Top 10 Wrestling Moments of 2011

Merry Christmas to all!  Much like receiving gifts during the holidays, great moments in wrestling feel like gifts from WWE, TNA, ROH or any other wrestling organization.  They are moments when we the fans think up in our heads, but quickly dismiss because we do not think said wrestling would put together something that their bookers could not think of, only to jump with joy and excitement when it actually happens in real life.  These are the times when we start screaming at the top of our lungs in shear joy at our TV or computer even though we know only ourselves and perturbed family members or roommates can hear us.  These joyous moments are why we are all wrestling fans.  Why we painstakingly watch half-naked grown men and women beat each other within an inch of their lives.  Why we care about every little thing that goes on in the insane World of Wrestling and finally why wrestling is our collective passion.  So here is this writer’s personal list of the Top 10 Wrestling Moments of 2011.

10.  Destination X

Yes, Destination X was an entire PPV, but it is still stands as one of the only good moments for TNA Wrestling this year.  For the last few years, TNA has dragged their fans and former fans like yours truly through the mud with the complete and utter nonsense they call wrestling.  So Destination X was refreshingly good taste of oh so fresh air.  The X Division was in the spotlight, the iconic six-sided ring was back and even though there were a few iffy moments on the show, for one night wrestling mattered in TNA.  Something many of us have waited a long time to see again.

9.  The “Undashing One” Is Born

During one Smackdown leading up to the Royal Rumble, Rey Mysterio fought “Dashing” Cody Rhodes in a one-on-one match.  Throughout said match, Rhodes targeted Mysterio’s knee thus exposing the knee brace he was wearing.  Mysterio would turn things around when he smashed Rhodes’ face with a devastating knee brace-to-face 619.  The move affected the “Dashing One” more than on a physical level, his psyche was shattered.  This trauma caused Cody Rhodes to miss over a month of in-ring competition.  He reemerged with a plastic mask and new creepy demeanor and with the help of his father Dusty Rhodes viciously assaulted Rey Mysterio.  With that assault, Cody Rhodes started an arc for his character that now has launched the young star to the cusp of the main event.  Just watching how Cody Rhodes’ character has evolved over the past 12 months has been an amazing moment in itself, but this assault stands out as the moment when everything changed for Cody Rhodes.

8.  John Morrison AKA Spider-Man

Every wrestling fan knows deep down in their heart that John Morrison was one of WWE’s most underutilized superstars.  So to the delight of many, the WWE shone a bright light on him earlier this year with a big WWE Championship match against the Miz and allowing him to steal the show with some of the best spots of the night.  One spot that I vividly remember was from the Royal Rumble.  A few minutes after entering the huge 40-Man Royal Rumble, it looked like Morrison was eliminated by William Regal.  Instead John Morrison would grab onto the barricade thus keeping his feet from touching the arena floor and saving him from elimination.  That was not all as Morrison would walk across the thin top of the barrier and made one big leap onto the steel steps and reenters the ring to continue the match.  Describing it does not do the spot justice; you have to see it for yourself in order to fully understand why it is one of the best moments of 2011 and of the Royal Rumble itself.

7.  Daniel Bryan Wins the World Heavyweight Championship… Not!

The weeks leading up to this moment, Mark Henry had been making an example of Daniel Bryan as to show the Big Show why he is the World Heavyweight Champion.  After denying the Big Show a rematch for the World Title at TLC due to Henry getting disqualified at Survivor Series, Show would knock out the World’s Strongest Man with one impactful fist to the face.  With all that Henry had done to him in the last month, Daniel Bryan saw it as the best time to exact some revenge on Henry and cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on the downed giant.  The American Dragon would us all his strength to turn over Mark Henry for the pin and the World Heavyweight Championship.  The crowd was going nuts; I was going nuts as Daniel Bryan actually was the World Heavyweight Champion.  That was until Teddy Long came out and reversed the decision because Henry was not cleared to compete.  Even if it was a fake-out, it was one amazing moment that did a lot to build towards an eventual match between Bryan and Henry in the near future.

6.  Zack Ryder Wins the United States Championship

This moment should be fresh in our minds as it happened just a week ago.  For the past year, we have all watched one young talented superstar from Long Island go from complete zero with zero to no TV time to one of the most popular superstars in the WWE and the new United States Champion.  It is the culmination of the best wrestling success story this year and a moment that will define Zack Ryder’s career.  Woo Woo Woo!  You Know It, Bro!

5.  CM Punks Drops a Bomb

The promo heard around the world.  The one moment that jump started one of the best summers for pro wrestling in the last 10 years.  The one moment that took CM Punk from great wrestler to wrestling god.  The one moment that made us all giddy inside while also making our collective jaws drop in utter disbelief.  The one moment this year when WWE did not feel scripted; it felt absolutely real and natural.  Something that does not happen often in wrestling.

4.  Christian Wins the World Heavyweight Championship

As a huge fan of Christian, it was just magical seeing Captain Charisma standing atop a ladder hoisting the World Heavyweight Title, something many of us never thought he would hold.  Even with his extremely short reign as champion, that image of Christian hoisting the World Title atop a ladder will stick with me for the rest of my life.  It was the feel good moment of 2011.

3.  Edge Retries

Yes, Edge’s sudden retirement from wrestling was the saddest moment of 2011, but the way WWE handled it was nothing short of phenomenal.  WWE gave Edge time on both Raw and Smackdown to say goodbye to the fans and the locker room.  Personally, it was one touching moment see Christian embrace his best friend, Edge in the ring at the end of Smackdown.  Thank you Edge for all the great memories you gave us fans.  We will never forget you.

2.  The Rock Returns

“FINALLY!!  THE ROCK HAS COME BACK… home.”  Those words sum up The Great One’s return to WWE back in February.  The biggest return of the year and one of the best promos of the year, The Rock has been gone 7 years, but he has not missed a beat.  It was a moment that completely electrified me to the point that I could not go to sleep until I wrote an entire blog post about The Rock’s return.  This moment would have topped the list if it was not for number 1.

1.  CM Punk Wins the WWE Championship in Chicago at Money in the Bank

What fans want and what actually happens are two different things.  Going into Money in the Bank, most fans wanted to see CM Punk leave with the WWE Championship, but few actually thought the WWE would go through with it.  After 30 exhausting minutes of sitting on the edge of our seats, biting our nails in nervous anticipation, CM Punk hit a glorious GTS for the 1,2,3.  In that moment the rabid crowd in Chicago and fans around the world, including myself, all jumped for joy.  The WWE finally gave us what we wanted and it made for the greatest moment of this year and one of the greatest in the company’s long illustrious history.

Tables, Ladders and Chairs… Oh My: Quick Preview of WWE TLC 2011

After all the ups and downs, the good and the bad, we have finally come to the end of the year.  This writer hoped for a dawn of a new age in wrestling this year, but the transition is happening a little slower than expected.  At the end of the day, a lot of strides have been taken to improve WWE’s product especially the pushing of young talent such as Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Zack Ryder and Dolph Ziggler to name a few.  With the strides forward, WWE has taken some steps back with certain storylines and decisions that have come about in the last few months of the year.  It is time to put that all aside as we enjoy one last PPV from the WWE before we head into the New Year.

After what was said to be a fun Survivor Series event, this writer is looking forward to TLC.  Not for the fact that WWE has done little to hype this PPV, but the fact a few superstars like Wade Barrett, Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes have used their TV time to put together some interesting feuds.  The fact that Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder have used Ryder’s Youtube show, Z! True Long Island Story to build their feud over the last three months is just genius.  Personally I just want to watch this PPV to see Ryder finally claim the U.S. Championship and see everyone in Baltimore and on Twitter explode with joy.  On paper, TLC looks very good considering that WWE gives a lot of time to the matches tonight rather than on pointless promos and last minute additions.

Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett in a Tables Match

Prediction:  Wade Barrett wins

Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Zack Ryder for the U.S. Championship

Prediction:  Zack Ryder wins the U.S. Championship

Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Booker T for the Intercontinental Championship

Prediction:  Cody Rhodes retains

Triple H vs. Kevin Nash in a Sledgehammer Ladder Match

Prediction:  Triple H wins

Mark Henry (c) vs. Big Show in a Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight Championship

Prediction:  Mark Henry retains

CM Punk (c) vs. The Miz vs. Alberto Del Rio in a Triple Threat TLC Match for the WWE Championship

Prediction:  CM Punk retains

As the last PPV of the year, there is a lot riding on TLC.  Now matter if it is good or bad, TLC will definitely set the tone for the WWE as it heads into 2012.  For WWE, it would be good for them to end 2011 on a high note rather than a whimper.

The Silverdome Match of the Week: Woo Woo Woo My Time Is Now

After the okay week the WWE had last week, they bounced back with two solid shows in Raw and Smackdown.  They advanced many of the big storylines leading into next Sunday’s TLC PPV, which I am personally looking forward to coming what was said to be a very good Survivor Series.  Six matches have been set for TLC with one or two that could be possibly added next week.  These six matches announced are Cody Rhodes vs. Booker T for the IC Title, Dolph Ziggler vs. Zack Ryder for the U.S. Title, Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton in a Tables Match, Triple H vs. Kevin Nash in a Sledgehammer Ladder Match, Mark Henry vs. the Big Show in a Chairs Match for the World Title and CM Punk vs. the Miz vs. Alberto Del Rio in a Triple Threat TLC Match for the WWE Title.  Also this week saw the return of Lillian Garcia.  She has taken over as the ring announcer for Smackdown from Tony Chimel and it has been nice to hear her announce each match again.  While Raw and Smackdown were solid shows, there were not a lot of outstanding matches, but there were quite a good number of fun enjoyable matches this week.  In the end, John Cena vs. Zack Ryder from Raw just beat out Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes both from Smackdown to win the Silverdome Match of the Week.

Last week on Raw, Executive VP of Talent Relations and Interim General Manager John Laurinaitus put together four qualifying matches for the WWE Championship Match at TLC.  One of those qualifying matches, he touted as a social experiment as he had John Cena face-off against Zack Ryder, but there was one twist.  If Cena won, he would qualify for the WWE Title Match at TLC, but if Ryder won, he would get a U.S. Title Match at TLC.  So the stakes were high going into this one as two friends were fighting for a title match at TLC.  Out of the gate, Zack Ryder took control of the Leader of the Cenation with a headlock and an armdrag.  Cena did not give up that easy though as he then took control of the Woo Woo Woo Kid with a headlock, shoulder tackle and a hip toss.  The action was relentless as Cena and Ryder go hold-for-hold.  Zack would later take the advantage and get a 2 count on Cena followed by a headlock.  Cena would fight out of Ryder’s headlock, only for Long Island Iced Z to hit a swinging neckbreaker for another 2 count.  Cena continued to fight back Ryder, but the young superstar was relentless.  Zack caught Cena with knees in the corner followed by a missile dropkick from the top rope, which led to yet another 2 count for Ryder.  With all the momentum in his corner, Ryder went to the top rope again.  This time he was not as fortunate as Cena caught Ryder and attempted to hit the Attitude Adjustment only for Zack to reverse it into a Tornado DDT for another 2 count.  Immediately after Cena kicked out, Zack went for his Rough Ryder finisher only for Cena to dodge it and hit his signature set of moves leading to the Five Knuckle Snuffle and Attitude Adjustment.  Ryder would again fight out of the AA and then send Cena into the ropes.  Ryder would then take some time to fist pump before booting Cena in the face with his signature Broski Boot.  With everything seemingly going right for him, Zack Ryder would try to end the match with the Rough Ryder, but Cena ultimately reversed the move into the AA for the 1, 2, 3.  It was sad to see Zack lose the match, but even with a loss he looked amazing up against the biggest superstar in the WWE and that has to say something.  By the end of night, Zack Ryder would get his U.S. Title shot as John Cena would give up his place in the WWE Title Match at TLC to give Zack another chance.  With a little help from Cena himself, Zack would beat Mark Henry to become the No. 1 Contender for Dolph Ziggler’s United States Championship.  It was a great way to end one fun segment of Raw.

This coming Monday Night Raw will be the sight of the 2011 Slammy Awards.  Only one match has been announced for Monday night that match being John Cena vs. Mark Henry.  Tune into 2011 Slammy Awards starting at 8 Monday evening on the Score here in Canada or the USA Network in the US.  So until next weekend have a wonderful week.  Cheers.

The Silverdome Match of the Week: David vs. Goliath

First off, I have to say sorry for not posting this yesterday.  When I got home from work at 11 pm last night, I was not feeling up to writing.  So it was an okay week for the WWE.  Raw was really enjoyable while Smackdown was total piece of crap.  Most weeks it will be the other way around, but guess we were in Bizarro Land this week.  This week’s Raw did a great job of building storylines for TLC and the end of the year.  What had me intrigued was the Piper’s Pit with John Cena.  Whenever you place a microphone in front of Rowdy Roddy Piper, he hits it out of the park.  It did a whole lot in furthering the build for WrestleMania as Piper pointed out that The Rock and the Cena haters are getting into John Cena’s head and it could be detrimental for the Face of the WWE.  Could this Piper’s Pit have planted the seeds for a heel turn for Cena?  Maybe, maybe not, but personally I am excited to see where this storyline goes this week on Raw.  As it was an okay week for the WWE, there some good matches, mostly on Raw, but only a couple of noteworthy matches.  Out of those noteworthy matches, Daniel Bryan vs. Mark Henry in a Steel Cage Match from Smackdown just beats out CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio from Raw for the Silverdome Match of the Week.

Last week on Smackdown, Daniel Bryan cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on a downed Mark Henry and supposedly won the World Heavyweight Championship.  But things were not what they seemed as Teddy Long made his way out to the ring and reversed the decision because Henry was not cleared to compete due to his broken leg.  Bryan got his Money in the Bank briefcase back, but also got a chance to face Mark Henry for the World Title the following week if he won a Fatal 4 Way Match later in the night.  Daniel Bryan did just that and set the stage to face Mark Henry in a Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of the special Holiday Edition of Smackdown.  Determined and unafraid, Bryan entered the steel structure ready to do anything and everything to secure the World Title around his waist, but the only man in his way was the Goliath known as Mark Henry.  Right when the bell rang to start the match, Bryan immediately tried to escape the steel cage, but Mark Henry would stop the determined superstar.  Bryan would fight off Henry and try to scale the cage again.  This time Henry would grab Bryan’s leg and yank him down between the ropes and the ring.  That would set up Henry to crush Bryan against the steel cage with a splash thus taking control of the match in the early moments.  Henry would continue his dominance over the American Dragon by flinging Bryan into the mesh of the steel cage with the help of the ropes.  Bryan tried to fight off the gargantuan Henry, but the World’s Strongest Man used his size to keep Bryan grounded.  With Bryan down for the moment, Mark Henry tried to escape the cage by exiting through the cage door.  Bryan would stop the World Heavyweight Champion from leaving the cage.  Henry pushed Bryan off of him then turned the American Dragon inside out with a devastating clothesline.  Henry went for the pin right after the clothesline, only for Bryan to kick out at the count of 2.  Henry tried to exit through the door yet again.  This time Bryan would stop the giant by going for Henry’s injured ankle.  With Henry down, Bryan started stomping on the injured ankle.  Bryan then went to climb the cage, but Henry still had some fight left in him as the World’s Strongest Man would pull down Bryan and hit another big clothesline on the challenger.  Henry would take control only for a little while as Bryan would slide out of slam attempt by Henry and target his injured ankle yet again.  With an almost crippled Henry flat on his belly, Bryan would lock in the LaBell Lock on the injured champion.  Henry would eventually fight out and try for a powerbomb, but Bryan reversed the move into a ferocious ankle lock on Henry’s injured ankle.  Henry rolled through the ankle lock and sent Bryan flying across the length of the ring.  Using his momentum, Bryan would try to climb the steel cage yet another time, but again to no avail as Henry would stop him yet again.  Henry started climbing the cage, only to be cut off on the top turnbuckle by Daniel Bryan.  Bryan and Henry start fighting on the top turnbuckle trading headbutts and punches in order to get an advantage.  Henry would eventually gain control on the top turnbuckle and hit an amazing World’s Strongest Slam from the top rope thus signaling the end of the match and another successful title defense for Mark Henry.  In the end, Henry and Bryan put on the best match on that crappy edition of Smackdown and of the week.  Also they gave us a taste of what we should expect if they face off for World Title at WrestleMania.  Personally I cannot wait to see more action between Mark Henry and Daniel Bryan in the near future.

