The Last Report?

Over the past month, I've been doing a lot of thinking about this blog.

Like I mentioned before, I restarted The Silver Report as an outlet for my writing. I wasn't getting much of a chance to write in my job, so I thought it'd be best to do some on my own. While my intentions were more for self-improvement, I enjoy writing, especially writing about topics that I have a passion for, such as professional wrestling.

But ever since WrestleMania (maybe even slightly before it), I've found that The Silver Report was feeling more and more like a job instead of a creative outlet. And I didn't want that to happen. I wanted it to be a place for me to experiment with my writing and to have fun — not feel like I'm still on the clock.

Add in the fact that my list of wrestling to watch is growing at a rapid rate, one man just doesn't have enough time to watch all that wrestling along with work, a social life, and other hobbies. It was hard enough to watch all of the New Japan tournaments in 2018, but they seem to be getting longer each year. For example, this year's Best of the Super Juniors tournament had a good 30 matches more than last year.

Plus, the horrid post-WrestleMania output from WWE's main roster has me completely rethinking how I follow the main roster while keeping my sanity. I think only watching the PPVs and catching the highlights fo Raw and Smackdown from podcasts and YouTube clips might be the best.

So, what does this all mean?

Well, I'm going to take a hiatus from writing here on The Silverdome. I don't know how long it will be. In the meantime, I'm thinking of ideas to retool the writing style of this blog to provide as much content without working me to the bone.

With that said, I would like to thank everybody who has read The Silver Report, clicked on my social media posts about it, and shared in this passion with me. I hope it brought you some enjoyment and helped broaden your view of professional wrestling.

Must-See Matches of May

Before I end this, I wasn't going to skip out on a Must-See Matches for May. Considering I'm about halfway through the Super Juniors, I'll update the article with any other must-see matches from the tournament.

5/4/2019
Wrestling Dontaku Night 2
Evil vs. Tomohiro Ishii

5/8/2019
NXT
Adam Cole vs. Matt Riddle

5/13/2019
Best of the Super Jr. 26 Night 1
Shingo Takagi vs. Sho

5/15/2019
Best of the Super Jr. Night 3
Dragon Lee vs. Sho

5/16/2019
Best of the Super Jr. Night 4
Will Ospreay vs. Rocky Romero

5/19/2019
Money in the Bank
AJ Styles vs. Seth Rollins

5/23/2019
Best of the Super Jr. Night 8
Will Ospreay vs. Bandido
Dragon Lee vs. Shingo Takagi

5/25/2019
Double or Nothing
Lucha Bros vs. Young Bucks
Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho

The Silver Report: February 2018

With past Silver Reports, these introductions can get a little long-winded when summarizing a week or month of wrestling into a paragraph or two.

From the New Japan debut of Rey Mysterio to the launch of ROH's HonorClub streaming service to end of Johnny Gargano's NXT career, February was packed with huge developments in the world of pro wrestling. While I can't get to everything, I got three big stories to talk about in this month's edition of the Silver Report.

Tournament Breathes New Life into 205 Live

From its inception, it was an uphill battle for 205 Live. No matter the talent of its roster or the amount of quality matches it laid witness to, it was the home of a division that was poorly booked from the moment it debuted on Raw. Eventually, all that talent and quality match-ups gave way to redundant feuds of the cartoonish variety and silly theatrics.

Well that all ended this past January, when former Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore was fired due to sexual allegations he kept from WWE upper management. As January became February, 205 Live got its very first general manager in Drake Maverick (the former Rockstar Spud of Impact Wrestling fame), a new show runner in Triple H, and a tournament to crown a new Cruiserweight Champion.

For the first time since the Cruiserweight Classic, WWE's Cruiserweight division is must-watch television and it's all thanks to this tournament. From crazy spot fests to technical showcases to hard-hitting affairs, every match has been a delight to watch. Even the matches on the lower end of the spectrum are better than your average Raw/Smackdown match.

With new faces running the show and serious, more wrestling-oriented direction, 205 Live has finally found its footing after a year and a half on air. Now, fingers crossed that Triple H and company can keep this show on the right course. If so, 205 Live may be able to compete with NXT as WWE's best weekly program.

Monday Night Rollins, Sunday Night Strowman

One week. Two superstars. Two unbelievable performances.

It all started on the February 19th edition of Raw. WWE announced a Gauntlet Match featuring all seven men in the Elimination Chamber, but nobody expected the nearly two hour match we got.

Although Braun Strowman stood tall at the very end, it was Seth Rollins' iron man performance that left a huge impression. Lasting a total of one hour and five minutes, Rollins dispatched both Roman Reigns and John Cena in two hard fought matches (a feat comparable to Chris Jericho beating the Rock and Steve Austin in the same night back in 2001) before falling to a fresh Elias. Despite the loss, Rollins came out more over as a babyface than he has ever been.

The next incredible performance came from the very winner of that Gauntlet Match, Braun Strowman. While Strowman was the second last competitor to enter the Men's Elimination Chamber, he left the biggest impact. Adding to his long list of amazing feats, Strowman would go onto eliminate five men before losing the bout to Reigns. Which came after kicking out of a quadruple powerbomb, Attitude Adjustment, Curb Stomp, Coup d'Grace, and Frog Splash off the top of a pod! For lack of a better term, it was bonkers. Even with the formulaic Super Roman ending, Strowman looked like the true face of the company at the end of this match.

Bullet Club isn't Fine

After all the turmoil that January brought to the Bullet Club, things only got worse in February as Kenny and Cody's feud ravaged the faction.

The month started with the announcement of Kenny Omega vs. Cody for the leadership of the Bullet Club for ROH's Supercard of Honor show on WrestleMania weekend. From there, Cody planted seeds of dissension among the Young Bucks and Marty Scurll (the three members that were conflicted by Cody's power plays). By the end of the month, the conniving Rhodes convinced Scurll to break off and form the Villain Club. Plus, he slowly worked the Young Bucks into moving up to the heavyweight tag division and in the process, turning on Omega.

On the other side of this conflict, Omega made strides in renewing his relationship with Kota Ibushi. The two were featured in a mini-documentary on New Japan World, which gave fans an inside look at their first practice back as a team and built excitement for their first matches back as the Golden Lovers.

All this turmoil came to a head at NJPW and ROH's joint Honor Rising shows at the end of the month. The Golden Lovers faced the likes of Cody and Marty Scurll in the main event of both nights (first in a six-man tag with Chase Owens and in a regular tag match the next). Despite ending the weekend with a 1-1 record, the Golden Lovers showed the world that they haven't lost a step with their unbelievable tag team offence and high energy. Plus, the fans in Korakuen Hall showed their appreciation tenfold as their cheers were deafening.

Although the Golden Lovers were successful, they didn't leave Honor Rising unscathed. Cody continued his mind games with Omega by planting a kiss on Ibushi in the middle of their tag match. Plus, the Young Bucks cutoff the Lovers' celebration to officially announce their aspirations in New Japan's heavyweight tag division and challenged to the Golden Lovers to a match, which New Japan later booked for March's Strong Style Evolved show in Long Beach.

In summation, February was an insane month for this ongoing Bullet Club saga and March should be even crazier as tensions build to Strong Style Evolved and Supercard of Honor respectively. So if you want to follow the best storyline of 2018 so far, best to keep up with the latest and greatest episode of Being the Elite.

Must-See Matches of February 

2/6/2018
205 Live
Roderick Strong vs. Hideo Itami

2/7/2018
NXT
Sanity vs. Undisputed Era - Six Man Tornado Tag Team Match

2/10/2018
New Beginning in Osaka
Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi
Kazuchika Okada vs. Sanada

2/19/2018
Raw
Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. John Cena vs. Elias vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Braun Strowman - Gauntlet Match

2/21/2018 
NXT
Andrade "Cien" Almas vs. Johnny Gargano - Title vs. Career

2/24/2018
Honor Rising Night 2
Hangman Page & The Young Bucks vs. Jay White, Chuckie T & Yoshi-Hashi
Golden Lovers vs. "The American Nightmare" Cody & Marty Scurll

2/25/2018
Elimination Chamber
Women's Elimination Chamber
Men's Elimination Chamber

2/27/2018
Smackdown
AJ Styles vs. John Cena

205 Live
Roderick Strong vs. Kalisto

The Streak is Over

WrestleMania XXX has come and gone.  It was much better than yours truly initially expected following the results of Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber.  More so than in years prior, WrestleMania as an overall show was fun and thoroughly enjoyable.  There were a good number of great moments from Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock all in the same ring and Daniel Bryan's winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship after having the odds stacked against him to Cesaro slamming Big Show over the top rope and The Shield's triple powerbomb on both members of the New Age Outlaws.  While a couple matches did not live up to this writer's expectations namely John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt and Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar, it was a pleasant surprise to see the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and Daniel Bryan vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton exceed my low expectations.  Out of everything that happened at WrestleMania XXX, one moment in particular clearly defined this event and cemented its spot in wrestling history.  That moment was the end of The Streak at the hands of Brock Lesnar.

