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Showing posts with label Dolph Ziggler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dolph Ziggler. Show all posts

WWE Extreme Rules (July 15, 2018) -- Results & Afterthoughts



Extreme Rules (2018) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event and WWE Network event, produced by WWE for their Raw and SmackDown brands. It took place on July 15, 2018 at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the tenth event under the Extreme Rules chronology.

The card consisted of twelve matches, including two on the pre-show. In the main event, Dolph Ziggler retained the Intercontinental Championship by defeating Seth Rollins 5–4 in an Iron Man match that went into sudden death overtime. This was the first time that an Intercontinental Championship match was the main event of a WWE pay-per-view since Backlash in 2001. In the penultimate match, AJ Styles retained the WWE Championship against Rusev. On the undercard, Alexa Bliss retained the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax in an Extreme Rules match, Bobby Lashley defeated Roman Reigns, and Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Jeff Hardy for the United States Championship.


I know it's a few days after the event has passed as we've already seen the PPV fallout episodes of Monday Night RAW and SmackDown! Live, so I'm going to try something different for this write-up. I'm going to include my live tweet reactions from during the event as part of this article.

I didn't watch the preshow/kickoff matches, but I'll comment briefly on them if I was keeping up with those storylines/feuds.




I didn't see it, but if this was as good as their match on SmackDown! last week then it should have been a solid opener for this show. Only thing I know is the right man won.







Again, I didn't see this match as I thought this was the preshow and the actual PPV didn't start until 8PM - regardless of that fact, the right team won.









Didn't watch, didn't care. 'Nuff said.





Since the finish showed up on my Facebook timeline during the PPV, I watched this during the gaps in the action.

I don't understand what is WWE's fascination with "chicken shit" heels on both brands holding their Women's Titles, but it's not doing either brand any favors. The only thing a match like this does is expose how inexperienced Carmella is in comparison to someone like Asuka.







This was over in less than 60 seconds. I've heard that Hardy has been dealing with nagging injuries since after WrestleMania, but I didn't think this match would have been over this fast. As SOON as I turned on the PPV feed, the match was over. I'm not complaining that Nakamura getting his first championship win, but dang, it could've been after a cool match, especially after that explosive dud of a feud him and AJ Styles had going.

Randall... err Randy Orton returning is "meh", but I'll take heel Orton over babyface Orton any day of the damn week.






This is all what everyone needs to see from this show to be quite honest, even though WWE bastardized the spot after showing the crash pad inflating during Owens' landing in the replays. 




Kane was allegedly dealing with a legit ankle injury.






Two weeks later and WWE already reversed what looked like a step in the right direction. Lashley's win here meant nothing as Roman Reigns beat him on RAW to win the right to face Lesnar at Summerslam for the Universal Championship. I hate to say it, but Lashley might have to reconsider going back to Impact Wrestling at this point. WWE obviously don't know what to do with him, or any non-dancing black wrestlers that aren't goofballs. Need proof? Just ask Apollo Crews...










This was arguably the best match on the card tonight in my eyes. Rusev put on a great fight against the Phenomenal One, but ultimately fell short of capturing the WWE Championship, thanks to an unintentional blunder from Aiden English. There's still room here for Rusev to bounce back and capture the title down the line. Unfortunately, I don't see Rusev as the man to dethrone Styles right now. If anyone right now, it should be Samoa Joe at Summerslam.

As of this writing (7/30/18), that's exactly where WWE is going too since Samoa Joe has penciled himself in as the next challenger to Styles' title.






In some ways I can't blame the crowd for not giving a shit about this match when the WWE Championship match can't even main event this card. Even more puzzling is the fact that this match went last with that lackluster finish to boot. If that was going to be the finish this should have opened the show instead of ended it.

As for the fans hijacking the match about the timer and counting down like it was the Rumble match, that was just totally uncalled for. Then WWE took it down and really pissed that crowd off, only to make them get more adamant about it.


As of this writing (7/30/18), Dolph and Seth are still in this lackluster feud with people barely invested in this feud - despite these guys being incredible workers - when WWE's fanbase already see Dolph Ziggler as damaged goods. Even I can see the writing on the wall. Dolph's push is going to only last long enough for that pivotal moment where Drew McIntyre (ugh... Galloway) turns on him Diesel-style and goes on his own as singles main eventer.



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WWE Backlash (September 9, 2016) - First SmackDown Exclusive PPV -- Results & Afterthoughts





Backlash (2016) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event and WWE Network event produced by WWE. It took place on September 11, 2016 at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. It was the twelfth event in the Backlash chronology and the first SmackDown branded event following the second brand split in July 2016.

