Chris Jericho | The Johnson Transcript

Feb 17 2013

WWE Pay-Per-View Roundtable: Elimation Chamber (2013)

by Daniel Johnson, Kyle Childers and Bad Booking

Brodus Clay and Tensai (with Cameron and Naomi) vs. Team Rhodes Scholars

Daniel Johnson: Team Rhodes Scholars should get the win here after Tensai does something to goof up. It is a shame that Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow are stuck in this bout. Both should be in the main event scene within a year, but if they start getting booked regularly on the pre-show then their potentially may be wasted for a long time to come.

Kyle Childers: Pass.

Bad Booking: Despite the goofy lingerie and hip hop, the newly-formed tag team of monsters could very well be a threat. As much as I’m rooting for Rhodes and Sandow, I would love to see what WWE has in store for two giant monsters who are easily convincing crushing machines. I say Brodus/Tensai for the win just because of WWE’s tendency to push monsters.

The Miz vs. Antonio Cesaro (c) for the WWE United States Heavyweight Championship

Daniel Johnson: Antonio Cesaro should retain in what will be a pointless rematch. Hopefully, from here Cesaro will feud with more worthwhile opponents. Since he has moved down the card anyway and Team Hell No can’t last forever I would love Daniel Bryan to feud with the Swiss technician.

Kyle Childers: Cesaro’s been on a major roll since winning the United States title in 2012 beating such big name contenders as, um, R-Truth, Tyson Kidd and the Funkasaurus but this is his first chance to shine on pay-per-view against a former WWE champion and lucky for Antonio, his opponent is The Miz. Don’t get me wrong, that’s not a knock on The Miz by any means, unlike most other writers in this field I think he’s a solid, entertaining worker but now isn’t his time. Cesaro keeps his momentum going with a win over the Cleveland Screamer.

Bad Booking: Waste of time, as both men can easily be put into bigger and better things. I’ll take Cesaro for the win.

Tamina Snuka vs. Kaitlyn (c) for the WWE Divas Championship

Daniel Johnson: Here is bathroom break number one. Still, at least Kaitlyn is an improvement over the previous face of the women’s division, Kelly Kelly. I find it hard to believe that WWE would do anything to slow down Kaitlyn’s momentum since they seem so high on her. Tamina should go down unless she is given a brief run with the title and loses it back to Kaitlyn.

Kyle Childers: Finally the Diva’s title is getting a little bit of television time and some real angles to work with, if they’re committed to the idea of rebuilding the diva division then the smart idea would be to keep the title on Kaitlyn.

Bad Booking: The yo-yo push of Tamina part 624. She is pushed strong for three weeks, then the momentum is halted suddenly. Kaitlyn will win, and Snuka won’t have the chance to squash her adversary from the top of a Chamber pod.

The Shield vs. John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus

Daniel Johnson: I can’t see this match topping the one that The Shield had in December. I’d love to be proven wrong though. Just like The Shied proved me wrong by so far not becoming a more serious version of The Spirit Squad. With that said I think The Shield will score a massive upset.

Kyle Childers: The chances of the Shield winning this match are lower than the tops of Hornswoggle’s socks but that’s okay. With Cena likely facing The Rock at Wrestlemania, the Ryback win streak continuing and Sheamus being Irish John Cena it makes perfect sense for the odds to overcome the Shield especially with the booking possibility of rehabbing their loss at Wrestlemania. The only real prediction to make here is how foolish the Three CenAmigos make Heyman’s hitmen look in the process.

Bad Booking: It is 100 percent imperative that The Shield wins. Three promising up and comers need the rub and subsequent push more than the three guys whose solid foundation can afford a loss or two. I can see The Shield continuing their thing with Ryback all the way to Wrestlemania in an even more epic tag match. However, it needs to be said: This son of a bitch needs the Chamber, WARGAMES STYLE! It would put over The Shield as a bad-ass team who can make a super-strong babyface say I quit.

Jack Swagger vs. Chris Jericho vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton in an Elimination Chamber match

Daniel Johnson: This is perhaps the toughest match on the card to predict. I would love Daniel Bryan to win, but I just don’t see that happening. Since Alberto Del Rio will most likely beat The Big Show a heel needs to win. I’ll pick Mark Henry. Unless Jericho wins and Dolph Ziggler cashes in on Del Rio. Yeah, on second though that makes way more sense than a Henry win.

Kyle Childers: With so many possible victors it’s hard to pick just one…okay maybe not, I don’t think many would argue in favor of Team Hell No in this one and his recent time in the midcard makes it a smart bet that Randy Orton won’t be going to Wrestlemania for a title shot but with the Hall of Pain open for business again, the seemingly obvious potential match-up of Swagger vs. Del Rio, or even the incredible outlier of Ziggler winning the title and continuing the 2012 mini-feud he had with Jericho on the grandest stage of them all. If Del Rio retains then Jack Swagger will win, if my bold prediction of Ziggler as champion comes true then Y2J will be victorious.

Bad Booking: It depends where it falls on the card. Although I think the dissension between Kane and Daniel Bryan will continue.

The Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio (c) (with Ricardo Rodriguez) for the World Heavyweight Championship

Daniel Johnson: Alberto Del Rio cannot lose this one. However, The Big Show won’t be the only one disappointed. This was by far the least interesting match at last month’s pay-per-view and it will drag down the card yet again. Let’s just hope Del Rio/Show ends here and doesn’t drag on like Del Rio/Sheamus from last year.

Kyle Childers: This is a match that I’m way more excited about than I feel I have any right to be. So far, Berto and the Big Show have had great chemistry in their matches with Del Rio playing a more engaging face than he ever even approached as a heel. The obvious pick is Alberto Del Rio but maybe not for obvious reasons; one direction we could see from here has plucky babyface Del Rio against survivalist Swagger (comes with beard and kung-fu ankle lock. Zeb Colter sold separately), but with the looming possibility of Dolph Ziggler cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase and this being the last big event before Wrestlemania, it’s entirely possible that Dolph Ziggler will leave New Orleans with the title.

Bad Booking: I’m not telling who is going to win as much as that where this match is placed will be 100 percent crucial for the rest of the card. If this is placed early, that means Ziggler is cashing in and Jericho wins the Elimination Chamber. If it is placed later in the card, then expect ADR to win and have a heel like Mark Henry win the Chamber.

CM Punk (with Paul Heyman) vs. The Rock (c) for the WWE Championship

Daniel Johnson: The stipulation that if The Rock gets disqualified or counted out he loses the title makes things a bit interesting. I can’t see The Rock losing going into Wrestlemania. I think that The Rock will win after doing something that he should have been disqualified for. This will make room for Cena/Rock II to be turned into a three way with Punk.

Kyle Childers: I almost don’t want to write about this match but journalistic integrity prevents me from abstaining. Last month, I went out on a limb and picked CM Punk to retain over The Rock and technically, I was right but to be entirely honest, I wish I had been wrong. It’s hard to question that, even with the extra stipulations added, this is just WWE’s way of making The Rock look even stronger than a milk ad before the twice in a lifetime rematch with Cena in New York. Even with Punk’s historic title reign, the business potential of a second Cena/Rock showdown is too alluring to stray away from so, unfortunately, I expect the Rock to leave Elimination Chamber still the WWE champion.

Bad Booking: The Rock will retain the championship. No way he is heading into Wrestlemania without the belt, plus the publicity he could give the title would be huge as many movies are opening up soon. Did I mention the pay-per-view is sponsored by the new GI Joe movie that got pushed back from prime-time summertime so Rock can benefit from the PR? Anyhow, I think a swerve could happen in something NO ONE could expect: Brock Lesnar screws CM Punk, and establishes Paul Heyman as a guy whose primary mission is to only serve himself. Wise words from Hall of Famer (cheap pop) MICK FOLEY! Brock/Punk would be a great curve ball to Wrestlemania. Let HHH and Undertaker sit on the sidelines, because they have bigger things to accomplish.

Photo Credits:

Photos 1-7: en.wikipedia.org

Tagged Alberto Del Rio, Antonio Cesaro, Bad Booking, Brock Lesnar, Brodus Clay, Cameron, Chris Jericho, Cleveland, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Elimination Chamber, GI Joe, HHH, Hornswoggle, Jack Swagger, John Cena, Kaitlyn, Kane, Kelly Kelly, Kyle Childers, Lord Tensai, Mark Henry, Money in the Bank briefcase, Naomi, New Orleans, New York, Paul Heyman, R-Truth, Randy Orton, Ricardo Rodriguez, Roman Reigns, Ryback, Seth Rollins, Sheamus, Tamina Snuka, Team Hell No, Team Rhodes Scholars, Tensai, The Big Show, The Miz, The Rock, The Shield, The Spirit Squad, The Undertaker, Tyson Kidd, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE, WWE Championship, WWE Divas Championship, WWE Elimination Chamber, WWE Elimination Chamber (2013), WWE United States Championship, WWE Wrestlemania, WWE Wrestlemania XXIX, Zeb Colter

Feb 15 2013

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Wrestling Clips

A Colin Delaney Sighting

by Daniel Johnson

Colin Delaney vs. Ethan Page

In the tradition of lovable losers like Barry Horowitz, Mikey Whipwreck and Spike Dudley, Colin Delaney debuted in WWE in 2007 as a jobber. From there he was taken under the wing of Tommy Dreamer then turned on Dreamer for no apparent reason and then was fired.

