WWE would be smart if...

Another WWE ppv tonight, and here's my thoughts on what would make the ppv worth my time and money, and create some cool stories going into the new year.

#1- I would like to see the Rhode Scholars come out on top.  They need to be the number one tag team contenders right now.  And Cody needs to get rid of the thing on his lip if he hasn't already.

#2- Wade Barrett needs to win the title from Kofi.  One of the best wrestlers around right now, and none of the stories they've had him in, in the while have been strong stories.  This would start a good enough feud that could carry well into March

#3 Cesaro keeping the belt.  His ego works for the championship.

#4 I think that having Dolph Ziggler keep his Money in the Bank case would be the smart thing to do.  I would like to see him cash it in on CM Punk when he returns.  That would be a fabulous set of feuds. Two wrestlers who can out mat and out top turnbuckle most of the guys they have been paired against lately.

#5 My gut on the Sheamus vs Big Show is to say Sheamus needs to win.  But, that's because I'm a fan of his.  But, if he gets the title tonight, he's going to be a bit lost for a new feud UNLESS someone like Miz steps up.  So let's give it to Sheamus and have Miz upgrade his status to number one contender.

#6 Hell No/Ryback vs The Shield.  Saving this for last because it's the whole reason I want to see this ppv.   Honestly, I'd love to see it break down to just Daniel Bryan vs Seth Rollins.  A good 25 minute match of pure submissions. That would make my night if that happened. That could also lead to a great feud for the next two months between Team Hell No and Rollins/Reigns.

*** EditNote- I realized I messed up Daniels name. Think it's fixed now SORRY!**

Can she save the division?

I used screen capture for this post

Velvet Sky made her return to TNA this past week.

The question is, can she save the division?  Is it enough that she's got the skills and is a fan favourite, or is more needed to strengthen the Knock Outs division?

I've never been shy about how I see the use of women in wrestling.  But with that said, Velvet Sky's return is just the shot in the kidneys that the industry- on television- needed.  The only question is, can they create a good enough series of feuds for her?

My thoughts for the week of Nov 29th 2012

Well, maybe someone at WWE was reading me few hours before the Survivor Series (see my last post) because, it would seem that they decided to do a few of the things on my wish list.
They let CM Punk keep his title, they added an extra traditional match and they had Seth Rollins on the ppv.

Of course, they didn't do it the way I was thinking but, still I think the fans got the better end of things.

And if they didn't read me before hand, then I must be becoming semi-psychic. Which would be cool in itself.

So what do I think of the show in the last few weeks?

Plus side- Wade Barrett has been on announce team a few matches, we need more of that. MORE! and he does look damn fine doing so. (then again I've been saying for how long I think he's good looking and talented. More so since getting the hair cut and short beard)

Minus side- The AJ/Cena story.  God get over it! That's all they've had her do in the last year is tag along with the men, copying them.  Daniel Bryan, then Kane, then CM Punk now Cena, and she just copies their look and mannerisms.  Seriously, dude it's just annoying to see her stand there doing their speech patterns, delivering her lines like they do.  Get the whole thing over, it's like a bad deja vu.

Speaking of which, why are we seeing this again this  year in wrestling anyways?  TNA already did a crazied "non-affair" at the beginning of the year with their own AJ Styles.  Of which Mr. Styles commented on in a recent TNA Impact episode.

Dude, have we really become that out of ideas that the raping of Shakespeare is being done so close to each other ? (I explained the term back here) 

And the Aces and Eights story over on TNA.  Dude, bored now.  Didn't they try starting this a few years ago when Samoa Joe was mysteriously taken in a van and a video was sent saying simply that "they're coming"  and then the story was totally dropped... nothing said again. 
Then suddenly we have this which has been dragging on for months and it's just pointless now.

What I would like to see happen on TNA is Aries get the title back, Styles slip back into the X-Division, and for the return properly of Abyss. At lest explain why Abyss has the personality issue.

love Ardeth Blood 

If the WWE is smart....

For me getting a ppv now a-days is a rare thing.  Tonight is WWE's Survivor Series, and I'm weighing the pros and cons about ordering it tonight.

This included going to the WWE website and checking the line up for tonight.  And to be honest, I'm really not sure how 5 matches will translate into a 3 hour show?
6 matches if you include the online preshow, but I don't so...

If WWE is smart, they will grab a few of their NXT guys and have a couple of extra matches or a traditional survivor series match with them.
Think about it, what better way to promote someone like Seth Rollins who happens to be the NXT champ right now, then to put him up on a ppv?

Makes sense wouldn't it?

Or to add some speed to the feud that has been building lately on NXT (which we get Friday supper time where I am just before Smackdown)  between Kassius Ohno and well... everyone.

It would be smart too, letting CM Punk keep the title for another few days, giving him a title reign that goes over the 365 day mark.

What would I like to see on NXT

I'm digging on this Kassius Ohno.
I just wish someone would take a pair of clippers to his hair and beard.

I'd like to see Seth Rollins keep this belt for awhile.  Let's see if he can make it at lest till the end of February before someone takes it from him.

And, I'd like to know who the fan in the chicken head is?  Seriously, for something like 5 episodes in a row there was a fan sitting ring side in the right hand corner of the screen in a chicken head.  
Did they wander in on their lunch break from a KFC or something?  Are they a school mascot from some local place where the show is taped?  Is it another wrestler who doesn't want to be recognized? Dude, I need to know the mystery here. It's distracting me from paying attention to the tag matches, and WWE NXT is the only decent show WWE has lately for tag teams.  I mean serious tag teams.

Now, while I'm here, let me just add a quick note about the new kid's show WWE Saturday Morning Slam.... I checked out two weeks worth of it and am really disappointed.  I know, it's geared for little kids, but it's just missing something.  

And I'd like to comment on that new one that started this week  Main Event... only that channel is not available in my area.  I was hoping it would be carried on our sports channel like all the other WWE stuff, but it's not. 

Random Wrestling Thoughts Sept 14th

Are the rosters getting too large?

Let me be the first to say, I am one of the biggest whiners when it comes to seeing the same old same old in the ring all the time.  I've made no bones about how tired I feel just watching RVD and Hardy and Hogan in TNA and watching Cena and Triple H and Rock in WWE.