Eight matches were contested at the event, including one match contested on the pre-show. In the main event, AJ Styles defeated Dean Ambrose to win the WWE World Championship. The event also determined the inaugural champions in SmackDown's Women's and Tag Team divisions, which were respectively won by Becky Lynch and the team of Heath Slater and Rhyno.

Becky Lynch wins the 6-Pack Challenge and becomes the first ever SmackDown Women's Champion

This match had a VERY sloppy start, but it came together by the end. Even though Becky won at the end, the unsung star of this match was Naomi from all of her amazing (no pun intended) spots in this match. Natalya definitely no slouch either but she played the part of ring general in controlling the pacing and keeping this match organized for the most part. Carmella and Nikki Bella put more eyes on their personal feud but not at the cost of the title as Nikki was eliminated in an upset by Carmella, who ended up being the final obstacle in the way of the fan-favorite Becky Lynch. I'm just glad to see Becky finally pick up a championship win after being robbed of that opportunity when she was at the peak of her popularity when she was still in NXT. Instead, NXT went with milking Bayley until that well ran dry...

Holy fuck though... the more I see of Carmella's ring work, the more I wish they kept her on NXT to get some polish. She still comes off really green to me. At least Alexa is a much better worker than her.

The Usos def. The Hype Bros to advance to the last round of the SmackDown Tag Team Tournament


It was a little odd to see the Usos not in their traditional gear and looking like they dressed out of Roman Reigns' closet, but I can understand the change in styles if they are going with this heel turn with the utmost confidence. I'm a little surprised that Mojo Rawley doesn't adopt a few of Monty Brown/Marcus Cor Von's moveset to say that they came from similar backgrounds. Besides, it's not like that guy is coming back to the world of wrestling anytime soon - if ever. After seeing the Usos fly around so much for the last few years, I'm glad to see them work a slower more methodical style. Those guys have been injured left and right over the last two years so they deserve to work smarter now.

The Miz (c) w/ Maryse def. Dolph Ziggler to retain the Intercontinental Championship

I honestly didn't give a flying fuck about this match for the most part, save for Maryse looking hot as ever at ringside, but they won me over by the end of it. The crowd was so quiet at one point that you could hear Dolph shouting spots to Miz throughout the match. I didn't have a problem with Miz retaining after Maryse blinded Ziggler with the hairspray, but I have to wonder what do they have planned for Ziggler long-term when they keep handing him loss after loss. The New Era has done absolutely NOTHING to repair the damage that the last few years have done to Ziggler's image.

Bray Wyatt def. Randy Orton via count out since Orton no shows...
BUT Kane def. Bray Wyatt in an impromptu No Holds Barred Match


Outside of the Running Senton spot that Bray did to put Kane through the commentary table, there wasn't much to talk about here. Bray had this in the bag until Orton limped out and hit him with the RKO to allow Kane to pick up the win. I would've had Bray kick out to shock Orton but still have Kane put him away with a Tombstone Piledriver (a la The Undertaker) to pick up the win. Not just that he's laid out already by one move he's already kicked out of previously in this match and a move that's already diluted by an "injured" Orton. That just makes Bray look weak in my honest opinion. We should be salvaging Bray's image here not damaging it further.

Heath Slater & Rhyno def. The Usos to become the first ever SmackDown Tag Team Champions


Much like the previous tag team bout on this card, there wasn't much to write home about other than the Usos' new offensive approach but I was under the impression that Rhyno was going to turn on Slater at the last moment. I'm glad that I was wrong there. Rhyno ends up doing the work to lay out the Usos for Slater could pick up the win but much like the Bray Wyatt match, I would be repairing the Usos' image. They should have been derailed by American Alpha screwing them out of the win, allowing Slater and Rhyno to pick up the win instead. That way you got new champions and a solid tag team feud right off the boot. Instead, it comes off with the Usos looking weak coming off their heel turn after they dominated several teams in this tournament and sidelined Alpha for nothing.

AJ Styles def. Dean Ambrose (c) to become the NEW WWE World Champion

This was a solid main event, which was reminiscent of the Attitude Era and NWA-TNA era main events from both WWF and TNA/Impact Wrestling. That couldn't be more ironic though with Styles walking away with the title. Let's be serious here and admit to ourselves that Ambrose didn't bring anything new nor add any depth nor substance to his gimmick/character nor to the SmackDown brand as champion. As champion, he is supposed to be carrying the show and it was more like the show was carrying him. I'm MORE than happy with this title change. Love or hate Roman Reigns but at least people were behind him one way or another in terms of drawing a crowd. Ambrose was just showing up for a paycheck.


