WWE NXT Report: April 27, 2010

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Another week, another NXT. Another lame contest, another waste of upstart talent. I don’t really have much to say about last night’s show. Let’s get it done.

“Seal The Deal” Challenge

This week’s challenge tested the Rookies’ likability. Each Rookie had one minute to sell as many programs as possible. The winner would be the Rookie who made the most money and main event next week’s show against a Pro of his choosing. It was pretty damn boring, but each Rookie sold the programs in their own respective ways and stayed to character.  Barrett kept the money for himself, Bryan and Tarver didn’t participate in their own ways, and Otunga made two kids do it for him. Otunga won and picked a match against his Pro, R-Truth. Bryan/Miz is still not ready and other than Otunga/Truth, there wasn’t really much else. It should be a decent match.

Christian and Heath Slater v. Chris Jericho and Wade Barrett

Same match we’ve been seeing. Please do something else! Bad guys win.

Darren Young (with Serena and Luke Gallows) v. Michael Tarver (with Carlito)

Young’s storyline with the SES is one to watch. This time, Gallows helps instead. With the masked man in with the SES, adding Young would make for a solid five-piece stable. If only Serena would wrestle. Damn, she’s fine.

Daniel Bryan v. Skip Sheffield (with William Regal)

The Miz, selling the effects of last night’s punch from the Big Show, puts Bryan in instead and walks off. Sheffield hits the Over the Shoulder Boulder Holder and it’s over. Bryan loses again, but it doesn’t matter because he will win the competition and become the U.S. Champion.

With only one week left before the first elimination, hopefully next week will be the last boring episode of NXT.

WWE Draft: The Afterthoughts

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With last night’s televised Draft and today’s online Supplemental Draft officially complete, it is time to look more closely at the moves made to each respective brand. While this draft didn’t have any “blockbuster” moves, some were definitely surprising and interesting. I will break down both Raw and Smackdown as a whole and by each Superstar.

Raw definitely got the better end of the deal, which seems to always happen, considering Raw is the “flagship” show and Smackdown’s currently going through a network switch. The addition of John Morrison, Edge, and Chris Jericho will definitely add to the main event scene, while new tag champions the Hart Dynasty might help to reinvigorate the tag team scene. Overall, an intriguing draft for Raw.

John Morrison – My theory of Morrison being next in line for Swagger’s title is officially ruined. He gets more exposure now, but he is much further down the face totem pole, behind Cena, Orton, and Triple H. Morrison is over with the crowd and that should continue, but he will have to work harder to get to the top. Morrison might get a crack at the Miz’s U.S. Title, but with Cena as champion for now, his main-event status is much lower than it was before.

R-Truth – This isn’t a “life-changing” move for Truth. He will remain in the mid-card and do what he did on Smackdown. Having Morrison move with him allows them to keep their team together and challenge for the titles down the road. A feud with DiBiase seems likely after last night, which would be entertaining. Hopefully, it won’t be like his last time on Raw. You know, when he exploded.

Edge – Edge moving to Raw was the biggest shocker of the night. After a hot angle with Jericho, Edge gets a fresh start. He interfered in the #1 Contender’s Match by spearing Randy Orton and costing him the match. Since he didn’t go for Batista or Sheamus, I assume he will fully transitioning back into a heel. He got a babyface reaction upon his return, but he always was more of a tweener. An Edge/Orton feud would be fun and refreshing, since it hasn’t been done since Edge returned from injury about five or six years ago. As long as we don’t get Edge/Cena right away, this is a great move for Raw.

Chris Jericho – Just when I thought Edge/Jericho would be over, Jericho moves to Raw. After fighting to stay on Raw after losing the tag titles, he is back on Raw and it’s about time. There really is nothing left on Smackdown for Jericho. He could continue his feud with Edge, either directly or indirectly through the WWE Championship picture. He can also team with the Miz (on their mutual hatred for the Big Show) and challenge for the tag titles. There will plenty for Jericho to do and I look forward to seeing what transpires.

The Great Khali & Ranjin Singh – I thought he was on sabbatical. Maybe he will be released before he comes back. i don’t know or care.

Natalya – This move was interesting considering the Dynasty’s win last night. Natalya is an amazing wrestler and will inject some life into a dormant Raw Divas scene.

Ezekiel Jackson – Currently suffering from injury, the last ever ECW Champion seemed like he would be getting a big push on Smackdown. Jackson is a perfect fit for the mid-card and could possibly even move to the main-event scene in the future and challenge for a title. It will be interesting to see how he functions without William Regal in his ear.

Goldust – Goldust is one of the WWE’s best enhancement talents and will continue to flourish at the role on Raw. He won’t be getting any big wins anytime soon, but that is not why he is there.

The Hart Dynasty – After Natalya’s move, this was natural. The Hart Dynasty finally got the push it deserved, especially with Bret around. Since they are the champions, the Dynasty can move between shows, but having them on Raw will give them more exposure and more possible opponents.

Smackdown lost too much and didn’t gain a lot back in return. Yet, the Blue Brand got three possible challengers to the WHC and some mid-card talent to help enhance the brand. Not a bad showing for Smackdown, but as always. never as good as Raw.

Kelly Kelly – The only Diva making a move on-air last night, Kelly Kelly will get a look on Smackdown. I don’t see much from her, but she is improving and will be another “credible” Diva on Friday nights.