Over the course of the Undertaker's illustrious career, no accomplishment has been greater than his winning streak at WrestleMania.  As countless wrestlers fell to the Deadman at WrestleMania year-in and year-out, The Streak grew in prestige and importance.  One could easily argue that The Streak was the most prestigious and important accomplishment in the WWE and professional wrestling as a whole.  To break such an unprecedented streak would be greater than winning any match or championship in wrestling.  Considering the lacklustre events leading up to the match between Undertaker and Brock Lesnar, no one could have imagined The Streak would end in that very match.  You would expect the WWE to pull out all the stops and put together some epic build for a result this monumental and polarizing to even considered.  Wrestling fans have been so invested in The Streak that it is understandable to see such a wide array of emotions come from it ending.  Being of the camp that never wanted The Streak to be broken, I am personally surprised at how well I have received it.  Even though Brock Lesnar is a part-timer and has already established himself as a premier athlete, I am perfectly fine with him ending The Streak.  Actually, having Lesnar end The Streak gives the Beast nuclear heat that will never wear off and establishes him as THE dominant force in the WWE.  Also it sets up whoever beats Lesnar next, which better be Bryan, as a bona fide superstar in the WWE.  Personally, I am bummed out that Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar could not develop into a great match.  While it was still a pretty good match at best, they could never take the match to the next level and really get our blood pumping like all of the recent Undertaker matches at WrestleMania.  Not putting on an excellent match to rival the moment of The Streak ending just made things feel surreal and uncomfortable.  The match did show that it is definitely time for Undertaker to hang up the boots for good.  People may be concerned about how WWE will book a possible Sting vs. Undertaker match for next year, but this writer would rather not see that smoke-and-mirrors show become a reality especially since neither Sting or Undertaker can perform anywhere close to the level they use to.

WWE could not rely on The Streak to solely sell WrestleMania forever; now is the time to let it go and make new selling points for WrestleMania.  To launch the WWE into a new era, it is beneficial to honour both the Undertaker and The Streak as an important part of WrestleMania and wrestling history with Raw tonight and the 2015 Hall of Fame at WrestleMania 31.  As hard as it may seem for some, the unthinkable has happened.  The Streak is over and we all have to come to accept it one way or another.  WWE took an incredible risk with ending The Streak, but the only way to know if it was truly the right call or not is to see what happens next.  Tonight's Raw is the first page of this next chapter.  Will you be watching?

End of The Silverdome?

This decision is a hard one to make, but it is time to hang up my wrestling boots for the time being.  Ever since I have gone back to school, I have severely cut back my wrestling consumption.  Before going back, I can watched Raw, Smackdown, Impact Wrestling, ROH and NXT on a weekly basis.  I consumed enough professional wrestling in a week to easily fuel this blog.  That is no longer the case.  Now I only watch Raw on Mondays, casually check the results for Smackdown every other week and read the stories from Lords of Pain that pop up on my Facebook News Feed.  Sometimes with my job, I don't even get a chance to watch all of Raw.  The WWE Network would make it easier to follow all the wrestling I want, but my family doesn't have the internet plan to support that large amount of streaming.  So that option is quite a few years away from being a reality for yours truly.  

On top of my cutbacks, I just don't have the drive anymore to write about wrestling.  In no way am I losing my love for professional wrestling.  I am just very disenchanted with the WWE's current direction.  With such a monumental event like WrestleMania XXX, I had such huge expectations for WWE to take things to the next level (say CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan in the main event).  Disappointingly enough, the WWE has resorted to bringing in the part-timers yet again to build WrestleMania around.  While it was a novel idea the first time around, that doesn't mean people will keep eating up year after year.  We need new talent and fast!  There are glimmers of hope with Daniel Bryan, The Shield, the Wyatt Family and Cesaro.  Due to the WWE's current state of pushing established stars and holding down the rising stars, it is extremely hard not to be pessimistic.  

So is this the end of The Silverdome?  Yes and no.  It is the end of The Silverdome as we currently know it.  No longer will there be any sort of regularity to this blog.  I may go back to weekly or monthly posts, but that will be in the far distant future if it ever happens.  If there is something in professional wrestling I feel compelled to write about, I will post it up here.  It may be in a weeks time or may be months from now.  Thank you to everybody for following, reading, sharing and anything else you did to support The Silverdome.  Until next time, I bid you all farewell.

Year in Review: The Best of 2013

Been a long time since yours truly last posted here on The Silverdome.  Between school and work, it has been hard to follow, more or less, write about anything in the wonderful world of wrestling.  With 2013 coming to a close, there is not much to talk about concerning major wrestling programming (Raw, Smackdown, Impact Wrestling) as big developments stall until the new year and are replaced with an unnecessary amount of holiday shenanigans.  What a better time to reflect on the year that just past both the good and the bad.

As a whole, 2013 was a very mixed year quality-wise.  While nothing is perfect, most of the great stuff about professional wrestling in 2013 came during the first eight months of the year.  Things after September could not compare to the eight months before it, but this writer will elaborate more on this point in The Worst of 2013.  The Best of 2013 did not come from the John Cena's and Randy Orton's of professional wrestling, it came from the up-and-coming stars such as the Shield and Dolph Ziggler and the true main eventers like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.  The Best of 2013 encompasses this writer's favourite matches, moments and angles of the year.  Enjoy the trip down memory lane and happy New Year!

Believe in the Shield
While the Shield debuted at the very end of 2012, 2013 was where this group made their impact.  There has not been a faction as dominant as the Shield in the WWE since the Attitude Era.  In all due respect to Evolution, the WWE's version of the Four Horsemen could never live up to their true potential due to injuries and a severely short reign of dominance.  During this full calendar year, the Shield has remained as one of the top of forces in the WWE even after dropping the Tag Titles to the Rhodes Brothers.  Aside from this faction's dominance, these three young guns have been putting on the most consistently strong performances of anyone on the WWE roster.  Any match the Shield is involved in can easily be considered the highlight of the night.  With or without championship gold around their waists, the Shield has the highest stock among any team or singles wrestler in WWE, which is incredibly impressive for three young wrestlers.

Dolph Ziggler Cashes In
Everybody was hoping to see Dolph Ziggler cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania to win the World Heavyweight Championship because it would have been an insane WrestleMania moment.  Leaving that moment until the next night on Raw, where a much bigger audience than WrestleMania is watching, was even better.  Pitting Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter against Alberto Del Rio in a Handicap Match, it seemed like the opportune time for the Show-off to cash in the briefcase.  Jack worked over Del Rio’s ankle before Alberto hooked in the Cross Arm Breaker to win the match.  Immediately following the Handicap Match, Ziggler would make his entrance to the cheers of the crowd and many fans sitting at home.  It was a short match that saw Dolph and Del Rio go back-and-forth.  There was one point where Del Rio hooked Ziggler in the Cross Arm Breaker that made this writer yell at the top of his lungs, “Don’t you dare tap, Dolph!”  Ziggler escaped the hold by twisting Del Rio’s injured ankle, which set up Ziggler to hit the Zig Zag for the win.  The crowd at the Izod Center exploded in cheers while this writer jumped out of his seat in pure excitement.  It was easily one of the best Money in the Bank cash-ins in WWE history.  In the span of two minutes, the emotions everybody watching this match went from excitement to frustration to ultimately happiness.  It was emotionally draining to say the least, but the best moments in professional wrestling are.  This cash-in was the defining moment of Dolph Ziggler's career and the moment many, including yours truly, believed Dolph had truly received the main event push he has deserved for so long.  Sadly, all great moments have to come to an end.

The Double Turn
A double turn is an extremely rare occurrence in professional wrestling due to the high level of difficulty to correctly pull off.  A successful double turn has a crowd immediately flip their allegiance between the two wrestlers in the match, while an unsuccessful double turn leaves everybody in a state of confusion.  The most successful double turn in wrestling history happened at WrestleMania 13 when Bret Hart would not relinquish the Sharpshooter he had locked on an unconscious Stone Cold Steve Austin.  The most successful double turn in recent memory occurred at WWE's first Payback PPV this past year in Chicago during Dolph Ziggler's first World Title defense against Alberto Del Rio.  Ziggler had been out of action with a concussion caused by a stiff kick from Jack Swagger.  Dolph was still suffering from the lingering effects of this concussion so Del Rio targeted the World Champion's head.  Throughout the match, Del Rio would relentlessly attack Ziggler with kicks to the head.  Ziggler tried to fight through Del Rio's debilitating punishment, but to no avail.  Despite Ziggler's heroic effort, the Show-off fell to the villainous assault of Alberto Del Rio.  Del Rio may have left Payback with the World Heavyweight Championship around his waist, but to the fans all around the world Dolph Ziggler was the real winner.  While Ziggler's title run was cut short, wrestling history was made on Father's Day in Chicago.

