Hell
in a Cell 2012
Date:
October 28, 2012
Location:
Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators:
Michael Cole, Jim Ross, John Bradshaw Layfield
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
The
main event here is Ryback vs. Punk and there's one thing I love about
it: I have no idea who is going to win. They really could go either
way and as a big supporter of Rybac, I'd love to see it. The main
event is in need of a major change, so why not Ryback? The main
issue for him though is that the fans are going to have the Goldberg
chants going on high tonight. The Sheamus vs. Big Show match should
be good too. Let's get to it.
On
the preshow, here's Cena to address the AJ/Vickie/Cena story.
Apparently Vickie has evidence of the inappropriate relationship
which she'll show tomorrow on Raw. Tonight, Cena is answering
questions from social media. The first questions is about him
passing a torch to Ryback. Cena says no but he never had any fire to
pass. A TOUT asks what advice Cena would give Ryback for the Cell
tonight. Cena says that brute strength alone isn't going to do it.
A
Tweet asks if Cena could beat Ryback. Cena asks the fans who aren't
really clear on an answer. He does however say if Ryback wins the
title, he'd love the first shot. Another TOUT is about what was
Cena's toughest match. Of course he says it's the one against Rock.
Cena wants another shot of course. This isn't going anywhere is it?
Another TOUT asks if Punk is the best in the world but Cena won't say
yes. Another TOUT is from Dolph Ziggler asks if Cena will tell the
truth. Cena says the people should cheer Dolph because he used TOUT.
If Dolph is here, why not just come out here and fight?
Here's
Dolph.....or make that Vickie. She says the fans are more confident
in her than in Cena because Cena got his hand caught in the cookie
jar. Ziggler finally charges and gets knocked right back to the
floor. This was free on Youtube and I feel like I deserve a refund
after sitting through it.
Now
on to the actual show.
The
opening video is about the two world title matches, just as it should
be.
Alberto
Del Rio vs. Randy Orton
That's
quite the opener. Orton immediately jumps Del Rio and we're out on
the floor very quickly. Alberto goes face first into the announce
table and back inside we get the Orton Stomp. Orton stomps away in
the corner until the referee pulls him off. Alberto throws him to
the apron and rams the arm into the bar connecting the buckle to the
post. Back in and Del Rio hooks a kind of armbar followed by
something close to the armbreaker over the top rope.
Orton's
shoulder goes into the post and Randy is in big trouble. Alberto
hooks a different kind of armbar to keep control. It's nice to see
the holds used being mixed up as watching the same stuff over and
over again gets old in a hurry. Orton jumps over Del Rio out of the
corner and grabs a rollup for two. Del Rio hits a DDT on the arm for
two and puts on yet another kind of armbar, followed by another
armbreaker over the rope. This time though Orton shoves Del Rio off
and out to the floor. Basic storytelling and psychology there but it
worked just as well.
Orton
sets for the powerslam back inside but Del Rio hangs onto the ropes.
More good psychology there as you can only have Orton or anyone use
the same moves so many times before someone sees it coming. Del Rio
tries the armbreaker but Orton makes the rope almost immediately.
The backbreaker from Randy looks to set up the Elevated DDT but Del
Rio counters into another shot on the arm. Alberto tries the RKO but
gets countered into the Elevated DDT.
Randy
tries the mat pounding but hurts his bad arm again. Nice touch there
again. Del Rio hits the Backstabber for two but the armbreaker is
countered into the powerslam for two. They go to the corner but
Orton gets shoved off. He hangs on by the ropes but Del Rio hits a
double stomp to Orton's chest for two. This has been way better than
I was expecting.
Just
as I say that, Del Rio goes up and I think is supposed to jump into
the RKO, but instead he just lands next to Orton and they're
completely out of sync now. The RKO is countered as Orton is sent
into the corner where Ricardo rams the arm into the post. There's
the armbreaker but Orton somehow hangs on and rolls on top of Del Rio
for two. Del Rio tries the running enziguri in the corner but Orton
ducks and catches Del Rio in the RKO as he comes down for the pin at
13:06. That didn't have the impact they were looking for I don't
think.
Rating:
B-. This was higher until the
jump off the top which looked horrible. Either way, this was a very
nice surprise with some solid psychology and storytelling the whole
way through. Orton isn't great all the time but if you get him the
right kind of opponent, which is usually a guy who isn't a giant, he
can have some solid matches and this was one of those. If the botch
hadn't happened, it would have been an excellent opener. With it,
the match is just quite good.
We
recap the AJ/Vickie/Cena stuff and Vickie says she's got the pictures
to prove the affair happened. Vickie turns around and runs into
Heyman. Paul wants the match canceled but Vickie will have none of
it. Heyman snaps at the theory that Ryback scares Punk and goes off
on Vickie for a bit. Vickie continues to do nothing for me at all.
Tag
Titles: HELL NO vs. Rhodes Scholars
The
Scholars won this shot in a long tournament. In case it's not clear,
HELL NO is defending. The Scholars say that there's one thing for
sure: at the end of the night they'll be able to say “WE ARE THE
TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS!” Funny stuff. Bryan vs. Sandow (in dark gray
trunks, just like Cody) starts things off and Bryan hits a running
knee to Damien's ribs. Off to Kane for a low dropkick before it's
off to Cody for the same move for two.
Cody
gets caught in the champions' corner and it's back to Bryan for some
rapid fire kicks in the corner. Kane comes in again and throws Cody
around again until Damien gets in a chop block to take Kane's knee
out. More leg work keeps Kane down but Sandow jumps into an
uppercut. There's the tag to Bryan who moonsaults over Sandow in the
corner and hits a running clothesline to take Damien down. There are
the NO Kicks and the Scholars are both sent to the floor. Bryan hits
a BIG suicide dive to take them both out.
As
they head back in, Cody grabs Bryan's leg and Sandow knocks Daniel
into the barricade. Back in and a running knee gets two for Rhodes
as we enter the tag team formula mode. Bryan plays Ricky Morton for
a bit as Cody comes in to work on the arm a bit. Bryan punches his
way out of the corner but a knee to Bryan's ribs takes him right back
down. Off to Sandow again who pounds on the ribs for two.
Sandow's
windup elbow gets two (I'm not even going to try to spell the real
name) and it's off to a chinlock. Kane: “COME ON GOAT FACE LET'S
GO!” That actually works as Bryan almost gets the NO Lock before
hooking a drop toehold to send Sandow into the middle buckle. A
double tag brings in Cody to face the fresh Kane and the Big Fried
Freak takes over. The sidewalk slam gets two and the top rope
clothesline kills Cody. Kane signals for the chokeslam but Bryan
tags himself in and hits a Swan Dive, but Kane breaks up the cover.