But, at the same time, we see guys listed on the rosters that sometimes never see the light of a television screen. Usually, these are the ones who carry the house shows, who show up for small town events and headline.

Many fans bitch because these mid-card guys don't get the quality time they worked so hard for, and it's true.  They should be given more air time.  Which is why I personally really like NXT. 

But, are they getting pushed down the line because of the few big uber stars, or because there are just so many guys in each of the bigger companies? 

Would the industry benefit from two or three more smaller companies pushing their way into the spotlight?  Giving the wrestlers more choices then they have now for work?
That would be a given.

I've had a few conversations with the odd fan here and there (okay my cousin and his buddies) about how wasteful it was for WWE to have brought someone like Brock Lesner back for a few months when they could have taken any guy already in their roster and built him up as the next big star.
I'm not saying it didn't bring in some old fans and their cashflow for the few moments he was around.  What I am saying is that the time and energy used up in promoting him could have been used to establish someone already in the company who could have laid the ground work for the next few years.

Everyone wants to be the star of the big companies, but when great talent is wasting like dead grapes on a vine, sometimes it's best to ask yourself if it's really worth it to be waiting for your turn or if you should just find a new sandbox?

Random wrestling thoughts Aug 17th

Tag teams.

I've thrown my thoughts into the ring in the past on this topic a few billion times.
But I just feel like I need to bring this topic back to the surface. Specially after watching the first half of Smackdown just now.

The team of Reks and Hawkins.   WHY?  That was just ... retarded... I was thinking they need to stop and put their pants back on. Not hot, just a bad choice boys.
As well, the Ascension over on NXT.  This is a masterful tag team.   But here's the thing, it doesn't matter how fabulous A team is if there is no one as fabulous to work against.  The Usos are good, skills are even above Ascension at the moment, but the Usos are a little on the tired side.  They need to upgrade their gimmick or something.
Then you have the Prime Time Players.... why?  They are beyond annoying. Just give them a new gimmick now.

-Love Ardeth Blood,

Random thoughst on wrestling Aug 10th

The fans in WWE have a lot of opinions.  Some make sense, some do not.
Right now, Damien Sandow is getting a lot of press.  Which is understandable, as he's getting a large push right now in the company.

There are people out there who feel he's just a bad photocopy of the Genius Lanny Poffo, which in a way, he is.
He's also doing a pretty snappy impression of the late Trent Acid from JCW, who's gimmick was that he was going to save the souls of all the JCW fans.

At first glance,  I wasn't too thrilled with this Damien Sandow. I couldn't get past the fact that the gimmick was an old gimmick.
Then after a few weeks of seeing him on tv, I got why they gave him this gimmick.  He can carry it. It's natural looking on him. The sinister underlining of knowledge.

He's one of those wrestlers who can make the semi-heel-semi-face gimmick work.  Which is what this snotty savoir is. 
Here's the part no one out there wants to hear... he's right.  I'll let you chew on that for a bit.

The world is not what it used to be.  The wrestling industry is not what it used to be, not what it could be.  We - as fans- have gotten lazy in what we expect to see every week. To the point, someone doing a rebooted gimmick is fresh.

Follow.

I'm just waiting for him to whip out a copy of the Necronomicon next time he gets in the ring with someone.  (get it Damien, the Omen, demons...)

-love Ardeth Blood

Random thoughts about NXT

I haven't watched NXT in about a year.  I was flipping channels and saw it was on tonight and thought I've got nothing better to do.

So this is where all the tag teams are.  And the talent it would seem in the WWE.

I'm liking the tag team Ascension.  Connor O'Brian and Kenneth Cameron. (I believe as I've never seen the dude with the hair before)  They have that werewolf-demon-vampire thing happening.  Werewolves.  These two are who should be holding the tag belts.

And Seth Rollins... I'm sorry, he's still Tyler Black in my mind... was wicked. Okay, so he lost, but he looked damned good doing so. 

I liked the atmosphere of the show. It's dark, gritty and intimate.  There aren't any distractions in the way the show is presented.  Which I like.
It's the complete opposite of Raw, which I've always found to be too much. 

Random wrestling thoughts July 20th 2012

By now, wrestling fans have heard that the big programming issues in the US which blocked so many from seeing TNA Impact for the last two weeks, has been settled.
And for once I have to say, it did not just affect the fans in America, it affected those of us in Canada too. 
Fans finally have the show back on the air.  And it would seem just in time for the entrance of Chavo Guerrero.

All I have to say is what took TNA so damned long to bring him over?

This I think is something that will really help to boost the ratings right now, specially given it's summer.  I've always believed that Chavo's style and skill set has been better suited to TNA then it was over in WWE.

All TNA needs now to help push the X-Division once again is Joey Ryan on Impact.  Just saying, how could 87%  of the Spudguns be wrong?

-Love your favourite Professionally Outraged Wrestling Fan,  Ardeth Blood.

Random wrestling thoughts July 11th 2012

It's been one of those crazy days.  Nothing has gone right at all, and for some reason everything has circled back to wrestling in different ways.

You might remember, my lovely Spudguns, that a few posts back I made my comments on the first two episodes of TNA Gut Check.  I'm not really digging that whole idea much at all.

Anyways, if you're following the whole situation, you know that after Joey Ryan was turned down, he showed up on the live show.

Good for him!

Seriously, I know that half the fans think it's an angle and half think it's the real deal.   Personally, I have no clue anymore.  I used to be able to tell when something was scripted and when it wasn't,but with the fact many wrestlers have gotten acting classes and the whole world of "reality tv stars"  line have gotten so blurred.

So real deal or scripted bit you have to check this dude out.  If he's marking out on us fans, then let him mark me with a bullseye because I'm loving what he's got going on over on his youtube.

As a fan who has been loved and hated myself by other fans and even some members of the industry, sometimes you have to just roll with it.

-Love your favourite Professionally Outraged Wrestling Fan,  Ardeth Blood

My Ideal Roster

This is the time of season that most of the wrestling companies are re-thinking contracts.
Just the last month we've seen more then a few new faces starting to show up in both of the two major companies, and a few old faces returning.