The World's Strongest Double Cross
News came the Monday following Payback that Mark Henry would be retiring from the squared-circle.  Henry’s hiatus from the ring during the Spring of 2013 to rest from injuries was sign enough that the World’s Strongest Man would hang up his boots.  Speaking of boots, Henry even placed his boots at the top of the stage during that edition of Monday Night Raw and came out in a bright pink blazer to give his retirement speech.  Henry’s speech induced tears, smiles and even chants as he had the audience wrapped around his finger.  John Cena, who Henry interrupted, came in to give Mark some time with the WWE Championship, a title that Henry has never held according to JBL’s commentary.  It would have been a sweet end for Mark Henry’s career, but the World’s Strongest Man does not go out with a whimper, the World’s Strongest Man goes out with a bang.  Mark Henry drew John Cena in for one last handshake and hit the World’s Strongest Slam instead.  Once Cena plummeted to the mat, the realization hit that Mark Henry was not retiring.  It was all a ploy to lure in the WWE Champion and what a great ploy it was.  In one fell swoop, WWE Creative built a credible threat to John Cena’s WWE Championship and made Mark Henry a devious heel that will sink to the lowest of lows to get his way.  Truly one of the highlights of an incredible summer for the WWE.

The Rise of the American Dragon
After the phenomenal year that Daniel Bryan had in 2012, there was no doubt that the American Dragon would be a bona-fide main eventer someday.  Bryan may not have the unrealistic build that WWE executives love, but he has something even more important-- the unanimous support of the WWE Universe.  Ever since Daniel Bryan turned face as a part of Team Hell No, the fans have flocked to him.  Just listen to the huge pop Bryan gets when he explodes into his signature offensive flurry of kicks and running clotheslines.  Just like in 2012, Daniel Bryan was the most popular superstar in 2013, even winning Superstar of the Year.  Despite being held down by Triple H and WWE Creative, Daniel Bryan won the WWE Championship not once but twice.  2013 was no doubt Daniel Bryan's year.  Bryan consistently put on quality matches no matter his position on the card, made major improvements in his promo delivery and continually received the loudest reactions of anyone on the WWE roster.  While WWE tirelessly tries to push big muscular men such as John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar and Batista, Daniel Bryan showed this past year that small athletic men are just as or even more entertaining to watch than the stereotypical muscular body that dominates professional wrestling.

CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar
Sitting in a theatre of thirty people, this writer laid witness to the Match of the Year, the Best vs. the Beast, CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar.  The build for this match was nuclear from the very moment Brock Lesnar hit the F5 on CM Punk on the Raw following Payback.  In all honesty, I was ready to pay money to watch these two duke it out from that very moment.  As time moved closer to their meeting at Summerslam, this feud just kept on getting better and better.  The verbal duels between Punk and Heyman and the physical brawls between Punk and Lesnar were both sights to behold, but those appetizers could not hold a candle to the main course.  From the opening bell to the finishing splat of Punk's head being F5ed onto a steel chair, Punk vs. Lesnar was both physically and mentally exhausting.  Even though the major difference in size between Punk and Lesnar, the match was incredibly even.  The match could have gone either way as both men hit each other with their most devastating moves.  One of the most intense moments in the entire match came when Punk finally struck Lesnar with the GTS.  I vividly remember everyone in the theatre erupting from their seats once Punk hit the move, counting along with the referee's count and simultaneously crying out in shock when Lesnar kicked out.  CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar was the first match since CM Punk vs. John Cena from Money in the Bank 2011 to get this writer so passionately engrossed in the action happening in the ring.  For that reason, CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar is the Match of 2013.

The Brothers Rhodes
Fall was not so kind to the WWE.  The high that the hot summer months brought slowly but surely dwindled under a slew of missed opportunities.  While the fall was a long slog, there was one thing that made the slog bearable.  That thing was the formation of a tag team between the Rhodes Brothers, Cody Rhodes and Goldust.  The sons of the great Dusty Rhodes first joined forces to fight the Authority for their jobs after Triple H wrongly fired Cody Rhodes for losing a match to Randy Orton.  This feud led to an emotionally charged tag team match against the Shield at Battleground.  With the jobs of the entire Rhodes Family on the line, Cody and Goldust with some help from their father defeated the Hounds of Justice to regain their jobs in the WWE.  The good fortunes of Cody and Goldust did not end at Battleground as the brothers would defeat the Shield for the WWE Tag Team Titles in an incredible tag team main event a week later on Raw.  As Tag Team Champions, Cody Rhodes and Goldust have rejuvenated the WWE's Tag Team Division.  While other divisions in the WWE left a lot to be desired during the last half of 2013, the Tag Team Division was stealing the show.  Be it Raw, Smackdown or the monthly PPV, the tag team matches have consistently been the best part of WWE programming.  Speaking of rejuvenation, this Tag Team Title push has rejuvenated the careers of both Cody Rhodes and Goldust.  Cody has been stuck in the lower mid card limbo since losing the Intercontinental Championship back in 2012.  This push has highly improved Cody's status in the eyes of the WWE Universe and WWE Creative.  On the other hand, this push has given Goldust one final chance to prove to the wrestling world how great a wrestler he is.  Over the past five months, Goldust has made the best of this opportunity and has been the most impressive veteran wrestler on the WWE roster.  As we move into 2014, it will be interesting to see if the spike in quality brought on by the Rhodes Brothers will continue.

Plans with the Silverdome

Well it has been a busy couple of weeks between my jobs and getting things sorted out for school in September.  My busy weeks do not excuse me from not posting anything for the last two weekends and I am very sorry.  After dealing with all the craziness along with how little wrestling I now watch in a week (most weeks I only watch Raw), I never had the motivation to do a new edition of the Silver Report.  It is really sad, but my focus has changed.  It is easier for me to think up an article about video games for Silver Bit, my video game blog, than a wrestling one for Silverdome.  Due to all these factors, I have decided to cut back on the number of posts I will do for Silverdome.  Posts will now come once a month in the form of pay-per view previews.  These previews will not be the short and sweet quick previews I have done lately; these will be full-fledged previews of the entire event like I use to do.  Once and a while, I might also be able to put up a review of a PPV that I have recently watched as  I would love put up reviews on the Silverdome again.  My first review should be up in the next few weeks as my brother and I are deciding between going to watch Summerslam live in theatres or going to a live Monday Night Raw in Toronto.  Going to see Raw live would be the obvious choice for many, but Raw takes place on the first day of school for yours truly and it may be crazy trying to get down to Toronto from Waterloo at 4 o'clock in the afternoon when I get off school.  I left the decision in my brother's hands so whatever he decides will be what we do.  Now back to the topic of reviews.  Whatever event my brother and I choose to go to will be the first review you see here on the Silverdome in about two years.  I hope these changes to the Silverdome do not put a damper in your day and I hope to see you guys next week for my preview of this year's Summerslam.

The Silver Report: June 23-30

Last Monday’s Raw was an odd one to say the least.  It started out with all cylinders rolling with a great angle this writer will get to later and an exciting tag team match.  Then Raw seemed to go up and down like a rollercoaster.  It was not consistently good or bad, just bouncing between the two extremes at a furious pace.  It did a fine job in setting up some matches for Money in the Bank, but it still was not a home run like the week before.  Just have to say that WWE has some great storylines building this early in the summer that this writer sees some great developments coming in the weeks ahead.  Some of these possible developments will be discussed in this edition of the Silver Report.  Hope you enjoy.

The Rise of the American Dragon

After the phenomenal year that Daniel Bryan had in 2012, there is no doubt that he is a bona-fide main eventer.  He might not have the unrealistic build that the WWE loves, but Daniel Bryan has something even more important- the unanimous support of the WWE Universe.  Ever since Daniel Bryan turned face as a part of Team Hell No, the fans have flocked to this guy.  Just listen to the huge pop Bryan gets when he explodes into his signature offensive flurry of kicks and a running clothesline.  It seems that some people higher up in the WWE are listening because Bryan is being seriously considered to challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship in the near future.  This Monday saw Daniel Bryan make a huge step towards eventually challenging for the WWE Title.  For the past week, Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton have been facing off in a number of matches with both men picking up the victory.  The rubber match was set to start Raw, but it did not turn out as expected as the match ended in double disqualification.  Not satisfied with a no decision, these two superstars faced off in a No Disqualification Match in order to settle the score once and for all.  Bryan and Orton put on a one incredible back-and-forth match.  Personally, this writer would have loved to see this match go just a little longer, but it still was absolutely amazing.  In the end, Daniel Bryan hooked in the No Lock with some extra leverage from a kendo stick for the win.  A well deserved win for the American Dragon as it builds tons of momentum for Money in the Bank where he will compete in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder match along with CM Punk, Kane, Randy Orton, Christian, Sheamus and Rob Van Dam.  Right now, Daniel Bryan is this writer’s favourite to win Money in the Bank.  Winning the Money in the Bank briefcase would be a great way for WWE to set up Bryan challenging for the WWE Championship.  Either through having Bryan cash the briefcase on Cena at Money in the Bank or cash it in for a match at Summerslam, all roads lead to another Money in the Bank win for the American Dragon and hopefully a run with the WWE Championship.

