every armory and gymnasium in front of thirty people because he loves wrestling.
Daniel says that it seems like the people love wrestling too.
Daniel says that he will dress up in this suit . . . for now. He will comb his hair back . . . for now. He will do what they want . . . for now. Because at SummerSlam, he will do what everyone wants him to do. He will make John Cena tap out.
Vince McMahon’s music plays and he sports entertainmently walks to the ring.
Vince appreciates what his daughter Stephanie did to reconcile things. He says that Daniel has given the old college try. He says that Daniel’s pants are too short and his shoes don’t match the suit. He tells Daniel that he needs a bow in his hair.
While he doesn’t want John Cena to be champion, he wants Daniel to be champion even less. Vince says that he is warming up to Daniel. If Daniel is the WWE Champion? The WWE has never had a dwarf as WWE Champion. No one with the muscularity of a toothpick has been champion. They have never had someone with the face of a gargoyle as champion. He says that Daniel looks like a miniature Mick Foley.
Vince says that he has influence on Daniel becoming WWE Champion. There is only one thing left and it has to do with Daniel’s face. He looks at Daniel’s beard and asks him if he has a bird’s nest in there. If Daniel really wants to be WWE Champion and have Vince’s support, there is only one thing that needs to be done. That is shave the beard off.
Vince calls for the chair.
Vince says that he knows what Daniel wants. The people want Daniel to go all the way and sit in the chair. He says that if Daniel wants to be champion, Daniel will do what he says. Daniel said that he could get fired, and he tells Daniel not to get his wish tonight.
The people don’t want Daniel to be champion.
Vince calls for a barber and he brings out Wade Barrett.
Daniel tells Wade to wait a second and he requests for Wade to leave something. Daniel with a head butt and then he attacks Wade and he shaves Wade’s beard. Wade charges after Daniel and Daniel sends him over the ringside barrier into the crowd.
Daniel tells Vince that says NO to changing for Vince. He will be who he has always been. He will be WWE Champion.
Daniel removes his jacket and shirt and he has a shirt that says The Beard is Here with an arrow pointing to the beard.
Rob Van Dam and Alberto Del Rio walk in the back.
The Miz has joined Jerry, John, and Michael and Miz reminds us that SummerSlam is coming.
Match Number One: Rob Van Dam versus Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez and the Official Spit Bucket of Destiny)
Del Rio with a kick and punches to Van Dam followed by shoulders in the corner. Van Dam with an Irish whip and a monkey flip. Van Dam with a spinning round kick and a springboard side kick. Van Dam with a standing moonsault after reminding everyone who he is. Christian watches in the back.
Del Rio with a kick to Van Dam but Del Rio misses a splash in the ropes and Van Dam kicks Del Rio to the floor. Van Dam goes to the apron and he hits a moonsault on Del Rio and we go to commercial.
We are back and Del Rio chokes Van Dam and the referee warns him. Del Rio tries to send Van Dam into the turnbuckles and Van Dam blocks it and he kicks Del Rio. Van Dam with a few clotheslines and then he hits a round kick but he misses Rolling Thunder. Del Rio with a super kick for a near fall.
Del Rio misses the step up enzuigiri and Rob goes up top for a side kick. Van Dam with Rolling Thunder and he gets a near fall. Van Dam pulls Del Rio into the corner and Van Dam with a split legged moonsault but Van dam holds his midsection. Ricardo puts the bucket into the turnbuckles and Del Rio tries to send Van Dam into it but Van Dam reverses and Van Dam with a body scissors rollup for the three count.
Winner: Rob Van Dam
After the match, Del Rio attacks Ricardo. Alberto hits Ricardo with the bucket. Del Rio sends Ricardo through the ropes to the floor. Del Rio puts Ricardo between the ring steps and the ring and Del Rio with a drop kick and Ricardo is not moving.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Cody Rhodes is in the ring with a box. Cody says that Oscar Wilde said that true friends stab you in the front so Damien wasn’t a true friend. Cody says that it is all water under the bridge because he has a gift for Damien. We take a look at why Cody might have a gift for Damien.
Cody says that he knows how much it has affected Damien to have the briefcase sink into the Gulf of Mexico. He says that he has spared no expense and he reveals the briefcase. He tells Damien if he wants the briefcase, come and get it.
Damien comes out and he tells Cody to put the case down and leave. He will not fall for this. Cody puts the case down and he leaves the ring. Damien goes after the case and Cody attacks Sandow and he kicks him and forces him to the floor.
Cody opens the briefcase and he holds what is left of the contract. Cody throws the case to the floor.
We go to commercial.
We are back with the Slam of the Week: Ryback shoving food in the faces of innocent people in catering last week.
Match Number Two: Mark Henry versus Ryback
They lock up and Ryback with a side head lock but Henry with a shoulder tackle and Ryback goes down. Ryback kicks Henry and then he clips Henry. Ryback with forearms to the back and chest. Ryback with punches and kicks to Henry. Ryback with head butts. Henry with a shoulder tackle.
Henry gets Ryback up but Ryback escapes. Henry tries for a back fist and Ryback goes to the floor. Henry wants Ryback to get back in the ring and Ryback lets the referee make the ten count.
Winner: Mark Henry
We are back and the Bellas are doing their make up and then Nikki talks about how hot she looked on Total Divas. Nikki calls Brie’s look warm. They both take credit for the ratings.
Eva Marie doesn’t dance into the area and she congratulates Brie on her victory and she made Nattie look silly.
Natalya enter and Brie says that it is a slap in their face that Natalya is allowed on their show. Natalya shows Brie what a slap in the face is and then she leaves.
John Cena makes his way to the ring in his cargo shorts and bright t-shirt that nobody wants to buy.
John says that it is that time again. All this is a familiar position to him. He is used to being a target. Most of the people chasing the title are bad people. Some times he has to stand in the ring against a fan favorite. That brings him to Daniel Bryan. It forces the WWE Universe to choose and a lot of people choose Daniel Bryan.