For those who were left wondering whatever happened to him, well this clip is for you. The AIW commentators play up Delaney’s past alcohol abuse in this match a ton. Likewise, the match itself is filled with spots akin to those seen in the CM Punk/Chris Jericho feud last year. As for how Colin is holding up physically, he displays numerous impressive high-flying moves as the bout unfolds. These spots include a suicide dive (where he is caught) and a sweet stunner variation off of the ropes. Colin also manages to get a good reaction from the crowd and his lovable loser persona is still intact. This is made clear when a “*expletive* him up Colin” chant breaks out while Colin is the one actually getting pounded.

Throughout the match, Page’s valet, Seleziya Sparx attempts to distract Colin with a bottle of champagne. When this proves to be less than fruitful she throws it in his face and Page capitalizes onthe distraction by hitting a variation of the Rock bottom.

Tagged AIW, Barry Horowitz, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Colin Delaney, Ethan Page, Mikey Whipwreck, Seleziya Sparx, Spike Dudley, The Rock, Tommy Dreamer, WWE

Jan 26 2013

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Smooth Runs

Random Roundtable: Looking Back at 2012 and Forward to 2013

by Daniel Johnson, Kyle Childers, Jeremy Cundiff and Bad Booking

What wrestler do you think deserves to be called Mr. 2012 or Ms./Mrs. 2012?

Daniel Johnson: CM Punk deserves the title of Mr. 2012 beyond a shadow of a doubt. He held the WWE Championship for the entirety of the year and had some good to great matches with the likes of Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, John Cena and others. While not nearly as well known in the United States Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada have also been tearing the scene up in NJPW and perhaps deserve some honorable mentions. As for female performers, AJ Lee hogs enough time each week that regardless of quality she almost has to be the choice for Ms. 2012.

Kyle Childers: Mr. 2012 is, without question, CM Punk. Was there anyone that could outclass him in 2012? He started the year as WWE champion, had a great series of title defenses against the likes of Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan and John Cena. Some people may say the character has gotten stagnant or that the heel turn shouldn’t have happened but even after the turn and the Heyman team up Punk was one of, if not the, most interesting characters in the WWE. Without question, 2012 was the year of the Punk. The question of Ms. 2012 is a bit harder for me since I’m a wrestling fan that exists in this odd sort of WWE, BJW, DDT bubble which really aren’t the best promotions for women. Based on my viewing habits, I’ll give the title of Ms. 2012 to Paige. She’s still very new on the American scene and hasn’t made it to either of the main shows yet but her in-ring talent shined in NXT this year as she put on some of the most enjoyable women’s matches the WWE has produced in a long time.

Jeremy Cundiff: CM Punk. Everyone else who’s been on top this year was already on top. Punk is now elevated to that level. They got behind him, and it’s paid off. Cementing yourself in the upper echelon and only needing one full year to do it? You earned that, Punk.

Bad Booking: Mr. 2012: CM PUNK! The man’s been the champion for the whole year, a feat that hasn’t been matched since Hulk Hogan in 1987. He has had a great variety of title defenses against many different characters. He can virtually work with anyone, anywhere, any time. He may very well be the best overall WWE Champion since Shawn Michaels in 1996-1998. The late addition of Paul Heyman only adds to the intrigue. Both heel and face, amongst the best and freshest things WWE has had going in the last little while. Ms. 2012: AJ Lee. I’m only writing this because she is the best overall woman in the WWE. That was a sad but true sentence to write. WWE has pretty much told us sports entertainment fans that women just don’t matter unless they have a vague presence of authority. At least with AJ, we have an unstable skippy who makes everything unpredictable and fun. That’s more than I can think of for anyone else eligible.

Who was 2012 the worst year ever for?

Daniel Johnson: Two names come to mind as far as 2012 being the worst year for them ever. Christian is the first to come to mind. With more injuries and lack of a serious push when he was healthy it solidified that he would never be at the level of World Heavyweight Champion again even if he is tremendously talented. Speaking of the World Heavyweight Championship Jack Swagger would be my second choice. With how little he did in 2012 it is tough to imagine he once carried that strap.

Kyle Childers: The TNA fans. I know I said I exist in a bubble of fandom and that’s true but there was a time earlier this year when Impact Wrestling was among my weekly watch-list and that was before Aces & 8s. That’s not to say the whole angle was terrible, it wasn’t, the starting few months were pretty good TV but then Devon was revealed as not the leader and things all went to hell. After months of rampant speculation, very little development, no resolution, and the rumor that TNA creative plans to extend the feud at least until Lockdown, possibly to Bound for Glory, 2012 was a bad year to be a TNA fan.

Jeremy Cundiff: Zack Ryder, easily. He started 2012 as being one of the few, if not the only, guys in WWE to get himself over WITHOUT the company pushing him in any way, shape or form. The fans got behind him moreso than anybody they’ve been forcefed in the last decade. WWE repaid this man’s extra effort by promptly burying the ever-loving piss out of him, letting every single wrestler in the industry know that you’re never going to make it in this business unless WWE SAYS YOU ARE. Zack Ryder not only had the worst year ever, but to me, that killed the dreams of every youngster in the indies. How could I expect to bust my ass knowing that even if the fans do like me, I’ll just get buried if I’m not what corporate wants?

Bad Booking: This is a tough one. WWE hasn’t really had a bad year in terms of Raw, Smackdown, or any of the other shows. However, there are two downsides to their current programming mantra: One, there is too much of WWE’s product on television. Three hours of Raw, two hours of Smackdown, one hour of Main Event and countless other online shows done on the WWE site. That’s at least six hours a week of original programming, not including specials and pay-per-views. OVERKILL! In turn, there is a big hint of indifference towards the product. Raw has pretty much been labelled the “must see” show. The effect of this is that all the other shows not named Raw have significant amounts of time devoted to recapping major angles on the flagship show. Geez, isn’t that what the Internet is there for?

What is the one match that you want to see for Wrestlemania this year?

Daniel Johnson: I love dream matches and WWE having The Rock, Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, HHH, John Cena, CM Punk and others has a ton of potential. Yet, I’d rather see a match between two full-time wrestlers with proven chemistry on the biggest show of the year. CM Punk and Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania XXIX would be a match people could still talk about positively 20 years later. They nearly had a 5 star match on a B pay-per-view. Imagine what they could do at Wrestlemania?

Kyle Childers: Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker in a street fight. Lots of speculation points to Lesnar taking on HHH again at Wrestlemania and while I’m sure the creative team thinks that’s awesome and HHH is itching to get his win back, it’s not what the fans want. Give Taker and Lesnar 20-25 minutes to just beat the hell out of each other, no end of an era, no overly dramatic stipulations, just two dudes attempting to punch each other into comas on the grandest stage of them all.

Jeremy Cundiff: The Rock vs. CM Punk. Only feud going on right now that might convince people to pay for the show. Everyone else is doing well, but they ain’t doing well enough to sell Wrestlemania. The Rock is guaranteed to have that show built completely around him, and since he’s already put John Cena down I believe they have no choice but to feed Punk to The Rock. Punk will at least make The Rock’s vacation in the WWE entertaining. And there’s always a chance that Punk will win, as opposed to anybody else they throw at Dwayne.

Bad Booking: The match I want to see for Wrestlemania this year is Undertaker/John Cena. Although these two have had run-ins here and there, their last major feud occurred in 2003 as completely different entities. Think of how these two men have evolved since then. Undertaker is an outlaw elder statesman, capable of getting a great match from anyone. John Cena is in a point of his career where not only does he still draw like gangbusters, but just his name recognition gets main event status. Undertaker’s career is coming to a close, and there is no better time than now to have the face of the WWE versus a man who is practically WWE.

In the WWE by the end of 2013 what wrestlers will have held the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships, respectively?

Daniel Johnson: For the WWE Championship CM Punk, The Rock and John Cena will have all held it. I see The Rock beating CM Punk at the Royal Rumble and Cena getting his win back at Wrestlemania. Perhaps someone could beat Cena later in the year as well, but if that happens I just see it going back to Punk. Sheamus will win back the World Heavyweight Championship either from Alberto Del Rio or possibly from The Big Show if he gets it back.

Kyle Childers: By the end of 2013, most of the people will be old faces and I’m okay with that. The WWE Championship is the top tier prize in the company to be given to whoever is established enough for WWE to promote him as THE face of the company (barring Sheamus and The Miz) so 2013′s WWE title holders will likely consist of CM Punk, The Rock and John Cena. There’s an off chance that Bryan or Ziggler will get a run with it but it seems more likely Ziggler willl get a World Heavyweight Championship reign along with Damien Sandow. I’m still holding out hope that Wade Barrett sees a title run soon.

Jeremy Cundiff: I see Sheamus holding one of the titles for sure. The other is a total blank to me. It’s a tie between Cena and Punk, although if there was ever a year to pull a Tommy Rich and shock people, this year would be it. I’d love to see Ziggler get at least a chance, but as I said once before—until Dolph turns face, he’s not going to get that big win. He just can’t. It’s the Shawn Michaels effect—the cocky heel who sells so good he can’t help but turn face. The turn has to be done right—gradually and logically. If that turn does not happen in 2013, then expect the same old guard until the next level is ready.

Bad Booking: WWE Championship: CM Punk and John Cena. World Heavyweight Championship: Big Show, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Randy Orton and Damien Sandow.

