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: December 2018

Let's begin this edition of the Silver Report by winding the clock back a year. I'd been at my current job as a copy editor for a year at the time and I felt that my writing was getting out of practice. While I had chances to write on the job, they were few and far between since writing wasn't one of my main responsibilities and because I'm a rather slow writer. So, I thought to start writing on here as a way to keep myself in practice and voice my opinions on a sport that I love, no matter how big or small my audience is.

At the time, I thought it'd be great to keep this up for at least a year just to see if I could do it. Now, here we are at the last Silver Report of 2018. Time flies when you're overthinking professional wrestling storylines and politics.

In all seriousness, writing on here has been very therapeutic as it's given me a chance to write down my feelings and show a vulnerable side of myself through the lens of wrestling. As such, I'd like to thank everybody who has been along this journey with me from liking my social media posts to reading these articles all the way through. I'm just glad this blog exists and it might help somebody somewhere broaden their views on pro wrestling or reignite their passion for this sport.

Considering how everything is wrapping up for the new year, December isn't the most newsworthy or exciting month of the year. While there was still good wrestling happening, just not as much as previous months.

A New Leaf for the American Dragon

With one swift kick to AJ Style's groin, Daniel Bryan's fortune changed for the better.

Before this moment, Bryan was the plucky babyface that fought for his dreams. Unfortunately, those dreams led to lackluster feuds with Big Cass and the Miz and slowly dulling cheers. In summation, WWE dropped the ball with Bryan's return to wrestling. Well until this heel turn.

With a kick to the groin and a running knee, Daniel Bryan captured his fourth WWE Championship while simultaneously throwing away the love and affection of the fans. Exclamations of "Yes!" were replaced by disapproving shouts of "Fickle". Inspiring speeches about fighting for one's dreams were replaced by self-righteous sermons on protecting the environment. You might say it was a "new" Daniel Bryan.

To be honest, my emotions were all over the place when Bryan captured the WWE Championship using nefarious means. I was happy that he finally won the WWE Title while healthy. I was stunned and confused that he would use heel tactics to win. Ultimately, I was worried that this heel turn was ill-conceived; just done as a moment to spike ratings rather than a fully realized development in Bryan's character.

How wrong I was.

From the cutting promos to more vicious demeanor, the ensuing weeks showed just how great this "new" Daniel Bryan is. Much like CM Punk's heel run as the straight-edge saviour, Bryan's eco-preacher persona took an aspect of his life — in this case, his vegan eating habits and belief in environmentalism — and turned it up to eleven. As such, these crazed antics have effectively turned Bryan into one of the best heels in the company, only behind Tomasso Ciampa.

Considering this heel turn is only a month and a half old, the best is yet to for the "new" Daniel Bryan and his hopefully lengthy WWE Championship reign.

Source: Figure Four Online

Must-See Matches of December

12/4/2018
Smackdown
Cesaro vs. Jey Uso vs. Xavier Woods

12/12/2018

NXT

Ricochet vs. Tyler Breeze

12/15/2018

Road to the Tokyo Dome Night 2

Golden Lovers vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Will Ospreay

12/16/2018

TLC

AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan

Asuka vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair - TLC Match

12/19/2018
NXT
Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano - Steel Cage Match

The Silver Report: March 2018

Although the build to WrestleMania and all the big shows happening that weekend was a big part of March, tournaments were the flavour of the month.

205 Live continued its Cruiserweight Championship tournament with a stellar semifinal. Despite not watching it myself, ROH continued their Women's Championship tournament to great fanfare. But it was the 2018 New Japan Cup that stood tall with two weeks of high-quality matches and one great star building performance which I will go into more detail a little later.

So let's get to it!

Do Something

I have to get something off my chest. I hate the build to John Cena vs. Undertaker for WrestleMania. It is redundant, annoying, frustrating, and any other negative adjective you can throw at it. 

It is insulting for WWE to think that their audience would believe that John Cena couldn't get a match for WrestleMania. This is John Cena we're talking about here — the face of this bloody company for over a decade — many would kill for a match with him on the biggest PPV of the year. So, WWE tell me why I should believe this premise when it has more holes in it than a pasta strainer?

