This Month In Wrestling -- NOVEMBER 2013

Happy belated Thanksgiving, guys and gals. Another month, another month of wrestling to talk about. The holidays are right around the corner, but let's make sure we get our full helpings of wrestling. With the holidays around the corner, it seems like wrestling is trying harder and harder to deliver since people are starting to have more and more time sitting at home to see this on a regular basis instead of watching with one eye open as they watch the football or other misc. sports games and other television shows at the same time. 

RAW (11/4/13)

CM Punk def. Luke Harper w/ The Wyatt Family

Luke Harper is an excellent talent, but that's not the highlight of this match. That honor goes to the save made by Daniel Bryan coming to the Best in the World's aid as the Wyatt Family attempted to play the numbers game. As great as this sounds, now we know for sure that Daniel Bryan isn't jumping back into the main event WWE Championship title hunt anytime soon.

Ryback def. The Great Khali

Alberto Del Rio def. Kofi Kingston via submission

I'm glad to see that ADR isn't allowing that loss to Cena to deter his focus and determination. He's still one of the most deadliest technicians in WWE today. That being said, that's a simple task to accomplish when technicians are a rarity in WWE nowadays too.

Randy Orton def. Big E. Langston

Strong outing by Big E Langston, despite suffering at the hands of The Viper. The former NXT Champion proved that he could go with a main eventer tonight.

Tyson Kidd & Natalya def. Fandango & Summer Rae

I'm really not feeling Summer Rae's ring gear. I still don't see why she wears one outfit for her matches on RAW then her traditional ring gear on NXT. Some consistency would be appreciated, Summer. Regardless, it was great to see Natalya far away from possible as The Great Khali and Hornswoggle's arm candy and with her real-life husband.

John Cena, Cody Rhodes and Goldust def. Damien Sandow & The Real Americans

Triple H is in an office with Vickie Guerrero. She tells him that Big Show is in the building. Stephanie McMahon enters and admits that she let him into the arena. She says that the Board of Directors has mandated that he be allowed to work while the lawsuit is pending. There is too much going on in the company at the moment to take the risk. Triple H is not pleased and doesn’t care what the Board dictates. Stephanie says that it isn’t about Triple H, it’s about the WWE Universe.

Dolph Ziggler def. Curtis Axel

(Whistles) Even Dolph Ziggler is winning against Curtis Axel now? Damn, his push is pretty much gone at this point. He already lost The only thing that is left is to lose that title... 

The Usos def. Drew McIntyre & Heath Slater w/ Jinder Mahal

As much as I enjoy watching the Usos in action, this match was a waste of their time. I rather see the Usos feuding with Los Matadores than this pointless match. Let 3MB and The Great Khali/Hornswoggle/Santino team keep feuding with each other in comedy bouts. I thought WWE were starting to "give a damn" about tag team wrestling again, not this weak shit?

The Bella Twins and Eva Marie def. AJ Lee, Tamina Snuka and Aksana

The School Boy Girl Roll-up that resulted in the IWC's WWE Diva marks moaning in disgust around the world after Eva Marie gets her first win in WWE. C'mon, at least she didn't pin the reigning WWE Divas Champion, AJ Lee. Now THAT would be well worth bitching about...

Handicap Match - The Big Show def. The Shield & Randy Orton via DQ

I love how this segment proves how Stephanie McMahon wears the pants in her and Triple H's relationship. On top of that, I cannot stress enough on how much I love Stephanie McMahon as an authority figure over the course of this storyline. She's not senile and out of her mind like Vince, but she still has that imposing presence to strike fear in other Divas and demand respect from anyone on the WWE roster, including her own husband, Triple H. Back to the subject at hand... The Big Show is ready to sue WWE for everything they have, but Steph and Triple H caves to his demands and restores his WWE contract, with an added bonus of a WWE Championship match against Randy Orton. I was fine with all of this until they literally shafted Daniel Bryan out of the title hunt when this future title match could have easily been booked as a Triple Threat Match. Oh, no... WWE won't let us have nice things. So then the Shield and Orton beat the tar out of The Big Show in this impromptu handicap match, then THIS happens...

Kane’s music hits. The Big Red Monster walks out – maskless and wearing a suit and tie. Kane comes out looking like a high school principal. I'm sorry guys, but I was left laughing too hard to notice what happened on the duration of this broadcast. I haven't laughed this hard since The Undertaker took off his hood and revealed the mohawk look at WrestleMania 28.

