Tagged with John Laurinaitis …

Jan 19 2013
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Smooth Runs

The Case for John Cena vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania XXIX

by Bad Booking

thetomeofbadbookinglogo

Wrestlemania has always been treated as a time of year where special matches can happen.

We’ve had a litany of ladder encounters, most of which had special stipulations added on.

Legends like Shawn Michaels have faced off against legends like The Undertaker.

We’ve also seen current full-time talent like John Cena face off against special attraction signings like The Rock.

For all the possible main event match-ups coming onto the horizon for Wrestlemania XXIX emanating from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, there is one match I am surprised the WWE isn’t pulling the trigger on.

The Undertaker vs. John Cena.

One man has represented the WWE in the best of times and the worst of times. His character receives more changes than Joan Rivers does plastic surgery. He’s a big, lean, MMA-fighting machine who has defied time and only has gotten better over the years.

The other man is the full embodiment of the WWE right now. A full-tme wrestler on the roster, more or less has been the main event for the last eight or nine years. He has done it all. Faced them all. Beaten them all.

With one notable exception.

Now you can say that these two men feuded briefly in 2003. This was back in the day where Cena was “WORD LIFE” rappin’, complete with throwback jerseys and gold chains. He had an attitude problem but was gaining popularity with the fans. Yes, he was actually, A HEEL?!?!?!?

This was also back in the day when Undertaker was a mortal human being. He rode a motorcycle, wore stinky leather, and was Big Evil American Badass. He was a veteran seeking respect but was also willing to give respect to where it was due. He was definitely a face then, face now, face grand majority of his career.

Sure the two swapped victories in 2003 with Undertaker winning at the Vengeance pay-per-view and John Cena on an episode of Smackdown.

That’s history however.

This is now.

John Cena is the face of the company. He traded rapper chains for a chain gang, and has a main event spot to prove it. For approximately the last decade he has been the one standing in attention on the roster. Multiple superman pushes left him in a spot all to himself on the card. His drawing power is so large that a meaningless match with Johnny Ace legitimately main evented a pay-per-view you spent $50 to watch! Sure he faced The Rock at Wrestlemania last year, and WWE most likely wants him to get his win back this year. That all feels stale and rehashed though.

Undertaker, who is an undead outlaw now, seems to be legitimately on his last legs. With news reports suggesting his body is hanging on by a thread, it would be behoove of the WWE to let the two biggest current superstars clash. Undertaker has had epic clashes with men like Shawn Michaels, Kane, Batista, Randy Orton, HHH, Edge and even Mark Henry in the last ten years. John Cena only seems like a natural opponent, given the accolades and acclaim deserved.

Like a Vince Russo fan fiction, both men can portray multiple shades of grey. There doesn’t have to be good, evil, benevolence or malevolence. Just two men who want to kick each others’ asses.

These two mythic icons of WWE lore can have at it with no creative restrictions. The crowd would eat that first stare-down before the bell rings as a definitive Wrestlemania moment.

For Undertaker, it would be the last pin on top of a definitive cap. Starting with Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, who inspired 2013 Hall of Famer Mick Foley to have a wrestling career, and ending with Cena, the seemingly indestructible superhero.

21-0 with perhaps his last win being the biggest, no offense to either HBK or The Game.

Come on WWE, PULL THE TRIGGER AND FIRE UP THE MONEY MAKER!

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Dec 28 2012
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Wrestling Lists

6 Wrestlers TNA Should Sign/Re-sign…Just for Giggles

by Daniel Johnson

I’ve heard TNA called the “spiritual successor of WCW” and for a while I almost believed it. However, if you’ve been watching TNA television lately then you’ll know that TNA is far too financially responsible to be the spiritual successor of Ted Turner’s money pit. Where are all the needless mini-concerts by incredibly pricey music groups, D-list celebrities and contracts for stars of yesteryear?

Okay, you TNA haters. It is true enough that the company has been guilty of all of these sins to some extent. Still, the asylum (or former asylum anyway) is nowhere near as badly run in TNA as it was in WCW. However, here are a few wrestlers TNA could sign to start fixing that. Why, you may ask? Just for giggles.