Nothing has been announced for Raw or Smackdown this week, but it should be some more build for TLC.  We are two weeks away from TLC and one week away from Final Resolution.  So hopefully it should be an exciting week in the World of Wrestling.  Until next weekend, have a wonderful wrestling-filled week.  Cheers.

The Silverdome Match of the Week: Here to Show the World

At least you did not have to wait too long for another Silverdome Match of the Week.  It was a pretty good week for the WWE.  Survivor Series was much better than a lot of people expected.  Now I have to get it on DVD once it is released.  The big news coming out of New York City was not the anti-climactic ending to the show involving The Rock and Cena.  It was CM Punk winning the WWE Championship in what was said to be an amazing match.  It is sad to see Alberto Del Rio lose the title yet again, but hopefully this title change will end the hot potato that the WWE has been playing with the WWE Title.  This week also saw some excellent wrestling on Raw, Smackdown and ROH.  Davey Richards vs. Kyle O’Reilly from ROH and both Sheamus & Zack Ryder vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger and Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett vs. Cody Rhodes from Smackdown were all matches you should go out and watch from this past week.  In the end, Dolph Ziggler vs. CM Punk from this past Monday Night Raw takes home the Silverdome Match of the Week.

CM Punk was looking to face-off against Alberto Del Rio this past Monday, but John Laurinaitus had other plans for the Voice of the Voiceless.  The Interim General Manager of Raw and VP of Talent Relations put Punk in a Champion vs. Champion match against U.S. Champion Dolph Ziggler.  The match started with a lock-up between the two superstars.  Not long after that lock-up, Punk and Ziggler start trading a flurry on holds trying to get the advantage on one another.  Punk got the early advantage after Ziggler tried to catch a breather outside the ring.  That advantage did not last long as Dolph hit a neckbreaker followed by a pin attempt, which Punk kicked out of immediately.  Ziggler started working Punk over with some impactful stomps to the midsection.  Punk tried to regain the advantage, but Ziggler dropped the Straight-Edge Champion with a knee straight to the gut for a 2 count.  Punk tried to mount another comeback, but the Zig Zag Man thwarted Punk yet again allowing him to lock in a crossface on Punk.  CM Punk eventually would fight out of the crossface and send Ziggler into the turnbuckle.  Before going for his signature knee and bulldog combo in the corner, Vickie tried to distract Punk.  Ziggler would try to take the advantage, but Punk would just whip him into the other turnbuckle.  Punk would try to go for his high knee in the corner, but Ziggler would move out of the way sending the Voice of the Voiceless crashing to the floor outside of the ring.  Before taking the advantage over his downed opponent, Dolph would go onto do a handstand in the middle of the ring.  After being worn down with a headlock, CM Punk would finally make his comeback with a few right hands to Ziggler.  Then the two superstars started trading fists in the middle of the ring.  Punk would get the better of that exchange with a series of kicks, a leg lariat and a neckbreaker, which gave only the Chicago Made Punk a two count.  Thinking he could end it, Punk would go for the GTS, but Ziggler reversed it into a Sleeper Hold.  Punk would fight out of the Sleeper Hold.  Dolph then tried to roll-up Punk with his feet on the ropes, but the ref caught him.  As Ziggler argued with the ref, Punk tried to do the same thing to Ziggler, but he was caught as well.  Ziggler would go for the Sleeper Hold yet again, but Punk would shake off the agile Ziggler, sending him into the corner.  Punk would then hit his signature high knee and bulldog combo for another 2 count.  With Dolph down, Punk would go to the top rope for a big elbow drop, but Ziggler would roll out of the way.  Punk chased after United States Champion, allowing Dolph to strike with a thunderous dropkick straight to Punk’s face for a 2 count of his own.  Punk would take down Ziggler yet again allowing him to hit his elbow drop from the top rope this time.  Signaling for the time to put Ziggler to sleep, Punk tried for the GTS again, but Ziggler would reverse it into another close 2 count.  With Punk dazed, Ziggler tried for the Famouser, but the Straight-Edge Champion would reverse it into a devastating powerbomb, which set up Punk to finally hit the GTS for the win.  For the first time these two faced off one-on-one, this match was everything us wrestling fans hoped for and more.  It really felt like a match worthy of being on PPV and was the highlight on an okay Raw.

This past week might have had some great matches, but this coming week might have even more.  This week on Raw, we will see CM Punk face-off with Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship and on a special edition of Smackdown airing next Tuesday, Daniel Bryan challenging Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Steel Cage Match.  It should be one exciting week for the World of Wrestling as we get ready for the final PPVs of 2011.

Never Before, Never Again: Preview of WWE Survivor Series 2011

The tagline, “Never Before, Never Again” cannot be truer.  This Sunday at the 25^th annual Survivor Series PPV event in Madison Square Garden, the biggest star of the Attitude Era will join forces with the biggest star of the Modern Era for the first and last time.  John Cena and the Rock will put their differences aside (or maybe not) for one night to compete in what could be described as the most anticipated tag team match of the year.  As we are only five months away from the biggest dream match since the Rock and Hogan blew the dome off of the Skydome back at WrestleMania X8, the WWE is ramping up the build for the main event of WrestleMania 28.  So expect to see more of the Rock and Cena in the coming months.  And it will all start this Sunday, November 20^th.

It seems to be common lately for the WWE to poorly hype up their PPVs and that bad track record does not end here.  All the hype went to John Cena and the Rock teaming up that the rest of the card sadly did not get the same love.  Even with the little hype, I personally am still looking forward to Survivor Series.  Considering there are only six matches on the card, hopefully WWE gives each match enough time to put on a great show for the rabid MSG crowd and thousands watching at home.

Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. John Morrison for the U.S. Championship

I do not understand why John Morrison is even getting a U.S. title shot before Zack Ryder.  Personally I love Morrison just as much as Zack Ryder, but Morrison beat Ziggler in a non-title match once while Ryder has been doing that for a little over a month.  Ziggler and Morrison will definitely put on one great athletic bout, but this writer does not see the U.S. Champ dropping the title to Morrison this Sunday night at MSG.

Prediction:  Dolph Ziggler retains

Beth Phoenix (c) vs. Eve in a Lumberjill Match for the Diva’s Championship

The Divas of Doom seems to be growing stale fast.  Beth and Natalya need to be pushed like no one in the Diva’s division can compete with them yet they continually are undermined by the likes of Eve, Kelly Kelly and now Alicia Fox.  Hopefully at Survivor Series, the WWE can make Beth Phoenix and Natalya look like the dominant monster women that they should be and reignite the spark of this once great storyline.

Prediction:  Beth Phoenix retains

Team Barrett (Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger & Hunico) vs. Team Orton (Randy Orton, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, Mason Ryan & Sin Cara) in a Traditional Survivor Series Match

These Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team matches are the reason this writer loves watching this PPV each and every year.  They are usually fast-paced, exciting and highly entertaining bouts that seem to be the highlight of each Survivor Series PPV.  This year we see Team Orton and Team Barrett continue the tradition.  Even with the lack of hype and considering all the great talent jammed pack into this match, it should be one of the best matches on this card bar none. 