Afterthoughts


After SmackDown Live this week, we have two major matches already set in stone for the next PPV event, No Mercy, in which AJ Styles will defend the WWE Championship versus Dean Ambrose and the returning John Cena and SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch will defend her title against Alexa "Harley Quinn Cosplay" Bliss. I'm puzzled why Cena is acting like he's going to get title win number 16 at a non-Big Four WWE PPV. On top of that, he's set to take more time off until early 2017, so SmackDown must be really in rough shape if they called him off the bench already. No offense to Bliss, but they are grooming her for failure in that match against Becky in an easy title defense.

That being said, this wasn't a bad show - it just lacked star power. The absence of John Cena and the omission of Randy Orton stuck out like a sore thumb to show the entire WWE Universe how lacking the SmackDown roster is compared to the RAW brand. The SD roster worked their asses off on a show that was literally a 2.5 hour episode of SmackDown Live, but at the end of the day, I'm sure more people felt ripped off with this event than satisfied with it, despite the results of the three marquee title matches. This show reminds me of Impact Wrestling on a bigger scale, where the talent is busting their asses to get noticed but at the end of the day, most casual fans won't give a damn because it's not their top favorite wrestlers aren't on the card and as a result, they don't give a damn because they didn't pay to see this.

I really liked a lot of the matches on this show, but I couldn't help wanting more afterwards, especially when the show ended 10:40PMish instead of closer to 11PM.
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WWE Extreme Rules (April 26, 2015) -- Results & Afterthoughts


WWE Extreme Rules (2015) was held on Sunday, April 26, 2015, on the WWE Network. It is the seventh event under the Extreme Rules chronology. Extreme Rules is available for free to new subscribers on WWE's monthly subscription service in the month of April, the WWE Network in over 140 countries.


Kick-Off Match - Neville def. Bad News Barrett

Since Daniel Bryan wasn't medically cleared to compete tonight (reportedly still ongoing recovery from his injury during UK tour), so it was reported on WWE.com that Neville was named as BNB's opponent for tonight's kick-off show. This was one of the most mat-heavy bouts on the card, with Neville and BNB exchanging momentum like a hot potato. These guys have crazy good chemistry together and I happily approve of more matches between these two Superstars. That's saying a lot as I'm not really too fond of BNB's ring work in the first place, but Neville makes him look like a million bucks.



I'm sure the marks were happy after Neville on his first WWE PPV appearance as part of the main roster.

Street Fight Match - Dean Ambrose def. Luke Harper

This match "officially" kicked off this PPV event, but it was derailed after Luke Harper stole car and Dean Ambrose dove through the window, "Dukes of Hazzard-style" to pursue as the car sped out of the parking lot. I guess both Superstars have been playing too much Grand Theft Auto V...


This match continues during the post-match interview between the New Day and Renee Young after their win tonight only for the brawl to resume in the ring where both Superstars pile a ton of steel chairs into the ring as the fans chant "ECW!" A Dirty Deeds onto the pile of chairs seals the deal and gives Ambrose his first singles victory on a WWE PPV to date.

"Kiss Me Arse" Match - Dolph Ziggler def. Sheamus

After a vicious beating from Sheamus for the duration of the match, Dolph Ziggler manages to endure through several near-falls and sneak away with a win.

Despite the chants from live Chicago crowd and a rather ironic "MAKE HIM HUMBLE" sign in the audience, Sheamus refused to kiss Ziggler's ass. Sheamus promptly laid Ziggler out in a post-match attack and forced an unconscious Dolph Ziggler to kiss his "arse" instead.

(Sighs) Really? Is this what we reduced these two talents to? C'mon, WWE, BOTH of these guys deserve better than this. Match-wise, this was a solid match but I just wish WWE would take both of these guys more serious than pitting into a throwaway match such as this.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match - The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston w/ Xavier Woods) def. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd (w/ Natalya)

First of all, I'm glad to see that the tag team titles are being to defended on the main part of a PPV instead of the preshow/kick-off.


Solid match from start to finish. I can't even be mad that this horrible (read: stereotypical) gimmick went over the Brass Ring Club (Cesaro and Kidd). I understand why WWE did it though. The thing that since crowds are chanting "New Day Sucks" means that they are over, when in reality, fans aren't behind them at all. I'm just disappointed that WWE decided to take the belts off of Cesaro and Kidd when they have been white hot as of late. Sure, it puts them back into the "chase" for the upcoming boring summer months, but c'mon, don't kill their momentum when it just was getting off of the ground.