1. Vader

Vader made a brief return to the WWE earlier this year and promptly squashed Heath Slater. He then followed this up by coming to blows with a nearly 70 year old Harley Race. Even with Vince Russo gone the company has shown a desire to continue booking worked-shoots. Well, using the WCW philosophy there is no better way to trick an audience into believing something might be real than hiring someone who may actually have a screw or two lose. How else can you explain Scott Steiner’s  2000-2001 push? Sure, the mastodon may not be as fearsome as he once was and there is no way he can cut a promo like Scott Steiner (who can?), but to live up to WCW’s name TNA needs to starting taking chances. Incredible chances, illogical chances, idiotic chances! With TNA’s riskiest recent signing being Christian York a guy who probably should have been signed to a major company ten years ago and probably gets paid with Monopoly money, TNA needs to throw some big bucks at Vader to balance things out.

2. Shark Boy

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With TNA showing some love for underwhelming reveals recently the company has taken some strides to resemble the old WCW. But was Devon really as bad of a reveal as Road Warrior Animal? Perhaps. Still, sometimes “perhaps” just isn’t good enough. A way to top this would be by running some short vignettes saying that “3:16 is coming to TNA” only to reveal that instead of Austin, TNA has brought back Shark Boy with his tribute to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin gimmick. Actually, going beyond just for giggles bringing back Shark Boy may not be that bad of an idea. He could work with a lot of the X division guys and TNA could probably get away with not paying him that much. Of course as long as York is willing to share his Monopoly money with Shark Boy then why not?

3. Adam Bomb

adambomb

Now, I know what you’re saying. “Isn’t that guy dead.” No, that’s Brian Adams. Yes, it is easy to get the former Demolition Crush mixed up with people whether it be his former tag team partners or a Canadian singer-songwriter. What you also may be saying is, “Hasn’t Bryan Clarke been retired for like 10 years? God knows what kind of shape he is in?” To that I answer that if Brock Lesnar can return to the WWE in 2012 then surely Adam Bomb can return to TNA in 2013. If nothing else he could be signed to a short term contract and fed to a bigger hoss the way that he was fed to Bill Goldberg in the original WCW. I think Samoa Joe is hungry.

4. El Generico

elgenericoLike Shark Boy this guy could fit in great by wrestling the X division roster. Plus, one of the legacies that WCW left behind was the company’s tendency to sign world class talent and do absolutely nothing with them. They had the technical wizard himself, freaking Yuji Nagata for over a year and the most he did was briefly feud with Ultimo Dragon and then was quietly swept under the ring. Just think of all the potential they could pee away with El Generico. Generico is one of the most well traveled independent wrestles out there and has wrestled in countries as random as Peru, Chile and Sweden. TNA signing him to an exclusive contract could kill that traveling act just like Nagata’s commitment to WCW prevented who knows how many potential great matches for NJPW. Somewhere John Laurinaitis’ mouth is watering.

5. Kevin Steen

kevinsteen

El Generico and Kevin Steen go together like peanut butter and ketchup to a weirdo without taste buds. For some reason you can’t have one without the other. If TNA signed El Generico then it stands to reason that they would have to sign Steen…then promptly make no mention of their past history together. Steen is the kind of guy who could come in and if positioned right could look like a legitimate challenge to someone the company has already built up. Say Bully Ray for example. Of course if they were to follow the WCW model they couldn’t book him that well. After all his name is Kevin Steen, not Bil Goldberg or Lance Storm. So if TNA signed Steen then perhaps the best he could hope for would be a one sided feud with Bully before quickly dropping down the card. Alternatively, they could throw him in with Aces & 8s since the company loves to throw away talent that way.

6. Scott Steiner

scottsteinerAs mentioned earlier no one can cut a promo quite like Scott Steiner so why not bring him back? He’s already suing TNA anyway so what could be a more amicable way to end this bad blood then with a nice fat paycheck. On the negative side Scott Steiner has been hit or miss in the ring for a while now and he’s not getting any younger. On the positive side the man has that Ultimate Warrior kind of appeal that can only come from some legitimate insanity. Kind of like why Damien Demento developed a cult following after he started making Internet videos a few years back. Wait! That’s it! Give Steiner his own Internet recap show! License to print money.

