WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Smackdown Review 12/30/11 (Happy New Year)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Smackdown on 12/30/11. Well, let's talk about the final wrestling show of 2011and wrap it all up. 

We open up the show with Booker T. He talks about defeating Cody Rhodes on Raw this past week and wants everyone to have a good time tonight. Cody interrupts and talks about his achievements of 2011 and how he was able to resurrect the career of Booker. Booker says Cody should actually congratulate him as opposed to insulting him. Cody says Booker is right and he shakes his hand. It appears this is over, but Cody still has more to say. Cody continues to cut down Booker and says along the lines of how Booker shouldn't be involved with this business anymore and should just leave. Goldust arrives, but is not in his make up or gear. He basically came out as Dustin Rhodes. Dustin talks about how Cody is wrong and that he should show more respect towards Booker since Booker helped him many years ago by forming their tag team. Aww, the original comedy duo. Anyway, Cody says Dustin's a joke. Honestly, I don't know what Cody is talking about…

Yep, no idea what he's talking about. Booker wants to have one more match with Cody, but for the IC title. Cody agrees, but it will have to wait until next week. Booker goes back to the announcer's table, which gives Cody the opportunity to attack his brother. Booker gets back in to check up on Dustin while Cody runs away. This was not a bad segment. I think all three guys set the scene up pretty well. Although, I get a little tired of Cody talking a word per minute. The funny thing is I was thinking of the possibility of Goldust getting in the middle of this. Not exactly what I originally thought, but it was for the best. As for the match, I don't have a problem with it. Still, it doesn't seem likely Booker will win the title, but I wouldn't put it past them. 

Match #1: Ted DiBiase vs Jinder Mahal

It's official….hell has frozen over. Why you ask? Because Jinder not only won a match on WWE programming, but it was a clean win. He won this match with the Camel Clutch. As much as I poke fun of Jinder, this was probably the best match he has ever done. The match was short, but it was tolerable. Kinda odd they gave this one to Jinder. It's possible they will push him, but maybe they only did it to keep this rivalry between DiBiase and Jinder going for a few more weeks. 

Winner via submission: Jinder Mahal

Backstage where Teddy Long and Aksana are talking about a New Year's Eve party for tomorrow night until Drew McIntyre shows up. McIntyre is available? Say it isn't so? Once Aksana leaves, the guys talks business. It turns out Teddy brought back Drew to SD, but realizes that Drew is one of the most overpaid stars in the WWE. He says Drew has proven as of late that he isn't worth this kind of money and if he doesn't step it up, he will be forced to release him. So, he brought him over to SD, but is now thinking of releasing him. And people say the New York Yankees know how to waste money. So, Drew made it on the show and has a purpose? Who says people don't get second chances?

Match #2: Alicia Fox and Kaitlyn vs Natalya and Tamina

Very short match. It ended when Alicia hit the Scissors Botch for the clean victory. That might've been the worst scissors kick yet. Somebody needs to make her stop doing that or she will give someone a concussion. After the match, Tamina attacks Natalya since she lost yet again. She hits a Super Kick and a Snuka Splash to finish her off. That was interesting. It's about time they do something different in the diva division. It could mean a number of things. Tamina could be getting a push, or Natalya will make a face turn. Hey, I'm just glad to see something new in this division. 

Winner via pinfall: Alicia Fox and Kaitlyn 

Backstage where Daniel Bryan and AJ are talking until Big Show interrupts. Bryan was telling AJ how he saved Show for the last couple of weeks. Show says giants don't need to be saved, while Bryan says otherwise. Teddy arrives and tells them their tag match has been canceled. Instead, Show will go up against David Otunga, but Mark Henry will be in Otunga's corner. Bryan ends the segment by saying giants do need to be saved. Man, when did Bryan turn into a douche? He was talking like an asshole, but Show wasn't Mr. Nice guy either. Is it possible Bryan would turn heel instead of Show? That makes you think. 

Match #3: Justin Gabriel vs Hunico

Wow, McIntyre and now Hunico?Doc Brown is busy tonight. Hunico came to the ring on a low rider bicycle and with some new guy. This guy is referred to as Camacho. Looks like Hernandez's even less talented cousin (I think I can hear the boos by the IWC already). This was a pretty short match. It ended when Hunico hit the Senton Bomb for the clean victory. After the match, Hunico and Camacho hit a double team move on Gabriel. This appears to be a new group. Probably a tag team. If that's the case, you can't say the WWE isn't trying to re-build the tag team division. At least they're trying. 