United States Championship Match - John Cena (c) def. Rusev (w/ Lana)

I'll be completely honest and say that I hate these Texas Bullrope-type matches as it merely transforms into the wrestling equivalent of a typical session of tug-o-war. We have seen John Cena and Rusev go at a grand total of two times prior to this match, so what makes match #3 in this series much different?



I wanted get into that ring and fight Rusev myself after he ejected Lana from ringside, urging her to go backstage.

Both Superstars roll with the other's punches and properly sell their offense until the typical Cena comeback sequence in the vein of Hulk Hogan until #LOLCenaWins to set the IWC (internet wrestling community) off in an eruption of unaminous groans of disgust.


I don't hate Cena like everyone else does just to be cool, but I'm ready for Rusev to move onto something else. I think we deserve that "proper" Ryback versus Rusev feud that we were denied last year.


WWE Divas Championship Match - Nikki Bella (c) (w/ Brie Bella) def. Naomi

Going into this match, I wanted Naomi to win, but looking back I figured she would not just for the sole fact of typical WWE booking. Nikki Bella and Naomi haven't shared much time in the ring, nor has WWE spent enough time properly building this feud up to make the fans care about a title change. While I have thoroughly enjoyed this breath of fresh air to Naomi's character, not everyone shares my opinion on the matter.

First things first, I'm SOOOO glad that WWE has decided to give Naomi NEW music. About fucking time. Like how the HELL did Cameron get her own music before Naomi after all of this time?

Secondly, let's talk about the actual competitive aspect of this match. You have to be crazy to not realize that this is one of the better Divas title defenses in quite some time. Naomi was a solid competitor and worthy challenger for Paige when she was reigning Divas Champion in AJ Lee's absence and I'm glad to see WWE has faith in her to try her hand again at challenging Nikki Bella's title reign. Naomi brought a lot of new breath-taking and flashy moves to the table in this match, only to receive a series of near-falls.


I hope this feud doesn't end from here after Brie Bella's interference (with a Chick Kick that JBL referred to as a "Yeti Kick" -- just wow at that shade towards Daniel Bryan...) to assist Nikki to retain the title after a well-placed Rack Attack.

Last Man Standing Match - Roman Reigns def. The Big Show

I think I can safely say that this was the match of the evening and the most "extreme" bout of anything else on tonight's card. Tons of crazy spots here in this match, building up to a climax that destroys the majority of the commentary area - tables and barricades included.


I hope this would make everyone shouting at The Big Show (and Kane) to "Please Retire" to STFU. The Big Show still can put on great matches, such as this one. Kane and Big Show are still valuable assets to WWE's product.


Hell, I want one more Big Show & Kane tag team title reign much like their run around 2005-2006.

After this match, Ryback beat Bo Dallas in a quick squash match if anyone cared. I know I didn't...

Moving on...

Steel Cage Match for WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match - Seth Rollins (c) (w/ J & J Security) def. Randy Orton
** RKO is banned **
** Corporate Kane is acting as "The Gatekeeper" **



Not really a bad nor a great match. It's just another run of the mill steel cage matches. The cage didn't prevent the Authority's goon squad from getting involved, but it's looking like Kane is fed up with both sides at play, namely Seth Rollins and the Authority as a whole. 


Randy Orton using the Pedigree and Seth Rollins retaining with Orton's own RKO finisher were sweet moments in this match, but neither of these Superstars are in better positions prior to this event. It just seems like another day at work where WWE Creative is just running through emotions until Brock Lesnar's next compete date is up on the calendar. If I were to guess, one of those days would be Summerslam for sure. 

Closing Thoughts 

I personally don't understand why WWE does this event to follow-up the aftermath of feuds and rivalries coming out of the fallout of WrestleMania. It would make more sense to do Payback (much like Backlash in the old days) here then do a gimmicky Pay-Per-View event instead. To say WWE is trying to look out for the well-being of their talent, one would think that they would not put their talent into another set of dangerous gimmick matches, especially after WrestleMania's Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship that saw the bulk of the midcard scene in competition. 

I was active on Twitter during this broadcast and found it amusing that people were quick to throw this event underneath the bus tonight. It was far from bad, but to be fair, my expectations weren't high to begin with. As a result, I thoroughly enjoyed this event. Sure, it wasn't WrestleMania but it served it's purpose. The only matches on the card that dragged were the US title and main events, but that was to expected as those were rematches from WrestleMania with little "new" flavor thrown in to keep it fresh.
I just hope WWE doesn't fuck up with the momentum from here after this event. They have a lot of great material to work with here. 
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WWE Survivor Series 2014 -- Results & Afterthoughts


WWE Survivor Series (2014) took place on Sunday, November 23, 2014 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the twenty-eighth annual Survivor Series event. WWE offered the event free to new subscribers of the WWE Network.