If you can get past all the holes in the premise, the entire build for the last month has been nothing more than John Cena calling out the Undertaker to no response ... each ... and ... every ... bloody ... week. Maybe the payoff will make it all worth it in the end. Unfortunately, it is test of patience to sit through a 20-minute John Cena promo where he spews on about how a retired Undertaker should feel sorry for letting down the fans and being a coward because the Undertaker is retired. Not the fact that it hurts Cena's massive ego to be continually denied the match HE wants the most.

And that leads into my final point, the build has been so frustrating because of all the wasted potential. WWE could of easily built this match in a similar fashion to Shawn Michael vs. Undertaker from WrestleMania 26. You have the same story starting from the beginning of the year to Fastlane where Cena is desperate to main event one more WrestleMania, but you change the build from Fastlane onward.

Instead of the redundantly long promos, explore Cena's psyche and how Undertaker's silence affects him on an emotional level. Have other wrestlers, like Kane or Goldust, put aside the gimmicks and talk to Cena about his obsession with calling out the Undertaker. Hell, make mention that Undertaker is retired, so there is no way this match will happen. And when John Cena is at his lowest, the Undertaker answers the challenge. Not because he wants to fight, but to put Cena out of his misery.

Maybe I put far more brainpower into this feud than WWE ever did, but it's so frustrating to see WWE and namely John Cena do nothing to evolve his character after all these years. This reluctance to change has plagued WWE's main roster for a very long time now and this John Cena vs. Undertaker build is just another example of why it isn't working.

WWE should take Cena's pleas to the Undertaker to heart and actually "do something" next time.

The American Dragon Rises Again

March 20 was just a regular Tuesday. Well until WWE dropped a bombshell of an announcement in clearing Daniel Bryan for competition.

As the Internet exploded with pure excitement and elation, I felt conflicted. Seeing Bryan get a chance to finally wrestle again after all his trial and tribulations of the last few years made me feel so happy. At the same time, a part of me was worried that all his issues with concussions haven't fully healed even with his clearance. Also the selfish part of me was disappointed that we wouldn't see Bryan compete in the indies again.

All that worry melted away in the final segment of that SmackDown Live. After firing Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for their assault on Shane McMahon the week prior, Bryan was forced to get physical with the two former roster members. Bryan fired off his signature kicks and corner dropkicks with such force and passion that it made me remember how much I missed watching him perform. Plus, the devastating apron powerbomb Bryan took at the end of the segment showed that WWE has faith in him to take big bumps again.

Bryan's return to the ring couldn't have come at a better time as it revitalized my excitement for this feud between Owens, Zayn, and SmackDown's authority figures, SmackDown Live, and even WrestleMania. It really seems poetic that the spot of Bryan's greatest achievement will be place he makes his triumphant return. Onward to New Orleans!

Just Tap Out!

Debuting just over a year ago for the company, Zack Sabre Jr. made a splash by aligning himself with Suzuki-gun and dispatching eventual 2017 New Japan Cup winner Katsuyori Shibata. Despite the immediate success in New Japan's heavyweight division, Zack didn't make much of an impact during the rest of 2017. While he did challenge for Hiroshi Tanahashi's Intercontinental Championship in September and got a few noteworthy wins in the G1 Climax, Zack was mostly used fill out a spot in tournaments and tag team matches.

Well that all changed this past March when Zack tapped out Tetsuya Naito, Kota Ibushi, Sanada, and Hiroshi Tanahashi (some of the best wrestlers that New Japan's heavyweight division has to offer) on his way to winning the 2018 New Japan Cup. In just four unbelievable performances, Zack Sabre Jr. cemented himself as a viable contender to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and a force among New Japan's heavyweights.

This major push came alongside a chance for Zack to build his character from a skinny British submission wizard to a sharp-tongued torturer. His post-match promos throughout the New Japan Cup were phenomenal, especially the one on Ibushi's recklessness. Add in Taka Michinoku as Zack's hype man for the Japanese crowd and you got one incredible package.

So like Taka exclaims before every match. "He is submission master! He is Z-S-J! He is ... Zack Sabre Jr.!" And New Japan locker room, he's coming to tap you out!

Must-See Matches of March

3/6/2018
46th Anniversary Show
Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay

3/9/18
New Japan Cup Night 1
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Michael Elgin

3/11/2018
New Japan Cup Night 2
Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Fastlane
AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn - Six Pack Challenge

3/13/18
205 Live
Cedric Alexander vs. Roderick Strong

3/16/18
New Japan Cup Night 7
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Juice Robinson

3/18/18
New Japan Cup Night 8
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Sanada

3/19/18
Raw
Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt - The Ultimate Deletion

3/20/18
205 Live
Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak

3/21/18
New Japan Cup Finals
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

3/25/18
Strong Style Evolved
Golden Lovers vs. Young Bucks

3/27/18
205 Live
Akira Tozawa vs. Buddy Murphy vs. Kalisto vs. TJP

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

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.

