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The SmarK Rant for Money In The Bank 2013

The SmarK Rant for WWE Money In The Bank 2013

Eh, I wasn’t terribly feeling this one, but then had one of my famous changes of heart and decided to order the replay after avoiding all internet contact tonight.

Live from Philly, home of cheesesteaks.

Your hosts are Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler & JBL

Money In The Bank No-Stars: Fandango v. Dean Ambrose v. Jack Swagger v. Antonio Cesaro v. Wade Barrett v. Cody Rhodes v. Damien Sandow

Team Zeb is now “The Real Americans”, complete with mixtape version of their video. For some reason Fandango and Ambrose are lacking in ring entrance tonight, even though Zeb gets yet another long dull pre-match promo. Ambrose gets the big babyface reaction, and the entrances build to Wade Barrett, who gets no reaction. This might get ugly. The Americans and Rhodes Scholar have a ladder duel and poor Cody gets suplexed onto a ladder by Cesaro. Swagger cleans house with the ladder and climbs, but Ambrose saves and tosses him. Barrett ties up Ambrose in the ladder and throws knees, but walks into a Fandango high kick. Fandango climbs and gets stopped by Sandow, who suplexes him onto a ladder. This doesn’t seem like a smart career move for someone recovering from a concussion. Barrett grabs a piece of broken ladder and uses it like a lead pipe, which is certainly a unique spot, but can’t make the climb. Ambrose climbs and runs afoul of the Americans, leading to Cesaro choking him down on top of the ladder. Cody suplexes Cesaro onto a ladder to save, but Barrett beats him up, and we get the Barrett-Swagger series.

Swagger climbs and Barrett puts him down with the elbow, but Fandango takes Barrett down with a powerbomb off the ladder. Ambrose takes Fandango out with the bulldog driver, but again it’s the Americans foiling his plans. So Ambrose pays tribute to Terry Funk with the swinging ladder spot, leading to an incredible spot where he skins the cat onto a horizontal ladder that’s on the Americans’ shoulders. That would have been an awesome finish, but instead he gets dumped. Cesaro tries standing on Swagger’s shoulders, but Cody breaks that up with a dropkick. They’re burning through some wicked finishes here. The finishers start coming fast as Cody takes two guys out with the Crossroads and he climbs, but Ambrose recovers and slugs it out on top. Cody is a bloody mess and wins that battle, but the Shield swarms him and takes out the other scrubs in the match. And then we get the Usos making the save for a big brawl at ringside with everyone, leading to Cody dumping Ambrose onto the pile. Cody makes the climb on his own…but here’s Sandow, who wins Money In The Bank at 16:23. I suspect their friendship is in jeopardy after that.

Cody turned himself babyface in a big way there. The match was less cohesive than it was a bunch of unrelated spots, but the storyline was great and there was tons of innovative stuff on display. **** Seemed like kind of a waste of Ambrose, who didn’t participate in the buildup at all and is just kind of fading into the midcard at this point.

Brad Maddox joins us for some reason. I think it would kind of funny if they had start aping Eric Bischoff’s mannerisms as GM. Maddox spotlights Vickie on the pre-show panel to make sure we know she’s in the building before the Ryback match. Brad wants a “Thank you Vickie” chant, which dies faster than this brutal segment. And then we get a video package of Vickie, which I guess is the payoff for this. $55 for HD, ladies and gentlemen.

Intercontinental title: Curtis Axel v. The Miz

As expected, the crowd throws its support behind ECW and doesn’t give a shit about either guy. Miz gets tossed and Miz fakes a cheapshot from Heyman, so the ref ejects him. The crowd is NOT happy about that. As they should be, that was some atrocious refereeing. Back in the ring, Axel gets a suplex for two and now the crowd is SILENT. Axel continues on as the heel, hitting the Hennig necksnap into a dropkick for two. Like, they basically on went this past Monday and all but admitted that Miz was gonna get booed out of the building, and yet they’re wasting everyone’s time trying to babyface him here. Miz makes his comeback, and sure enough people hate him. Double axehandle gets two. Axel and Miz trade finisher attempts, leading to a Perfectplex for two. Jesus, how many times do I have to say “You need to yell out the name of the move first” before he takes the hint? Miz takes out the leg and gets the figure-four, but Axel reverses it and they have a dramatic battle over that with Miz getting booed out of the building until Axel makes the ropes. It’s like they’re having an entirely different match than the crowd thinks they’re watching. They do a chase and Axel catches him with the McGuillicutter to retain at 9:30. As my toddler would say, I no love this. *1/2

Divas title: AJ Lee v. Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn attacks and hits the gutbuster, then tosses her, but AJ runs Kaitlyn into the ringpost and goes to work on the injured arm. The arm, which according to Cole, was injured when she was performing her own finisher. Vintage Cole! Back in, AJ goes to work on the arm with a hammerlock, and turns it into a sleeper until Kaitlyn escapes with a backbreaker. She makes the comeback with an inverted DDT for two as Cole goes on a weird rant about how AJ should have gone after the title “the right way”. Didn’t she win the belt by clean submission? AJ goes back to the arm to cut off the comeback and goes up, but Kaitlyn dumps her onto Big E. Back in, AJ gets a small package for two. She’s no Daniel Bryan. Kaitlyn gets the spear, but hurts her elbow again, and the BLACK WIDOW finishes at 7:00. This is quite the booking Kaitlyn has been getting. So she hurts herself doing her own finish…TWICE…and then taps out cleanly and people wonder why she’s not getting over as a babyface? Way too long, but it was fine otherwise. **1/4

Chris Jericho v. Ryback

Ryback clubs him down, but Jericho fights back with chops and Ryback bails. Jericho attacks with a baseball slide and does something approximating a bulldog off the top, and that goes pretty badly for both guys. Ryback comes back with a clothesline out of the corner and now the crowd gets all over Ryback. He gets a necksnap and big splash for two, and we hit the chinlock. Remember when Ryback was getting over in short matches with interesting explosive offense? Now he’s a guy. That CM Punk match ended up destroying his career. Ryback goes up to the middle with another splash and gets two. He tosses Jericho and beats on him outside, and back in for more dull abuse. Jericho comes back with a northern lights suplex for two, but can’t get the Walls. Ryback cuts him off with an overhead suplex and puts him down with the clothesline, but Jericho fights out of the Shellshock. Ryback counters the Codebreaker with a spinebuster, and a powerbomb gets two. Jericho keeps fighting with an enzuigiri for two. Codebreaker puts Ryback on the floor, but he beats the count. Jericho with a flying bodypress for two. Ryback tries another Shellshock, but Jericho turns that one into a DDT for two. Lionsault misses and Ryback gets the cheap rollup to finish at 11:30. That rollup looked TERRIBLE on replay, like Ryback was barely able to roll him over on his own. Well, Jericho tried, literally wrestling himself for large portions of the match to try and get it over. Didn’t work, but it wasn’t terrible or anything. **1/2