It's that moment that you've been waiting for. Post-PPV reactions, results, and afterthoughts on the event where WWE and the man known as Sting broke the Internet. Without further adieu, "It's showtime, folks!"

Pre-Show: Fandango (w/ Rosa Mendes) def. Justin Gabriel


The kick-off show saw the repackaging of Fandango as a salsa dancer with Rosa Mendes as his valet. I can dig this. There's no reason to give up on this guy yet, especially as WWE were mostly to blame for killing his momentum in the past when he got over all on his own. I wish he would cook up a better finisher (John Morrison's Moonlight Drive maybe?) instead of that Diving Leg Drop if he expects to not have hip/back problems when he gets more mileage in the ring.

Even though Fandango came out the winner, I thought Justin Gabriel looked strong in this match. I really wish WWE would have given that guy a serious singles push when they had the opportunity. He truly shines as an enhancement talent on both the main roster and down on NXT.

Pre-Show: Bad News Barrett Returns

Shouldn't they brought him back during the UK tour? That would've made a LOT more damn sense. If they are implying that he could be the future GM or RAW/Smackdown! then I wouldn't mind that in the least.

Pre-Show: Jack Swagger (w/ Jeb Coulter) def. Cesaro

A quick, mat-based match. Once again, Cesaro is reduced to a pre-show filler match. To say that Swagger was allegedly "injured" that took him out from representing Team Cena, he was booked on Main Event earlier this week and now on the night of the actual PPV? Gotta love WWE's booking sometimes, geez...


WWE Tag Team Championship - Four Corners Tag Team Match - The Miz and Damien "Mizdow" Sandow def. Dust Brothers (Goldust & Stardust), The Usos (Jimmy & Jey),  and Los Matadores (w/ El Torito)

I personally felt like the live crowd ruined this match for the most part. They were too preoccupied with chanting for Mizdow that they didn't care about the fact that this match was actual not that bad. All four of these teams are capable and legitimate tag teams on their own right, but the crowd was heavily invested into Mizdow's antics. Mizdow didn't do next to anything in this match, but he managed to sneak by with the win regardless while the other three tag teams worked the majority of the match.

This title change brings a bit of new life into the struggling tag team division, but I rather see a solo push for Sandow. The guy deserves much more than this piss-poor comedy relief act. And he definitely doesn't deserve to be playing second fiddle to The Miz.

Classic Survivor Series Match - Team Nattie (Natalya, Alicia Fox, Naomi, and Emma) def. Team Paige (Paige, Summer Rae, Cameron, and Layla) in a FULL sweep

I was thinking that Paige would end up as the final member on her team and pull a Randy Orton Survivor Series moment and floor everyone on the opposing team, but I can live with her losing.

I don't believe that WWE were trying to "bury" her either. Paige needs her jets to be cooled a bit for the time being. If they keep pushing her at the rate they were after her debut, she would run out of things to accomplish and aspire to in WWE - if she hasn't already. She already won the NXT Women's Championship once and won the WWE Divas Championship on multiple occasions. She has plenty of years left in her - she's still very young and very new to the company. They don't have to race to do everything with her right off the bat. She still has many years in her to become an even better wrestler than she already is.

There's a few things between the lines that most fans didn't notice with this match.

  • Naomi was the one who eliminated both Cameron and Paige, looking the strongest out of everyone in this match. 
  • Emma and Cameron wrestled the longest duration in a high-profile PPV in what seems like forever. For Emma, it's been since NXT ArRIVAL, for Cameron, it has been since her feud with Naomi during the summer. 
  • Despite her few botches, Cameron is actually improving.
  • Summer Rae and Page are teasing a potential pairing/team-up. They have been encouraging this on social media throughout the evening.
  • Alicia Fox worked the ENTIRE match as a babyface. I'm still very skeptical on how effective this could be. I rather her just be batshit crazy like Dean Ambrose, Stardust, and Goldust are supposedly are.
  • Tyson Kidd completely turned off his whole "douchebag husband" act during this match and let Natalya shine on her own.
  • This was the LONGEST Divas match in a very long time for the WWE Divas. This allowed all of the Divas in this match to showcase their ability and personalities more than they allowed to on a regular basis.


Bray Wyatt def. Dean Ambrose via DQ

Much like the entirety of this feud, this match was very underwhelming for the most part. I will admit that Ambrose mimicking Wyatt's corner taunt and Wyatt's offense near the end of the match did keep me entertained though.