John says that WWE brass might not have liked his choice, but he chose Daniel Bryan. Daniel spoke some truth, but he spoke some ignorance. He says that judging him for how he lives his life, he is just like the Rock, CM Punk, and the others. John says that he will not change for Daniel and he will change for no one. He has always been him and he will always be him.
Daniel talks about hard times. John says that he came back 24 hours after breaking his neck.
Daniel wants to glorify wrestling in an auditorium or gymnasium because that is where he would rather be.
John says that he has been here for 12 years and if he is fired, he would never wrestle again because of his respect for the WWE and being a champion.
Daniel Bryan glorifying himself as a wrestler anywhere else, it is like saying you are an All Star in Arena football.
Cena says that the WWE is the NFL of wrestling.
Daniel says that John cannot wrestle. John says that is not original and millions of people have said that before and they are even saying it now.
Cena says that he has held this title 11 times and he has been in some of the greatest matches in WWE history. You don’t get lucky 11 times. He tells Daniel to underestimate him. All of the people who underestimate him, when they leave this company . . .
John stops to hear the boring chants from the crowd and then he says that the people want to see him and Daniel wrestle.
Daniel does not realize the opportunity that is in front of him. If Daniel loses, he will have to wake up and admit that he just wasn’t good enough. Daniel is on a hot streak but he has been mowing people down since January.
Randy Orton’s music plays and he walks to the ring with the briefcase. Will he cash in? Will he announce when he is going to cash in? Is he getting into Cena’s head?
Randy tells John that he never ceases to amaze him. John is always aware of the target on his back, but he is never aware of the target staring him in the face. It does not matter who walks out of SummerSlam with the WWE Title, all that matters is the briefcase which means that he will be the WWE Champion.
It can happen at any time and it means that The Champ is here.
The Shield’s music plays and they make their way to the ring.
They surround the ring on three sides and Daniel Bryan sneaks into the ring on the fourth side and it looks like we have a Teddy Long ‘we have an even number of people so we are going to have a match’ match.
Brad Maddox makes his way onto the stage. Since no one can get along, why not have a six man tag match in the main event. The Shield versus Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, and John Cena.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Three: Brodus Clay and Tensai (with Cameron and Naomi) versus Luke Harper and Erick Rowan (with Bray Wyatt, his lantern, and rocking chair)
Harper punches Tensai but Tensai with a shoulder tackle. Harper with a slap but Tensai with a shoulder tackle. Tensai slaps Harper but Harper with a boot to the head and Tensai goes down. Rowan tags in and he sends Tensai into the corner and he connects with punches and head butts. Rowan runs into a boot and Tensai with a clothesline.
Harper breaks up the cover and Clay interferes and he gives Harper a Sheeeeplex. Rowan with a POUNCE to Clay when he sets for the charge into the corner. Harper with a discus clothesline to Tensai followed by a splash from Rowan for the three count.
Winners: Erick Rowan and Luke Harper
After the match, Wyatt enters the ring and he looks at the world from a different angle and then he grabs Clay and hits Sister Abigail.
Wyatt says that the Devil’s Favorite Demon is no monster. He is an illusion. He is a fairy tale. The demon is a lie. Bray says that he is much different. He is the man of a Thousand Truths. He is Bray Wyatt, the Eater of Worlds. He tells Kane to Follow the Buzzard.
Kane’s pyro goes off.
He says that when you pull the wings off of buzzards for fun, they are impossible to follow. He sees through Bray’s cryptic words. He is here to maim and mutilate everyone who gets in his path. Kane says that he does this things too. He does not do this to spread a message. He does it for his own personal amusement. At SummerSlam, Bray will find out why he is the Devil’s Favorite Demon.
Bray’s family will not be able to save him. No one will be able to save Bray . . . from inside a ring of fire. Kane signals for the pyro in the ring posts.
We go to commercial.
We are back with a Raw Rebound: Brock Lesnar attacking CM Punk two weeks ago. Then we see what Punk did to Curtis Axel last week.
Josh Mathews is with CM Punk and he asks Punk about Curtis Axel. Punk says that he wants to talk about Curtis’ father and former manager. When Mr. Perfect and Bobby Heenan were on camera together, Perfect had a mind of his own. Curtis has so much blind loyalty to Paul Heyman it is going to get him a beating at the hands of CM Punk. He will take care of Curtis Axel tonight and then he will do what he said he would do. When he says that he is coming for you, he will be coming for you.
Josh asks about SummerSlam.
Punk says that SummerSlam will be known as the night that the Beast got neutered. It will be the night when Heyman loses everything.
We see what happened on Smackdown when Layla protected AJ and turned on Kaitlyn.
Layla is in the Goldman Box and she says that it was not personal. She just wants attention. All eyes will be on her and she is Flawless.
Match Number Four: Kailtyn (with no one) versus Layla El
Kaitlyn with a take down and punches. Kaitlyn with a short arm clothesline for a near fall. Layla tries to get out of the ring and the referee has to stop Kaitlyn. Layla hides behind the referee and she kicks Kaitlyn and gets a near fall.
Layla with a forearm to the back and she mocks the fans by clapping. Layla with a head scissors in the ropes. Layla trips Kaitlyn and then she sends Kaitlyn face first into the mat. Kaitlyn with a back breaker and clothesline.
Kaitlyn with a flying shoulder tackle followed by a gut buster from the shoulders.
AJ Lee’s music plays and Kaitlyn forgets that she is wrestling. Layla tries to escape a spear but Kaitlyn throws her to the mat. Layla with a round kick to the head for the three count.
Winner: Layla El
After the match, Layla and AJ skip around the ring and to the back.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Cody Rhodes will face Damien Sandow at SummerSlam.
Match Number Five: Christian versus Heath Slater (with Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre)