Sandow
pulls Kane to the floor and gets punched in the face. Bryan
backdrops Cody to the floor onto Kane and misses the running knee,
taking out Kane by mistake. The champs get into a shoving match and
a pair of baseball slides take out Kane. Back in and Cody hits Cross
Rhodes on Bryan but Kane makes the save. Kane is losing it and
destroys everyone in sight drawing a lame DQ at 13:30 for beating on
Sandow in the corner.
Rating:
C+. This was getting good at
the end before the lame DQ. They did set up another match later on
which is fine, but with all of the teams they've got built up, do
they really want to go another month with the same guys? Still
though, entertaining enough match here and the champs fighting is
almost always entertaining.
Sandow
gets a chokeslam post match.
Miz
talks about how Kofi brings mediocrity and mediocrity brings the end
of civilization, so Kofi brings the end of the world. It ties into a
show coming up about people who are preparing for doomsday if that
clears up anything.
Intercontinental
Title: The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston
The
inflatable AWESOME from the Mania match with Cena is back. Kofi is
defending and this is a rematch from a few weeks ago on Main Event.
Both guys try and miss their finishers less than thirty seconds in,
sending Miz to the floor to regroup. How much regrouping do you need
after half a minute? Kofi jumps over the steps on the floor but Miz
kicks his head off to take over. That gets two back in the ring and
things slow down a bit.
Off
to a chinlock for awhile followed by a clothesline to put Kofi down.
There's a top rope double ax for two and Miz punts him in the ribs.
Miz's corner clothesline is blocked by a hard clothesline from the
champ and both guys are down. Kofi chops Miz down and hits the Boom
Drop for two. Miz runs from Trouble in Paradise but gets caught by
the spinning top rope cross body for two.
The
SOS is countered into half of the Reality Check but they seem to miss
on something before the neckbreaker. SOS gets two and Miz hits a
kind of Stunner to the leg. Miz bends the leg around the ropes and
takes off the leg pad and boot from Kofi's left leg. Kofi gets to
the second rope but Miz slams him off and puts on a half crab.
Kofi
crawls to the ropes but Miz pulls it right back to the center. The
champ counters into a cradle for two but Miz gets the same off a
short DDT. Miz loads up the Finale but Kofi counters into a kind of
victory roll for two. The kick misses for Kofi but the Finale can't
hit again. Miz gets kicked to the floor and as he comes back in,
Kofi kicks him into oblivion for the pin to retain at 10:44.
Rating:
C+. Another good and lengthy
match here as this show is already better than anything WWE has
thrown at us in weeks. This gets Miz out of the title picture and
hopefully pushes him back up the card. Kofi is fine in this role and
can be put with almost anyone to get a good match. Solid stuff here
and a fine match.
Kofi
says Miz has brought out the wildcat in him and that he's proud to be
the champion.
HELL
NO argues again. Kane thinks Bryan almost lost because he was
thinking about vegan candy. Bryan yells at Kane for bringing up
Halloween when he's always wearing a mask. Kane says that Bryan has
been wearing a mask since he was born on Old McDonald's Farm....AND
HE SINGS THE SONG. Bryan: “YOU ARE IMPOSSIBLE!” Kane: “No. I
AM THE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS!” I love these two.
US
Title: Antonio Cesaro vs. Justin Gabriel
Since
we only had three announced matches left and it's ten after 9, they
had to add another match or two. Antonio says something in what
sounds like German or Swiss before the match. Cesaro is defending
and they've traded wins on Raw lately to set this up. Cesaro takes
it to the mat as soon as the bell rings before cranking on the arm a
bit. Gabriel counters a hip toss and monkey flips Cesaro down.
Justin
goes up top but the champ knocks him off to the floor. Back in and a
legdrop gets two for Cesaro and he pounds away with some rough
looking shots to the head. An uppercut to the back of Gabriel's head
gets two and it's off to a chinlock with a knee in the back of
Justin. Cesaro puts him face down on the top rope and hits a running
knee to the ribs. A double stomp gets another two on Gabriel and
it's back to the arm. The crowd is pretty dead for this so far.
Gabriel
comes back and takes Cesaro down for a quick top rope Lionsault for
two. Cesaro takes Justin's head off with a clothesline for two. The
champ pounds away in the corner but Gabriel comes out with a spinning
DDT for two. Gabriel tries the 450 but rolls through when Cesaro
moves. Cesaro goes to the floor so Justin hits a dropkick through
the ropes for two. He heads back in but dives into the uppercut to
knock Gabriel silly. Back in and the Neutralizer retains the title
at 7:35.
Rating:
C. I know there wasn't much
here, but having Cesaro run through the entire lower card is a fine
way to keep him on TV without having him face guys he's not ready to
beat yet. It's also a good way to make him look like more than he
really is, which is something Cesaro needs. Imagine that: using
jobbers to the stars to push someone higher up the card. It's so
crazy that it just might work.
Breast
cancer is bad.
Video
on Ryback and how unstoppable he is.
Heyman
sucks up to Vickie in the back because apparently the Cell has been
canceled. Vickie doesn't seem to understand what he's talking about.
The match is still on.
Prime
Time Players vs. Rey Mysterio/Sin Cara
Sin
Cara and Darren start things off with Young slapping him around on
the mat. Cara headscissors him down and there's the tag to Rey.
Cara has what looks like a Mysterio mask on the back of his own mask.
The main event for Main Event this coming week is these four teaming
with Del Rio and Orton respectively. Yep the card is already falling
down. Off to Titus for some power to take over on Mysterio. A
double elbow by the Players take Rey down and Young comes in for some
near falls.
Off
to a quick reverse chinlock by Young but Titus charges into a boot in
the corner to let the masked guys make a tag. Back to Cara who
speeds things up and hits a top rope cross body on Titus. Cara's
spinning armdrag out of the corner is caught by Titus and he rams
Cara into the corner. Back to Darren to pounds away a bit more
before hitting the belly to back suplex onto the apron for two.
Back
to Titus who suplexes Young onto Sin for two. JR says the Players
are trying to get a big payday for a win on a major PPV. What
exactly would be a minor PPV? Titus yells at Cara in the corner and
tells him to speak English, which will probably be a fine for O'Neal.
Titus puts on a kind of abdominal stretch before slamming him down
for two. Back to Young for a backbreaker which gets two. Titus gets
in a three point stance but charges into the post.
Cara
hits a kind of standing Sliced Bread #2 and makes the hot tag to Rey.
Mysterio speeds things up and hits a tilt-a-whirl DDT on Darren for
two. JR: “Keeping up with Rey is like trying to pour smoke through
a keyhole.” JBL: “Who would want to do that?” Cara dives on
Titus on the floor as Rey counters the gutbuster from Young into the
619 and top rope splash for the pin at 12:50.
Rating:
C-. This wasn't a bad match at
all but it ran too long and overstayed its welcome. These guys are a
good undercard feud for the tag division (imagine THAT say six months
ago) and putting them on here was as decent enough of an idea as you
were going to get. Either one of these teams could get a title shot,
and that's kind of cool to think about.