Impact Wrestling (11/7/13)

Dixie Welcomes Pacman Jones and Mr. Anderson back to TNA

I get that Dixie Carter is going for major heel heat by announcing earlier in the week that she was bringing back an acclaimed former TNA Champion tonight and it ends up being "Pacman" Jones. Really? That even got my sodium levels risings off that shit, so good job Dixie on knowing how to push buttons. Apparently, Pacman Jones' "no physicality" clause is gone and he can interact with other wrestlers and members of the TNA roster instead of just casually throwing money in his opponents' faces to distract them in tag team matches while Ron "The Truth" Killing (currently R-Truth in WWE) does all the work until Consequences Creed (NXT's Xavier Woods) picked up Pacman's slack before their team eventually fell apart. I don't see what was the point of bringing Pacman Jones back and making such a big deal of this across social media outlets in sports when as of this writing (roughly a month later...) TNA has not followed up on this signing at all. I have a feeling it's going to go the way of the dinosaurs, much like the signings of Bellator's talent - King Mo, Tito Ortis, and Rampage Jackson. 

Main Event Mafia disbands... for now

I have to be honest and say good riddance. Outside of Kurt Angle, Sting, and Samoa Joe, I didn't see the reason to keep pushing this faction, especially after Rampage Jackson got released off the roster, so MEM should have withdrawn that ruling that anyone can be in the Mafia. Magnus isn't even a former World Heavyweight Champion, so I never saw the point of him being there in the first place. Sting's days in the ring are numbered as I can't fathom what else could he do for TNA when he can barely keep up with anyone on the roster now. What's next, he's going to fall into another pointless backstage role? I say Sting has maybe one or two good matches left in him. He should just bite the bullet and give everyone that Sting vs. The Undertaker match at WrestleMania that the IWC has been begging for the last 3+ years. It's either that or act as a manager/mentor to up and comers in TNA, like Magnus, who really need a mouthpiece to push them to the next level.

TNA Knockouts Title #1 Contenders Triple Threat: ODB, Velvet Sky, and Brooke Tessmacher fought to a NO CONTEST

I loved this match. While the bulk of the IWC (internet wrestling community) are making jokes and wisecracks that TNA's women's division is dying with releases left and right after losing Taeler Hendrix, Tara, and Mickie James, I'm glad to see that has only pushed the remaining Knockouts to work even harder. It's sad that TNA can put on great matches with a roster of roughly five active women, but WWE has over fifteen that they don't know what to do with.

Gail, while you're looking for opponents for your open challenge, allow me to suggest my personal favorite choice in the indies today and winner of the coveted #1 ranking spot in the 2013 Female 50 in Pro Wrestling Insider - Melissa Anderson (or Alissa Flash/Raisha Saeed to those who only watch mainstream wrestling).

They already had a great match on the all-Knockouts One Night Only event earlier this year, so why not do it with the title on the line?

Aces & Eights votes against Bully Ray

Sadly, I haven't been able to find footage from this segment, but it's definitely worth the watch. Another well-played swerve from the members of Aces & Eights looking like everyone is going to turn on Bully Ray at this point, only for everyone to turn it back around on Mr. Anderson and turn this into a vicious assault. 

Ethan Carter III def. Dewey Barnes 

Bad Influence def. Joseph Park & Eric Young 

TNA World Title Tournament Quarterfinals Full Metal Mayhem Match: Jeff Hardy def. Chris Sabin

Great to see Jeff Hardy in his natural element here tonight in an amazing showing against Chris Sabin. To be honest, I didn't have any high hopes for Sabin making it far in this tournament since he is reigning X-Division Champion, but it was good to see him put up a decent fight. I didn't like how it seemed like he was injured after this match as Impact came to a close though. You can guarantee that Velvet Sky will be more than happy to nurse him back to health. In all seriousness though, if Sabin suffers anymore major injures he should look into retiring from professional wrestling. After fucking up both of his knees, I don't think he's going to be walking right after another few years of wrestling. 

RAW (11/11/13)

Cody Rhodes and Goldust def. Randy Orton via count out

I remember back in 2006-2007 when Samoa Joe was champion in TNA Wrestling and I was saying to myself after almost every defense, "What is the point of making your champion look so god-damn weak?" It's the same thing I find myself wondering here as we are forced to put up with Randy Orton's title reign. If they are going to portray him as weak without the support of Authority, then what was the point of giving him the championship in the first place? 

Los Matadores and Santino Marella def. The Union Jacks (3MB)

I hate that WWE is wasting Primo and Epico's repackaging with comedy bouts such as this. I thought they would have continued their strong debut outing and potentially lead into a contender spot for the WWE Tag Team titles. Nope, that's not happening since The Shield manage to keep getting title shots, despite losing against the Rhodes Family in every challenge since losing said titles.

