RAW REVIEW

This past weeks episode of Raw was filled with some interesting things.  First, Triple H gave Randy Orton a car, only to have it later vandalized by Daniel Bryan.  Side-note...I remember the WWE used to always do something with vehicles getting vandalized and or smashed...I thought it was always interesting.  Anyway, later in the night Bryan would pay for his crime by having to take on The Shield in a gauntlet match.  Triple H would bring all the superstars out to the stage to watch Bryan's destruction.  There were several points where it really looked like the Big Show was actually angry.  The Orton vs. Bryan match at Night of Champions has all the makings of a classic.  Let's not forget that Orton and Bryan had a string of good matches several months ago.  CM Punk went one on one with Curtis Axel.  If Punk won the match then Paul Heyman would have to get in the ring with Punk.  Punk did indeed win and Heyman was forced in the ring with Punk.  However, Axel interfered and then Heyman and Axel proceeded to destroy Punk.  I am hoping this gets some sort of a culmination at Night of Champions.  However, I do have to admit that one of the highlights of the night came from the WWE Diva's division. That's right the WWE Divas finally had a mention-able moment on RAW.  Well really only one Diva did...the Diva's Champ AJ Lee.  AJ came out on stage after a Diva's match that had in it diva's from the show Total Diva's.  AJ did a shoot promo where she literally went off on the other Diva's saying that the other diva's were not even good enough to lace up her Chuck Taylor's.  This was one of the best promo's I have seen from the WWE diva's division.  I hope that the WWE takes this and does something with it.  Until next week.

IMPACT 8/22/2013

You will note that in the heading I said Impact and not Hardcore Justice.  Before reviewing the action from the show, let me go ahead and say this.  I am all for TNA putting on a special kind of impact and they can call it whatever they want.  However, first you have to do something to the show to make me the audience feel as though something is different...TNA is not doing this.  Also, an event is just that it is one event.  Do not try to extend it to two weeks worth of programming.  Now that I have that out of the way...last night's impact was filled with some good stuff.  The highlight is of course the five on five match where the loser of the fall leaves TNA.  The match was between MEM and Aces & Eights.  MEM looked like they were going to be going into the match a man down; then when out of nowhere here comes AJ Styles.  The match itself was pretty good  and in the end saw Styles pin Devon.  This means that Devon must leave TNA if all holds true.  Now I am not sure if this means that Styles is going to join MEM or if he was just out there to help.  I would like to briefly say a way that I thought would have been better for this to go down.  I wish they would have started the match and at some point chaos ensued and then a midst the chaos all of the sudden Styles music hits.  Styles comes to ring and comes face to face with Devon.  Everyone else is fighting on the outside and then Styles hits Devon with the Styles Clash and gets the pin.  MEM gets in the ring and looks at Styles, who just simply turns around and walks back up the ramp...then the show ends.  This would have been to me a better ending than the one we got, but we have to settle for what we have.  The ending we got provided us with questions:  Is the old AJ Styles back or was this a one time thing?  Is Styles part of MEM or not?  How will Aces & Eights respond to losing Devon?  I am sure we will get some answers next week.  Until then we will just have to speculate. 

RAW 8-19-2013

Last night's RAW was one that saw many things happen and also didn't answer that many questions for us from SummerSlam.  The show began with John Cena coming out and telling us that he would be out for 4 to 6 months. (saw that coming)  After this Daniel Bryan had a confrontation with Stephanie McMahon which ended in Bryan being thrown out of the building.  The CM Punk and Paul Heyman story-line looks as if it will continue, but I am unsure if it will continue with Lesnar.  Last night Curits Axel was the one that attempted to put Punk in his place, but was unsuccessful.  This brings us to the new WWE Champion Randy Orton.  ORton had coronation ceremony that involved both Stephanie and Vince McMahon and of course Triple H.  It is still unclear if this was a plot by Orton and Triple H or if it was just best for business.  Bryan was invited to the party only to be beat down by The Shield and then RKO'd by Orton.  If Orton has aligned himself with Triple H and the McMahon's then this could present us the audience with some good television.  We will have to wait to see what will be to come for both Orton and Bryan.