World title: Alberto Del Rio v. Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler gets a quick rollup for two. Criss-cross and Ziggler gets the dropkick for two, and a corner splash for two. Ziggler drops the 10 elbows for some good crowd participation, and dumps ADR. Back in, Del Rio with the enzuigiri and Ziggler goes all ragdoll physics on the floor. Back in, that gets two. Del Rio goes to the chinlock, but Dolph gets a sunset flip for two before missing a charge and knocking himself out on the top turnbuckle. I hope he keeps the concussion specialists on retainer wrestling this way. Del Rio misses his own charge, but comes back with a necksnap and goes up, allowing Dolph to pop up with the X-Factor, for two. They slug it out and Ziggler sends him into the post, and a neckbreaker gets two. Del Rio counters the Fameasser with a german suplex and gets two. Ziggler with the Fameasser for two. Del Rio blocks the Zig Zag and gets a backbreaker for two. ADR goes up and lands on a dropkick, and that gets two. And then as expected, AJ skips out to set up the screwjob, as Dolph sends her back and then gets a DDT for two. Dolph goes up and gets caught, and Del Rio brings him down with an inverted superplex for two. Faceplant sets up the superkick for two. Del Rio tries to cheat to win, so AJ comes in and draws the DQ at 14:43. These are some EPIC terrible finishes tonight. Match didn’t really get to where they wanted because there wasn’t a finish. *** And yeah, Ziggler loses yet again. This would have worked way better if AJ had just turned on him instead of doing the “try to help but screw it up” deal. Like really, in one match she’s the confident and conniving champion, but in another she’s the clingy girlfriend who costs her boyfriend the match?

WWE title: John Cena v. Mark Henry

We’ve had all heels going over so far, so of course Cena gets to triumph here I’d bet. Henry pounds away in the corner and follows with a corner splash for two. Cena bails and Henry suplexes him onto the stairs, because that’s what he does. Back in, that gets two. Cena slugs back, but Henry SPLITS HIS WIG. We get a GIANT SWING and Cena rolls out again, apparently needing a new gameplan. Henry gives him the giant swing into the barricade. Back in, Henry misses a charge and Cena tries a slam, but Henry falls on top for two. We get the neck vice, but Cena keeps fighting and finally puts him down with a shoulderblock. Backdrop suplex and five knuckle shuffle set up the FU, but Henry falls on top again and gets two. Henry gives him quality demotivational trash talk, but Cena counters out of a slam with a DDT and this time he hits the FU and only gets two. Cena goes up…and lands in the World Strongest Slam for two. That would have been a great finish and the crowd was READY for it. Henry gets mad and grabs a chair, but ends up hitting his own exposed turnbuckle as a result, setting up the STF. Henry quickly makes the ropes, however. Ref gets bumped and Henry goes low for two. Mark is good and mad, but Cena reverses the slam into the STF again and Henry taps at 14:42. Because of course he does. Cena worked his ass off here to make Henry look like a monster (before beating him cleanly by submission in their first match, of course) and this was Henry’s best match in forever. ***1/2

Money In The Bank All Stars: Rob Van Dam v. Christian v. Daniel Bryan v. CM Punk v. Randy Orton v. Sheamus

No seventh guy to replace Kane, apparently. The reactions for RVD and Bryan are something to behold. Everyone gangs up on RVD in a funny bit to start, and then the mob picks off Sheamus next. Everyone gets tossed and we’re left with Punk and Bryan, and they slug it out with kicks. They trade finisher attempts and Sheamus hits people with a ladder before Orton takes him out and steals it. RVD comes back in and throws kicks to everyone, finally getting to finish his taunt. Good for him. Christian attacks and gets slammed onto the ladder, but Orton tosses RVD, who ends up splatting on a pile of ladders. Christian grabs a stepladder for some damage before making the first climb, but Sheamus saves. He threatens to bring back the Razor’s Edge, but Christian escapes, so Sheamus basically punches him in the face to get rid of him. Sheamus climbs and RVD saves and Sheamus takes a FUGLY bump on the ladder on the way down. Poor guy. He’s apparently fine and slams RVD on the ladder.

Sheamus heads out and brawls with Daniel Bryan, which ends with Bryan getting the running knee off the apron as they disappear into the ether again. In the ring, Punk fights with Orton and soon everyone is climbing ladders for the big trainwreck and the briefcase is swinging all over the place. Sheamus is the first one up and he destroys everyone and climbs, taking out RVD to turn himself heel with the crowd. Bryan saves and they REALLY do not care for Sheamus. Sheamus ALMOST gets it, but Punk thankfully saves. I can’t live in a world where Sheamus has that thing. Punk puts him into a ladder with the running knee and then rides the ladder down, but stops to take a bow and gets attacked by Orton. Orton suplexes him into the ladder to set up the draping DDT, but Christian gets the spear. RVD cuts him off, and now the crowd wants TABLES. They’re not really getting what they want tonight otherwise, so I wouldn’t hold your breath. Christian puts Rob down and climbs, but Van Dam cuts him off and jumps onto another ladder, setting up the five star frog splash from there. Now the crowd can go home happy. Rob climbs and Sheamus cuts him off, but Bryan takes out both guys with the kicks. He hits Orton with a crazy dropkick into the ladder and then takes out Punk with the suicide dive, then flies back in with a double missile dropkick on RVD and Sheamus! Sheamus goes up and Bryan puts him THROUGH a ladder outside, and he’s all alone to climb…but Curtis Axel runs in and stops him. Really? Bryan gets saddled with this guy now? Punk puts Axel out with the GTS, which brings Heyman out to bitch out Axel about how Punk is his best friend and not to be messed with. So now Punk is alone to climb with Heyman cheering him on…until he turns on him. So no Punk tonight. Rob climbs and falls into an RKO in a cool spot, leaving Orton the lone guy now, and as the betting line predicted he’s the Money in the Bank winner at 26:38. This of course makes no sense based on anything leading up to the show except for people inside the company fucking with everyone to win money on the betting lines, but it was the hell of a match and that’s what I wanted out of the show. ****1/2

The Pulse:

I’d call this one a resounding thumbs up despite itself. The booking was weird and nonsensical a lot of the way, but two ****+ matches and two ***+ matches? I’ll take that every day of the week and twice on Sunday. I have no faith in them rehabbing Sandow into a contender or Bryan v. Axel leading to anything I want to watch, but with all good matches and no bad, this was a home run show in the ring, which is what I pay the money to see.