Damien Sandow def. Kofi Kingston

I have to admit I'm surprised that WWE hasn't gone the route of killing Sandow's momentum after losing his Money in the Bank cash-in opportunity against John Cena like they have been doing with burying Dolph Ziggler. Speaking of Ziggler, let's move onto the next match...

Curtis Axel def. Dolph Ziggler to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship

I really wish WWE would make up their minds on pushing Dolph Ziggler or not. Without a shadow of a doubt, the man is a work horse, but WWE seems to be having an identity crisis on what to do with him after the Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn vs. Big E Langston & AJ Lee feud ended. I'll tell you what isn't the right thing to do - constantly burying Ziggler into irrelevance. 

Tamina Snuka def. Nikki Bella

About damn time that "Lady Diesel" gets a win while acting as AJ Lee's bodyguard and against one of the Bella Twins, no less.

Fandango def. Tyson Kidd

It's a shame to see Kidd back to losing after coming back from a strong win with Natayla in his corner last week. 

John Cena def. The Real Americans via Submission

I thought WWE was supposed to be building up the Tag Team division instead of knocking it back down? Super Cena defies the odds yet again and defeats Cesaro and Swagger in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match. 

R-Truth def. Ryback

Damn, son! Even R-Troof is winning against Ryback now? Ryback really must have dug himself a pretty deep hole in the doghouse.

Alberto Del Rio def. Big E Langston via Submission

Even though Big E Langston is down with another loss underneath his belt, this is looking like another strong outing against a main event player in WWE. Trust me, Big E Langston's hard work is going to pay off in the long haul.

CM Punk and Daniel Bryan vs. The Shield (No Contest)

This match ends in a no contest but that's not what is really important here. It's the gunshot heard around the world when Bray Wyatt slapped Roman Reigns and planted the seeds of anticipation of a pending Shield vs. Wyatt Family feud on the horizon. 

Sadly, WWE is merely teasing this to get our hopes up as of this posting, there is still no sign of these two stables butting heads anytime soon.

NXT (11/13/13)

Summer Rae/Sasha Banks def. Charlotte/Bayley

I cannot stress enough how much I adore how mean Summer Rae and Sasha Banks Fishface are. I cracked up when they snapped poor Bayley's hairband. For crying out loud, someone go in there and give Bayley a hug to cheer her up. As for Charlotte's heel turn, I kinda could care less. It was only a matter of time before she started following in her father's foot steps. Good grief that chick looks like a damn dude though. (Shudders)

Aiden English def. Camacho

As as film/drama geek myself, I don't know what to think of Aiden's gimmick yet. I'm going to wait and see how this plays out over the course of the next few months before I comment on it.

Mason Ryan def. Danny Burch

I'm more surprised that Mason Ryan still has job in WWE, if I'm completely honest. That crowd was dead during that match.

Adrian Neville def. Corey Graves

I'm glad this feud is over. Now Adrian Neville (PAC) can go onto bigger and better things... such as the NXT Championship.

Impact Wrestling (11/14/13)

Aces & Eights opens the show, with Bully Ray accepting Anderson's challenge for Turning Point

Man, check out that ass outfit on Tessmacher... Oh wait, Bully Ray vs. Anderson at Turning Point... Yeah, cool, whatever. 

Mr. Anderson def. Knux 

Christopher Daniels def. Joseph Park 

Handicap Match: Ethan Carter III def. Dewey Barnes & Norv Fernum 

Man, how many jobbers is Bateman ECIII going to go through before he gets some legit competition?

Open Challenge: Gail Kim def. Hannah Blossom 

It's great to see that TNA are finally putting those folks they have had floating around in OVW since the British Boot Camp contest was over with to good use. I wouldn't mind seeing both of The Blossom Twins on the Knockouts roster on a regular basis and show the Bella Twins in WWE how to work some real "twin magic."

TNA World Title Tournament Quarterfinals Submission Match: Kurt Angle def. Austin Aries

Stellar main event between these two men. I didn't have a shadow of a doubt that Kurt Angle wasn't going to advance here, but A Double never ceases to amaze me in this match. If you were impressed with Austin Aries' match against AJ Styles last month, then you will not be disappointed in least here. 

RAW "Country" Special (11/18/13)

No Disqualification - Randy Orton def. Brad Maddox

The whole point of tonight's RAW broadcast is to "punish" both Brad Maddox and Vickie Guerrero. That starts with Maddox on the receiving end of a vicious assault from Randy Orton in a No DQ match. That's sad when Brad Maddox was getting more of a reaction than anything Orton does in the ring.

