All In: Preview of WWE Money in the Bank 2011

For as long as I can remember, a secondary PPV like Money in the Bank has never been this eagerly anticipated.  Never has a secondary PPV had felt as big as Summerslam, Survivor Series or even, dare say it, WrestleMania.  And it is all due to one match, John Cena vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship.  With all that has happened these last four weeks, every wrestling fan feels that something big is going to go down Chi-Town.  This something could change the landscape of the WWE for the rest of 2011 and even into 2012.  There is no doubt that Money in the Bank should be one big show that will have the whole wrestling world watching as the stakes are as high as they come.

Due to the popularity of the Money in the Bank Ladder match, last year WWE took this once WrestleMania tradition and gave the match its own PPV.  Last year, Money in the Bank was one of the more successful PPVs of 2010.  This year, Money in the Bank looks to continue the success with two stacked Money in the Bank Ladder matches and possibly the most anticipated WWE Championship Match of the Year.  WWE Money in the Bank 2011 comes to us from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL this Sunday July 17^th.

Kane vs. Sin Cara vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Justin Gabriel vs. Heath Slater vs. Sheamus in the Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match

The first of two Money in the Bank Ladder matches belong to the superstars of Friday Night Smackdown.  Other than Kane and Cody Rhodes, all the other guys in this match have never been in a Money in the Bank Ladder match before.  So this match could be very interesting to say the least.  Like every multi-man ladder match, there should be a lot of great action and crazy high-flying spots.  Out of all the superstars in this match, the two that need the Money in the Bank briefcase are Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett as they are both in a staling pattern as of late.  With what looks like to be a budding feud between Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, Wade Barrett will most likely take down the briefcase and become relevant again.

Prediction:  Wade Barrett wins the Smackdown Money in the Bank briefcase

Big Show vs. Mark Henry

What on paper looks to be a pretty boring big man match could be the sleeper hit of this PPV.  Mark Henry has put on a few good big man matches in the last little while.  He could pull another one off with the Largest Athlete in the World.  It should be great to see the World’s Strongest Man and the World’s Largest Athlete collide on Sunday.  Expect Mark Henry to get the win and solidify himself as the baddest monster in the WWE.

Prediction:  Mark Henry wins

Kelly Kelly (c) vs. Brie Bella for the Diva’s Championship

Since Kharma left due to her high-risk pregnancy, the Divas division has lost all the momentum from Kharma’s debut.  The Divas that can wrestle are barely seen on TV anymore while the models with no wrestling ability fight over the butterfly belt.  Speaking of models with no wrestling ability, Kelly Kelly and Brie Bella do not deserve to be on this great card.  Unless these two divas pull out something we have not seen from them, this match will most likely be everyone’s bathroom break.

Prediction:  Kelly Kelly retains

Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Alex Riley vs. R-Truth vs. The Miz vs. Evan Boure vs. Jack Swagger in the Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match

The superstars of Monday Night Raw face off in the second Money in the Bank Ladder match.  Personally, I think that Raw’s Ladder match will be the better of the two Ladder matches.  It has a great mix of four Money in the Bank veterans and four Money in the Bank newcomers, which should make for some great action.  It is hard to pick who will walk out of this match with the Money in the Bank briefcase because there are many ways WWE can go with it.  Out of the competitors, I think that R-Truth will win the briefcase only to lose it to John Morrison down the road.  This switch would finally push Morrison to the main event while adding another element to R-Truth’s insanity.

Prediction:  R-Truth wins the Raw Money in the Bank briefcase

Randy Orton (c) vs. Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship

It has been nice to see this great feud go on for so long, but it is time to end it.  Randy Orton has dominated this feud from the very beginning, so Christian should win back the World Title at the very end.  Christian can still lose the title to whomever wins the Smackdown Money in the Bank, but Christian has to beat Randy Orton at Money in the Bank.  A Christian lose will undermine his place as a main event heel and a formidable contender for the World Title.