By the end of 2013 what wrestlers will have held the top titles in TNA, ROH and the NWA, respectively?

Daniel Johnson: Jeff Hardy will drop the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Christopher Daniels if TNA is smart (meaning we may never get a Daniels run). If TNA does go with Daniels don’t expect him to have it for long as he will likely transition it to another face. My money is on James Storm since he was on fire in the last few months of 2012. For the ROH World Heavyweight Championship it is tough to see anyone defeating Kevin Steen at the moment. Still, Steen will probably drop it sometime before the end of the year. Possibly Davey Richards or Adam Cole could upset him. Lastly, the NWA World Heavyweight Championship will be around “The Tokyo Monster” Kahagas’ waist for some time. I see NWA eventually deciding to give it to a more well-known indie wrestler though. For some reason I’m thinking Steve Corino.

Kyle Childers: TNA: If Christopher Daniels or Bully Ray haven’t been champion by the end of the year, TNA hates their fans. ROH: I would answer this question but I don’t follow ROH well enough to have the slightest idea. I couldn’t even tell you who their champion is currently. NWA: The highest bidder for the belt.

Jeremy Cundiff: Austin Aries will get a second run with the TNA belt. Count on it. In ROH, I’d expect El Generico to finally get his run at the top, if Kevin Steen still isn’t. As for the NWA, I can’t even begin to tell you anymore. I’m shocked there’s still an NWA to begin with, and the only two guys I knew who were in the NWA World title picture (Colt Cabana and Adam Pearce) just walked out on them.

Bad Booking: I can really only answer for TNA mainly because I don’t follow the other two.TNA: Austin Aries, Bully Ray and Jeff Hardy.

What independent star will make it big in 2013?

Daniel Johnson: El Generico would be a predictable answer since he just got signed to WWE, but I see WWE botching his push. This is perhaps cheating a little, but I think Steen will make it big (or bigger). WWE or TNA (the latter of which I find more likely) may sign him at some point and give him a decent push. I could definitely see Steen being put in the Aces & 8s’ angle. Whether he could survive that angles’ inherent goofiness is tougher to say.

Kyle Childers: 2013 will be the year I keep the dream of Kenny Omega finally making it in the U.S. alive.

Jeremy Cundiff: I don’t see anyone catching fire really. If Joey Ryan couldn’t do it in TNA this year, I don’t know who will this year.

Bad Booking: Either Tony Nese or Sami Callihan. Both are great talents who don’t need any developmental work.

By the end of 2013 what will be the most impressive use of foreign talent by WWE/TNA?

Daniel Johnson: This one is really tough especially since WWE’s plan to sign Kazuchika Okada just fell through (if it ever actually existed). I’m reaching here a bit, but I wouldn’t be shocked if WWE finally unlocked some of Sin Cara’s true potential. Maybe he’ll just have a little more success with Rey Mysterio or actually be pushed in the upper midcard for a bit. Alternatively, Del Rio is a safer bet, but is pushing him down people’s throats really a sign of success? As for TNA they would be crazy not to do more with Magnus (which again may be a good sign that they won’t).

Kyle Childers: I think 2013 will be a big year for Antonio Cesaro, he’s got all the right tools and he’s finally starting to get a foothold in popularity. Hopefully the WWE gets behind him as a legitimate star in the next year.

Jeremy Cundiff: Alberto Del Rio actually gets over.

Bad Booking: Foreign talent…hmm…I just really hope WWE and TNA can promote talent for their talent and not predictable stereotypes.

What wrestler do you think will be Mr. or Ms./Mrs. 2013?

Daniel Johnson: I could see Bryan breaking away from Kane to become Mr. 2013. The guy is more phenomenal in the ring than AJ Styles and while I don’t care for a lot of his mic work all those people chanting “yes” or “no” seem to disagree with me. As for Ms. 2013 I’ll say Kaitlyn. Like AJ Lee, WWE love her. Unlike AJ Lee, WWE are actually willing to showcase her in-ring skills.

Kyle Childers: I really hope that when I write my portion of this next year I can spend most of my time talking about what a great year Dolph Ziggler had.

Jeremy Cundiff: Anybody but Garett Bischoff.

Bad Booking: Mr. 2013: Dolph Ziggler sounds like a damn good bet. He’s catching fire just as we go to Wrestlemania season. He looks really good right now. Ms./Mrs. 2013: Kaitlyn will be promoted as a big-time women’s player. Too bad we’ve all come to expect piss breaks for diva matches/sketches.

Any other thoughts on what will be in 2013?

Daniel Johnson: 2013 has the potential to be an incredible year. Wrestlemania in particular looks exciting with all of the aforementioned dream match potential. On a different note NXT has also been working to turn out a fine crop of talent. As for non-WWE related stuff NJPW can do no wrong with Okada and if his upward momentum continues he has a shot at succeeding Hiroshi Tanahashi as the true face of the company. TNA while not having the dream match potential of the WWE will continue to put out quality programming (as mistake heavy as it may be). Finally, the indies as always are unpredictable and I look forward to seeing what talent debuts and what talent steps up.

Kyle Childers: With NXT running strong with a deep talent roster of varied superstars, 2013 and will be looked at much in the same light as 2002 was in terms of introducing us to the next line of talent that will be the focus of the company for the next ten years.

Jeremy Cundiff: This is the year the fan will not be ignored.

Bad Booking: WWE and TNA need to prove they can rejuvenate an audience and promote new talent. Especially on WWE’s side, the main event scene needs a little shuffling with the midcard looking ready to cross over big time. 2013 could be a fruitful year if the chess pieces are placed properly.

Photo Credits:

Photos 1-6, 8-9: en.wikipedia.org

Photo 7: tribalwrestling.com

Tagged "The Tokyo Monster" Kahagas, Aces & 8s, Adam Cole, Adam Pearce, AJ Lee, AJ Styles, Alberto Del Rio, Antonio Cesaro, Austin Aries, Bad Booking, Brock Lesnar, Bully Ray, Chris Jericho, Christian, Christopher Daniels, CM Punk, Colt Cabana, Damien Sandow, Daniel Bryan, Davey Richards, Devon, Dolph Ziggler, El Generico, Garett Bischoff, HHH, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hulk Hogan, Impact Wrestling, James Storm, Jeff Hardy, Jeremy Cundiff, Joey Ryan, John Cena, Kahagas, Kaitlyn, Kane, Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, Kevin Steen, Kyle Childers, Madman Szalinski, Magnus, NWA, NWA World Heavyweight Championship, Paige, Paul Heyman, Random Roundtable, Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio Jr, ROH, ROH World Championship, Sami Callihan, Shawn Michaels, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Steve Corino, Street Fight, The Big Show, The Miz, The Rock, The Tokyo Monster, The Undertaker, TNA, TNA Bound for Glory, TNA Bound for Glory 2013, TNA Lockdown, TNA Lockdown 2013, TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Tommy Rich, Tony Nese, Wade Barrett, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE, WWE Championship, WWE Main Event, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE NXT, WWE Royal Rumble, WWE Royal Rumble 2013, WWE SmackDown, WWE Wrestlemania, WWE Wrestlemania XXIX, Zack Ryder

Dec 27 2012

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Wrestling Clips

Stop! Hama Time

by Daniel Johnson

Masayuki Kono and Ryota Hama vs. Seiya Sanada and Manabu Soya

The tag team of Kono and Hama reminds me of Owen Hart and Yokozuna if they were a less organized face duo. Whereas Hart and Yoko would do the double teaming behind the ref’s back through ample use of heel distractions here Sanada and Soya put their boots to Kono for large sections of the match with no interference from Hama. The funniest part of this is when you realize why Hama isn’t helping. If you look for it then at least once out of the corner of your eye you will see Hama try to slowly enter through the ropes only to be stopped by a ref that is about a third of his size. Meanwhile Sanada and Soya are all but reenacting that scene from Deliverance on Kono.

Still, the big man gets his shots in and takes some hits as well. Of course acknowledging the realism needed for the match Hama will only sell when Sanada and Soya are double teaming him. So with all this double teaming it kind of comes off as a tornado tag team bout with no tags needed…for the heels anyway.

The move of the match has to be when Sanada and Soya manage to suplex Hama. Even with two men doing the lifting it is still surprising that they are able to get Hama in that maneuver. To paraphrase Chris Jericho, “their lower backs will never, ever be the same again!”

Tagged AJPW, Chris Jericho, Deliverance, Godzilla (animated series), Japan, Manabu Soya, Masayuki Kono, Owen Hart, Ryota Hama, Seiya Sanada, Yokozuna

Dec 11 2012

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Smooth Runs

Burning the Bandwagon: How WWE Booking Kills Midcard Stars

by Kyle Childers

In the real world, success and ability are, more often than not, directly related; if you’re good at your job then you can expect to see a reward for it while if you’re bad at it then you could be awoken from your early afternoon nap to the unpleasant sight of your boss telling you that the marshmallow you attempted to eat in your dream was company property.

…and that’s the story of why I no longer work in an office.

The WWE has the uncanny distinction of being one of the few professional arenas where this correlation doesn’t apply. In the WWE Universe, successes and failures are often determined by one’s ability to connect with the crowd.

Usually.

Therein lays a distinct advantage the WWE holds over most other workplaces in that their entire business model is designed for them to decide who gets to the top of the card and who gets sacrificed to the Great Funkasaurus. Over the years, there have been plenty of examples of the WWE taking a talent from a no-name to a guaranteed box office draw just through sheer force of will and crowd manipulation.