Comments

  1. Wow Scott, I'd have chalked the opening WHC MITB at WAY better than the RAW one. And Henry has been having fantastic matches since the Hall of Pain run in 2011 (the cage match with Bryan, the series with Punk, even the Big Show matches were effective). I agree with you otherwise thought.

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  2. Yeah I think the Orton win was done for a few reasons. 1) to shake up the road to summerslam 2) so daniel bryan doesn't have to pin john cena to win his title 3) to turn orton heel.

    Either way I don't see a Cena/Orton feud, nor do i see Orton holding the title for any extended period of time (or at all), That being said, it was a great ppv, the title matches were both spot on and Dolph and Alberto definitely have some good chemistry going on there, and I definitely can not wait to see what they do with Sandow and Rhodes, especially considering I thought they had all but given up on Rhodes.

    Special shout out goes to Sheamus who took some real nasty bumps tonight and pretty much died for his art. People give him shit and rightfully so, but tonight he earned his stripes.

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  3. Alcohol Influenced Overration.

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  4. The problem is this show leaves nothing interesting going forward. Orton has no chemistry with Cena so any potential interaction between the two leaves me just shrugging, another monster defeated in a way that leaves Cena nowhere to go with that feud, Bryan just filling a spaced despite all the build seemingly surrounding him.

    Not doubting if this was a good show, but theres nothing on here that gives me any interest in Raw.

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  5. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryJuly 15, 2013 at 2:10 AM

    Statler: "YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!"
    Waldorf: "I didn't know you were a Daniel Bryan fan!"
    Statler: "I'm not! I'm just happy the show's over!"


    DOHOHOHOHOHO!

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  6. Yeah but that goes with the assumption that Orton will actually feud with Cena.

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  7. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryJuly 15, 2013 at 2:13 AM

    But seriously, all I wanted was both MITB matches to deliver, both did, Cody Rhodes was a fucking MVP tonight, Cena/Henry was waaay better than I expected, and only Perfect Jr. and Miz were shit. This pretty much sums up why I still watch every week despite the WTF booking; when you put most of that roster in the ring and give them time to do their thing, it's usually worth the $$$.

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  8. Show looks good on papier.


    Might have to acquire it.

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  9. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryJuly 15, 2013 at 2:16 AM

    Show looks even better in a Santa suit.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGTqTlwYC7g

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  10. What a waste; Randy winning was a total ab-Orton.

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  11. Ever since Sandow debut...I've always considered Sandow to be pure money, everything from his gimmick to his cartwheels, and that fact that Rhodes came off as the natural babyface just kinda tells you maybe it's time to push both guys to the top in the next coming year as each others foils.

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  12. Hey, I see what you did there!


    Hope you don't go to bed cr-Bryan to sleep.

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  13. Fuj speaks French?

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  14. "with all good matches and no bad"


    You've set the bar for a good match at *1/2?

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  15. A great PPV. The only thing that really sucked was Miz vs. Axel, but that's mostly because Miz is an untalented piece of shit.

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  16. ............................Because Orton and Cena needed the wins.

    I do get Cena winning, because after all that's why people buy WWE PPVs, but Orton? One of the guys with no momentum?

    I'm happy Sandow won, but hasn't he lost most of his matches... um, ever? Meaning a lot? Hypothetically if he actually cashed in and won tomorrow, it'd make that world title look European Championship-level-shitty.

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  17. Usos/Shield from the Pre Show was very good too. I wish they would've put it on the PPV over Miz/Axel, but whatever.

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  18. "I ain't losin' to you, you ham sammich!"
    "You no call Orton sand wedge. Viper will RKO Cena to get belt."

    Bravo, guys. *clap clap*

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  19. RVD looked old and out of shape but performed okay...Sandow was an interesting choice to win the WHC MIB. Cody effectively turned face...Orton winning is disappointing but understandable.. wish Bryan would've won but i'm sure Bryan will get his shot down the road.

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  20. I just hope Sandow brings down a fine Italian leather briefcase instead of the bright blue Smackdown case.

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  21. I thought Antonio was going to Sieze-aro the briefcase.

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  22. Then Punk was about to win, but that fat guy came into ring and Punk was all like "Hey, man!"

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  23. Sorry, but can't love this. May main problem with this(and with WWE for the past few years now) is that I need to have ''some'' sort of emotional investment in the people. But WWE seem to go out of their way to kill any sort of emotional connection between their "performers" and "the WWE Universe". Every time you actually get behind someone, they either turn them heel, or job them into oblivion. Every time you really start feeling genuine heel heat towards a bad guy, they either turn them face, or job them clean......And again, the old problem of people(admittedly not everyone) doing their prepared moves, and ignoring the live crowd.

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  24. It was a good ppv but ultimately it was forgettable. I am not going to remember anything really happening at this ppv 6 months or a year from now except for Sandow/Orton holding onto the case.
    If this was the rise of Sandow for months, i can see him winning . However he has been jobbing to Bryan/kane/Sheamus for almost a year. The clear choice was Ambrose and putting the Shield into the title picture.
    Orton can get a ppv title shot at either title at almost anytime. He is a 9x world champ. It is no different than Cena last year (except for Cena not winning the title). If they wanted to turn him heel, they can do that just by snapping at Bryan or the crowd.

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  25. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryJuly 15, 2013 at 3:16 AM

    Sheamus the only emotion you should feel with that pun.

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  26. AJ Lee looks like she sucked a bunch of peckers.

    I'm new to this game.

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  27. The Orton win was done so Bryan could beat Cena in a hard-fought match that ends in a fluke finish and then immediately lose the title to Orton.

    Okay, maybe not. But would it surprise you?

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  28. He can call it his "Investment Portfolio".

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  29. RVD is back and they're main eventing Mr. Two Strike? That's funny! Surely those two won't interact in some way outside of the ring.

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  30. Worst MITB PPV in years. Wasn't feeling either of the ladder matches. Still a decent PPV but not up to the usual MITB standards.

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  31. What did James Storm say to Doc Brown when he couldn't get back to 1955?