If I were in charge of doing contracts for any company, or for that matter if I ever were in the means of starting up my own company (deep sigh dreams man dreams)  I know who my top six would be.
Some you might not expect me to think to add to my dream list.

1. Alex Shelley. 

2. Chris Sabin

3. Austin Aries

Seriously, my first three choices would be no brainers. Everyone and their dog's grandmother have heard me praise those three men for the last few years.

4. Robbie E

5. Wade Barrett

6. Vampiro

Now, my other choices, some people might scratch their head over, but not if you know me or some of my favourites over the years.

I dig Robbie E.  Just not his gimmick.  I think he's a wrestler who will be having major titles in the next few years, he just needs to freshen up the image. He's beyond skilled, but let's face it, how long can his Jersey image carry?

Wade Barrett. I've been very vocal about how good I think he is.  This is a guy who can carry a company.  And he's good to listen to.  Ever a day comes that he's unable to compete he'll make one wicked commentator.

Vampiro.  Dude!  I have nothing to say for myself other then I have been a fan of his since the mid-90's.   Why isn't he in one of the major companies doing GM stuff or commentary or something? 

I know I said my top 6 when I started this post, but dude, I have to add a 7th.   Steve Corino.   Steve Corino.   Don't even make me explain myself. Plus, he's Canadian.

Not a lot of heavy-heavy weights in my list, I've always liked the X-Division and cruiser weight divisions more.

-love Ardeth Blood

My thoughts on TNA Impact for the month of June 2012

I used screen capture for this post

I just caught up with the three episodes of TNA Impact that I've been avoiding.  So, episodes for June 7th, 14th and 21st.

Shall I start by saying I hope Chris Sabin has a smooth recovery from his latest injury.  Dude, it totally sucks what happened, and I speak from experience when I say it's never easy getting over something like that.  And I don't just mean the injury itself but the irony of the situation.



Gut Check... I still think it's a bad idea so moving on... No wait, I have to say, after seeing that one splash of package on the removal of Joey Ryan, I can't help but wonder if my comments were heard?  I still think the whole Gut Check idea is only a band-aid and not a solution.

The X-Division title.  Austin Aries,  I do love that wrestler and what he's able to do in the ring and on the mic.  I love the fact that he's getting the chance to prove that he's just as wicked as some of the other hefty-bags that are in line for the TNA title, but I don't like the idea that he's willing to give up the X-title that easily.
Even with this new condition he spoke about, giving whomever is holding the X-belt to be able to get an instant pass at the TNA title every year at the Destination X ppv... it just doesn't vibe out for me.
I just can't help but think bad negative on that, my zombie eaten brain just seems to be screaming at me that the most important title in the industry right now will be phased off.  I can't get out the bad negative thoughts that the higher ups are doing their damnedest to phase off and out the whole division.  
I do hope for once my paranoia and general dislike of the world is just messing with me, and all will be fine for TNA and the X-Division.  So, prove me wrong on this please.

With my rant said,  it also makes sense at the moment to fit Mr. Aries into the heavy weight division, as there seems to be not much competition at the moment for him in the X-Division, with Alex Shelley having parted from TNA (I'm still digesting that information and it doesn't go with my coffee) and Chris Sabin having injured himself again... again get well soon dude!

The Bound For Glory series.  It was a good idea, and still is.  Anderson calling out Daniels, very nice, love it when a man comes to the ring with his cocktail in hand... I mean that literally this time, as he had a martini in hand.
The Bound For Glory series is something that puts many of the guys on even ground.  This I like.  It lets some of the guys get a leg up who might not otherwise.

The A.J. Styles and Dixie Carter affair... hate it. Just really hate it. And I'm guessing that the fans just didn't want to buy it.  I think the idea of Styles as anything other then perfect white knight right now is asking a bit much from the fans.
Had this storyline been introduced back when Styles was part of Angle's group few years back along with Karen, yeah it would have been easier to sit through.  But, there are just a few wrestlers that no matter what, just seem better off suited to being the "teen idol" and A. J. Styles is that. 
I don't know, when I hear the name A.J. Styles, I just think Prince Charming in a fairy tale sweetness. I get that's a very tall image to hold up to, but dude, that's the price for being the "Face" of the company for so many years.

I would love to see Robbie E change his style.  Get rid of the gimmick, loose the tan and just wrestle.

Magnus, shut him up please.  Just slap some duct tape on him please.

Have I mentioned how NOT a fan of the Hogans I am in this post?  In case you've missed it,  I have never been a fan of Hogan, and now his daughter is crapping up my screen.  How long will that fly before she dunks the KnockOuts division into the crap?
I've never been very quiet with what I think about women divisions in wrestling in general, but I have to say that when TNA really brought the women's division to the front; few years ago, it was a strong division. And compared to the other company it is still head and shoulders above; but I think in the last year and a half, even TNA's women's division has gotten a bit plugged.  Before they bring in anyone else, they should rethink what they have already.
And as much as I have always adored Eric Young and ODB, I really dislike the idea of them being the KnockOut Champs.  It's just foolish.

Love your Professionally Outraged Wrestling Fan,  Ardeth Blood.

Is Gut Check in TNA a good idea?

So the last few weeks TNA Impact has had a segment called Gut Check  where a new wrestler has a chance to audition live for the crowd and then is judged.   Sounds much like what the other company has been doing in the last few years doesn't it...

Anyways, is this really a good concept?

And I've been questioning this on my personal blog a bit, as I have with many of the items that has been introduced in the last two months.
If you look at it from the idea that now they are a live show for the time being, everything is well LIVE. There is no chance for the editors to package up anyone to make them look better or worse. What you see is fairly well what you will be getting.

So in the plus side.

But it's also an audition.  How many of these guys are too nervous for their own good?  Maybe their gimmicks were rock solid in the  indie companies they came from but how does it stack up against the long standing gimmicks of guys like the grade of TNA?

So in the minus side.

I understand that this is contract time for many of the guys to begin with. And as some of the wrestlers are ending their contracts TNA might also be in a small scramble to replace them.  The pressure might be on and a snap decision also might be made.