Winner via pinfall: Hunico

Match #4: Big Show vs David Otunga

Well, Otunga didn't look like a total pushover in this match. He actually hit a couple of moves against Show, but it wouldn't last long. During the match, Daniel would show up and hit Mark Henry with the WHC. This makes Henry angry, so he starts to go after Bryan. Daniel leads him to the back. Bryan seems like he's doing the right thing, but is developing a bit of an ego. Anyway, with Henry no longer protecting Otunga, Show ends it with the KO punch.

Winner via pinfall: Big Show

Match #5: Ezekiel Jackson vs Drew McIntyre

Zeke is now growing his hair. Looks like Bill Cosby on steroids. GIVE ME PUDDING POPS!!! Anyway, the match went back and forth. Nothing amazing, but tolerable. The finish comes when Drew tries to win by getting his feet on the rope for leverage, but the referee catches him. Drew and the ref argue for a while, which allows Zeke to get a roll up on Drew. For one more kick in the balls, Zeke pulls on Drew's tights, thus showing he cheated in order to win. Drew continues to argue with the referee. I think this finish says more about Drew than it does about Zeke. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised for Zeke to become a ghost yet again. Can you believe both of these guys were the IC champion? Then again, only one of them actually deserved it. 

Winner via pinfall: Ezekiel Jackson

Backstage where Drew argues his case towards Teddy. Teddy says Drew is a loser and he doesn't like soar losers. The scene ends with Drew thinking to himself. It's an interesting storyline since there is a number of different possibilities that can come out of this. Drew can turn face, develop his mean streak, etc. Then again, this can be WWE's way of writing him off television, which can lead to getting released. It's happened before (Rob Conway anyone?). 

Back in the ring where Sheamus talks about winning the Royal Rumble. Hornswoggle says he wants to win as well. Sheamus warns Hornswoggle if he pulls that stunt again, he will kick his arse…..just kidding. That would be a pretty dark day for pro wrestling….until TNA thinks of something even more stupid than Hornswoggle winning the Rumble. Heath Slater arrives and says heelish garbage. It ends with Slater getting tossed over the top rope by Sheamus. The scene was pretty silly and kinda stupid, but they are starting the rumble talk. Expect more of this for the next month. 

Match #6: Sheamus vs Heath Slater

Another match were Sheamus kills someone. Most of tonight's matches weren't what I call grade A wrestling matches. Sheamus wins with the Brogue kick while Heath remembers when he was important in the Nexus days. 

Winner via pinfall: Sheamus

Backstage with Teddy, Bryan, and Show. Show is getting annoyed with Bryan while Bryan says he's annoyed with Show for not giving him a thank you. Teddy says Bryan vs Show will happen next week and it will be for the WHC. Show is gloating and says Bryan had a good run. Bryan says regardless of what happens next week, at least his championship reign didn't last 45 seconds. Ouch. I kinda like this attitude by Bryan. It gives him more personality, which he desperately needs. 

Match #7: Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett; Falls Count Anywhere match

This match was given the most amount of time. In fact, WWE was showing videos of the Randy/Wade rivalry all night long. Wade was in control most of the match, but Orton would fight back. At some point, the referee got lost in all of this as the two would fight in the back. There went through a refreshment table. Dammit guys, I was gonna eat that!!! There was even a moment where both guys fought in a elevator. They showed a camera of the two fighting, but no sound. I actually found this bit very hilarious. It would've been funnier if they played elevator music during this bit. Or better yet, just have Orton and Wade standing still like normal people until the elevator opens up and restart the fight. The two continue to fight. The cameraman falls too far behind Wade and Orton. Once he catches up, you can see Wade push Orton down a flight of stairs. The cameraman finally gets in view and sees that Orton is down and out at the bottom of the stairs. The show ends with Orton down on the ground. 