Cara
may have hurt his neck but he gets up on his own power. Apparently
on that standing Sliced Bread he landed on the top of his head.
WWE
is promoting a Rolling Stones PPV concert.
We
recap Big Show vs. Sheamus. The idea is that Sheamus can't Brogue
Kick Show but he wants to fight no matter what.
Smackdown
World Title: Big Show vs. sheamus
Sheamus
is defending. Show throws him around to start and Sheamus tries to
brawl with him. That results in the champion being knocked down into
the corner and Show is in command. Ziggler is watching with the case
in the back. Sheamus knocks Show to the floor and as the challenger
gets back in, Sheamus fires away with all he's got. It does a bit of
damage but Show shrugs it off and knocks Sheamus to the floor again.
We
head to the floor with Show throwing Sheamus into the barricade.
Back in and Show keeps pounding on Sheamus very slowly. He steps on
Sheamus' head and knocks the champ to the floor before sending him
over the announce table. This has been almost all Show so far and
Sheamus is looking like a ragdoll. Back in and Show hits the Eye of
the Hurricane for two. I think he used to call that the Final Cut.
Sheamus tries to fight back with some punches to the ribs but Show
throws him over the top to the floor.
As
Sheamus comes back in, he hits the slingshot shoulder but charges
right into a superkick for two. Show knocks him down again with
Sheamus only being able to get in some punches before charging into a
bearhug. Show gets on his knee instead of picking Sheamus up,
allowing Sheamus to hit some forearms. A slam doesn't work at all
and the Vader Bomb Elbow gets two for Show. He calls for the
chokeslam but Sheamus counters into a DDT but the kickout sends
Sheamus out to the floor.
Sheamus
tries the ten forearms in the corner but Show shoves him off. The
chokeslam hits but it only gets two. Show is getting ticked off now
but he can't hook the Colossal Clutch. Sheamus avoids an elbow and
tries the Cloverleaf of all things but Show kicks him off. They head
to the floor and Sheamus drives Show into the post a few times. Back
in and Sheamus goes after the knee before hitting some ax handles to
take Show down.
Sheamus
hits White Noise and does it with EASE. That looked better than a
lot of the AA's Cena hits on Show. That only gets two and Sheamus
charges into the WMD.....for two. Show tries another punch but
Sheamus kicks Show's head off.....FOR TWO. This is getting AWESOME.
Sheamus gets WAY fires up but the Brogue Kick charges into the WMD
for the pin and the title at 21:37.
Rating:
B+. This was exactly what it
was supposed to be: a heavyweight slugfest with Sheamus pounding away
with everything he had but it just wasn't enough. I would initially
say that Show winning the title was a bad thing but the way they were
going with the feud it was probably the best idea. This was a great
match though and WAY better than I was expecting. The kickouts were
great and the match worked really well. I can't believe I'm saying
this, but match of the night so far.
Eve
tries to talk to Booker but Booker goes to check on Sheamus. Teddy
says Eve is going to lose when Ryder comes up dressed as a witch. Oh
ok he's Eve. Teddy says that's one letter off.
Vince
is here and Punk asks him to cancel the match. Vince asks if Punk is
afraid of Ryback but Punk says no and leaves.
Divas
Title: Layla vs. Eve Torres vs. Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn
was attacked at Night of Champions and Layla had to defend against
Eve instead of Kaitlyn. Eve won the title and was accused of
attacking Kaitlyn, setting up this. The challengers double team Eve,
argue a bit, and then double team Eve again. Eve and Kaitlyn finally
start fighting and we get a pinfall reversal sequence. Eve comes
back in and knocks Layla to the floor so she can beat on Kaitlyn a
bit.
Eve
works over Kaitlyn's leg with a long hold until Layla finally gets
back in. A hard kick to Eve's face slows her down and Layla pounds
away in the corner. A cross body gets two for Layla but Eve throws
her into the splits. Eve gets thrown into the splits as well and
Kaitlyn gives us a DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER!!! Kaitlyn puts Layla in a
Fujiwara Armbar but Eve makes the save. The crowd dies as the match
starts to drag. Kaitlyn hits Stratusfaction on Eve to send her to
the floor and powerslams Eve down. Eve hits a middle rope Swanton to
break up the pin and covers Layla to retain the title at 6:39.
Rating:
C-. The girls are getting
better and they have an actual story anymore, but the fans still
don't care. This is MILES better than they were having a few months
ago, but at the same time it's still nothing to write home about.
Kaitlyn appears to be the future but I'm still not sold on her at
all. Decent match that ran too long.
Big
Show brags about getting the title back and dares anyone to try to
take it from him. That sounds like a match for Ryback once he's done
with Punk.
Sheamus
is getting looked at.
We
recap Punk vs. Ryback. Punk and Cena were feuding, then Cena got
hurt and Ryback was the next best thing they could come up with.
It's in the Cell because the calendar says it needs to be.
The
Cell is lowered. Cole says the Cell was introduced 15 years ago. My
goodness do I feel old.
Raw
World Title: Ryback vs. CM Punk
I
honestly don't know who is going to win here and I love that feeling.
The Goldberg chants start before the music hits. Ryback has a red
singlet tonight. Not much of a pop for him though. The big match
intros inform us that this match will indeed be taking place inside
the Cell. You know, in case you're REALLY FREAKING STUPID. The fans
get fired up for the Feed Me More chant at least.
Punk
immediately heads to the floor and we're in the big Cell where
there's almost no room at ringside. Punk gets back in and
immediately runs to the floor again. After almost a minute and a
half Ryback gets his hands on Punk and chokes him in the air. Ryback
kicks him in the chest and Punk is in trouble early. Punk gets a
boot up in the corner but a tornado DDT is easily countered.
Punk
is sent back to the floor where he tries to get out of the door.
Ryback throws him into the Cell wall and then does it again. The
Goldberg chants start up and Punk hides under the ring. Heyman
distracts Ryback, allowing Punk to spray him with a fire extinguisher
and knock Ryback into the cage. The champ finds a chair but Ryback
knocks it into Punk's head. Back in and Ryback hits a Warrior
gorilla press drop.
Ryback
misses a charge into the corner and Punk hits a springboard
clothesline to take him down. A top rope double ax only kind of hits
so Punk hits a second to stagger Ryback. A third attempt is caught
in midair but Punk hits a leg lariat to take Ryback down again. Punk
sends him to the floor and hits the suicide dive but Ryback is
slammed into the cage instead of being knocked down. Ryback easily
breaks up a neckbreaker on the floor but his spear hits the steps.