    SORRY...about yo' damn Flux!

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  32. Thinking about it, I think the best use of the briefcases is on people like Orton. If he uses it cheaply, it doesn't hurt him. If it loses, it doesn't hurt him. If the pull a Cena and use the briefcase in a week, it doesn't hurt him.

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  33. OK, in that still, it looks like Show is finger-blasting a flesh-light, no?

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  34. After the match, Rhodes went up to Sandown and said what about the Bro Cod(e)y

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  35. Wade hates losing, but he's just going to have to Barrett.

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  36. Upvote for the This Is the End reference. Take a bow, sir.

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  37. Jeebus, these puns are awful. I'm gonna just have to bury my head in the Sand now.

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  38. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryJuly 15, 2013 at 4:16 AM

    FUCK YOU. Now I can't unsee.

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  39. What's next for Henry/Cena? Tapping out clean in the middle of the ring is usually a pretty definitive end to a feud. I wish they would have delayed this feud till after Summerslam so it could have gone another few weeks.

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  40. Kudos to RVD, he came back in great shape and looked fantastic out there. I hope they find something big for him to be involved in. WWE needs a veteran like RVD right now.

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  41. The Kindergarten level writers wouldn't be smart enough or witty enough to come up with that.

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  42. One. More. Match. At least two more times on PPV.

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  43. Did you catch the preshow match? I'd put that as better than anything on the show except for maybe the first MITB match.


    I wouldn't put the main event anywhere near ****1/2 though, so YMMV

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  44. One More Match. At least two more times on PPV and once on RAW.

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  45. It was one of those things where I hated the Ziggler/Rio finish at first, then I realized that

    A. The booking was designed to make me hate the finish (You could argue that I'm supposed to hate Del Rio or AJ and not the finish, but booking in 2013 is just as much about trolling internet marks as it is traditional heat)
    B. It's a not-so-subtle AJ turn on Ziggler based on how obviously she "screwed up". She is a sociopath, after all, so character wise, a clear turn doesn't fit her character.
    She needs to torture em and shit.

    So I gotta give that finish a big thumbs up. Neither guy is really ready for the clean finish to the feud anyway, Del Rio is hot as a heel and Ziggler isn't ready, this feud will and should continue

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  46. I thought the first match was the best one and Sandow winning by turning on Cody was great. If the WWE books it and follows-up correctly, Cody could finally break through (but this is the WWE so they probably won't).


    Everything else was downhill from there. The Maddox segment killed the show. I thought Henry winning after being booked so strong would have been an awesome moment, but then I remembered it is the WWE and Cena defies all odds. If anyone should have powered out of that stupid STF, it should be Henry going that he was booked as the world's strongest man through all of his promos and vignettes. The last match was fine, but who the hell wants another Cena/Orton program? I should have guessed that after making Bryan look like a stud, they cut him off at the knees by having him start a program with Curt Henning's lolly-pop head, heat killing son.

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  47. i think so. i got downvoted for suggesting this in the live thread but i think it's the way to go. you think bryan is getting his big moment then bam! sets up a good heel turn in orton and only makes bryan more over as he has to chase the title some more.

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  48. I am the intellectual savior of the asses.

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  49. 2011 was a while ago. i think he means in the past like, year.

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  50. yeah, it's worth checking out.

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  51. Kaitlyn vs. AJ was the worst match, IMO, and Axel vs. Miz was fine but no one gave a shit, which is perfectly understandable.
    I liked this show and thought the Sandow/Rhodes split was done perfectly. They were bot floundering as a team and now they split up and it means something. Sandow has the briefcase and Cody is a face.

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  52. This show ate le dog merde.

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  53. According to Meltzer, Bryan vs Cena is still on for Summerslam. It will probably be built off of angle from Total Divas.

    I like the idea of Orton cashing it in against Daniel Bryan. It would turn him heel right away and have a Bryan/Orton feud after SS, which should turn Bryan into a even bigger baby face.

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  54. It'll probably happen tonight because the WWE App must be appeased!

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  55. Bryan has an out here: he dominated the match until outside interference derailed him. He can tap out Axel tonight and say by beating the IC champ he is the #1 contender. And his Bella is hotter than Cena's.
    How about the pop for the Punk/Bryan face-off? That's money for any B-level show they run in a smark town.

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  56. I'd actually be really down with Bryan chasing back his title (a la punk in 2011 but with more immediacy) by going on a good long feud with Orton. They have great in ring chemistry together (basically Bryan has great chemistry with everyone) and putting what they did on free TV on a larger scale on PPV would be awesome. Plus heel Orton puts some fire back in a character that has largely grown stale.

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  57. Other than losing, I don't think Bryan looked weak at all in that match, quite the opposite really, he looked like the biggest star in the WWE, and i think Axel was just put there so they could start up the Heyman turn and actually have Bryan knocked out of the match due to sneaky interference (rather than it being someone else besting him)

    See it's that sort of protection that when it's done to Cena, people complain..but when it's done to someone else, it goes over people's heads. Daniel Bryan actually had the match won and he legit beat the crap out of everyone to do it, Axel's interference only means that Bryan lost due to cheating. I don't think they are actually going to do a program with them both (not on ppv anyway)

    Also with Orton...I don't know why everyone has it in their heads that the money in the bank briefcase famously known for giving a shot for the next 12 months, is suddenly the ticket to an immediate program with the current champion. For all we know Orton is going to cash this thing in next June....or tonight.

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  58. i think the #1 contender match should be against punk, who also has a gripe he had it won.

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  59. In practice, it would be more like Christian chasing back his title with Orton.

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  60. But a leather briefcase doesn't hurt the person you are hitting with it very much.

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  61. Henry was just a placeholder for the Bryan/Cena program. (which was supposed to take place at mitb). I liked the match, I liked the build, but it's not something i think that would work across multiple ppv's. Henry should just destroy Jericho (kayfabe putting him out of commission) to get his heat back and feud with someone like RVD.

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  62. Really? You mean you liked the Raw MITB from last year better?...not saying that these were the best mitb matches ever, but when you actually consider all of them. They were pretty much in the upper half of them.

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  63. If Bryan wrestles Axel for the IC title at Summerslam I will kill someone

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  64. God damn...now I really can not wait for his main event push.

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  65. Agreed. I'm just not sure who he feuds with next

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  66. Protip: Kill Axel.

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  67. Well historically the briefcase has always been used to get people over rather than give it to people who are already on championship level, it worked for Bryan, it worked for Punk and it worked for Ziggler, odd are losing streak or no...it will work for Sandow, at least it means that the intent of making him a star is there.