WWE Intercontinental Championship - Big E. Langston def. Curtis Axel

You hear that sound? It's the sound of the toilet flushing with Curtis Axel's push going down the drain. Paul Heyman isn't around for the time being and Axel can't continue to ride on his coat tails as the only excuse that he was still hanging onto the Intercontinental title. It's about time they drop this title to someone who deserves it, especially after that impromptu title match against Dean Ambrose for the United States Championship. Big E Langston's career can only go higher from here.

Big Show def. Ryback

After being publicly embarrassed by Authority at the end of the last broadcast, WWE has to iron in some hope that The Big Show can beat Randy Orton with a win here. 

The Real Americans w/ Zeb Colter def. Kofi Kingston & The Miz

The Miz goes heel and abandons Kofi... Big shock there. The Miz has always been better heel. It's a better fit for him, just like being heel is fits Randy Orton like a glove.

AJ Lee w/ Tamina def. Vickie Guerrero

This was really a complete waste of time. If Triple H and Stephanie really wanted to punish Vickie Guerrero then this would have been a handicap match. No offense to AJ Lee, but she isn't threatening on her own except against other 14 year old CM Punk fangirls.

Seriously, WWE, how can you do a "Country" themed broadcast, and not have "Hardcore Country" herself on the show? Mickie James was reportedly at NXT the week prior to assist with training the blossoming NXT Divas. Kudos to her for giving something back to the next generation of women's wrestlers. I'm sure she doesn't want the next generation to be anywhere like the majority of the hot mess on the main roster.

Broadway Brawl - Dolph Ziggler def. Damien Sandow

This was a hilarious hardcore match featuring Ziggler and Sandow that was the match that stood out the most on this lackluster broadcast.

R-Truth & Xavier Woods def. Rhinestone Cowboys (Jinder Mahal & Drew McIntyre w/ Heath Slater)

I'm not going to lie. I marked the hell out when R-Truth came out with Consequences Creed... errr Xavier Woods as his tag team partner on a WWE broadcast. Damn right, Truth and Consequences from TNA are reborn here on the WWE roster. Now, if only Woods would shave that god-awful beard... 

The Rhodes Family, The Usos, Daniel Bryan & CM Punk def. The Shield & The Wyatt Family

The end of this main event is really overcrowded as it sports The Real Americans racing to the aid of The Shield and the Wyatt Family, plus the return of Rey Mysterio. (Scratches head) Couldn't they have allowed Mysterio to return during Smackdown! (since that's his signature brand, like The Undertaker) and allowed The Rhodes Family, The Usos, Daniel Bryan, and CM Punk to enjoy the win alone to end the "go home" episode of RAW towards Survivor Series? Whatever... in either case, it was a decent end to this broadcast, despite having to put up with the country theme.

Impact Wrestling - "Turning Point" TV Special (11/21/13)

TNA World Title Tournament Quarterfinals Falls Count Anywhere Match: Magnus def. Samoa Joe

I'll be honest and admit that I wasn't pulling for Magnus to win at all. We haven't had a Samoa Joe World Heavyweight Championship title reign in ages, so I was all behind cheering for the Samoan Submission Machine to win here.

Abyss No Shows - Joseph Park is left embarrassed by Bad Influence

The most bizarre encounter of the night was up next.  Joseph Park versus his brother Abyss was such a strange match-up that even Bad Influence had to sit at ringside to believe it.  When the awkward Park hit the ring and gave himself a pep talk, everyone was laughing along.  After years of "common knowledge" leading us to believe that these two men were one in the same, surely the Monster wouldn't be able to show up while Joseph is in the ring.  Right? Right.   

Abyss no-shows and this sends Bad Influence into attack mode.  Kazarian and Christopher Daniels tear into Joseph.  They accuse him of everything from disappointing his family to breathing air that can be used for other, more deserving, human beings.  Then, in a moment that left even Park's biggest critics saddened, they dumped a bucket of blood over his head in an effort to "bring the monster out".  It didn't.  All it brought out was a somewhat depressing scene as Joseph slinked back to the locker room to wash away his bloody shame.

I thought they would've gotten Krux or DOC (Festus/Luke Gallows) to play "Imposter Abyss" like they did a few months back during the Aces & Eights storyline. Oh well, I was hoping for them to kill off Joseph Park's character tonight and have him finally realize that him and Abyss are the same person. I think Lance Storm said it best in his blog though. The "payoff" point for this storyline has been expired for months now and it's at the point that no one cares at all after all of this time that has been invested into this angle. I was just hoping that they make Joseph Park into Festus 2.0. Ring the bell and he goes into Abyss Mode and beats the tar out of anyone in his way while Eric Young plays the Jesse to Park's Festus. 