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 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.

The Silver Report: June 24-30

We are right into the summer months and things look to be kicking into gear.  As WWE moves closer to Money in the Bank, the more interesting the WWE seems to get.  Last year, Money in the Bank solidified its spot in WWE’s PPV schedule with possibly the best PPV in years.  This year the wrestling world is hoping for another great show and so far things are looking good.  When a PPV has not one, but two multi-man ladder matches, there just needs to be a few great singles or tag team matches to wrap everything together.  Depending what the card is, I am seriously debating going to see Money in the Bank.  Two ladder matches, solid singles matches for the WWE and World Championships, a good Diva’s Title match and a decent tag team title match and I will be sold.

Former Champions Only

The biggest news from Raw this past week was the announcement of the WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match.  There will no longer be a ladder match for each brand, now there will be a ladder match for each title.  The WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder match is only open to former WWE Champions and this year only four superstars will compete in it.  John Cena, Big Show, Kane and Chris Jericho are the participants in this year’s match for the WWE Championship briefcase.  While it is neat and concept, the main purpose of the Money in the Bank Ladder match is to get up-and-coming talent over in the main event scene.  Some excellent examples are Edge, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.  With all former champions in the mix, it does not give a chance for a younger guy such as Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston or Brodus Clay a chance to shine.  The talent in this match should be able to put on an excellent ladder match, but there is no real reason to have this match be for the Money in the Bank briefcase.  From the looks of things, this match will serve as an excuse to get John Cena back into the WWE Title hunt as he will most definitely be winning.  Well there is no way Chris Jericho, Kane or the Big Show are winning if Super Cena is in the match.  Another gripe I have with the WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder match is that it is more or less a glorified Fatal 4 Way Ladder match.  Every Money in the Bank Ladder match before this match had at least six wrestlers in the match.  It should be hectic, but nothing as crazy as past Money in the Bank Ladder matches.  Hopefully WWE adds at least two more former WWE Champions to the mix, say Rey Mysterio or Randy Orton, to make this match a little more interesting.

All for the World Heavyweight Money in the Bank

While the WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder match is only for former WWE Champions, the World Heavyweight Money in the Bank Ladder match is open to everyone.  This past Friday on Smackdown saw five superstars qualify for the World Heavyweight Money in the Bank Ladder match.  The five lucky superstars were Damien Sandow, Tyson Kidd, Santino Marella, Christian and Tensai.  So far a good mix of superstars in this match, but I cannot wait to see who will qualify this coming Tuesday on the special Great American Bash live Smackdown.  The rumour is that there will be four more qualifying matches this Tuesday on Smackdown, which will bring the number of participants to nine.  Add one more surprise entrant say in the return of Wade Barrett and you got an even ten men in what should be an incredible showcase of talent.  Personally I do hope that Dolph Ziggler will qualify and win the World Heavyweight Money in the Bank briefcase.  Dolph is just on the precipice of the main event and that Money in the Bank briefcase just may be exactly what Dolph needs to break that glass ceiling.  All-in-all, the World Heavyweight Money in the Bank Ladder match looks much more promising than the WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder match. 

CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan II at Money in the Bank

Well, I guess WWE creative reads the Silver Report.  Just last week, I hoped that we would get CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship over another Triple Threat Match between Punk, Bryan and Kane at Money in the Bank.  After pinning CM Punk in a Triple Threat Elimination Match this past Monday on Raw, Daniel Bryan has been granted one more singles match for the WWE Championship in a few weeks at Money in the Bank.  All WWE has to do now is make CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan II for the WWE Championship the main event of Money in the Bank and I will be in heaven.  CM Punk and Daniel Bryan have incredible chemistry from their times in Ring of Honor and given the spotlight and time of the main event, they could produce something just as or more incredible as my current Match of the Year, Undertaker vs. Triple H from WrestleMania.  With the addition of AJ as the special guest referee, this match looks like the climax of this Punk vs. Bryan feud.  Come Money in the Bank, we will know who AJ sides with, who will leave Phoenix with the WWE Championship and who is the better wrestler between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan?  All these questions should be answered in an incredibly climactic showdown in the desert that all wrestling fans should go out of their way to watch.