You’ll cheer him sooner or later damn it!

The Rock, John Cena and Randy Orton all started out as homegrown blue-chippers with negative crowd reactions (not meaning boos, meaning the crowd somehow made less than no noise) to three of the highest pay-per-view draws of the last 15 years. But for every sustained push that makes a star, there are at least three pushes that failed simply because the WWE gave up on them. WWE’s track record of aborted pushes went from few but logical to abundant in just over the last five years with a few notable examples.

Really dodged a bullet on that one.

We could look at MVP who came in with a ton of momentum and a solid push as “the most valuable free agent in sports entertainment” and went on to become one of the longest reigning WWE United States Champions in history and held the distinction of having the longest televised loss streak in 2008. Of course, that losing streak did build to him defeating The Big Show in a last man standing match and then…nothing. Things turned out well for Mr. Porter in the end.

Gaijin ballin’.

Or we could look at Jack Swagger who came in strong with a title push on the ECW brand before he got switched to Raw where his push turned cold. This isn’t the end of Swagger’s tale though as WWE still saw potential in the guy they booked to hold the ECW World Heavyweight Championship for 104 days as they made him Mr. Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania XXVI and World Heavyweight Champion two days later. His reign saw him defeat the likes of Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and Edge and drag Rey Mysterio around an arena by the ankle. It also saw Jack look like a total goof against guys like Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and The Big Show before losing the title three months later to Rey Mysterio. Since then, he’s had a forgettable run as the WWE United States Champion and was last seen on TV letting everyone know he was going home because he kept losing.

At least we’ll always have the memories.

Of course, no discussion of abandoned pushes is ever complete without Kofi Kingston. Kofi is another talent that came in with a fair amount of momentum only to see it squandered by WWE creative. I previously talked about his feud with Randy Orton where he pinned two former WWE Champions cleanly only to come out of the feud hot for a return to the WWE Intercontinental Championship, a territory where he’s mostly stayed since early 2010. Kofi is probably the best example of WWE yo-yo booking at work because he’s a person that fans desperately want to see move up the card but instead they’re treated to countless lesser title runs and a seemingly reserved spot in the yearly Money in the Bank matches.

This all sounds so familiar…

But what about the third option? We’ve had some examples of guys that WWE got behind and pushed to the moon, we’ve had examples of pushes being dropped either before the worker could gain momentum, dropped because that was the easy booking path, and dropped because the top of the card was full but what about times WWE seemed intent to push someone against the wishes of the fans? 2011 and 2012 were both big years for this as 2011 saw the start of Alberto Del Rio’s rise to the top of the card to great apathy all around and 2012 saw the debut of Prince Tensai Albert, The Hip Hop Hippo of Japan or something. WWE seemed okay with quietly de-pushing the initially unstoppable Tensai but Alberto Del Rio is still going “strong.”

His face tattoos translate to “Goodyear.”

Then there’s the very unique case of Zack Ryder, one of the only instances where WWE seemed to push someone specifically to fail. While Alberto Del Rio was arm-humping his way to the WWE Title, Ryder was using YouTube to build on the fanbase he had started to accumulate during his ECW run from a few dozen people nationally (rough estimate) to nearly a million followers on Twitter. Knowing better than to miss out on striking while the iron is hot, WWE decided to push Zack Ryder from Internet denizen to United States Champion in one of the top feel good moments of 2011 then it all went off a cliff…or off the stage.

All it took was a best friend, a trifling hussy and a masked maniac to move Ryder from future superstar main eventer to current WWE Superstars main eventer as Ryder was beaten, battered and betrayed for months in an angle where his role almost seemed designed to kill any good feelings the audience had for him.

“You were supposed to be mah friend!”

I’m sure you’re sitting there wondering why WWE would do this, why start to create to stars only to bust them back even farther down the card than when they started? I really don’t have an answer. That seems like the biggest copout conclusion this could possibly reach but it’s true. What would motivate a multimillion dollar company whose existence is based on their ability to make new superstars that will keep the cycle of ticket sales, pay-per-views sold and t-shirts printed moving into the next decade? I’ll leave that up to you in the comments section below because there’s not a single explanation that makes sense to me.

Photo Credits:

Photo 1: usdailyreview.com

Photo 2: dropkickradio.com

Photo 3: tribalwrestling.com

Photos 4-5: bleacherreport.com

Photo 6: .jasonrivera.com

Photos 7-8: en.wikipedia.org

Photo 9: blogspot.com

Tagged Albert, Alberto Del Rio, Batista, Brodus Clay, Chris Jericho, ECW, ECW World Heavyweight Championship, Edge, Hawkeye's Hangout, Jack Swagger, Japan, John Cena, Kizarny, Kofi Kingston, Kyle Childers, Last Man Standing Match, Lord Tensai, Money in the Bank briefcase, Montel Vontavious Porter, MVP, Prince Albert, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio Jr, Shelton Benjamin, Tensai, The Big Show, The Hip Hop Hippo, The Rock, Twitter, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE, WWE Intercontinental Championship, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE Money in the Bank, WWE Superstars, WWE United States Championship, WWE Universe, WWE Wrestlemania XXVI, YouTube, Zack Ryder

Dec 02 2012

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Wrestling Lists

6 Great Matches You’ve Never Seen: Part II

by Jeremy Cundiff

2. Taka Michinoku vs. The Great Sasuke from WWF In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede (1997)

Thank you for your bandwidth. Last week, you asked me for a great match you had never seen and I gave you Sid vs. Vader. For those of you who didn’t run screaming, this week I’ll be rewarding you for your loyalty. And if you’re just tuning in, this is the second of six installments where I dig up classic matches that nobody remembers seeing. Today, we go from 1996 in the WWF to 1997, and it’s going to look like a whole new world. For those of you who don’t remember…the first image is the WWF in 1996.

WWF entryway and ring from 1996

Then came 1997…

WWF entryway and ring from 1997

This was only a nine month period, by the way. Within another nine month period, we would have practically a new company, as everything from the Raw theme to the WWF logo itself would change drastically. I got to say that to a young kid like me who spent his entire childhood watching the old red, white and blue roped product, only to hit junior high and see the WWF grow up with you, turning from a family-friendly cartoon into a cutting-edge rock music video…I really don’t care how badly I am butchering English grammar. The WWF was fucking unrecognizible from one side of the transition to the other, and I got to have a front row seat for the greatest time to be a wrestling fan. It really was another Golden Era.

But not everything was a resounding success back then. For every Steve Austin, The Rock, Mankind and D-Generation X…you have Brawl For Alls, Billy Gunn King Of The Rings and you have WWF Light Heavyweight Championships. Not all of it worked. One day I’ll rip the Brawl For All out of its own rectum in a separate article, and I know someone else will already have the ‘biggest disappointments of all time’ covered somewhere down the road. But out of all of those things I just mentioned, the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship should have not only worked…it should have flourished. It was the hardest of the three to fuck up.

In the summer of 1997, the WWF and WCW were on a hot streak that was so hot, we’re still finding pieces of molten metal to this day from the trail that the business left during that period. Every time we see Ryback squash somebody, a piece of history flies off into the crowd. One of WCW’s biggest draws was one of its smallest…its cruiserweight division. Rey Mysterio Jr. and Eddie Guerrero are the two who acheived the most success outside of WCW, but it’s not like they had a bunch of scrubs to work with: Chris Jericho, Ultimo Dragon, Psychosis, Juventud Guerrera, Alex Wright, any Mexican luchador you can think of who wasn’t signed long-term to AAA or CMLL, and many more. And while two 240-pound men can put on a mat wrestling clinic, and pack it with tons of drama and action…let’s face it. There are things a smaller wrestler can do that the big boys just got to give up and go home on. And these men would follow up such high-flying offense with a power move to equal. Chris Jericho would powerbomb your ass, pick you up off the ground, powerbomb you again, then bounce off the ropes and hit you with a springboard moonsault. You know…I think Kurt Angle is one of the best of all-time, but I don’t see him pulling off a springboard anything. (Well, given his track record wth the 450, I predict that if Kurt Angle tries to springboard anything, he will just headbutt his opponent so hard they shit themselves.)

Naturally, when your competitor is doing something different and making money at it…you have to do the obvious and copy the bastard, or come as close as you can to copying him without breaking the law. So Vince McMahon did the smart thing, and introduced the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship. Vince then did the dumb thing and booked the worst fucking tournament ever to crown the inaugural champ. This tournament was the worst of all time. At least until Survivor Series 1998. Want proof? Let me give you the first round brackets. Aguila, known better as Essa Rios, defeats Super Crazy in a botchtastic clusterfuck of a match I remember watching live on Monday Night Raw while Jim Cornette, on commentary, blasted the fuck out of it because both guys were sloppy as piss. While some people like to call him an old fogey set in his ways, you couldn’t argue with him watching this match. It was pretty bad. The rest of this thing? Eric Shelley over Scott Taylor, Brian Christopher and Flash Flanagan. Jerry Lynn was advertised to be in one of the opening matches, but something tells me the weed wore off right before the pen in his hand touched the paper because he never did show up for that first round match. Way to add prestige to your brand new title by having one of the best talents in the division ditch your tournament before the first round.