Prediction:  Team Barrett wins

Mark Henry (c) vs. Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship

Last month at Vengeance, the titanic battle between Mark Henry and the Big Show ended in no contest when the ring to collapsed.  Hopefully on Sunday, WWE will reinforce the ring because these two giants are going to battle again.  Considering the way their match at Vengeance ended, I would have liked to see Mark Henry and the Big Show battle in a Falls Count Anywhere Match as it would have been amazing to see the carnage these behemoths would cause outside the confines of the squared circle.  Guess it is just another missed opportunity by the WWE, but we should not get hung up on what should have happened.  WWE needs to give Henry the clean win over Big Show in order to solidify the World’s Strongest Man’s position as the most dominant superstar and champion on the WWE roster.

Prediction:  Mark Henry retains

John Cena & The Rock vs. Awesome Truth

Here it is.  The tag team match that everybody is talking about.  The Rock and Cena team up for the first and last time to fight the team of the Miz and R-Truth, Awesome Truth.  This match could go one of two ways.  The first being that Cena and the Rock completely squash Awesome Truth like a pimple on prom night.  The second possibility being that either the Rock or Cena turns on one another causing Awesome Truth to get the victory.  Personally, I think the latter will happen considering how big the egos of the Rock and John Cena are and that it will provide better build for their match at WrestleMania than if they just squashed Awesome Truth.

Prediction:  Awesome Truth wins

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship

The WWE has given Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk little to no time to build this feud, but these two excellent wrestlers have made the best of what they got.  After three long months, CM Punk finally gets his one-on-one match for the WWE Championship after Del Rio used the Money in the Bank briefcase to take it away from him.  This Sunday at Survivor Series, I honestly believe that Punk and Del Rio will blow the roof off of Madison Square Garden if they are given a good 20-30 minutes.  It would be nice to see Punk hoist the WWE Title yet again, but Del Rio needs rack up a few more title defenses before WWE decides to give the title to somebody else.

Prediction:  Alberto Del Rio retains

It has been a nice change of pace to actually have four weeks between WWE PPVs and it has certainly help Survivor Series just a little bit.  Other than the John Cena & the Rock vs. Awesome Truth match, the rest of the card has gotten little to no hype.  With only six matches on the card, it might not have hurt the PPV that much, but that is only if the WWE can take advantage and give each match the time they certainly need.

Nothing Has Changed: Quick Preview of TNA Turning Point 2011

Back in late 2005, I discovered an alternative to WWE.  It was distinctly different as it used a six-sided ring and it had a much faster, fresh style.  One of the first PPVs I got on DVD from this wrestling company was Turning Point 2004.  The main event was America’s Most Wanted vs. Triple X in Six Sides of Steel Match.  Still to this day, I consider that match one of the all-time greatest Steel Cage Matches in professional wrestling.  Fast forward seven years later and this alternative has become a shell of its former self in its relentless pursuit to be the WWE instead of just being itself.  If you have not come to this conclusion yet, this alternative was and is Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

After Bound for Glory, it was suppose to be a clean slate.  All the horrendously convoluted storylines were suppose to be wrapped up and personally I thought TNA would start improving their product.  The first Impact after Bound for Glory had only seven minutes of actual wrestling on two hour show and my hopes for change much like back in the summer were crushed.  What we left were with are storylines that get almost zero attention, another Jersey Shore star wasting our time, a feud between a referee and a former authority figure and the potential feud between Roode and Storm, which could have been their saving grace, getting completely screwed up.  I came back to TNA for this blog back in February, so I will give it the full year it deserves and will reevaluate if I should continue covering.  Right now things look bleak and I honestly do not know if they will get any better.  If you are a TNA fan, this card will look great to you.  If you are not the X Division & World Championship matches along with Daniels vs. RVD should be great unless TNA finds a way to screw them up.  Do not put it past TNA, it is always a possibility.

Mexican America (c) & Sarita vs. Ink Inc. & Toxin in a 6-Person Tag Team Match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship

Prediction:  Ink Inc. & Toxin win the TNA Tag Team Championship

Eric Young (c) vs. Robbie E for the TNA Television Championship

Prediction:  Eric Young retains

Crimson vs. Matt Morgan

Prediction:  Crimson wins

Bully Ray & Scott Steiner vs. Abyss & Mr. Anderson

Prediction:  Abyss & Mr. Anderson win

Austin Aries (c) vs. Kid Kash vs. Jesse Sorensen in a 3 Way Match for the X Division Championship

Prediction:  Austin Aries retains

Christopher Daniels vs. Rob Van Dam in a No DQ Match

Prediction:  Christopher Daniels wins

Velvet Sky (c) vs. Gail Kim for the TNA Knockout’s Championship

Prediction:  Velvet Sky retains

Jeff Jarrett vs. Jeff Hardy

Prediction:  Jeff Hardy wins

Bobby Roode (c) vs. AJ Styles for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship

Prediction:  Bobby Roode retains

Turning Point 2011 is like every other TNA PPV that you have watched this year.  There will be some good hidden under all the insultingly dumb finishes and horrible booking, but it will not be worth the time you invest in watching.  From 2005 to 2008, TNA had something great going for it, but now that magic seems lost.  If you can, I highly recommend going back and watch past Turning Point events such as Turning Point 2004, 2005 and/or 2009 than watch Turning Point 2011 this Sunday.

The Silverdome Match of the Week: ROH Shines

After over a month hiatus, the Silverdome Match of the Week is back and better than ever.  Within the past month, we have had close to four PPVs (one from TNA and three from WWE), numerous title changes, good amount of news and sadly only a handful of good matches.  Many of these matches have come from the new kid on the televised wrestling show block, Ring of Honor.  At the end of September, ROH launched their new TV show with the Sinclair Broadcasting Group.  If you do not get any of the channels under the SBG banner much like yours truly, ROH airs each episode for free on their website, rohwrestling.com every Thursday.  ROH has a much different style from WWE and TNA.  ROH is more focused on the wrestling rather than the entertainment.  Not saying the storylines are bad (because some of them are better than what WWE and TNA are doing), but you will see that there is evident focus on competitive wrestling matches than storytelling.  At this point, you are probably wondering why I am talking a lot about Ring of Honor.  The reason is that winner of the first Silverdome Match of the Week in over a month is Roderick Strong vs. Kyle O’Reilly from last Saturday’s ROH show.  Roderick Strong vs. Kyle O’Reilly beat out strong competition from the All Night Express vs. the Briscoes also from ROH and Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes in a Street Fight from Smackdown.

A few weeks back, Roderick Strong fought Davey Richards for the ROH World Championship in one amazingly competitive and intense wrestling contest.  At the end of the contest, Strong ended up tapping to Davey’s ankle lock.  Strong was booked to face one of Davey Richard’s training partners and one half of the Future Shock tag team, Kyle O’Reilly.  Before the match, Roderick made it a point to say he was going to make an example of O’Reilly and get some revenge for Davey beating him a few weeks back.  The match starts with Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly shaking hands for the Code of Honor.  Immediately after the Code of Honor, the two wrestlers lock-up and begin trading holds trying to get the early advantage in the match.  Strong eventually takes control with a wristlock on O’Reilly, which Kyle reverses into a heel lock leading to crossface counter from Roderick.  O’Reilly gets to the bottom rope causing Strong to break the hold.  From there Strong and O’Reilly start trading kicks and chops.  O’Reilly takes control with a sweep of Roderick’s legs.  O’Reilly’s newfound advantage leads into a flurry for the Team Richards member as he hits a running elbow smash followed by a Northern Lights Suplex on Strong for the two count.  O’Reilly tries to keep his advantage going with a kick to Strong while in the corner.  O’Reilly sends Roderick to the opposite turnbuckle to hit another kick, but gets caught in a flapjack by Strong.  Roderick looks to be in control of the match, but O’Reilly fights back and gets a kick and an enzigiri hit on Strong after sending him into the corner.  Strong battles out of a near fall and locks Kyle in an abdominal hold.  After a few moments, O’Reilly battles out of the hold and hits a thunderous German Suplex on Strong.  Both men get up from the big move and O’Reilly attacks strong with a flurry of kicks and chops.  O’Reilly ends his flurry of strikes by hitting a hurricanrana.  O’Reilly continues his offensive flurry with a big missile dropkick after Roderick sends him to the apron, which results in another near fall for the young wrestler.  Both wrestlers start bringing out their big moves as they both try to get the win.  Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly exchange some big moves like three Butterfly Suplexes, a Swinging Sit out Powerbomb and a Double Knee Gutbuster trying to get the win.  Roderick even locks in his signature Boston Crab that he calls the Stronghold, but to no avail.  O’Reilly becomes a big nuisance for Strong as the young gun continues to fight out of his moves, even getting some very close two counts.  Eventually Roderick gets the victory with an amazing Sick Kick to O’Reilly’s face thus bringing an end to this very competitive and highly entertaining match.