The Silver Report: June 17-23

One week removed from No Way Out, one week closer to Money in the Bank.  It is the first week of summer.  It is scorching hot, very humid and wrestling has hit a crucial part of the year.  The summer months can either make or break how fans feel about said year.  Case in point, 2010 was a mediocre year for WWE and a lot of it was due to the mishandled Nexus storyline that permeated the summer of 2010.  On the flip side, last year the WWE had a phenomenal summer headlined by one the best storylines in years as Punk held the WWE for ransom.  While 2011 had its ups and downs, it was very good year altogether mainly thanks to WWE’s own Summer of Punk.  Summer 2012 has not started that great for the WWE with a lackluster No Way Out PPV and a Raw that started off great, but ended horribly.  We still got two more PPVs and the 1000^th episode of Raw to go before this summer is over.  We will have to see if things get better from here.

Where Does WWE Go From Here?

With John Laurinaitis fired and Big Show demonsterfied, honestly where can the WWE go from here?  Going into No Way Out, we were at the point where Laurinaitis’ reign over Raw and Smackdown was looking to take off.  For the past few months, Laurinaitis seemed to have been coming into his own and becoming a character you love to hate almost on the level of Vickie Guerrero.  Every time he got close to taking that next step, there would be Triple H, Vince McMahon or John Cena to knock him down a peg.  If you want a heel General Manager takeoff, you have to give him full reign to be a complete utter ass to everyone and everything.  Abusing power, making the every faces’ life a living hell, benefitting the heels these are things that a heel General Manager needs to do every single week.  We did get some of it, but it seemed like things were about to get going when WWE decided that John Laurinaitis will not be the GM of Raw and Smackdown anymore.  He just got all this power two and a half months ago and now it is all flushed down the toilet due to McMahon’s short-sided booking.  Yes, this development is supposedly leading into Laurinaitis being in Brock Lesnar’s corner at Summerslam.  Honestly why should John Laurinaitis be in Lesnar’s corner when Paul Heyman should be in Brock Lesnar’s corner?  The question is where WWE goes next.  Big Show is set to be in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match and feud with Brodus Clay, but nobody really cares about the Big Show after losing the Steel Cage match anyway.  John Cena is rumoured to face CM Punk for the WWE Championship at Summerslam and go onto be a big part of the WWE Title picture for the next part of the year (something this writer is not excited about at all).  Right now all I can really say is that I am sick and tired of the WWE and World Heavyweight feuds being overshadowed by all these stupid bloody storylines involving Cena and hope this summer these feuds get a chance in the main event limelight.

WWE Championship Love Quadrangle

Speaking of the WWE Championship feud, this weird yet highly entertaining feud is the best thing on WWE television lately and it has not ceased to entertain.  At No Way Out, CM Punk got the better of Daniel Bryan and Kane thanks to a big distraction for WWE’s resident crazy chick AJ to retain his WWE Championship.  No Way Out was not the end of it as we got even weirder moments from AJ this past week.  On Raw, she skipped her way down to the ring in a full-on Kane costume, which distracted the Big Red Monster and Daniel Bryan enough for CM Punk and Sheamus to pick up the victory.  Then on Smackdown, AJ tricked Bryan into thinking he caused Kane to submit to the Yes Lock by hitting the ring bell while he had the hold locked on Kane.  AJ’s trick would cost Bryan the match as Kane hit the chokeslam for the win.  With Money in the Bank coming up fast, it makes this writer wonder if WWE will have another Triple Threat Match between these three superstars or see a straightforward one-on-one match for the WWE Championship.  While I am personally hoping for CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan to main event Money in the Bank, it will most likely be the former.  The key to this feud and crazy love quadrangle is Little Miss Crazy AJ Lee.  Who she finally allies with will be the key to how this feud is remembered for the years to come. 