Christian with a waist lock but Slater with punches and then Christian with a drop toe hold. Christian slingshots to the floor and he is stopped by the presence of McIntyre and Mahal. Slater gets a near fall and he punches Christian. Slater with a knee drop and a reverse chin lock. Slater with a knee and punch. Mahal and McIntyre gets shots in on Christian while Slater distracts the referee. Slater goes to the turnbuckles and Christian gets his feet up.
Slater with boots to Christian in the corner but Christian with a flapjack and a missile drop kick for a near fall. Slater with a shoulder to Christian from the apron and he tries to suplex Christian over the top rope to the floor. Christian stops Slater and back body drops him into the ring. Christian with a back heel kick and sunset flip for a near fall.
Slater sends Christian into the turnbuckles and then Slater with some air guitar and he turns around and gets speared by Christian and Christian gets the three count.
Winner: Christian
CM Punk walks in the back and we go to commercial.
Match Number Six: CM Punk versus Curtis Axel (with Paul Heyman) in a Non Title Match
Punk goes after Axel on the ramp and they exchange punches. Punk wants to go after Heyman in the back but Axel stops him. Axel sends Punk into the ringside barrier. Punk with punches to Axel and then he sends Axel into the ring and the match can officially start.
Axel with punches to Punk followed by a chop and he sends Punk into the turnbuckles. Axel with a chop and forearm and he taunts Punk. Axel with a hurdle leap frog but Punk with a drop toe hold and then Punk with a step over toe hold and then he falls back to add pressure to the knee. Punk does it a second time and then a third for luck after trying to swat his gum away but he is not Perfect.
Punk with a kick to the back of the leg and Axel flips Perfectly. Punk clotheslines Axel over the top rope to the floor and he follows with a suicide dive and we go to commercial.
We are back and Axel with an arm bar. Punk with a head butt and back heel kick. Axel with a running elbow and he gets a near fall. Axel tells Punk that he is the best in the world. Axel with a slam and then he goes to the turnbuckles for an elbow drop and he gets a near fall. Axel with a reverse chin lock and he rolls through.
Paul Heyman makes his way back to the ring. Punk with a belly-to-back suplex to get out of the hold. Punk crawls towards Paul and Paul tells Punk to concentrate on his match.
Axel with a short arm clothesline and he gets a near fall. Axel with an Irish whip but he runs into a boot. Punk with a cross body off the turnbuckles. Punk goes to the floor after Heyman and Axel with an ambush and he clotheslines Punk on the floor. Axel rubs his forearm across Punk’s face. Axel misses an elbow drop from the turnbuckles. Axel misses a splash into the corner and Punk with an elbow and clothesline followed by a swinging neck breaker.
Punk with a running knee into the corner followed by a short arm clothesline. Punk goes to the turnbuckles but Axel crotches Punk. Axel with the swinging snap neck breaker but he did not hit it perfectly and Punk is able to kick out at two. Punk with a round kick to the head and Axel rolls to the apron.
Punk grabs Heyman and the referee calls for the bell.
Winner: Curtis Axel (by disqualification)
After the match, Brock Lesnar’s music plays and he makes his way to the ring. Lesnar bounces onto the apron and he enters the ring. Axel pulls Punk out of the ring but Punk hits Go To Sleep on the floor. Punk grabs a chair but Lesnar takes it from him.
Punk and Lesnar battle on the floor and Punk escapes an F-5. Punk with round kicks to the head followed by forearms. Punk goes onto the announce table and he connects with a flying clothesline. Lesnar with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex.
Lesnar sends Punk back into the ring and Heyman is in there as well. Lesnar gets Punk up but Punk escapes and he kicks Lesnar in the leg and he hits Lesnar in the back with the chair.
Heyman begs for mercy and Lesnar grabs the chair and he hits the F-5 on Punk. Heyman tells Lesnar to ‘hurt him’ and Brock hits Punk in the back with the steel chair.
We go to commercial.
We are back with a look back at what we just saw with CM Punk and Brock Lesnar.
Renee Young is in the interview area with Brock Lesnar, Curtis Axel, and Paul Heyman. She asks Paul about what just happened and Brock asks if that was the best of the best of the best of the best of the best that this world has to offer? Brock says that he is the Beast and the Best in the World. He tells Paul to say something stupid.
Paul tells Renee to deliver a message to CM Punk. He wants Renee to tell Punk that he may not make it to SummerSlam because next week on Raw, he will walk out to the ring and based on the beating that Punk took from BROCK LESNAR, he is not going out there as an advocate, he is looking for a one-on-one fight. If Punk accepts, it will be CM Punk versus Paul Heyman.
Match Number Seven: Fandango (with Summer ‘not quite Eva Marie’ Rae) versus Kofi Kingston
Fandango fan-dances before locking up. Kofi wants to boom it up and Kofi with kicks to the leg. Kofi with a drop kick and he gets a near fall. Fandango with an enzuigiri followed by an Irish whip to the sternum for a near fall. Fandango with a back elbow and he gets a near fall. Fandango with a wrist lock take over and he gets a near fall after a knee drop to the leg.
Fandango with a heel kick and he gets a near fall. Fandango goes to the turnbuckles but misses a knee drop. Kofi with a pendulum kick followed by a springboard clothesline and chops. Kofi with a drop kick and flying clothesline. Kofi with the Boom Drop and then he gets ready for Trouble in Paradise and Fandango rolls to the apron and the referee stops him.
Fandango with an enzuigiri and he tries to use the ropes for extra leverage but he can only get a two count. Fandango goes up top and he leaps over Kofi. Kofi with a double jump cross body for a near fall. Kofi misses Trouble in Paradise the first time, but the second time connects and he gets a near fall.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Triple H is on the phone and he is with his wife. Stephanie is crying because her father, Vince McMahon bit her head off about the make over segment. She is trying to take care of business. Hunter tells his wife, Stephanie that Vince has lost it. The once great creative genius is gone. Vince runs around here doing whatever he wants. He has had enough.