Make sure to keep watching ROH.  This week’s episode will have Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas fighting the new team of Coleman and Alexander in a Proving Ground Match and the No.1 Contender for Davey Richard’s ROH World Title will be announced.  Not much has been announced for this Monday’s Raw Supershow other than it will be in Liverpool, England.  On the flip side, TNA has already announced ever match for this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling.  There will be some aftermath of Bobby Roode’s heel turn and winning of the TNA World Title, AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels, Robbie E & Robbie T vs. Eric Young & Ronnie, Gail Kim & Madison Rayne vs. Velvet Sky & Mickie James for the TNA Knouckouts Tag Titles and Jeff Jarrett, Bully Ray & Scott Steiner vs. Jeff Hardy, Mr. Anderson and a mystery partner.  Talking about TNA, I am still debating on doing a preview for Turning Point next weekend or another edition of the Silverdome Match of the Week.  Let see what you guys think so chime in the comment section below.  So until next Saturday dear readers have a wonderful week.  Cheers.

The Unthinkable Has Happened: Review of WWE Survivor Series 2010

Hello everybody.  Just a few things I want to say before you read this review.  Personally, I really wanted to have the return of The Silverdome Match of the Week today, but with all that has gone on these last two days I did not feel up to it.  Also I did not want to rush the article out and not have it up to the quality I and you expect of it.  Since Survivor Series is a few weeks away, I thought why not put up the review I wrote for last years' Survivor Series show with a few edits.  So I hope you all enjoy.

Ever since he won the WWE Championship in 2005, one man has been synonymous with the WWE.  Just like Stone Cold Steve Austin before him, he became the face of the largest wrestling company in the world, the WWE.  That man is John Cena and he was“fired” from the WWE as per the stipulation of the main event of Survivor Series.  Even with this event all being one big storyline, WWE did a phenomenal job of making it look like Cena was legitimately fired.  It is so interesting to see how WWE creative plays with the fact that their biggest superstar has been “fired”.  Hopefully the WWE does not bring Cena back every week or so as a fan in the crowd because that would sadly ruin the illusion that the WWE strived so hard to set up. 

Along with one big moment to end the show, WWE surprisingly put on a good show in Survivor Series 2010.  It has taken quite awhile for the WWE put on another good PPV.  The top half of the Survivor Series card was very strong with some really competitive contests between some of the most talented superstars WWE has.  The bottom half was not as impressive as the top half, but still was quite enjoyable nonetheless.  This was one PPV that this writer would strongly suggest wrestling fans go out of their way to watch especially for the great moment at the very end of the PPV. 

Daniel Bryan def. Ted DiBiase by submission to retain the U.S. Championship

Rating:  8.5/10

John Morrison def. Sheamus

Rating:  8/10

Dolph Ziggler def. Kaval to retain the Intercontinental Championship

Rating:  7/10

Team Mysterio (Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, Chris Master, Big Show and MVP) def. Team Del Rio (Alberto Del Rio, Tyler Reks, Drew McIntyre, Jack Swagger and Cody Rhodes) in a Traditional Survivor Series Match

Rating:  9/10

Natalya def. LayCool (Michelle McCool & Layla) in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match to win the WWE Diva’s Championship

Rating:  5/10

Kane fought Edge to a draw –Kane retains the World Heavyweight Championship

Rating:  7/10

Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater def. Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship

Rating:  6/10

Randy Orton def. Wade Barrett with John Cena as Special Guest Referee to retain the WWE Championship and as a result Cena is fired from the WWE

Rating:  7.5/10

Overall, WWE Survivor Series was a good PPV.  Even though the main event between Randy Orton and Wade Barrett was very anti-climactic, the moment after the match ended was stunning.  John Cena made his supposed final goodbyes to the fans and to the WWE crew out at ringside.  This moment made the fact that John Cena was “fired” seem that more believable and real; great job on WWE’s part there.  The show was very top heavy, but still enjoyable enough for me to recommend you go check it out.  My overall rating for WWE Survivor Series 2010 is 7.5 out of 10.

Vengeful Sunday: Preview of WWE Vengeance 2011

Violence and big egos are the lifeblood in the WWE.  With all the fighting, arguments and big messy disagreements that go on a daily basis, it is common for some to hold grudges.  It is common for others to remember past transgressions and wrongdoings.  It is very common for wrestlers to seek vengeance.

Welcome back, WWE Vengeance!  For fans that do not know or cannot remember, Vengeance use to be the PPV at the end of June before it was replaced by Night of Champions back in 2008.  Vengeance has returned and now takes the place of Bragging Rights.  Bragging Rights had one great concept as the whole PPV revolved around a competition between Raw and Smackdown to determine who the best brand in the WWE was.  The only thing wrong about the PPV was where it was positioned on WWE’s PPV schedule.  If it took place in May, it would be perfect, but it took place right before Survivor Series.  Survivor Series has always been known for its traditional 8 to 10 Men Elimination Tag Team Matches, the same match that was pivot on the Bragging Rights card.  In short, Bragging Rights overshadowed Survivor Series and here we are.  Considering this show is the third PPV that has taken place within a months’ time, hopes are not high.  If the WWE got rid of Hell in a Cell a had five weeks to build Vengeance, this writer along with many others would not feel so burnt out.  There has no rest for the wicked and no rest for some dedicated wrestling pockets.  Top to bottom the card looks solid and given more time to build storylines and feuds between PPVs, I personally believe people would be more excited for Vengeance.  Given the situation we in right here right now, people just want to get to Survivor Series as soon as possible.

Air Boom (c) vs. Jack Swagger & Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Tag Team Championship

We saw this match placed on Hell in a Cell at the very last minute.  From what this writer heard, it was pretty good.  So it would be wise to expect more of the same here.  It is nice that the WWE is taking the Tag Team Division a little more seriously, but I thought crowning Air Boom tag champs meant a dawn of a new Tag Team Division in the WWE.  Personally, this writer believes that Air Boom should still be feuding with Awesome Truth.  That is a discussion for another day.  Swaggler (hope this name catches on) should provide a good challenge for Air Boom’s tag title reign, which should continue this Sunday and for many months to come.

Prediction:  Air Boom retains

Sheamus vs. Christian

I would be more invested in this match if it was a No. 1 Contender’s Match to determine the next superstar in line for the World Title.  Sadly it is not, so honestly why should we care?  Sheamus and Christian are excellent main event level talent, but WWE has not given us anything to elevate this rivalry above two guys who do not really like each one another.  If this rivalry meant more than Christian could possibly win this match to push another match at Survivor Series.  Unless the WWE adds some story this rivalry, expect Sheamus to beat Christian yet again, elevate his status on Smackdown and move on to bigger and hopefully better things.