    As for Orton and Cena? Did you really think they would have Cena lose to Henry? and then what? his big loss is to a guy who doesn't need to look stronger and will likely leave in a year or so, yeah Henry winning would have been cool, but it's funny to see people complain everytime Cena wins without realizing if the person he win over would have been the right choice. Sometimes you build a guy up for him to put over the champ, that's all it is, not like they are shafting Mark Henry here.

    As for Orton, I'd like to think they aren't stupid enough to go straight with a Cena/Orton program, thanks to Cena winning last year and using that cash in to put over Punk's heel turn. Maybe Orton's cash in will result in a title being won or not, but I'd like to believe it leads to someone else getting over in the long run.

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  68. "It’s like they’re having an entirely different match than the crowd thinks they’re watching."

    Of course they are, because Miz and Axel are doing what they're told to do by a deluded old man who doesn't care what anyone else wants.

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  69. It does if you have a brick in it.

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  70. I too decided to buy this show at the last minute, and I have to generally agree with Scott - the matches were pretty good (and the Usos/Shield match on the pre-show was excellent) but this was some of the most inane booking I've ever seen. The Del Rio/Ziggler match was building to an awesome finish before they decided to shit all over it. Ryback/Jericho was brutal to sit through, and The Miz needs to disappear for the next six months.

    Still, the ladder matches were great. I'm not sure what they really hope to accomplish with Sandow holding the case, though; the crowd was SOLIDLY behind Cody and would have popped huge had he finished it off.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Here's hoping that the post-PPV Raw tonight is awesome. I got my tickets on Friday. I haven't been to a Raw since the Chicago Raw with Bob Barker a few years back.

    ReplyDelete
  72. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSlzdnL_zjU

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  73. If I had to guess i'd have said that Henry/Cena was the Summerslam program but Henry isn't in good enough shape to keep it going that long and they had to hotshot it. I'd bet Henry is legit retiring, and the fakeout was his chance to say goodbye.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Also because Miz and Axel were never taught to work a crowd, they were never really trained in "wrestling" just WWE style. So they have no clue.

    ReplyDelete
  75. You nailed it, Scott, a great show full of results I didn't want.

    I didn't get the sense that Axel's interference was supposed to be setting up Bryan/Axel, but moreso just for him to come in and wreak havoc on the match to set up Heyman coming out and turning on Punk. I hope I'm right.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Is it wrong of me to hope that Orton gets busted trying to buy an 8-ball or some PEDs on the way to Raw tonight? Because it feels so right.

    ReplyDelete
  77. For some reason Fandango and Ambrose are lacking in ring entrance tonight



    Their entrances were made on the pre-show.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Make sure they have a hoodie on before you do it... don't want to end up doing any time.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Yea, that's my guess also. I know Cena going circuit to circuit is probably the plan, and I think its the correct move for a big WM money match, but man Henry with a short transitional reign with Cena chasing woulda been great.

    ReplyDelete
  80. Scream09_HartKillerJuly 15, 2013 at 9:05 AM

    But jobbing is the first step towards winning the WHC.

    ReplyDelete
  81. http://youtu.be/9l2FeI5GMg0



    WARRIOR! Come out and play! Wait, no, hang on...


    This is pretty hilarious. Though I doubt we'll see any more of him outside of this and maybe one or two more promos for the game. It'll be similar to Macho Man promoting WWE All Stars.

    ReplyDelete
  82. To get people watching the preshow to order the show. Like "Oh shit the ladder match is on first, I don't want to miss it."

    ReplyDelete
  83. Figured we wouldnt get Cena/Danielson at Summerslam. That was just tooo obvious though.


    Leak to Meltzer the BIG PLANS for the summer, get the smarks pumped up, then take the candy away

    ReplyDelete
  84. The last paragraph is exactly what I was thinking. Orton having the MITB briefcase means he surprises the champion one night within the next year and wins the belt. That is how it has always been, right? Has any briefcase holder cashed in the next month in the PPV main event, or not as a surprise?


    How could they book Cena/Orton as the Summerslam main event and have it NOT be a cash in? I wouldn't put anything past them at this point, but it doesn't make sense for Orton to immediately cash in next month in a pre-booked PPV main event.

    ReplyDelete
  85. Like life, wrestling is never simple... Daniel Bryan winning the briefcase cashing in at Summerslam to face Cena and winning the title is how I believe it SHOULD go. But of course we get Orton winning which no one wanted or cared for.

    ReplyDelete
  86. i almost hope they do axe the bryan match just to piss off all the whiners already. a mitb win does not guarentee the summerslam title match. at least wait to see what happens on raw for fuck's sake.

    ReplyDelete
  87. That's really becoming a big problem, and it doesn't have to be. One talk with HBK, Jericho, Rock, Austin, Foley, etc. and they can impart the importance of playing to the crowd. Shawn in particular is a master of switching from face to heel and back again in the same match, depending on the crowd's preference.

    ReplyDelete
  88. I'm pissed that Two Strikes won, but this is good point...having the briefcase doesn't automaticaly mean he'll be in the main event at Summerslam.

    ReplyDelete
  89. Can't wait to see all the insiders like Meltzer say that the original plan of Daniel Bryan winning the case and straight up Challenging Cena at Summerslam was scrapped at the last minute. I knew the moment he came out on top on Raw last week as the show ended, there was no chance. I just never thought for a second Vince sees him as main event for a ppv like Summerslam despite how over he seems to be.

    ReplyDelete
  90. Who says we won't?


    Orton's big enough that he can lose in trying to cash in without dropping in stature.

    ReplyDelete
  91. Axel was false sense of security - come out attacking Bryan to make it look like he's helping Punk. Punk takes him out to 'win with honor.' Heyman rants about Axel not following orders, than Michael Corleone's Punk with the ladder.

    ReplyDelete
  92. you mean which none of the online snobs wanted or cared for. to act like orton doesn't have his huge share of fans is silly.

    ReplyDelete
  93. This made me so happy I want to cry :'(


    WWE and Ultimate Warrior back on the same wavelength again, I'm sure it will explode in disaster again like usual but this is pure joy.

    ReplyDelete
  94. "Has any briefcase holder cashed in the next month in the PPV main event, or not as a surprise?"
    I don't remember if it was the very next month, but RVD told Cena he was cashing it in at One Night Stand to set up their title match.