SUMMERSLAM 2013 RESULTS

Summerslam 2013 had its share of great moments and matches.  Punk vs. Lesnar was indeed right at the top of the list.  Both men brought everything they had.  In the end, Heyman's repeated interference proved more than The Best could overcome and Lesnar got the win.  While Lesnar won the match, I hope the WWE does not just let this be the end of that feud.  The match was great and I think that Punk and Lesnar could potentially continue and still prove to be great matches.  Del Rio vs. Christian was actually a great match.  They seemed to have good chemistry in the ring together.  It is just a shame that this match was kind of just on the card and wasn't really a match that was marketed.  Del Rio ended up winning the match, straight up I might add.  Del Rio pinned Christian in the center of the ring.  Kane vs. Brae Wyatt in the ring of fire match was honestly not that good.  The fire just seemed to be put there as a distraction from the fact that the match wasn't that good.  The ending was also very uneventful, but it did leave us with one question...What are the Wyatt's doing with Kane?  The highlight of the night was of course John Cena vs Daniel Bryan.  This was an excellent match.  Both superstars brought their "A" game and they gelled well together in the ring.  In the end Bryan got the win and the title.  However, the show doesn't end there.  I thought for a minute the WWE was going to miss an opportunity and just not have Triple H get involved at all which would have been weird.  However, Randy Orton comes to the ring and then Triple H hits Bryan with pedigree and Orton cashes in Money in the Bank to become the Champion.  The way it went down makes me believe that Orton and Triple H had this planned and this sets us up nicely for another Orton and Bryan feud.  They had what would end up being three great matches a few months ago and I can only imagine what is in store if the title is on the line.  On a side note, I do not look to see John Cena until at least Survivor Series.  There have been rumors that he was going to have surgery after Summerslam on his elbow and will probably be off for a while to rest the elbow.  However, if Cena has to take time off this would be the best time to do it because there is not another major pay-per-view until Survivor Series and we as an audience will have the Orton and Bryan feud to keep us occupied as well as where Triple H and Mr. McMahon fit into this whole thing.  Tonight's Raw should be filled with at least some of these answers.  Overall I thought Summerslam was well worth the money spent to buy it on pay-per-view.

TNA HARDCORE JUSTICE

Well we had another free quote, un-quote pay-per-view from TNA last night.  Once again the only thing that changed was the big screen.  Show was still two hours, and still did not make me feel like I was getting anything special.  However, there were some interesting things that happened at the show.  The 4 way ladder match was pretty good and the table match was also pretty good.  In the main event Bully Ray took back the TNA Heavyweight Title from Chris Sabin with the help of Tito Ortiz.  That's right Ortiz helped out Bully.  Honestly I don't care how it happened as long as they took the title from Sabin.  I take nothing away from him, but he just does not work as the champion.  I do not feel like I have to tune in to see him, and he is not that good on the mic.  So I am happy that Bully has the title again.  Bully is such a great bad guy that people will watch just to see someone beat him.  I am looking forward to where this Ortiz angle might go.  As we all know Ortiz is scheduled to do a MMA fight against Rampage Jackson which is who he stabbed in the back last night.  This leads me to another issue I believe TNA has;  their partnership with Bellator.  I understand the need to partner with another company and possibly use their talent.  However, I hope that Bellator is not just simply using TNA to try and boost the ratings for the fight between Ortiz and Jackson.  I have said this before and I will say it again...TNA has a good product.  I think their creative department is pretty good and they have a talented roster.  The only ones that can get in their way are themselves.  If we are going to go down this "free pay-per-view" road then please make the show different.  Take that show to 3 hours or put it on without commercial interruptions.  Something, anything...I still feel like I am simply watching a regular version of Impact and if I feel that way I am certain that most everyone else does.  If you are telling us that it is supposed to be something different then you have to make it something different.