The Big Show – After punching out the Miz, Show moves to Smackdown, where it looks like he will have another face turn. He is much more believable as a face and could possibly be in the hunt for the WHC.

Kofi Kingston – A good move for Kingston, who has floated around since his program with Orton ended in December. He will fill Truth’s role on Smackdown and finally gives me a possible usurper to Drew McIntyre’s IC Title.

Christian – With Edge and Morrison moving to Raw, Christian has been elevated to main-event status. Another rivalry with Swagger would be fun, this time over the WHC Title. These two had chemistry on ECW, so we know it will work. Finally, Captain Charisma gets the push he deserves.

Chavo Guerrero- Not too much to say. Maybe he will get more respect?

Cody Rhodes – An interesting and predictable move post-Legacy. Rhodes would be the perfect mid-card heel along with Ziggler and McIntrye.

Chris Masters – Chest-bouncing on Fridays.

Hornswoggle – …..

Rosa Mendes – Rosa moves to Smackdown and probably won’t do anything. I am surprised not to see Zack Ryder move with her.

M.V.P. – No one will benefit from a move more than M.V.P. After being drafted to Raw last year, he received a big push before languishing in a tag team with Mark Henry. Going back to Smackdown will work wonders for M.V.P., who made his name there. Like Christian, he has automatically been elevated to main-event status. We know he can work with Swagger after their mini-feud last year. Great move.

WWE Monday Night Raw Draft Special Live Report

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I have been very lucky to have attended two huge tapings in the past two weeks. I was at the Smackdown/NXT taping in London, England, two weeks ago (read below!), and now that I made it back to the U.S. safely (even though I slept in the Philadelphia airport Sunday night to do so), I was able to attend last night’s Monday Night Raw Draft Special. It might have been one of the best live shows I have ever seen. Like my London post, I want to share with you my experience and thoughts on last night’s show. I will have another post later analyzing the draft picks from the show and today’s Supplemental Draft. How about it?

Odd & Ends

The Richmond Coliseum isn’t what I would call a fantastic building. It it quite old and pretty small, but I think that makes for a better atmosphere sometimes. At the O2 Arena, it looked huge and the crowd was dead. But last night, I have never been a part of such a hot crowd. Before the show even started, the place was booming. Southern wrestling fans (I being one of them) are a different breed and being surrounded by them made the show 10x better. As always, there were tons of kids, but not as many as usual. A pretty adult-heavy crowd for the most part.

Also, two Superstars matches took place before the show. Gail Kim defeated Jillian Hall and Zack Ryder defeated Primo. Check in for my WWE Superstars report on Friday for more about these matches.

I will break down my thoughts on the show as they happened.

ShoMiz vs. The Hart Dynasty for the WWE Unified Tag Team Championship

The Big Show & The Miz are the first two out to start Raw and the crowd is on them quite heavily. One of the constants through the night was that if the fans in Richmond didn’t like someone, they booed so loud, I could hardly hear anything. While it sucked not to hear it all, I am happy with how enthusiastic everyone is. The Miz wants Hart to come down and declare ShoMiz the greatest tag team of all time, which he does, but not before also saying that the Mountie was the greatest Intercontinental Champion ever as well. It is amazing how great the Miz is. Did anyone see this happening four/five years ago? The crowd popped huge for Bret, who calls out the Dynasty for the title match.

This was a fantastic tag team match. D.H. Smith’s delayed vertical suplex on the Miz was impressive. Smith, like Miz, is getting better and better. Tyson Kidd was already a great talent, so I am glad Smith is catching up. The audience was very into this match and definitely got tense near the end, especially when Miz tried to use the ropes to win before Bret pushed his legs off. The ending definitely caught me by surprise. I thought that when Kidd went for the rolling senton, Show would knock him out of mid-air. When that didn’t happen and the Hart Attack did, I thought Show would get back in because it seemed like Kidd was stalling for time before putting on the Sharpshooter. But I was completely wrong. Miz taps out and we have new WWE Unified Tag Team Champions. The crowd was very excited and it was refreshing to see a new set of champions. After the match (and during the commercial break), Show knocks out Miz. Perhaps a feud is in the works? We would have to see if either man gets drafted later on tonight.

Jack Swagger/Edge backstage promo

Josh Mathews is with Swagger, who brags about his dominant victory over Randy Orton at Extreme Rules. Edge interrupts and proclaims himself next in line for the World Heavyweight Championship. I guess the feud with Chris Jericho is over. Edge/Swagger would be an interesting storyline to say the least. And I thought John Morrison would be next in line. He did beat Swagger clean last week. Oh well.

Michelle McCool & Layla El (with VIckie Guerrero) v. Maryse and WWE Diva’s Champion Eve Torres – Divas Draft Pick Match

This match is for the first draft pick of the night and it will be a Diva. There was a “We Want Mickie” chant throughout the match. Well I guess the crowd will be disappointed. To go back to my “crowd was so loud, I couldn’t hear” bit, LayCool’s promo before the match was the perfect example. I did not hear anything other than “EXCUSE ME!” Eve and Maryse shouldn’t be teaming, but at least they didn’t get along. LayCool wins with a big boot to Maryse and Smackdown gets the first pick.

SMACKDOWN RECEIVES KELLY KELLY.