Punk Still a Heyman Guy… For Now

One of the biggest questions following Brock Lesnar’s attack on CM Punk last week was about Paul Heyman’s involvement in the whole ordeal.  When CM Punk entered the ring last Monday, he got right to business by calling out his best friend and manager, Paul Heyman.  After a little history lesson about these two’s relationship with one another, Paul Heyman gave his answer to the Best in the World.  That answer was he had no idea that Brock Lesnar would attack CM Punk and would never do anything to jeopardize his relationship with Punk.  From those watching both in the audience and at home, it was easy to see that Mr. Heyman was lying through his teeth and CM Punk should just knock out the walrus there and then.  For sake of the angle, Punk made the perfect move by accepting Heyman’s answer at this point in time.  People want to see Punk get his hands on Heyman, but to give that gratification so soon would just be disappointing.  The moment needs to be built for a couple more weeks before WWE decides to execute on it in order to set all gears for Punk vs. Lesnar.  The more they keep holding off Punk’s beat down on Heyman, the more anticipation will build towards that moment, which will make an even bigger pop when Punk hits the GTS on Heyman.  Be patient, the implosion of CM Punk and Paul Heyman’s relationship will come.  It will just take some time.

The Silver Report: June 16-22

Whenever the WWE goes to Chicago, the results are glorious.  Payback last Sunday was full of big developments that got the ball rolling on hopefully a great summer.  The return of CM Punk (in a match that has been raved as a classic), a surprising double turn between Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio and a set of new champions crowned are some of the reasons Payback may be one of the best PPVs of 2013 so far.  As great as Payback was, the following Raw was even better.  Setting a lot of compelling storylines in motion for Money in the Bank and Summerslam and the raucous crowd made it one of the better Raws of this year.  It also gave me tons to talk about for this week’s Silver Report.  As a side note, my hopes for the summer article has been canned due to how busy things have been combined with the fact that the developments of this past week killed quite a few of those hopes I would have elaborated on in the article.

Brock Lesnar, The Head of the WWE’s Welcoming Committee

What a great way to be welcomed back to the WWE with open arms and a F5.  24 hours after returning Sunday at Payback, CM Punk tasted the force of Paul Heyman’s Beast.  One F5 has kicked off a feud that will easily main event this year’s Summerslam and captivate many this summer.  Personally, this writer would love to see a rematch between Undertaker and CM Punk set for Summerslam yet this clash between these two Paul Heyman guys is just as enticing.  There is some great material for WWE to work off of due Punk and Lesnar’s association with Mr. Heyman.  The verbal sparring matches that we could possibly see between CM Punk and Paul Heyman, considering all signs point to him turning on Punk in the near future, will be nothing short of legendary.  This feud has only just begun so there are going to be bigger developments to come very soon.  This feud can be one to make or break this summer.

World’s Strongest WWE Champion?

News hit last Monday that Mark Henry would be retiring from the squared-circle.  Henry’s recent hiatus from the ring to rest from injuries was sign enough that the World’s Strongest Man would hang up his boots.  Speaking of boots, Henry even placed his boots at the top of the stage on Monday and came out in a bright pink blazer to give his retirement speech.  Henry’s speech induced tears, smiles and even chants as he had the audience wrapped around his finger.  John Cena, who Henry interrupted, came in to give Mark some time with the WWE Champions, a title that Henry has never held according to JBL’s commentary.  It would have been a sweet end for Mark Henry’s career, but the World’s Strongest Man goes out with a whimper, the World’s Strongest Man goes out with a bang.  Mark Henry drew John Cena in for one last handshake and hit the World’s Strongest Slam instead.  Once Cena plummeted to the mat, the realization hit that Mark Henry was not retiring.  It was all a ploy to lure in the WWE Champion and what a great ploy it was.  In one fell swoop, WWE Creative built a credible threat to John Cena’s WWE Championship and made Mark Henry a devious heel that will sink to the lowest of lows to get his way.  As much as it is a given that John Cena will walk out of Money in the Bank with the WWE Championship, Cena vs. Henry should be an interesting bout nonetheless.

The Return of the Whole Dam Show

The biggest news to come out of Payback last Sunday was not CM Punk’s return or the double turn, it was the announcement of Rob Van Dam’s return at Money in the Bank.  It was an incredible surprise as there were no rumours floating around the Internet about RVD returning that this writer saw.  It has been four years since RVD has been in a WWE ring so it will be nice to see what the Whole Dam Show has to offer.  Personally, I am a huge fan of RVD and I felt his run in TNA was disappointing due to how poorly TNA used him.  Hopefully WWE Creative can think of some interesting feuds to put RVD in especially considering how many up-and-coming stars he can work with in the WWE.  Since Money in the Bank will be in Philadelphia (the former home of the original ECW), RVD should get one outstanding pop from the crowd.  This writer personally hopes RVD is put in one of the Money in the Bank Ladder matches because it would be the best match for this veteran to show off all his exciting high-flying offence.

The New PPV on the Block: Quick Preview of WWE Payback 2013

Almost every Monday night for the past month, this writer has been busy with one thing or another.  Between hanging out with friends and watching the E3 press conferences, I have been slacking when it has come to tuning into the latest episodes of Monday Night Raw.  I have been following enough to somewhat understand what is going at this current point, but not enough to do a full-on preview of this upcoming PPV, Payback.  Instead this article will be a quick preview of the event with my predictions and thoughts on Payback as a whole.

Well, the WWE found a replacement for the abysmal Over the Limit PPV.  Funny enough, it is just another generic PPV by the name of Payback.  WWE has done a commendable job of taking the name of this PPV and making it the theme of most of the matches on the card.  Each match on the card has some sort of bitter feud behind it.  It is a nice parallel to the name of the PPV, but it is not enough of a selling point for Payback.  The real selling points will be the big matches on the card especially CM Punk’s return match against Chris Jericho.  While the WWE has not done much build for this match outside Jericho’s initial challenge on the Highlight Reel, it will still be a major match this Sunday.  This match will set the course where the WWE takes CM Punk leading into one of the most important times of the year, the summer.  There are rumours of some sort of double turn taking place at Payback, but this writer does not know for sure.  Personally, I would love to see Punk stay heel and go onto challenge the Undertaker to a rematch at Summerslam or Night of Champions in order to lead to a Hell in a Cell match at the Hell in a Cell PPV, but we will have to wait for Sunday to see.  CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho will easily be one of the best matches on this card especially considering Payback will be in Chicago, one of the hottest wrestling cities in the world and Punk’s hometown.  Another match that should gain plenty of attention this Sunday is John Cena vs. Ryback in 3 Stages of Hell for the WWE Championship.  As much as this writer has his fingers crossed that Ryback will finally win the WWE Championship at Payback, reports say otherwise. This 3 Stages of Hell match will be used to make Cena look strong heading into the summer months and a potential feud with Daniel Bryan.  At least, we should get a very physical and hopefully entertaining match out of Cena and Ryback.  Looking at the card, Payback seems like a fine show.  It is not the WWE’s best offering as this writer believes they are holding out until Money in the Bank and Summerslam to really knock us out, but with the backing of the phenomenal Chicago crowd Payback should be a fun PPV.

Wade Barrett (c) vs. The Miz vs. Curtis Axel in a Triple Threat Match for the Intercontinental Championship

Prediction:  Curtis Axel wins the Intercontinental Championship

Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Kane for the United States Championship

Prediction:   Dean Ambrose retains

The Shield (c) vs. Daniel Bryan & Randy Orton for the WWE Tag Team Championship

Prediction:   The Shield retains

Kaitlyn (c) vs. AJ Lee for the Divas Championship

Prediction:   AJ Lee wins the Divas Championship

Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship

Prediction:   Dolph Ziggler retains

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho

Prediction:   CM Punk wins

John Cena (c) vs. Ryback in a 3 Stages of Hell for the WWE Championship

Prediction:   John Cena retains

Since 2009, the WWE has gone through quite a few different PPVs with only a few actually sticking.  June has been a hard month to hammer down a PPV for.  Hopefully, Payback does well enough to be the regular June PPV from now on because this writer does not want to have another brand new PPV next June. 