No Contest

Okay, now time to talk about what we just saw. I would normally bring up how in the world does a Falls Count Anywhere match end up in a no contest, but we would get a reason why the writers designed the match like this. It was reported that Randy injured his back either last week or this week, prior to this match being taped. It was planned by WWE to have Wade throw Randy down the stairs to protect his stock, but mainly to write him off television. Many people thought the back injury happened during the match, but it has been reported the injury was present prior to this match. Now that I think about it, Randy probably hurt himself by doing that RKO off the top of the car on last week's show. We also didn't see Orton fall down a flight of stairs as the camera was not in position to see the downstairs. It has been reported by WWE that Orton will be out for at least six months. This would explain why Orton was mostly on defense most of the match since Wade was mostly in control. This injury comes at a pretty bad time. It means Orton will miss WrestleMania and SD is now missing their biggest babyface. I know I have been harsh on Randy in the past, but I actually grew to like him a little more these last couple of months. Then again, I've always said Randy makes a better chaser towards the world title as opposed to world title holder. When Orton got out of the world title picture, he was able to put over a couple of talents in Cody and Wade. Not necessary Cody since Cody never won a match against Randy, but it did get Cody's stock up. Randy's injury opens the door for other performers. I instantly thought of Sheamus since Sheamus is probably the biggest babyface on SD. I know people will argue it being Big Show, but Show and Daniel Bryan are all over the place at the moment. This is a big opportunity for Sheamus to really do something big on SD. I already had high hopes of Sheamus being a really big time player in 2012, but with Randy now out of action, Sheamus looks like a very strong candidate. With the way things ended, Wade is also looking pretty good to rise up in the rankings. There is opportunity for people to step it up now that Randy is out of action, but this is still a pretty big blow to SD. I know the IWC says otherwise, but Randy's a big name in the WWE and it still came at a bad time. Then again, every injury seems to come at a bad time. Orton has worked some of the best wrestling matches this year and gets one of the biggest reactions on SD. Seriously, Orton really stepped it up when he took over for a retired Edge. I think the best we can do as wrestling fans is wish Orton a speedy recovery.

Overall Impression:

From a wrestling match perspective, the matches weren't that great and it can be considered a boring show. A lot of the action was too short and most of these matches were only okay. Then again, this was a night dedicated to character development. There was some build up between Bryan and Show. Both guys also had some character development. That's a good thing since Bryan is someone who really needs it. It does add a certain level of interest for the WHC title match. I liked the open exchange between Cody and Booker. Nothing overly amazing, but it was interesting to watch. There was even time to develop some new storylines like Drew McIntyre and the Mexican Tag Team of Hunico and Camacho. There was even enough time to build up the Royal Rumble. I'm surprised for an episode so close to a holiday that there was this much build up in terms of storylines. While the wrestling matches were dull, the segments is what made SD worth checking out. In that sense, I thought it was a fair episode to watch. It's kinda odd since you normally see this type of stuff on Raw, but SD had one of those weeks. It's rare, but it does happen on the blue brand from time to time. Okay, time to rank the shows. In terms of wrestling quality, I rank it Raw, SD, and Impact. None of the shows featured great wrestling matches, so there wasn't much to go on here. In terms of promos/segments, I rank it Raw, SD, and Impact. The Kane/John Cena bit was probably the highlight of the week. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. Either later today or Sunday, I will post up a special article in which I finally give my thoughts on the "It begins" promos. Be sure to check that out when you get the chance. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time. Have a safe and Happy New Years.

If you haven't voted for the 2nd Annual WrestlingNerd awards, please cast your votes. Voting ends on Sunday night….

http://www.kwiksurveys.com?s=OLDMIH_e7474045

WrestlingNerd's Running Diary of TNA Impact Wrestling 12/29/11

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd. Today, I bring back the running diary, as we take a look at TNA Impact Wrestling on 12/29/11. I'm pressed for time, so let's get through this. 

-TNA opens up the show with the Knockouts? I guess they already decided to not try tonight. A new record!!!

-Madison Rayne, "Tara and Tessmacher. Ring now!!!" Madison forgot how to say fluent sentences and now talks like Donkey Kong. Me all confused now. DK need banana!!!

-Madison fires Tara and Tessmacher. Sting arrives and says Madison technically has no power. Umm….where was he last week to address this matter? What, too busy marking out over Jeff Hardy to give two s***s about this? Makes everything that happened with the KOs on last week's show entirely pointless. Hooray for progress?

-Sting makes it Gail Kim vs Mickie James tonight. It will be for the KO title. 

-If CM Punk is responsible for creating the term "pipe bomb", would we have to give credit to Madison for creating the screech bomb? Seriously, stop screaming!!!

-First match of the night is Abyss and Scott Steiner vs AJ Styles and Kaz. This is a continuation of the Wild Card Tag Tournament. Question to the readers…..does anyone care about this tournament?

