The Future Articles Part 2 - DANIEL BRYAN

I know how good Daniel Bryan is. The WWE know how good Daniel Bryan is. The greatest wrestler of all time knows how good Daniel Bryan is. The fans know how good Daniel Bryan is and Daniel Bryan knows how good Daniel Bryan is. So what could stop this man from becoming the new Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho or Chris Benoit. Nothing. Some people will say backstage politics, but I dont believe that. This man was trained by Shawn Michaels, the greatest ever, who is friends with the new man in power at Stamford - Triple H. Hunter knows the business and he knows the company need 'real' wrestlers, something the WWE is lacking at the moment. I'm not saying Bryan will be the new star who beats Cena at WrestleMania and holds the belt for over a year. I'm saying Bryan will be a constant on either the Smackdown Brand or the Raw Brand and will at some point win one of the 'big ones'. He will main event WWE PPV's and have fueds with some of the best, but will also have to job to some other up and coming talent, just like Jericho and Benoit did in the past. Daniel Bryan is a unique and special talent and the WWE know this and even if it takes him 2-3 years Bryan will win a World Title, but while we wait for that moment we'll just have to be content with him stealing the show on multiple WWE PPV's with the likes of Edge, Punk, Morrison, Barrett and Rey Mysterio. 

The Future Articles Part 1 - ALBERTO DEL RIO

Before his debut a few weeks ago, many people inside the business didn't think the man formally known as Dos Caras Jr. had a chance. He had a poor reputation backstage (he believed he was better than most performers in the back and let other workers know this). He had his trademark mask took away because the company only wanted one masked wrestler and the vignettes that aired prior to his debut were received poorly by the fans. How people can be wrong. In just a little over a month, he is the hottest new talent in the WWE. He destroyed Rey Mysterio, whooped Matt Hardy and beat the hell out of Christian. His promos and facial mannerisms are brilliant. His entrance, which includes a Rolls Royce, Randy Orton style fireworks and his own announcer, is one of the most 'full on' I have ever seen. Del Rio will not be champion at WrestleMania or win the title at the event, but could have a short reign in November to February or take the belt just after 'Mania, just like Swagger did this year, and unlike Swagger, I can see Alberto staying as a main eventer even after he loses the belt, which is the sign of not only great talent, but a true champion.  

Night Of Champions Review

Dolph Ziggler bt. Kofi Kingston.
This past Sunday at WWE Night Of Champions saw a few shocks and surprises and a few good matches too. The show kicked off with the Intercontinental title match between Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston. The match was a decent effort and showed that both men are now more than competent when it comes to their in ring work. Dolph was put over quite strong when he pinned Kofi after he (Ziggler) got distracted by Vickie, I'm sure WWE expect big things from the ex spirit squad cheerleader.

Big Show bt. CM Punk
The second match of the night was Big Show vs CM Punk, as the event was held in Chicago (Punks hometown) Punk came out to a great reception, he then went on to slaughter the fans and get himself heat, I'm sure the WWE didn't want Punk getting cheered tonight. Big Show won in a normal crappy Big Show match.

Daniel Bryan bt. The Miz to become the new U.S Champion.
Next up was the U.S Title match, the match was a very edge of the seat affair mainly because I really wanted Bryan to win and I expected Bryan to win up until the prior Raw. The match, as solid as it was could have gone on for a bit longer but this match was arguably match of the night which proves two things 1. Daniel Bryan can get a WWE crowd behind him and get a good match from nearly anyone.... But I don't mean to put the Miz down as my second point is that probably more than anyone wants to admit The Miz is now a good worker and without his role in this entire angle I doubt Daniel Bryan would have got over as quick as he did. Don't get me wrong I'm sure WWE will screw it up somehow.


Michelle McCool bt. Melina to become the Unified Womens Champion.
To be honest theres not much I can say about this match as not much happened McCool won with the aid of Layla... 'Nuff said.

Kane bt. The Undetaker
Interesting fact I can't remember Kane ever beating The Underaker at a PPV... Until now. This match was probably the best match these two men have had against each other since the WrestleMania 14 original which is a compliment to both of these men. Undertaker sold his condition well and Kane put on probably the best match he can these days I was very impressed with this match and look forward to their inevitable clash at Hell In A Cell, I just wish they would get Paul Bearer aboard for this final angle between these two men.

Tag Team Turmoil
The Uso's eliminated the Hart Dynasty in about 3 minutes to guarantee new Champions tonight. High points from the bout would have been Santino being more over than mos t the roster was on the night, and probably Cody Rhodes music hitting after him and McIntyre won the belts.