Photo Credits:

Photos 1-2, 4-6: en.wikipedia.org

Photo 3: onlineworldofwrestling.com

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Sep 24 2012
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Wrestling Reviews

WWE No Way Out (2012) Review

WWE No Way Out (2012) had a lot going against it before the show even started. John Cena taking on The Big Show for the umpteenth time was booked as the main event. Despite some possibly good matches the rest of the card was booked pretty thin. Alberto Del Rio was yanked out of the World Heavyweight Championship picture and Dolph Ziggler was put in his place. Regardless of what you think of Del Rio or Ziggler there is no denying that in the months leading up to this card Del Rio was built up much better. Ziggler on the other hand had received a push that was underwhelming to say the least. The match for the WWE Championship was much more promising and delivered. So let us take a look at WWE’s big day in June.

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Sheamus (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler (with Vickie Guerrero) to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

The early going of this match revisits Sheamus’ Wrestlemania 28 encounter with Ziggler getting a kiss from Vickie only to turn around for a brogue kick. Ziggler sees Sheamus preparing for it and ducks out of the ring. Sheamus roughs him up for a while, but Ziggler hits a sweet looking DDT. Now in control, Ziggler goes for a pin, but only manages a one count. Sheamus gets Ziggler in a fireman’s carry position, but Ziggler gets out of it for another DDT. Ziggler is putting on rest holds left and right making for a weary crowd. The match drudges on until Ziggler hits a zig zag. The crowd chants, “lets go Ziggler,” but Jerry Lawler swears the audience is chanting, “lets go Sheamus.” Ziggler hits a face buster from the ropes, but Sheamus continues to kick out. Sheamus gets in an Irish curse then it is just a matter of time before the brogue kick and the three count.

Rating: 2.5 stars

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Santino Marella defeated Ricardo Rodriguez in a tuxedo match

Santino actually held the WWE United States Championship during this bout which has to make it among the low points for places that this title appeared at. The two try to appeal to the audience to start off and Santino wins. Ricardo rips off some of Santino’s powder blue tux first. Santino responds in kind and manages to get off Ricardo’s jacket. Santino then holds up the jacket like a matador and Rodriguez attempts to strike. The fight drags on and “boring” chants break out. Santino reveals he is wearing a cobra sock while Rodriguez is stripping him. Santino hits Ricardo with it and wins revealing that Ricardo has on underpants featuring Alberto Del Rio’s face.

Rating: 0 stars

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Christian defeated Cody Rhodes to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Well, they picked the right match to get things back on track. Cody starts by getting Christian in a headlock. After some punishment Christian gets in the power position with some shoulder blocks. The fight spills outside and Cody takes charge by throwing Christian back in the ring and working on his left elbow. Christian puts Cody’s legs around a ring post, but before he can do anything Cody pulls Christian into the post. Rhodes keeps working Christian’s arm, but when the action goes outside again Christian jumps on the ringside steps and DDTs Rhodes. Back inside Christian gets a top rope crossbody, but Rhodes rolls it over for two. Christian hits a top rope hurricanrana, but only gets two. Cody gets an Albama slam on Christian, but can’t manage to win. Christian hits the killswitch, but only gets two. Christian attempts the frog splash, but Cody puts his knees up. The match erupts into a series of misses and reversals until Christian hits a spear to pull out the victory.

Rating: 4 stars

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The Prime Time Players defeated Primo and Epico (with A.W. and Rosa Mendes), The Usos and Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel to become the number one contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship

Titus O’Neil and Jay Uso start off and they soon tag in their partners leading to Darren Young getting some chops in The Usos’ corner. Things are pretty quiet until Justin Gabriel gets tagged in and The Prime Time Players mess him up. Young gets Gabriel in a chinlock and the match quiets down again. Gabriel rebounds slightly and The Prime Time Players exit to allow Primo and Epico in to double team Gabriel. Tyson Kidd finally gets tagged in and he hits an array of moves on Primo culminating in a blockbuster from the top rope. Primo gets things going for him after avoiding some Kidd offense. This doesn’t last long because Kidd hits a hurricanrana to the outside that takes out everyone as they brawl on the floor. Primo and Darren Young come back in and Young lifts Primo up a drives him into his knees. Young gets a three count while A.W. holds onto Epico’s leg as he tries to make the save. A.W. has betrayed his team and gone onto manage The Prime Time Players.

Rating: 3.25 stars

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Layla (c) defeated Beth Phoenix to retain the WWE Divas Championship

Before this match HHH laid out a challenge for Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman. Getting back to the wrestling, Beth gets an early advantage by laying in some power moves and trash talking her opponent. Layla hits a dropkick and starts mocking Phoenix. Beth starts beating down Layla after hitting her off of the ring apron. Phoenix makes a mistake by putting Layla in a gorilla press slam position that Layla reverses into a DDT. Shortly after Layla hits a neckbreaker for the win.