So in the minus side.

Then there is Twitter.  By all means, the fans should have a say in who they would like to see. But take it from me {a self titled Professionally Outraged Wrestling Fan, or POWF for short} sometimes we need a second look.  Or third for that matter.   With the whole world on instant now now now mode, is taking a round of tweets for gospel really a good thing?  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

So in the minus side.

At the time of this posting, there have been two wrestlers given a pass or ticket with Gut Check, Alex Sliva and Joey Ryan.
Alex Sliva got in,  Joey Ryan did not.

When I watched those episodes, I wasn't very impressed by either men but for very different reasons.

Alex Silva just fell short as far as the match went.  They had him go up against Robbie E and Silva lost.  Look at it from this point of view, Robbie E might have one of the silliest gimmicks going right now, but he's one frealing hell of a wrestler.  He might not be #1 on anyone's list but he's damn sure in the top 7. 
But yet, TNA ended up giving Alex Silva a contract in the end.  I would not have.

Joey Ryan has a gimmick that makes you wonder what the hell the boy was thinking.  But I thought he held up a bit better in the match. And given he was up against Austin Aries, the deck was stacked against him in every corner.  But the judges felt that Joey Ryan wasn't there yet, and might not ever be.
Dude, anyone who can get into the ring with Austin Aries and survive, let alone put in even one or two good moves should have been signed. To quote myself "had this Joey Ryan gone up against someone  a bit less then Aries,  he might have looked impressive."
But yet TNA passed on Joey Ryan.   I would have given him a contract.

So far, the concept of Gut Check hasn't been a positive one from where I am sitting.

Last year however, when there was the X-Division tournament to see who would win the contract, we got to see many of the wrestlers in more then one match.  Of course that worked out to everyone's advantage as it was indeed Austin Aries who came up on top. But then again, there really wasn't a doubt on that one.

-love Ardeth Blood. 

Highlights for WWE Raw for May 28th 2012

We open with Big Show coming to the ring. It's official, he's gone Heel.
He ranted for the whole time he was out there about Cena and how he's got him in his view finder.
 
First match was between Albert Del Rio and Santino.  This has more to do with getting the ring announcer out of that role and into the role of an active wrestler.   This was over in thirty seconds, with Del Rio slapping on his arm breaker.

We then went backstage and saw Alex Riley for the first time in months. Too bad he got shoved into the brick wall by Big Show.

The second match of the night was a tag team match for the belts.  Kofi/R-Truth vs Swagger/Ziggler.  This wasn't much of a match either, R-Truth got the pin over Swagger and got the win, keeping the belts.
Could this be the long awaited end of Ziggler and Swagger?

Then more of Big Show beating up the guys in the back...

Then Laranutis Lauranitus Larunatis John what's his face was trying to say he has become the most popular wrestler in the company now.  CM Punk then came out to inform the crowd he's the new face of the WWE 13 videogame.
Punk had a match against Daniel Byran. and in the middle of it, Daniels' ex girlfriend came out to the ring dressed in Punk's gear... oh god do they really need to write that storyline?  Bryan got the win sort of with a bit of a cheat because he used the exposed turnbuckle.  Then Kane came down and used a steel chair on Bryan. Then Punk got his hands on a chair and used it on Kane.

Next match, Christian vs Miz.  Cody Rhodes was on commentary for this. Christian got the win.
Miz was still standing in the ring nearly five minutes later after the commercial break, ranting about how he's been dumbed down from A-Card to D-Card, but was interrupted by Orton who took him out with one hit.

Then to Dolph Ziggler and Vickie in the backstage area watching Orton on the monitor saying he wants out of the tag division.

The next match was Otunga vs Sheamus. You know, I've said more then once over the last three and a half years, that Sheamus has a great smile that just brightens up the room. Sheamus got the win.

The main event was Brodus Clay vs Big Show.  Now, I would have thought that either Sheamus or Punk whom are the two title holders would have been the main event, but that would make sense. Big Show made the comments about how Clay's gimmick being crap then speared Clay outside of the ring. I don't think the bell even rang, as they never got into the ring.  R-Truth and Kofi came to the ring to help Clay but Big Show just swatted them away like flys before destroying the announce booth. He used the side of the booth as a weapon then.

Week of May 12 2012 - Highlights and Thoughts

This is a bit of a quickie for the two  major companies for the week.

Start with WWE Raw-  The return of Paul Heyman was cool, but the fact he was there to represent Lesnar, not a happy.  I think I know where they are heading with this storyline and it gets a major thumbs down from me.

 CM Punk and Laurinaitis... they work well off each other. This is a feud that has many more months of promise for it.  Not too sure why they decided to thrown in Cena?

Smackdown-  The whole Sheamus vs Orton vs Del Rio vs Jericho... what do I think about that?  I think that there are too many players in this game.  Jericho and Orton should be off in another round and let Sheamus vs Del Rio hold the hour.   But that didn't happen, instead all the ingredients were tossed into the pot together.  Now, at their next ppv it's going to be a big 4 way match.   Dude, that is just too predictable and not necessary.   You all know this means that Orton will get the win over someone and take the belt.  And no I don't think that it would lead to a very interesting feud between Orton and Sheamus down the line, I think it would be a mistake.


Now, on to TNA Impact...  Where do I start?  I've been covering TNA on my personal blog most the time, but felt I would add just a snapshot of thought on it here...  I feel like they are grasping at straws right now.   Teasing the fans for the last 4 and a half months with a major life altering issue with A. J. Styles only to have it be what they showed this past week; too much like a bad soap opera and I know bad soap operas...

I really hate the fact that the main events are being given to RVD and Hardy over and over and over.  It's just old news on a deja vu loop.

I am loving the push that Austin Aries has had.  He's a lighthouse in the fog.  I was a big fan of his few years back when he made his other runs in TNA, and think that now he's finally getting the respect he deserves.

I just wish that this Zema Ion character would go away.  That or upgrade his gimmick, cause he's doing nothing to keep my attention.