Back
in and Punk puts on a chinlock. We're over eight minutes into this
and it's been pretty good stuff so far. Another Ryback charge hits
the post and Punk smiles. Heyman: “HE'S STILL ALIVE!” Punk hits
the running knee in the corner and a clothesline to set up the Macho
Elbow for no cover. Punk brings in a kendo stick and mocks the FEED
ME MORE chant.
Ryback
Hulks Up and takes the stick out of Punk's hands. Ryback is all
fired up now and Heyman is panicking. The fans are getting into the
chant now and there's the Meathook (clothesline). Ryback loads up
Shell Shock....and the referee hits Ryback low and fast counts a Punk
rollup for the pin to retain at 11:45.
Rating:
B-. This is one of those what
the heck was that endings but it was a good match until we got there.
I don't like the screwjob ending and I wanted Ryback to win, but
this sets up another match down the line I guess. I don't recognize
the referee but I'm sure we'll find out who he was later on. The
fans went silent after the pin which is a good thing....I think?
Ryback
gets up and murders the referee as Heyman pulls Punk through the
door. Ryback catches up to him though and throws Punk at the Cell,
but Punk climbs up to escape. Ryback follows him and hits the Shell
Shock on top of the Cell.
Ryback
poses on top of the Cell to end the show.
Overall
Rating: B+. This was a really
good show actually and the ending has me wondering where they'll go
next. There wasn't a really bad match on the show but a few of them
were pretty slow. The Show title win was a nice surprise and the
ending visual of the Shell Shock was good, but it wasn't a classic
show. For what it was, this was solid, but it's another show that
leads to another one instead of something conclusive, which is an
annoying habit WWE has.
Results
Randy
Orton b. Alberto Del Rio – RKO
Rhodes
Scholars b. HELL NO via DQ when Kane would not stop attacking Sandow
Kofi
Kingston b. The Miz – Trouble in Paradise
Antonio
Cesaro b. Justin Gabriel – Neutralizer
Rey
Mysterio/Sin Cara b. Prime Time Players – Top rope splash to Young
Big
Show b. Sheamus – WMD
Eve
Torres b. Kaitlyn and Layla – Eve pinned Layla after a powerslam
from Kaitlyn
CM
Punk b. Ryback – Rollup after a low blow from the referee
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com
Where does Sheamus like to buy his athletic gear?
ReplyDeleteDICK'S! DICK'S! DICK'S!
I bet I wasn't the only one who was like "Fuck, it's Tommy Hall reviewing the show."
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry. Big Slow getting another World Title push= me even LESS likely to watch this crap anymore.
ReplyDeleteIt really doesn't do much for Smackdown. They're almost out of main eventers over there unless we're getting Show vs. Orton for the title, which does nothing at all fo rme.
ReplyDeleteAny suggestions for me?
ReplyDeleteBe better.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it can be tolerable if they book him like Mark Henry, but I doubt it; heel Show is a big fat 450-lb snore for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for getting the review up so quick tommy. Good read. However I want to bring up two points. In my opinion (and the consensus on the live thread) was that the tag title match was the match of the night with big show vs sheamus and adr v del rio right behind it. Are you just lowering it because of the non finish? I think that was good booking, this feud is fun and should continue and why job the heels? However I would like to watch sheamus vs show one more time because I might be underrating it.
ReplyDelete.
Also I mentioned I thought the main event was the proverbial three star broom stick match (which I think matches up with your rating right?) but no question most people shit on it in the live thread. Not because of cm punk, but because the cage was not a factor until after the match, and probably hurt the match by being there and because Ryback was bad and the match had no heat.
B+???
ReplyDeletebwahahahahahahaha...a-hem, wow.
This show reminds of summerslam, where the wrestling was solid but not great, and the main even underwhelmed. The only difference was that show had a very good ziggler vs jericho match
ReplyDeleteYou WAY overated that Punk-Ryback garbage
ReplyDeleteThis is a show that had enjoyable moments while watching live, but I would never really want to watch a dvd of this show or anything
ReplyDeletePeople want star ratings dude. I like your smackdown reviews, and I say write however you want, its your review.
ReplyDeleteI have no earthly idea how you got B+, worst PPV of the year in my books
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there was an undercurrent of spite here. I know I enjoy your reviews, immensely. Hell, I started watching Smackdown more because of you.
ReplyDeleteI did like the tag match. As for why I rated it low, it ran a bit longer than it should have and yeah the ending hurt it a lot. I do really like that they're getting back to Kane and Bryan fighting though, as that's what got them over in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think Ryback did badly at all. People were expecting Punk to bounce off Ryback for most of the match while he stood there and did power stuff. That's about what they got and while the ending leaves something to be desired, I was legitimately watching with an interest that I haven't had since probably Wrestlemania.
I'm thinking tonight is an aberration. Show needs the right kind of guy to get a good match out of him and I'm not sure who on Smackdown can do that.
ReplyDeleteLonger? general consensus was give them 20+ minutes
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work Tommy!
ReplyDeleteWell then I disagree with the general consensus I guess.
ReplyDeleteThat match 100% needed more time. Add a better finish and then would have really had something.
ReplyDeleteSomeone is going to have to sit me down and explain why the letter ratings are so bad. With a full paragraph next to the rating, it really can't be that hard to tell what it means.
ReplyDeleteAnd you know we are grasping at straws when a middle of the card tag title match is the most interesting thing to discuss off a ppv
ReplyDeleteThat ref swerve was impressive, it made D-Von NOT the stupidest swerve of the month
ReplyDeleteWill Scott Keith come down from the mountain to settle (or at least add his expert opinion) the debate about the quality of the main event?
ReplyDeleteWas Scott even watching tonight?
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't.
ReplyDeleteThe WWE: Where the impossible is possible!
ReplyDeletesheep mentality
ReplyDeleteWell I'm on tommys side. I felt that punk did the classic wrestle the broom stick and I feel like it's 2.5 to 3 stars. right in that range. So maybe i'll call it 2.75. However the consensus seems to be under 2 stars.
ReplyDeleteOnly saw the 2 world world title matches. Show/Sheamus was a decent little power match where I was expecting a shitfest, though the commentators tried they're hardest to ruin it with all their stupid cliches. Punk/Ryback was about as good as I expected, and I'm thinking the result will be changed to a no-contest tomorrow to keep the streak alive.
ReplyDeleteBtw the ref was the same dude from last month who apologized to punk for getting the count wrong
ReplyDeleteThat might even be dumber. The pin happened in a match where anything goes. That means they'll likely do it.
ReplyDeleteI liked it just fine.
ReplyDeleteThe actual review was of fine quality, it's the quality of the show we clearly divulge on
ReplyDeleteI came into this with very low expectations and got an entertaining show with nothing really horrible. Considering how horrid Raw was, for me that's a major success.