Rating: 3 stars

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Sin Cara defeated Hunico (with Camacho)

The WWE continues to use the stupid lighting gimmick for Sin Cara’s singles matches. Hunico is dominant early on after scoring a dropkick. Hunico keeps Sin Cara grounded and puts him in three separate chinlocks. Hunico hits Sin Cara with a sitout powerbomb, but then Sin Cara starts building up momentum and hits a hurricanrana on Hunico after bouncing off of the ropes. Out of nowhere Sin Cara gets the three count.

Rating: 3 stars

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CM Punk defeated Kane and Daniel Bryan to retain the WWE Championship in a three way match

Throughout the night AJ Lee had backstage segments with all three competitors including making out with Kane. At one point Punk and Bryan slug it out with Bryan saying, “yes” and Punk saying, “no.” Punk wins the slugfest and Bryan exits the ring. Punk attempts a suicide dive, but Kane stops it. Soon, Kane and Bryan are outside the ring allowing Punk to hit a plancha on them. Kane attacks Punk after taking out Bryan with a right hand. After a while Kane is really taking apart Punk’s midsection, but makes a mistake when inside the ring Punk hits him with a big boot. Bryan comes out of nowhere with a flying dropkick on Punk. Bryan takes center stage and even hits a double dropkick from the top on both opponents simultaneously. Following this up, Bryan delivers a slew of kicks that the crowd chants along with. Eventually, Punk hits the “Macho Man” Randy Savage elbow on Bryan for two. Punk tries one on Kane, but misses. Bryan gets a diving headbutt on Punk. After a kick, Bryan then clamps on the yes lock, but Punk reverses it into a pin. Punk hits the go to sleep on Bryan, but Kane saves him. Kane goes for the chokeslam on Punk, but Punk reverses it into a DDT and hits a top rope elbow. Punk attempts the go to sleep on Kane, but it is too much weight and instead he gets a big boot and chokeslam. A little later AJ tries to run in, but Kane accidentally bumps her off of the ring apron. While Kane is distracted Punk wallops him with a kick to the head followed by a go to sleep for the win. Kane carries AJ out afterward as she looks fondly at Punk.

Rating: 4.25 stars

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Ryback defeated Dan Delaney and Rob Grymes

The jobber duo sing the classic Wrestlemania theme before Ryback comes in. It is a decent squash match. Ryback even goes to the ropes and falls down like a big tree on one opponent. Ryback says, “feed me three” before obliterating his victims. Matches like this work to cement Ryback’s status as the current squash machine of squash machines.

Rating: 3 stars

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John Cena defeated The Big Show in a steel cage match

If John Cena wins this one then Vince McMahon will fire John Laurinaitis, but if The Big Show wins then Johnny Ace will fire Cena. Show throws Cena into the cage to start. He tries to hit the WMD early on, but Cena ducks and Show smacks his fist against the cage. Show stays dominant, but The Big Show makes a big mistake when he tries to climb the cage and Cena crotches him on the ropes. Show comes back and delivers a Vader bomb. Big Van would be proud. The big guy is not done with his aerial moves and he walks to the middle of the top rope for an elbow…that misses! Show attempts to crawl out, but Cena catches him. Cena almost gets out after a shoulder block. Ace shuts the cage door, but McMahon opens it. Ace shoves McMahon and slams the door again. Cena turns around for a chokeslam. Show hits two WMDs, the first one on the ref then one on Cena. Show attempts an escape, but Brodus Clay is outside the cage door with a steel chair. Santino, Alex Riley, Zack Ryder and Kofi Kingston join Brodus. Show climbs (after somehow knocking Ryder out through the cage wall), but gets knocked off the top by Kofi. Cena then gives Show the attitude adjustment. Cena wins and Ace is out! Cena emphasizes it with an attitude adjustment through an announce table on Ace as McMahon delives his classic line, “you’re fired!”