Randy Orton wins the 6 pack challenge to become the WWE Champion.
The main event saw Randy Orton raise the WWE title as a babyface for the first time since his first time. The match was good, Jericho got pinned early leaving for a humorous exit were no one could believe it, Wade Barret has the polar opposite quality punches to John Cena and it is now officially true... Edge is irrelevant. It took all of Nexus to eliminate John Cena then it took Cena two minutes to beat the crap out of all of Nexus, this left Orton to finish of Sheamus for the win and the biggest pop I have heard in the WWE for a long time.

Hittin' From The Hip: Opinions On Matt Hardy.

As I'm sure you all know Matt Hardy has had his ups and downs and right now he is on a downer. As usual he has been releasing cryptic messages and videos on his twitter and youtube accounts and today his message was well and truly recieved by me... Matt Hardy is an idiot.

Hardy has recently hinted at wanting to leave the WWE and I am certain this will be no loss to biggest, best and brightest company in wrestling today. Hardy walked out of a scheduled event last weekend and then turned up for work on the UK tour in a "not fit to compete" condition. Now its all well and fine not liking your job but just like everyone else you have to go to work, if you don't you get fired... which is what Matt want. Yet he isn't providing a good refernce of himself by acting the way he is. What wrestling company would sign Matt Hardy after his recent performance? His attitude should get his name blacklisted, your looking at a guy who when he gets disgruntled will bad mouth your company, not turn up for work and then when he does turn up he'll be in no fit state to compete. We all know what company would pick him up, but thats why I called WWE the brightest wrestling in the world and not them.

Now not only has Matt gone about everything the wrong way he could have put a shotgun shell in his own foot, I highly doubt it but not ecen TNA could pick him up now. Theres more though with the time he has left under contract with WWE they could decide to bury him and if I was Vince McMahon that is what I would do for making a mockery of himself and really what does World Wrestling Entertainment have to fear from losing Matt Hardy? WOW they could have a Hardy Boyz reunion in TNA! Nope not interested, if TNA can mess up signing Jeff Hardy (the hottest wrestler on the planet when he was signed by them) theres no chance together Matt and Jeff will make a difference to TNA as a product or as respectable wrestling company.

Randys Raw Recap

Here are a few quick thoughts on last nights Raw.

Randy Orton knows how to smile

Randy Orton looks like he is pleading for someone to shoot him when he smiles

I feel embarrassed when he smiles

I never smile  :(

Randy Orton faces Sheamus inside a Hell in a Cell, because thats the gimmick of the PPV, not because this rivalry is so intense

Michael Cole buried The Hart Dynasty

Cody Rhodes holds championship belts upside down (thanks Smith)

Michael Cole blew his load over The Miz

Alex Riley is under contract to blow his load over The Miz

While Daniel Bryan's new music just plain blows

Edge is now an afterthought

Daniel Bryan likes getting slapped over and over again

But not as much as I want to slap Michelle McCool over and over again

Chris Jericho is still around

Chris Jericho is still losing

Chris Jericho knows what an IP address is

Chris Jericho is facing Randy Orton next week (yup, another loss)

Santino is more over than half of the WWE roster

Ted DiBiase has new theme music

Ted DiBiase is now into dance music

So am I

Someone is sending love messages on the TitanTron

But not to me :(

Nexus will be over in 2 weeks

Michael Tarver will be jobless in 2 weeks

My fellow writer will be killing himself in 2 weeks

 

WWE Night of Champions Predictions Part 2

WWE Championship Six Pack Challenge Elimination Match: Sheamus (c) vs John Cena vs Randy Orton vs Edge vs Chris Jericho vs Wade Barrett

PREDICTION: Sheamus retains after pinning Randy Orton.

No Holds Barred World Championship Match: Kane (c) vs The Undertaker

PREDICTION: Kane destroys The Undertaker and pins him with the Tombstone. 

WWE Night of Champions Predictions Part 1

WWE United States Championship Match: The Miz (c) vs Daniel Bryan

The build up to this match has been centered around the fact that Bryan is a submission specialist and given this fact, can he make his former 'mentor' tap. I dont see Bryan taking the belt just yet. The feud has more steam left and with the obvious feud ending outcome being Bryan taking the belt, expect Miz to retain with help from Alex Riley or his Money in the Bank briefcase.

PREDICTION: Miz pins Bryan after outside interference. 

Special Attraction Match: The Big Show vs CM Punk

PREDICTION: The Big Show crushes CM Punk in his home city of Chicago.

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Dolph Ziggler (c) w/ Vickie Guerrero vs Kofi Kingston (if Ziggler gets DQ'd or counted out, Kofi wins the title)

After the Nexus beat down at SummerSlam, Ziggler and Kofi go at it again on the big stage. Even though the fans are getting behind Kofi, I cant see them taking the belt off Dolph so soon. He has done a great job in the program with Vickie and in the process got himself over as a strong mid - card heel. 

PREDICTION: Ziggler retains after Vickie gets involved and screws Kofi out of the title.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match; The Hart Dynasty (c) vs ???????