    Bryan's gimmick was that he was telling everyone he was going to cash it in at Wrestlemania, but lied about it and turned heel in the process when he beat Big Show.

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  95. Everyone assuming that Orton's going to get a SummerSlam title shot out of this is just... weird.


    I was kinda hoping that Heyman would wind up managing Orton out of all of this, since managing a WWE-approved blue-chipper would be the ultimate betrayal of Punk. Then Punk has someone to feud with while Lesnar's not around post-SS.


    Also: it took all of five minutes for RVD to do something dumb that nearly resulted in someone getting maimed, what with pushing the ladder out from under Sheamus in such a manner that it pretty much impaled him. Great to have him back!

    ReplyDelete
  96. Bryan doesn't need to win the briefcase to cash in, though. He's over enough that a title shot makes sense now... although that LA SummerSlam crowd is not going to be where he's most over.

    ReplyDelete
  97. i'm guessing he probably doesn't but triple h does.

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  98. Sad for a WWE PPV that they couldn't even put on the best ladder match on TV this week.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Bryan beats Cena; Orton cashes in and beats Bryan ripping the hearts out of the IWC. Cena vs. Orton vs. Bryan feud to end the year.


    Oh and RVD won't last.

    ReplyDelete
  100. They made up for it today with Warrior's return. We can finally get the Triple H vs. Ultimate Warrior II match that we have all wanted for over a decade.

    ReplyDelete
  101. Great to see RVD put more effort in that one match than he did his entire TNA run.

    ReplyDelete
  102. It doesn't matter who Cena defends against, Punk-Brock is main eventing SummerSlam. So it's the best time to give Bryan the shot if you lack confidence in him.

    ReplyDelete
  103. A brick? Sandow will use the trusty BOARD OF EDUCATION!

    ReplyDelete
  104. This SHOULD be the template from now on. Superstar wins one, rising star wins another. Superstar loses MITB cash in.

    ReplyDelete
  105. Also, I approve of a Cody face turn and Sandow feud, preferably with the title. Sometimes, not always but sometimes, its easier to give two guys a feud and some TV time and let them elevate themselves, without mingling them with the established guys right away. If handled properly, it indicates that both guys are making the move up and then after they are better primed to go for it.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Surprised I haven't seen mentioned it (or maybe they did) that this is the first time Punk got to out main-event Cena.

    ReplyDelete
  107. Pretty sure there are more who care about Orton winning than you think.

    ReplyDelete
  108. Amsterdam_Adam_CurryJuly 15, 2013 at 10:38 AM

    "it'd make that world title look European Championship-level-shitty."


    We're pretty much there already.

    ReplyDelete
  109. I don't get why ALL DQ or countout finishes are hated here, or my most online wrestling fans. Ziggler is going to win at Summerslam. They also need to play up the AJ/Ziggy/Big E dynamic as well. This further sells that AJ is legit mental. I liked the ending and it only looks better from here on.

    ReplyDelete
  110. Recycling jokes is bad form. You should work for a wrestling company.

    ReplyDelete
  111. Thought you short-changed Ziggler/Del Rio. The closing shot, with AJ standing alone in the ring, with Ziggler walking away and the crowd chanting "You Screwed Ziggler" was fucking awesome and deserves an extra 3/4* right there.


    Curtis Axel looked really good in that Miz match. I don't know why you aren't looking forward to Bryan/Axel on free TV.



    Cena/Henry bored the shit out of me. Why is the title match BEFORE the MITB match? I guess it gives the champion an advantage at the PPV, in that, the MITB winner has to cash in after HIS OWN match, as opposed to the champions match, if he wants to cash in that night. Wrong guy won.



    I thought AJ/Kaitlyn was pretty good, it started a little slow, but better than anything other than last months match the past ten years.


    The main event was *****. Tons of drama, great spots, nothing was blown horribly, right guy won (I'm not trolling), everybody is pretty much set-up in feuds or direction, except Christian I guess. Sheamus needs to go heel, he'd be the biggest/baddest dude on Raw.


    Ryback's match sucked. About *1/2.

    ReplyDelete
  112. Charismatic E-Negro Jef VinsonJuly 15, 2013 at 10:44 AM

    McMahon and HHH probably have this set on some custom handicap mode where they can squash the WARRIOR until rapture.
    Hogan is asking for a copy as well.

    ReplyDelete
  113. Your_Favourite_AssholeJuly 15, 2013 at 10:45 AM

    thought it was kinda weird that titlyn and aj spent the entire match focusing on kaitlyn's bad arm... and then the black widow was locked on the good arm

    ReplyDelete
  114. Charismatic E-Negro Jef VinsonJuly 15, 2013 at 10:46 AM

    It was made more weird when Cole was hyping that it was on the bad arm when it clearly wasn't.

    ReplyDelete
  115. Dodd I use that already? My bad... coffee maker broke this morning so I'm just all sorts of screwed up.

    ReplyDelete
  116. Your_Favourite_AssholeJuly 15, 2013 at 10:48 AM

    agreed on ryback. i thought it was pretty boring

    ReplyDelete
  117. Your_Favourite_AssholeJuly 15, 2013 at 10:48 AM

    not unlike rock and foley in 98/99

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  118. The spear was proved ineffective because of the bad arm and the "momentum change", which led to AJ having the submission on the other arm for almost a minute. Not defending the psychology, I'm just sayin'.

    ReplyDelete
  119. I'm gonna make you feel punch drunk!

    ReplyDelete
  120. Your_Favourite_AssholeJuly 15, 2013 at 10:51 AM

    i wanna know about the cute chick in the background at around the 1:10 mark

    ReplyDelete
  121. Orton REALLY needed a direction, though, and now he has one. Bryan is so hot right now, he doesn't really need a briefcase. He should probably be #1 contender anyway, based on wins and appearances and 'over-ness'.

    ReplyDelete
  122. Your_Favourite_AssholeJuly 15, 2013 at 10:54 AM

    ' Has any briefcase holder cashed... not as a surprise?'


    rvd in '06 and cena last year

    ReplyDelete
  123. Your_Favourite_AssholeJuly 15, 2013 at 10:55 AM

    now he just needs to stop shaving the sides of head. looks stupid that he has this bowl cut with a ponytail thing going

    ReplyDelete
  124. If Ryback had gone to the bear hug, as opposed to the chin lock, I'd have been much happier about the match. Cole was hyping that Ryback was working the back, which could have played into the finish, that Jericho couldn't kick out. But he kept going back to the chin lock. And I thought Ryback kinda botched the finish, it didn't look like he really synched him up, but what do I know.