Rating: 2.25 stars

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Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org

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May 21 2012
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Wrestling Reviews

Over the Limit (2012) Review


2012 looks to be a great year for WWE pay-per-views if the second half lives up to what the first half produced. Over the Limit presented surprises, two legitimately great matches and even a little bit of comedy. The opening battle royal was surprising as was the return of Christian that it brought with it. Christian then took part in the first of two great matches of the night against Cody Rhodes. As good as this match was the match was one-upped by Punk/Bryan who delivered arguably the match of year so far. John Laurinaitis and John Cena topped the night off with a little comedy that was a nice change of pace from how lame Cena usually is. While not the best show of the year, Over the Limit kept the string of quality pay-per-views going and avoided being a stinker.

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Christian won a battle royal also featuring The Miz, David Otunga, Tyson Kidd, Alex Riley, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, William Regal, The Great Khali, Heath Slater, Titus O’Neil, Darren Young, Ezekiel Jackson, Jinder Mahal, Tyler Reks, Drew McIntyre, Curt Hawkins, Michael McGillicutty, JTG and Yoshi Tatsu

The big news for this match is that it marks the return of Christian, which is a nice surprise. Oh yeah, also the winner got a shot at either the WWE Intercontinental Championship or the WWE United States Championship depending on the winner’s preference. Heath Slater is the first to get chucked out. The Usos perform a nice double super kick and eliminate JTG. William Regal has the fighting spirit in him as he goes after both Darren Young and Titus O’Neil. O’Neil gets knocked out relatively early, but Young stays in longer and at one point almost eliminates himself along with an Uso. It almost looks like WWE have faith in him until he is eliminated by Alex Riley. Speaking of Riley, surprised he is actually getting some good face time as he hits a devastating spinebuster on The Miz before being eliminated. The final four are Tyson Kidd, David Otunga, The Miz and Christian. Kidd is out first after he skins the cat once, but is dumped out before he can try it again. Three heels? Nope, looks like they are bringing Christian back as a face. Otunga and Miz double team Christian, but then Christian eliminates Otunga after a running powerslam attempt. Miz and Christian battle for a while until Miz almost tackles Christian out of the ring. Christian gets back in the ring and Miz is quickly thrown out. Christian apparently challenges Santino for the WWE United States Championship. Shame since Christian/Cody would have been better.

Rating: 3.25 stars

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Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger (with Vickie Guerrero) to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship

Swagger and Kingston start off and after a few holds Swagger has Kingston down with a shoulder block. Kingston gets back in control of the match and tags R-Truth. Swagger muscles R-Truth over to the corner and Ziggler tags himself in. Kofi gets tagged in and hits Ziggler with a flying punch. The match goes on like a typical Monday Night Raw tag affair until R-Truth gets caught in the heels’ corner. Kingston gets the hot tag after Truth hits a tornado DDT off the top on Swagger. Kingston explodes on the heels and almost gets the three count on Ziggler. Ziggler comes back, but quickly gets smacked in the face with the Trouble in Paradise for the loss.

Rating: 3 stars

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Layla (c) defeated Beth Phoenix to retain the WWE Divas Championship

The two lock up and Layla gets Phoenix in a headlock. This doesn’t last long as Phoenix is soon laying her boots to her. Phoenix soon goes after Layla’s injured knee and slams it against the ring post. It almost looks like Beth wants to wrap the figure-four around the ring post on Layla, but never does. Maybe Layla isn’t familiar with that spot. Phoenix gets Layla back in the ring for two and continues to target the knee. Layla hits a low dropkick on Beth and rolls her up for two. Layla starts mounting her comeback and gets some time to rest. She doesn’t have long though as Phoenix gets her in a gorilla press position. Layla awkwardly reverses it with a DDT. The two fight a bit longer until Layla hits a neck breaker on Beth and scores the pin.

Rating: 2.5 stars

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Sheamus (c) defeated Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez), Randy Orton and Chris Jericho to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in a fatal four-way match