So the question is, who will the Hart Dynasty face? On Smackdown Matt Striker and Todd Grisham gave the audience the opinion that they will face Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes, after the duo defeated the champs in a non - title match. So if we take it at face value thats who The Hart Dynasty will be facing, but then again, this is the WWE. This means dont expect The Hart Dynasty to face McIntyre and Rhodes, even though it makes the most sense and will, if given time, be a good match. My pick for the anonymous duo is - Vladimir Kozlov and Santino Marella.

PREDICTION: The Hart Dynasty defeats Kozlov and Marella in less than five minutes to retain the titles in a convincing manner.

WWE Womens Championship and WWE Divas Championship Unification Lumberjill Match: Melina (Divas) vs Michelle McCool (Womens)

PREDICTION: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ McCool ZZZZZZZZ Wins ZZZZZZZZ. 

MY ALL TIME TOP TEN MATCHES

I’m sat here at home and I have decided to do something a little bit different for you readers out there. Over the years many writers have written a list of their favourite all time wrestling matches, now it’s my turn. I’m not going to give you a random list of twenty matches. I’m going to give you my top ten wrestling matches, being counted down in order, from number ten to number one. With short added notes on why they made this list. This isn’t a spare of the moment thing, I have sat down over the past few days and thought about this list and I believe I have come up with a great top ten, with some results which may surprise a few of you. All these matches deserve to be my number one in one way or another and I struggled to put them in order, but I finally came to a decision. I would also like to see my fellow writer put a list up like this and then maybe in a future article we could compare and debate the results of these lists.

10. The Royal Rumble Match 2001

9.  WrestleMania 2000 – WWE Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Ladder Match: The Dudley Boyz (c) vs The Hardy Boyz vs Edge and Christian

8.  ECW Living Dangerously 1999 – ECW TV Title Match: RVD (c) vs Jerry Lynn

7.  WrestleMania X7 – No Holds Barred WWE Championship Match: The Rock (c) vs Stone Cold Steve Austin

6.  Backlash 2004 – Intercontinental Championship Street Fight: Randy Orton (c) vs Mick Foley

5.  Survivor Series 1995 – No Holds Barred WWE Championship Match: Diesel (c) vs Bret Hart

4.  In Your House 5 – WWE Championship Match: Bret Hart (c) vs The British Bulldog

3.  WrestleMania XII – 60 Minute Iron Man WWE Championship Match: Bret Hart (c) vs Shawn Michaels

2. WrestleMania XXV – Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker

1. WrestleMania XXVI – Career vs Streak: Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker II

WWE Raw Review

After a great show last week, Raw was able to follow it up again this week with another top showing. This week was the much hyped return of Raw Roulette, Chad Ochocinco as Guest Host, and the 'mega' main event between Cena and Orton. The show opened with the wheel being spun for the first time to see what type of match Randy Orton would be facing John Cena in. To my surprise it turned out to be a Tables Match. Cena looked shocked while Orton stared at Cena with a slight smirk and then walked off. I will review the main event at the end of this article.

The Raw Roulette wheel made a bunch of stupid gimmick matches which didn't involve any wrestling at all. These matches included R Truth and Eve vs Ted DiBiase and Maryse in a Song and Dance Match and William Regal vs Goldust in a Trading Places match. Once again to my surprise both 'matches' were funny and entertaining, which is something Raw has failed to do over the past year in their comedy routines. In the highlights of these matches, R Truth revealed his new theme music, which is quite good and less child like than the 'Whats Up' theme. Ted DiBiase sang his version of Frank Sinatra's My Way (awful singer). While Goldust confused me and made me think he really was William Regal (don't ask).

Chad Ochocinco was the Guest Host on Raw and had a brilliant verbal exchange with The Miz. This resulted in The Miz facing Daniel Bryan in a non - title Submission match. In true Miz style he 'pulled' a hernia and had to 'pull' out of the match, which resulted in Alex Riley taking his place and losing when Bryan applied the LeBell Lock. After the match Miz tried to attack him but was then caught in the LeBell lock himself. The Miz then tapped out on the US Title. Maybe this is a sign that Bryan will be winning the US Title at Night of Champions, or then again.......