The Silver Report: The Problems with Raw

Watching Raw last Monday was nothing short of boring.  The matches were mediocre at best, the promos left a lot to be desired and overall the show left a bad taste in my mouth.  Having watched WWE programming for about a decade now, I know not every show will be a home run.  I just hope that there will be at least one thing worth watching each week.  Sadly, this week I got more entertainment from reading Chris Jericho’s Undisputed:  How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps (an excellent book by the way) than from watching Raw and that is just unacceptable.  Due to being bored out of my mind, it was very easy to pick out a lot of the problems that have been plaguing Raw for the past few months.  Instead of running down the biggest developments of the past week, I thought for this week’s edition of the Silver Report that I would highlight the three biggest problems that are holding Monday Night Raw and the WWE product back from being as good as it possibly could be.  There are plenty more problems that plague this company such as backstage politics and the inability to make main event caliber talent, but these three are the most visible in the product at this point in time.

John Cena

There are a great number of polarizing opinions on John Cena.  Personally, I am past hating the Face of the WWE.  I respect Cena’s ability in the ring, but his character is becoming like a broken record.  He has done the same carefree, head in the clouds, funny guy shtick night-in and night-out for over five years now.  Cena rarely shows any concern about the opponents he faces as he just makes fun of them and belittles them.  These actions have gotten so out of control that they are starting to damage the product.  When Cena does not take his opponents seriously, the fans do not believe said opponents have a chance of beating Cena.  This mentality kills fans’ excitement towards Cena’s matches and damages how fans perceive Cena’s opponents.  There is no doubt that John Cena is the biggest draw in the WWE, but the company has done everything there is to do with Cena as face that fans including this writer want to see some drastic changes in his character, hopefully a heel turn.  While I personally will not hold my breath for a John Cena heel turn, there needs to be some sort of change to Cena’s character.  He has to get more serious because his promo work outside of his feuds with Punk and Rock is simply atrocious and his attitude towards his opponents is doing more damage to the overall product than good.

Burying the Mid-Card Champions

There was a time a few years back when the mid-card championships meant something.  A time when the United States and Intercontinental Titles were more than just props; they were stepping stones on the way to the major WWE and World Heavyweight Championships.  Oh, how drastically the times have changed.  Nowadays, winning either the United States or Intercontinental Championship seals the champion’s fate as a jobber for the upper mid-card to main event level talent for their entire title reign.  Seeing these champions lose on live television every week damages the prestige of the championships and the credibility of the champions.  Eventually, fans stop believing that the champion deserves to even hold the title or that the championship means anything.  WWE seems to be puzzled about how it seems next to impossible to create stars like The Rock or Steve Austin in this day and age.  The fact of the matter is that continually feeding their up-and-coming stars including the United States and Intercontinental Champions to the likes of Sheamus, Randy Orton, Ryback and John Cena does not allow the fans to get behind the younger talent.  They just see these younger wrestlers and champions as being incapable of competing on the same level as their upper level talent.  WWE needs to learn soon that nobody is going to get behind a champion that loses each and every week.

Three Hour Runtime

When Raw went three hours to celebrate the 1000^th episode of the WWE’s flagship program, many people thought that going three hours would severely hurt the product.  For the first month, things were fine.  Raw was very entertaining as the WWE was giving more time for matches and bigger angles.  Once summer turned to fall, the novelty of a three hour Monday Night Raw every week quickly wore off.  Raw became a marathon to watch as the WWE added more filler to the show than there was ever needed.  With three hours of Raw and close to five hours of more WWE programming on every week, the WWE has too much programming for the current roster to fill.  So a lot of times, fans are left watching the same matches on a number of shows throughout the week.  Three hour Raws use to be special, but now they are nothing more than the norm.  It is easy to see due to the three hour runtime that the quality of the show and the WWE product has dropped.  Going back to the two hour format will not immediately solve this problem; the WWE needs to find a happy medium.  A possible solution is that the WWE keeps the three hour format, but make the first hour of Raw a pre-show, exclusive to WWE.com, that builds to two hour main program on TV.  You can keep all the filler, but regulate most of it to the pre-show rather than weighing down a main program.  Personally, I believe that the WWE can take the problem with the current three hour format and make it work if and only if they just take a step back and retool it.

The Silver Report: April 28 - May 4

Last week, I shared my Top 5 WWE Championship matches in honour of the WWE Championship’s 50^th anniversary.  This week, it is back to the regularly scheduled blogging after that little tangent.  It has been surprisingly refreshing to see WWE give more than three weeks to build a PPV.  We have had about a month of build so far for Extreme Rules with two more weeks to go.  Personally, I have not been keeping up with Smackdown for a while now, other than a match here or there, so I cannot talk about WWE programming as a whole.  Although I will say that Raw has been considerably watchable this last month and I believe it has to do with not having to cram close to six weeks of build into a mere three weeks.  Now WWE just needs to start confirming matches for Extreme Rules so they have a card to promote outside of the three matches that have already been set in stone.

A Chink in Super Cena’s Armour

After being on tour in Europe the week prior, WWE returned to North America to get on with normally scheduled television tapings and live events.  Upon returning, news broke that John Cena had injured his Achilles tendon while on tour in Europe.  Fans and critics alike feared the worse for the current WWE Champion because this type of injury can be especially dangerous, just ask Edge.  It left the plans for Raw up in the air as many speculated if John Cena would be on the show and whether the injury was severe enough to vacant the WWE Title.  Good news for Cena fans and bad news for Cena haters, John was on Raw and scheduled to team with Ryback to face off with the Shield.  Ryback would back out of the handicap match due to Cena’s injury so the match was changed to Team Hell No and John Cena vs. the Shield.  The match was great as everybody played up John Cena’s injury.  From Daniel Bryan and Kane intentionally avoiding tagging Cena in to Seth Rollins taunts towards Cena, the idea that John Cena is not even close to 100 percent was performed perfectly by everybody in the match.  Also Cena did an admirable job in selling his ankle injury, which led right into the finish with Cena’s ankle giving out to set up Roman Reigns to hit the Spear and get the pin.  While it might be difficult to let another big name take some time off, this injury serves as a perfect way to have John Cena drop the title to Ryback at Extreme Rules.  Having Ryback possibly targeting the ankle during their match or even doing an angle with Ryback “breaking” John Cena’s ankle would provide excellent set-up for Cena’s eventual return match while making Ryback looking like a bigger heel.  With John Cena out to heal for a few months, WWE could have Ryback feud with Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan or even Kane in order to give Ryback some momentum heading into an eventual rematch with Cena.  There is a crack in the seemingly impervious armour of Super Cena and WWE has an excellent opportunity to use this rare occurrence to create a new unstoppable heel and a potential main event caliber rematch.

Three Men, Three Ladders, One Title

In the right hands, a ladder can make the highest objects reachable.  In the wrong hands, it can be one of the most inventive weapons out there.  In the hands of wrestlers, a ladder is used both the right way and the wrong way, but nevertheless it is always enjoyable.  Ladder matches are an easy way of providing tension as competitors scale ladders in order to reach a title, briefcase or any other object hanging above the ring before their opposition.  How does WWE make a Triple Threat Match between the three men fighting for the World Heavyweight Championship better; they add ladders to the mix.  Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger have all competed in a Ladder match or two during their time in the WWE.  Due to their experience in Ladder matches, there is no doubt that these three can put on a Ladder match that could easily steal the show at Extreme Rules.  Making this Triple Threat match a Triple Threat Ladder match was a great decision on WWE Creative’s part as it has surely raised the interest in the World Heavyweight Championship match at Extreme Rules.  Now we just need a few more gimmick matches like this one that are worthy of being on Extreme Rules and we could have a great PPV on our hands.

The Flawed Storm: Quick Preview of WWE Summerslam 2012

This year Summerslam has the tagline, “The Perfect Storm.”  This tagline has been used as hype for what was supposed to be the biggest match on the card, Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar.  Much like the build for this big match, the build for this year’s Summerslam has been flawed in my opinion.  WWE focused too much on hyping the 1000^th episode of Monday Night Raw that they forgot to put anything towards making people care about Summerslam.  Summerslam is suppose to be built as the second biggest PPV of the year behind WrestleMania, but for the last few years it feels like WWE has been treating it like every other PPV, which is not how you build one of the biggest shows of your year.  From top to bottom on paper, the card for Summerslam looks very good, but WWE has not done much of anything to make me or any other wrestling fan care about this card.  Out of all the matches on this card, the only feud that has gotten the proper attention and good build has been the Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler feud.  In all honesty, the Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler is the only match on the card I actually want to watch.  It is the one to watch as I can personally see these two stealing the show.