And that's the view from my sofa this week.
Love Ardeth Blood

Highlights for WWE Raw 4/30/2012

This is the night after Extreme Rules

Seems that they are going to humour Lesnar with the "changing" of the title of Raw to include "starring Brock Lesnar"    that's just bogus man.
Then Triple H came out and set the record straight that this demanding crap is just that, total crap. 

Lesnar then attacked Triple H and it looks like he broke his arm.   Bye Bye Lesnar!
That was difficult to watch and WWE would be wise not to replay that too much.

They announced a beat the clock match for the number 1 contenders for CM Punk's belt.
It started off with the Miz vs Santino. Miz got it with a 4 minutes and 18 seconds.

Diva's title match, triple threat- Layla, Brie and Nikki Bella.  Layla dropkicked the twins and rolled one up to keep the title.

Next beat the clock match - Jericho vs Big Show.  The clock ran out with Big Show out of the ring and Jericho sliding in as it was running out.  No one won this. 

Next up was Brodus Clay vs JTG.   Clay won this without much effort.

Next beat the clock match - Randy Orton vs  Swagger.  Orton got the win with 2 seconds on the clock. He set the new time to beat at 4minutes 16 seconds.

Tag team match- Primo/Epico vs Kofi/R-Truth.   Kofi got the pin and the win for the tag team belts.  This should be an interesting new tag champs.  Let's see if they can keep the belts for awhile.

Another match in the beat the clock- Kane vs Khali.  No contest, both men failed to beat the clock. Kane did however deliver a choke slam after the time ran out.

Final beat the clock match- Daniel Bryan vs Lawler.   Bryan won by a tap out and beat the clock at 3minutes and 21seconds. {if I did my math right} there was 1minute and 55seconds left on the clock
This means that Daniel Bryan will go one to the next ppv to be the #1 contender.

The ending was Cena coming to the ring to discuss the ppv last night and the events of the show so far tonight.
Laurnitis then came out to make comments about everything as well. Then Tensai came out and they continued to break Cena's already injured arm.

That was just wrong, sick and wrong...

Open Fight Night for Impact

I used screen capture for this post

First off, I'm actually watching the show right now as I write this, and as I write the review for it over on my personal blog. {link here to the review on my personal blog}

What do I think about this new concept?

On one level it's a totally great idea.  Everyone is on an even playing field.   On another level, it's Farbots!

I pretty much mentioned last week on my personal blog, that I think it could possibly lower the value of the belts and some of the talent.
The fact that as of now, all the champions must put the titles up every week if they are called out means that there is a much higher chance of the title changing hands on a weekly bases.

Though, the mirror echo of this is that anyone can be a champion if they have a good night.  There are some wrestlers who really deserve the chance to be a number one contender and some who have had more then their fair share of chances.

So I see this as a double edged sword, and more with the dark side of it.

I know, you can't really put a limit on how many rematches a wrestler can ask for, but maybe there should be a limit to how many in a 40 day time frame?

The best thing TNA has done in the last year has been putting the belts on Robert Roode and Austin Aries.  Both men have held on to their titles for months giving them a boost in value.  Both men have given the audiences pay-per-views worthy of their time and money.

If the belts change hands more then twice each in the next six months, then all the value boost those men and their opponents gave in the last 6 months will have been for nothing.
The same can also be said for having it stay too long with some of the other wrestlers who've held that belt more then often in the past.

In other words,  I would hate to see those belts in the hands of guys like RVD or Hardy.  It would just be the same old same old and nothing good could come of that.

-Love Ardeth Blood

Highlights for WWE Raw for April 23 2012

This was a 3 hour show tonight.

We opened the show with Edge.  He came to the ring to rant at Cena.

The first match of the night then was between Jericho and Kofi.  Jericho put Kofi in a very harsh looking walls of Jericho for the win. He then went on to talk about CM Punk and their match at the next ppv.

Next up was R-Truth vs Tensai. This match was just to show Tensai as a monster. He won with no trouble.

After that, there was a tag match with Alberto Del Rio/ Cody Rhodes vs Khali/ Big Show.  This was mostly for a chance to stick it to Rhodes after what he did on Smackdown last week when he injured the knee of Khali.  At one point Rhodes went after Big Show's knee as well. Big Show got the win on Rhodes with a choke slam. This was after Del Rio left.

Next up a divas match. One of the Bella twins vs Beth Phoenix.  Nikki Bella became the new Diva champ after Beth fell breaking her ankle.

Then they brought CM Punk out to test if he'd been drinking... then gave Jericho a five minute beat down

Next up was Sheamus vs Mark Henry. Daniel Bryan was the guest ref.  Henry won by a quick count by Bryan.

Next was a tag match between Santino/Ryder vs Primo/Epico.  Santino got the win,

Then a match with Brodus Clay/Hornswaggle vs Dolph Ziggler/Swagger.  Ziggler messed up Hornswaggle for a few minutes before getting tossed across the ring.  Clay tagged in, as did Swagger but the match was called because Vickie got into the ring.

The end of the show was just Cena and Lesnar talking about the ppv on the weekend.

Highlights for WWE Raw for April 16th 2012

We opened with a match between CM Punk and Mark Henry.  This was for the title.
Punk was taking a lot of damage because this a no DQ match.  He then took a major risk and jammed Henry outside the ring.  Punk then continued to send kick after kick to the upper back of Henry, before Henry tossed him hard into the railing.
Henry then got Punk into the ring and was standing on him. Punk ended up resorting to a steel chair. But he only got a two count.  Henry then got the chair and turned it on Punk.
Punk went off the top rope but was caught in mid-air but somehow got a kick to the jaw of Henry.
He then went off the top turnbuckle with the chair and managed to get the win and kept the belt.

Next up - Santino vs Otunga for the United States title. They started with a tie up then Santino went for a go behind. Otunga turned it around quick, with a few stomps from the top rope. He went for a couple of covers but only had near falls.  He then kicked Santino in the jaw before going for another cover.  Santino had his foot on the rope and then turned it around with a headbutt and used his cobra to get the win keeping his title

Next up-  Zack Ryder vs Kane.  Kane kicked Ryder into the announce booth, then tossed him around like a doll, slamming him back first into the ring apron. Finally in the ring, Kane used his choke slam to end the match quickly.  There was no bell so was this even an official match?