Sheamus faced John Morrison in a Falls Count Anywhere Match, with the added stipulation that if Morrison was to win he would be the sixth participant in the upcoming Six Pack Challenge Match at Night of Champions. Backstage before the match, Morrison was shown doing 'parkour' or 'Free Running' which shown just how athletic this young performer is. The match itself was very good. The fight was took into the crowd and eventually near the TitanTron (all the while both men were taking bumps on plain, hard, cold concrete). This is where after months of lower mid - card dwelling, John Morrison was finally pushed as a star again. Morrison climbed onto the metal scaffolding just in front of the TitanTron and did a splash onto Sheamus from the top of it. It was a brilliant moment for him as it could be an iconic image that will be used on Raw over the coming years. Chris Jericho would eventually come out and cost Morrison the match by hitting him in the back with a steel chair, but this match and moment belonged to John Morrison, and I hope they continue his 'push' and dont waste this talent like they have done with other performers (Shelton Benjamin, Brian Kendrick, MVP) in the past. At this point I didn't believe the show could get better, but trust Chris Jericho and Michael Cole, yes, Michael Cole, to put on an awesome verbal confrontation. It was in this promo that I believe the WWE shown that Michael Cole is the GM, as most of the GM's e-mails were being read out with too much passion from Michael Cole, who in the end is just a simple messenger. A Handicap Cage Match was then made between Jericho and The Hart Dynasty, with the stipulation that if Jericho won he would be re - entered into the now ELIMINATION Six Pack Challenge Match. To no ones surprise Jericho won and then proclaimed he would win the title at Night of Champions. 

In the Main Event Randy Orton defeated John Cena after reversing an FU into an RKO through a table. This was after, get ready for it, Cena put Heath Slater through a table, Orton threw Justin Gabriel through a table, Orton pushed Wade Barrett through a table, Cena slamming Sheamus onto the mat outside the ring, and Orton throwing Jericho in front of Edge to make Edge Spear Jericho through a table, while Orton used Edge's speed against him to make Edge follow Jericho into the same table. All the while the crowd were going crazy for Randy Orton. It was a great Raw and definitely a step in the right direction for the company. Up next - Night of Champions. 

Randy Talks Wrestling - Glory By Honor IX Review

Before I continue I would like to state that I was not able to see all of this event because of a poor stream (yes, I streamed it for free). But from what I did see I was impressed and disappointed in equal measures. 

First off I want to discuss the poor parts of the show. The Necro Butcher/Stevens vs Ballz/Redwood match was absolutely pointless. The one highlight of the match was when Grizzly Redwood went crazy taking out anyone who came into his path. He reminded me of a young Spike Dudley. The only difference is that he seems quicker and more polished than the 'Little Dudley'. I missed the opening two single matches which involved both Briscoe Brothers, but from what I have heard I didn't miss much, which is a shame. 

As for the rest of the card? All I can say is that I was very impressed. Eddie Edwards beat Daivari to retain his TV Title. It was a match that shown me just how good Daivari can be when he is in the ring with a great talent. Is that a compliment to Daivari or Edwards? Make up your own mind. Chris Daniels defeated Austin Aries after an Angel Wings off the top rope. Yes it sounds just as good as it looked. The match was excellent and it was a shame it only went for 13 odd minutes. Since his return to ROH, Daniels seems to have a new lease of life and this match proved that he and Aries are still two of the best around. This match blew anything they did together in TNA out of the water. With near falls, BME's, 450's and great chain wrestling, it NEARLY stole the show. That honour went to a 'Dream Tag Team Match' which I will talk about a little later.

In the first of a 'Triple Main Event', Colt Cabana and El Generico defeated Kevin Steen and Steve Corino in a Double Chain Match. Being brought up on a WWF/WWE product, I haven't seen that many Chain Matches, and ones that I have were poor. But this match was very good. They were able to do innovative moves and simple moves without the chains never really restricting them. In a great image Steen and Corino both got cut loose from their chains and then tied up Cabana in a crucifix style pose in the middle of the ring before, of course, Generico made the save. Cabana eventually made Corino tap with the excellent looking Billy Goat's Curse. After the match, Steen unmasked El Generico, put the mask on a chair, and wrote Mr Wrestling in Corino's blood on the back rest. Steen is nuts. My only criticism is that there was too much blood. Yes the match needed it, but none of them needed to blade as bad as they did. 

In the main event, but not, the match of the night. Roderick Strong finally won the big one and beat the WWE bound Tyler Black. In a match of slow counts, Hulk Hogan impressions, stumbling and rambling - all by Terry Funk, and an awful overbooked finish, Tyler Black wrestled, what could be, his last match for ROH. In the main talking points, Tyler Black told the crowd and Strong that they 'couldn't see him' in typical Cena style and flipped them all off at the end. While Homicide made his return to ROH and confronted Strong when he was celebrating in the ring as the show closed. What lies in store for the new champ over the coming months? In my opinion a combination of Homicide, Daniels and Davey Richards. All matches should turn out better than Blacks final match in ROH, which was no fault of his.

In the co - main event and match of the night, The Kings of Wrestling defeated the newcomers Shelton Benjamen and Charlie Haas, It was easily one of the greatest tag match of the last five years. Shelton proved why he is easily one of the best athletes in the whole of Pro Wrestling. With awesome chain wrestling, near falls and such crisp speed, he could be on his way to not only ROH Tag Team Title gold, but ROH World Championship gold as well. Haas also shown that the WWE kept him on a leash during his stay there, as he put in one of his best performances ever. The match ended when Chris Hero used the 'loaded' elbow pad on the back of Haas's head.