Prediction:  Christian wins the World Heavyweight Championship

John Cena (c) vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship

The match we have all been waiting for, the underdog vs. the dynasty, the Chicago Cubs vs. the New York Yankees, CM Punk vs. John Cena.  The build-up to this match has been nothing short of phenomenal.  In four weeks, CM Punk has won over most of the WWE Universe that use to boo him.  CM Punk has become a full on anti-hero much like the iconic Stone Cold Steve Austin.  For WWE to let Punk go without at least making sure he will return to the company in the future will be a grave mistake, one that could eventually hurt the WWE.  With all that has happened in the weeks leading to this match, a normal ending to this match would just be anti-climactic.  The ending will most likely include some outside forces like Vince McMahon or Colt Cabana.  When all is said and done, CM Punk will be holding the WWE Title high in front of the rabid Chicago crowd.  There are so many more story opportunities with CM Punk as WWE Champion than John Cena.  Long live CM Punk, the Voice of the Voiceless and soon to be new WWE Champion!

Prediction:  CM Punk wins the WWE Championship

WWE Money in the Bank 2011 truly has that WrestleMania feel.  Unlike many other secondary PPVs, the results of Money in the Bank will have a lasting effect on the landscape of the WWE as we know it.  This feeling does not happen very often.  The last time I can remember was Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels, The Streak vs. The Career back at WrestleMania 26.  So go out of your way and make sure you watch Money in the Bank.  It is a PPV you DO NOT want to miss.

The First Step: Review of TNA Destination X 2011

After so many disappointing PPVs, TNA finally put together a show that was worth watching in Destination X 2011.  Destination X was not the home-run that many wrestling fans, including yours truly, thought it would be, but it was a great first step for the company.  Now TNA needs to use all the good publicity they received from this PPV and continue to put on a quality product.  Everything accomplished with Destination X would be for naught if TNA just went back to what it has been doing for the past few years.  It is time for TNA to prove that wrestling actually matters by putting on more PPVs like or better than Destination X.  Hopefully TNA paid close attention to the fan reaction from this PPV because we wrestling fans approve and we want more.

If you have not noticed by now, TNA Destination X was a really good show.  It had plenty of good to amazing matches and a few okay matches.  There was nothing on this card that was as horrible as some matches put on PPV earlier this year.  It would have been nice for TNA to bring in some former X Division stars such as Sonjay Dutt or Petey Williams for the two challenge matches we got.  At least we got the one night return of Shark Boy.  Even though there were high expectations for RVD vs. Jerry Lynn and AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels, the Four Way match between Austin Aries Low Ki, Jack Evans and Zema Ion stole the show.  It was one amazing match that was very reminiscent of the great multi-man X Division matches TNA use to put on.  There were great spots, non-stop action and one great atmosphere.  For the first time in a long time, the TNA crowd did not sound like they were going through the motions.  From chants of “Sign Them All” to “This is Wrestling”, the crowd was into every moment of the Four Way.  The only bad part was the Four Way stole the thunder out of the two matches that had to follow it.  With all this great action, it would be a disservice to any wrestling fan to miss out on this PPV.  TNA fan or not, Destination X 2011 is definitely worth your time and money.  

Kazarian def. Samoa Joe

Rating:  8/10

Douglas Williams def. Mark Haskins

Rating:  6/10

Eric Young & Shark Boy def. Generation Me

Rating:  6.5/10

Alex Shelley def.  Amazing Red, Robbie E & Shannon Moore in an Ultimate X Match to become the No.1 Contender for the X Division Championship

Rating:  8/10

Rob Van Dam def. Jerry Lynn

Rating:  8.5/10

Austin Aries def. Low Ki, Jack Evans & Zema Ion in a Four Way Match to win the TNA Contract

Rating:  9.5/10

Brian Kendrick def. Abyss to win the X Division Championship

Rating:  6.5/10

AJ Styles def. Christopher Daniels

Rating:  8.5/10

All-in-all, TNA Destination X is the best PPV TNA has put on all year.  Personally it is the best show I have seen from TNA since Turning Point 2009.  It is a great first step for the company.  Now TNA needs to do is continue to improve the quality of their product.  If they continue to do so with the coming PPVs, TNA may be able to bring in fans old and new.  So go out and either order the replay or buy the DVD when it comes out in a few months.  This show is definitely worth it.  The overall rating for TNA Destination X 2011 is 8 out of 10.