Because Daniel Bryan embarrassed him, he has a hissy fit. Is Vince going to throw away SummerSlam. Hunter says that he will not watch this ship go down because of Vince. He doesn’t know what Vince is going to do at SummerSlam, but he will stop him.
We go to commercial.
We are back and we take a look back at what Alberto Del Rio did to Ricardo Rodriguez after helping Del Rio lose his match.
Jack Swagger, Zeb Colter, and Antonio Cesaro are in the ring. Zeb says that they walked around the town today and they could not find the beat of the heart in America. The cheese that everyone eats clogs their arteries and their brains. He tells everyone to pack their bags and leave because the heartland belongs to Real Americans.
Match Number Eight: Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger ( with Zeb Colter) versus Jimmy and Jey Uso
Jimmy and Jack start things off and Swagger with forearms to the head. Jimmy with chops and then he connects with an uppercut and diving head butt for a near fall. Swagger with an elbow to Jimmy and Cesaro tags in and Jack sends Jimmy into the air for a European uppercut.
Cesaro with a dead lift side salto. Swagger tags back in and he punches Jimmy. Cesaro with kicks while the referee was out of position. Swagger with a punch to Jimmy. Jimmy with a head butt and punches to Jack and he tries to make the tag but Swagger catches Jimmy and hits a belly-to-belly slam. Cesaro tags in and Swagger with a Swagger Bomb followed by a leap frog double stomp by Cesaro for a near fall.
Swagger tags in and Cesaro with an atomic drop and Swagger with a shoulder tackle for a near fall. Swagger traps the arms and he sends Jimmy into the turnbuckles. Jimmy with punches and then Jimmy with a dragon whip and both men are down.
Jey and Antonio tags in and Jey takes care of Jack and then he connects with a kick and uppercut to Cesaro. Jey with a flying shoulder and then he hits the running butt splash into the corner. Jey with a near fall and Swagger breaks it up. Jimmy sends Swagger over the top rope to the floor and Jimmy with a plancha onto Swagger.
Cesaro with a kick but he is met with a super kick when Cesaro comes off the turnbuckles. Jey gets a near fall. Swagger sends Jimmy into the ring post. Swagger punches Jey and then Cesaro with the Gotch Style Neutralizer for the three count.
Winners: Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger
We go to commercial.
Match Number Nine: Dolph Ziggler versus Big E Langston (with AJ Lee)
Ziggler avoids Langston but Langston grabs Ziggler. Ziggler holds on to the ropes and he has a flourish. Ziggler with a drop kick for a near fall. Langston presses Ziggler over his head but Ziggler escapes and he goes to the apron and drops Langston on the top rope. Langston with a clothesline and Ziggler falls to the floor.
Langston rolls Ziggler back into the ring and he gets a near fall. Langston with an abdominal stretch and he applies a stomach claw to add more pressure. Ziggler escapes with a jawbreaker and both men are down.
Langston misses a charge into the corner and hits the ring post with his shoulder. Ziggler with a Stinger Splash and neck breaker for a near fall. Ziggler misses the Fameasser and Langston gets Ziggler on his shoulders and he hits a back breaker. Langston goes for the splash but he misses. Ziggler with a Fameasser but Langston kicks out.
Kaitlyn makes her way to the ring and AJ goes after Kaitlyn and the fight on the floor. AJ goes into the ring and Kaitlyn grabs her and the match continues. Langston with a clothesline to Ziggler and the straps are down and Kaitlyn leaves the ring. Langston picks up Ziggler and goes for the Big Ending and he hits it and gets the three count.
Winner: Big E Langston
We are back and this week on Smackdown, AJ Lee and Big E Langston will be on MizTV.
Josh Mathews is in the crowd with two members from the show Summer Camp.
Match Number Ten: Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, and John Cena versus Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns in a We Miss Teddy, but we will let someone else make a six man tag match because six people are in the ring Match
Orton and Rollins start things off and Rollins with kicks and punches. Orton with punches but Rollins punches back. Rollins with kicks in the corner and the referee stops Rollins. Orton sends Rollins into the turnbuckles and he punches Rollins. Orton with a clothesline into the corner.
Orton with a suplex and he gets a near fall. Bryan tags in and he goes up top and hits a missile drop kick. Ambrose tags in and Bryan goes after Reigns on the apron. Bryan with punches and he flips over Ambrose in the corner and Bryan with a flying clothesline. Bryan with a suicide dive onto Ambrose and he sends Dean back into the ring. Bryan takes care of Rollins on the floor but Ambrose kicks Bryan off the apron.
Ambrose sends Bryan into the apron and he chops Bryan and follows with a head butt. Ambrose with forearms to the chest and then he tags in Reigns. They make a wish with Bryan and Reigns gets a near fall. Reigns with forearms to the chest and he gets a near fall. Reigns gets another near fall. Rollins tags in and he gets a near fall.
Rollins mocks Cena and he returns to Bryan and applies a reverse chin lock. Reigns tags in and they hit an assisted gutbuster for a near fall. Reigns tells Bryan to stay down. Bryan with kicks to the leg and then he goes after Rollins and Ambrose on the apron. Bryan escapes a belly-to-back suplex attempt and he connects with a round kick to the head.
Rollins tags in and Bryan tries to crawl across the ring but Rollins keeps Bryan from making the tag. Cena tags in but the referee did not see it so it did not count. Cena is told to go back to the apron. Ambrose attacks Cena before he goes to the apron. Orton goes after Ambrose. Rollins sends Bryan into Orton and then Bryan applies the Yes Lock.
Reigns and Ambrose go after Bryan and the referee calls fro the bell.
Winners: John Cena, Randy Orton, and Daniel Bryan
After the match, Orton with an RKO to Bryan. The Shield go after Orton and Cena and they take care of the Shield.
Orton with an RKO to Cena and he looks around. Orton goes to the briefcase and he is going to cash it in . . . or is he? The Shield make their way back to the ring and Orton retreats to the floor.
Cena gets back to his feet and Reigns spears Cena and then Ambrose kicks Bryan.
Orton walks away while Rollins, Ambrose, and Reigns attack Bryan. They get Bryan up for the Cerberus Bomb.
The Shield stands over Bryan while Orton looks at his briefcase. We go to credits. 


