Saturday, April 30, 2011

SmackDown Sum-up 4/29/11


The Draft is over. Extreme Rules is this Sunday. Yet, to me at least, there seems to be almost a deflated sense of excitement heading into the PPV. With some SmackDown superstars saying farewell, and others just getting introduced to their new surroundings, would this be a strong finish to this iteration of the show, or is WWE running on fumes heading into Extreme Rules?

  • The RKO Show: Randy Orton opens the show, basically going to do the whole schpeel about being on a new show and "making a statement" and all that jazz. However, who should come out by recent RAW draftee Drew McIntyre. McIntyre tries to get one over on Orton, going for a Future Shock, but reverses and RKO's McIntyre.
  • As Randy's about get on with his rambling, Alex Riley interrupts and Orton RKO's him, now. Finally, Alberto Del Rio comes out and, with back-up from Brodus Clay, has Randy outnumbered and surrounded. Christian comes out for the save, and the Main Event for this SmackDown is set up as a tag team match with Orton and Christian vs. ADR and Clay. I found this opening to be kind of silly, but it did its job with establishing Orton as one of the "top guys" on SmackDown now. I think it's funny that they'd use McIntyre in the fashion they did, essentially putting him on the same tier as Alex fuckin' Riley. Either way, the curtain was jerked and SmackDown was underway in earnest.

  • Sheamus Assaults Kingston: After their match on RAW, it looked like it was to be a return match with Sheamus taking on Kofi Kingston. After the fact that that match was a little... meh for what it could have been, I was looking forward to this, but instead Sheamus just blind-sides Kingston and beats up on him before a match can even get underway. That's more than a little disappointing, but again, I feel like they were establishing early that this SmackDown was intended to be a transition, one that filled in what the recently drafted's roles would be. Still, this took the show to around the 20 minute mark, and there had yet to be any genuine wrestling. I'm not a fan of that trend.

  • Swagger vs. Sin Cara: After a painfully long introduction from Michael Cole (seriously, this angle needs to stop, and Cole needs to stay as just a commentator), Jack Swagger is set to take on Sin Cara. This looked like an interesting match up from the on-set, with Sin Cara typifying the lucha libre archetype, and Swagger the collegiate wrestler. As such, the match had a really good flow, with Swagger beating up on Cara for a while, Cara exploding with a burst of athleticism, and so on. Cara even picked up the victory convincingly when Swagger was distracted letting Cara roll him up with a Victory Roll. Overall, this was probably the match of the night, and if Swagger wasn't headed to RAW, I'd have liked to see where this odd match-up could go.
  • Big Show and Kane retain: When Big Show was drafted to RAW this Monday, I figured that was bad news for his and Kane's run as tag team champions. When it was announced they'd be up against the former champs Slater and Gabriel in a rematch, I went ahead and predicted that the Corre would quickly get back their belts and Kane and Show would go their separate ways on separate shows. I was wrong. In a pretty decent match that actually took me by surprise, Kane and Show overpower Slater and Gabriel and retain their titles. What does this mean with them being on separate shows? Hell if I know, but I'm glad that WWE didn't just go with the predictable outcome. Now if they could just decide what it is they wanted to do with the Corre...

  • Rey says goodbye, Henry says hello: Rey comes out and actually gives a pretty heartfelt speech about his leaving SmackDown. Of course, Mark Henry needs to be built up as the new big heel on SmackDown. This is dumb. I haven't liked the direction they've taken Henry in about forever, and to have him be the big guy heel again with no variation on that character is just dumb. Sadly, Rey has to put him over in this match, which ends in a disqualification when Cody Rhodes interferes. Rey gets beat up again, and another paper bag slipped over his face. Did we really need all this when Cody and Rey's rivalry is already pretty established, and Cody has already gotten the best of Rey on multiple occasions? No. No we did not.

  • Somebody's leaving WWE, and I'm not sure anybody cares: Layla and Michelle McCool continue their feud with what seems like is going to be a match. However, just a few minutes into the match, both Divas find themselves on the outside and the match ends in a double count-out (which EVERYBODY loves). Layla gets on the mic and says the two should have a match at Extreme Rules to settle things once and for all. Michelle accepts on one condition; that the loser would leave the WWE. DUN DUN DUN!
  • Yeah, unsurprisingly, the audience reaction to this, a career-ending match, was a tad underwhelming, but that goes with the territory with the Divas division nowadays. I really don't know WHO it could be that's set to lose this match, though I think early indications are that it could be Michelle McCool. I certainly do think Layla has better overall potential, so I'd like for her to be the one that comes out on top here, but I think the Divas division as a whole needs help, and losing one of their competitors just makes it weaker, not stronger.