Ziggler’s Time

He is here to the show the world and he is here to show you now.  For the past few years, Dolph Ziggler has been caught up in as many stop-and-start pushed as Kofi Kingston has tag team partners.  Everytime it looks like the Zig Zag Man looks to be on the cusp of breaking the glass ceiling, Dolph gets dropped right back to mid-card purgatory.  He has the charisma, he has the look and he definitely has the wrestling talent to be a star in the WWE, but this company just cannot see it.  Well hopefully no more.  After Alberto Del Rio supposedly went down with a concussion last week, Ziggler won a Fatal 4 Way Elimination Match to get the honours of challenging Sheamus for the World Title at No Way Out.  Even in defeat, it was said Dolph put on one incredible match with the Great White at last Sunday’s PPV event.  This Monday saw Dolph Ziggler drop the extra baggage that was Jack Swagger as he beat the All American American for the right to have Vickie Guerrero as his manager.  While I personally would have liked if he dropped Vickie too and went solo, it is a step in the right direction nonetheless.  Finally on Smackdown, Dolph Ziggler got a non-title rematch against Sheamus.  The match was absolutely incredible as both superstars traded moves for a good 12 minutes (it felt longer than that when I watched it).  The match did end with Dolph’s shoulders pinned to the mat after one insane Brogue Kick that came from absolutely no where.  In the end, Dolph Ziggler came out of this week looking like a million bucks in that ring with the World Heavyweight Champion.  Hopefully this week is a sign of great things to come for Dolph Ziggler this summer.  We will have to see as Vickie Guerrero will be the Guest General Manager of Raw and Smackdown this coming week.

The Silver Report: May 27-June 2

Hope everybody enjoyed my review of WrestleMania 28.  Now we are back to regular scheduled programming.  Two Sundays ago, WWE put on what has been said to be the best Over the Limit event out them all.  While not perfect, the show was said to offer a good amount of quality wrestling especially the World Title Fatal 4 Way and Punk vs. Bryan.  Those are two of the reasons I will most likely be picking Over the Limit up when it releases on DVD next month.  Since Over the Limit it has been an eventful couple of weeks as WWE builds towards the return of No Way Out in two weeks.

Big Show’s Path of Destruction

Only two weeks ago, Big Show was out of a job thanks to John Laurinaitis.  Only two weeks ago, Big Show turned heel as he helped Mr. Laurinaitis beat John Cena in the main event of Over the Limit.  While a predictable turn of events, I was honestly surprised that WWE would go this direction with Big Show.  I thought he would stay the jolly giant character he has played the last two years until he inevitably retired.  At first, I did not care about Big Show’s turn, but it has grown on me considering how the WWE is building him like the monster he should be.  This week, Big Show was booked in a match with the Funkasaurus Brodus Clay.  It was an intriguing match as it looked like Brodus would get some actual competition for once, but that never happened as Big Show hit Brodus with a huge spear before the match.  What followed was an incredible beatdown as Big Show continually hit Brodus with the side of the announce table, bounced R-Truth off the wires of the ring ropes and threw Kofi Kingston through the ringside barricade.  Big Show’s path of destruction continued on Smackdown as well.  Big Show attacked Santino Marella and Zack Ryder after their match against Darren Young and Titus O’Neil.  The devastation Big Show left was a message to his opponent at No Way Out, John Cena that Big Show means business this time around.  While it is yet another feud between Big Show and John Cena, it will be interesting to see how their Steel Cage Match at No Way Out turns out.  Are they building Big Show only to get squashed under the weight of Super Cena or are they going to continue to build Big Show as Mr. Laurinaitis’ monster?  Only time will tell.

The Big Red Monster Joins the WWE Title Picture

A few weeks ago, Daniel Bryan introduced Kane into his feud with CM Punk when he tricked the Big Red Monster into attacking CM Punk as Kane thought Punk hit him with a steel chair, where in reality it was Bryan that hit Kane.  The following week on Raw, Punk got even with Bryan as he tricked Kane into attacking Bryan by handing the American Dragon a steel chair while Kane was not looking.  These events led to Mr. Laurinaitis booking CM Punk vs. Kane for the WWE Championship this past Friday on Smackdown.  The match was a back-and-forth affair that saw CM Punk and Kane give it their all.  The match seemed to be going without a hitch until Daniel Bryan showed up.  First Bryan tried to distract Punk while he was on the top rope, but that did not work out for the American Dragon.  His second attempt to interfere in the match did work as Bryan hit an impressive missile dropkick on both Punk and Kane (one leg for each superstar) causing the ref to stop the match as a result of a no contest.  The brawl did not stop though as Punk and Bryan went at it before Kane came in and hit them with a double chokeslam.  This crazy series of events would come to an end when Mr. Laurinaitis would roll on out in his People Power scooter and announce that the WWE Championship match at No Way Out will be a Triple Threat Match between CM Punk, Kane and Daniel Bryan.  While I and many others would have loved to see another CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan singles match, this Triple Threat Match should be a very fun affair considering how great these three have been the last few weeks on both Raw and Smackdown.  Also this Triple Threat Match will draw out the CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan feud even longer and could possibly set-up for another singles match at Money in the Bank or even Summerslam. 