Oh, and Devon Storm lost to the eventual winner, Taka Michinoku. Taka Michinoku…now there is a man with some talents and abilities. A man that, honestly, you could watch walk into a new company in a foreign country, win a belt, and not question it because let’s face it, the guy can wrestle. But nobody in the WWF knew that. Only one of those guys had ever stepped foot in a WWF ring before this tournament in Scott Taylor, and he was perennial enhancement talent up to this point.

Well, I take that back. Two of them. Because in July, Taka Michinoku made his WWF Debut against…THE GREAT FUCKING SASUKE. That’s right. Pick the brick up that just fell from under your chair. Taka Michinoku wrestled Great Sasuke on a WWF pay-per-view. In 1997. But wrestled isn’t the word for it, more like kit-foo’d.

Kit-foo means “kicked the fuck out of.”

And that was this match. Kicks, kicks, flying kicks, flying moves, grappling, holy shit slap, kick, slap…and then they stopped playing around, and began to really tear into one another. At one point I wondered if maybe one of them owed the other money, or if Taka ate the last piece of sushi at lunch, possibly Sasuke screwed his sister and this was a precursor to the Val Venis pee pee angle…I don’t know, I just want to know why these two got in the ring, worked for two minutes, then mutually agreed that they would begin to stiff and shoot until either they died or the FBI sent riot troops to protect the crowd from the shockwaves when these guys hit each other. I thought I saw the ring ropes themselves cower in fear at some of the kicks Sasuke was landing.

Look this match up. I won’t post .gifs or stillshots of this match (other than the one above) because they won’t do it justice. No matter how high the quality or the framerate, I cannot articulate this match to you with neither words nor pictures. Stiff, stiff, stiff. No restholds necessary for these two, despite going fifteen minutes. Plenty of dives to the floor. Taka does a springboard plancha to the outside and gets so much airtime on his jump, I thought he was going to check a faulty lightbulb while he was up there. He had to have died a minimum of three times in this match, and still kicked out on rigor mortis alone. After it’s all over, Taka eventually does the job to Sasuke…who poses briefly, and then it’s back to the locker room and back to reality for the WWF fans.

Daniel pointed out to me that yes, these two did have a second match on Raw the next night after this match. Strangely enough, Taka lost yet again making me wonder who was supposed to win that belt in the first place. If it was Taka, making him lose his first two matches really hurt the credibility of the title in my opinion, particularly in such good matches. Taka needed to have a match of this caliber where he WON. They just needed to pay Sasuke whatever they needed to pay him to job this match. If they had, perhaps the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship would have been so much more prestigious that instead of the afterthought that the title had become (in less than two years, Gillberg would be your damn LHC) it might have gotten the dignity it deserved. This match should have been the showpiece for the WWF’s Light Heavyweight Division. If you had told the 12 year old me watching this match that there was an entire division with titles just for guys this small who did this stuff, I’d swear to never watch a heavyweight match again until the next week on Raw.

So…why don’t people remember this match? Because it was Calgary Stampede, a throwaway show with only one match: the ten-man tag featuring The Hart Foundation versus the makeshuft tandem of The Legion of Doom, Goldust, Ken Shamrock, and Steve Austin. The only reason this shit even sold tickets and pay-per-view buys was the fact that it took place in Calgary and the place went apeshit for the Harts. They also went apeshit for this match as well. I think this match was a treat for the smart fans of Canada, and possibly the smart fans in America as well. If this pay-per-view had taken place in, say, Pittsburgh or Kansas City…I highly doubt we would have gotten such a good match. This pay-per-view was meant to put the Harts over and make everybody a ton of money for going black and pink for a day. A lot of stuff got overlooked, including the WWF Championship itself.

A smart man would have paid The Great Sasuke whatever he asked for to do the job to Taka. I don’t know if the plan was for Taka to become the first LHC all along, but if it was, they did a shitty job of making us think he was a credible champion right out of the gate with this match. He made us believe he was a tremendous wrestler and he would never give up, that he had a fighting spirit and was somebody we all should rally behind. But those are qualities of a championship CONTENDER. Those aren’t qualities of somebody you want to put the belt on initially. If this was the route they wanted to go, they needed to put the belt on the only other person they seemed to give a shit about pushing in the Light Heavyweight division…Brian Christopher. Problem was, he was a half-ass worker from Memphis who, quite honestly, couldn’t hang with the Japanese or Mexican workers or even the American high flyers. If you don’t remember, he was Jerry Lawler’s son, and they all but told you this on TV because fuck it, had to get him over somehow.

So this thing was kind of doomed from the start, as they had to make everyone look like a credible contender all at once, and there’s only one belt you can give to a guy. Nobody knew who these guys were, and all they knew is they were good, but when we saw them the first time they got beat. Some more effort into pushing who you had, or at least going out and paying the money for a little bit more, could have went a long way. Oh well, at least we got to see a kick ass cruiserweight puro match in the WWF. And that’s awesome with me.

Next week…I’m not sure what you’re going to get, but whatever it is, rest assured it’ll be awesome. It’s a surprise. Hey, maybe you could leave comments and suggestions to me as well. I like to incorporate other people’s opinions into my work, it’s how you become a better critic. I’m also curious to see what people think of my work so far. So please drop me a line. We have a comment button for a reason. I’m Madman Szalinski, and in the words of Jim Cornette…”if you wanna know what a guy looks like with bald hair, tell me first so I can book him in a hair match and sell some tickets, k? Thank you, fuck you, bye.”

See the match for yourself by forking over $94.99 to Amazon for a VHS tape because YouTube hates us.

Photo Credits:

Photos 1-3: youtube.com

Tagged "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, AAA, Aguila, Alex Wright, Billy Gunn, Brawl For All, Brian Christopher, Calgary, Chris Jericho, CMLL, D-Generation X, Devon Storm, Eddie Guerrero, Eric Shelley, Essa Rios, Flash Flanigan, Gillberg, Goldust, Japan, Jeremy Cundiff, Jerry Lawler, Jerry Lynn, Jim Cornette, Juventud Guerrera, Kansas City, Ken Shamrock, Kurt Angle, Legion of Doom, Madman Szalinski, Mankind, Memphis, Mexico, Pittsburgh, Psychosis, Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio Jr, Ryback, Scott Taylor, Sid, Steve Austin, Super Crazy, Sycho Sid, TAKA Michinoku, The Great Sasuke, The Hart Foundation, The Rock, Ultimo Dragon, Vader, Val Venis, Vince McMahon, WCW, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWF, WWF Championship, WWF In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede, WWF King of the Ring, WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, WWF Survivor Series 1998

Nov 28 2012

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Smooth Runs

WCW Breaking News 11/28/12

by Daniel Johnson

*The gigantic news coming out of this week is that after years of battling WCW, Vince McMahon has agreed to sit down with the company’s creative team. There is no word yet on whether WCW and WWE will be doing some inter-promotional work or if WCW just wants to pick the billionaire (millionaire?) brain of McMahon.

*In the last few days former WCW star Chris Jericho was reportedly approached by head of talent relations, Kevin Nash about signing a short-term contract. The contract was said to be for three months, but still be in the low six figures. A supposed witness account that Jericho responded by ripping up the contract and saying that he “will never ever sign with the company again” remains unsubstantiated.

*Sid Vicious is said to be highly upset about the ending of WCW Mayhem 2012. With his contract coming up it is looking more and more doubtful that he will re-sign. After being soundly defeated by WCW World Heavyweight Champion The Ultimate Warrior, Warrior’s Starrcade opponent, Bill Goldberg came out. Rather than going after Warrior directly Goldberg instead sent a message to him by spearing Sid before violently tossing him outside and giving him a jackhammer on the outside. Sid was further ticked off after the event when a member of the WCW creative team suggested that he reenact his infamous leg break from the WCW Sin 2001 pay-per-view on the following WCW Tuesday Nitro. Our source refused to give the creative member’s name, but hinted that it rhymed with Slenn Silbertti. Instead of turning his leg into sawdust Sid stayed home last night and is not expected to be at next week’s Nitro.

*Previously it was reported that the WCW creative team had been toying with the idea of inserting Vampiro into the feud between Scott Steiner and Vader. If you caught last night’s WCW Tuesday Nitro then you probably already know that is no longer the case. It is said that right up until show time creative were waffling between either Vampiro or the man they eventually decided on…Ron Waterman. Although Waterman hasn’t been inserted into the storyline yet it is rumored that he will be beginning next week. As it stands the angle is that Waterman will be going on a quest to uncover his real father. After ruling out all the other wrestlers in the locker room it will come down to Steiner and Vader. While common sense points to Steiner being the big bad booty daddy, with the all the twists and turns lately a Vader reveal is a strong possibility.

*Unlike Waterman, Vampiro already has his hands full in a storyline indicating that he will not be involved in the aforementioned Steiner/Vader feud. As seen last night Adolfo Tapia aka La Parka aka Pinkie Parka announced his replacement partner for the recently released Dionicio Castellanos Torres aka Psicosis aka Psicosis Sparkle in the red hot My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic inspired tag team. Rainbow Vamp came out to help successfully defend the WCW World Tag Team Championship in a match against Berlyn and Tokyo Magnum. It may have been surprising that neither Tony Schiavone nor Mark Madden made reference to the masked man being Vampiro despite his tattoos making it pretty obvious who he was. Yet, what may be more surprising is the word coming out is that this will continue and that Rainbow Vamp will be treated as an entirely new character with no connection to Vampiro.