The Silverdome Match of the Week: One Step Closer to Destiny

After the busy week we had in the World of Wrestling, this week things seemed to calm down, sort of.  This week Raw was in disarray, all thanks to Punk and his controversial promo from the week before.  John Cena met face-to-face with Vince McMahon.  Cena and McMahon argued about CM Punk’s suspension.  In the end, McMahon reinstated CM Punk, but it came at a price.  Vince gave Cena an ultimatum.  If CM Punk walks out of Money in the Bank with the WWE Championship, John Cena will be fired!  Seems like this whole John Cena vs. CM Punk angle has gotten even more interesting.  Other than the continued saga of John Cena, CM Punk and now Vince McMahon, there were no other news-worthy stories in the World of Wrestling.  This week saw quite a few quality matches grace our television screens.  In the end, Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio vs. R-Truth from Raw bested both Jack Evans vs. Tony Nesse vs. Jesse Sorensen and AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels vs. RVD vs. Jerry Lynn for the Silverdome Match of the Week.

Due to Punk’s suspension, the WWE needed to find a suitable replacement in the WWE Championship Match booked for Money in the Bank.  So this match was made.  Once the bell rang, Del Rio rushed R-Truth stunning the psychotic superstar.  Right after taking down Truth, Del Rio went straight for Mysterio.  Rey tried to avoid the Mexican Aristocrat’s onslaught, but it was no use.  Del Rio took down Mysterio and immediately went for an early cover.  After the failed pin attempt, Del Rio turned his attention to R-Truth who was outside on the ring floor.  Del Rio battled with Truth until Mysterio went for a dive through the opening in the ropes.  The King of Mystery would never reach his mark as Truth would intercept Rey’s dive with a fist to the face.  From that moment, R-Truth took control of the match sending both his opponent’s into the barricade and continually beating down Del Rio and Mysterio.  Truth’s reign of dominance over Del Rio and Mysterio would come to an end with one incredible move.  R-Truth went to hit a superplex on Mysterio when Alberto Del Rio came out of nowhere and lifted Truth on his shoulders.  Del Rio’s little move gave Rey enough time to hit a Doomsday Device-like splash on R-Truth while he was sitting on Del Rio’s shoulders.  Once all three superstars recovered from the big move, all hell broke loose as each man went for everything they got.  On two separate occasions, both R-Truth and Alberto Del Rio tried to hit a suplex on Rey Mysterio only to be stopped by the other superstar.  Del Rio then tried for a German Suplex on Rey Mysterio, but Mysterio would block the move.  While Del Rio had Mysterio in his grip, Truth hit a sunset flip on the Mexican Aristocrat which gave Del Rio enough momentum to send Mysterio flying.  With the advantage, R-Truth hit the Axe Kick on Mysterio and went for a pin attempt.  As the ref’s hand was coming down for three, Mysterio kicked out.  Looking to take the advantage, Del Rio rushed full force at Truth.  R-Truth dodged right before Del Rio connecting thus causing Del Rio to run right into the ring post.  Del Rio’s failed shoulder tackle gave Mysterio enough time to recover and hit R-Truth with the 619 and splash finisher.  As Mysterio went for the pin attempt Del Rio ran in and locked Mysterio in the Cross Armbreaker for the submission victory.  With this victory, the Mexican Aristocrat, even though he will not be receiving his title shot at Money in the Bank due to CM Punk being reinstated, is one step closer to his self-proclaimed destiny.  No matter if CM Punk or John Cena walks away with the WWE Championship match at Money in the Bank, Alberto Del Rio is the next one in line for a title shot, but you… you already know that.