-Amazing how Styles was able to take the World Champion to the limit, but can't deal with a 52 year old steroid patient. Wrestling logic strikes again.

-The match dragged. Trust me, you aren't missing much.

-The finish comes when Abyss hits Black Hole Slam on Steiner and puts Kaz on top of Steiner to give this one to AJ/Kaz. I love how Earl Hebner sees Abyss attack his own partner and doesn't seem to give a s***. I think Hebner is just hoping the check doesn't bounce. 

-Bully Ray arrives and says this is a load of crap. Is he talking to Abyss' character or the product?

-Abyss wants Bully at Genesis. Monster's Ball match. Does that mean we'll see Halle Berry? 

-You're probably asking yourself what's the difference between a hardcore match and a Monster's Ball match. The answer……not a damn thing.

-Sting and Kurt Angle talk. Sting says through some ancient folklore, Kurt has a history with RVD. Because of Kurt's actions in attacking civilians, he has to go up against RVD tonight. So, is "ancient folklore"  code for WWE? It might as well be.

-Gunner and Ric Flair are backstage. Flair says Gunner is a killer. He's a killer alright….an excitement killer. 

-You know what this show needs…..Mr. Excitement himself….

-Second match of the night is Zema Ion vs Tony Nese in a contract on a pole match. The winner gets to be in the X Division title match. In my opinion, this was the weaker of the Zema/Nese matches. Zema wins. Austin Aries on commentary was the highlight of this entire bit. 

-Douglas Williams vs Gunner up next. 

-The match was a joke. It didn't last long as Gunner would not listen to the referee and get himself DQed. After the match, Gunner hits a DDT on Douglas on top of the concrete. Same old s***. 

-Hmm….I wonder if the injury angle through the concrete is TNA's new method of releasing their talents? Yeah, so Vince McMahon and Roboinaitis aren't so bad now. 

-I know there's no reports of Douglas being released. It's called having a sense of humor and joking around. 

-Robert Roode talks to his friend, Tracy, in the ring. Is Tracy secretly Bruce Willis? Look at him?

-I think I just realized that my biggest enemy on Thursday nights isn't TNA…..it's the remote control. Where the hell is it!!!

-Tracy, "Roode, you've become a bad man. I know this is wrestling, but nobody ever taught me about how wrestlers are actors. I NEED HELP!!!"

-In other words, it's getting pretty old, TNA. Enough of Roode's friends and family talking about how Roode has changed. It's basically beating a dead horse at this point. 

-Impact Zone. A Tracy chant? That's freakin' desperate. 

-Robert Roode beats up Bruce Willis in the Impact Zone. Yippee Ki Yay, mother f***er!!!

-The next match is Samoa Joe and Magnus vs Eric Young and ODB. Yes, this is a real match. 

-If you watched this match, you can see about 3 million sharks jumping at this very moment. 

-This match ought to be censored. They went for every innuendo imaginable since ODB was involved in the match. Who wrote this…..don't answer that. 

-This video can pretty much summarize the match…

-Yes, they really did a motorboat scene between OBD and Magnus. I can just smell the ratings.

-TNA stops attempting comedy and has Joe end this with a Muscle Buster to Eric. Why do I get the feeling Young and ODB will be a regular occurrence on this show? By the way, wouldn't the tag champs be interested in this tournament? They've been ghost since Final Resolution. 

-Yes, IWCTNA since they're not explaining things and just want you to assume you check out all the wrestling websites in order to know why certain wrestlers aren't on TV. 

-Kurt Angle vs RVD up next.

-Probably the best match of the night, but I don't think its saying much. James Storm arrives and hits Angle with the Last Call Super Kick. Ref calls for the bell, so Kurt wins via DQ. 

-RVD is backstage and talks about how he wanted to win this match. Why? His presences/thoughts aren't important since this is between James and Kurt. What were they thinking in adding this scene?

-Kurt just said the Last Call Super Kick isn't a wrestling move. Oh, I'm sure Shawn Michaels would say otherwise. TNA makes Kurt say some really stupid stuff sometimes. 

-The main event is Gail Kim vs Mickie James. That's not a mistake. That's really what happened….