Overall I am giving the PPV an 8 out of 10 and with the feuds and potential matches going into the next supershow, I believe I could be giving the next show a higher score than this one.

8/10

Match of the Night - The Kings of Wrestling (Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero) defeated Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin)

Worst Match of the Night - Erick Stevens & Necro Butcher defeated Grizzly Redwood & Ballz Mahoney

ROH Glory By Honor IX: The Recap

Last night saw the end of Tyler Blacks Ring Of Honor title reign and also a tag team match to rival all of Beer Money and Motor City Machine Guns series of matches these past few months, of course I must be talking about Glory By Honor IX ROH's latest super card offering.

The night kicked off with a decent opener when Kerry King beat Jay Briscoe, this was followed by a brawl with the participants in the next match which was Mark Briscoe vs Rhett Titus. In the second match there was some pretty good spots but nothing to really gel the match together plus with both matches being finished around twenty minutes into the show they never really had time to develop which was a bit of a waste.

The next match was Balls Mahoney and Grizzly Redwood... "Grizzly Balls" as they were referred to, facing off against Necro Butcher and Erik Stevens. To be honest I thought this mtach was a waste of time, I know they were in New Yok but did they really need to employ Balls for the night? The time spent on this match could have really helped the main event (more on that late)or the first two matches. At this point in the show I was not that impressed of this ROH PPV (which was my first proper taste of the ROH product).

The next match was El Generico and Colt Cabana vs Kevin Steen and Steve Corino in a chain match, the match was decent and had some good high spots. I was not a fan of getting Corinos son to play a role in the match but with the quality of the match specifically Steen and Generico's part in it I could hardly complain. There is one flaw in logic, the match was billed as a feud ending bout but the removal of Genericos mask and Steen writing "Mr Wrestling" in Corinos blood on a chair with Generico's mask placed on it (yes like the T-shirt) made sure the feud would continue. Hopefully it will end in a one on one match at Final Battle between Steen and Generico. I have to say though if I had seen most of the feud throughout the year maybe I would have been more impressed.

In the next segment a video aired where Davey Richards said he had signed on with ROH and will receive a title match at Final Battle. Good decision I look forward to that main event. Eddie Edwards beat Daivari in a passable match which seemed to be there just to fill time.

The next match was between Daniels and Aries. Aries cut a promo about wanting to steal the show and with a 'builder of this house' The Fallen Angel. This match was very impressive and very physical, a lot of the failings of the night so far were put out of memory during this match. It was back and fourth with some very good wrestling and some breathtaking high spots. One thing I have to say is that Aries 450 is move impact-full than Justin Gabriel's, though I still think Gabriel's is the better one due to the awesome selling of the move. Yet the Angel Wings off of the turnbuckle capped off the first great match of the night. Just a shame the crowd went flat during it.

Kings Of Wrestling vs Haas and Benjamin was the match of the night, it was incredible even though it should have been longer, this match as stated before can rival the Motor City/Beer Money matches and that is really saying something. The four men in that ring proved that ROH is the best place to be for Tag Team wrestling in the US today. Combined with the recent efforts of TNA you could claim that Tag Team wrestling is the most exciting to watch period at this time. Kings Of Wrestling won with Hero's loaded elbow pad, which leaves a re-match possibility, a match which I hope The Worlds Greatest Tag Team come back for. The after match stuff was just silly and not needed.

The main event was a decent effort which surprisingly wasn't that badly harmed by the involvement of Terry Funk as outside enforcer/guest referee. However I want to pick out 3 faults with this match...

1. The outside interference made it seem like an over booked TNA fest.
2. The match could have done with being quite a bit longer and finally
3. Call me old fashioned but the big shots both men were taking at the end and not selling seemed ridiculous.

I understand you need and want a quick paced match to headline your card and play to the strengths of your company but when did a buckle bomb seem as weak as a slap? It did the one crime which hadn't been broken all night for me and that was breaking my suspension of disbelief. The shots which both participants were landing on each other had zero effect so when Strong got the pin I almost felt like "Well all those shots didn't have an effect, why would that move"? But don't get me wrong the positives out weigh the negatives Roderick Strong had a great match and is now the Champion, Tyler Black did an awesome job being a heel, and the match was fast paced and exciting for the most part. Homicides return after the match was a great inclusion to the event and something ROH needed after the exit of Tyler Black.

The coming weeks are going to be of great interest to me as there are now four contenders for the ROH title that will make a great main event to Final Battle whichever way it goes. Chris Daniels, Roderick Strong, Davey Richards and Homicide are all great wrestlers and all have the potential to have a good Title run with the company which will make for some great viewing over the next few weeks.