  • A Prelude to Extreme Rules: Last up (as it tends to be) was the main event. Christian sets things up with what is, quite frankly a killer promo. With Del Rio headed for RAW, I can't imagine Christian losing this thing, but I suppose anything could happen. Anyway, the main event match is pretty standard fair. Given who the teams were, I think it was pretty obvious who would take it, and sadly Del Rio doesn't get in the match nearly enough. As such, the pace is pretty deliberate, with only a few genuinely cool moments. In the end, Orton hits Brodus with the RKO to give him and Christian the victory. I assume that, after Christian wins this Sunday, one of his first big threats will be against Orton, but again, things may take a swerve. Overall, it was an ok match, but a fairly standard, predictable, and meaningless main event.

I personally think that Extreme Rules could be a very good PPV. It'll be the end of the road for many a feud, and as such has the potential to be extremely satisfying from a pure wrestling standpoint. The problem is, this was a fairly weak week in terms of either A.) exciting wrestling or B.) proper set up for the PPV. SmackDown was slightly better than the disaster that was RAW's Draft show, but only just. Two out of five stars.

I'm optimistic, though, that the post-Extreme Rules WWE will be a much more exciting place, and hopefully one that features a bigger spotlight on the up and coming talent that the company has. At least that's my hope.

Sadly, unless I can find a LEGITIMATE AND COMPLETELY LEGAL* method of viewing Extreme Rules, I probably won't have a write up for it, but I'll definitely be back next week with the RAW Recap, the SmackDown Sum-up, and possibly some more wrasslin' goodness.
*will likely not actually legally purchase the PPV

Until then...

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

WWE Draft Aftermath...


I'm not gonna lie. I made a big deal about the Draft that took place on RAW two days ago. This is probably because of how face-punchingly bad it was, but still, I would be remiss if I didn't follow up by commenting on the remainder of the picks that went down behind the scenes following RAW (ya know... the show that actually billed itself as being where the Draft was going to go down). So to prevent this from going too overly long, let's get to it.

(Note: some of these I genuinely don't have an opinion on, so I didn't attempt to make one)
  1. Sheamus to SmackDown: No surprise. Sheamus may be US Champion, but his stock amongst the "big guys" on RAW has plummeted recently. SmackDown will be a good place for him where he can be a veritable big fish again.
  2. Beth Phoenix to RAW: One of the better female wrestlers on the WWE roster lands on RAW. That's where she belongs, especially with the coming of Awesome Kong.
  3. Alex Riley to SmackDown: Glad he's been detached from the Miz. Don't have an opinion other than that.
  4. Tyler Reks to RAW
  5. Tamina to SmackDown
  6. Tyson Kidd to SmackDown
  7. Ted DiBiase to SmackDown: Where once he was billed as the promising future of the business, DiBiase has tailed off lately. I've never been impressed by DiBiase much, but he definitely will have a better chance to be worked into some better storylines on SmackDown.
  8. Kofi Kingston to RAW: I'm not sure what this means for Kofi. RAW now doesn't really have too many minor titles of their own right now (though I'm betting this will change at Extreme Rules with some title changes), so does this mean Kingston's getting a big push? Only time will tell.
  9. Chris Masters to RAW: Whut?
  10. Curt Hawkins to RAW
  11. Natalya to SmackDown: A shame that the Divas division remains segregated, and that Natty isn't in the proverbial thick of things. Looks like she'll remain terribly underutilized in the company.
  12. Drew McIntyre to RAW: This is McIntyre's time to legitimately break out. If he can't find an audience on RAW, I'm not sure he'll be getting a push.
  13. Yoshi Tatsu to SmackDown: I like Yoshi Tatsu. I think SmackDown's the best place for him.
  14. William Regal to SmackDown: REGAL LIVES!!
  15. Alicia Fox to SmackDown
  16. JTG to RAW
  17. Kelly Kelly to RAW
  18. Jimmy Uso to SmackDown
  19. The Great Khali to SmackDown
  20. Jack Swagger to RAW: This likely means another push for Swagger into the big title picture. As long as Michael Cole stays out of it, I think any angles with Swagger and one of the big RAW superstars will be fun.
  21. Daniel Bryan to SmackDown: Another guy who has been criminally underutilized for some time, I hope they give Bryan something of substance to do on SmackDown. He's too talented of a performer to continually hang out in the background.
Friday is SmackDown, and though these picks will likely not be put into effect by then, it'll be interesting to see how all these pieces sort themselves out in the coming months.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Rix Raw Recap 4/25/11 (DRAFT EDITION)


Woo boy, where can I start with last night's episode of Monday Night RAW. Well, we all knew that the Draft was going down, and as such I'd somewhat resigned myself that the show was going to be mostly about the surprising draft picks and less about the actual wrestling. I was cool with that, because quite frankly, the object of the draft is to "shake things up" as Mr. McMahon would say it.