The Miz (c) vs. Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship

Prediction:  The Miz retains

R-Truth & Kofi Kingston vs. The Primetime Players for the WWE Tag Team Championship

Prediction:  The Primetime Players win the WWE Tag Team Championship

Kane vs. Daniel Bryan

Prediction:  Daniel Bryan wins

Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler

Prediction:  Dolph Ziggler wins

Sheamus (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship

Prediction:  Sheamus retains

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar

Prediction:  Brock Lesnar wins

CM Punk (c) vs. Big Show vs. John Cena in a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship

Prediction:  CM Punk retains

Much like last year’s Summerslam, WWE could possibly pull out a great PPV out of absolutely no build.  Right now looking back on the weeks leading up to this event, it has been quite frustrating that even with all the glimpses of greatness we have experienced with Raw’s move to three hours.  Summerslam is supposed to be built as the second biggest PPV of the year and it does not feel like that anymore.  Personally I am more excited for a regular PPV like Extreme Rules or Money in the Bank than I am for Summerslam and that is a huge problem, WWE. 

The Silver Report: August 5-11

It was a mixed week of wrestling in the WWE.  While Raw and Smackdown did have their ups and downs this week, there are a few moments and matches that were good to great that saved this week from being a complete and utter waste in my opinion.  We are a week away from Summerslam and I honestly bared hyped for this PPV whatsoever other than being excited to see Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler, but more on that later.  It seemed like WWE put all their resources into hyping Raw 1000 that they forgot to put any hype towards their second biggest PPV of the year, Summerslam.  With one week left, let us see if WWE can pull out a miracle and make us care about Summerslam this year.

Lesnar Is Coming to Get You

Considering the main WWE Championship storyline repeated what happened last week just with Big Show standing tall at the end of Raw, we will have to look at the Brock Lesnar-Triple H feud for the biggest story of the week.  Seeing as Raw was in San Antonio this past Monday, Shawn Michaels made a special appearance.  The main reason Michaels was at Raw was for Shawn Michaels Appreciation Night, which happened after Raw went off the air, but WWE also decided to inject Michaels into the feud between Triple H and Brock Lesnar.  Shawn Michaels made his way out to the ring and gave his take on the whole situation between his best friend and Brock Lesnar.  Shawn’s opinions got the attention of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman as they made their way to the ring to confront HBK.  Paul Heyman’s attempts to convince Shawn Michaels was the superior athlete were futile as they only infuriated the Heartbreak Kid.  They infuriated Shawn to the point that he announced that he would be in Triple H’s corner at Summerslam.  This announcement did not sit well with Lesnar as he made his move to attack Shawn Michaels to only be stopped by Triple H.  Hoping to hold off the fighting for another day, Lesnar and Heyman made their retreat.  Before they left, Lesnar told Michaels that he will see him before Summerslam.  While I do think it was a good move for WWE to hold off until the go home Raw before Summerslam for Lesnar destroys Michaels, I personally did not like the execution.  Why would you blurt out your plan to your opponent and the whole world no less and completely destroy the element of surprise?  Now that Shawn and Triple H know what you are going to do this week on Raw, so how does Brock think he will be able to get away with it?  WWE could have easily had Brock make a gesture towards Michaels that insinuated that Michaels would not make it to Summerslam instead of the overly cartoony and unrealistic villain telling the heroes his plan.  Still it is a good hook for the Summerslam go home show, just the whole element of surprise is gone from an angle that could have easily stolen the show.

Y2J is Back, Baby!!

Ever since Dolph Ziggler made the mistake of saying Chris Jericho has lost his touch, the Show-Off has been made to eat his words.  After delivering numerous Code Breakers to the World Heavyweight Money in the Bank winner, Chris Jericho has gotten into Dolph’s head.  Case and point, Dolph Ziggler spent too much time concentrated on Chris Jericho on commentary this past Monday on Raw that Alex Riley rolled Dolph up to pick up his second win of the 2012.  This past Friday on Smackdown, the Highlight Reel, Jericho’s classic interview segment, made its’ return.  Along with the return of the Highlight Reel, came the return of a side of Chris Jericho that everybody has missed for a long time.  Some of Dolph’s insults really home with Chris Jericho as he has not been up to snuff in the big matches, so Jericho has welcomed his Y2J character back with open arms.  It did look like the WWE has been building for this moment for a month or so now considering Jericho’s increased use of his classic catchphrases.  Personally I love the return of Y2J as it gives an established face for the WWE to pull upon as a challenger for Dolph Ziggler’s eventual World Heavyweight Title reign especially with all signs pointing to their current feud ending at Summerslam.  Once Y2J made his return, Dolph Ziggler made his move, attacking Chris Jericho with the Money in the Bank briefcase.  This attack got Dolph some much needed payback on the man that has humiliated him these past few weeks.  With their match finally set in stone for Summerslam and the return of Y2J, this feud is easily the most interesting thing on WWE TV at the moment.

Sheamus vs. Del Rio Cancelled for Summerslam

In all honesty, I have not cared for this feud one bit.  There have been little glimmers of greatness, but things have gotten so drawn out and stop and go that it would be better if Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio went their separate ways.  I thought that until witnessing the events of this past Smackdown.  Back on Monday, Sheamus stole Alberto Del Rio’s car and went on a joy ride throughout San Antonio.  While the fact that Sheamus got away with grand theft auto with little to no repercussions is beyond me (logic is sometimes thrown out the window in the WWE), it lead right into the main event of Smackdown, which was suppose to see Sheamus defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio.  The match did not even start because these policemen came out and surrounded the ring.  At first, Del Rio told the policemen to stop walking towards the ring because he did not file that report with San Antonio police against Sheamus and that he wanted his chance to win the World Title.  As these supposed policemen got closer to ring, Del Rio begged and pleaded them to stop until the Mexican Aristocrat’s look of horror turned into a smile and he told his hired guns to attack Sheamus.  At first, Sheamus beat off the horde, but eventually the numbers became too much for the World Heavyweight Champion.  Sheamus succumbed to the overwhelming odds and Del Rio was left standing over a beaten down World Champion.  As result of what happened at the end of Raw, the Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio World Heavyweight Championship Match has been removed from the Summerslam crowd.  While did like that the WWE has put more heat on Del Rio with this beat down, it might be too late to do a whole cancelation angle seeing that Summerslam is only a week away.  If they go with entire different match, there will be no time to build anything and it would kill almost all the momentum Del Rio gained from this beat down.  The wise decision would be to add a No DQ stipulation to their match at Summerslam to capitalize on the heat generated toward Del Rio by this entire angle and make it that much more satisfying when the fans see Sheamus fight him at Summerslam.  We will have to wait and see what actually happens, but I do have to applaud the WWE for getting me interested in Shemus vs. Del Rio again.  Now hopefully they do not screw it up before Summerslam.

The Silver Report: July 29-August 4

As we enter August, we enter the final month that I will be posting regularly once a week.  Come the second week of September, I start university so I am going to be too busy to write a blog post every single day between two blogs.  I will talk about this situation in more detail when the time comes for the change, but I would like to give a little warning so I do not surprise anybody with the news.  Now with that news out of the way, let us get on with the regular scheduled blogging.

While not a home run, Raw 1001 was a success.  WWE successfully put on a rather good three hour show that had a great balance of promos and wrestling.  While there was a fair share of promos, they all felt like they had a purpose and were all fairly entertaining.  The main focus was on the wrestling as Raw 1001 had three matches that easily went well over the 10 minute mark.  If you can, you should go out of your way to watch the Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler and Miz vs. Christian and Chris Jericho.  Both easily among the best matches I have watched on Raw all year.  Raw 1001 did drag for a little bit thanks to incessant amount of recaps the WWE decided to put us through.  There was a recap for everything that happened on Raw 1000, a recap of the opening promo and recaps of those previously mentioned recaps.  It was overkill and hopefully next week, WWE does not bombard us with all those recaps.