BIG SHOW RETURN

This past week on Raw the Big Show returned.  I like a lot of people thought this was going to happen like two weeks ago, but anyway the Big Show is back.  However, now what to do him????  He showed up Monday in street clothes and came to the ring to prevent an attack by the shield on RVD and Mark Henry.  RVD is already in a match at Summerslam against one member of The Shield.  Could the WWE be thinking of teaming Show and Henry together to possibly take a run at the titles against The Shield???  That would be a good pairing and would make sense to have The Shield drop the titles to them.  However, the WWE has been sort of giving the Uso's a push recently.  So maybe we could end up in a three way tag for the titles.  I am happy to see the Big Show return, but I just hope that the WWE doesn't just waste him away.  Show is a great superstar and has the ability to be entertaining if the WWE will allow him.  Before he left, he was just kind of like ahhhh...ME GIANT....ME ANGRY...  They should let him go out there and entertain the crowd.  He has shown he can do it and he has also shown that he deserves to be in some title picture.  I know this sounds like I am the world's biggest Show fan.  ( pun intended)  However, I am not really, I just hope he is used better this time than he was last time.

SUMMERSLAM 2013

After Monday's Raw we have underlying questions when it comes to Summerslam.  The announcement that Triple H will be the special referee for the John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan WWE Title match brings with it a set of questions.  What are they building up for?  Why put the Triple H, Mcmahon feud front and center on the biggest party of the summer?  These are just a couple of questions that announcement poses.  Also, after the MizTV segment we are left with a different take on the match than we had previous to this week.  John Cena was meaner in that segment than I can recall him being.  I still think a John Cena heel turn would throw the WWE Universe for a loop and could be just the kind of thing to surprise us.  One thing is for certain about this match, after adding Triple H to the mix and knowing the dislike Mcmahon has for both Cena and Bryan...Summerslam should be interesting.  I like how they keep throwing Randy Orton out there as if it is just set that he will cash in at Summerslam.  It is just one more thing to think about for that match.  The other big match at Summerslam is going to be Cm Punk vs. Brock Lesnar.  After punk outsmarting both Paul Heyman and Lesnar on Raw what will their reaction be at Summerslam.  I honestly cannot see Lesnar winning this match.  Honestly, Lesnar is only in the company about half way; he isn't at every show and the amazing backing of Punk by the crowd could be a way to ride Punk back to the Title picture.  I am looking forward to this match from the Summerslam card.  Punk is great in the ring and with the shear size and power difference that Lesnar brings to the table it should make for a great match.  I look for this match to steal the show at Summerslam.  I have to be honest at this point...there are really no other matches that strike me as potentially great going into Summerslam.  I am sure that I will be surprised and some great matches will emerge but going in it is really these two that make me want to buy the pay-per-view.  Del Rio vs. Christian for the World Heavyweight Title I feel is simply getting overshadowed.  Both superstars are good in ring performers but I believe the WWE has not marketed the match enough to make me want to see it.  Other matches on the card, Cody Rhodes vs. Damen Sandow, RVD vs. Dean Ambrose for the US Title in the kickoff match, Kane vs. Brae Wyatt in the Ring of Fire match, and there are a couple other matches on the card as well.  RVD and Ambrose have the talent to make for a great match but they are on the kickoff show so don't know who all will get to see it.  The Kane and Wyatt match is just intriguing especially with the Ring of Fire (Inferno Match) stipulation.  Summerslam is bound to make for some changes in the WWE, we as an audience will just have to sit back and wait to find out what the changes will have in store for us.  