-I'm all for the women getting featured better on wrestling shows, but this isn't going to get you more casual fans. Hell, I don't think the IWC is really high on this either. It wasn't a good move by TNA. This is also not the first time TNA has done this. This is more TNA stuff where they're trying to show the WWE THIS is how you feature women wrestlers. Guess what, TNA? WWE doesn't care, so STOP caring about what they think and focus on making YOUR show better. 

-To be fair, Gail and Mickie did deliver a pretty good match, but that all went to s*** when Madison would interfere at the end of this match. Gail steals this match after Madison's attack. What's even more ridiculous is this match will happen again at Genesis. Almost makes this match a waste of time since this was  a re-hash of their Final Resolution match. TNA is intentionally trying to piss you off now. 

-Has Madison been hanging out with Jeff Hardy? Was the make-up really necessary? Whoever wrote this was on drugs. 

Overall Impression:

This might've been worse than last week's show. It's custom for a wrestling show to lead off with one of their bigger storylines or a big star, but to open up with the KOs was TNA's way of saying they were taking the week off for the holidays. I think TNA took advantage of the holiday week a little too much since they really didn't put on that great of a show. The best parts of the evening where the Robert Roode bit and the Angle/RVD match. Listening to Storm cut a short promo backstage was also pretty good. Despite the fact we didn't know much about this Tracy person, the guy managed to make the scene work. He was rusty on the mic, but you also don't expect much with people not in the wrestling business. It was at least tolerable. While the KOs delivered a good match, it won't get people talking about their product or get more interest for the show. I know it isn't fair, but pro wrestling as always been about the male performers while the females are subjected to eye candy. I don't like it either since many of these ladies can do wonders in the ring, but that's the way the business is and it doesn't look like it will change anytime soon. With that said, I would still like to diva/KOs to be featured better on both shows and be presented better. Half the time, the storylines are very lackluster while the matches aren't very intriguing. WWE has been running low on ideas in the diva division, which is why things are on repeat. That's why it feels like they've been doing the same thing for the last six months. The KO match quality is better, but there is so much interference in these matches that it can take out out of it. Shenanigans are always going to happen, but at least change it up and make it interesting as opposed to doing wrestling cliché #492. Plus, the interferences TNA comes up with are just ridiculous. I'm in a tough spot since this was a holiday week and I shouldn't expect much out of the shows. Then again, look at the week WWE put together this week? They put on a pretty good show, despite the fact it was a holiday week. TNA on the other hand didn't seem like they were trying, which is why the show felt very boring and stale at times. TNA at least put more matches together for Genesis, but some of the matches on this card aren't that intriguing. I can't get into this X Division match. Simply for the fact that we haven't gotten any mention of Austin Aries, Kid Kash, or Jesse Sorensen, whom are already in this match. The entire focus has been on Zema, but something about it doesn't make much sense. Zema comes off as a heel, so that's three heels in this match. I just haven't liked the writing for this bit. I like they are trying to build up other stars in the company, but the last thing the X Division need is more heels. It's always possible they will go a different direction with this rivalry, but who really knows. A Monster's Ball match could be interesting, but I don't have high expectations for it. I can't recommend Impact this week. Just more of the same stuff you see that doesn't help this company grow. That's going to do it for the running diary and I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought of this edition of the Running Diary. I have a special article for this week. I have put off the discussion of the "It Begins" videos, but I will finally give my thoughts on the subject. Look for that article to show up either Saturday or Sunday of this week. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time. 

If you haven't voted for the 2nd Annual WrestlingNerd awards, visit this link and take part in the survey….

http://www.kwiksurveys.com?s=OLDMIH_e7474045

WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw Review 12/26/11

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Raw on 12/26/11. With this being the last Raw of 2011, how will the WWE close out the year? Well, let's find out and start the review

We open up the show with CM Punk's entrance music, so it has to be the Cult of Personality, right? Well, it turns out to be Robot of Personality himself, John Laurianitis. I have to admit that I was laughing when I saw Laurinaitis mock Punk's entrance. Slow down there Laurinaitis. I think you just used up all your charisma for the next two years. Anyway, Laurinaitis makes his way to the ring and Mr. Excitement says he's a Punk believer. The fans of Chicago are giving Roboinaitis a ton of heat. Punk interrupts and the fans go nuts. Punk says Laurinaitis is trying to get him angry by provoking him. Laurinaitis says he wants to give the fans what they want, so Punk will have the night off……..just kidding. Well, there goes all of Laurinaitis' charisma for the next three years. Laurinaitis says Punk will run the gauntlet tonight and he will have to go up against three opponents. If either of those guys beat Punk, they will get a WWE title match on next week's show. Punk says great, but what if he wins. Laurinaitis admits his logic circuits haven't thought that far ahead. Punk says that's why Laurinaitis is boring and wants to make it Punk vs Laurinaitis if Punk wins the gauntlet. Laurinaitis says Punk doesn't want any of this…