CM Punk Embraces the Cult of Personality

The big question going into Raw 1001 was why CM Punk did what he did at the end of Raw 1000?  WWE made the right choice of kicking off Raw 1001 with Punk’s explanation.  In all honesty, I do believe WWE should have promoted this promo kicking off Raw on last week’s Smackdown instead of mere hours before Raw 1001 because it would have helped establish the new start time for Raw with the people who missed Raw 1000 or just forgot.  Nonetheless, CM Punk started off Raw with one incredible promo.  CM Punk called out Jerry Lawler over his call at the end of Raw 1000 saying Punk turned his back on the WWE Universe saying it was untrue.  Then Punk went on to say that The Rock disrespected Punk at Raw 1000 by making the show all about him and only recognizing Punk to say he has been handed a WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble.  So Punk took it upon himself to give The Rock a sense of who The Rock will possibly be dealing with at Royal Rumble and ended Raw 1000 the same way every episode of Raw in Punk’s opinion should end with the WWE Champion standing tall.  It was a very effective promo that did not paint CM Punk as either a face or heel.  While CM Punk is leaning toward a darker side of his character, everything he said in that promo was true and to the point.  Maybe we are getting the slow reemergence of the renegade that dropped the Pipe Bomb heard around the World over a year, maybe we are getting a new incarnation of the classic heel Punk we all know and love.  Right now much like CM Punk’s first heel turn in the WWE, we have to patient because it will be a slow burn.  CM Punk will not show his true heel colours right away, it will take weeks, possibly even months before we see CM Punk’s heel turn is complete.  As evidence to the end of Raw where he attacked both Big Show and John Cena and his screaming at AJ, he is showing more and more heel qualities.  We will have to continue to watch Raw in order to see the end result.  So far CM Punk’s embrace of his own Cult of Personality is getting off to a great start.

The New Smackdown GM, Booker T.  Now Can You Dig That, Sucka?

On the 1000^th episode of Raw, AJ was named the new General Manager of Raw by Mr. McMahon.  That left many wrestling fans wondering who would be the General Manager of Smackdown.  Well we did not have to wait too long as Booker T was named the General Manager this past week on Smackdown.  Actually WWE broke the news of Booker T being named GM of Smackdown on their website on Tuesday in order to entice fans to tune into Smackdown and possibly stop the wrestling websites from spoiling the news.  The way things have gone with GMs for the past year, I am hoping Booker T and AJ stay the GMs for a while.  It gets very annoying to have a new authority figure every few months.  You stop to care who actually is in the role of authority figure when it changes at such a rapid rate.  Hopefully WWE starts to build Raw and Smackdown around AJ and Booker T as the authority figures for the coming year or so instead of having them be another set of GMs that last only a few months on the job.  The best thing with Booker T being the GM of Smackdown is that we will longer have to listen to his atrocious colour commentating on a weekly basis.  Rest in Peace Shuckey Duckey Quack Quack, we will not miss you.

Orton’s Return Complicates the World Title Picture

When you thought Heath Slater had no other purpose on Raw and Smackdown after the conclusion of the Raw Legends storyline at Raw 1000, the One Man Rock Band made his way down to the ring this past week on Raw to challenge any superstar in the locker room.  Lo and behold, Rev Theory’s Voices boomed from the speakers and out came Randy Orton.  Returning from his suspension, Orton squashed Heath Slater on Raw.  On Smackdown, Randy Orton faced Alberto Del Rio in the main event.  It was an okay match at best that saw Ricardo Rodriguez get involved, which caused Orton to get the win by DQ.  Following the match, Del Rio ate a RKO thanks to Sheamus throwing the Mexican Aristocrat back into the ring after the match.  Yes, Alberto Del Rio is set to face Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship at Summerslam, but there is one question that is my mind after the Orton’s return this past week.  What is WWE going to do with Randy Orton going into Summerslam?  With the way Smackdown ended, it looks like WWE will find some way to add Randy Orton to the World Heavyweight Championship match at Summerslam.  The only other possible match WWE can add for Summerslam is a No. 1 Contender’s match with possibly Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Kane and Daniel Bryan, which determines who will face Sheamus at Night of Champions.  The fact that Randy Orton is still booked as one of WWE’s most dominant superstars after two strikes against him (one more Wellness Policy infraction and Orton will be fired), I cannot see WWE leaving him off of the biggest PPV of the summer.  While I believe it would have been better to have had Randy Orton return after Summerslam, these are the cards the WWE has dealt all of us.  Let us see if they can get out of this complicated situation without making things more convoluted.

The Silver Report: July 22-28

The 1000^th episode of Raw has come and gone.  In the end, it was a very entertaining show that had incredible ups and very few lows.  It was a celebration of both Raw’s past, present and future.  It was nice to see the WWE take some time to make fun of themselves like the return of Mae Young and Mark Henry’s son all-grown up.  The 1000^th episode of Raw was easily the best 3 hour Raw the WWE has put on in years.  Now the question is if the WWE can keep each Raw from dragging each and every week now that it is permanently three hours long?  This next month will be the real test and I hope the WWE either brings the same passion and excitement they brought for this 1000^th episode that they do for the next 1000 or change the Raw back to a two hour show before the three hours damages the overall quality of WWE’s product.  For all wrestling fans, the 1000^th episode of Raw is a must-watch show.  Also make sure to watch this week’s Smackdown, it has some quality matches that deserve your viewing.

The Rock, Daniel Bryan and CM Punk Steal the Show

A lot of focus might have been on Daniel Bryan and AJ’s wedding on Monday, but it was what followed that wedding that really stole the show in my opinion.  After being stood up at the altar by AJ, who is now the new General Manager of Raw, Daniel Bryan was livid.  He would not leave the ring until AJ came back to the ring to apologize.  Instead CM Punk made his way down to the ring to rub salt into Bryan’s wound.  It did not turn out as Punk had expected as Bryan’s tirade on being the greatest wrestler of all-time brought out The Rock.  The Rock did his normal shtick, but added in one important detail.  The Rock will be challenging whoever the WWE Champion is come the Royal Rumble in Phoenix.  Then Rock went on to wish CM Punk good luck in his match against John Cena later on last Monday’s Raw.  Feeling a bit left out of the proceedings, Daniel Bryan interrupted Punk and Rock’s talk, which lead right into The Rock making of fun and laying out the American Dragon to end this incredible segment.  Seeing Daniel Bryan and CM Punk hold their own on the microphone with the Great One was an excellent moment.  It was easily the best segment of the night and the most fun I had while watching Raw 1000.

Triple H and Brock Lesnar, Summerslam

The 1000^th episode of Raw began with the full reunion of D-Generation X sans Chyna.  It was very fun and light-hearted segment that had some of the best superstars from the Attitude Era giving one hell of a rub to the up-and-coming Damien Sandow.  While Triple H did get to have some fun with old friends at the top of the show, things got serious when he came out to find out Brock Lesnar’s answer to his challenge for a match at Summerslam.  Triple H called out Brock Lesnar once again only to have Paul Heyman make his way to the ring.  Heyman reiterated yet again that Brock Lesnar would not accept Triple H’s challenge to a match at Summerslam.  Before Heyman could waddle backstage, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H’s wife and daughter of Vince McMahon, made her first appearance on Raw in a few years.  Stephanie got on the microphone and just torn into Paul Heyman.  At first, Heyman went back-and-forth with Stephanie in an incredible war of words, but eventually Vince McMahon’s little girl got under Paul Heyman’s skin.  Paul Heyman, in Brock Lesnar’s name, accepted Triple H’s challenge for a one-on-one match at Summerslam.  Once Heyman made the announcement and a few derogatory comments towards Triple H’s children, all hell broke loose.  Stephanie started beating the crap out of Heyman and Brock Lesnar made a mad sprint to the ring to fight Triple H.  At the end of segment, Triple H stood tall in the ring as Lesnar and Heyman would retreat backstage, but this is just the start of a feud that should escalate nicely in the next few weeks leading up to Summerslam.

Long Live Heel Punk

You knew WWE had something big planned for the very end of Raw 1000.  They needed a huge hook like the debut of the Nexus or CM Punk’s pipe bomb to get everybody excited to tune into episode 1001 of Raw.  There was a ton of speculation, but what we actually happened got caught many including me completely off guard.  Like expected the main event had CM Punk and John Cena put on a fairly entertaining one-on-one contest for the WWE Championship.  The only thing I personally did not enjoy was the disqualification ending to the match.  Personally I would of preferred a screw job finish with the Big Show costing John Cena the match, much like the false finish we had earlier in the match.  While the ref was knocked out, Big Show hit Cena with a huge spear, which gave Punk the opening to pick up the victory.  CM Punk, being a face, was conflicted over taking the easy way to victory or winning fair and square.  The time Punk spent reflecting gave Cena enough energy to kick out of the eventually pinfall attempt.  I can see why they went with the DQ ending because they want to extend CM Punk vs. John Cena until Summerslam.  I just believe things could have done differently to get the same great end result.  The ending I am talking about happens immediately after Big Show breaks the STF.  Big Show continues to beat down John Cena while CM Punk walks away with the WWE Championship in hand.  Seeing that nobody is coming to John Cena’s aid, The Rock sprints to the ring to plant the Big Show with a huge spinebuster.  When Rock goes for the People’s Elbow, CM Punk intercepts the People’s Champ with a thunderous clothesline.  With John Cena, Big Show and the Rock all laid out in the ring, Punk turns his back and walks down the ramp with a serious look on his face.  At first, I did not fully enjoy the ending of Raw 1000 as I thought WWE would put a bigger, more in your face cliffhanger than what actually happened much like the debut of Nexus.  It was very surreal and more thought-provoking cliffhanger ending that took a while for me personally to see it’s brilliance much like Shawn Michaels’ turn on Hulk Hogan way back in 2005.  I was surprised that WWE would turn CM Punk heel just a year after turning him face even though Punk works much better as a heel than he does as a face.  CM Punk’s heel turn was an excellent way to end the 1000^th episode of Raw off and it keeps fans wanting to see Punk’s explanation this coming week on Raw.  Great job WWE and long live heel Punk!!