Event Rating: 7/10

A 7/10 may not seem that great but when comparing to all other PPV's this year I would nominate it for show of the year which doesn't say much for the competition.

Smackdown Review 09/10/10: Has he still got it?

This past weeks Smackdown just like the Raw before it was a good show. Its not often I can get through an entire episode of Smackdown without booting up my computer and looking at things that are more interesting, this week was different.

The show started with a decent addition to the collection of great promos cut by Undertaker and Kane these past few weeks, although by far not the best one, Taker did a good job. During the segment Taker was made to look more human not just by his storyline weaknesses but also the way in which he spoke, it was very reminiscent of the 'Badass' Taker of the early '00's. Punk came out ans said how weak Undertaker is now and how he will make Taker tap out like he did at Breaking Point last year. TONIGHT: CM Punk vs Undertaker.

Friday night also saw some pretty decent matches, even for the standards of Smackdown these matches were good. There was Swagger vs MVP which to be honest should have been a bit more heated than it actually was especially with their mini-feud ongoing and all. Swagger won clean which I thought was the right move, they still need to make Swagger into a bonafide upper-mid carder before he takes the on the role of a real headliner this series with MVP should accomplish that, but Swagger still has a lot of other mid card heels to compete with such as Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre.

Which brings me to my next match McIntyre vs Kaval, the match was short but sweet. WWE pushed Kaval strong and even claimed "Theres nothing Low Key(Ki) about Kaval" which was a nice touch. McIntyre went over clean but Kaval stole the show and definitely wasn't booked a s a jobber which obviously after the time and effort put in to build him up on NXT you wouldn't think they'd blow it would you?.... There was no appearance of Michael McGillicutty or his McGillibuddies on this weeks Samckdown.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Matt Hardy in another decent effort. Del Rio attacked Hardy after the match and Christian came to the save, all to the annoyance of Del Rio who called Christian an "American (insert Spanish here)" obviously Del Rio has no interest in the fact Christian is Canadian. Del Rio is a talent that needs to be heavily pushed (which he is being) as he will be a future star. He also has the best smile in wrestling today just look...


In other happenings from the show Lay-Cool argued over who would face Melina at Night Of Champions and Ziggler and Chavo Guerrero were beaten by Kofi Kingston and Chris Masters after an outside distraction.

The main event again was a decent effort with a lot of story going in, mainly to see if the Undertaker would win or even be close to what he used to be. Punk claimed 'Taker was finished. Undertaker claimed he will be champion at the end of Night Of Champions. Well lets just say the way the match was booked did a impressive job of setting up Undertakers match with his brother Kane. Taker narrowly bested Punk after being hit with a GTS and quickly locking in the Triangle Choke, much like they way he did to Edge at Wrestlemania 24. After the match the commentators doubted Undertakers chances at the PPV. We all know how the story goes Kane music hits and then.... laughter and well that's it the show went off the air with Kane's laughter at the Undertakers under-performance and borderline lucky win. In my opinion that ending was impressive and yes I will be watching the PPV for that match.

Overall the show was good, its always nice to sit down and actually enjoy watching wrestling, which in this day and age with the product as stale as it is can sometimes be a rarity

Bound For Glory preview

Article may contain *SPOILERS*

As things stand there are currently four matches made for TNA Bound For Glory, TNA's annual version of Wrestlemania which apparently will have a live go-home show. There is some complications over the announcement that Dixie Carter made on her twitter about this live episode, most of which coming from the fact that people don't know whether its permanent or just a one off. I'm guessing its a one off, but you know the sooner this is cleared up the better.

Anyway lets get to the preview...

TNA World Heavyweight Title Tournament Final
Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy

In my opinion the fact that TNA can't headline its own 'Mania with a one on one title match is quite angering. Wrestlemanias and Bound For Glorys should be headlined with a one vs one for a title or another big stipulation like the Michaels vs Taker retirement stipulation bout. But this match really has to be good to justify its existence, the main event would have been a lot better if they had a Hardy vs Angle match but you know they blew that last month and Anderson should not main event TNA's biggest show of the year. With Hardys weight problem and Anderson not being that great a wrestler Angle will have to work hard on that Sunday.

Lethal Lockdown
Fortune vs. EV 2.0

To be honest I'm liking this match, I know that the old ECW guys should not be booked as the second biggest attraction on this show however with this match being a Lethal Lockdown match it really plays to EV2's advantage meaning they don't have to wrestle. This match will not be very good I know that, you know that, so lets not pretend its going to good.. BUT at least it will entertain.