Evan Bourne v. C.M. Punk (with Serena and Luke Gallows) – Draft Pick Match

A good match between two guys who haven’t faced each other (or haven’t in a long time). The crowd loved Bourne and were lukewarm towards Punk. It was obvious to me that Punk would win, but I just didn’t know how. Bourne got in a ton of offense, which surprised me. Punk wins when the masked avenger (P.S. TOTALLY Joey Mercury) enters through the crowd (right below me, I might add) and knocks Bourne off the top rope after Serena distracted the referee. Punk with the GTS and it’s over.

SMACKDOWN RECEIVES THE BIG SHOW.

Speaking of the Big Show, he is in the back with Theodore Long. Long is happy to have Show back and Show teases him before lightening up. Show is a better crowd pleaser so a face run works better for him.

Sheamus/Randy Orton/John Cena promo

Sheamus enters the ring and states that after his victory over Triple H, he should be the #1 contender. Orton enters to a big pop and disagrees, even talking about his own problems with Triple H, but facing him face-to-face. Orton did have his fair share of sneak attacks in his day, so this made me wonder how they are trying to stretch him into a face. This was the most face promo he has cut since his turn. Sheamus makes a good point by saying that Orton had his chance at Extreme Rules for the WHC and lost. Sheamus is getting more confident on the mic. Cena enters to a GARGANTUAN pop (this is the first time since 2005 I have heard almost no booing towards him) and cuts a pretty funny promo. The line about Sheamus looking like a “jar of mayo with a ketchup haircut” was fantastic. Since there is no guest host, Cena is able to determine his #1 contender. That’s odd. Why wouldn’t he pick Hornswoggle? Anyways, we get Sheamus/Orton tonight. Solid segment.

Smackdown (Rey Mysterio, IC Champion Drew McIntyre, Shad Gaspard, Kane, and R-Truth) v. Raw (Ted DiBiase, Santino Marella, Yoshi Tatsu, Mark Henry, and M.V.P.) – Battle Royal for Three Draft Picks

It was obvious that Raw would win here because that would have given Smackdown five draft picks already. It is much harder to keep up with a battle royal live than on television. The crowd was very into Rey and Santino. The spot where Mark Henry held up Kane, only for Rey to hit the 619 was awesome. The ending, with Rey and DiBiase getting near-fall after near-fall was entertaining, but I knew DiBiase would win, which he did. Entertaining match.

RAW RECEIVES JOHN MORRISON, R-TRUTH, AND EDGE

Chris Jericho v. Christian (with Heath Slater) – Draft Pick Match

Jericho comes out to whine some more, which is a great dimension to his character. He demands an apology from Slater for beating him last week. Slater can be very charismatic, but also very boring. This was the latter. Christian comes to the ring for what is a great match. These two work so well together and I kept having flashbacks to Wrestlemania 20. The crowd was split and Jericho won with a nasty Codebreaker on Christian as he came off the top rope. Jericho gives one to Slater for his troubles.

SMACKDOWN RECEIVES KOFI KINGSTON

Kingston heads out and gives Jericho Trouble In Paradise. Maybe a new feud since Edge moved to Raw?

Jack Swagger v. John Morrison – Draft Pick Match

An okay match, but not as good as last week’s match on Smackdown. Once again, this match was predictable. There was no way Swagger would lose again. The crowd started a “This Is Boring” chant halfway through and the annoying kids behind me kept shouting “The All-American American Jackass.” Swagger wins with the OKC Thunder Bomb and earns Smackdown a pick.

SMACKDOWN RECEIVES CHRISTIAN

Ted DiBiase/R-Truth Promo

Look! Carlito got on Raw just like he said he would! Anyways, DiBiase finds Truth in the back and welcomes him to Raw. As soon as DiBiase mentioned to Truth that he had an offer for him, I knew there would be a Virgil comment. And luckily for me, there was. Truth jokingly bought into it before slapping DiBiase in the face. I was actually intrigued by a DiBiase/Truth alliance. It would give Truth something to do and maybe give him a run with the Million Dollar Belt. Alas, we get a DiBiase/Truth feud instead. The “I worked hard” versus “I was given everything” kind.

Dolph Ziggler v. Hornswoggle – Draft Pick Match

This was a clusterfuck. Why the hell did Ziggler, who is being built up on Smackdown, lose to ‘Swoggle? That doesn’t help Ziggles at all. Hornswoggle wins by countout when he keeps throwing things at Ziggler. Ziggler gives him the sleeper after. Thank goodness.

RAW RECEIVES CHRIS JERICHO

Sheamus v. Randy Orton v. Batista -#1 Contender’s Match for the WWE Championship

Before Justin Roberts announces the match, Batista makes a surprise entrance and whines and complains. It was pretty funny, actually. Sheamus and Orton come out and they all bicker until Cena makes it a triple threat. Why would he do that? He already beat Batista twice. Oy.

This was a great main event. Each superstar got plenty of time to showcase their offensive sets. I won’t go into too much detail. Edge runs in near the end as Orton is preparing to give Batista the RKO and spears him. Batista rolls over and wins. Batista-Cena III. Boo.

After the show, Batista trashed-talked Orton, even calling him “Stupid RKO.” Orton gets up and gives him that. He poses and the show ends.

I think the matches were predictable, but the picks were not. It leaves many questions going into the future. Not knowing what will happen moving forward is exactly what the WWE wants and got itself last night. In the end, a great three-hour special.

Check in later for my analysis of the draft picks.