    ReplyDelete
  125. Your_Favourite_AssholeJuly 15, 2013 at 10:57 AM

    what do know you? youve got a shitty bulldog!

    ReplyDelete
  126. Are you saying that ION television and 7-11 are lying to me?

    ReplyDelete
  127. She should've worked the arm that she locked the finish onto, I agree with you there. I thought it was funny Cole botched his own call, cuz he made such a big deal about Kaitlyn being unable to cover.

    ReplyDelete
  128. Foley/Rock were main event title matches, plus they had been working together in singles for a couple years before that. I don't see Cody and Damien being on that level, but I hope they prove me wrong.

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  129. Even if he gets caught smoking a joint in a trashed hotel room, with a dead hooker and duffel bags full of steroids/pills that belong to Jeff Hardy...he'll be back on Raw in 30 days.

    ReplyDelete
  130. LOL. I find it kind of weird that the guy who has been hyped as having unorthodox and innovative offense hasn't used any new moves in years....

    ReplyDelete
  131. Rise Above Hate

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  132. I really enjoyed that first MITB match, more than the All-Stars one. Maybe WWE should do more matches like that where a group of young mid-carders can have some time and show what they can do.

    ReplyDelete
  133. Yeah. The new Goldberg he ain't. A part of me wants him to be paired with Vicky just because it'll probably be a pretty funny pairing.

    ReplyDelete
  134. I thought that finish was awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  135. The thing is, I don't know if Sandow will win the belt. Cole and JBL kept on yelling, "there's your next World Champion!" in such an obvious way that Sandow might fail to swerve everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  136. Your_Favourite_AssholeJuly 15, 2013 at 11:16 AM

    going along with you initial comment, i thought it woulda been cool if kaitlyn couldnt even have tapped cause her bad arm (the free arm) was so messed up

    ReplyDelete
  137. I don't have a seething hatred of DQ or countout finishes per se, but the Ziggler/Del Rio ending was appropriate for RAW, not appropriate for a $55 show. Until AJ ruined everything it looked like they were building to a great finish. Just my personal opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  138. I think people hate paying $55+ for DQ or countout finishes. That stuff is fine for Raw or Smackdown.

    ReplyDelete
  139. He had unorthodox and innovative offense in 1998, maybe even 2002. But in 2012, when you have guys like Kofi and Evan Bourne on the roster? Not so much.

    ReplyDelete
  140. Really with the downvotes? MITB 2011 and MITB 2012 were two of the best PPVs of the last 5 years, MITB 2013 can't touch it.

    ReplyDelete
  141. It was the only non-pin or submission finish on the show. I think you're allowed at least one.

    ReplyDelete
  142. Doesn't he have two strikes on his record? By WWE's own policies, they're forced to terminate him upon a third offense. Which means one of two things: it gets covered up and someone else takes the fall for it (Welcome back, RVD!), or he gets the Fit Finlay treatment and is fired but brought back in six months to a year once he's "cleaned up."

    ReplyDelete
  143. Jesus, you guys would've hated the '80s and early '90s.

    ReplyDelete
  144. What the balls is this doing to get all these downvotes? Stop hurting my feelings, Internet.

    ReplyDelete
  145. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryJuly 15, 2013 at 11:54 AM

    I believe the policy is that they can re-hire a third strike violator after 12 months, but the wrestler will be hired with a 2-strike condition from the start, meaning one violation equals another termination. I wonder who will be the first to pull that off.

    ReplyDelete
  146. Hey, I'm just speaking for the people. I don't buy PPVs, so they can run whatever finish they want as far as I'm concerned :)

    ReplyDelete
  147. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryJuly 15, 2013 at 11:56 AM

    I'm with you; I hate DQ finishes on PPV title matches with a passion. The first two PPVs I attended live (which cost a combined $200+) had main events that ended in DQs, so that's why I'm never OK with it.

    ReplyDelete
  148. Yep. This what I think/hope is the case.

    If Bryan isn't main eventing SS against Cena, I'd rather see a Hell No reunion against the Wyatts. Though Bryan restoring some luster to the IC title by taking it all the way to Wrestlemania, where he wins the title would have some intrigue.

    ReplyDelete
  149. I think Orton makes a ton of sense assuming this leads to the big heel turn. That title needs to be on a top heel, because every top guy right now is pretty much a face (Cena, Orton, Punk, Sheamus, Bryan), and Orton's the only one who should turn heel and has a realistic chance of turning (maybe Sheamus, but Orton's a better choice). If they're not going to give it to Henry, give it to Orton and turn him so we can have Cena/Bryan/Punk/Sheamus all chasing the title.



    And of course it made sense in the buildup. Didn't you SEE Orton lose clean to Punk and Bryan the past two weeks? In WWE Land, that was a clear indication he was winning! Gotta job him out first.

    ReplyDelete
  150. Agree on Ziggler/Del Rio, I didn't think it was amazing but I thought it was better than Scott did.



    Meh on Axel. I'm totally fine with one Bryan/Axel match on free TV, but if it's leading to some kind of feud, that's such a huge step down for Bryan.



    Disagree on Cena/Henry except for the wrong guy won part. I thought it was a great match.



    Agreed on AJ/Kaitlyn.



    Wouldn't go 5 stars on the main event, but I did like it a lot. And I'm actually totally fine with Orton's win because I think it leads to the Orton heel turn. As long as they don't turn him into a total chickenshit heel, I'm always in favor of putting the title on a strong heel, especially with so many top faces right now.



    Agreed on Ryback. I might go 2 stars because Jericho did work his ass off and there were a couple good spots, but man, Ryback is an absolute mess.

    ReplyDelete
  151. 3 downvotes is all? you can do better than that you heathens. I AM THE ANTI-SMARK. FUCK CHRIS BENOIT.

    ReplyDelete
  152. Ha Ha Ha! I'm the king! Ha Ha Ha!

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  153. it's still innovative because a lot of his moves are rvd original. he may not have come up with something new in years, but that doesn't take away the stuff he uses that he came up with in the first place.

    ReplyDelete
  154. If Sheamus (hell, Daniel Bryan, though he's never been positioned as a tippy-top guy, even as WHC) left the WWE today, do you think their return 17 years later in an ad and video game would get 1/88th the attention that this does? Just like the Self Destruction of the Warrior DVD sold BECAUSE IT'S A DVD ABOUT THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR (despite it being a negative one). People care about the Warrior, no matter how many times they tell us he was a shitty worker and promo. It doesn't matter.