Laurinaitis is making me laugh tonight. Well, that should add up to about 5 years of Laurianitis' charisma used up in five minutes. Well, he does have "The Touch"? Laurinaitis doesn't want to compete tonight, but Punk plays to the crowd and Laurinaits decides to go with it. Well, that was a series of interesting events. There was more build up between Punk and Laurinaitis. Somebody asked me last week if it will lead to a Punk/Laurinaitis match. Part of me was saying no since Laurinaitis is more of an authority figure, but when you look back on Michael Cole's matches, it's actually possible for Laurinaitis to get involved in a match. We also get one more cryptic video. I will talk more about this later in the week. 

Match #1: Booker T vs Cody Rhodes

This was a more complete match than the one that happened at TLC. Cody was in control most of the match while Booker was just trying to survive. For most of the match, the commentators were playing the concept that Booker might be a shell of his former self and maybe isn't as great as he used to be, which is why Cody has dominated most of the match. This was not a bad match to watch. Even though Cody was in control of the match, Booker would fight back. The finish comes when Booker is able to dig down deep and hit the Scissors Kick for the clean victory. I'm a little split with this decision making. While I have always been a Booker fan and wanted to see him win, Cody losing cleaning hurts his stock. I think this was the WWE giving the fans what they wanted. And when I mean the fans, I'm referring to the casual fans. Cody's stock is hurt by this, but it isn't the killing blow. WWE seems like they want to have Cody go far, so maybe they wanted to wrap up this rivalry so Cody gets back to a true rival? In fact, that might have been the biggest flaw in this storyline since they didn't want to make Booker look weak. Being a face really has his advantages in pro wrestling. 

Winner via pinfall: Booker T

Backstage where Zack Ryder thanks John Cena for giving him a chance. Cena says he doesn't have to thank him since Ryder was the one who put himself out there and made this happen. They also talk about Kane. Cena says he will call out Kane later tonight. The King made an announcement to reveal Punk's gauntlet match opponents. He will have to go up against Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, and Mark Henry (in that order). WWE really keeps flip flopping between Henry being "active" and "injured". Yeah, it can be a little frustrating. I kinda feel bad for Henry since I don't think it was planned for Henry to lose his championship like this. There was a scene in which Laurinaitis was on the phone with Brodus Clay. Brodus has made more appearance via phone than in the ring. Laurinaitis says Brodus will debut on next week's show. Is anyone really buying this? Big Show arrives in Laurinaitis' office to talk about his actions on last week's SD. David Otunga threatens to file a lawsuit while Show talks about how he can beat Otunga with one arm tied behind his back. Well, Roboinaitis gets the idea to make this match. You can give Otunga five extra arms and a sword, and he would still be screwed. 

Match #2: Zack Ryder and Eve vs Tyson Kidd and Natalya; Mixed Tag match

This was a short match. There isn't much to say about this one. I wouldn't be surprised if Tyson Kidd had to buy a ticket in order to compete tonight. The finish comes when Zack hits the Rough Ryder for the clean victory. This was just a match put together to get Ryder out there. At some point, WWE needs to set up some rivalries for Ryder, or else his US title run can get old very fast. 

Winner via pinfall

Back in the ring where Cena talks about the city of Chicago. The crowd doesn't really seem interested in Cena, but what else is new? He calls out Kane, but Miz shows up instead. Miz talks about how he wants to prove to Cena that his victory over him at WM wasn't a fluke. So, we have a match between Cena and Miz. Kane in the meantime is at a meeting with the devil. 

