Showing posts with label Alberto Del Rio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alberto Del Rio. Show all posts

Monday, October 3, 2011

Hell in a Cell.

So sorry for the lack of posts, I started school last month and things have been more than crazy. I'm working hard towards my dream of sitting next to Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler at the announcers table. Anyways, I'm back and ready to share my thoughts on the events of the last few weeks...
I thought that HIAC (Hell in a Cell) was a pretty decent pay-per-view, it did lack the excitement of the last couple of events though. I was so shocked at the crowd. I can't even watch WWE on television without screaming like I was right there in the crowd, so I don't understand why you could hear a pin drop in the arena. I was watching at home and it was basically a dead crowd. The only reaction that came from them was the usual "Let's go Cena/Cena Sucks" chant that always breaks out, and the finish to the ppv that saw Miz and R-Truth in handcuffs (but more on that later).

I just have to say that the Sin Cara versus Sin Cara match was probably the most boring thing I have ever seen on television in a while. I'm just not engrossed in this character at all, I do understand why the kids would like him but I think that even they are becoming bored of it. I get what they are trying to do, similar in some ways to the Undertaker versus Undertaker storyline of the early to mid 90's. When he first flew into the ring, Sin Cara was something special but the novelty is quickly wearing off and they need to do something to spice up that angle.
As for the women's match, I am so glad that Beth beat the snot out of Kelly Kelly, who I can't stand. I was never a fan of the cookie cutter barbie divas. They seem boring and like they are just churned out of the developmental territory. Beth and Nattie are an excellent foil for them but they don't necessarily need to the seen as the heels in the divas division. Beth should have won her title in her hometown but, then again, I'm not the booker for WWE. If I was, i would have had Beth win with some dignity and class, instead of making her win of the belt look cheap and tawdry. That being said, I do hope that this opens up the door for women who can actually wrestle to be given a chance to dominate in the ring.
Out of the two HIAC matches, I enjoyed the triple threat between Cena, Del Rio, and Punk a lot more than the one between Orton and Mark Henry. It's not that the Henry/Orton confrontation was boring or anything like that, I'm very much enjoying having Henry as the champ. It just didn't have the same sizzle as the triple threat match. I was shocked that Del Rio got the win, but how he achieved it was pure genius. Locking Cena out? No one saw that one coming. All Del Rio needs to do is get rid of Ricardo and it will be smooth sailing for him. The ending of the match was good but there was an odd feeling to it.

My friend and I had a feeling that Mick Foley would return in some capacity, seeing as it was kind of his event in a way. Instead, Miz and Truth attacked everyone in the ring, and when help came down the ramp, the cage mysteriously lowered. It was exciting to see everyone pouring out of the back to help the men in the ring but it felt like something else was supposed to happen. Either way, it was a good play into the current storyline of Miz and Truth being fired and having a grievance with the Chief Operating Officer.
I'd also like to note that the ppv ended about ten minutes early. The first time I've ever seen that happen in my twenty-two years of watching WWE ppv's.
No on to Monday Night Raw....
I always enjoy the post-ppv Raw's. The main topic on this show seems to be the alleged unhappiness of several of the WWE superstars with how Triple H is running the show. I, speaking for myself, am quite happy with the way he is running things. It's new life, a breath of fresh air, and is going to shake things up even more than when CM Punk gave his famous promo a few months back (something I count in my top five promos of all time). What the hell is their problem? What I see is a bunch of whiny babies.
Someone call the waaaaaaaaaaambulance.
I'm not even going to comment on the divas match because Kelly Kelly's voice annoys the crap out of me. What a waste of television time that could have been spent actually doing something.

I really enjoy the interaction between Johnny Ace and Hunter. Accusing Johnny of being the one behind the angst and working against him sets up a whole new world of possibilities. I don't really enjoy listening to Johnny Ace speak on the microphone but I do think that this opens up a whole new creative avenue for the team over at WWE, they may have their faults sometimes but no one does it better than they do. It will be interesting to see what happens in the weeks to come, especially with the build to the next ppv, Vengeance, in three weeks.

The big shock of the night came when the WWE roster walked out on Triple H and essentially every fan that has ever cheered them on. I don't think it was right but, if what I hear is correct, the roster from Ring of Honor will be more than happy to fill the void on television. What will Triple H do without the superstars of Raw and Smackdown? How will the next edition of Raw pan out? So many questions to be answered...

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

And the Stipulation is....