The Silver Report: April 8-14

A week removed from WrestleMania 28, things seemed to have settled down quite a bit in the WWE.  Programs are gearing up for what should be a crazy Extreme Rules PPV in Chicago.  The Chicago crowd should be up to their usual amazing selves, which should add a lot to the PPV.  Raw was solid while Smackdown was horrible.  Honestly, there has to a curse on every Super Smackdown as everyone WWE has done in the past year has absolutely sucked.  Around this time last year, Smackdown was much better show than Raw, but now things seem to slipping on the blue brand.  Smackdown’s slip from glory is a topic for another day.  Right now, let’s look at the biggest news from the World of Wrestling this past week.

Cena vs. Brock, Extreme Rules

Brock Lesnar’s return at the end of last week’s Monday Night Raw will most likely go down as the greatest moment in the WWE for this year.  There was no doubt that all eyes were set on this week’s Raw to see if the fallout to live up to that legendary return.  In short, it was not as good as Brock’s return, but it was great set-up for their match at Extreme Rules.  Raw started with a bang as Brock and Cena came to blows, which saw the entire roster come out to break them up and Cena busted open.  That confrontation was not it as “People Power” Johnny Laurinaitus set the Leader of the Cenation to face his stooge David Otunga in the main event.  While the match between Cena and Otunga was nothing to run home about, it was not that bad either.  After the match, Brock made his way into the ring and hit another devastating F-5 to end the show.  Did I just have a déjà vu?  Yes, this past Raw ended the exact same way as the week before, but I did not mind it as much because WWE is trying to put over how dominant of a force Lesnar is.  We got two more weeks to go until Extreme Rules, but speculation is already flying on John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules.  Personally, I can see the match going one of two ways.  Either Brock outright beats Cena or the two fight to some sort of no contest, double count-out or double DQ in order to set-up a second match at Over the Limit.  No matter what happens it should be good.

Is Jericho in Punk’s Head?

Before WrestleMania, CM Punk seemed to be able to handle Chris Jericho’s attempts to get in his head.  Jericho’s attack from the previous week looks like it finally broke Punk’s composure as he was a complete mess on Raw this week.  Set to defend his WWE Title against Mark Henry for the second week in a row, CM Punk took it upon himself to make an example of the World’s Strongest Man as he immediately hit Henry with punches to kicks to even a TV monitor, which got Punk disqualified.  Punk was on his way to sending a message when Chris Jericho’s music distracted Punk for just a moment.  A moment was all Henry needed as the World’s Strongest Man laid out the WWE Champion for the second week in a row.  Jericho was not done as he brought down two cases of beer to share with Punk after laying the Champion out with the Codebreaker.  So after the events of this past Raw, is Chris Jericho really in the head of CM Punk?  This writer certainly thinks so, but this writer thinks by getting into Punk’s head, Jericho has released a whole other crazy can of worms that will not stop until Y2J rightfully atones for his sins.  We might even get a preview of crazy Punk as he faces off with Mark Henry for the WWE Championship in No DQ, No Count-Out Match tomorrow on Raw.

Sheamus, Bryan, 2 out of 3 Falls

Out of the three major feuds going on in WWE right now, Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan feels the least interesting.  That is not the fault of Bryan and Sheamus as they have been trying to make the best with the little they are given.  It is WWE’s fault for first giving them only 18 seconds at WrestleMania and now placing the two in different storylines that seem to have no connection with their feud.  Sheamus seems to be starting a feud with the returning Alberto Del Rio and Bryan is busy with his break-up with AJ.  The fact that they have had little to no interaction with each other these past weeks makes their rematch at Extreme Rules seem out of place to say the least.  Not to say, I am not excited to see this 2 out of 3 Falls Match.  It should be much better showcase of what these two wrestlers can do together than their WrestleMania match was.  At the very least, this 2 out of 3 Falls Match ensures the match will last longer than 18 seconds this time around.