Open Challenge Match: Gail Kim def. Candice LaRae

Candice LaRae had a lot of spirit going into this match, but sadly that wasn't enough. To say this was supposed to be a PPV-special, I thought this match would have ran a bit longer as it was a bit too short for my taste. Plus, I was sad that LaRae didn't get her finisher off - the Casadora Stunner. 

TNA World Title Tournament Quarterfinals Florida Death Match: Bobby Roode def. James Storm

This was a nice shade back towards their feud for the gold when Beer Money broke up, but it just seemed rather odd that Gunner would come out and throw in the white flag for Storm. I guess that loss against BroMans really made that team lose their shit. Besides, if I'm honest, I rather see Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Roode in the finals anyway. 

Ethan Carter III def. Shark Boy

Gimme a Shell Yeah! Too bad Shark Boy couldn't pull out the win here. Derrick Bateman's TNA gimmick is slowly starting to win me over, but I would love to see him actually fight someone serious than these arsenal of one-night only jobbers to continue his meaningless winning streak. Do you guys remember Crimson's winning streak? Do you care? Exactly! And look where he is now.

No DQ Match: Mr. Anderson def. Bully Ray - Aces & Eights are forced to disband

This was decent ending for Turning Point, but overall, I wish this so-called "Pay-Per-View Special" had more matches on the card than just being a glorified episode of Impact. Regardless, Bully Ray and Anderson managed to keep me entertained with this one. One thing I didn't get though after Anderson won - he strips Knux, Taz, and Bully Ray of their "cut" (those Aces & Eights vests) but he didn't bother to remove Brooke's cut. I guess that was too hot for TV...

Survivor Series (11/24/13)

WWE Championship Match - Randy Orton (c) def. Big Show

I remember watching this match live and throwing my hands up in the air when the Authority's music hits and "distracts" The Big Show long enough for Randy Orton to turn the tide of momentum and win the match. What follows after is what the IWC exploded with rage about afterwards... John Cena and Randy Orton stare down, easily teasing a WWE Champion vs. World Heavyweight Champion match for the next month's PPV, Tables, Ladders, and Chairs. This isn't so bad as everyone is making it out to be. With Cena currently holding the World Heavyweight belt, it's not regarded as the "second place prize" main event championship and while the Authority backing Randy Orton as the "face" of WWE as he holds the already prestigious WWE Championship, this "unification" match of sorts couldn't have happened at a better time. With both belts unified, maybe we can end this silly roster split that has been completely transparent over the last two years since the RAW SuperShows that feature both roster's talent on both shows anyway. The roster split distinction is even transparent in NXT as well, where main roster talent drop in and out of their programming without consequence. In all honesty, I don't see what's all the whining is about. If it's about John Cena currently tying with Ric Flair's 16 championship win record, then get over it. About a decade ago, people swore that Triple H was going to do it, but he's still stuck at 13 title reigns. In the current generation of WWE, John Cena is the equivalent of Hulk Hogan in the 80's, so whether you love or hate him, he's going to be THAT guy - the one who wins and wins, and kisses the babies and poses/hugs with all the kids afterwards. If you don't like it, do like the rest of the IWC and bitch about it on some message board/forum or find something else to watch. WWE aren't forcing you to continue to keep on watching if you don't like what their product is doing. I know a lot of people don't like hearing this but I'm going to keep on saying it - the #1 thing with the bulk of the IWC, especially with people I talk to personally about wrestling, is the fact that they expect the product to cater to their interests at EVERY turn. Then they have a bitch fit when it doesn't play out how they want to. If you don't like the show, don't watch the following broadcast or continue buying the PPVs, merchandise, and DVDs. Show WWE you're taking your business elsewhere and hurt them where it hurts WWE (or any business for that matter) the most, their wallets. Sheesh, it's not that hard to find wrestling alternatives.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match - John Cena (c) def. Alberto Del Rio

This was easily the best match that Alberto Del Rio has wrestled in a LONG time and I'm glad that Cena put this guy over in this match, despite retaining the title against the odds. Initially, I was like everyone else and was sick of Cena always winning but screw it. The guy is a machine and it's obvious that he is willing to die for WWE than sit at home doing nothing while nursing that arm injury. The man has heart - if that doesn't earn your respect as a fan of this sport then you really need to sit down and think why you are a fan at all.

CM Punk and Daniel Bryan def. Erick Rowan and Luke Harper

It was such a breath of fresh air to see CM Punk and Daniel Bryan show that tag team wrestling is alive and well in WWE. This wasn't their typical "babyface teammate gets beaten up for 15+ minutes, hot tag, fresh babyface partner hits finishers, and okay let's go home" WWE-style cliched tag team match. No, this was back and forth with exchanges and fresh tags from both sides to keep things interesting. Whether you have these guys wrestling Triple H's overcoat for 20 minutes, you can't keep these guys from putting on a great match despite their absence in the main event scene. I wouldn't be doing this write-up justice if I didn't mention on how well I thought that the Wyatt Family performed as well. If they keep this up, the Shield might have to get scared about their job security in Authority. 