    ReplyDelete
  155. They put on a great match here, they put on a pretty damn good one at Survivor Series last year

    ReplyDelete
  156. Shield, PTPs, Usos, Americans - these are perfectly good tag teams. I wonder if WWE will try using these tag teams as tag teams for the purposes of tag team wrestling.

    ReplyDelete
  157. He gets enormous live crowd reactions in less smarky markets, but he's been around as an upper-level guy long enough that loud reactions or not, he isn't a draw.

    ReplyDelete
  158. Your_Favourite_AssholeJuly 15, 2013 at 12:41 PM

    brah... how can something that feels so right be so wrong?

    ReplyDelete
  159. randy orton not a draw? you're insane. pull him from the smackdown house shows and watch what happens.

    ReplyDelete
  160. Eh, I'm totally okay with them turning Sheamus too. He would crush a bullying-heel character. He practically already is, they just need to treat him as such.

    And one heel's not going to be enough for all those faces. I'm assuming that Henry's out of the title picture now, and Brock will be after SummerSlam. Plus, then they can cut their losses on this Del Rio push. A heel-Sheamus, Sandow, Ziggler, Cody mix on Smackdown for the fall sounds great. Orton can be your top heel on Raw.

    ReplyDelete
  161. But if Bryan doesn't get a title shot yet without mixed booking they run the risk of missing the boat on him. His heel ref episode the other week was depressing.

    ReplyDelete
  162. I was sure it was going to be Jeff Hardy, but he bailed before the inevitable third strike.

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  163. As much as it would piss me off, this honestly seems like the right thing to do.

    ReplyDelete
  164. I doubt it, christian was just there to fill the gaps that Edge left, once he did that...he resumed his place back in the mid card.

    ReplyDelete
  165. It doesn't make sense for them to book Cena/Orton full stop. It was a tired main event 4 years ago now it makes no sense, I strongly suspect that this is their way of giving us Heel Orton and Face Bryan headlining during the fall. I would be far more excited about that prospect if they didn't already give it away on free tv...three times.

    ReplyDelete
  166. Add in Tons of Funk, which I think should be a heel monster team and the Wyatts and you have two more teams.

    ReplyDelete
  167. That shit was driving me crazy during that match. I understand they have a point to enforce-that almost every MITB winner has cashed in to win a title-but they must have hammered that point over a dozen times during the first MITB match.


    They really are incapable of being subtle.

    ReplyDelete
  168. Meltzer aaid that they didn't do it here because they have other ideas to jump start Cena vs Bryan in SS. And Brock vs Punk is the real main event anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  169. hey Scott, any idea on what the Bellas were trying to say here? lol

    ReplyDelete
  170. hey scott, any idea on what you think the Bellas were trying to say here? lol http://s23.postimg.org/nrcxjtnll/vlcsnap_2013_07_15_12h16m22s25.png

    ReplyDelete
  171. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryJuly 15, 2013 at 3:03 PM

    The worst is Cole shouting WE HAVE A NEW CHAMPION during a count, which blatantly gives away that a kickout is coming.

    ReplyDelete
  172. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryJuly 15, 2013 at 3:07 PM

    *uses decoder ring*


    BE SURE TO DRINK YOUR OVALTINE

    ReplyDelete
  173. kind of upset i decided not to go at the last second. :(

    ReplyDelete
  174. Oh I fucking hate that so much. It has been especially bad in recent years where it's supposed to have this reverse psychology effect on the audience but has been so overdone that it's become an absolute certain kickout.

    ReplyDelete
  175. One more thing to the crowd that says Cena cant wrestle. Please seek out last nights carry job of Mark Henry. John Cena can go and I cant wait for a 3 match (hopefully) ppv series with Dbry! I had Cena Henry at ****.

    ReplyDelete
  176. Ovaltine?


    A crummy commercial?


    Son of a BITCH.

    ReplyDelete
  177. Anyone who still claims Cena isn't a good worker hasn't been paying attention for a long, long time. I know it's chanted at him a lot, but I think actual smart fans mostly acknowledge that he's a very good, if not great worker. It's the character people hate.

    That said, I wouldn't shortchange Mizark and call it a total "carry job." He had a legit *** match with Show not that long ago. It's too bad it wasn't until he was long past his physical prime that he found his niche in terms of in-ring style, psychology and character. He could have made billions and billions with this character/in-ring style with Austin in '99.

    ReplyDelete
  178. here, here sir.

    ReplyDelete
  179. McMahon is having a shit fit over that I bet.

    ReplyDelete
  180. Your_Favourite_AssholeJuly 15, 2013 at 4:22 PM

    what you see there is what made it on screen before the graphic suddenly disappeared

    ReplyDelete
  181. Your_Favourite_AssholeJuly 15, 2013 at 4:22 PM

    hopefully he'll blame kevin dunn and teach that munch some humility

    ReplyDelete
  182. I think it's unfair to say that anyone thinks Cena isn't that good a wrestler. Maybe I'm just missing those threads, but I never read anyone saying that Cena is a below-average worker. What you do see is criticism of specific aspects of his work.



    I'd certainly characterize him as a very good worker, but he's definitely not elite. His spotty selling is maddening, and his execution of moves can be loose and sloppy.

    ReplyDelete
  183. Orton has decent chemistry with Cena as far as their matches go. They just don't click very well as characters. Plus Cena has to do all the heavy lifting with the promos since Orton's a terrible speaker.

    ReplyDelete
  184. Agreed, I had it at about 3.5 stars but It was a good match. Those who say Cena can't work are just hating on him for other reasons. Yea, there's alot to not like about him but I'd go as far to say there are only a handful of better workers then him in the WWE right now.

    ReplyDelete
  185. I'm probably the biggest Orton fan here but even I was deflated when he won. Curtis costing Bryan the match really took the wind out of my sails. It would have been pretty unique if Bryan won the case because it would have been the first MITB win that did not feel fluky. He took out everyone and then went to grab it. That Bryan sequence at the end was amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  186. Why not on Raw? Cinema Verite!

    ReplyDelete
  187. You're taking a real controversial stand against such a beloved figure there.

    ReplyDelete
  188. damn fine show. Cody looked like a star & Punk's acting was fantastic besides the high-quality matches.

    ReplyDelete
  189. Watched the WWE title MITB match and while it was good, I don't think it was THAT good. I'd reckon around ***1/2. Definitely worse than the Smackdown one last year and both the 2011 renditions.

    ReplyDelete

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