ReplyDeleteThen I'm with the consensus, you put me and my asses rating together you get *1/2
ReplyDeleteMissed the show. Shocked that Big Show won the title. My guess is that Ryback is getting that title fairly soon. Only thing that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteI highly doubt it. They're going to keep it on Punk so that he can hold it for fourteen months because WWE thinks that'll make people believe he has something resembling a prayer against Rock, which he just flat out doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI've stopped watching the TV shows, so my expectations where based on the quality of the PPVs leading up to it--most of which were really good
ReplyDeleteI meant the World Heavyweight title.
ReplyDeleteThat's likely what you meant when you said "that title". I could see that too. Show said he could beat anyone and Ryback is basically a more physical Sheamus as far as styles go.
ReplyDeleteI'm OK with the letter ratings. It's people that do the 1-10 scale or the positive/negative/draw thing that piss me off. I'd rather someone go like Murphy and not rate it at all than do that shit.
ReplyDeleteTommy's Review vs Kyles Ass!!! When megapowers exxxxxxxxxplooooode!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm perfectly fine with that and I get that a lot of people don't like the letters. Stars are the norm and I get that. It's people that say they can't understand the way I do things that seem ridiculous to me. They're not that complex.
ReplyDeletecome now, it's far to early to put my Ass in a mainevent--it just debuted tonight
ReplyDeleteHe's an FCW talent, Brad Maddox. Not terribly talented so I'm surprised they're using him. Ryback will probably murder him and he'll be endeavored.
ReplyDeleteHere are some quick star ratings
ReplyDeleteOrton vs. Del Rio-***
Bryan & Kane vs. Rhodes Scholars-**1/2
Kofi vs. Miz-**1/2
Gabriel vs. Cesaro-**
PTP vs. Cara & Rey-**1/4
Show vs. Sheamus-***1/4
Eve vs. Layla vs. Kaitlyn-1/2*
Ryback vs. Punk-*3/4
The main event was all smoke and mirrors and nothing was memorable. A forgettable "B" level PPV.
I'm sure I'm in the majority on this but man has Daniel Bryan been killing it this year. I just love watching every segment/match he's in.
ReplyDeletethat is closer to where I'm at, a little high on Sheamus vs Show, but yeah all and all, I'm real glad I didn't pay for that shit
ReplyDeleteLOL... you're killing it tonight!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't stand him a year ago and now I'm a fan. He's won be over.
ReplyDeleteHe has been the most entertaining wrestler in the WWE this year.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Bryan is trully the best wrestler in the world...Yeah, you heard me Tanahashi
ReplyDeleteSheamus and Show was shockingly good, IMO
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
ReplyDeleteThank you, the threads have been more fun then the show was
ReplyDeleteTrue dat.
ReplyDeleteHe put on a show tonight. What a talent
ReplyDeleteOh, it was MUCH better then I was expecting, and I give them all the credit in the world for that
ReplyDeleteEnding of HITC was the best IMO they could do.
ReplyDeleteAnd if CM Punk holds on to the belt till Royal Rumble, he will be the longest WWE Champion since..... Hogan's FIRST title run. Cena's run from Sept 06 to Oct 07 is 380 days. Punk will go past 400 days.
I know it will never happen, and even if it did they'd be stuck in developmental for a couple years, but I wish Daniels and Styles would come over from TNA. Bryan could hit **** with either of those guys without even trying.
ReplyDeleteDaniels would be in his mid forties after developmental wouldn't he? and the fact WWE thinks Styles and Daniels would need development is SOOOOOOOOOOO much bullshit
ReplyDeleteNo doubt. I thought DUD was a serious possibility with that one. Glad to see ANYONE besides Sheamus with the belt too, his title reign has been shit for months.
ReplyDeleteSheamus's world title run has been a massive failure. Even having the Big Show end it is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteSheamus' reign was awful, from 18 seconds where people turned on him in favor of Bryan, too the never ending Del Rio feud, too his character change too Cena 2.0, It's a miracle he has any heat left at all
ReplyDeleteNo shit. If I were in charge of talent I'd bring in Adam Cole and Michael Elgin from ROH too. Cole is an all-around decent guy in the ring and on the mic and would be a solid upper-midcarder, and Elgin is like Ryback, only with talent.
ReplyDeleteEXACTLY, imagine how much better that match would have been if it was Elgin vs Punk--Elgin has had TWO match of the year candidates this year-- and i mean in all the promotions, not just ROH
ReplyDeleteand if I'm in charge of developmental, I just fucking buy ROH but then LEAVE THEM ALONE, keep NXT as the development you run, but let ROH run independently, give them a slot on your non-existent network
ReplyDeleteThat says it all right there, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteI can think of three better endings of the top of my head
ReplyDeleteSupposedly WWE has been taking and interest in ROH lately, so that's not out of the realm of possibility. The Sinclair regime isn't doing them any favors, that's for sure. If anything, just sending some of the production people down to ROH would improve them a lot.
ReplyDeleteMy fear would be we get WWECW 2.0 with WWEROH if they buy it...
ReplyDeleteThe whole time I was watching the cell match I was thinking that it would be SO much better with Elgin.
ReplyDeleteElgin's spinning backfist alone is better then Ryback's entire moveset
ReplyDeleteThis is what's so amazing about Bryan to me: most people (myself included) figued he'd be like Benoit (great in the ring but not entertaining as a character) and he's just slaughtered it as a character by putting 100% into everything thrown at him no matter how stupid it is and that's gotten things over.
ReplyDeletePlus, all interviews I've seen with him he's a great guy.
Bryan has surpassed even the biggest Bryan Danielson fan's expectations for how well he'd do in the WWE
ReplyDeleteStar ratings are just the context in which we understand an attempt at objectively rating the quail of wrestling matches. It's what we're used to. If Scott gives a match ****1/4, I have a fairly specific idea of what kind of match that is. I don't know that with B+. (That's another thing: star ratings use quarter stars and can give you twice as many possible grades. In my head I know the difference between what a ***1/2 and ***3/4 match is.)
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's silly (the whole thing is) and one can figure out what that B+ would equate to in a star rating, but why fuck with what works?
Couldn't agree more. He's also been able to bring along whomever they put with him. AJ doesn't become GMAJ without Bryan basically carrying her. Kane's new found heat is all due to Bryan. He can wrestle with the best, he entertains with the best, he can be serious with the best, he's funny with the best...seriously, why isn't this guy on top of the promotion right now?
ReplyDeletebecause he's 5'10
ReplyDeleteTell us, oh wise one.
ReplyDeleteWhy? I like them better.
ReplyDeleteAlso I've always shook my head at people who will argue to no end that a match was in fact 2.25 stars instead of 2.5.