But perhaps the timing wasn't right for the Draft, as with a PPV coming down the pike this Sunday, RAW attempted to clumsily balance the Draft with some actual wrestling AND the continuation of storylines heading into Extreme Rules. The results of which were scatter-shot at best, and nearly unwatchable and pointless at worst. With the Draft continuing on into today (yes, they really only "drafted" about 5 or 6 people last night) some of my info. may be off, but let's take a look at last night's episode to see if we can't see just what the heck happened.

  • There's a Battle Royal going on...: The show opens with, of all things, a brand Battle Royal. Apparently, whoever manages to win the Battle Royal will win the first draft pick for their brand, but this information had to be cobbled together mid-match since the show just opened WITH NO INTRO. People said they didn't like this match, to which I agree and disagree. In my nature, I genuinely like the stupidity of Battle Royals, and although this is the second one that's gone down in three weeks time, I personally didn't mind it. I even thought there were some decent little exchanges and spots as the ring got less and less crowded. The only problem I really had with it was the fact it just sort of happened, with no announcement of its purpose or anything. This bout of confusion would be telling, however, of the show that was about to unfold.

  • The Champ is WHERE?: What followed the Battle Royal was actually one of the bright spots of the night. In a shocking move, John Cena, poster boy of WWE and RAW mainstay, is drafted onto SmackDown! Until recently, I've always perceived SmackDown! as the "developmental" show, but lately I've come to enjoy SmackDown! much better, and this led credence to the worth of that program (and perhaps the company's willingness to push SmackDown! as more than just its "B" show). This of course, like most things tonight, turned out to be wishful thinking.

  • The Dastardly R-Truth: To me, this is where the show truly began to derail. R-Truth, recently turned heel, gets a big segment to basically yell at the crowd and build his heel persona. I like R-Truth, and I actually think he probably makes a better heel than a face, but this thing just went on way too long. Between the audience's constant interjections and the short brawl between Truth and Morrison at the end, this thing pushed RAW past the 30 minute mark, and all that had occurred on the show was a Battle Royal and John Cena being drafted. 1/4 of the show was gone and really nothing had happened.

  • What IS This?: Layla and Eve Torres start a match. Michael Cole interrupts the match and Layla is pinned practically in the background. This is probably more telling about WWE's confidence in the Divas division; as they are pushing the "commentator vs. commentator" angle more than victories or losses by Divas; but seriously. What the hell was the point of this? It only helped to hurt the show, not help it, and continued to lack what would have seemed to have been the obvious point of the show: WRESTLING AND DRAFTING.

  • Rey Goes to Raw, Cody Remains Emo: Perhaps the one bit of storyline advancement I actually liked, Rey Mysterio gets drafted to RAW. I like Rey a lot, and though he gets nowhere near the respect he deserves in WWE, I'm glad he's now on the "premier" show. This also leads to a ridiculous and rambling promo by Cody Rhodes where he talks about... something. Honestly it was pretty silly stuff, but it briefly sets up the two's match for Extreme Rulez, and I like that they're actually giving Cody SOMETHING to work with. And hey, at the very least he didn't sound half as crazy as his dad.

  • Kofi vs. Sheamus: Is Sheamus still an entity? I understand he's US Champion, but where once he was this monster, he seems to have really been downplayed recently. Case in point, in a match against Kofi Kingston (who had one pretty decisive loss two weeks ago against Ezekiel Jackson, and another loss last week to Wade Barrett), Sheamus is pretty swiftly taken out. What could have been a decent match that got both guys over instead ends with Sheamus taking a loss in an extremely quick fashion(for Sheamus, anyway). It left me scratching my head, quite frankly, but that seemed to be the trend of the night.

  • The Viper Goes to SmackDown!: The above match of course results in SmackDown! getting a draft pick, which turns out to be Randy Orton. That's... about it. Moving along.

  • And Then the Show Died: If one could spy me through the computer monitor whilst writing this, one might see just how difficult it is for me to recount what happened next on this "special" episode of Monday Night RAW. That is because, once again, instead of keeping the announcer's feud in a more background and implied function, WWE has decided to put dudes in the ring who have no business being there, and push a match with JR vs. Michael Cole. The only thing I can say to that is "Bleeeeeeeeegh". No, that isn't a word, but it is still far more intelligent than the gruel that went on for a solid ten or so minutes, as JR and Cole fumbled around in something that appeared to be fighting (with Jack Swagger eventually beating up JR). The only thing positive about this is that Cole ended up genuinely bloodied, and I believe JR may have broken something in his hand. While I don't wish real harm on either gentleman, it's just further proof that this whole Cole angle need to die and fast. And with that, any possibility of the show being good was lost...