WWE Extreme Rules: The Prediction Results

Excluding the gauntlet tag match (which wasn’t officially announced before the show), I went 6-1 in my prediction section below. Stay tuned for my next PPV prediction article on May 23 for WWE Over The Limit, live from Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. Speaking of live, check back tomorrow for my live Draft Special report!

WWE Extreme Rules: The Predictions

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I should be writing this in June, but since Extreme Rules has replaced Backlash, what I feel was the most important non-“Big Four” (well, technically “Big Three” since Survivor Series has been axed) pay-per-view on the WWE schedule, I am bringing you my Extreme Rules predictions in late April! The WWE has given us quite the card. It is Grudge Match City. Population: the WWE Universe. Live from Baltimore, it’s Sunday night!

P.S. “Time to Shine” by Saliva is the official theme song of Extreme Rules. This band needs to put out a “WWE Greatest Theme Song Hits” album or something considering it has at least two songs involved in WWE every year. But I digress.

Michelle McCool v. Beth Phoenix – Extreme Makeover Match for the WWE Women’s Championship

I’m not sure what to make of this match. It was bound to happen. Phoenix has transitioned into a fan favorite quite well and she still is, in my opinion, the most impressive woman in the WWE. It would be easy to say that McCool will walk out the winner here. Her buildup with Mickie James took months before James finally went over and won the title, only to lose it right back to McCool. There is an interesting dynamic going on here with McCool, Layla El, and Vickie Guerrero and their momentum is riding high. But I feel it would be interesting to see how LayCool chases the title for more than a week. I will go out on a limb and say the Glamazon takes the victory and wins the title.

Winner: Beth Phoenix

Shad Gaspard v. JTG – Strap Match

There was a lot of shock when Shad turned on JTG and ended Cryme Tyme. Sadly, there was not much more of a reaction. If Cryme Tyme had been more of a successful tag team, perhaps the breakup would be more poignant. Shad beat Goldust this past week on Superstars in his first televised match since his heel turn and put in a good effort. The WWE does not need to build up JTG right now; he is already an established superstar of sorts and we know what he is capable of. Shad Gaspard, however, does need to be built as a credible heel and superstar for the future. For that reason, Shad wins.

Winner: Shad Gaspard

C.M. Punk v. Rey Mysterio (if Punk loses, he must shave his head).

Can you remember the last time C.M. Punk won at a pay-per-view? In case you forgot, he has not won on pay-per-view since Breaking Point. That was in September. And he won thanks to a “screwjob” of his own in Montreal. So, in reality, C.M. Punk has not won a match at a PPV clean since his TLC victory over Jeff Hardy at Summerslam EIGHT months ago. For a guy with such a growing profile, Punk cannot continue to lose like that. Rey has had the upper hand in most of the feud in terms of winning, while Punk’s promos have trumped Rey’s handily. After winning at Wrestlemania and not having to join the Straight Edge Society, this time around, Rey has nothing on the line. If he wins, he gets to shave Punk’s head. If he loses, so what? I see this feud continuing long past Extreme Rules and possibly into Summerslam. For that to happen, Punk needs to go over. Plus, can you imagine Punk with his head shaved? Weird. And with his hair getting a small trim this past week on Raw, I cannot see it getting completely shaved off. Maybe this stipulation will arise again at a later time with Punk losing and possibly marking the end of the SES, but for now, Punk wins.

Winner: C.M. Punk

Edge v Chris Jericho – Steel Cage Match

I think this match was quite downplayed by being announced over WWE.com, but the match should be another great one between two exceptional competitors. I have no idea how long this feud will last. It really began last July with Edge’s interview after rupturing his Achilles tendon, but picked up at the Royal Rumble. I was shocked (as I think most people were) when Jericho went over at Wrestlemania. Like the Punk/Rey feud, I see this going much further than Extreme Rules and Edge needs some sort of victory to gain momentum and allow the story to unfold. Either way, I am just glad we didn’t get the Triple Threat at the PPV.

Winner: Edge

Sheamus v. Triple H – Street Fight

I apologize now if all of my match predictions begin to run together. Including the aforementioned matches, this is yet another grudge match with an almost predictable outcome. Sheamus got a major rub by becoming the WWE Champion at TLC in December. When I watched as John Cena fell through a table at TLC, my mouth was agape. I cannot remember having that feeling since I was a child. He gets the “win” over Cena and a DQ win over Randy Orton at Royal Rumble, but to this day, still has no clean victory over a major competitor. He did not factor into the decision when he lost the title at Elimination Chamber when Triple H Pedigreed him to eliminate him from the match. I thought Sheamus would win at Wrestlemania, but of course, Triple H gets the victory. Just like it was important for Sheamus to hold onto the WWE Championship for a few months to gain credibility, he also needs a signature, clean victory to solidify himself as a main eventer. That win will come tonight when he finally gets one over on the Game.

Winner: Sheamus

John Cena v. Batista – Last Man Standing for the WWE Championship

For the second straight April, John Cena will be defending his title in a Last Man Standing match. Last year, he lost to Edge thanks to a chokeslam through a searchlight by the Big Show. This year, I cannot see any major interference. When Cena first won the title back at Wrestlemania 21, his reigns were very long. His first lasted 280 days, his second 133, his third 380. Since then, it’s been 21, 49, 0, and now about 28. Cena must be seen as a credible champion once again. Batista is a great pursuer of the championship, but I think Cena will dispatch of Batista and find himself a new challenger. But whom? Only time will tell. In the mean time, the Champ is still here.