1. Henry/Lesnar cost Ryback the match on purpose--It doesn't even need to align Henry with Heyman, Just say while he was sitting at home he saw that there was a new monster and he wanted to remind everyone who the true monster was
ReplyDelete2.Cena accidentily cost's Ryback the match on a run in
3.Everything that happened post match, without the Ref screw job,Heyman distracts Ryback, Ryback beats the shit out of him and Punk takes the opportunity too run like a bitch
BONUS:they don't book themselves into this corner in the first place
(Bonus is my favorite, 3. is my least)
Because his last name isn't Cena.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm a cynical bastard but for me the main event was terrible and predictable....they booked themselves in a corner and this was the only logical outcome, as soon as I saw Maddox as referee I knew this would happen. Also I think WWE are confused with Rybacks catchphrase being over and himself actually being over... I don't think anyone gives two hoots about him personally and why should they when the dude has skipped from 2 min squash guy bypassed the midcard and is now the main event with little to no build up.
ReplyDeleteShow vs Sheamus was actually pretty epic and it felt like a breath of fresh air seeing a title change. Sheamus had a good run to a certain degree as I believe it established him as one of the legit top guys in the company, but boy did his forced fed babyface act grate on me as champion. Hopefully we will see a different side to him now he is the one chasing.
As a confirmed mark of my boy D-Bry right there I can tell you he has. If you had one to me in 2008 and said, "Bryan Danielson is going to be a former WHC and the most over guy. In the WWE bc of the character he plays" I would have shed tears of joy.
ReplyDeleteCredit where credit is due, Kane has held up his end of the team (the skits where he laid out his backstory Dr. Evil style and the vignettes at the diner still make me chuckle.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, I have high hopes. But I also like the idea of an old-fashioned slow burn for DBD.
Anyone who's ever wondered what Ultimate Warrior/Ric Flair would have looked like now has there answer (though maybe with a bit more weapon usage).
ReplyDeleteBig Show had one of the best matches of his career tonight and surprisingly was my favorite match on the card. But that main event was awful. It was a D at best to me.
ReplyDeleteSo my big complaint throughout Show/Sheamus was that I couldn't buy any of the false finishes knowing there was no way they would put the belt back on The Big Show. I guess they Showed me. For the life of me I couldn't figure out the logic of that move, but after the finish of that last match I've got a feeling Show is going to be getting Shellshocked for the 3 sometime in the near future. It looks like they've found their new big man of the moment, wonder where that leaves Sheamus though. Maybe he'll "switch" to Raw and feud with Punk to kill time until Cena's back.
ReplyDeleteYeah, just about anything but the ending they booked would have been better than that crap.
ReplyDeleteWWE: We're Possimpible!
ReplyDeleteTommy Hall reviews = :(. Most biased piece of drivel on the net. This was an average show, no doubt about it. B+? Ha! Just because you were expecting a shit show and got something was OK, doesnt make it a B+. Just judge the show on its merits FFS.
ReplyDeleteI hate quarter stars. I mean, what's the difference between a ***1/4 and a ***1/2 match really? It's just nitpicking. Only time I use them is when a single highspot or something just brings it above DUD, or has some tiny flaw that keeps it from being *****.
ReplyDeleteWORST. ENDING. EVER.
ReplyDeleteYour fantasy booking doesn't take reality into account.
ReplyDelete1. Henry isn't back from injury yet. Lesnar has very limited dates remaining, and wasn't available.
2. If Cena was good to go physically, he would have been in the match in the first place.
3. Your doesn't give us a finish at all.
At the very least, this ending didn't come out of nowhere. The ref botched a previous CM Punk match, and "owed" him one here. It also shows that Paul Heyman is a thinking man, who always has a Plan B, Plan C, or a even a Plan Q.
And I don't think that they booked themselves into a corner. This was the exact same ending that they would have used had Cena wrestled, substituting the Attitude Adjustment for Shell Shocked.
Your endings are either too obvious, too impracticable, or too WCW, and that end none of them are better than what we got. Maybe your ass would like to take a crack at it?
He's like a charismatic hot dog vendor. He's good at what he does, but could be used SO much better.
ReplyDeleteThis show was not a B+ and this review was boring. Scott, just because you've been doing this a long time doesn't mean you only get to review the thumbs up shows now!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, he's by far the most entertaining guy in WWE.
ReplyDeleteWho the hell are those no-name midgets?!?
ReplyDeleteWhy sign Kevin Steen Jr, when you can Sr and get twice the fat, instead of none of the charisma!?
The ROH talent has been picked up the promotions that matter. ROH is basically scorched earth at this point.
Those matches dont matter in end of year voting.
ReplyDeleteHow about Punk beats Rybrock... end of story.
ReplyDeleteJohnny Come lately.
ReplyDeleteFor all of the people who are shitting on Tommy's reviews/ratings.
ReplyDeleteDont read them/Shut the fuck up.
I dont agree with them, but thats his style. How you gonna bitch about his writing style? Thats like him cooking a steak for you free of charge and then you shitting on it cuz it wasnt medium-well. Bitch, its free!
Some of you are just bitching just to bitch. Shut the fuck up. If he wasn't good Scott wouldn't have him on the board for how long he has been around. Obviously he has some talent. He is wayyyyy better than Charlie or Kyle Fitta.
So just stop posting about his reviews cuz they ain't going anywhere til Scott say so.
Especially if you one of these BOD newbz... please shut the fuck up.
Fuji and Thomas, sitting in a tree...
ReplyDelete'/Harsh, but I bookmarked the Scott Keith blog, not the Tommy Hall blog, and I want to read what Scott Keith has to say about the show. Nothing against Tommy, and nothing constructive I can say about his critique.
ReplyDeleteDude, you and I are close, like this *crosses middle and pointer finger* and you never came to my rescue like that....
ReplyDeleteIf you're ever near Kentucky, there's a ham sandwich waiting on you.
ReplyDeleteI would like to point you to the fifth line of text in the review:
ReplyDeleteReviewed by Tommy Hall
Meaning that these opinions are mine and mine alone. There isn't some specific set of rules to determine the quality of a wrestling show or match. Meltzer thinks one way, Scott thinks one way, I think another way, you think another way. Heaven forbid someone thinks something different and actually enjoys the WWE's product right?
Honestly, Tommy, don't hold your breath when it comes to people insulting you and then offering absolutely nothing in terms of what they'd like. Also, if you ever mention the fact that only morons trash something without anything resembling constructive criticism, you'll be told you can't handle their constructive criticism.
ReplyDeleteYou're doing just fine, by the way.
The matches would be good but I doubt WWE would let Daniels and Styles cut loose like they can in TNA. I think they're honestly better off where they are as Daniels would probably be the new Simon Dean and Styles would be Evan Bourne 2.0.
ReplyDeleteI started to laugh at your comment (about leaving them alone, which would never happen) and then thought about it. Vince propped up ECW for years so why not an entity like ROH that has developed some of your current top stars? I guess maybe since Vince did it during the Monday Night Wars, he saw a cash injection into ECW as an investment of sorts.