Impromptu Match - Mark Henry (return) def. Ryback

That looked like Mark Henry tried to do a Cross Body watching this live on PPV. The reports weren't lying either. That man looks JUST like Rick Ross now. I have to wonder how deep WWE is going to bury Ryback until they think they have humbled him enough?

Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match - The Shield and The Real Americans def. WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust, The Usos and Rey Mysterio - Roman Reigns is the last remaining Superstar on his team

After The Real Americans and Dean Ambrose were eliminated with ease, I thought this is going to be a blowout to give The Rhodes Family, The Usos, and the returning Rey Mysterio the push of momentum of success. Boy, was I glad to be wrong. Roman Reigns got the job done solo in the same fashion of Randy Orton in Survivor Series' matches of yore. I think we need to start calling Reigns' Spear "The Gore" from how he knocked Rey out of his shoes here...

I'm surprised Rey didn't wake up the next morning in
a hospital after that hit...

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match - Big E Langston (c) def. Curtis Axel

A well-deserved win for Big E Langston after Curtis Axel has been "dodging" dropping his title after the injuries and rescheduling for this match since last month's PPV event. Not a complete squash for Axel either, so he could bounce back from this loss and regain his lost momentum if he finds a way to stay relevant despite Paul Heyman's absence on WWE programming for the time being.

Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match - Natalya, The Bellas, The Funkadactyls, JoJo and Eva Marie def. WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee, Tamina Snuka, Kaitlyn, Rosa Mendes, Summer Rae, Aksana and Alicia Fox - Natalya & Nikki Bella are the last two remaining Divas on Team Total Divas

Oh My F'N Gawd... This match was abysmal and painful to watch on how bad it was from start to finish. I think the look that the "True" Divas gave AJ during their "pep talk" is exactly how I felt about this match...

I will give credit where it's due for JoJo at least giving a respectable effort in her first match on a live-event, even though most people have seen her busting her ass off at a recent NXT house show against Paige prior to this event. This match came down to being yet another lackluster performance for the reigning Divas Champion as well. You would think that with her highly unstable and dysfunctional teammates, AJ would have the opportunity to dispose of the entire Total Divas cast solo and make a statement. Nope, nope, and nope. Kaitlyn did AJ's dirty work for her while Tamina picked up the crumbs, which makes little to no sense at all after Kaitlyn and AJ's feud earlier this year. Let's not forget about Summer Rae's performance. How can she go from having a vicious mean streak in the ring on NXT on a regular basis to looking absolutely pathetic here? (Double facepalms) Why, WWE? Why can't you get your women's division to deliver when it matters the most, especially now when you have more eyes on the division than ever before thanks to Total Divas?

Ugh, I don't even want to talk about how bad this many was anymore it's just pissing me off thinking about it. You know this match was bad when the live crowd was chanting, "WE WANT KNOCKOUTS!" during the live PPV.

Pre-show match: The Miz def. Kofi Kingston

Nobody cares...

RAW (11/25/13)

In Memory of Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon (1929-2013)

Rest in peace, Mad Dog. May you join your niece,
Luna Vachon up in heaven.

The Shield def. The Rhodes Brothers & Rey Mysterio

This is easily a copy and paste from the result at Survivor Series from the previous night. Mysterio eats another Spear from Reigns, but looks like Reigns held back a little this time as he slides on his knees to hit him instead of going full Rhino/Rhyno "Gore Mode" on Mysterio like on Sunday. 

Big E. Langston & Mark Henry def. Curtis Axel & Ryback

According to reports online, Mark Henry specifically asked to work with Big E Langston as he wants to give the "rub" to Langston and put him over as one of his last acts before retiring after his contract expires. If he puts him over like he did with Ryback during their feud earlier this year, then this should be great for Big E Langston. 

As for Curtis Axel, he seems to be losing more and more steam as Paul Heyman is absent for him to ride off his coat tails. Ryback hasn't done anything notable since his feud with CM Punk, so I'm not surprised at another lose for him.

Survivor Series Rematch - Team Total Divas: Natalya, The Bella Twins , The Funkadactyls, Eva Marie, & Jojo def. Team True Divas: AJ Lee, Tamina, Kaitlyn, Alicia Fox, Rosa Mendes, Aksana, & Summer Rae

HANDS DOWN worst Divas match in a while... I'm just mindblown that the WWE Divas could make this match WORSE than the original match the night before. This match completely has killed my faith in the current crop of WWE Divas. I have been optimistic for the last few years that it was going to get better, but the last two days have killed my optimism. Apparently, there was a wardrobe malfunction with Aksana during the early parts of this match, so that's why she was eliminated in a promptly fashion. The live cameras caught it in time before it was shown to the folks watching at home, but the live crowd were given an eye full. I'm positive that was the only thing keeping the crowd hyped during this match.