Prediction:  Sheamus wins

Beth Phoenix (c) vs. Eve for the Diva’s Championship

It took so long to get this point with the Divas of Doom storyline that it almost fizzled out.  Beth should have won the Diva’s Title back at Night of Champions instead of Hell in a Cell.  Now that the title is on the Glamazon, Beth and Natalya have been making all the Barbie dolls scream and cry with their new and awesome submission hold, Pin Up Strong.  Now with Kelly stepping aside, it is time for Eve to challenge Beth for the title.  Considering that Eve can wrestle much better than most Divas, this match could be a pleasant surprise that will end with another Diva crying in pain courtesy of the Divas of Doom.

Prediction:  Beth Phoenix retains

Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Zack Ryder for the U.S. Championship

36 weeks ago, Zack Ryder started the Youtube sensation known as Z! True Long Island Story.  36 weeks later with millions of fans support, Zack Ryder has his first one-on-one match on PPV for the United States Championship no less.  It is the perfect time to give the Woo Woo Woo Kid the singles title run he most rightfully deserves.  With Dolph Ziggler as his opponent, this match should be great showcase of the young talent in the WWE.

Prediction:  Zack Ryder wins the U.S. Championship

Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes

It has been a long time since we have seen Randy Orton outside of a title match, it is very refreshing.  The WWE has paired with the perfect opponent in Cody Rhodes.  Cody and Randy have a history going back to their days as stable mates in Legacy and even as far as Cody’s debut back in 2007.  Since the implosion of Legacy, both men have changed, some more dramatic than others with Cody Rhodes.  Now after Orton inadvertently busting Rhodes open with the ring bell, both men are at each other’s necks.  Cody wants his revenge and Orton just wants pay Rhodes back for costing him the World Heavyweight Championship two weeks ago.  With all this pent-up anger, these two could possibly steal the show this Sunday.

Prediction:  Cody Rhodes wins

Triple H & CM Punk vs. Awesome Truth

There are so many ways that the WWE could of set-up this match and the Miz and R-Truth’s anticlimactic return two weeks ago was not it.  What was the whole point of them getting fired if a month later they would just be magically rehired?  In the week of build this match got, the WWE tried so very hard to make the Miz and Truth look like a threat to Triple H and CM Punk and failed miserably.  There is no way in a match without outside interference that the Miz and R-Truth would come close to beating Triple H Almighty and CM Punk.  This match will be worth it if and only if as a result of this match, the WWE reveals the person who has been pulling the strings in the WWE as of late at Vengeance or on the following Raw.

Prediction:  Triple H & CM Punk win

Mark Henry (c) vs. Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship

Big Show is back and he wants his vengeance paid with the World Heavyweight Championship.  Upon his return, the World’s Largest Athlete has made an impact.  Big Show has laid out Mark Henry week after week and single-handedly proven that he is Henry’s biggest challenge yet as the World Heavyweight Champion.  A challenge that should bring the World’s Strongest Man to the brink and will show what kind of champion he really is.  The match itself might not be that good, but the rewards would be huge if Mark Henry wins (and he better win WWE).  A win will definitely catapult to the biggest monster on the WWE roster and prove that he is one of the most dominant World Champions in WWE history.

Prediction:  Mark Henry retains

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. John Cena in a Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship

After all that has gone on with the WWE Championship in the last four months, this writer has gone from completely interested to not even caring.  The WWE Title scene has become just as absurd as Booker T’s commentary, it is numbing.  The only purpose of this match should be to repair Alberto Del Rio’s main event status.  With Del Rio getting a decisive win over John Cena, the WWE could have the very lucky chance to reverse all the damage their short-sighted title change caused.  By the end of this Last Man Standing Match we will know for sure if the WWE really trusts that Alberto Del Rio can hold the WWE Championship.  If not, we are in for another reign of John Cena.  What a bummer that would be.

Prediction:  Alberto Del Rio retains

Unfortunately the return of Vengeance happens after a long line of consecutive PPVs.  It is definitely nice to see an old PPV that you remember fondly return in this gimmick PPV ruled day and age.  If there was more time and more thought put into a lot of the hype and the feuds, this PPV could of standout.  At the end of the day, this writer along with many other wrestling fans are getting a little burnt out and sadly can care less about Vengeance.

Glory Bound: Quick Preview of TNA Bound for Glory 2011

In all honesty, this writer has missed a good chunk of the hype for TNA’s biggest PPV, Bound for Glory.  So much of my opinions for this show were made from the three episodes of Impact Wrestling that I watched and what I read online.  The overall impression is just more of the same from Total Nonsensical Action.  At least Sunday means the culmination of TNA’s biggest storylines from the past year meaning the possible disbanding of both Immortal and Fortune.  Seriously TNA needs to move on from these stale and meaningless factions.  With the start of new and completely fresh storylines and feuds, this writer is more excited to see what will happen this coming Thursday on Impact Wrestling than watch the end of a rather abysmal year from TNA.

Bound for Glory is TNA’s equivalent to WWE’s WrestleMania.  It is Total Nonstop Action’s biggest and most hyped show of the wrestling year.  Considering that most TNA PPVs get little to no hype, most hyped is not saying much.  Being the biggest PPV of the year, guess that means gimmicks galore for TNA.  Gimmick matches are great once or twice on a card or PPVs like Extreme Rules and Hardcore Justice, but a good half of the Bound for Glory card consists of gimmick matches.  There are only two plain singles matches on the card and TNA moved what was going to be the only tag match to the pre-show.  Shows how important the Tag Team Titles are to TNA, but I digress.  Much like WrestleMania is for the WWE, TNA is under an incredible amount of pressure to deliver with Bound for Glory.  If TNA does not deliver at least a good PPV, it could mean another nail in the coffin for this struggling company.

Austin Aries (c) vs. Brian Kendrick for the X Division Championship

Prediction:  Austin Aries retains

Samoa Joe vs. Crimson vs. Matt Morgan in a 3-Way Match

Prediction:  Crimson wins

Winter (c) vs. Madison Rayne vs. Mickie James vs. Velvet Sky in a 4-Way Match for the TNA Knockouts Championship

Prediction:  Velvet Sky wins the TNA Knockouts Championship

Mr. Anderson vs. Bully Ray in a Falls Count Anywhere Match

Prediction:  Mr. Anderson wins

Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn in a Full Metal Mayhem Match

Prediction:  Rob Van Dam wins

AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniel in an “I Quit” Match

Prediction:  Christopher Daniels wins

Hulk Hogan vs. Sting in a No DQ Match for Control of TNA

Prediction:  Sting wins & Dixie Carter regains control of TNA

Kurt Angle (c) vs. Bobby Roode for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship

Prediction:  Bobby Roode wins the TNA World Heavyweight Championship

Bound for Glory is not your normal PPV.  It is TNA’s wrestling extravaganza.  Like every year before it, Total Nonstop Action has spared no expense, but there is one question lingering in the minds of most wrestling fans.  Can TNA really pull it off?  We will just have to see come this Sunday night when TNA Bound for Glory originates from the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia.

A Summer Party for All: Review of WWE Summerslam 2011

One word sums up the ending of Summerslam, chaos.  After CM Punk emerged from the Undisputed WWE Championship match victorious, in controversial fashion nonetheless, a series of events took place that left many jaws dropped.  First, Kevin Nash, who has not been seen in the WWE since the Hall of Fame ceremony, jumped the guardrail and attacked the newly crowned Undisputed WWE Champion.  Nash hit a thunderous clothesline followed by an impactful Jackknife Powerbomb before being chased out of the arena by Triple H.  Then Alberto Del Rio made his way down to the ring with his Money in the Bank briefcase in tow ready to cash in.  With a step-up enzigiri and a pin, Del Rio’s long prophesized destiny was fulfilled as the Mexican Aristocrat left Summerslam with the WWE Championship.  It was ending that left fans shocked, confused and most importantly, eagerly anticipating the upcoming Monday Night Raw.  It was a perfect cliffhanger ending that WWE should do more of.