We got one exciting week ahead.  This Sunday night, TNA Wrestling presents their all X Division PPV Destination X.  Expectations are high for this PPV with the return of the six-sided ring and TNA’s focus on actual wrestling.  Then on Monday, Raw emanates from Boston in what should be an explosive show as CM Punk makes his final appearance on Raw.  On Thursday, TNA presents a rather packed episode of Impact Wrestling capped off by the newly psychotic Sting challenging Mr. Anderson for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.  It should be one crazy week to say the least.  Well that is all for this weekend.  Have a wonderful and rather hot summer week and see you next week.  Cheers.  

The X Division Is Back: Preview of TNA Destination X 2011

Since TNA’s inception, the X Division has been a key part of what made TNA Wrestling what it was.  The X Division has always been a part of TNA’s identity.  In the last few years, TNA has dropped the ball with this once great division.  When wrestlers like AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe moved onto the main event picture, TNA could not elevate the other X Division stars to fill the void.  The closest TNA came to filling that void was with Jay Lethal, but TNA dropped the ball yet again and released him a few months ago.  At this point in time, the X Division has been buried so often that it seemed like no hope.

Now here comes Destination X to rescue.  What was once a primarily throwaway PPV in the month of March now is much more important.  For the first time in the PPVs history, Destination X will be an all X Division PPV (what it should have been from the start) and as an added bonus, the six-sided ring will be brought back for one night only.  In a time when TNA continually shoves their new “Wrestling Matters Here” slogan down our collective throats, it is nice to see a PPV that actually focuses on wrestling rather than TNA’s convoluted storylines.  It is a step in the right direction for the company.  Now the question is will TNA continue to strongly support the X Division after Destination X?  We will have to see when Destination X originates from the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, FL this Sunday, July 10^th.

Douglas Williams’ Open Challenge

Douglas Williams is a very talented wrestler so whoever accepts this challenge should be able to put on one great match with him.  The question is who will that be?  TNA has a plethora of X Division stars that have left the company from guys like Petey Williams and Sonjay Dutt to Shark Boy and Kid Kash.  Personally, I think Jay Lethal will answer the challenge.  It will be TNA’s way of saying sorry for releasing him a few months back.  No matter who expects the challenge, Williams will most likely get the win to keep the British Invasion looking strong before their eventual match with Mexican America.

Prediction:  Douglas Williams wins

Alex Shelley vs. Amazing Red vs. Robbie E vs. Shannon Moore in an Ultimate X Match for the No.1 Contendership for the X Division Championship

There is no way you could have an all X Division PPV without the Ultimate X.  It is nice that TNA will finally be giving time to all these guys who have not been on Impact Wrestling for at least a month.  No matter what this match should be nothing short of great.  Out of all of these high-flyers expect Alex Shelley to walk away with the No.1 Contendership.  TNA needs something for Shelley to do while Chris Sabin recovers from injury and chasing the X Division Title sounds like a good idea.

Prediction:  Alex Shelley wins the No. 1 Contendership for X Division Championship

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

This little feud has played out for far too long.  All anybody wants to see is to get the X Division Title off of Abyss’ waist.  Not saying that Brian Kendrick and his stupid gimmick deserve to hold the title, but he is an improvement over Abyss.  We will see how well this match turns out, but expectations are low. 

Prediction:  Brian Kendrick wins the X Division Championship

Samoa Joe vs. Kazarian

Samoa Joe solidified his dominance in TNA while participating as a member on the X Division back in 2005 and 2006.  How things can change so drastically in only five years.  Now Joe is nothing close to dominate in TNA.  Well for Kazarian, his stock in TNA has grown in those same five years.  Now on the brink of TNA’s main event picture, Kazarian has been stagnant for the past month or so.  This match is very important for both men.  For Samoa Joe to get his career back on track and for Kazarian to finally break the glass ceiling to TNA’s main event picture.   These two will most likely bring all they got and could possibly steal the show right out from under RVD, Jerry Lynn, AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels.