Winner: John Cena

Randy Orton v. Jack Swagger – Extreme Rules Match for the World Heavyweight Championship

Remember when Swagger moved from ECW to Raw last summer and got himself intentionally counted out against Orton because he wanted to make a good first impression? Well, no better way to make good on this impression by beating Orton at Extreme Rules, which he will. I am glad Orton got the title match because it made sense. If you beat the Champ twice in a row, you deserve a title match. Here we go again: Swagger needs to retain in order to gain credibility. It will not end cleanly. I could see a returning Cody Rhodes interfering and costing Orton the title. If this wasn’t under Extreme Rules, I’d say Swagger wins by DQ. But it isn’t so I can’t. Swagger retains.

Winner: Jack Swagger

WWE Friday Night Smackdown Report: April 23, 2010

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In the shadow of Extreme Rules, last night’s Friday Night Smackdown did  a much better job selling the pay-per-view than Raw did (though, as we all know, Raw had some issues beyond its control). Regardless, every match tonight had a purpose. There was no filler match and all of them forwarded storylines for Extreme Rules and possibly beyond. Here are my thoughts on the show broken down by each segment.

Jack Swagger promo/Swagger v. John Morrison

The show opens with the World Heavyweight Champion in the ring. He cuts yet another promo about how dominate he has been and will continue to be. He mentions his “dominance” of the Undertaker and shows a video package highlighting his match with the Deadman last Monday on Raw. What the package did not tell you is that Swagger lost cleanly. And that’s why I liked it. Swagger has really come into his own and is continuing to impress me every week. I guess the “State of the Title” addresses no longer exist?

He moves onto his match this Sunday with Randy Orton. I think this might have been Swagger’s best promo ever. The line about how “venom could kill a normal man, but I am not a normal man” was perfect and he capped it all off but telling the WWE Universe that he was not going to play with the Viper, but “rip its head off.” Very effective. The only problem, however, is if Orton-Swagger will continue after Extreme Rules if Swagger retains.

I feel my question was answered rather quickly after Swagger’s match with John Morrison. I’ve noticed how Swagger has begun to emphasize his amateur background more by using more freestyle wrestling holds and slams. He mentioned before that he should be the odds-on favorite because of his skill and he is showing that. This was a great opening match with plenty of near falls. In an “upset,” Morrison picks up the victory after Starship Pain set up by a Pele Kick. Losing to the Undertaker clean on Raw? Understandable. Losing cleanly to Morrison the show before Extreme Rules? Not really. I don’t know what they’re doing, but what I do know is that John Morrison might be next in line for a title shot. That’s the “something” I wanted him to do in my Superstars report on Friday.

Straight Edge Society/Theodore Long promo

Punk and Jericho are the best promo men in the business and part of the reason for that is their versatility. Punk cuts a funny promo about his hair in Long’s office, which leads to the making of the main event: C.M. Punk and Luke Gallows versus Rey Mysterio and Kane?. Remember when Kane and Mysterio had a long rivarly not too long ago? What gives? But hey, if Kane can be friends with Triple H, he can be friends with Rey. What a crazy world we live in.

R-Truth and Matt Hardy v. Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre

A solid mid-card tag team match. The story of the match was the absolutely brutal attack on Matt Hardy by McIntyre on the steel ring steps. Even for a choreographed maneuver, it looked “disgusting” as Matt Striker put it and that means it was done right. This Hardy equilibrium thing is going much further than I thought it would. Mcintyre tells Hardy that “he never wants to see his face ever again.” There will be an IC Title match, I’m sure. One thing is for sure: I am warming up to McIntyre. He could be a huge superstar one day.

Chris Jericho/Wade Barrett/Edge promo

From top to bottom, this was a brilliant promo by all men involved. The cage is lowered and Jericho talks about how he will send back Edge to the hospital forever. When he was reciting what he would do to Edge using the cage, it sounded like a creepy Dr. Seuss book (not as creepy as Punk’s rendition of “Happy Birthday”). Edge interrupts and cuts his best promo since his return. He makes a great point to contradict Jericho’s constant claims about Edge’s faulty DNA and then becomes Crazy Edge, which defeats the purpose because Crazy Edge makes me laugh and not scared. Edge goes for the Spear but Jericho climbs out of the cage (which if this happens Sunday, technically Jericho will win). Jericho locks the door and leaves Barrett inside. I loved how Barrett was begging Jericho to open the door and Jericho’s line to Barrett about “he’s standing right behind you.” Cowardly Jericho is just as fantastic as highfalutin Jericho. Barrett takes the Spear and we get Crazy Edge eyes. What a great way to sell Extreme Rules.

JTG v. Mike Knox

FUTURE ENDEAVOR ALERT! Mike Knox’s last match in the WWE is against JTG, who is preparing for his Strap Match on Sunday against Shad Gaspard (sitting on commentary). It was good for JTG to face someone similar in stature as Shad and was victorious after a Drive By. Shad enters the ring and beats JTG with the strap. This could be a fun match.

Beth Phoenix and Mickie James v. Michelle McCool and Layla El

FUTURE ENDEAVOR ALERT! Mickie James also had her last match in the WWE Friday in a losing effort to Team LayCool. Not much to say. Sunday’s match is an “Extreme Makeover” contest and I do not what that means, but McCool smearing makeup all over Phoenix might have demonstrated as such.