With all the chaos that ended Summerslam 2011, there was one thing you have to say about this show.  It was definitely fun a lot of fun to watch.  Not every match or every moment on this show was stellar, but they all came together to make one very enjoyable PPV.  The only horrible moment on this PPV was the music performance by Cee Lo Green.  You should watch it once just to see how horrible it was and how much the crowd in the Staples Center did not care.  Talking about the crowd in the Staples Center, they were amazing.  They were hot for every match on the card, which made watching the show that much more enjoyable.  Summerslam may not have been as magical as Money in the Bank, but no wrestling fan should miss this PPV. 

Rey Mysterio, John Morrison & Kofi Kingston def. Alberto Del Rio, The Miz & R-Truth

Rating:  8/10  

Mark Henry def. Sheamus by count-out

Rating:  6.5/10

Kelly Kelly def. Beth Phoenix to retain the Diva’s Championship

Rating:  7/10

Wade Barrett def. Daniel Bryan

Rating:  8.5/10

Randy Orton def. Christian in a No Holds Barred Match to win the World Heavyweight Championship

Rating:  9.5/10

CM Punk def. John Cena to become the Undisputed WWE Champion

Alberto Del Rio def. CM Punk to win the Undisputed WWE Championship after cashing in the Raw Money in the Bank briefcase

Rating:  9.5/10

All-in-all, WWE Summerslam 2011 was truly the Biggest Party of the Summer.  Just like Money in the Bank, Summerslam had amazing wrestling, an extremely hot audience and an excellently crafted cliffhanger that had fans eagerly anticipating the following Monday Night Raw.  It was a great way to cap off the incredible summer that the WWE had and it made us all eagerly anticipate if the WWE could continue it s success for the months to come.  So if you missed Summerslam or want to show your support for great wrestling, make sure to buy the DVD, which you can find on store shelves now.  The overall rating for WWE Summerslam 2011 is 8.5 out of 10.

Hell on Earth: Preview of WWE Hell in a Cell 2011

Here we are once again.  You might think that this writer seems like a broken record, but in all honesty I have to state what I feel.  Again the WWE has done a horrible job of building a PPV.  It might not be a surprise yet it has to be stated.  We are only two weeks removed from Night of Champions and the WWE has done close to nothing to convince fans to pay another forty to fifty dollars on a PPV. 

The WWE has announced five matches for the event and done little to build their importance on this card.  It would have been so much easier to have a three hour Raw with this exact card than have another PPV.  It would definitely give the WWE more time to build to their next PPV, Vengeance, which will be in three weeks time.  Also the WWE would not have to further tarnish the reputation of the once great Hell in a Cell match.  You cannot throw just any two competitors into that steel structure, the feud between those two superstars has to be worthy of the Cell.  The fans have to believe that these two superstars NEED to settle their differences in Hell in Cell.  Ever since the WWE started the Hell in a Cell PPV back in 2009, no feud has been worthy to be put in the Cell.  Not to say there were any good matches that took place in Hell in a Cell during the last two events, there has, but none of them have felt like they needed to be in Satan’s Structure.  At the moment, there is not much going for this year’s edition of Hell in a Cell.  We will just have to see if WWE can make this Sunday’s event that originates from the New Orleans Arena much more than a throwaway PPV.

Blue Mask Sin Cara vs. Black Mask Sin Cara

There is only room in the WWE for one Sin Cara, so this Sunday at Hell in a Cell both Sin Caras will battle to determine who deserves the right of being the real Sin Cara.  This match should be one great high-flying show, which is perfect for the opening match.  You have to give the WWE credit where credit is due.  The WWE has done a great job in giving each Sin Cara its own colour scheme.  This addition will definitely prevent confusion for all those watching this match.  It looks like this feud has only started so expect the evil Black Mask Sin Cara to triumph over the Blue Mask Sin Cara to continue this feud between luchadors.

Prediction:   Black Mask Sin Cara

Mark Henry (c) vs. Randy Orton in a Hell in a Cell Match for the World Heavyweight Championship

Want to know what feud would have been perfect for Hell in a Cell?  That feud is Randy Orton vs. Christian.   The feud’s intensity got to the point that it deserved to be in the Cell.  All the WWE needed to do was keep Christian off of all WWE programming until the Smackdown after where he would challenge Orton to a final match in Satan’s Structure.  It also would have had plenty of build due to Orton and Christian’s history.  This writer believes it would have been an incredible match, but we are left with Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton for the World Title.  It should be a very physical match.  The only thing is that this match does not even deserve to be a Hell in a Cell match.  It would have been much better to have a No DQ match instead.  Just hope Mark Henry retains because this writer is getting seeing Orton as World Heavyweight Champion.

Prediction:   Mark Henry retains

Kelly Kelly (c) vs. Beth Phoenix for the Diva’s Championship

For the third straight PPV we have a match between Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly and for the third straight PPV this writer will hope Beth Phoenix wins the Diva’s Title.  What once inspired so much excitement from the WWE Universe has completely fell flat in the WWE’s attempt to create the Diva’s version of John Cena.  There are only so many times us fans can watch Kelly Kelly beat Beth Phoenix with a sunset flip.  If Beth Phoenix does not win at Hell in a Cell, this writer will officially give up on the Diva’s division until Kharma makes her return next year.

Prediction:   Beth Phoenix wins the Diva’s Championship

Christian vs. Sheamus

The WWE has been hinting at a match between these two for a month now and it has now come to fruition.  Other than both men costing each other a shot at a championship, be it the World Title or Intercontinental Title, there has not been much animosity between Sheamus and Christian.  It feels like WWE Creative just thought, “Hey, Sheamus is a face and not doing anything and Christian is a heel and he’s not anything either.  Let’s throw put them in a feud.”  Even though this match and feud seems like it was thrown together because the WWE could not think of anything better to do with these two superstars, it should be a pretty good match.  Expect Sheamus to get the win in order to push the Celtic Warrior towards an evident World Title match.

Prediction:   Sheamus wins

John Cena (c) vs. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio in a Triple Threat Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship

This match should have been the main event for Night of Champions considering the way Summerslam ended.  Sadly to our displeasure, the WWE decided to jump the gun on CM Punk vs. Triple H and we were left watching Cena bury Alberto Del Rio and his main event status.  Now with no way to build a worthy main event, the WWE decided to keep things quick and easy by announcing this match as the main event for Hell in a Cell.  Like Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton, this match does not need to be in Hell in a Cell.  With the talents of CM Punk and Del Rio carrying Cena, we should be in store for one great main event.  We will just have to see if these three can make this Triple Threat match a great Hell in a Cell match.   Later this month the WWE will be heading to Mexico to tape Raw and Smackdown, so expect the Mexican Aristocrat to win the WWE Title.

Prediction:   Alberto Del Rio wins the WWE Championship

Personally, I have not seen a successful wrestling PPV with only two weeks of build, so it is extremely hard to get excited for Hell in a Cell.  When talking wrestling, never say never because you will never know how things turn out.  The WWE could possibly pull it off, but chances are slim.  Unless you really enjoyed Night of Champions, there is not much reason to pay another 50 dollars to watch WWE Hell in a Cell 2011.

Top 10 Pissed Off Moments in Wrestling

Anger is defined in the dictionary as a strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a wrong.  In all our years of enjoying any sort of entertainment, be it watching a movie, reading a book or playing a video game, there are moments that just piss us off so much that steam almost blows out of our ears like in cartoons.  In honour of Super Cena’s 10^th WWE Championship win this past Sunday at Night of Champions, this writer is going to look at his personal list of the top moments in wrestling that pissed him off a lot.

10.  King Booker vs. Batista on Smackdown

All the way back in 2006, this writer had only watched wrestling for two full years and was a little naïve.  Naïve enough to believe anything the WWE promoted as being great.  He cheered for all the faces and booed all the heels no matter what.  So when WWE pushed this Summerslam rematch between Batista and King Booker as the biggest match ever on Smackdown, he believed it.  To his dismay, the match floundered to point it was hard to watch.  Batista was pushed to the point that it seemed like Booker had no chance, so when the King pulled out the cheap victory it sucked the life out of the match and pissed this writer off to no extent. 