  • Ziggler vs. Orton: In an attempt to right a sinking ship, the newly SmackDown!'d Orton takes on Dolph Ziggler for two more Draft picks. Surprisingly, this match turned out to be just as (if not more) competitive than the Kofi/Sheamus match. I find this odd, but the show was actually showing wrestling now so fuck it. Overall, it was a pretty decent match, but the tone and pacing of the show had been so thoroughly destroyed at this point that it's hard to get terribly excited about it. Orton takes it and gets SmackDown! two more picks which leads to...

  • Sin Cara and Mark Henry to SmackDown!: Seemed harmless enough, the new guy goes to the "developmental" show and a veteran joins as well. Heck, it SEEMED that WWE cared so little about this move as they don't even show it happen live (C.M. Punk interrupted the proceedings). However... apparently this was a huge plot point of the show. TAKE NOTE!!

  • Mysterio vs. Barrett: Another match for a Draft pick, and wouldn't ya know this one was actually pretty decent. Again, though, it suffered from the quality of the show it was on (much like Ziggler vs. Orton) and as such, what could have been enjoyable was just another cog in a machine that was churning out shit all night. Barrett's a fine worker, and Mysterio of course makes any match watchable, but the night was winding down, and the show just continued to limp along. Mysterio takes the victory and the pick for his new home of Monday Night RAW.

  • Tag Team Champs No More?: Last SmackDown!, the Corre lost significant steam and valuable steps toward their inevitable disbandment when they dropped the belts to Kane and Big Show. Now, on RAW, Big Show gets drafted... to the opposite show of where his partner and co-belt-holder is currently on. Now, I don't know if Kane remains on SmackDown! (at the time of this writing, I'm still not certain where everyone ended up), but this seems like WWE is firmly planting themselves in the (tag teams don't mean shit) realm. Heck, Show didn't even have the belt on him when he came out, and there was no mention or even reaction to "HEY, WE JUST SPLIT UP THE TAG CHAMPIONS". That... is pretty weak.

  • Alberto Del Rio is RAW-bound: Perhaps a bigger move, Alberto Del Rio goes to RAW as well. I've no problems with that. ADR deserves a big audience. RAW provides that.

  • Mercifully... the Main Event: Finally, after what seemed to be forever, we have our main event, a 6-man Tag Team match for the final pick. C.M. Punk, Miz, and ADR represent RAW, while Cena, Henry, and Christian represent SmackDown!. The talent in this match (particularly the RAW team and Christian) save it from mediocrity, and it's actually a pretty good match that showcased the RAW talent pretty well and, had it been backed by a good card, would have been a pretty decent main event. However, the swerve in this match, and the one that closed out the show... were pretty weird to say the least.
  • Firstly, Mark Henry betrays his SmackDown! teammates. I'm sure this will be explained at some point, but it seemed utterly bizarre at the time. Secondly, RAW manages to take the match with Henry's help (leading to a pretty hilarious moment where Punk kisses ADR in celebration of RAW's victory), but RAW ends up... drafting John Cena? Erm... alright. I'm glad they decided to make that big change only to... not make a change at all. I understand it'd be a pretty risky move for Cena to make that jump, but that's what made it exciting. In my opinion, WWE copped out.

Whew, that's a very long-winded and unnecessary way of saying that last night's RAW basically sucked balls last night, but hey... that's what I'm here for. Now that that's over, I can only hope that WWE has nowhere to go but up from here. Following Extreme Rules, I hope that we'll see a lot more focus on wrestling as the current, and terrible angles (MICHAEL COLE) have ended and we work with new characters adapting to their new shows.

Last night's RAW deserves, as one might say, "MINUS FIVE STARS".

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Welcome to the IMPACT zone...

Because the "mild collision zone" didn't sound as good. Yes, I have decided to make a place where I can focus my newly established wrestling posts in.

It's not that I think they really DESERVE their own special place, but rather that, when compared to the typical stuff I wrote about on my main blog (video games, movies, comic books...), the pro wrestling stuff just seemed to stick out like a sore thumb.

So, as somewhat of an excuse to just flesh out another blog design, I humbly welcome all five of my faithful readers to their one stop shop for my off-brand analysis of professional wrestling madness. I hope you enjoy the ride.