Next up-  Daniel Bryan vs Kofi Kingston.  Bryan seemed like he had it undercontrol until Kofi got in a few kicks. Then Daniel turned it back in his favour by working on the left arm of Kofi. He went for the cover but only got a near fall, before going back to work on the left arm of Kofi. Kofi used his leg strength to get out of the way of Bryan, and went for a high risk off the top rope to the outside.
Back in the ring, and Bryan kicked the ropes while Kofi was leaning on them. He then stood on Kofi's chest before kicking him in the chest while in the corner. He went for a cover but only got a two count.
Kofi managed to get a few kicks of his own in then went for his boom drop. He missed though with his trouble in paradise.  Both were on the top ropes, with Kofi going for a frogsplash and missing. Bryan got the label lock forcing Kofi to tap.

Next up-  Brodus Clay vs Dolph Ziggler.  Dolph went for a drop kick and failed.  Clay then tossed him across the ring, and was quickly thrown out by the ref because of interference.

Next up-  Khali/ Big Show vs Primo/Epico.  Khali was smacking around Epico for about two minutes. Then Primo and Epico grabbed the titles and started to leave but Big Show sent them back into the ring. Khali continued to chop them, and both men were choke slammed and Big Show got the win.

Next up-  Cena vs Tensai. They started by exchanging fists before Cena got his face planted in the turnbuckle. Tensai then stomped on Cena before giving him a headbutt. He shoved Cena into the far corner before delivering another kick to Cena's chest. He whipped him into the far corner again.
Cena rolled out of the ring.
Cena hit Tensai with the steps as the manager kicked him. Back in the ring, and Tensai went for the cover but only got a two.
Tensai ran at Cena but missed hitting the turnbuckle.  Cena lifted him and tossed him before going for his trademark moves.  But Tensai stopped him with a chop to the throat.
Tensai had him in an arm-bar on the mat, but Cena got the STF on him. But Ortunga ran into the ring and got slammed.
Tensai with the green mist and the cover for the win.

What I'd like to see in TNA this spring

So I just watched the ppv that was on tonight.  Which I did a review of on my main blog {here}

And besides the fact that I was upset with the MMG match... I had a few other thoughts.
One was were are the rest of the tag teams in the tag division?  There is what three teams?

Here's a thought, why not team up Austin Aries and A.J. Styles?   They seem to be working well on the ppv as part of the big 10 man tag, so why not create another X-Division tag team?   I mean, they would give the MotorCityMachine Guns! something of a fabulous feud and put both the X-Division and the Tag Team division back into the spotlight.

So I say team up A.J. Styles and Austin Aries and send them against Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin for a few months.

-love Ardeth Blood

My Thoughts on TNA Impact for the week of April 13 2012

Originally posted on my personal blog on April 13th 2012 
 


I used screen capture for this post

The show opened up with Eric Bishoff, who got a round of "you suck" from the crowd. And a round of "we don't care".  He was introducing his team for the ppv this weekend.  Then young Bishoff came out to introduce his team.

Cut to- Mr. Anderson vs Gunner.   This was the first of a best of three for the team members. Gunner was given the win after Anderson was DQ.

Cut to- Eric Young getting ready in the locker room for his wedding.  And Abyss's "brother" came in to talk to him.

Cut to- the MotorCityMachine Guns!  see the last paragraph

Cut to -Daniels vs  Austin Aries.   this was the second of the best of three for the Lockdown teams for a man advantage.  The crowd was cheering for Aries throughout and gave the bonus chant of "this is wrestling"   see the match of the night at the bottom of the paragraph

Cut to-Hardy coming down to the ring to talk about his match this weekend against Kurt Angle.

Cut to- James Storm backstage with guests, telling Robert Roode he's gunning for him.

Cut to- EY in the locker room again getting ready for the wedding, with a few of the KnockOuts trying to seduce him.

Cut to- The wedding of EY and ODB...um yeah er...everyone in the ring got naked.

Cut to- backstage where Team Bishoff are yelling at each other.

Cut to-  Roode and his back up replying to Storm's earlier comments.

Cut to- Bully Ray vs A.J. Styles. This is the third match in the best of three. Bully Ray got the win with a cheap shot.  This gives Eric Bishoff's team the advantage at the ppv. But Hogan came out to tell them that the odds just went up. It's now going to be 5 men per team.

Cut to- Another promo of Roode vs Storm for the ppv this weekend.

Cut to- KnockOut tag match.Velvet Sky and Mickie James got the win.

Cut to - James Storm came to the ring to talk about the ppv this weekend. Roode then came out to give his point of view as well.  They talked about their times as tag champs, and the tournament last summer.

The Match of the Night:
Daniels vs Austin Aries.

They started this match with a side collar tie up that Aries turned into an arm-bar then smoothly turned it into a side head lock.
Daniels got out of the move by pushing on the back of Aries's knee. While he had him down on the mat, while hanging on tight to a wrist lock.
Aries used a few quick flips to get out of the move. He then got Daniels into another side headlock.
Daniels managed to get control for a moment pushing Aries off the ropes, but Aries sidestepped him. Aries then managed to get him off kilter with a clap behind the ears.
Daniels pushed Aries into the corner giving him a round of shoulder blocks before bringing him back to the center of the ring with a simple punch.  Aries then with a deep arm drag, but it was countered by Daniels with a head scissors on the mat.  Aries did his trademark handstand to get out of it followed by a short dropkick.
Daniels then went barreling into the corner, only to get an elbow full of turnbuckle, as Aries jumped over the top rope to the apron.  He then slingshot himself back in giving a well placed elbow to the jaw of Daniels. 
Daniels fought back by whipping Aries into the far corner but got another elbow for his trouble. Aries then went outside the ropes for a high risk move but Daniels jiggled the ropes causing Aries to fall onto the turnbuckle. Daniels then used an open handed palm thrust knocking Aries out to the floor for a few seconds.
Getting back into the ring, Aries was on the mat with Daniels stomping on him before sending him shooting into the far corner. Aries was on the mat once again with Daniels over him stomping.
Daniels then used a suplex before trying for a cover but only got a one count.  He then got Aries in a form of shoulder noose -backbreaker combo.
Aries used a series of knees to the side of the skull to get out of the hold. Daniels then shoved Aries out to the floor and went for his sitting moonsault.  He missed.   Aries climbed back into the ring and landed a beauty of a suicide dive straight to the chest of Daniels forcing him back hard into the gates.
Aries then in control, began to run Daniels face first into the turnbuckles before giving him a few elbows to the back of the neck, a shoulder block and a roll over from outside. Aries followed up with a discus elbow. This opened up for Aries to go off the ropes with another flying back-eblow.
Aries went for the cover but Daniels kicked out.
Daniels pushed Aries into the far corner, but Aries managed to get a slideover and a roll up but still only a near fall.  Both men then went for roll ups both using the tights and both getting a warning from the ref.
Daniels then with a hard forearm to the back of the neck of Aries knocking him down for a moment. This was followed by a hard side slam as Daniels was getting ready for his trademark Best Moonsault Ever, only he missed.  Aries had rolled into the corner and managed to get to his feet. He landed a double kick to Daniels knocking him down on the mat.
Austin Aries then with a double missile dropkick, followed by a running drop kick in the corner before using his brainbuster for the win. 