domenica 4 agosto 2013

VIDEO: UFC 163 post-fight press conference!


ROH complete report 8-3 Toronto!


I had never been to a show at the old Maple Leaf Gardens so I wasn't in a position to compare this to the original venue but as a venue for this level of show it was awesome. It felt very modern and was more comfortable than Ted Reeve or even Ricoh Coliseum. If this show worked out well for them financially I would say they should do all their future Toronto shows there as it feels like it could be this city's Manhattan Center. I would say the show was probably one match too long but overall it was very fun.

1) Kushida defeated Adam Page. The crowd gave a really good reaction to Kushida during his intro and the match. Page was a good guy for him to face and he did get some of his own offense in. I hope they air this match on t.v. as it is a good introduction for Kushida who hopefully gets a run like Go Shiozaki or Shingo did previously.

2) First Round Match- Tomasso Ciampa defeated Silas Young. Ciampa continues to look far better than he ever did before his knee injury. He matched up well with Young. It only seems to have recently come out that Young is Stan Hansen's nephew and he seems to be embracing it, growing a moustache and working more physically. This match was way better than it seemed on paper and was almost the best match on the first half of the card. Ciampa is a good pick to go to the second round, I would hope to face Elgin.

3) First Round Match- Mike Bennett vs BJ Whitmer- No winner was announced after Whitmer seemed to be injured on the piledriver on the apron. It was a mostly good match up until then, with some lag in the middle but they matched up well otherwise. Maria got good reactions as well. The piledriver on the apron was pretty ridiculous and while ROH probably does more moves on the apron then is safe I think it should have been obvious this wasn't a good idea. The crowd seemed shaken up by this and as I was walking a staff member ran by me with a radio asking someone to get him to the loading dock.

4) First Round Match- Roderick Strong defeated Matt Taven with Truth Martini, Scarlett and Saleyzia. The House Of Truth gimmick got a fun reaction. This was an o.k. match. Taven got in some fun offense but it was mostly about the H.O.T. gimmick plus Strong's offense, with Strong  really getting in a strong finish with the suplex onto his knees.

5) Michael Elgin defeated Paul London. This was the best match of the first half and I'd say the second best match of the show. Elgin got strong reactions and he and London matched up well together. Elgin really took him apart at the end with a powerbomb followed by a buckle bomb followed by a spinning sit-out powerbomb. 

During intermission Jimmy Jacobs came out to complain about not being booked in the World Title Tournament and Nigel McGuinness trying to starve him out of the promotion. He had autographed pictures he then offered to sell at ringside.

6) Adrenaline Rush of ACH and Tadarius Thomas defeated Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander and The Young Bucks. This was a crazy fast-paced match with lots of high-flying. The Bucks were playing heels to an extent although not as strong as they do sometimes. All three teams looked great with fun double-teams and dives. The crowd seemed happy to see ACH and Thomas win.

7) First Round Match- Kevin Steen defeated Brian Kendrick. This was the best match on the show to me and Kendrick was in great shape. Kendrick hit a crazy Sliced Bread # 2 on the apron. There was a lot of fun offense on this and Steen winning with the Sharpshooter went over well. Steen's "Fight Steen Fight" t-shirt had pink coloring instead of the usual red as well which I took as a Bret Hart tribute but my buddy thought was for breast cancer research. Possibly both I guess.

8) Quarterfinal Round Match- Adam Cole defeated Jay Lethal. I think the crowd was getting a little tired by this point but Cole was fun to watch. The crowd seemed to want him to win and it definitely feels right for him to be in the semi-finals.