I didn't see what was so "awesome" about Bray Wyatt being buried underneath the wealth of foreign objects and weapons in the ring post-match though. I saw that only as WWE doing cheap and obvious promotion for next month's, Tables, Ladders, and Chairs event. That's one thing I felt like that WWE has bumbled with Bray Wyatt's feuds. This reminds me of his feud with Chris Jericho, where WWE did little to keep you engaged or wanting to care about this feud for the long haul.

Impromptu Tag Team Match: Adam Rose & The Bunny def. Slater Gator (Heath Slater & Titus O'neil) 

What the hell, man?

Get this shit off of my TV... I understand that WWE is giving us this PPV for free, but that's no excuse to give us the same bullshit that will be recycled on to WWE programming later this week on a PPV.

WWE Divas Championship - Nikki Bella (w/ Brie Bella) def. AJ Lee

In the words of Jim Ross, this over faster than a hiccup. AJ received the "kiss of death" from Brie Bella (I'm sure BOTH CM Punk and Daniel Bryan enjoyed that moment). Nikki Bella promptly knocked her out from behind and hit the Rack Attack to pick up the win.

I know the AJ Lee marks are pissed that the match ended like this, but that finish and result makes me think that those alleged rumors about AJ leaving by the end of 2014 could be true. I wanted more out of the Divas title match here, but I can live with this result. AJ's steamrolled through the division enough over the past year, it's about time that she got her just desserts for once. Nikki has improved a lot over the last few months and she deserves to be rewarded for her hard work.

I guess this win for Nikki Bella broke that alleged ruling about no one from the cast of Total Divas could not win the Divas Championship.

In all seriousness though, I think that Brie helping Nikki win was either one of three things: 1) merely payback for AJ taking her out on the past week on RAW and Smackdown! 2) The whole Bella sibling rivalry was a huge swerve and the Bella Twins are reunited as heels. 3) Brie is plotting a future swerve to doublecross Nikki later down the road. Remember Renee Young said that Sunday was the last night of Brie's "contract" as Nikki's assistant.

If WWE were smart, I would have Nikki Bella play a part in getting Authority back into play as we head into WrestleMania season. She could be Authority's trump card and curry Cena's favor into bringing Triple H and Stephanie McMahon into power.

Classic Survivor Series Match - Team Cena (John Cena, The Big Show, Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan, and Ryback)
def. Team Authority (Seth Rollins, United States Champion Rusev, Intercontinental Champion Luke Harper, Corporate Kane, and Mark Henry)

Mark Henry jobs within the first minute to the WMD by The Big Show in an impressive show of force for Team Cena in the opening minute of this bout. I can live with this decision for the fact that Mark Henry is a veteran and he can easily bounce back from a loss like this. Plus, let's not forget that it was the exclamation point that Team Cena needed against the terrifying odds of Team Authority. That being said, I loved how Stephanie and Triple H were standing on the ring apron like they were actually going to fight in this match legally.

Ryback was eliminated by the combined efforts of both Seth Rollins and Rusev. I think the thing to take away from this part was how much the crowd popped for the Rusev versus Ryback match-up. It seems like WWE aren't too keen about propelling Ryback to the moon again, but a feud with Rusev would benefit both rising stars' careers. WWE shouldn't have given both Ryback and Rusev THAT much ring-time against each other. I wouldn't have had Ryback get eliminated that early on either. That's a future PPV match I wouldn't mind paying to see.


Rusev eliminated via count-out after putting himself through the announcer's table at ringside after Ziggler rolled out of the way at the last second. I was completely fine with this method to eliminate Rusev. He maintains his undefeated streak without anyone actually pinning him. If I had any complaints, it would be that there weren't enough camera shots of Lana at ringside...

Rusev threw Ziggler out of the ring with a F'N Border Toss...
The Big Show KOs John Cena with the WMD and walks out on Team Cena to aid Team Authority. I found myself facepalming (I'm a faithful Big Show fan) at this development with it being Big Show's millionth heel turn, but eliminating Cena from the equation made the situation bleak. That spoke volumes for this drama as Stephanie taunted Cena while a battered and bruised Dolph Ziggler laid unconscious at ringside.


In the end, it wasn't John Cena who won the big one for Team Cena. It was Dolph Ziggler who pulled out the win when it mattered most, channeling his inner Shawn Michaels, circa Survivor Series 2003. That was an emotional moment for me to see that WWE FINALLY has faith in this guy again - rightfully so.