9.  3/3/11

TNA has had a tendency to rip-off the WWE quite a bit.  So this act might not have surprised most people.  But when TNA promotes it as “The Most Shocking Surprise of the Year” (TNA’s words not mine), no one expected TNA to blatantly copy a big angle from the WWE.  Yes, people speculated that Sting was involved the WWE’s 2/21/11, so TNA probably wanted to capitalize on the extra publicity Sting was getting.  The video was very similar to the WWE’s initial 2/21/11 video, but with horrible TNA production values.  Instead of hyping people, such as this writer, for Sting’s return (which actually was spoiled before the Impact broadcast was over), it ticked a lot of them off that TNA would sink so low to blatantly copy the WWE’s original idea rather than giving their fans an actual surprise.

8.  Ric Flair Wrestles on Impact

Back in March of 2008, the WWE gave one of the greatest wrestlers in the business Ric Flair a beautiful retirement.  When Shawn Michaels beat Flair to end the Nature Boy’s wrestling career, Flair said that he would never wrestle again.  As a fan of wrestling, you figure out quickly that there really is no retirement in professional wrestling, but when a wrestler says he will never wrestle again, some people like yours truly believe that.  Personally I believe Shawn Michaels will never wrestle again, but that is another story.  So the fact that Flair would go to TNA and wrestle not one, but a good number of matches felt like a slap in the face to all those who believed what the Nature Boy said those few years ago.  Retirement in pro wrestling may not be final, but a man even the Dirtiest Player in the Game should stick by whatever he says no matter when or where he said it.

7.  The Great Khali Wins the World Heavyweight Championship

Here we get to the good stuff.  Back in the summer of 2007 when Edge went down with an injury, the WWE thought of the ingenious idea to put the World Heavyweight Championship on this lumbering idiot.  Smackdown was not in the best shape.  Many of the big superstars on Smackdown like Rey Mysterio, Mark Henry and Undertaker were all out with an injury.  So you might think to yourself that they did not have much of choice, but in reality they actually did.  The WWE could and SHOULD have put the title on either Batista or Kane.  No, the WWE decided to put one of their major titles on a giant who had zero charisma and would not know how to put on a good match even if it bit him on the ass.  This title change was one of the many reasons why the summer of 2007 will go down as one of the worst summers in wrestling history.

6.  Sheamus Wins 1^st WWE Championship

Timing, it is such a huge thing in professional wrestling.  It can make or break any storyline, push or even wrestling match.  So who in the hell thought that Sheamus was even ready to hold the WWE Championship after less than a year in the WWE?!  Sheamus was supposed to be built as a monster yet all he did was beat up guys like Jamie Noble and Santino Marella.  So WWE tell me why should the fans even believe this green rookie could beat or even deserved facing the Face of the WWE for the WWE Championship?!  To make things worse, Sheamus beat John Cena for the WWE Title by shoving him off the top rope causing Cena to fall through a table.  What an awesome way to put over a supposed monster, WWE.  Yes, now Sheamus is an excellent superstar and deserves the main event status he has earned.  But back in 2009, we wrestling fans did not like seeing the Celtic Warrior shoved down our collective throats the way the WWE did.

5.  Undertaker vs. Kane in Hell in a Cell

This match is a prime example that the ending of a match can make or break it.  In the Hell in a Cell’s bloody history, there have been some horrible matches, but this one takes the cake and it was all thanks to its craptacular ending.  So let me explain it to you in detail, so you can feel the same anger that I felt after watching this crap.  Undertaker went for the Tombstone Piledriver on Kane and as Taker went for the move the lights dimmed and pyro started going off on the stage.  If you think that was stupid, just wait it got worse.  Kane fought out of Taker’s Tombstone, which was followed by Paul Bearer opening Taker’s urn and seemingly “blinding” the Undertaker.  After that Kane and the Undertaker stood in the ring dumbfounded as Bearer made his painfully slow trek to hand Kane the urn, in order for Kane to use the urn to bash Taker over the head with it and get the win.  Who in their right mind thought this would be a good ending!?  This ending was unacceptable as a finish to a match and this match was unacceptable to be a main event of a PPV.  The ending for this match was not even close to believable and it left a sour taste in my mouth that I probably will never get over.

4.  WWE Releases Daniel Bryan

The WWE has released many great superstars that have made many wrestling fans pissed off.  The fact that The Great Khali is still employed by the WWE and wrestlers like Low Ki, MVP and Gail Kim are not, really ticks this writer off.  Out of all the releases, there is only one that reigns as the dumbest release the WWE has done, so dumb in fact that the WWE rehired that wrestler two months after being released.  That wrestler was the “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson or otherwise known as Daniel Bryan in the WWE.  Supposedly somebody at Mattel, who works on WWE’s action figures, got angry at Bryan choking WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts with his own tie during the Nexus invasion on Raw, so to avoid Mattel from ceasing production on the WWE’s “beloved” action figures, the WWE fired Daniel Bryan.  The uproar this release caused was nothing short of legendary with fans chanting Daniel Bryan’s name at WWE events across the US.  A Daniel Bryan chant can be heard crystal clear at the very end of the WWE’s Fatal 4 Way PPV during the June of last year.  So hopefully the WWE has learned from this incident and will listen to us Daniel Bryan fans.  So WWE, you should start letting him win before we get vocal again.

3.  John Cena Wins 10^th WWE Championship

Well here we are.  The very moment that inspired this very article.  John Cena’s win over Alberto Del Rio this past Sunday for his record setting 10^th WWE Championship win and 12^th World Championship win in total.   This one moment sent yours truly into a complete fit to the point that I took to Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to stress my complete and utter anger.  In the last month, John Cena along with WWE Creative made Del Rio look pathetic.  He was buried week after week to the point that Alberto had to beat Cena or risk being buried to the point his career might never recover from.  Guess WWE did not think about that because they gave the WWE Title to Cena anyway.  The WWE and Super Cena crushed the credibility of Del Rio and the credibility of the WWE Championship.  Now how can any fan consider Alberto Del Rio as a worthy main eventer?  How can any fan care about the WWE Championship after it has been devalued this much?  John Cena as WWE Champion may help ratings, but thanks for alienating some of your most devoted fans yet again.

2.  Christian Drops the World Heavyweight Championship Two Days after Winning It

Many hardcore wrestling fans and Canadians have waited what seems like ages for Christian to get what he rightful has deserved for years.  That moment came at Extreme Rule this past May when Captiain Charisma beat Alberto Del Rio in a Ladder Match for the WWE Championship.  It was a beautiful and glorious moment for all wrestling fans, but as a Canadian it was a little more special to see a countryman win the Big One.  Two days later, the Cinderella Story came to its tragic end as Randy Orton beat Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship.  It felt much worse than a slap in the face to Christian and his Peeps, it felt like the WWE punted us right in the family jewels with steel-toe boots.  So after we all recovered from the shock, we made our voices heard and complained about the WWE’s stupid decision to put the title right on Orton without giving Christian a chance to run with it.  Even after the excellent feud that resulted from this one event, personally I am still angry at the WWE for giving Christian not one, but two short abysmal reigns as World Heavyweight Champion.

1.  TNA Victory Road 2011

PPVs like this one kill promotions; they incredibly decrease the fan base and stain a promotion’s reputation.  There is no doubt that TNA’s Victory Road PPV event this last March will never be forgotten, but for all the wrong reasons.  If Christian dropping the World Title to Randy Orton two days after winning it felt like a kick in the manhood, it felt like TNA stabbed us all right in the heart and left us for dead.  Even if the product has been on a steady decline, people trusted TNA to put on a good to decent show, but they betrayed their fans trust and put on a show that was a defeat in every sense of the word.  The backlash to this PPV has been huge even to the point that TNA gave anybody who bought Victory Road three free months of TNA on Demand.  A noble effort, but TNA should have done more for the crap they put their fans through.  If Victory Road was not the final nail in TNA’s coffin, it will sure be start of the eventual collapse of this wrestling promotion.