*Chuck Palumbo and his manager Mike Sanders are a hot topic backstage following Palumbo’s back-to-back four star plus matches with Ultimo Dragon and Kaz Hayashi, respectively. Right now the plans are for Palumbo to be built up as a bad boy and for Sanders to sic him on every jobber that crosses his path. The end game being considered is for Palumbo to win the vacated WCW World Television Championship and bring back some prestige to that title. The championship has not been seen or mentioned since being physically lost last month. As of this writing neither Dragon nor Hayashi have been booked for any future WCW television tapings.

*Plans to bring in failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney for a one-off cameo were stillborn after the WCW higher-ups decided that it would not be beneficial for either party. The pros and cons of bringing in failed presidential candidate Roseanne Barr for a one-off cameo are now being weighed.

Disclaimer: Unless you got smashed in the face with Raven’s stop sign or shocked into amnesia with Scott Hall’s taser then you should know that none of this actually happened. The real WCW was purchased in 2001 by the company that would become WWE.

Tagged Adolfo Tapia, Alex Wright, Berlyn, Big Bad Booty Daddy, Bill Goldberg, Chris Jericho, Chuck Palumbo, Dionicio Castellanos Torres, Disco Inferno, Glenn Gilbertti, Kaz Hayashi, Kevin Nash, La Parka, Mark Madden, Mike Sanders, Mitt Romney, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Pinkie Parka, Psicosis, Psicosis Sparkle, Rainbow Vamp, Raven, Ron Waterman, Roseanne Barr, Scott Hall, Scott Steiner, Sid, Sid Vicious, The Ultimate Warrior, Tokyo Magnum, Tony Schiavone, Ultimo Dragon, Vader, Vampiro, Vince McMahon, WCW, WCW Mayhem, WCW Mayhem 2012, WCW Starrcade, WCW Starrcade 2012, WCW Tuesday Nitro, WCW World Heavyweight Championship, WCW World Tag Team Championship, WCW World Television Championship, WWE

Oct 29 2012

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Wrestling Reviews

WWE Hell in a Cell (2012) Review

WWE painted themselves into a corner in a variety of ways with WWE Hell in a Cell 2012. The outcome to the CM Punk/Ryback match for the WWE Championship was bound to be disappointing no matter how it unfolded. At least a run-in could have added an unexpected twist to it. It wouldn’t even necessarily have to be Brock Lesnar (though he probably would have been the best choice). Instead what fans got was a lame nut shot from the referee. Going beyond the main event though WWE had to have known that Sheamus/Big Show was going to be a slow mess that couldn’t possibly make up for Punk/Ryback. While Sheamus/Show was not the worst bout on the card it by no means was a great battle. Even the undercard suffered from a mixture of terrible booking (the chief cause) and matches that didn’t look that exciting to begin with. The match of the night is tough to say. It was either the Randy Orton/Alberto Del Rio opener or Antonio Cesaro defeating Justin Gabriel, but even that was way too short. When one of the best matches on the card is just over seven minutes and features someone who has been treated like a glorified jobber for the past year then it is clear that the show is in big trouble.

Randy Orton defeated Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez)

Del Rio shows some great in-ring psychology in this bout. He works on Randy Orton’s arm early and often to set up his finisher. Del Rio also uses some standard heel tactics including repeatedly mocking Orton with Orton’s own poses. At one point Del Rio even attempts the RKO! The best move of the match though has to be when Alberto hits Orton with a double stomp from the top rope while Orton is in the tree of woe position. This proves to not be enough and despite some minor interference from Rodriguez on top of Del Rio’s assault Orton pulls out the victory with an RKO.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Team Rhodes Scholars defeated Team Hell No (c), but did not win the WWE Tag Team Championship

Some cookie cutter back and forth action that makes one almost overlook just how underutilized Bryan is in this tag team. The action picks up when Bryan tags himself in and nearly annihilates Rhodes with a diving headbutt! Kane is jealous and pulls Bryan off while Daniel is covering Cody. The Rhodes Scholars come back and the fight spills to the outside where Team Hell No is winning the brawl. Bryan and Kane start arguing again and Kane eventually causes the team to get disqualified when he won’t stop attacking the Rhodes Scholars as an illegal man. Lame!

Rating: 2.5 stars

Kofi Kingston (c) defeated The Miz to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship

The match has an unbelievably slow start and the audience responds accordingly. Kofi gains momentum when he wallops The Miz with a clothesline while Miz is attempting an attack to the corner. Miz shortly after starts to work over Kofi’s left leg and even takes off his boot. Kofi battles back and wins it with a thunder in paradise. Decent, but not a show stealer (even on this show).

Rating: 3 stars

Antonio Cesaro (c) defeated Justin Gabriel to retain the WWE United States Championship

The two work in some technical wrestling to start. This allows Cesaro, the superior technician to gain an early advantage. Jim Ross mentions that Gabriel is showing shades of Chris Jericho when Gabriel hits a springboard moonsault off of the ropes. Gabriel tries two more aerial maneuvers, but he is not as lucky with either one. First, Gabriel misses a 450 splash. Next, Gabriel dives to the outside, but Cesaro hits him with the European uppercut from Hell! Gabriel sells it like a champ and acts like he is out cold. Cesaro hits a gratuitous neutralizer before the pin. The fans were robbed! This should have been at least another five minutes (in a perfect world at least ten more).

Rating: 3.5 stars

Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara defeated The Prime Time Players

It doesn’t make much sense to put this match after the more prestigious bout for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but oh well. Titus O’Neil barks a bit when he is charge of the match. I guess he keeps trying to sound like a dog, but he reminds me more of a muscular walrus. Also, the baldness isn’t helping. Mysterio wins it after a top rope splash onto Darren Young. Sin Cara had earlier already taken care of O’Neil with a crossbody to the outside. WWE officials come down to the ring after the match and it looks like Sin Cara might be hurt again. However, it is made clear that he is okay.

Rating: 3 stars

The Big Show defeated Sheamus (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship

At least if this was an actual Hell in a Cell match it would have had a gimmick to add to the action. Instead what fans got was a lot of slow moving, a lot of rest holds and a lot of mildly decent brawling. The only good part about this over 20 minute match is the end. Okay, maybe Sheamus managing to hit Big Show with white noise was kind of nifty too. Right before the end Sheamus kicks out of a WMD. Not to be outdone The Big Show kicks out of a brogue kick. Sheamus attempts to hit the big man with another brogue kick, but instead gets hit in mid-kick with a WMD.

Rating: 2.75 stars

Eve Torres (c) defeated Layla and Kaitlyn to retain the WWE Divas Championship in a three way match

This is the weakest match of the night and the fans are appropriately dead for it. Perhaps more surprisingly the commentary team is dead for it too. At one point JBL says something about all the divas looking alike and it is pretty obvious that he is getting an earful on his magic headset after the comment. Michael Cole tries to call the match, but neither JBL or Jim Ross seem to care instead changing the subject to football. Eve wins following a senton bomb. The Team CoBro skit before the match with Zack Ryder dressed as Eve and Santino Marella dressed as Lady Gaga with a cameo by Ron Simmons was more entertaining.

Rating: 2.25 stars

CM Punk (c) (with Paul Heyman) defeated Ryback to retain the WWE Championship in a Hell in a Cell match

Throughout the night Paul Heyman had begged Vickie Guerrero to call off the match with no success. Shortly before the championship encounter Punk even personally begged Vince McMahon, but with no success. After some stalling Punk first really takes charge of the match by using a fire extinguisher and then attempts to nail Ryback with a steel chair. Ryback catches Punk and instead kicks the chair into his face. However, Punk is persistent and after some time gets a chair shot in. The match has only gone on about eleven minutes when Ryback is about to make Punk shell shocked. The weak twist comes when the referee, former Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) star Brad Maddox hits Ryback with a low blow and makes a fast count. Punk and the ref then try to leave the cell, but Ryback is too quick and assaults both of them. The show ends with Ryback celebrating after he performs his shell shocked finisher on top of the cell on Punk. Nope, there are no spots off of the cage or breaking through the cage tonight.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Tagged Alberto Del Rio, Antonio Cesaro, Brad Maddox, Brock Lesnar, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Daniel Bryan, Darren Young, Eve Torres, FCW, Hell in a Cell, JBL, Jim Ross, Justin Gabriel, Kaitlyn, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Lady Gaga, Layla, magic headset, Michael Cole, muscular walrus, Paul Heyman, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Rhodes Scholars, Ricardo Rodriguez, Ron Simmons, Ryback, Santino Marella, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Team CoBro, Team Hell No, Team Rhodes Scholars, The Big Show, The Miz, The Prime Time Players, Titus O'Neil, Vince McMahon, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE, WWE Championship, WWE Divas Championship, WWE Hell in a Cell, WWE Intercontinental Championship, WWE Tag Team Championship, WWE United States Championship, Zack Ryder

Oct 22 2012

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Wrestling Interviews

Trent Adams Interview

Photo Courtesy of Trent Adams

Interviewer’s Note: Trent Adams wrestled his first match for the Conwy County Wrestling Academy (CCWA) this year. Aside from being a performer he is also a co-founder and co-owner of CCWA. Although Adams is based in the United Kingdom he first became interested in professional wrestling through watching American programming, in particular the WWF. Since the CCWA has launched aside from developing their own talent they have also worked with Basix Pro Wrestling (BPW) The CCWA has a website that can be viewed here and a Facebook page located here. In this interview Adams and I focus on the topic of starting out as a wrestler in the year 2012.