This week's episode of Monday Night Raw opened with a confrontation between Alberto Del Rio, The Miz, Rey Mysterio, and R-Truth. They were all vying for a chance at the #1 contender spot. The Raw General Manager chimed in saying that there would be a triple threat match that would see Del Rio, Mysterio, and the Miz compete for the chance to face John Cena at Over the Limit. R-Truth was left out and of course lost his mind. He just seems awkward in whatever they put him in. I don't know if it is just that they don't know what to do with him or if they actually think that this is a good angle. He needs to have something more to do than attack John Morrison, insult his fans, and blabber on about random things.

On a side note, will the person behind the Raw General Manager ever be revealed? That's something I always talk about with my Mom and Dad. We all have our theories about who it could be and why. It will be fun to find out who it is, if they even reveal it at all.

As for the actual triple threat match, I called the Miz as the winner from the very beginning. It made the most sense. There was two weeks until the next pay per view and he was the only guy who had a long enough history with John Cena to actually make the match worth watching. It's not that Mysterio and Del Rio wouldn’t have been entertaining, it's that there wouldn't have been enough time to build up anything that people would ahve wanted to see. At the end of the program, Cena announced that he chose an 'I Quit' match. It will be interesting to see how this match goes and hopefully Cena retains. Hopefully this match will draw this feud to a close and we'll be able to see John Cena feud with someone else. To me, Miz is just annoying. I'm tired of watching him cheat each and every week. It will be interesting to see who each of them feud with after. Another interesting thing to note is that Alex Riley really seems to be coming into his own, even if he is still under a 'contract' with the Miz. I really think he could have potential as an individual competitor; he just needs to be known as more than a lap dog. Hopefully he can start to break away from the Miz, seeing as he is technically a Smackdown superstar. He did issue a challenge to Cena, which Cena won (like no one saw that coming). I'm just glad he can do something more than cheat for the Miz.

Shocker! There was actually a halfway decent women's wrestling match on Raw. Kelly Kelly and Eve took on the Bella Twins. I was actually impressed with the match, even though it was basically a vehicle to have Kharma come out again. We see her come out and absolutely demolish these Divas but when will we actually see her compete?

The other major event of the broadcast was Michael Cole 'retiring' from competition. Seriously?! Anyone who reads this knows how much disdain I have for him. I have read reports where he is just as annoying backstage, as he is on screen. I was mostly thankful for Jerry Lawler interrupting him and challenging him to just one more match. The stipulation attached was that Jerry would personally induct Michael Cole into the Hall of Fame and give him his HOF ring. I sincerely hope that the booker doesn't drop the ball on this and let Cole win. Swagger came out and attacked Lawler, which seems to be a running theme every week (and then had a match against Kofi Kingston). The highlight of the entire show was when Jerry came out and pulled Cole's tie through the hole in the 'Cole Mine' and smashed his face into the wall. That made my day. I can’t wait for Over the Limit.

I also wanted to add that I am going to start doing reviews on my blog, in addition to my weekly postings. I'll be reviewing books, movies, and anything else that has the WWE stamp on it. Any suggestions are welcome so feel free to give me ideas!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Happy Birthday to You...

Last night, the WWE superstars were pushed to their breaking point at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view that took place in Tampa. Overall, I thought the pay-per-view was decent, it had its great moments but also had some lows. First off, I'd like to discuss what I thought were the high points of the event...

Randy Orton vs. CM Punk (Last Man Standing)
I  am always curious as to how 'extreme' a match like this can get with the PG rating. I thought that both Randy Orton and CM Punk did an amazing job with the time that they were given. This was one of the most entertaining matches I have seen the two involved in during their feud. The two standout moments for me were when CM Punk shoved Randy into the post with a chair around his neck and then when Orton delivered an RKO on the announce table. There wasn't any blood in the match but those moments made me cringe.

My big question is how will this feud continue or end off since both men are on different brands? Will we see more brand crossover? I think this one has the potential to be extremely entertaining and hopefully they continue with it for the foreseeable future, or at least until Summerslam.

Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus (Tables Match for the United States Championship)
It was an add-on, a last minute match. However, I was extremely happy to cheer Kofi on when he won that belt. He seemed to be getting a push and then he got swept to the sidelines. Kofi has the potential to be a massive star in the business and I am glad he got his time to shine. Booker T mentioned his 'mean streak' throughout the match and how he may have to keep that up to be taken seriously, I sure hope he doesn't. I wouldn't want him to go in the same direction that R-Truth is heading.

Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole and Jack Swagger (Country Whipping Match - Strap Match)
The one point I have to mention is that I was out of my seat to see Ross and Lawler get their hands and take their boots to Cole.

Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio (Ladder Match for the Vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
This was the highlight of the night and should have been the main event match. I have never seen two men put on such an entertaining match in quite some time. I still maintain that Del Rio is getting a push too soon and that he isn't established enough yet to hold such a major belt. My Dad and I got into a huge discussion during the match about who would win and we both decided on Christian. Being one of the pioneers of the modern ladder match, he proved without a doubt that he is deserving of being in a main event and winning the big prize. The highlight of the match was when Edge came out, he added a special touch and an emotional end to one hell of a match. I was glued to the edge of my seat the entire time, literally jumping off the couch when he won. I'm proud as a fan to see that he finally got what he had coming to him, especially after losing the ECW title on the very last broadcast (Yes, I'm still a little bitter about that haha!).

Now to discuss the few low points of the night...

Big Show & Kane vs. Ezekiel Jackson and Wade Barrett (Lumberjack Match)
Seriously? Do I even have to say anything about this to the people who watched it? What a waste. Someone needs to start caring about tag team wrestling, or we are going to end up with more debacles like this.

Michelle McCool vs. Layla (Loser Leaves WWE Match)
I was honestly shocked at the outcome of this match but it makes perfect sense if you think about it. McCool is recently married to Undertaker and has been wrestling injured for some time. She probably wants time to heal and spend with her husband. There is no official word yet if she is actually gone from the company but time will tell.

I was also disappointed that Kharma (or Awesome Kong, as she was known in TNA) didn't get a bigger debut. She didn't need to be the star of the show but she should have had a more advertised or hyped up entrance. That being said, I think she will breathe new life into the Diva's locker room. Thank god, someone had to do it.

Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole & Jack Swagger
I feel like I had to mention this one again because I was so disappointed that they didn't win. I personally would have loved to see Cole get the snot beat out of him.

John Cena vs. John Morrison vs. The Miz (Triple Threat Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship)
I normally enjoy Cena's matches quite a bit. It's not that this one wasn't good, but it wasn't that great either. I felt that it was lacking a little something and that Morrison should have won instead of Cena. I had a theory, as well as my Dad, that Morrison should have won the belt and kept it for a few months. As much as I love John Cena, he should have won the title at a major PPV like Summerslam. It will be interesting to see how long he has it this time with his impending main event with Rocky set for Wrestlemania XXVIII. Also, John Morrison should have been hyped up better and added to the feud of Cena vs. Miz. Honestly, he didn't make too much sense and should have been integrated better.

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Monday Night Raw saw fallout from Extreme Rules and the birthday celebration of The Rock. I figured that there wouldn't be much wrestling on the broadcast as we saw appearances from Pitbull, the Miami Heat dancers, and Mya. It was fairly entertaining but I was hoping for a bit more in-ring competition.

The opening video for the show, before the opening credits even rolled really was touching considering the events of the last 24 hours. Like I have said a bazillion times before, no one does it better than the production team at WWE. Adding to that was Lillian Garcia singing the national anthem, what an amazing way to show unity at such a controversial and emotional time in the world.

Other than the birthday bash, not a whole lot happened, but I would like to say that this angle with R-Truth really is getting on my nerves. I simply don;t think he is main event material, not saying that he isn't a good wrestler. He just needs to find a gimmick that works and stick to it. I don't enjoy watching him attack John Morrison from behind and bad mouth fans. Sorry but it just doesn't work for me.

Kharma also came out again tonight and did the same bit that she did last night. I'm still not too sure what to think about her but I would like to see a program developed between her and Beth Phoenix. I think that they will make her come out and attack the other ladies for a while longer before they give her anything of real substance.

The last moment I watched the broadcast before I tuned out is the re-match between Cena and Miz. I knew Alex Riley would be there and help him cheat for the win but I still held out hope he would turn on The Miz. With Riley being drafted to Smackdown, it will be interesting to see how he develops and branches out on his own.

The 'WTF?!' moment for me tonight was when John Cena said that he had a present for Rocky and raised the WWE title. Will the main event with the two be a title match? Will it have another stipulation? Will John Cena even have the belt come April 2012? I honestly don't think I can wait almost a year to find out.

Monday, January 31, 2011

There's a Reason Why Jerry is King.