TNA World Tag Team Title Match
Generation Me vs. The Motor City Machineguns

This match already has 'Match Of The Night' written all over it, with the iMPACT matches and the recent PPV match I have extremely high hopes for this match. Both teams are very talented and the Machine Guns are hotter now then they have ever been and this is the perfect opportunity to elevate Generation Me, I'm not saying give them the belts just give them the time for a good match.

Abyss vs. Rob Van Dam

This will obviously be the match that 'they' will arrive, the match will obviously be the typical junk match that Abyss has to have and with RVD this could be a decent match but I haven't seen anything great from RVD since he arrived at TNA. As for 'they'... well odds are it will be Hogan or some form of NWO well I'm not going to speculate because I don't believe it will make an ounce of difference.

Overall the show seems OK, I will watch the show, but I won't put a penny of my money towards it nor would I put a penny towards the TNA product.

Glory By Honor IX: A Mind Undecided

It may be a little late to start now, but this Saturday I plan to watch Glory By Honor IX the latest super card by Ring Of Honor wrestling, long have I admired the physicality of the wrestling on these shows but never have I watched a full PPV by them.

I decided I was going to watch the show after I watched my first HDNet programme by them, even though I haven't watched it since, that episode was very entertaining and had a decent main event in the Tyler Black vs Christopher Daniels (first time ever)match-up.

I would be lying if I said my interest in ROH hadn't grown after the news that their Champion Tyler Black was signing on a developmental contract with WWE. Yet I am highly looking forward to the Black vs Strong match-up and also looking forward to watching Strong's inevitable run with the Championship.

I have also heard a lot about El Generico and the Kings Of Wrestling so I look forward to seeing them wrestle for the first time, however as I am first time buyer of this product if they fail to deliver there is a good chance I won't purchase another one of their events for a long time. As a wrestling fan first and a critic second (not that i'm really a critic by any stretch of the imagination) I wonder if I will regret the fact I haven't watched ROH sooner.

Expect a full recap and review of ROH: Glory By Honor IX sometime on Sunday.

Raw Review

I have to give WWE credit for putting one of the best editions of Raw in quite some time, tonight saw many entertaining angles as well as some great steps forward in the story lines.

The opening segment set the pace for the rest of the night, WWE put Nexus over strong with last weeks accomplishments which given the accomplishments were not that great WWE made a big deal over it. Definately the right thing to do, Nexus lost quite a bit of momentum after the SummerSlam disaster so tonight was a good night to right that wrong.

Jericho and Edge had to protect there spots in the 6 pack challenge match at Night Of Champions in separate single matches, both of which were entertaining for different reason. Jericho lost to John Morrison in a good match which will probably lead to one of two things. 1. Jericho going on a break or 2. Jerichos' return to being a babyface. The Edge match was entertaining also for 2 two reason his mocking of his opponent The Great Khali and the scramble to protect Khali's botch when he eliminated himslef from the over the top rope match by accident.... yes the match continued.

The Miz vs Daniel Bryan for the US Title has been made in decent angle featuring a great Miz promo, where Michael Cole added some great commentary. Bryan went over strong taking on Miz and Riley in a after promo brawl. Strangely during this period Miz's MITB briefcase popped open to reveal there is in fact no contract in it.

Gabriel vs Cena was a decent match which is surprising for Cena. The match featured some great spots by Gabriel. He was booked to actually pose a challenge to Cena. The main event saw Wade Barret vs Randy Orton the match was not great and the fact that Darren Young returned to cost Barret the match was just irritating and doesn't really bode well for The Nexus to continue feuding with the 'WWE'.

The night ended with Orton and Cena staring off after Orton RKO'd all the other 5 pack challengers. Next week the main event will be Randy Orton vs John Cena in a one on one match its a decent main event which I doubt WWE will actually go ahead with as it would be wrong to give this match away for free with the buy rates down for their PPV's.

Overall it was a very good Raw with some annoyances but thats to be expected. To separate all the in ring action was some quite funny backstage skits.

TNA No Surrender 2010 Review

I honestly believed TNA would do their utmost to make sure PPV buys would never be as low as Slammiversary and Sacrifice again (each drew in the region of 7,000 - 7,500 buys). After last nights show I can now say, TNA do not care about their PPV's in the slightest. 

First off the card was thrown together at the last minute. The WWE throw their cards together at the last minute sometimes, but at least they are quality matches. I don't think Abyss/Rhyno, Williams/Sabu and Styles/Dreamer are anything near WWE 'quality'. There not even 'old' ECW quality. But at least some of the competitors in these three matches tried their best to make them watchable. Abyss and Rhyno had a good brawl around the arena, but in the end we had seen this all before. It was more or less an exact rip off of a match they had on TNA iMPACT over four years ago. This included an ugly looking Gore through the bottom of the stage. Mike Tenay and Tazz acted like this set piece had never happened before, but for all of us that can remember, it made TNA's premier commentators look like idiots. In the only worthwhile note from the X Division title match, Sabu botched - AGAIN. While Tommy Dreamer wobbled around the ring for 15 minutes, until AJ Styles decided to put a fork in it - LITERALLY (he made Dreamer give up sticking a fork in his eyelid).