C.M. Punk and Luke Gallows v. Rey Mysterio and Kane

I wonder what Rey and Kane were talking about before the match. Anyways, I laughed when Gallows was in the ring with Kane, since Gallows played Imposter Kane before becoming Festus. There’s a barber’s chair at ringside, which Punk says will be used to induct someone into the SES later, but there’s not enough time. Punk gets the win via roll-up in a short tag match and picks up a much-needed win. Once again, Rey teases shaving Punk’s head, which means that he won’t get it shaved on Sunday. They wouldn’t try it so much if it were to happen.

Check in later for Extreme Rules predictions!

WWE Superstars Report: April 22, 2010

Courtesy of wwe.com

Last night’s Superstars had some high-quality matches. We had the television debut of Shad Gaspard’s heel persona, a “grudge” match between Yoshi Tatsu and Zack Ryder, and once again, Carlito. Let’s take a look at Superstars, shall we? Here are my thoughts broken down by each segment.

Shad Gaspard v. Goldust

This was our first look at Shad in the ring since he turned heel. I noticed that his “new” ring attire is the same attire he wore in early promo pictures for Cryme Tyme. Anyways, Goldust is a great enhancement talent and he did his job very well during his match with Shad. Shad looked solid in the ring and I like his constant chirping; it definitely brings the character along. Shad wins with the big STO and is rolling into Extreme Rules for his Strap Match with JTG.

Yoshi Tatsu v. Zack Ryder (with Rosa Mendes)

Tatsu and Ryder are two great, young talents that deserve more credit for their work in the ring. Since ECW ended, neither of them have really found a way onto Raw. I hope they can; both could definitely carry a mid-card feud. Not much to say. I found it amusing that near the end, Ryder and Tatsu ended up against every corner of the ring. Anyways, Tatsu wins. Good match.

John Morrison v. Carlito (with Michael Tarver)

“Mr. Thursday Night,” Carlito, heads to the ring for his fourth consecutive match on WWE Superstars. He cuts a promo before his match saying that he deserves to be on Raw every week. Carlito should just be happy he wasn’t released yesterday (too soon?). John Morrison interrupts and our main event is underway. This match was a spotfest, but the spots were very exciting, especially (and surprisingly) on Carlito’s end. His springboard rolling senton, the reversal into the swinging neckbreaker, and the high-impact spinebuster all looked great. His reversal of Morrison’s springboard that knocked him onto the mat looked brutal. Regardless, Michael Tarver interferes and screws up once again, costing Carlito yet another match on Superstars after taking the Flying Chuck. Morrison needs something to do. For someone who was spoken in the same breath as “future World Heavyweight Champion” not too long ago, perhaps Morrison could be a challenger to Swagger after Orton has his turn.

Remember, Smackdown Saturday, Extreme Rules Sunday, and as planned, Raw Tuesday for a live report from the Draft.

WWE NXT Report: April 20, 2010

Courtesy of wwe.com

Last night’s NXT was nothing out of the ordinary. What we did get, however, is a monumental upset and the furthering of an intriguing storyline. Here are my thoughts on the show broken down by each segment.

Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Rookies Challenge

This week’s contest was a American Gladiators-like challenge where the goal was to knock the other man off of his pedestal. The first-round match-ups included Slater/Otunga, Sheffield/Barrett, Bryan/Tarver, and Gabriel/Young. Slater, Sheffield, Bryan, and Young advanced to the second round. Michael Tarver amazes me every week and in a bad way. I know this is scripted, but how does he NOT go home in three weeks when the next Pro’s Poll is revealed? The only man lower than him in the first poll, Young, is on a roll and is definitely not going home based on an interesting storyline brewing between Young and Luke Gallows (more on that later). Nothing else to really say.

Wade Barrett package

I liked the incorporation of the NXT Pros into the video package. It let us know what they really think about each Rookie. Wade Barrett is a stud and is going to make quite a splash on the main roster if and when he finally makes it.

David Otunga (with R-Truth) v. Justin Gabriel

Good to see R-Truth has recovered from being blown up on Monday. I liked how Otunga put his hand in front of Truth’s face to signal him to be quiet. If Otunga wants to progress as a heel (which the WWE intended him to be), he needed to further himself from Truth. When NXT premiered, Otunga was cheered because of his affiliation with Truth. I like the direction he’s moving in. A solid match that showcased Otunga’s strength and cockiness as well as Gabriel’s high-flying offense and speed. This match was alot about storytelling and did so well. Truth smiling when Gabriel hit the suicide dive to the outside and refusing to grab Otunga’s hands when he cried for help before losing in a sunset flip was very interesting. I wonder where it will go.

To skip the pomp and circumstance, Skip Sheffield wins the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Rookie Challenge and earns himself a feature on WWE.com for the next day. Sheffield, after being runner-up in the first two competitions, finally wins one and needed to. Sheffield has lacked face time and this is his chance. I don’t Sheffield cracking the top four, but he will put up a fight, I’m sure.

Michael Tarver (with Carlito) v. Skip Sheffield v. Darren Young

Tarver cuts a promo before the match demanding competition. Carlito likes it and not surprisingly, since Tarver is headed down the same career path as Carlito. Sheffield is not a tweener, just extraordinarily confused on whether he wants a positive crowd reaction or not. Originally a one-on-one match, C.M. Punk interjects and adds Young to the mix in order for him to ride his momentum. I really like how Punk has warmed up to Young a bit to the dismay of Gallows and his line about the “stick-fighting thing.” Tarver and Sheffield team up as the winless Rookies try to take out the one on a hot streak. The match ends when Gallows interferes (in plain sight of the referee, I might add) and yells to Tarver to take advantage, but his plan backfires when Young hits his full-nelson facebuster slam for the victory. I think this Gallows/Young feud is starting to eclipse Bryan/Miz in terms of what intrigues me the most. It is too early to break up the SES, but dissention in the ranks makes for a good angle down the road. Young is now the winningest Rookie at 6-2.