I now have to move on to TNA.  Where to begin?  First, let me say that as a wrestling fan I can say that we love to be surprised.  We love returns, we love debuts, and we really like guessing what the big reveal is going to be.  That being said...TNA you missed!  All I have wanted for a while is for WWE to give us more surprises;  TNA however, you should give us less.  I want to say that I unlike a lot of people am a TNA fan.  I think they have a great product and great talent to back it up.  However, they have been surprising me to death lately, and the surprises have not been that good.  For a while it was who was with Aces & Eights, then it was who was going to join Main Event Mafia, and then they came with this August 1st Warning.  This thing which by the way if anyone ever wants to know how to not promote something that much look at this as an example.  I'm not even hating on that, because regardless of how they did it they succeeded in getting people to talk about it.  However, when it comes time for the big reveal...Tito Ortiz!!!!!  Really????  Really????  Really????  Really???  (Sorry I was channeling The Miz for a minute)  Tito Ortiz, I take nothing away from the guy, as an MMA star he is right up there, but this is wrestling.  Can MMA stars come into wrestling and be successful, sure.  I mean wrestling stars have crossed over to MMA and been successful...Brock Lesnar.  However, to do a build up for a guy that as far as I am aware of has never set foot inside a professional wrestling ring is ludicrous.  TNA please if you have anymore surprises make them actual surprises that wrestling fans want to see.  Moving on to the TNA Heavyweight Title.  I am not a Chris Sabin fan, but he has some wrestling skills.  However, when it came time for Destination X it was like the management went...Oh Shit we need an X division star to put in the title match...ummm...Chris Sabin will work.  I know that putting the belt on Sabin was a mistake and I can tell you how I know.  Last week the Main Event match and the match that got the most promoting and the match that everyone wanted to see was not the TNA Heavyweight Champion Chris Sabin vs. the X Division Champion Manic; it was AJ Styles vs. Austin Aries.  This tells me that fans have lost interest in the champion.  The Styles Aries match was good, but it seemed to end abruptly.  Like they weren't paying attention and then looked and went...damn we need to end this in order to have time for the final segment.  This seems like a lot of negative stuff, but honestly TNA has a good product...they have just been dropping the ball lately.  I have been to WWE events including pay-per-views and I have also been to TNA events.  I had a lot more fun at the TNA events.  I want to touch on one more thing...I know there are rumors that TNA is losing money and  a bunch of other stuff.  I have heard they have cut their pay-per-views down to 4 a year which seems to be backed up by the fact that Destination X and Hardcore Justice are coming on Spike TV.  I would just like to ask TNA to do one thing for me...Make the pay-per-view things that are now coming on for free on Spike different than a normal Impact wrestling.  Honestly the only thing that changed was the entrance and ring apron.  The show was still two hours and even felt like a regular impact and not a different show.  Take them to 3 hours or do something.  I challenge you TNA; begin putting out the product that I know you are capable of because I have seen it before.

I'm going to try this blog thing again.  This time I am going to comment on current trends, storylines, etc.  that are occuring in WWE and TNA.  First, WWE, the WWE is currently doing a big push of Daniel Bryan.  The build up is the WWE Title match between Bryan and John Cena at Summerslam.  Bryan has a lot of fan support and I'll be honest, I am not really a fan but the guy has paid his dues and deserves a shot at the belt.  This would present the WWE with a unique opportunity.  One I am sure they won't take, but I think it would be interesting to turn Cena Heel.  Not over the top Heel, but just a kind of do whatever I got to do to keep the belt kind of heel.  No one would expect it and lets face it a vast majority of the crowd does not like Cena anyway.  The WWE will probably go with something where Bryan beats Cena but then Orton cashes in Money in the Bank and beats Bryan, but I think there is an opportuntiy here.  Come on WWE take a chance!  The other thing is the storyline building between Mr. McMahon and Triple H.  This has been going on for a couple months now and is beginning to just be confusing.  They really need to head in a direction with this soon or I might stop caring.  (And I am a huge Triple H fan)  Really that is all that is going on in WWE or at least all that feels significant to me.  Alberto Del Rio is set to defend the World Heavyweight Title against Christian at Summerslam.  Not to take anything away from either superstar, but this just isn't on my top teir list of possible exciting matches at Summerslam.  It doesn't help that the WWE just seemed to throw the match together and there really ,up to this point, has not been any kind of push or angle thrown out there to make me take notice.  Anyway, Summerslam is shaping up to be pretty intriguing.