9) The American Wolves of Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards defeated The Forever Hooligans of Alex Kozlov and Rocky Romero. I would have preferred to see Kozlov and Romero keep the belts but am really glad I got to see them live. They got in a lot of their fun spots including pretending to argue only to hug as well as Kozlov's Cossack kicks. The crowd was on Richards' case a lot and he was heeling it up for them which was fun. Although it was getting late (when this match ended the show had gone 3 1/2 hours) this did get good reactions.

This was a pretty fun night of matches. I wish they had done something to honor Toronto legends but otherwise I have no complaints.

Dave Musgrave
Oshawa, Ontario

B.J. Whitmer at ROH Show!


B.J. Whitmer suffered a neck injury at tonight's ROH show in Toronto taking a piledriver on the apron from Michael Bennett.  The match was stopped and Whitmer wasn't moved for 15 minutes until being taken out on a stretcher.  Whitmer has thankfully regained feeling in his arms and legs.

UFC 163 live coverage from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Aldo vs. Zombie!


Welcome to our live coverage of UFC 163 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  We're looking for your thoughts on tonight's show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com

BRISTOL MARUNDE VS. VISCARDI ANDRADE, WELTERWEIGHTS
First round: Crowd not as hot as previous Rio cards for the opener. Andrade is our Brazilian babyface from Sao Paulo. Now they are chanting. Trading punches. Andrade knocked him down with a right. He’s holding a front headlock. He dropped him a second time and Mario Yamasaki stopped it after a few punches. Okay, that line about the crowd not being so hot, you get a Brazilian winning via KO in the first round, and these people are going crazy. 1:36

Brian Stann is way too nice on handling the interviews.  Andrade just kept talking, luckily when you win fast, they aren't so pressed for time.

FRANCIMAR BARROSO VS. EDNALDO OLIVEIRA, LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
First round: Barroso wants to get it down. He’s giving up substantial reach and height. Low kick by Barroso. Oliveira moving forward but not landing. Crowd booing because not much action. Oliveria geting mad at Barroso for constantly going backwards. Low kick by Barroso. Barroso’s lwo kicks are about the only offesneve but Olivera is the onemoving forward. Barroso 10-9. Crowd booing both guys.
Second round: Oliveira took him down and landed several punches. Oliveira landed a lots of punches and let him back up. Oliveira letting him up made no sense since he was doing damage on the ground and has done nothing standing. Barroso is a BJJ black belt. Barroso went for a takedown but Oliveira back to his feet. Crowd booing again. Ref Leon Roberts separated them as they were clinched against the fence. Barroso landed two good rights. Body kick by Barroso and a takedown with 48 seconds left. Barroso landing rights on the ground. Oliveira back up. Barroso won the ground late so I have him up 20-18 but both rounds are close.
Third round: Barroso trying a standing guillotine. Barroso with a takedown. Barroso mostly just holding him down. Oliveria back ot his fet. Crowd booing them again. Barroso just dancing away figuring he’s got the fight, which he should have in the bag at this point. Both are tired. Oliveira went for a takedown, but didn’t quite get it. Barroso’s round, should win 30-27, could be 29-28.
Scores: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 for Barroso

JOSH CLOPTON VS. RANI YAHYA, FEATHERWEIGHTS
First round: Yahya landed a high kick. He’s working hard for a takedown but didn’t get it. Yahya pretty much pulled guard. Yahya trying for a leglock. Yahya looking for a heel hook. Yahya moved to the top. Yahya with elbows to the head and some punches. Yahya moved to full mount. Clopton got guard back. Yahya landing punches from the top late in the round. 10-9 Yahya
Second round: Yahya trying to shoot in. Yahya got the takedown and throwing punches. Yahya got to full mount. Yahya back to full mount. He just stayed on top and landed short punches that didn’t do much damage to easily win the round. 20-18 Yahya.
Third round: Yahya went for a takedown from too far out and didn’t come close. Yahya moved in for another takedown. Clopton ended up on top. Crowd booing as Clopton is on top but really not doing any damage. Clopton let him up. Knee by Clopton moving in but now they’re in a clinch against the fence. Clopton took him down and throwing punches to the body. Clopton landing punches. Crowd booing some more. Yahya with a right. Yahya reversed to the top. Clopton’s round but Yahya has to take it, 29-28.
Scores: All three have it 29-28 Yahya

ILIARDE SANTOS VS. IAN MCCALL, FLYWEIGHTS
First round: McCall looking at doing low kicks. McCall landed two good lefts. High kick by blocked by Santos. Nice left by McCall. Santos went for a takedown but McCall blocked and landed on top. McCall landing a lot of shots. Knee by McCall. McCall with a head kick. Santos landed a punch. Trading punches and Santos landed a good right and another. Santos tried a takedown but didn’t get it. Crowd going crazy for Santos. 10-9 McCall
Second round: McCall back throwing low kicks. McCall landing. More low kicks by McCall. Santos ducked for a takedown but didn’t get it. McCall with a high and then a low kick. McCall accidentally kicked Santos low. McCall throwing low kicks. Santos with a body kick. Santos landed a right and hurt him with a right and a knee. Santos starting to hurt him. Takedown by Santos. More punches by Santos as McCall got up. McCall with a low kick. Santos with a hard right. Uppercut by McCall. Close round I’m going with Santos so 19-19 going into the third.
Third round: McCall landed a left. Right by Santos. Santos landed another right. Santos ducked for a takedown and McCall danced away. McCall with a right and body kick. McCall got behind him and throwing knees to the thigh. Santos sat out and got up. Right by Santos. McCall landing and Santos now missing. Santos starting to tire. Santos with a right. McCall landed a body shot. Body kick by Santos. Left by McCall. Santos went for a takedown but McCall stuffed and landed a knee. McCall landing punches. Santos with a knee. I have McCall so 29-28 for him, but we’re in Brazil, but the judges aren’t Brazilian.
Scores: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 McCall

NEIL MAGNY VS. SERGIO MORAES, WELTERWEIGHTS
First round: Magny landing some punches moving in. Moraes with a takedown. Moraes moved to side control. Moraes moved to full mount. Morales went for a triangle from the mount. He’s got it on and is throwing elbows to Magny’s head while Magny is caught. Hard elbwows to the head and tightened the triangle and Magny had to tap.