Heath Slater package

Much like Barrett’s, a good package showing how the Pros feel about the respective Rookies. Interesting split between the heels and the faces on how they feel about Slater, while Barrett was universally praised. I liked Jericho’s bit, which was a good tease to the upcoming match.

Heath Slater v. Chris Jericho (with Wade Barrett)

In a five-minute match, Slater recorded the biggest upset in NXT’s short history when he defeated Chris Jericho with a roll-up after countering the Walls Of Jericho. It played well into Jericho’s overconfidence to have him lose. His hissy fit afterwards was priceless. Slater gets an important victory. Does he have a finisher? It seems that all of the matches he wins are via roll-up. He needs to change that soon.

Check out my Superstars recap on Friday right here at #1 Pretender!

WWE Monday Night Raw Report: April 19, 2010

Courtesy of wwe.com.

Last night’s “go-home” edition of Monday Night Raw was quite peculiar and rightfully so. With the Raw Superstars (and myself) stuck in Europe thanks to the Icelandic volcano, the WWE had to scramble to put on a show as quickly as possible. It was a promo-heavy, Smackdown-ridden show which did its best to push Extreme Rules. Saturday Night Live’s MacGruber was the guest host and provided some funny moments to an already interesting night. Here are my thoughts on the show broken down by each segment.

Triple H/Straight Edge Society promo

Triple H comes down to the ring and makes light of the situation in Europe, makes some jokes about some of the stranded wrestlers, and eventually mentioned his Street Fight with Sheamus. This week, Sheamus wasn’t on Raw. Last week, Triple H wasn’t. Sheamus did a good job setting up the match with his beatdown of Kofi Kingston, but Triple H’s promo missed the mark. Sheamus bailed him out later, though (more on that later). C.M. Punk and the Straight Edge Society interrupt and Punk gets some cheap heat putting down New Jersey. Punk also plugs next week’s WWE Draft, which was a nice touch. He tries unsuccessfully to convert Triple H to the SES and eventually beats him down. Rey makes the save, he and Triple H clear the ring, and trap Punk long enough for Rey to shave a bit of Punk’s hair off. A good segment overall to get over the Rey/Punk match. It ran a bit long, but I guess that’s understandable considering the circumstances. I feel like Punk losing part of his hair means that he won’t lose it at all on Sunday. (Shameless plug: check out my Extreme Rules predictions later this week!)

Drew McIntyre v. Matt Hardy

I believe my hypothesis from last week where I stated that Drew has only faced Hardy, Kane, and Morrison this year is becoming more valid per week. Hardy sells the equilibrium problems from his previous matches with Drew. The problem being, those matches happened on Smackdown. The uneducated masses and those watching live at the Izod Center without (thankfully) Michael Cole’s commentary to fill them in might not know of Hardy’s previous injuries. The ending of Drew pulling Hardy off the top rope and pinning him was a bit forced and rushed. I don’t know where the WWE is going with this. I think it might eventually lead into a Intercontinental Title match, one that Hardy has no chance to win.

John Cena promo

Not much to say. A normal Cena promo. Humble at first, then fiery. He plugs his match with Batista on Sunday. Good enough.

Vlad Kozlov/MacGruber promo

Kozlov is in the ring and says he has a prepared statement for the audience tonight. He orders Jerry Lawler into the ring and has him read it aloud. I am still confused about how he ended ECW as a face, disappears from television, and comes back as a heel. Anyways, the promo was way too long. I did like the comment about the Nets, though. Kozlov grabs the mic and demands competition. MacGruber comes out instead. I liked how Will Forter and Kristen Wiig stayed in character throughout the night for continuity purposes at least. Funny back and forth between the two. Like David Hasselhoff last week, Forte did not take himself too seriously, which is another good thing. Vickie St. Elmo reads an announcement from Mr. McMahon, ordering a six-man tag team match tonight between Triple H, Rey Mysterio, and Edge versus Luke Gallows, C.M. Punk, and Chris Jericho. MacGruber then introduces Kozlov to his opponent, R-Truth…then he blows up. Yes, I said blows up. If you watch the replay of the explosion carefully, you can see Truth dive into the apron to avoid the blast. Pointless segment, but it gives us another guest host v. mid-card superstar match for later in the evening.

Let’s just skip the MacGruber/Triple H/Kane segment. Funny how Triple H and Kane became such friends after the whole Katie Vick thing! Who would have thought that?

Randy Orton promo

Like Cena’s, Orton’s promo was very Orton. Cold and to the point. Good tease of the draft as well. Done.

Jack Swagger v. The Undertaker

Jack Swagger issues an open challenge to any superstar in the back. This was a good way to further his overconfidence after winning the title (the gold trim on his singlet was also a nice touch). As he leaves because no one answered, the gong hit and the arena went black. Out comes the Undertaker. This was a pay-per-view quality match, which the WWE needed to sell to get viewers to hang on. Swagger gets in plenty of offense and looks strong, but the Phenom ultimately takes the match with a brutal Tombstone Piledriver. It’s usually not the best move to have a champion lose cleanly right before a pay-per-view. but beating the Undertaker cleanly is still a reach for Swagger. It set the standard for Swagger to obtain, which is nice. He was defeated by the more experience former champion. Plus, it’s the Undertaker. When does he ever lose on television?