ReplyDeleteI don't. I got my start in online wrestling talk on a forum. I'm well versed in critics like these.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I'm not liking about Daniel Bryan is how he's begun stomping around like an actual giant baby. I'm just worried Vince's brain cell will go off and we'll end up with D-Bry wrestling in a diaper
ReplyDeleteSo people are only allowed to comment if they have something positive to say? How un-wrestling fan-like. These reviews are bland as shit, the report card system is boring, there's no personality in the reviews at all. That's an honest opinion. Check the other review someone posted under HIAC plug, way better than this tripe
ReplyDeleteIt's not the whole "only talk when it's positive" ordeal.
ReplyDeleteIt's the fact most people are morons, and will say "this fucking sucks" or "i hate when this guy writes because then i read it everytime and then read it again just to make sure i hate it and it sucks".
They never, EVER offer anything constructive. Also, if they don't like it, they don't have to read it. Yet they do. Every time. And always talk massive amounts of crap.
That's the problem. Imagine at your job if people kept telling you that you sucked, but never said why, or never offered anything to help. You wouldn't be bothered?
No you're absolutely allowed to say whatever you want.
ReplyDeleteJust know theres consequences and reprecussions for every action.
Im just tired of the same shit over and again about TOmmys reviews.
"I dont get the grades"
"Why are using grades"
"The grades are stupid"
"Why dont you use stars?"
"The grades are stupid"
Its like people here never went to school and got a report card. Its not that fucking hard,
and guess what!?
If you dont like it... DONT FUCKING READ IT.
I dont like Tommy's ratings but he has sound reasoning behind his ratings, has explained the reason for the grading system and has defended ad naseum for years now. Get the fuck over it, it aint going anywhere.
This guy gets it.
ReplyDeletewhat, what!
ReplyDeleteWell if you copy from cracked... blatantly... its kinda hard to come to ur defense.
ReplyDeletestill mid-card 4 LIFE.
ReplyDeleteIm gonna go on record and say, Im not a fan of your reviews, but you're not terrible. Just not my cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteBut Im not gonna go and shit on you EVERY TIME YOU WRITE A REVIEW.
Good work Tommy, enjoyed reading it :)
ReplyDeleteDude, the reason so many people tell this guy his reviews suck every time is because... the reviews are crap! What explanation do you want? Read it yourself... bland as shit, no real opinion, no humour, nothing. Just bland as shit play by play with roll-of-the-eyes inducing ratings system. If we're not going to be doing Smark rants for PPVs anymore let's at least get someone who can write an entertaining recap!
ReplyDeleteIf i take the time to go to a restaurant and eat a meal which I don't enjoy I'll let it be known. Similarly if I take the time to come to this website to read a PPV recap and I think it's crap I'll also let that be known. What's the problem?
ReplyDeleteI dig your stuff. You ever want to write for WCW 2000, let me know. We do reviews other than WCW stuff, so if you don't feel like doing WCW 2000 stuff, there's plenty of other things we post.
ReplyDeleteWell, couldn't you have at least copied a defense from someone else or something?
ReplyDeleteWell, sure. Like I said, the whole thing is silly. Do your thing, dude, don't let us tell you how to do your job.
ReplyDeleteYours. I might even throw in some cheese.
ReplyDeleteSo in other words, you want me to be a poor man's Scott Keith, meaning that then the common response would be "quit trying to be Scott because you're not as good as he is." I don't try to be funny in my reviews because that's not something I'm particularly good at. As for no opinion, I'd recommend you look at the rest of these comments. Most people are criticizing me because of my opinions.
ReplyDeleteAlways appreciate hearing this from someone who is incredibly talented.
ReplyDeleteOh I have no intention of changing them. If there's a legit criticism of something I do (like a few weeks ago someone said it wasn't exactly clear who won a match) then I'll certainly work on that. Something like "Your reviews suck!" or "I can't understand what you mean because saying B+ and then an explanation of why you think that isn't enough" are going to get little more than an eye roll from me.
ReplyDeleteTommy getting 135 comments on his review. That must be a record.
ReplyDeletewatched this in a cinema with my mate, two pops for the night, Big Show winning, and Punk winning. Really solid card i thought with good matches all around, Show-Sheamus told a great story and payed off the fact that Sheamus has been a smiling douche and not taking anything seriously by losing. I thought Ryback-Punk was great until the ending that had to be there, Ryback sold the perfect amount of offense from Punk, and Punk made him look like a monster, Heyman was hilarious at ringside.
ReplyDeleteI thought Ziggler might cash in, paying off Vickie's decision not to cancelling
You're doing god's work, Fuj.
ReplyDeleteOh, there's no doubt that they're better where they are. Styles knows it too, he's made it clear he's TNA 4 Life. I'm not sure about Vince not letting him loose though, he seems to let Punk and Bryan just do their thing when they get in the ring together. I don't get they Styles/Bourne comparison either, Bourne is a fucking moron who's probably getting canned in the next month if Linda loses, Styles is known as much for staying out of trouble than he is for his in-ring work.
ReplyDeleteKevin Steen Jr? They're totally different wrestlers. And I'm willing to bet Cole is in WWE by the end of 2013.
ReplyDeleteBut you'd say what was wrong with it, right? You wouldn't just say "this sucks!" and leave it be. You said why you don't like it, his reviews, and that's fine. My problem is with people who would go back to this restaurant day after day, eat the chef's cooking every time, and say "this sucks!" every single time without saying why. Or even saying why if they hate it so much, why they keep coming back.
ReplyDeleteThen the chef snaps at one of these morons and they say "you can't handle constructive criticism!"
But honestly, why even tell the guy he sucks? What's the point? If I don't like something, I just don't partake in it. That's the problem with a lot of people here. They just keep coming back and running their mouths. Non-stop.
...uh, no.
ReplyDeleteOr Ryback gets jumped before the match (alluding to Brock) wrestles the match "injured", and passes out in the Anaconda Lock.
ReplyDeleteShow's promo after the match makes it seem like they're going to run with him for a bit... maybe Sheamus gets redemption at WM?
ReplyDeleteThe problem is you're not bitching about the food, you're bitching about the color and font of the menu.
ReplyDeleteI find the reviews very bland by Tommy personally. I've always hated the grading system he uses which everyone complains about, I really don't know why he doesn't just do what people actually want and use stars? If Tommy wanted to be 'original' maybe he'd put some actual personality (witty banter!) into the reviews... I only read whatever review is on here because I'm actually more interested to gain some form of perspective of what others think from the comment section. The only reviewers opinion I take seriously is Scott's but that is because I'm one of his drones and have been for years... I can't help my conditioning.
ReplyDeleteHollywood Fuj needs to get off his own bandwagon, looks like Hollywood has gone to his head.. get back with reality dude and start hating, that is what us wrestling fans do best!