The competitors pair off with Sheamus quickly stomping the tar out of Del Rio and Orton running off Jericho. Sheamus and Orton face each other, but Del Rio and Jericho jump the two from behind. The faces run off the heels again and now Sheamus and Orton are squaring off. The heels sneak their way back into the match and soon find themselves double teaming Orton.  Del Rio goes outside and attacks Sheamus who is just lying around like a big lummox. Jericho rejoins Del Rio and the heels are ruling the ring until Orton explodes with a comeback. Del Rio and Jericho get back in control, but then turn on each other. Jericho and Orton take center stage. Sheamus finally gets back in the ring and hits a clothesline from off the top on Del Rio. Sheamus gets distracted by Ricardo and now Del Rio is back in charge of the match. Apparently Jericho and Orton are doing nothing. The competitors are doing a really bad job of staying busy while they are not in the spotlight and all four guys are rarely in the ring at once. Jericho gets back in the ring and hits a dropkick on Sheamus before being tossed back out by Orton. Orton hits his DDT through the ropes on Sheamus and prepares for his finisher. Alas, Del Rio sneaks up from behind and puts the armbreaker on Orton. Orton is out of the submission and bedlam starts to erupt with all four guys in the ring. Orton clears the ring before getting a double DDT through the ropes on Del Rio and Ricardo. Jericho gets back in and hits a Codebreaker, but is then met with Del Rio clutching on the armbreaker. Jericho reverses for the Walls of Jericho, but Jericho has to let it go when Sheamus re-enters. Jericho eventually gets Sheamus in the Walls of Jericho and Orton hits the RKO on Jericho and then Del Rio. Orton turns around to get a Brogue Kick from Sheamus. Sheamus hits his new finisher, the White Noise on Jericho and gets the pin.

Rating: 3.75 stars

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Brodus Clay (with Cameron and Naomi) defeated The Miz

The idea of this match is kind of annoying since Miz already wrestled in the opening battle royal. If Miz won, would he have wrestled three times that night? Anyway Miz cuts a scathing promo before the match and claims to be the best dancer in the WWE and proceeds to do some Michael Jackson moves. Brodus interrupts with his usual lame entrance. Miz locks up with Brodus and gets pushed down. Brodus follows up with a shoulder block and Miz responds by smacking the Funkasaurus. Yuck, just typing that word makes me feel dirty. Brodus continues to dominate, but runs into the ring post outside after trying to slam Miz into it. Back in the ring The Miz hits a double axe handle from the top on Brodus. Miz hits a few more offensive moves and gets Brodus in a sleeper hold. Brodus powers out and finishes The Miz off after a fallaway slam from up top and a big splash. This one felt like a chore to watch.

Rating: 1.25 stars

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Christian defeated Cody Rhodes (c) for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

In a backstage segment Christian caught Cody Rhodes talking smack and changed the title he was challenging for. Christian signals for a test of strength to start off, but Rhodes takes the short cut and starts pounding on Christian. Christian comes back by sending Rhodes out of the ring and going after him. Cody gets back some momentum by launching Christian into the stairs. Back inside Rhodes gets a two count after a Russian legsweep and then puts a resthold on Christian. Rhodes releases it and hits a dropkick on Christian for another two count then starts pounding on Christian again. Rhodes hits a beautiful looking superplex on Christian and the ref starts a 10 count. The two get back up and after some shots Christian clotheslines Cody out of the ring. Quickly back inside and back to Cody being on offense until Rhodes gets a shot in the breadbasket after a top rope attempt. Christian is back in control, but misses a crossbody leading to Cody making a comeback. Christian attempts a tornado DDT from the top, but is tossed off. Cody hits a Kurt Angle-esque moonsault for a close two. Rhodes then starts badmouthing the crowd and throwing a tantrum. Christian sneaks in with the Killswitch for the win. Great match! Shame Cody didn’t retain as he is a great heel champ, but Christian with a title is never a bad thing.

Rating: 4.25 stars

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CM Punk (c) defeated Daniel Bryan to retain the WWE Championship