Prediction:  Kazarian wins

Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn

This match was suppose to main event last year’s Hardcore Justice PPV.  A year later, TNA has finally delivered on RVD vs. Jerry Lynn.  These two have put on some classic bouts back during their days in ECW.  Honestly, all the excitement I had for this match is gone.  This match will be something special no doubt about it, but it is a year too late in my opinion.

Prediction:  Rob Van Dam wins

Zema Ion vs. Jack Evans vs. Low Ki vs. Austin Aries in a Four-Way Match for a TNA Contract

In the four weeks leading up to this PPV, TNA put on a series of Three-Way matches between former and future X Division stars.  Those matches served as qualifying matches for this Four-Way match where one former or future X Division star will walk away with a contract with TNA Wrestling.  Those Three-Way matches were nothing short of amazing feats of wrestling ability.  From the twelve men that competed in those matches, we are down to the best of the best.  This match should be one excellent showcase of the great action that the X Division can produce.  Whoever wins this match will definitely deserve that TNA contract.

Prediction:  Jack Evans wins the TNA Contract

AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels

The rivalry between AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels has been well documented in the annals of TNA history.  Two of the best wrestlers who ever stepped into a TNA ring, AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels have been the blood and soul of TNA Wrestling for years now even though these two have not always been treated as such.  This match is the perfect main event for an all X Division PPV.  This match should not disappoint.  AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels have the potential to be the best match of 2011.  It should be one hell of a show.

Prediction:  AJ Styles wins

It has been a long time since we have all been looking forward to a TNA PPV.  TNA Destination X 2011 is just around to corner.  Time to make our voices heard and make sure that TNA knows that we want more shows like Destination X.  If you have the money, go out and order Destination X or buy it on DVD when it comes out.  Support the product that you want to see.  Maybe then TNA will listen.

The Silverdome Match of the Week: “I Can’t See With These Lights!”

Well it has been two long weeks since we had a Silverdome Match of the Week.  It is nice to finally be back.  This week was rather slow match-wise with only a few Match of the Week quality matches.  This week was not as slow news-wise.  Starting with Davey Richards finally claiming the ROH Championship on Sunday to CM Punk’s worked shoot on Monday to Sheamus’ impactful return on Smackdown, it was one packed week.  With only a few matches worthy of the award, Christian vs. Sin Cara from Smackdown took down both Low Ki vs. Matt Bentley vs. Jimmy Yang from Impact Wrestling and Daniel Bryan vs. Ted DiBiase also from Smackdown to win the Silverdome Match of the Week.

As an up-and-coming superstar, Sin Cara has been on an undefeated streak since he debuted in April.  Sin Cara has faced many different superstars from the likes of Jack Swagger to Evan Bourne, but a superstar like Christian would test everything this luchador had.  Sin Cara got the early advantage on Christian, which flustered Captain Charisma.  Christian would escape to the safety of the ring floor as Sin Cara would tease a cross body from the top rope.  In his frustration, Christian would complain about the special lighting for all of Sin Cara’s matches thus the subtitle for this post.  Eventually Christian would get the advantage over his masked opponent, but that would not last for long as Sin Cara would avoid Christian’s uppercut attempt.  Cara followed that up with a kick, which sends Christian to the arena floor.  That was the opening Sin Cara needed to hit a corkscrew plancha onto Christian.  Cara sent Christian back into the ring just to hit a corkscrew press on him for a near fall.  Christian and Sin Cara would go onto to trade some incredible high-flying and ground-based moves, which made for plenty of near falls between the two superstars.  Sin Cara pulled out every move in his playbook even his modified La Mistica finisher to put away Christian, but the high-flyer just could not put away Captain Charisma.  It came down to the very last moment as Sin Cara went for a handspring back elbow only to be caught by Christian.  Christian would try to go for the Killswitch only for Sin Cara to send him right into the turnbuckle.  In a last ditch effort, Sin Cara went for a headscrissors of sorts, but only for Christian to hang the luchador on the top rope.  The counter gave Christian enough time to hit one vicious spear to pick up the victory and give Sin Cara his first ever defeat in the WWE.  Even in defeat, it was an impressive showing from Sin Cara.  There are still a few things that Sin Cara needs to work out like communication in the ring and carefully pulling his high-flying offense before he makes the next big step in becoming a WWE superstar.  On the upside, hopefully the WWE will get rid of Sin Cara’s ridiculous lighting now that he has lost a match.  To be honest, it does not add anything to his matches; it is more of a nuisance.  Enough about the lighting, Sin Cara has a lot more ways to grow in the coming years.  One defeat will not stop Sin Cara’s rising star.