Chris Jericho/SES/MacGruber Promo

Another humorous segment between the SES and Jericho. Jericho tells Punk to do what he says because he has beaten every man on the other team. Punk with the towel wrapped around his head was hilarious. It’s good that heels don’t get along with other heels. They have a common goal to win, but other than that, they don’t really care for each other. Good for storyline purposes. Jericho runs into St. Elmo and MacGruber and they have a funny exchange as well. Almost like the Jericho of old. To be young again.

MacGruber v. Vlad Kozlov

Do I need to say much here? Kozlov gets some shots in and goes for his uranage/chokeslam when Ryan Phillippe shows his face for the first time and makes the match a handicap match. But who will MacGruber’s partner be? His brother, KhalGruber, that’s who! Wait a minute. KhalGruber looks like a 7 foot 3 inch, 420 lb Indian former world champion. Hmmmm. And he came out to the Great Khali’s music? I thought he was on sabbatical. Oh well, it must have been a technical error. KhalGruber chases Kozlov out for the countout victory. At least this is over.

Triple H, Rey Mysterio, and Edge v. C.M. Punk, Luke Gallows, and Chris Jericho

On his way to the ring, Triple H is interrupted by Sheamus appearing on the screen. He eventually beats up a production assistant. Very scary, indeed. Triple H’s facial expression was perfect, like “What the hell do I care? You’re there beating up a camera guy.” The match itself was good. I wonder if Edge forgot that both Triple H and Rey Mysterio ruined his wedding with Vickie Guerrero. If Kane and Triple H can be friends, so can Edge and Triple H. The bad guys work over Edge’s ankle and he sells it well. Match ends with a 619 and Pedigree on Punk for the victory. Since Friday, Punk has done the job for two six-man tag matches. But both times, it took two consecutive finishers to put him down (on Friday, it was a 619 and running powerslam). Punk looks strong in defeat.

Not a bad show for one put together so hastily. I’m not sure if I’m sold on Extreme Rules, though.

Check in Wednesday for my NXT report, Friday for Superstars, Saturday for my Smackdown report, Sunday for my Extreme Rules predictions, and hopefully, Tuesday for my live Raw report!

WWE Superstars Report: April 15, 2010

courtesy of wwe.com

WWE Superstars is usually used to showcase lesser-known or mid-card performers. This week’s show was no exception. The WWE Universe got two alright matches and a glimpse into a possible future feud. Let’s break down the matches.

Matt Hardy (with Justin Gabriel) v. Carlito (with Michael Tarver)

I covered this match as part of my live report from London earlier this week. After watching it on Youtube, I don’t really have to much to add. Hardy’s arm looked pretty banged up (according to Wrestleview’s Steve Gerweck, it is a deep bruise with no tear). Carlito works the arm for most of the match before Hardy wills himself to victory (with an accidental assist from Tarver) with a Twist Of Fate. It’s between Carlito and MVP for the title of “Mr. Thursday Night.” Too bad Smackdown moved to Fridays years ago.

Christian (with Heath Slater) v. Chavo Guerrero

Chavo has definitely been given the short end of the stick. He becomes ECW Champion two years ago, then loses it at Wrestlemania XXIV in eight seconds. Then, he gets a slight rub with the “La Familia” angle with Edge and VIckie. After that ends, he gets beaten up by Hornswoggle for about six months. Now, he rarely shows up except for the occasional Superstars. This is one of those times. A good back-and-forth match between Chavo and Christian. Not really much to say. Christian gets the victory and further proves (based on his crowd reactions and abilities) that he should be a world champion sooner rather than later.

Ted DiBiase, Jr. v. M.V.P.

For about six months, I kept on calling the DiBiase face turn. “He has a movie out. They can’t promote a movie with a heel in it,” I’d say. Nope. Elimination Chamber came and I thought if finally began when DiBiase hit Orton with the lead pipe and pinned his mentor. “It’s happening!” Nope. While the crowd decided to side with Orton, DiBiase (and to a lesser extent, Cody Rhodes) struggled to find a way, including a predictable loss at Wrestlemania XXVI. DiBiase has been given the Million Dollar Belt and calls himself the “Fortunate Son.” Maybe his brother, Brett, and Joe Henning will bring their “Fortunate Sons” tag team to WWE and turn heel. But I digress.

MVP interrupts Ted’s promo about being a spoiled brat and counters with the “I worked hard for everything and paid my debt to society” angle. The match begins and ends with DiBiase countering into Dream Street for the victory. It’s funny how MVP’s face persona is the “working hard” guy, while his heel persona was the “King of Bling Bling” and signing the “largest contract in Smackdown history.” We could see a potential feud on the horizon here. How’s this for a stretch? Perhaps MVP can become the Virgil to DiBiase’s, well, DiBiase. Either way, MAYBE MVP will finally get the rub we expected when he first arrived on RAW.

No Smackdown report Saturday because of my live report from earlier this week. If I can make it home because of this damned Icelandic volcano, I will be at the WWE Draft Special April 26 in Richmond. Continue to check in at #1 Pretender.