SHEILA GAFF VS. AMANDA NUNES, WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT
First round: Gaff got her back on the ground. Nunes back to her feet. Nunes wants a takedown. Takedown by Nunes. She’s in side control. Nunes moved to mount. Gaff back up. Another takedown by Gaff. Lots of punches and elbows by Nunes from the top and Herb Dean stopped it.  2:08

ANTHONY PEROSH VS. VINNY MAGALHAES, LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
First round: Perosh connected with a right and Perosh landed about ten punches on the ground and Magalhaes was out by about the seventh one. :14

JOSE MARIA VS. JOHN LINEKER, FLYWEIGHTS SORT OF
First round: Maria looks like Amazing Red. Linker clocked him an da few punches on the ground but Maria got back up. Spinning back fist nailed Lineker. Maria with knees. Maria hurt him with a left . Another left put him down. Maria went for a guillotine. Maria let him go to fire another punch. Maria landed a left. Lineker went for a kick. Maria took him down. Lineker back up and is behind Maria. Lineker with a takedown and throwing hard punches. Maria with a knee to the groin. Ref Leon Roberts called a time out. The knee looked legal to me but the ref said it was an earlier punch. Body kick by Maria. Great spin kickby Maria. Body kick by Maria. Lineker with a punch and takedown late. Best round so far tonight. Maria 10-9
Second round: Lineker on top, Maria went for an ankle but Lineker pulled out. Maria looked like his knee may have gone out, Linker dropped him and nailing him with punches and Leon Roberts called it. Best fight so far. 1:03
Brian Stann interviewing Lineker and he looks like he’s Lord Littlebrook without his costume.

TOM KONG WATSON VS. THALES LEITIS, MIDDLEWEIGHTS
First round: Leitis looks like he’s been visiting Biogenesis. It’s Thales Leitis with almost a Palhares body. Well, we all know Kong hates guys like this. This should be a good one. Watson has such an awesome face for a fighter. Leitis landed several punches and moved in. He has his back and has his back. Leitis is schooling him on the ground. Place going crazy. Leitis is working for a choke. Watson out of trouble. Now he’s smothering him . Now hard punches from behind. More hard punches by Leitis. Watson got wrist control. Watson bleeding. Leitis with more punches. Leitis has him flattened on the ground. Watson out of trouble and threw a knee. Trading low kicks. Watson with punches.. Big left by Wetson. Watson throwing low kicks. Big left by Watson and a low kick. High kick by Watson. Watson landed a right at the bell. 10-9 Leitis. Good round.
Second round: Watson’s corner told him Leitis is all gassed out. Leitis in with several punches. Watson back with punches. Leitis landed several punches and buckled him with one. Leitis took him back down into side control. Leitis is into full mount. Leitis now trying to set up an armbar but Watson out of trouble. Leitis took him down a second time. Leitis has his back. Leitis trying to set up an armbar. Watson is in a lot of trouble. Watson escaped and walked away. Now Watson with a knee and a low kick. Left by Letiis. Trading punches. Watson landing big shots and low kicks. Knee by Leitis. Watson landed an overhand right. Good uppercut by Watson. Leitis went for at takedown but Watson blocked it. Watson coming on strong. Leitis threw him down as the round ended. 20-18 Leitis but Watson is in better shape coming out for round three and has knockout power.
Third round: Watson bleeding badly from the right eye after Leitis landed a left hook. Leitis trying for a takedown but also to stall out the round. Knee by Leitis. Trading punches. Leitis took him down. That was a big move. Leitis on top in the mount. Leitis has his back again with 1:53 left. Leitis has an arm triangle. Watson is surviving. Watson gave a thumbs up to show the ref he wasn’t out, but he’s in trouble. Watson survived the round but that’s all he did. That’s a 10-8 round for sure so 30-26.
Scores: All three had it 30-27 for Leitis. How the last round isn’t a 10-8 I’ll never know.

THIAGO SANTOS VS. CEZAR FERREIRA, MIDDLEWEIGHTS
First round: Santos has a Fit Finlay lookalike in his corner. Ferreira knocked him silly with a left and a left high kick. Ferreira going for a rolling gullotine. And it’s over. That was impressive. This is turning into a good show. :47