And once again, my "main event"  The MotorCityMachine Guns!...Alex Shelley, after making a few comments about the tag team of Crimson and Matt Morgan; damn I missed that sarcasm, announced that they will be taking on the team of Samoa Joe and Magnus this weekend at the Lockdown ppv.

  Joe and Magnus then came to the ring to answer the challenge. Magnus made a comment about how Sabin managed to come back from his injury which for some would have been career ending. They were about to get into things with them when Mexican-America came down to the ring. Both members of Mexican-America were made fast work of.

I have to say, I can not wait for the pay-per-view this weekend.
I am not one for cage matches at all, and I've never been shy to express that, but I am very much looking forward to seeing this tag match.

So what do I think will happen at the ppv?
I am going on record saying that Team Garrett Bishoff will get the upper hand,  that Angle will win his match, and that the MMG will win the tag belts.

Highlights for Raw for April 9th 2012

Back to having guest stars, with the three actors playing the Three Stooges in the new movie remake.  {that's another rant for another blog doing a remake of the stooges}

But the show opened with John Laurinaitis who came down to the ring and blah blah blahed for a bit, showing footage from last week.  Then introduced Brock Lesnar.   snore
John Cena then came to the ring and smashed Lesnar in the face.  An old fashion fight broke out causing the entire locker room to come to the ring.  Now, normally that would not even raise an eyebrow cause it happens all the time, but this time, some of the guys were only half dressed in pieces of their ring gear and pieces of their real clothes, and Cena was left looking like he should be an extra on Buffy the Vampire Slayer...

There was nothing to do next but go to a match after the commercial... Brodus Clay/Santino vs Dolph Ziggler/Jack Swagger.   Vickie, I don't know how I feel about that dress, I do however wish Brodus Clay would give up the gimmick and just wrestle.  Brodus Clay got the win over Ziggler

The second match of the night was R-Truth vs Codey Rhodes.   The Big Show came out in the middle of the match to distract him. This gave R-Truth a chance to get the upper hand, and the win over Rhodes.

Tensai vs Yoshi Tatsu. Was the next match, and it wasn't much of one. The ref had to stop the match giving the win to Tensai.  bored now

CM Punk came out to the ring a few minutes later to address the situation from last week where Jericho had broken a bottle of whiskey over his head.  Personally I think this Jericho plot is a bad storyline idea. 
Punk then had a match against Mark Henry.  This was a title match, which ended really fast as Punk used a monitor to bash Henry over the head getting a DQ.  That helped him keep his title.  Jericho came down to the ring then, with two cases of beer. Punk managed to retaliate for a few seconds before getting a codebreaker from Jericho.  Jericho then poured beer all over Punk.

Next up was Zack Ryder vs Albert Del Rio.  Del Rio was looking like it didn't even cause him to break stride.  And it didn't take him long to make Ryder tap out to the arm-bar.

Then the actors playing the Three Stooges came out to the ring, Will Sasso  was dressed like Hulk Hogan... um... dude the gimmick got booed. And I'm so not a fan of him... the wrestler, fan of Sasso but I think that was just... um... bad idea.  This was Kane's cue to come to the ring... just a crap segment.

I did not care to see Lesnar back... moving on. The review of the cage match from Wrestlemaina between Undertaker and Triple H... interesting that he chose to wear the Hellraiser style trenchcoat. There is a naked actor somewhere wondering why his Pinhead costume is missing.

Main event - David Otunga vs John Cena.  Otunga ended up having to tap out.  Lesnar then ran in with a low blow. 

If you're looking for a rating or something tonight on the show... it would get a letter grade of C- or a star rating of only 2 stars.  I think if the crew spent more time thinking about the direction of things and less time having everyone breaking their thumbs on twitter it would have had a better chance. 

I'm just waiting for Wade Barrett's arm to heal and for him to be able to make his return. The next couple of months will be long as we wait.

My Thoughts on TNA Impact for the week of April 6 2012

Originally posted on my personal blog on April 7th 2012
And I realized after I posted that it actually aired on the 5th not the 6th... I made a boo-boo.  You might also notice I'm trying out a new format for the thing.  This is a cross between my old commentary style and the highlights style.

I used screen capture for this post

Impact.  Wrestling that Matters.
Humm.  You know, this could have been a fabulous show this week.  It had so much promise.

But then, it started off the way it has in the past, the way all the companies seem to do every so often when they think that they are reinventing themselves and always fall flat.
And yeah, I switched to the "new" logo for this...