Punk starts the match off by throwing a couple of kicks. Bryan responds by delivering a kick of his own and then the two lock up. Bryan wastes no time getting Punk in a headlock, but Punk pushes him off and leapfrogs Bryan who attempts to bounce back. Punk gets in control of the match by nailing Bryan with an armdrag. The pace of the match slows down as Punk begins to work on Bryan’s leg. Bryan gets back up and hits three nasty European uppercuts on Punk. All this action is tough to keep track of, but ends with Bryan in the Indian deathlock.  Bryan gets back up, but is just as soon driven back down. Punk tosses Bryan out of the ring and slides himself out. Bad move as Bryan tackles Punk into the guardrail. Back in the ring Bryan hits a nice looking dropkick from off the top. Bryan locks on a seated abdominal stretch. Is it just me or is Punk’s face redder than usual? Punk gets out of it and attempts a submission move, but is snapped up in a small package. After the kick out Punk finds himself in a surfboard that Bryan slowly clamps on while chanting, “Yes!” Bryan transitions the move into a variation of the Dragon Sleeper. Punk elbows out and hits some forearm shots for good measure. Punk is on the mat while Bryan hits some jumping knee drops on Punk, but misses the last one. As the two start to exchange blows a dueling chant starts. Bryan comes out on top and then hits a flying headbutt on Punk. After Bryan makes a brief return to a submission hold the two hit each other with crossbodies simultaneously and the ref starts a 10 count. The two get up and Punk starts wailing on Bryan. Bryan runs at Punk, but is caught and slammed back down. The two take a breather and Bryan again charges at Punk, but is thrown out of the ring this time. Punk follows up with a suicide dive through the ropes. As Bryan gets back in and regains his composure Punk attempts a clotheslines by launching himself off the ropes, but is met with a dropkick. Bryan’s time on top is short lived as Punk locks on a figure-four and the two smack each other while it is locked on. The two get a series of two counts on each other and a “this is awesome” chant breaks out. Bryan attempts a Frankensteiner on Punk from off the top, but is tossed off and hit with the clothesline Punk missed earlier. Punk gets a two count and the two are back to slugging it out until Punk gets Bryan in his Go To Sleep setup. Bryan wiggles out and then almost gets Punk in the Yes Lock. Punk hits a kick to the head on Bryan and Bryan goes down like a tree, but Punk merely gets two. Punk slowly climbs the ropes and hits the Randy Savage elbow drop. Punk is too hurt to make the cover immediately and when he does manage to roll over Bryan kicks out. Bryan is reinvigorated as he savagely knees Punk in the ribs and then starts shouting, “Yes!” Bryan attempts to hit a dropkick in the corner, but misses. Punk hits his trademark high knee in the corner. Bryan clamps on the Yes Lock, but Punk rolls him over. The lock is still on, but Bryan’s shoulders are down and Punk gets the win. Bryan is fuming, but the two have presented a brilliant match. If this feud continues they should deliver that elusive 5 star classic.

Rating: 4.75 stars

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Ryback defeated Camacho (with Hunico)

This is a typical Ryback squash match. Camacho gets in a little offense and at one point even gets Ryback off his feet. Ryback hits a powerbomb on Camacho then drags him up for another one before getting Camacho in the torture rack position and slamming him down. Ryback gets the win (shocking) and chantsm “feed me more!”

Rating: 2 stars

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John Laurinaitis defeated John Cena in a no disqualification match

Laurinaitis quickly tries to exit the ring and Cena just as quickly catches him. Cena pulls Ace’s shirt over his head and smacks his chest. Cena puts Johnny in a fireman’s carry, but instead of hitting the Attitude Adjustment he just does an airplane spin. Cena gets the ring bell and hammers it next to Johnny’s head a few times. Cena laughs a bit and then smacks Ace against  both announce tables. A few times on the English table and then on the Spanish table. Cena then puts Ace in one of the Spanish commentator’s chairs and pretends to do commentary with him. The fun does not last long as he throws Ace back in the ring and Johnny begs for a handshake. Cena refuses it and instead smacks Johnny before slamming him down. Cena grabs the mic and announces that he is about to put Johnny in the STF and will let go after 10 seconds. The fans count to 10 and Ace doesn’t submit. Cena gets on the mic and then announces he is going to do it again. Ace doesn’t submit and Cena is back on the mic. Cena says that he feels like a drink and then says he is sure Johnny could use some too. Cena grabs some water bottles and starts pouring them on Ace. After dousing Ace’s face and genitals, Cena then grabs a fire extinguisher and sprays Laurinaitis. As Johnny exits the ring Cena grabs a trash can and runs over to Ace pouring the trash all over him. Ace attempts to leave, but Cena catches him. This time Laurinaitis goes after the arm and actually gains control of the match. Ace clobbers Cena with a few chair shots and gets a two count. Cena blocks Ace after Johnny goes for a head shot and then grabs the chair to deliver some shots of his own. Laurinaitis hits low blow and stumbles out of the ring and into the audience. Cena stands in the ring puzzled until The Big Show drags Ace back into the ring. Ace is caught between Cena and Show and attempts to crawl out of the ring when Show steps on his hand. Johnny gets to his feet and pleads with Show. Cena puts Ace in the Attitude Adjustment, but is predictably clocked by Big Show and Ace scores the pinfall. It might have been just as predictable, but I would have preferred a Brock Lesnar run-in.

Rating: 3 stars

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Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org

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