Hampton's Hardcore Match - Damien Sandow def. Dolph Ziggler

Apparently, Ziggler is currently in the doghouse for making a personal protest towards management by wearing a Zack Ryder-themed shirt underneath his jersey since WWE didn't bother to book Ryder in any matches on tonight's card, despite the show being in his hometown. I like Ryder as much as the next person and it was pretty fucked up that they didn't book the guy in his hometown, but no way in hell would I be digging myself deeper into the burial pit than I already am. Ziggler's career is starting to look a lot like John Morrison's right now.

Handicap Match - CM Punk and Daniel Bryan def. The Wyatt Family via DQ

Renee Young introduces CM Punk & Daniel Bryan for an interview prior to this match. I wish that I could find the video of this segment but it's hilarious. Colt Cabana gets another shout-out as well. This match was as good as their match at Survivor Series, but ends with Daniel Bryan being kidnapped by the Wyatt Family for reasons unknown. Oh yeah, one more thing... CM Punk takes this bullet wound...

Ouch...

The Miz def. Kofi Kingston

Again? Really, who actually cares about this feud?

Xavier Woods w/ R-Truth & The Funkadactyls def. Heath Slater w/ 3MB

Keep up the great wood, Creed. The Funkadactyls are better fit with him anyway...

John Cena & Big Show def. Randy Orton & Alberto Del Rio 

After Randy and Big Show's lackluster performance at Survivor Series, WWE found a way to write Big Show out of this feud by targeting the skull since Big Show was apparently knocked out by the Punt Kick the night before. Like I stated earlier, Big Show rolls out of harm's way upon impact the night prior so I don't know why they are acting like he's going on the shelf after all of that drama just to get him rehired and into this program with Randy Orton anyway. Let's face it, WWE, you should have never stopped pushing Daniel Bryan towards the championship. Now he has to contend with the nightmares of anal butt rape from the Wyatt Family.

Update: Since I know I'm going to forget this by the time of December's write-up, I'll go ahead and mention that Daniel Bryan returns on the following RAW broadcast unharmed in a match against Rowen. Man, if it were up to me, I would have a horrifying vignette where the Wyatt Family shaves off Daniel Bryan's beard as Bray Wyatt is in the background shouting, "YES! YES! YES!" to mock him. Can you imagine the sheer amount of heel heat they would get from that? But no, WWE doesn't have the brain cells among their think-tank of trained chimps on creative to cook up something that good. 

NXT (11/27/13)

- Antonio Cesaro def. Yoshi Tatsu

I'm more shocked that Yoshi Tatsu still has a job with WWE than Cesaro getting a win over him.

- Bo Dallas def. CJ Parker

I still don't see how Bo Dallas has been NXT Champion for this long, when they have a smorgasbord of talented wrestlers who could carry this brand better than this loser.  

- Tyler Breeze def. Kassius Ohno

For those who don't know, Kassius Ohno has been released after this set of tapings were filmed earlier this month on November 9th. While I'm sad to see Chris Hero (Kassius Ohno) go, along with any chance of seeing a Kings of Wrestling team-up in WWE with Hero and Castagnoli (Antonio Cesaro), but ultimately, it's WWE's loss. He's a solid talent and will always be able to find work somewhere in this business. He may not be WWE material today, but they might be singing a different tune in another year or two.

- Hunico/Camacho def. Ascension

Hunico and Camacho are winning matches now? What the hell is this world coming to...

- Adrian Neville def. Sami Zayn

(Whistles) I might have to start watching entirely just NXT on my weekly agenda of wrestling from WWE. You have to give Sami Zayn a hand in being in another Match of the Year candidate-worthy bout. Spectacular bout between these two Superstars. Sami Zayn (AKA El Generico) can make anyone look golden on NXT and I don't want discredit Neville (PAC) in the least. Watching this match has to make you wonder how much longer can WWE keep superb talents like this under wraps in development down on NXT. I was sad to see this match end. Indy fans will to enjoy the "Brainbusta!!" chants near the end though.

Impact Wrestling - Thanksgiving Special (11/28/13)

- TNA President Dixie Carter welcomed fans to the Thanksgiving broadcast, along with her new assistant Rockstar Spud and her nephew Ethan Carter III

About damn time that TNA found something to do with the British Boot Camp winners, we haven't see Rockstar Spud on TNA programming since winning that thing. Hell, we've seen the Blossom Twins more than him. I was under the impression that they fired the poor guy by now. 