The Silver Report: July 15-21

After months of hype, counting down each and every leading up to it, the 1000^th episode is finally upon us.  This momentous occasion has plenty of fans including yours truly excited to the point that WWE NEEDS to deliver with this show.  Not only to kick off the next 1000 episodes off with a bang, but to convince every wrestling fan that Raw’s move to three hours is really worth it.  In all honesty, I am quite skeptical that WWE can put on a consistently watchable product with Raw being three hours each and every week.  They have a hard time keeping many interested through the two hour shows.  Things can easily drag when you have three whole hours to fill with content.  Hopefully that does not happen, but I am still worried.  With the DX Reunion, Brock Lesnar’s answer, the naming of the new GM, AJ & Daniel Bryan’s wedding, the Rock’s message, the Intercontinental Title match and CM Punk vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship, the 1000^th episode of Raw is definitely stacked.  We will just have to see how everything turns out come Monday night.  While a little worried, I personally cannot wait to see what happens.

CM Punk vs. John Cena, WWE Championship, Raw 1000

To nobodies’ surprise, John Cena won the WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder match last Sunday at Money of the Bank.  That left one question that lingered throughout last Monday’s Raw.  When and where will John Cena cash in his Money in the Bank contract?  We would not find out until the very end of the show.  After Big Show got disqualified from his very good match against CM Punk, John Cena made his way to ringside with the Money in the Bank briefcase in tow.  We got a nice little exchange between Cena and Big Show where the Giant played devil’s advocate.  He kept on trying to convince John Cena to throwaway all his morals and cash in the Money in the Bank contract right then and there.  Eventually Cena got fed up and announced he will be cashing in his Money in the Bank contract this coming Monday at the 1000^th episode of Raw before cracking Big Show in the head with the Money in the Bank briefcase.  CM Punk and John Cena have incredible chemistry.  No matter what outside force gets involved in the match, it should be a very entertaining contest.  While I would personally like if the match went on without a hitch, the plans are to have John Cena vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship at Summerslam.  To get us to that point, something big has to happen at some point during this match to start us on the road to the WWE Championship rematch at Summerslam.  The Rock, Big Show, whoever it may be, whatever happens at the conclusion of this match should be big and hopefully send us to Summerslam in style.

Can You Smell What the Rock Has Cooking?

About two weeks ago, it was announced that the Rock would be on the 1000^th episode of Raw.  This announcement led to lots of speculation.  The last time the Rock was on Monday Night Raw, he promised to become the WWE Champion once again.  Most people, me included, believe that Rock will announce when and where he will be challenging for the WWE Championship because WWE would most likely want to promote the holy hell out of that match like they did for Rock vs. Cena.  My prediction is that the People’s Champ will announce that he will challenge for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29.  That could set up Cena vs. Rock II, Brock Lesnar vs. Rock or even CM Punk vs. Rock depending on who is holding the WWE Championship come WrestleMania.  Other possible events where Rock could challenge for the WWE Title are either Summerslam or Survivor Series.  One of the Big Four PPVs other than Royal Rumble (as the actual Royal Rumble match would overshadow this WWE Title match) would be perfect for a match of this caliber.  Maybe the Great One has something else completely different to talk about this coming Monday.  No doubt the whole wrestling world will be listening to what the Rock has to say the 1000^th episode of Raw.

He’s Here to Show the World

While John Cena won the WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder match, Dolph Ziggler won the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Ladder match to the pleasure of yours truly.  Dolph finally has the one thing that could launch him to superstardom.  Now we just have to wait to see when WWE pulls the trigger, but until then we should see Mr. Ziggler hanging in upper card feuds.  One possible feud could be against Chris Jericho, who interrupted Ziggler’s victory speech last Monday on Raw.  Jericho came out and before he even got to speak, Ziggler jumped all over him.  Asking when was the last time Jericho won anything important and going on about how Jericho says he is the Best in the World and has done nothing in his latest run in WWE to prove it.  Dolph would continue to berate Jericho until the Liontamer shut the Show-Off up with a Codebreaker.  It was an excellent segment that planted the seeds for a match at Summerslam or even the 1000^th episode of Raw.  WWE could also put Ziggler into the World Title picture with Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio and the returning Rey Mysterio for a Fatal 4 Way match at Summerslam, but that would not be preferred.  I personally think that Dolph Ziggler should stay as far away from the World Title picture for the time being so he has the element of surprise when he actually cashes in the briefcase and he can have time to establish himself as a main eventer before being handed the title.  At this point and time, it is key to have Dolph Ziggler in meaningful feuds with upper mid-carders to main eventers like Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio and Christian which raise Dolph’s stock with the fans and in the WWE locker room.  It is Dolph Ziggler’s time to show the world what he can do.  WWE, it is on you not to screw this up.

The Silver Report: July 1-7

I will admit this past week was the most fun I had watching WWE in a long while.  Raw was highly entertaining and left my brother laughing at the good and incredibly cheesy moments.  Even the No Holds Barred ad was so hilariously bad that we could not help but laugh.  While I did not watch the entirety of Super Smackdown, what I watched was great.  Easily the best live Smackdown WWE has put on in ages.  A very good thing considering Money in the Bank is only a week away.  We will just have to see how WWE brings it this week for the go-home shows to both Money in the Bank and the 1000^th episode of Raw. 

In the Hands of a Crazy Chick

By now everybody should that AJ is absolutely crazy.  Ever since Daniel Bryan dumped her back in April, there has been a screw loose in this young lady.  No more was that true than this week as the focus was clearly on the special guest referee for the WWE Championship.  A good thing in my opinion because this storyline is the most entertaining out of all of WWE’s programming.  Also the WWE Championship has got shafted for whatever John Cena was doing for the past few months; it did deserve all of the limelight it got this week.   AJ went through a lot on Monday from turning down Bryan’s sad attempt at tricking her to completely freaking out on Punk for not watching her match.  An unhinged AJ did not result in anything good for CM Punk and Daniel Bryan as both men ended Monday night by going through a table.  Everybody was looking for answers from AJ come Tuesday for Super Smackdown on why she put Punk and Bryan through a table on Raw, but nothing was answered.  Instead we were left with more questions as AJ played more mind games with Punk and Bryan by making out with both wrestlers before leaving Smackdown.  As long as all these questions are answered in a satisfying way at Money in the Bank, I am completely fine with WWE pulling us along a little longer.

More for Money in the Bank

As we move closer to the Money in the Bank PPV, the more anticipation there is for the Money in the Bank Ladder matches.  While WWE did tease that there may be more superstars added to the WWE Championship Money in the Bank, nothing came of the little tease.  It is sad because that match is lacking some star power that a returning Randy Orton and/or Rey Mysterio could easily fill.  While I do hope either one or both are added this coming week.  It does feel far little too late to add them to the match, but you never know.  The qualifying matches for the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Ladder match rolled on this past week on Super Smackdown.  Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler both qualified for the World Title Money in the Bank thus bringing the number of participants to seven.  We do not know for sure if there will be more qualifying matches this week on Smackdown.  Seeing as Zack Ryder is the General Manager this week, it is easy to believe that he will add himself to the match one way or another.  So far these matches should be exciting nonetheless.

Del Rio More Dangerous Than Ever

After months of teasing a one-on-one match between Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship, it will finally happen next Sunday at Money in the Bank.  Some wrestling fans might be not care anymore, but I do believe Sheamus and Del Rio will surprise us with a great singles match.  Now that he is back in the title picture, Del Rio has a drive many have not seen in a while.  The Mexican Aristocrat is more dangerous than ever as he hungers for the World Heavyweight Championship.  First on Raw, he completely demolished Sin Cara by attacking the luchador and hooking in the Cross Arm Breaker before the bell rang.  Then on Smackdown, Del Rio took Sheamus for a ride as he slammed the hood of his car down on Sheamus quite a few times.  Del Rio’s attack on Sheamus caused the World Heavyweight Champion to withdraw from the Great American Bash Battle Royal that was held later that night.  We will have to see how this injury plays into their title match next Sunday.  The attack showed the champion that Alberto Del Rio is not a challenger that you take kindly.  He is a vicious and sneaky competitor that will try to win at all costs.  It should make for a highly entertaining title match at Money in the Bank.