Another Silverdome Match of the Week, another Smackdown match wins.  This coming Raw this July 4^th should be very entertaining as we all get to see the fallout of Punk’s worked shoot.  Really looking forward to seeing how all the WWE superstars react to the controversial promo.  This coming Thursday, be sure to tune into Impact Wrestling.  This week’s main event is going to be a Four Corners Match between AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Jerry Lynn and Rob Van Dam.  Should be one hell of a match so make sure you do not miss it.  Well that is all for this Saturday evening.  Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend and see you again next Saturday. Cheers.

CM Punk: A True Wrestling God

It takes one moment change the whole feeling about a show.  Last Monday’s Raw from Las Vegas was another average show from the WWE.  That was until CM Punk made this particular Raw a show that will be remembered for years to come.  It only took five minutes to take Punk’s image from an amazing yet underutilized superstar to a wrestling legend.  With one promo, CM Punk solidified his position as the greatest wrestler to step into a ring, a true Wrestling God.

Before coming to the WWE, CM Punk was a star in the independent wrestling scene.  From IWA to ROH to TNA, CM Punk was making a name for himself with some wildly-acclaimed matches against the likes of Raven and Samoa Joe.  Finally in 2005 the WWE took notice in this rising star and signed Punk to a developmental contract.  Punk would work in OVW, WWE’s developmental area at the time, until Paul Heyman would bring up the Straight-Edge Superstar to resurrected ECW.  CM Punk would take advantage of the opportunity to perfect the WWE-style of professional wrestling and build his fan base.  As a face, CM Punk had a huge amount of success winning the ECW, World Heavyweight, World Tag Team and Intercontinental Championships along with winning the Money in the Bank Ladder Match two years in a row.  CM Punk is also the fastest WWE superstar to complete the WWE’s Triple Crown Championship.  Even with all this success as a face, CM Punk’s true calling was that of a heel.  Upon winning his second World Heavyweight Title, CM Punk turned heel and began his crusade on the vices of drugs and alcohol.  Punk’s gimmick was one of a kind and produced disturbing results as the crowd would boo Punk’s preaching of a better clean life and cheer whenever he would mention drugs or alcohol.  During this time, CM Punk had some very memorable feuds with Jeff Hardy, the Undertaker and Rey Mysterio.  After about a year on Smackdown, Punk would move over to Raw where he would take the reins of commentating during the final two months of 2010.  Punk offered new life to Raw’s rather dry commentary and proved that no matter what role you put him in, Punk will nail it.  CM Punk would return to the ring in early 2011, taking control of the sinking ship that was the Nexus while feuding with the WWE’s two biggest draws, John Cena and Randy Orton.  Even though his feud with Orton was entertaining, Punk seemed to get continually buried by the Viper whenever they faced each other one-on-one.  After that feud, WWE Creative seemed to have no direction for Second City Saint that was until recently.  Just over a week ago, CM Punk defeated the likes of Alberto Del Rio and Rey Mysterio to become the No. 1 Contender for the WWE Championship.  Upon winning the No. 1 Contendership for the WWE Title, Punk announced that he will be leaving the WWE after his championship match at Money in the Bank in his hometown of Chicago and hopefully taking the WWE Title with him.  To build to his match with Cena at Money in the Bank, Punk put on the now infamous possibly worked shoot from last Monday night.  CM Punk spoke his mind and the WWE has supposedly suspended Punk.  We will just have to wait to see if the WWE’s resident punk makes it to July 17^th in Chicago.