- Ethan Carter III defeated Curry Man

Welcome back to TNA, Christopher Daniels Curry Man. For those who don't follow TNA on social media, they have endless of videos on their YouTube channel, dubbed #Impact365, which follows TNA's roster all the time. Curry Man has a hilarious ongoing vignette in his quest to meet his "idol" Christopher Daniels but something keeps happening to stop him from meeting him backstage. As for this match, it went on a bit too long for my taste as we all knew Curry Man wasn't going to win here.

- Knockouts match: Lei'D Tapa defeated Velvet Sky

Can't say that I was surprised that this was a squash match. Every match Velvet Sky is in lately has her on her back... a position I'm pretty sure she's used to being in with Chris Sabin by this point of their relationship.

- The Bro Mans defeated Norv Fernum and Dewey Barnes

I don't mind a squash match every now and then. Even better is that TNA have jobber wearing the turkey suits and not main eventers like that year AJ Styles wore it. I'm still facepalming at that...

- The Funeral of Aces & Eights

I'm sure this was the funeral that everyone has been looking forward to since the debut of this angle well over a year ago. There were plenty of laughs to be had here, including Mike Tenay complaining about Taz's "smelly cut" and how did Tessmacher's "booty shorts" were found underneath the commentary table. I cracked up when Samoa Joe was passing out the beer and Kurt Angle made a point not to take one, especially since he just came out of rehab. Then the other point that cracked me up was that awkward silence when Bully Ray showed up at the end of the segment and said, "Anderson, you raped me of everything..." 

- Team Roode defeated Team Angle by disqualification

Kurt Angle found himself defying the odds against the entire team of Team Roode after the members of Team Angle were eliminated early into the match. This is how you end a Thanksgiving holiday - great food, great people around you (namely friends and family), and good ol' fashioned "wrasslin'" on the TV. Kurt Angle put on a wrestling clinic in this match before getting disqualified. Kurt may be getting old, but he's definitely still got it. 

- Rockstar Spud, Bobby Roode, Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, Chris Sabin, The Bro Mans, Gail Kim and Lei'D Tapa all gave thanks, but their Thanksgiving Dinner was crashed by Kurt Angle, James Storm, Gunner, Eric Young, ODB, Velvet Sky, Norv Fernum and Dewey Barnes

I loved this ending segment to tonight's Thanksgiving broadcast, where only the winners of the night were invited to feast at the banquet that Dixie Carter has provided for everyone in the ring. Initially, I was shouting at the TV asking, "Why the hell is Velvet Sky there? She lost her match!" Then Robert Roode asked the same thing, with it resulting in hilarious banter from Chris Sabin, "I'm sorry, baby, but I'll bring you back a doggie bag..." The crowd reaction after that line had me in tears laughing as Sky was sent backstage in shame.

I'm sure there are PLENTY of guys out there who would be
more than happy to take a pie to the face from Velvet Sky.

Smackdown! - Thanksgiving Special (11/29/13)

Mark Henry def. Curtis Axel

Los Matadores and El Torito def. “The Plymouth Rockers” (3MB)

Tons of Funk def. R-Truth and Xavier Woods

This seems like the start of Tons of Funk (namely Brodus Clay and Tensai) going heel as Clay squashes Woods literally to pick up the win here. I had to smile with nerd pride at Woods wearing the Power Rangers-inspired T-shirt during the backstage segment prior to this match. One thing I have to wonder though, since when were Tons of Funk considered "Main Event Players"? I hope this storyline/feud ends with Naomi and Cameron siding with R-Truth and Xavier Woods. And no, I'm not just suggesting that just because we're all black either... (Laughs).

Antonio Cesaro def. Titus O’Neil via DQ

The only thing notable about this match is how Titus throws up in JBL's hat and on Zeb Coulter after the Big Swing. Someone needs to throw up on Cole and Coulter more often, then maybe Cole would shut up about the WWE app.

Cody Rhodes and Goldust def. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns via DQ (WWE Tag Team Titles)

This match is restarted as the following...

Cody Rhodes, Goldust, and CM Punk def. The Shield via DQ

Again, this match is restarted as the following match...

Cody Rhodes, Goldust, CM Punk, The Usos, and Rey Mysterio def. The Shield and The Wyatt Family

We know the deal by now, but we still don't have anymore answers on the kidnapping of Daniel Bryan.

Closing Words:

I'm going to be completely honest, but I'm not completely sure that I will do a write-up for the month of December, so if I don't, expect a Double-Whammy sometime in February.