Sting made his WWE debut (despite this being spoiled via social media more than 24 hrs. ahead of this event) to "save" Team Cena from Team Authority. My Twitter timeline exploded afterwards to the point where I had to walk away from the desktop and just sit on my bed as I watched the end of the PPV without any further distractions.


I think I would have enjoyed this moment more if The Undertaker appeared and stood in-between Triple H and the Stinger, teasing WrestleMania 31. Instead, it seems like WWE is teasing Triple H vs. Sting for either Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber. I seriously doubt they are going to postpone that until WrestleMania when they have already planned the seeds for Triple H vs. The Rock.

I have to agree with Tommy Dreamer's tweet from last night that said that everyone who is happy about Sting being here automatically loses the ring to complain about the inevitable Triple H vs. Sting match in the near-future.

Closing Thoughts

Unlike most people, I didn't jizz my shorts off the debut of Sting. WWE made it well worth the way. About F'N time, I must say. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the guy or anything, but from the reactions on social media, you would think that people didn't see him in Impact Wrestling prior to this and this was his first wrestling appearance since WCW closed it's doors back in 2001. I'm glad that he finally made his presence known, but I felt his debut took too much away from Dolph Ziggler's big win here tonight as the event came to a close.

Apparently, the guy signed a contract with WWE since post-WrestleMania... Would it have killed WWE to build up to this moment with a full-blown storyline instead of a random appearance like this? Instead, I wanted more from this debut than what was offered here. I'm sure long-time Sting fans were pleased just for him to show up in a WWE ring PERIOD, but I tend to want a LOT more out of my storytelling from WWE.

The closing moments of the PPV should have been about Ziggler celebrating his moment in the spotlight with the members of Team Cena who didn't defect over to Team Authority. Sting's debut seemed to completely overshadow that moment and rob Ziggler of the praise he rightfully deserved.

Triple H struggles to keep Steph under control like a black
girl ready to throw down in a fight...
Stephanie McMahon losing her shit after Team Authority lost was an added plus. I'm going to be sad now that we won't have anymore amazing Stephanie McMahon heel promos on RAW every week. In the back of my mind, I think Triple H and Stephanie wrote themselves off TV just to be at home with their kids for the upcoming holidays...

This was the first time in like an eternity (at least since WrestleMania XXX) where one of the "Big Five" PPVs felt truly special. And all that it took was WWE actually listening to its fans for once. Oh that and making a FULL-length PPV FREE on the WWE Network. If I may add, the Network showed little to no hiccups during the event, despite the record of random errors and disconnects throughout the week prior.

While the bulk of the WWE Universe acted like this was the best PPV of 2014, I have to disagree with that statement completely. The first 2 hours of this event were mediocre at best (and I'm being VERY generous there...) with too much unnecessary filler and littered with commercials and video packages, while the final hour was an emotional roller coaster, reminiscent of the emotions that went through fans' minds during WrestleMania XXX. Oh the irony...

If I was to give the entire event a grade, I would go with a solid B rating. The final hour is what we love about wrestling - action, drama, storytelling, and some nostalgia, but everything else just weighed the show down in comparison.

When I read some of the comments on my Twitter timeline and across social media, I really have to wonder if WWE is the ONLY company some of you guys warrant your opinions of professional wrestling's current status on. Go out there and watch some Impact Wrestling, who are doing great things right now. Most of their talent (along with FWE's) worked House of Hardcore VII for Tommy Dreamer's promotion. If you're a fan of WRESTLERS instead of ENTERTAINERS then you need to take the time to watch that event. Do yourself a favor and check out Lucha Underground if you haven't already. Trust me, they are doing things that will blow your mind. Last, but not least, give Ring of Honor a freakin' chance. Most of NXT's top prospects (along with the beloved CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Cesaro, and Daniel Bryan - along with NXT Trainer, Sara Del Rey) are ROH alumni, with more of their former top stars, such as Kevin Steen (as Kevin Owens), set to debut by the end of the 2014.

WWE Monday Night RAW (November 24, 2014)

The Authority's Farewell Address

RAW opens with Triple H's usual banter of cheap pops and cheap shots to cater to the live crowd while a very emotional Stephanie McMahon continues to play up the "tragedy" of their loss at Survivor Series.

The Authority gets one more shot in the gut as they head out of the arena as Daniel Bryan returns to lead the WWE Universe in a "YES" chant to rub the salt into The Authority's open wounds.

Daniel Bryan named as General Manager for tonight's show

The best thing to come out of this segment was the transformation of Corporate Kane to Concessions Kane. I hope Ringside Collectibles will have that figure in stock for 2015...