The only people that tell Tommy his reviews suck are Dougie (because he's a troll who has nothing to live for), and the rest of the mouth breathers who can't grasp the concept of a letter grade because they didn't stick around in school long enough to get one.
ReplyDeleteNice try but no, the food is the review itself in this analogy. The chef/writer created the wack food/review.
ReplyDeleteI see what you're saying... Personally I began watching the PPV last night and fell asleep thinking fuck it, I'll just read the smark rant tomorrow morning. Suppose I was just disappointed as this isn't the style of review for me.
ReplyDeleteNo I don't want you to be a poor man's Scott Keith and don't mean to take the wind out of your sails. Just not feeling the review style but others do so no worries
ReplyDeleteI don't know who does or doesn't but the impression I've got from you guys is that I'm not the first to criticize
ReplyDeleteyou don't have to justify yourself anymore. as mentioned before you already explained your style dozens of times before.
ReplyDeletethe guys complaining about your ratings system for the millionth time are "the problem".
or he is going to a restaurant, gets offered free food (even a regular dish that is being served for quite some time) .... and than complains about it.
ReplyDeleteBecause I'm tired of replying to the mouth breathers about this review:
ReplyDeleteI understand perfectly why Tommy gave this the grade he did. You mean to tell me you guys never went into a movie expecting it to suck and come out so pleasantly surprised? For me, that was X-Men: First Class and hilariously enough, Fantastic Four (not that it was good, but it's a movie with Chris Evans stealing the show and being awesome).
If I had stuck around at the bar to finish watching the show I probably would be in the same mindset (especially with Sheamus' boring ass reign coming to an end and RYBACK not getting the title), but hey, better plans came along and I left.
It's because Scott's isn't up yet (if ever).
ReplyDeleteYou keep eating at the same shit restaurant and letting the cook he sucks.
ReplyDeleteWE GET IT.
this guy gets it
ReplyDeleteOn a more serious note; if you like rap go fucking buy mic tyson right now
ReplyDeleteKeep saying mouth breathers. It really helps your point.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN8GMCmXXdQ
ReplyDeleteInteresting interview with Meltzer and Jericho about last night. I think I agree with Jericho, sometimes you gotta take a chance.
As for why I use the grades and not the stars, I don't mean this to sound condescending or anything, but it's because this is the only place that I've ever seen complain about them this much. On the forums I originally posted them on, on 411, on my own site, the vast majority of people complained about them for a month or so and then stopped entirely.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the show was just an extended Raw. And judging by that finish, I would say Ryback was a way to keep building up Heel Punk for the big feud against The Rock.
ReplyDeleteTime will tell if this cools off Ryback, but my thought is that they don't think he's ready for an extended run at the top because otherwise, he would've kicked Sheamus' ass and walked out with the WHC.
When you complain about stupid things in a review (OMG TEH LETTER GRADES ARE TEH CONFUSING!) rather than the content of the review, you're a mouth breather.
ReplyDeletemic tyson is soooo old.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the general gist of your point. Tommy puts time and effort into these and it is pretty disrespectful to just insult him that way. Whether or not his views are to one's taste, general decency demands effort be appreciated and discussion be civil.
ReplyDeleteHowever, can you choose a different phrase, other than "mouth breather". I am not sure what it means, but either way, it sounds pretty early-nineties. If we are going to do the early-nineties thing, I recommend "cake eater" from the Mighty Ducks. Heck, the brothers in that movie were Jesse and Terry Hall - they may be Tommy's cousins!
Remember when Punk used to prove he was best in the world by actually beating people? Those were good times.
ReplyDeleteBest album since kimbo price. I thought it just came out.
ReplyDeleteBlame Cena. Can't have anyone be better than him, so Punk has to be a cowardly tool to make Cena look better as a wrestler (see also Cena lying about Punk's last year as champion to make Punk look like a loser).
ReplyDeleteHow exactly did he lie?
ReplyDeleteHe claimed Punk's entire reign was a joke because he constantly took the easy way out?
ReplyDeleteYeah, Mick Foley and Vader sucked too right, after all, they were fat.
ReplyDeleteget your head out of your ass Fuj--and I find it hilarious that you disregard ROH having any talent if you don't even watch the shows.
...I don't expect them too win, distribution alone says a WWE match will probably win a popularity vote, but everybody can have a different opinion on what they thought was MotY
ReplyDeleteMoron though he may be, I still say if he gets canned ROH needs to look into bringing back Matt Sydal for the TV tittle hunt--what's a little pot in a company that needs star power?
ReplyDeleteWho gives a shit if someone smokes weed to begin with? But sure, why not? If Linda loses next week (God willing...) there's gonna be a whole bunch of WWE guys looking for work. ROH should bring the good ones in full-time, and bring in the not-so-good ones for a quick run just to put guys over.
ReplyDeleteI guarantee that more people saw those matches than whatever match from Japan that will likely win the WON MOTY.
ReplyDeleteO...kay, so the permanent switch to Nu-Disqus has led to a 50% increase in obnoxious cunts. Great.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the PPV. I skipped Orton/Del Rio because I'm not a sadist, I continue to be impressed by Cesaro depsite his non-existent heat, and Miz/Kofi was P.A.W. I felt the tag title match was lacking, not particularly because of the wrestling, but because the heat segments had very little heat. Man, were they a shit crowd last night.
Big Show/Sheamus had some impressive intensity and stiffness, and they got all the booking favours in the world (I shouldn't be surprised), but when are they going to realise that Sheamus is not The Guy? They've ploughed ahead with his push for well over a year now and he still doesn't connect. That attempt at a 'valiant effort' standing ovation was painful/hilarious to watch.
Punk/Ryback - more than happy with the outcome and the referee thing showed continuity. That's about all I can say.
As a wrestling fan, it's saddening to think of how many qualified people there are to book a wrestling company, and instead we are suck with Stephanie McMahon for life. I mean, imagine if WWE was booked by a sensible, creative WRESTLING FAN like a Chris Jericho?
ReplyDeleteActually, Raw is now longer than non-Mania ppvs, so you can no longer call a bad ppv "just an extended Raw". You now just have to call it a crappy Raw, or maybe an extended Thunder.
ReplyDeleteI agree, as long as the wrestler isn't high (dangerous) in the ring, I don't give a shit, I agree with everything you said about bringing in ex-WWE guys for a quick run if their not great--I don't like Matt Hardy, but the guy has like 30 times as many followers on twitter as the most popular ROH account, that can bring in new eyeballs to watch Hardy lay down for Cole-I don't fault the business decision at all
ReplyDeleteConsidering the awful performance Ryback turned in that seems like it might have been for the best
ReplyDeletewell, more American people, whichever Tanahashi defense wins the WON will have been seen by more people in general, but less people that actually read the WON will have seen it yes
ReplyDeleteThat's the only thing Matt Hardy should be used for.
ReplyDelete