Opening scene - The entire locker room standing around the ring, waiting for Hogan who is now the new official on air GM.
Cut to - Angle and Hardy in a match, where upon of course Hardy won. But it was by the fact Angle took a count out.  But Hogan was waiting backstage for Angle, as he walked right into the set up for Lockdown... Angle vs Hardy in a steel cage.
Cut to- Flair on the phone to Bishoff.
Cut to- Bully Ray checking his phone. He then went to the ring to call out Austin Aries. Aries gave him a what-for; until he got massively powerbombed.  But Aries looked great in the grey.
Cut to- Abyss... er Abyss's brother looking for him in the catering area.
Cut to - A.J. Styles in the back area also looking fabulous in grey, talking about who he thinks will win at Lockdown.  James Storm then came over to him and asked him to be in a match later in the show.
Cut to- An all former women's champ challenge.  Velvet Sky won becoming the new number one contender
Cut to- The locker room with Mr. Anderson talking about his thoughts on Lockdown. In walks Roode and his back up.
Cut to- Footage from the Country Music Awards where James Storm and Hardy were guests.
Cut to - Eric Young's geek fest... er bachelor party. 
Cut to - James Storm vs A.J. Styles.  James Storm won with a superkick from nowhere as Styles was doing a springboard off the top ropes.
Cut to- Backstage with Hogan and Sting
Cut to - Backstage with James Storm's guests. Roode stepped in to make a few comments.
Cut to- MotorCityMachine Guns!  {see the paragraph at the end}
Cut to-Backstage, Flair and Bishoff 
Cut to- Hogan calling out Eric Bishoff
Cut to- A promo of James Storms leading up to Lockdown
Cut to- Anderson vs Roode. Robert Roode got the win with a beer bottle to the back of Anderson's skull. But the decision got reversed giving the win to Anderson.


The Match of the Night: 
We start the match with a review of the match from a year ago that caused the injury to Chris Sabin's right knee. The crowd was chanting a very deserved 'welcome back' as the match got underway.
It got started with a smack to the face of Alex Shelley who returned the favour before driving Anarchia {been a long while forgive my spelling} then proceeded to lay in a few high knees to the chest of Anarchia. Shelley got him down on the mat in the corner, kicking him a few times before doing something he's known for; spitting and snotting on his opponent. Shelley picked him up by the ears and tagged in his partner Chris Sabin.
Jumping into the ring, Sabin showed that he's as good as ever as he landed perfectly like a cat giving a double axehandle before working on the arm of Anarchia.
Hernandez tagged in a few seconds later just in time to walk right into a mule kick by Sabin. And during this I must add, the crowd was chanting for Chris Sabin. Sabin then used his quickness to apply a octopus style armbar before sliding down the back of Hernandez. He then landed a few chops across the neck and throat of Hernandez. Sabin then went off the ropes rolling through and ducking from a clothesline before delivering a bulldog in the middle of the ring.  Sabin went for a cover by only got a near fall.
Alex Shelley then tagged in and they used a double team fly-by-night on Hernandez in the far corner before doing their trademark running stepladder. Sabin slid out of the ring to the joy of the crowd while Shelley went for a side Slice Bread but missed. Hernandez then was with a running shoulder block on Shelley sending him flying across the ring hard.
Anarchia tagged in, and sent his own partner across the ring with an Irish Whip square into Shelley in the far corner before jumping at him himself.  Shelley managed to move out of the way, and Anarchia went face first into the top turnbuckle.
Shelley then used a running enzuigiri then to knock down Hernandez in the middle of the ring. Sabin then tagged in, giving full steam to a short arm clothesline on Anarchia before kicking Hernandez off the ring apron. Sabin then used a combo corkscrew elbow on Anarchia in the corner with his trademark hesitation drop kick.
He was then about to lay on his CradleShock, but Hernandez saved his partner and managed to get Sabin into position for a BorderToss.  Shelley who crawled up onto the apron, snagged the legs of Sabin saving him. Shelley pulled down the ropes, just as Hernandez was charging at them, causing Hernandez to fall out of the ring.
Both Guns! went for a Stereo Kick to Anarchia in the corner, just before Sabin did a beauty of a Suicide Dive out into the pit hitting him flush in the chest.  Shelley then off the top ropes for a double team move, allowing for Sabin to get the cover for the win.

If you're new to my stuff, the deal is that the MMG get the "main event"  on my blog.  And I felt this needed to be the match of the night.
I had asked a few questions the other day, {Shall We Do a Happy Dance} And it seems that most of my questions were answered.
For those who don't feel like flipping through my blog and I don't blame you cause there's alot to shuffle through; my questions were Does this mean they will be the number one contenders for the tag team titles against Samoa Joe and Magnus?  Will they take any kind of revenge on Mexican-America? Will they have the same theme music? What will their tees look like, will they be grey? Will Chris Sabin have his trademark long sideburns?  So to answer my questions, Yes, Mr. Sabin did have his trademark long sideburns with a wicked hair cut, yes they did have the same theme music, they did not have t-shirts on when they came to the ring, and yes they got some revenge on Mexican-America and YES, they are going to be going for that #1 contender's spot against Samoa Joe and Magnus.
And, even though they had new pants, they had red in them... I'm all smiles there.

April 4th 2012

Now that Wrestlemania is over for another year, I've got questions.
First off, let me say No, I did not see wrestlemania. I never do.  I did however, catch the updates as they happened on the WWE website this past Sunday night.

And let me say this to you, it was not handled as well as it could have been.  The updates I mean.
Links were open but went either nowhere or to the post before it. And the twitter.   Holy Anne Rice Novels Batman!  The twitter was the most irritating thing on that site.  You couldn't read it half the time as it was just flipping like mad.
Whomever it was over at WWE who thought twitter was a good gimmick needs to find a new plaything.  It's over and tired. 
  
I said I had questions... well, okay here's one.  Why?   Why did we have to sit through the last year of Rock and Cena?  Two months would have been good enough.  Why are we sitting through the Brodus Clay gimmick?  Give the man some pants and a tee shirt and just let him wrestle.  Why are we suffering through the Zack Ryder and Eve storyline?  Please tell me that one's over.  We get it, she's a bitch move on.  And why would you have had the whole Jericho plot when you are doing the Anti-Bullying program?  Isn't that just what Jericho has been doing for the last few weeks to CM Punk?  Bullying him.

So now that the year is over and we've started a new "road to wrestlemania"  can we think about the direction the shows are heading as we start the new wrestling year?

-Ardeth Blood

P.S.  yes I'm back.