PHIL DAVIS VS. LYOTO MACHIDA, LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
First round: Fans are singing Machida’s entrance music. It’s the first time he’s ever fought in Rio de Janeiro. Davis is a physical freak. They didn’t touch gloves. Front kick by Daivs. Low kick by Davis. Fans are going crazy. Machida landed a left. Body kick by Machida. Head kick by Machida. Head kick by Machida. Davis threw an overland right. Another big left by Machida. Low kick by Machida. Daviswith a body kick. Machida kick to the stomach after a series of punches knocked him backwards. Davis got the takedown with 50 seconds left. Fans booing immeidately. Loud Lyoto chant. Davis landing good shots to the ribs. Still, I think Machida’s round 10-9.
Second round: Body kick by Machida. Head kick by Machida. Body kick by Machida. Front kick by Machida. Davis tried a takedown but Machida threw him off. Left by Machida and Davis missed a counter. Davis landed a punch. Front kick by Davis. Machida landed a left. Good right by Machida. Davis got the takedown with 19 second left. Davis with several knees to the body and punches. This round was very close. I don’t think it was enough to steal the round but judges may think different. Machida 20-18.
Third round: Machida landed a right. Jones throwing kicks but they are blocked. Jones getting aggressive. Body kick by Machida. Davis tried a takedown but Machida shoved him off. Front kick by Machida. Davis went for a takedown. Machida blocked it and got his back. Machida let go and threw a kick. Davis throwing kicks. Left by Machida. Body kick by Machida. Davis going for a takedown and Machida blocked it. That was a big deal. Machida with a right. Knee by Machida. Davis tried a takedown but couldn’t get it. Stann doing great annoucning this night. Crowd going crazy. Machida’s round, I’ve got it 30-27.
Scores: All three have it 29-28 Davis. Crowd is in shock. They actually didn’t boo at first they were so stunned but then started booing heavy. The second round was close enough but no way Davis should have won rounds one or three. Live crowd now furious.

JOSE ALDO VS. CHAN SUNG JUNG FOR FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE
First round: Crowd singing in the stands. Aldo landed a big right. Low kick by Aldo. Hard low kick by Aldo. Chan back with a low kick. Aldo got the takedoiwn but Zombie right back up. Great spin kick by Aldo. Not much action until last 30 seconds. 10-9 Aldo
Second round: Zombie moved in and landed. Aldo with counter. Aldo landed several punches. Aldo landed shots to the body and head. Aldo with a jab. Hard right by Aldo. Left by Aldo. Chan landed a good right. Aldo took him down. He moved to side control. Chan tried a triangle but Aldo saw it coming and shut it down. Aldo’s round 20-18.
Third round: Chan landed a left . Chan tried a flying knee and Aldo caught him and essentially used a spinebuster to take him down. Chan landing a lot of punches while on the ground. Aldo keeping him down. Herb Dean stood them up. Nice left by Zombie. Now both swinging. Knee by Zombie. Aldo going for a takedown. Chan tried a D’arce choke but Aldo got out. Zombie throwing elbows to the head while he blocks Aldo’s takedown. Herb Dean separated the two. Zombie landed punches and a flying knee. Close round but still I have Aldo but Zombie does seem fresher at this point. 30-27 Aldo
Fourth round: Zombie with a right. Right by Zombie. Zombie’s right shoulder just went out throwing a punch. It looks like he separated it. Also high kicks to the shoulder. Aldo working on the shoulder. Zombie is down and Aldo throwing punches, Zombie is done and Herb Dean stopped it. 2:00

sabato 3 agosto 2013

IMPACT AUDIENCE DROPS FOR THE AUGUST 1 REVEAL


The 8/1 edition of Impact did 1,246,000 viewers, which was down from last week's number. It appears the August 1 videos didn't mean a whole lot. Maybe they can promote Kurt Angle's defensive driving seminar for next week.

Date Audience
7/26/2012 1,578,000
8/2/2012 1,400,000
8/9/2012 1,210,000
8/16/2012 1,456,000
8/23/2012 1,717,000
8/30/2012 1,416,000
9/6/2012 1,217,000
9/13/2012 1,224,000
9/20/2012 1,340,000
9/27/2012 1,265,000
10/4/2012 1,058,000
10/11/2012 1,118,000
10/18/2012 1,248,000
10/25/2012 1,187,000
11/1/2012 1,248,000
11/8/2012 1,266,000
11/15/2012 1,353,000
11/22/2012 1,187,000
11/29/2012 1,304,000
12/6/2012 1,320,000
12/13/2012 1,242,000
12/20/2012 1,270,000
12/27/2012 1,333,000
1/3/2013 1,618,000
1/10/2013 1,300,000
1/17/2013 1,600,000
1/24/2013 1,572,000
1/31/2013 1,580,000
2/7/2013 1,412,000
2/14/2013 1,300,000
2/21/2013 1,352,000
2/28/2013 1,490,000
3/7/2013 1,425,000
3/14/2013 1,410,000
3/21/2013 1,387,000
3/28/2013 1,310,000
4/4/2013 1,425,000
4/11/2013 1,170,000
4/18/2013 1,268,000
4/25/2013 1,230,000
5/2/2013 1,104,000
5/9/2013 1,270,000
5/16/2013 1,050,000
5/23/2013 1,379,000
5/30/2013 1,016,000
6/6/2013 1,100,000
6/13/2013 1,203,000
6/20/2013 1,083,000
6/27/2013 1,108,000
7/4/2013 1,053,000
7/11/2013 1,190,000
7/18/2013 Destination X 1,494,000
7/25/2013 1,314,000
8/1/2013 1,246,000

KURT ANGLE ARRESTED !


TNA star Kurt Angle was arrested last night and charged with Driving While Intoxicated in Wise County, TX. Angle posted a $2,000 bond and was released.
This is not the first DUI arrest for Angle. He was arrested in September 2011 in Warren County, VA for DUI but got his lawyers got the charges amended to reckless driving.
Angle was also arrested for DUI in Pittsburgh a few years back after being found at his home by police after a woman phoned in a complaint about his driving, but those charges were later dropped.
We will have further details on this as available.