The Motor City Machine Guns retained the tag team gold when they beat Generation Me in another good match between the two. My only problem during the match was that they seemed to be saving their best stuff for another time. I was right of course, as Generation Me beat down the Machine Guns after the match and did a Spike DDT on Shelley from the ring apron to the floor below. These two will now be on a collision course for a rematch at Bound For Glory.  The heel turn was the best thing for the team formally known as The Young Bucks and hopefully TNA will use these guys more as they are very entertaining and in my opinion a better tag team than the MCMG.

In other events, Velvet Sky beat Madison Rayne in the only Knockouts match on the card with help from Angelina Love after Tara tried to interfere on Raynes behalf. While Double J, E, Double F, J, A, Double R, E, Double T and the human fridge defeated 'The Icon' Sting and 'Big Sexy' Kevin Nash. 

This bring us to the Semi - Finals of the TNA World Championship Tournament. In the main event Mr. Anderson defeated The Pope with the Mic - Check in an average match. Anderson then mocked The Pope by spitting on one of his Dollar bills and folding one up into an aeroplane and chucking it at The Pope. To have this WWE reject as their TNA champion would easily be the biggest joke in the history of wrestling. Am I overreacting? Yes, but not by much. The Pope has all the talent in the world and could easily headline Bound For Glory, but TNA seem reluctant to pull the trigger on him. Its such a shame as he is a superstar in waiting and if the WWE wouldn't bury him if he ever returned, he could even be a huge star there as well.

Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy went to a draw after a 25 minute match. Which means we still don't know what the main event of Bound For Glory will be. It was, as expected, a good match. Angle proved once again why he is one of the toughest men alive when he wrestled with a dislocated rib for a long period of the match. Also Angle seemed to 'carry' Jeff (who for some reason is turning into a Samoa Joe clone, in size, not colour) through the match. This shows once again Jeff is nowhere near the level he was at a year ago, and just like Anderson it would be a joke to put the belt on him within the next month, as it seems like he has given up. 

If I was to rate this PPV out of 10 I would give it a 4. No 4 or 5 star match. Too many has beens on the show and a stupid non - finish to 'tease' us for a few weeks longer (lucky us). Do I believe Bound For Glory will be better than this pile of poop? Yes, but it wouldn't be hard to top this event. 

Best Match: Kurt Angle vs Jeff Hardy

Worst Match: Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe vs Sting and Kevin Nash

Overall Event Rating - 4/10

The Theme Effect

Wrestlers theme music is more important now than it has ever been. It helps push a mid-carder to main event status. It takes a wrestler with no personality and gives him/her the injection of 'musical charisma' to make the crowd give a damn. Hell nowadays throw some lyrics in and it shows the fans this is the guy your 'pushing'.

Some of the wrestlers to get the 'Theme Effect', yes I have given this form of 'pushing' a name, are Sheamus, Nexus, Drew McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, The Legacy and Evan Bourne (yeah, that worked) to name a few. So the next time a young wrestler comes out with brand new theme music that includes lyrics, forget about his in ring ability, forget about the fact he can't talk on the mic, forget about the fact the fans give him no reaction, forget about the fact that NO ONE cares about him. Just know, this is the future of the WWE.  

Dreamer's Dreams Come True.

Tommy Dreamer has never been and never will be a great wrestler, Tommy Dreamer never has and never will be popular on a national scale. However to TNA Tommy Dreamer represents a superstar just like all the other WWE cast-offs.

This past week on iMPACT we saw Tommy Dreamer get booked like he was John Cena defeating Beer Money single handedly and only losing to AJ Styles by interference, this highlights all thats wrong with TNA right now. Old has been stars such as Kevin Nash, Sting and Hulk Hogan claim to be there for the younger stars yet fail to give the backbone of TNA a chance to shine. Yet in this writers opinion it may not be okay but its understandable that these legends are given the air time, the money that is used to pay there contracts needs TV time to justify them.


Yet thats where the booking of Tommy Dreamer going over Beer Money comes in, Dreamer has never been a Sting or a Nash never mind a Hogan so why book a man who couldn't even get a respectable appearance on Smackdown to beat America's second hottest tag team? Worse still Fortune are booked as heels in this angle yet there trying to fight for the young talent and most of what they say is true.

Tommy Dreamer and the guys at EV2.0 can offer nothing to mainstream wrestling today. I understand everyone needs a paycheck but some of these guys are closer to getting their pensions (including non EV2 guys).

In my opinion the ship is sinking fast and the older, wiser wrestlers will be the first to jump.