Hopefully from this little retrospective, you can see that CM Punk is a one of a kind wrestler.  He can do anything that you throw at him and exceed your expectations.  There is no other wrestler that can hold a candle to Punk in the ring, on the mic or in the commentator’s chair.  Among the Ric Flairs, the Triple Hs, the Undertakers, the Rocks, the Stone Cold Steve Austins, who are all considered some of the greatest wrestlers in this business, CM Punk stands above them all.  Last Monday night in Las Vegas was the moment that solidified CM Punk’s place amongst the greats of this industry.  CM Punk solidified himself as a true Wrestling God and possibly the greatest wrestler of all-time.

Little Jimmy Strikes Back: Review of WWE Capitol Punishment 2011

Finally after supposedly being shafted by the WWE again and again, R-Truth got his shot at John Cena’s WWE Championship in the main event of Capitol Punishment.  The two superstars battled in a back-and-forth affair as the crowd, filled with all the Little Jimmies that fuel R-Truth’s insanity, chanting at the top of their lungs.  The Truth came close to winning the WWE Title from Cena multiple times during the match.  R-Truth hit Cena with all of his finishing moves, but to no avail.  In all his frustration, R-Truth decided to play some mind games on his opponent.  Truth made his way up to a Little Jimmy sitting in the front row wearing a whole set of John Cena merchandise.  R-Truth took the Little Jimmy’s Cena hat and put it on.  Then he took the fans drink and took a slip.  When Truth tried to hand the drink back to Little Jimmy, he threw the drink in R-Truth’s face.  That little incident gave John Cena enough time to hit the Attitude Adjustment on Truth to pick up the victory.  Thus ending the Truth’s one and so far only chance at the WWE Championship.

Well Capitol Punishment was not what anybody would consider an amazing PPV, but it was pretty good show nonetheless.  Compared to the garbage that was last month’s Over the Limit, Capitol Punishment is a considerably better PPV.  Capitol Punishment had its fair share of good and bad moments.  For every horrible fake US President Obama segment, there was a match like CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio to make up for it.  As the official start to the WWE’s summer, Capitol Punishment got the WWE off on the right foot.  As a whole, Capitol Punishment was a mixed bag.  This PPV does not truly excel in one area, but it has enough good to great moments to deserve to be watched at least once.

Dolph Ziggler def. Kofi Kingston by Knockout to win the U.S. Championship

Rating:  8/10

Alex Riley def. The Miz

Rating:  6.5/10

Alberto Del Rio def. Big Show

Rating:  6/10

Ezekiel Jackson def. Wade Barrett by submission to win the Intercontinental Championship

Rating:  5.5/10

CM Punk def. Rey Mysterio

Rating:  9/10

Randy Orton def. Christian to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

Rating:  8.5/10

Evan Bourne def. Jack Swagger

Rating:  7/10

John Cena def. R-Truth to retain the WWE Championship

Rating:  8/10

Overall, WWE Capitol Punishment was a good PPV.  Coming off a PPV like Over the Limit 2011, anything from the WWE could be considered better.  With Capitol Punishment, the WWE gets back on track with putting on quality PPVs.  By no means should you rush out of your way to put down money for Capitol Punishment.  This show is worth watching at least to see the excellent match between CM Punk and Rey Mysterio.  The overall rating for WWE Capitol Punishment 2011 is 7 out of 10.