Daniel Johnson: My first question is for those unfamiliar with you where and when were you born?
Trent Adams: I was born June 6th, 1989 in St. Asaph, a small town in Wales, UK.

Daniel Johnson: What is your first memory of professional wrestling?
Trent Adams: My first memory would have to be when I was about four or five and my mother bought me one of the old Hasbro WWF wrestling rings and a Hulk Hogan figure. I don’t remember watching any wrestling at the time but I remember being quite happy with the ring.

Daniel Johnson: Who were your favorite wrestlers growing up?
Trent Adams: I didn’t actually get into wrestling properly until late 1997. By that time you had guys like Steve Austin, Mankind, The Undertaker and The Rock, and they all had interesting stuff going on. These four were my favorites during the first couple of years of me watching.

Daniel Johnson: When did you first decide that you wanted to go from being a fan of professional wrestling to being an actual wrestler?
Trent Adams: Really within the first few years of watching. So by around age 10 I’d kind of made up my mind that wrestling would be something I’d really like to do. The characters, athleticism, whacky storylines. All of it just appealed to me so much from an early age.

Daniel Johnson: How did your friends and family react to you wanting to become a professional wrestler? Was everyone supportive or was anyone against it?
Trent Adams: My family, especially my mother has always been supportive of it. She always gives me the encouragement I need. With friends it’s a bit different. You have a few that think it’s pretty cool then there’s the rest that are like ‘yeah okay, good luck with that’ or go on about how ‘fake’ wrestling is, which is annoying.

Daniel Johnson: How did you find a place to train to become a professional wrestler? Did any of your pre-wrestling friends train with you or was it just you?
Trent Adams: There’s a small wrestling company in the UK that has been going for years and is linked with the ‘World of Sport’ era of UK wrestling. They used to hold shows in Rhyl, Wales. I found out in 2006 that they allowed people to come and do a bit of training before the shows started. So I thought I’d give it a try. I remember enjoying taking the bumps and running the ropes but at the time I was out of shape and my head wasn’t where it needed to be as I had a lot of stuff going on at the time. So I only went for a few weeks. It was just me at first but I got my best friend to come along for a few sessions. He left shortly after me.

Daniel Johnson: When did you decide to go back to training?
Trent Adams: After doing a bit of training in 2006 I thought to myself ‘yes I still want to do this, but I need to get in shape, be prepared and get my life sorted out first. I went through some bad times that I really didn’t recover from until last year. And it was last year that me and Will Mason, a friend from work were joking around about owning a wrestling company and were thinking up crazy gimmicks. But Will used to do wrestling a few years ago around the Birmingham area and knew some people we could get in contact with if we were serious about doing it. Not long after we thought ‘you know, let’s try and do it’. So the plan was to open a wrestling school in the local area with Will as the head trainer.

Daniel Johnson: What was the most challenging part of training?
Trent Adams: I can’t really think of any aspect of the training that was too challenging, but I did have to keep reminding myself that I’ll get better and not to worry if I couldn’t do things right straight away. My first couple of months I kept thinking ‘I hope I’m doing well and progressing. I hope I can do this’.

Daniel Johnson: How would you best describe your style of wrestling?
Trent Adams: I hope technical haha. That’s the style I want to use but as I gain more experience I want to mix it up with some high flying. As I said my early favorites were guys like Austin and The Rock, but as I grew up I really started to appreciate guys with ‘workrate’. Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Bret Hart and more recently CM Punk. Guys who could actually wrestle and tell a story in the ring. These are the people I watch and learn from.

Daniel Johnson: How did you decide on the name Trent Adams as your wrestling name?
Trent Adams: I wanted to use part of my real name in there somewhere so I thought to use my first name as my last and then just wanted a cool sounding first name haha. I’ve only seen ‘Trent’ used a few times in wrestling so it’s quite original I guess. It just seems to work well.

Daniel Johnson: From your knowledge of the industry how is starting out in 2012 different from say starting in the 1980s or 1990s or even earlier?
Trent Adams: I’d assume it’s easier, in nearly every aspect. I didn’t realize until getting in to the business myself that the UK is literally full of promotions. It’s pretty cool. It is kind of like the 1970s and 1980s when wrestling in America wasn’t mainstream and was just made of regional territories. The good thing with this is, if someone wants to get into wrestling these days, they don’t have to look very far for a promotion. Also, the mindset of what makes a wrestler has changed a lot I think. Promoters and fans alike know that you don’t have to be 6’5″ and 250 pounds to make it. Which is good for someone of my size as I’m 5’11″, 170 pounds.

Daniel Johnson: Do you watch any wrestling today that influences your in-ring performance? If so who are the guys in 2012 to watch and learn from for you?
Trent Adams: As far as watching current wrestling, I’m still a big WWE fan, but my focus has changed from Raw and SmackDown to NXT and Superstars. So while I’ll still catch the odd CM Punk or Daniel Bryan match here and there, I’m more interested in wrestlers like Curt Hawkins, Johnny Curtis, Tyson Kidd, Michael McGillicutty and Seth Rollins. I think anyone can learn a lot from watching these, whether it’s to improve selling, working the crowd, the pacing of a match or any other aspect.

Daniel Johnson: This is a pretty broad question, but what do you like most and least about performing as a wrestler in 2012?
Trent Adams: As a performer/promoter I’d say the thing I like most is what I mentioned before. The number of promotions in the UK. It’s so easy for fans to go and watch live wrestling. But this leads into what I like least. A lot of these promotions aren’t willing to help each other. We have been associated with Basix Pro Wrestling, based in Deeside, UK since we started the training school because we were smart enough to say ‘we want to open a wrestling school and eventually run shows, can you help us out?’ And they’ve helped us in so many ways, with training, helping to put on shows, etc. It seems a lot of promotions aren’t willing to do the same, apart from allowing wrestlers to work someone else’s show. It’s a shame because if more companies worked together it would be better for the UK scene as a whole.

Daniel Johnson: I saw your first match on YouTube. What was the process like of setting this match up? How were you paired with your opponent?
Trent Adams: It was originally meant to be a triple threat match as that way I’d have two experienced guys to work with. Plans changed leading up to the show and it was decided to just be me and Ace Jordan. I was nervous but Ace and I had worked together a lot at training and had a general idea of what we wanted to do. I’m happy and quite surprised with the outcome as we only really planned out the first couple of spots and the finish. The rest was called as we went along. Apart from a blown spot, the match went how we wanted it to.

Daniel Johnson: I noticed that during your match someone kept blowing an air horn or something like that. What was up with that and did it throw you off at all?
Trent Adams: Yeah I believe one of the guys blowing the air horns was Mike Roberts, the owner of Basix Pro Wrestling haha. Honestly it didn’t throw me off at all. The more noise, the better. It was kind of surreal in a way as even though we were in front of over 100 people, it’s like they weren’t there. I remembered to work the crowd a bit and I got a buzz off their reactions but at the same time I was able to really focus on working the match.

Daniel Johnson: You also take a spot from the outside to the floor, which looks like a pretty tough spot for someone’s first match. Was this a dangerous spot to take at all? Also, what spots have been the toughest for you to plan?
Trent Adams: It was dangerous in one way as it was the first time I’ve ever been thrown out of a ring. I really had no idea how I was going to go over. You’re taught to go over the top by holding the top rope, leaning over and putting your other hand on the apron and then swinging your legs over. I knew that wouldn’t have the right impact. So Ace throws me to the ropes and I just thought ‘go for it!’ It looks nasty but it actually didn’t hurt in the slightest haha. There’s been no tough spots to plan as such but there’s a sequence in the match where we both do the headlock takeover, Japanese arm drag and the basic arm drag. I wasn’t looking forward to it at all because during training sessions my arm drags and headlock takeovers looked terrible no matter how much effort I put in. Watching the sequence back though I’m happy with it.

Daniel Johnson: What was up with the masked wrestler making an appearance after your match? Who was he?
Trent Adams: That’s Byson. His character at the moment is a big guy who just likes to destroy people. He attacked another one of our guys, Jimmy Vanquish, later that night.

Daniel Johnson: Switching topics, can you give me a rundown of how you managed to pull off your first show as the co-founder and co-owner of the CCWA? What actions were taken between you first wanting to have a wrestling event and it actually happening?
Trent Adams: Back when we were planning everything we knew we had to have some kind of open day for people to come along and sign up. So we asked Mike from Basix if he could come down with a few guys and put on an exhibition show with a Q & A afterwards, letting people know what they can learn and accomplish. We had that exhibition show in March and the school opened the following week. For our first proper show in May we got in touch with Mike and arranged a date, then we booked the venue. After that it’s just a matter of booking the matches, raising the money and promoting the show as much as possible.

Daniel Johnson: A lot of wrestling promotions now use new media and social media to enhance and promote their product. How do you use new media and social media?
Trent Adams: We have a website and a Facebook page, but this is one area we need to improve on really. Especially keeping the website up to date.

Daniel Johnson: As part of my last few questions I like to ask five non-wrestling related questions just to bring a little uniqueness to the interview. If you don’t have an answer or don’t want to answer one of them just feel free to say, “skip.” Outside of wrestling, what television shows do you enjoy watching these days?
Trent Adams: Mostly The Simpsons, especially the classic episodes. Also South Park and Family Guy.