This episode of Monday Night Raw opened up with the winner of the 2011 Royal Rumble, Alberto Del Rio. I'm sure I wasn't the only person left scratching their head after to Royal Rumble last night. I did think it was a pretty solid pay-per-view, for only having four matches. I was hoping for John Cena to win (as I always do) but was secretly hoping for a Smackdown superstar to win. That brand deserved it, deserved a chance to show that they can stand up to the Raw brand. I just don't know what to think about Alberto Del Rio. I don't think he is that spectacular of a wrestler, maybe I'm being too picky. He is fairly new as a superstar but maybe this is the push that he needs to elevate himself to star/main eventer status. As for title bouts, he chose to go after Edge and his World Heavyweight Title. I think that is a pretty good choice and it will be a fantastic match as it will be Del Rio's first ever Wrestlemania.

His celebration was something I rolled my eyes at but was expected. He did defeat 39 other men to win this prestigious honor. Good luck to him and hopefully his first ever Wrestlemania experience will be memorable for not only him but the fans as well.

Monday Night Raw was pretty solid as a broadcast. Santino and Kozlov fought Joe Henning (I do NOT like the name WWE has him using) and Husky Harris. I'm hoping that Kozlov and Marella will hang on to the titles for a while longer and that the WWE will start beefing up the tag team division, they have had some fantastic tag team matches and some even better tag team pairings. In the women's division, Natalya and Eve faced off against Laycool in a tag team match, and of course Laycool won. What I noticed most about this match was that Natalya had no bad blood against Eve, even though she lost the title to her the night before. She shook her hand before they started and checked on her after she got kicked in the face by Michelle McCool. True sportsmanship at its finest.

Edge faced The Miz in a champion vs. champion match which was hilariously interrupted by John Cena and a "Miz is Awful" chant. One of the funniest things I have ever seen, and of course it gave Cena a chance to get back at Miz for eliminating him from the Royal Rumble. I still think that is complete and total garbage by the way, a referee had to have seen that. That added another reason as to why I do not care for The Miz that much. In the end, Edge got the upper hand and won. Giving Michael Cole one less reason to jump up and down like a fool. This also brings me to a side note, what was with him jumping up and down like a little girl at a Justin Bieber concert? Dude has issues. I don't think it is helping his image at all. It makes him look foolish and won't help him in the popularity department.

Before we get to discussing the main event, there are a few things that were announced that are worth mentioning. Stone Cold Steve Austin will be hosting Tough Enough when it premieres on April 4th, 2011, the night after Wrestlemania XXVII. I have always enjoyed Steve Austin as a wrestler, promo cutter, and actor. He can be dead serious or have you in stitches, this gig fits him like a glove and I look forward to watching the show when it premieres. I'm not too sure what channel it will be on in Canada but hopefully it's one that I get so I can cover that as well, I'm always interested in new and developing talent. Vickie Guererro also announced that Edge will defend his title in a way that it has never been defended before, a three on two handicapped mixed gender tag team match. Dolph Ziggler and Laycool will face off against Edge and his partner Kelly Kelly. I think it is a pretty interesting premise but I'm not too sure who I would like to see win, as I like both competitors. I do hope that Kelly Kelly gives Laycool what they have coming to them!

Now onto the main event of the night, the seven man Raw Rumble match. This was an ingenious idea and whoever put this together should get a well deserved pat on the back. It plays off the high of the Royal Rumble the night before and I always enjoy the crowd counting down from ten until the next competitor comes out. The entrants and who they eliminated are listed below:

  1. John Morrison (eliminated by Sheamus)
  2. Sheamus (eliminated by Jerry Lawler, with assistance from John Cena)
  3. John Cena (eliminated by Lawler, because Sheamus shoved Lawler into Cena)
  4. CM Punk (eliminated by Randy Orton)
  5. R-Truth (eliminated by John Cena)
  6. Jerry Lawler (WINNER!)
  7. Randy Orton (eliminated by R-Truth)
I was so excited when Jerry Lawler was announced as a participant for this match. I was disappointed however when Ted DiBiase Jr. tried to buy Jerry's spot in the match, but did enjoy the slap Maryse gave him. Seriously, does Ted even have anything to do? Jerry earned this spot and has been waiting to get his hands on The Miz and hopefully it will earn him a championship reign. When he won the match I screamed and did everything short of a touchdown dance. I am greatly looking forward to seeing Jerry beat the snot out of The Miz at Elimination Chamber. I will be cheering Jerry on and I know he will win the title and eventually get his Wrestlemania moment. Good luck to you Jerry! This is the reason why they call you 'The King'.