All jokes aside, I felt that naming Daniel Bryan the GM for the night screamed the same situation as Shawn Michaels as commissioner back during the Attitude Era. Both men had career threatening injuries when they were assigned these positions. I can't knock WWE for that as it's a good way to keep Daniel Bryan relevant and in eyes of the fans during his recovery process.

Ryback def. Mark Henry

This was over rather quickly. It wasn't as fast as Henry's elimination during the Survivor Series main event, but damn. When Mark Henry loses momentum, he falls HARD.

Intercontinental Championship Match - Luke Harper (c) def. Dean Ambrose via DQ

It was rather strange to see Dean Ambrose receive a title match over Dolph Ziggler, but I'm not the one writing this shit. We all knew in the back of our heads that

Larry The Cable Guy & Santino promote Jingle All The Way 2

Get this shit off of my TV. How can you do a sequel to that movie without Arnold? It's not going to be the same!


I haven't been that happy to see Goldust and Stardust in my life...

WWE Tag Team Championship Match - The Miz & Mizdow (c) def. Dust Brothers (Goldust & Stardust) to retain

Mizdow gets more offense in this match, but it ends up with The Miz stealing Mizdow's thunder for the team to retain. If they have the tag titles by the end of 2014, I'm going to be shocked. It's obvious that they are going to implode from Mizdow being more over with the crowd than The Miz.

Fandango (w/ Rosa Mendes) def. Justin Gabriel

This was merely a rehash of their match from last night's pre-show bout before Survivor Series. I still say they need to consider changing Fandango's finisher before he has back/spinal issues like Hulk Hogan when he starts to have a lot of mileage in the ring.

The Big Show Explains His Actions

The Big Show goes completely bipolar (or rather tri-polar) in this segment until Erick Rowan (who is dubbed "Upside Down Sheamus" by The Big Show) comes out to express his disgust with bullies.

I guess this is how WWE is going to keep both The Big Show and Erick Rowan relevant...

Brie Bella (w/ Divas Champion Nikki Bella) def. AJ Lee

I guess everyone forgot that tonight is the last day that Brie is under "contract" as Nikki's assistant. I won't lie that I enjoyed AJ on the mic tonight though. If they actually take the time to plot this out carefully, WWE could actually have something good here. This is a feud that should have happened when AJ Lee first dropped her "pipebomb" back in 2013 that belittled the cast of Total Divas. We can finally address the elephant in the room about that show, their conflicting fan-bases, and how AJ Lee is the only Diva who seems to segregate (read: alienate) herself from anything to do with that show.

AJ won quote of the night with that line about "talent isn't sexually transmitted."

I love how AJ's fanbase tends to think quite the opposite, when she was trained by her previous boyfriend, Jay Lethal. (Grins) Now who's the hypocrite?

Tyson Kidd & Natalya def. Adam Rose & The Bunny 

Ugh... How many times do I have to endure this bullshit? I just want Adam Rose to beat the shit out of the Bunny and revert back to Leo Kruger for my viewing pleasure.

Ryback Checks In With Concession Kane At Work

Ryback: "Hey Kane, you forgot your NUTS!!"
This resulted in the mandatory food fight of the evening at Kane's new job.

I want my Concession Kane action figure with action condiments, dammit. 

3-on-2 Handicap Match - John Cena & Dolph Ziggler def. J & J Security (Jamie Noble & Joey Mercury) and Seth Rollins 

I wouldn't even call this a "match" by a stretch. Rollins bailed at the first sign of trouble and left Noble and Mercury to fall victim to the Attitude Adjustment and Zig-Zag (after a Super Kick that would make Shawn Michaels blush) from Cena and Ziggler. With the heels laid out, Daniel Bryan came out join them as RAW closed out...

That is until the return of the Anonymous RAW General Manager. (Sighs) Apparently, WWE wants us to forget that Hornswoggle was in control of that gimmick the last time. The Anonymous RAW GM is said to be in control for next week's RAW on Cyber Monday. 

Closing Remarks

Going into Monday Night RAW, I was excited on how WWE would follow up the events from Survivor Series. Instead of carrying that momentum and excitement into RAW, WWE dropped the ball (literally and figuratively) and went back to their same ol' shit style of creative direction and booking.

To say that WWE had everyone amped up after Survivor Series, they really dropped the ball here with this post-Survivor Series RAW broadcast.

Much like Survivor Series, I'll give this show a grade rating as well: C- Unlike Survivor Series, this show wasn't a pleasure to watch.

Hey, WWE, when are you going to address the elephant in the room known as Brock Lesnar and the missing WWE World Heavyweight Championship?
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