Daniel Johnson: What was your favorite movie that came out this year?
Trent Adams: I haven’t seen any movies released this year haha. Not even The Dark Knight Rises.

Daniel Johnson: Yeah, I’ve heard mixed things on that one even if it has been making a ton. Anyway, what is your favorite food that you tried for the first time this year?
Trent Adams: Mango chutney haha. I tried it once on a sandwich and loved it! I have it with everything.

Daniel Johnson: What is your favorite song to come out this year?
Trent Adams: No one song in particular. But, to go back to wrestling slightly, the songs used for Wrestlemania this year were pretty cool. “Good Feeling” by Flo Rida and “Invincible” by Machine Gun Kelly.

Daniel Johnson: Did you vote in your last local election? If so would you be willing to say for who?
Trent Adams: No I didn’t. I should really as they say every vote counts but I have little interest haha.

Daniel Johnson: My last question is just is there anything you would like to add or mention that we haven’t talked about?
Trent Adams: Yes. I just want to say to everyone, as cliche as it sounds follow your dreams, no matter how big or small. If you want to do something, do it and don’t let anyone stop you. It takes time and effort but it’s worth it when you can say you’re doing something you’ve wanted to do since you were a kid and not have to compromise or settle for anything else!

Check out Trent Adams in his debut match! Here he battles Ace Jordan at the Conwy Civic Hall:

Tagged "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Ace Jordan, Birmingham, BPW, Bret Hart, Byson, CCWA, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Curt Hawkins, Daniel Bryan, Deeside, Facebook, Family Guy, Flo Rida, Good Feeling, Hasbro, Hulk Hogan, Invincible, Jimmy Vanquish, Johnny Curtis, Machine Gun Kelly, mango chutney, Mankind, MGK, Michael McGillicutty, Mike Roberts, Rhyl, Seth Rollins, Shawn Michaels, South Park, St. Asaph, Steve Austin, The Dark Knight Rises, The Rock, The Simpsons, The Undertaker, Trent Adams, Tyson Kidd, United Kingdom, Wales, Will Mason, World of Sport, WWE, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE NXT, WWE SmackDown, WWE Superstars, WWE Wrestlemania, WWF, YouTube

Sep 30 2012

1 Comment

Wrestling Reviews

WWE SummerSlam (2012) Review

WWE SummerSlam 2012 had a couple of great looking matches going into it. No, really it was just a couple. Okay, maybe putting Chris Jericho/Dolph Ziggler in there to kick the show off makes three. HHH and Brock Lesnar’s fight had the best build and it is difficult to put on a bad CM Punk/John Cena match these days. The WWE tried by throwing The Big Show in there, but it was still pretty entertaining. Theaformentioned Jericho/Ziggler of course delivered and the rest of the show was okay with the exception of Sheamus/Del Rio. The feud was stale going in and their match just made it more obvious that Sheamus should be moving on to a new challenger. Anyway, here is a closer look at WWE’s summer spectacular.

Chris Jericho defeated Dolph Ziggler (with Vickie Guerrero)

Ziggler plays a convincing threat to the more experienced and crafty veteran, Chris Jericho. Jericho doesn’t look his age though and even manages a sick hurricanrana on Ziggler. Ziggler gets in some offense as well, but it is just a matter of time before he is trapped in the walls of Jericho. The way Jericho applied this submission reminded me of his WCW days as he really stretches Ziggler in a painful looking way.

Rating: 3.75 stars

Daniel Bryan defeated Kane

Kane hits a sweet looking dropkick to Daniel Bryan’s face. It is not long before Bryan hits a dropkick of his own…from off the top rope. Kane dominates a lot of the bout, but Bryan hits two absolutely lethal looking kicks. Bryan makes a mistake when he goes upstairs for a diving headbutt and misses. Kane hits him with a chokeslam and signals for the tombstone piledriver, but Bryan ends up getting out of the deadly move and steals the bout with a small package. At just over eight minutes the bout is way too short and Bryan is wasted here.

Rating: 2.75 stars

The Miz (c) defeated Rey Mysterio to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Rey Mysterio comes out in one of his crazy costumes. This time it is a Batman outfit. The dark knight doesn’t rise here though he delivers some pain to Miz even feeding him a 619 at one point. Mysterio messes up and Miz avoids a top rope maneuver. I guess he should have picked a superhero that could fly. Mysterio’s final mistake comes when he charges Miz only to scream right before nailing one of the turnbuckles. Ever the opportunist Miz plants Mysterio with the skull crushing finale for the easy win.

Rating: 3 stars

Sheamus (c) defeated Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez) to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

Before this bout there is a backstage segment featuring Punk and AJ Lee. It is lame even though Punk tries his best. A small Mike Chioda chant (that must have come about because he just entered the ring off camera) gets a louder response than anything in this scene. Moving on Sheamus looks like a beast in this match and at on moment lifts Del Rio up while he is applying the cross armbreaker in a maneuver that is tough to believe. Sheamus then follows up with white noise, but only gets a two count. Ricardo attempts to help out Del Rio by tossing him his shoe, but Sheamus grabs it and gives him an Irish curse for the three count even though Del Rio’s foot was on the rope.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (c) defeated The Prime Time Players to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship

Kofi Kingston and Titus O’Neil have some great chemisty in a David vs. Goliath sort of way. Darren Young comes in at one point and schoolboys R-Truth for two, but that is about as close as the Players ever come to wearing the straps. Truth soon makes the pin after he DDTs Young and picks up the victory.

Rating: 3.5 stars

CM Punk (c) defeated The Big Show and John Cena to retain the WWE Championship

CM Punk debuts his Bret Hart attire in this match. Punk and Cena attempt their finishing moves on Show early in the encounter, but neither has any luck. Later on Show taps out to a double submission that looks sloppy as heck. Cena uses the STF on him and Punk wraps his legs around his head. AJ Lee comes out and prances to the ring before ordering the match be restarted. Punk drops the line, “Do the right thing like Spike Lee” at this point. I love that movie! Anyway, Punk and Cena turn around to get a double chokeslam from Show. Show covers Cena then Punk for two. Cena wallops Show with the attitude adjustment for the sure victory. Punk has other plans and swoops in, throwing Cena out of the ring and stealing a win.

Rating: 4.25 stars

Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeated HHH

Since there is no buffer match between the contest for the WWE Championship and the main event fight, there is a whole slew of filler shown. This allows the audience a chance to cool down, but also means a lot of crap. First, the celebrities in attendance are shown including Piers Morgan, Fred Durst (who flips off the camera and has to be bleeped), Rick Rubin, David Arquette (who holds up a replica of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship) and Maria Menounos (who is wearing a Bob Backlund shirt in an attempt to get more undeserved attention from the WWE). Up next a trailer is shown for the new WWE Studios movie, “The Day.” Then it is back to some wrestling, but only for a few second as clips are shown of Antonio Cesaro (with Aksana) defeating Santino Marella for the WWE United States Championship. That was left off the card, but Kevin Rudolf wasn’t. He performs a set with a social media backdrop and the divas come out and dance along to the music. It is lame as can be, but at least it’s not as bad as the garbage that Cee Lo gave us last year. Finally it is back to wrestling and HHH lets us know it. After knocking Lesnar outside he bellows, “WWE not UFC.” Lesnar comes back and slams HHH on an announce table while holding his arm. He is really heeling it up and working on HHH’s injury. Lesnar takes some stiff shots to the face from HHH and is quickly bleeding from his nose. If it wasn’t a full out brawl already then Lesnar turned it into one after he tipped over an announce table and jumped off of it, giving HHH an axe handle on the way down. HHH works Lesnar’s stomach and the commentators play up Lesnar’s past health issues concerning his tummy. At one point HHH really punishes Lesnar by sending him gut first into an announce table. Not too long later, HHH hits a pedigree, but Lesnar kicks out. Lesnar comes back and plants HHH with his F5 finisher. HHH kicks out, but then Lesnar clamps on the Kimura lock. HHH sells the pain like crazy, but he reaches the ropes. HHH delivers another pedigree, but when he tries to pin Lesnar he gets trapped in another Kimura lock. This time he is in the middle of the ring and is forced to tap.

Rating: 4.25 stars

Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Tagged AJ Lee, Aksana, Alberto Del Rio, Antonio Cesaro, Batman, Bob Backlund, Bret Hart, Brock Lesnar, Cee Lo Green, Cee-lo, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Darren Young, David, David Arquette, Do the Right Thing, Dolph Ziggler, Fed Durst, Goliath, HHH, John Cena, Kane, Kevin Rudolf, Kofi Kingston, Maria Menounos, Mike Chioda, Paul Heyman, Piers Morgan, R-Truth, Rey Mysterio, Ricardo Rodriguez, Rick Rubin, Santino Marella, Sheamus, Spike Lee, SummerSlam, The Big Show, The Day, The Miz, The Prime Time Players, Titus O'Neil, UFC, Vickie Guerrero, WCW, WCW World Heavyweight Championship, World Heavyweight Championship (WWE), WWE, WWE Championship, WWE Intercontinental Championship, WWE Studios, WWE SummerSlam, WWE Tag Team Championship, WWE United States Championship

The Johnson Transcript

Devourer of Wrestling

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WWE SummerSlam (2012) Review

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