Match #3: John Cena vs Miz

Saying this was a match is almost a joke. They grapple for a while. The crowd didn't seem to care about either person. After a few minutes of grapple fest, Miz gets on the mic and says he has nothing to prove and gloats about his WM victory over Cena. So, Miz wants to prove himself, but now changes his mind? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I understand he's the heel, but that was some silly writing. You almost wonder why did they write this into the show? Well, there was actually an explanation for this. R-Truth would arrive and attack Miz. Truth is still talking to himself and is still acting crazy, so they will at least keep that part of his character in tact. Thank God, since that was one of the highlights of Truth in 2011. Truth gets on the mic and says he can end this now, but what would be the fun in that? He says more crazy stuff like opening up Christmas presents and such. What it all boiled down to is Truth will be doing this to Miz for weeks so he can have revenge. I've been denied everything, even my revenge!!! If you get that reference, you're awesome. Truth ends this segment by…..oh no. Oh please, God no!!! Use a chair, a knife. Hell, I even let you grab the Master Sword. Anything but that? NOOOO!!! NOT THE WATER BOTTLE *smash*!!! There should be a ban on those water bottles. Remember, they are the ultimate weapon in pro wrestling. Okay, time to get back to reality. They are definitely setting up a rivalry between Miz and Truth, but it's kinda weird. Truth still comes off as a bad guy while Miz has always been a jerk. At the moment, it seems like it's heel vs heel. It's possible Truth will still play his crazy character, but make a face turn. That could work, but I think it would work better if Truth remained a heel. At the same time, would Miz even work as a face? Yeah, that will be an interesting couple of weeks as we see more progress with this storyline. 

Winner via countout: John Cena

Match #4: Big Show vs David Otunga

Not a whole lot to say about this match. Show has one arm tied behind his back, but Otunga still can't do anything to take down the giant. Just as it seems Show has everything under control, Mark Henry arrives to disrupt the match. Show is trying to get his other hand loose, but crappy tied up knots are his weakness. Seriously, it looked like a kindergarten tying up his shoes. Just as Henry is about to attack, Daniel Bryan arrives from behind. Seemed like a random appearance by Bryan, but I understand what they were trying to go for here. As Henry change his focus on Bryan (Who's so intimidating….), Show is able to get loose and is about to attack Henry. Otunga would get back in the ring to attack Show, thus leading to a Choke slam by Show to Otunga. You figure that being a lawyer would make him smarter, right? What kind of person gets in the middle of two giants? Anyway, they seem to be keeping this deal where Henry and Show are making claims in being the guy who takes the title off of Bryan. I wasn't a really big fan of Bryan's appearances. Mainly because Bryan is supposed to be that guy who doesn't back down from a fight and loves a challenge. Well, how does that type of person show up, only to run away? This is just a minor nit pick since Bryan's appearance felt so random. It's almost like Bryan went out there and said "Look at me!!! I'm the champ".

Winner via DQ: Big Show

Alberto Del Rio is in a wheelchair. He talks about having a torn groin and he will be out of action for a while. The Bellas arrive and tell the audience they need to respect Del Rio. They also complain about throwing him a party for when he gets better. Del Rio tells them to leave and vows he will come back better than ever. I'm not sure about this Del Rio injury. Meaning I'm not sure if it's real or just kayfabe. I have heard reports that Del Rio did get injured in his groin in last week's main event, but it was supposed to be one of those day to day injuries. So, not sure if the injury got worse or if WWE wrote this into the show to maybe give a re-amp of Del Rio's character. Neither scenario wouldn't surprise me. I'm kinda pulling for the second possibility since Del Rio needs a character change or something different, but you already knew that. 

Match #5: CM Punk Gauntlet Match

CM Punk vs Jack Swagger

The first match was Punk and Swagger. The match didn't last long, but that's the type of booking Swagger has been given lately. I think Swagger should be beneficial that he gets to appear on Raw every week. After a roundhouse kick by Punk, he pins Swagger and moves on to Dolph.

CM Punk vs Dolph Ziggler

Before this match started, Swagger would attack Punk's leg from behind. Punk would sell a leg injury for the rest of this match. This matchup wasn't too bad. Both Punk and Dolph had a chance to show what they can do in the ring. The finish comes when Swagger and Vickie Guerrero would play shenanigans on the outside of the ring. Laurinaitis would arrive at ringside and grab a mic. He informs the referee (just as Punk has put away Dolph, thus interrupting the pinfall attempt) that Vickie and Swagger got involved in the match, so he has banned them from the rest of this match. Punk gets in Laurinaitis' face as the man is explaining to Punk he's only doing the right thing. He also explains to Punk that he won't be getting involved in a wrestling match tonight, so the earlier idea by Punk has been shot down. With Punk distracted, this allows Dolph to hit the Zig Zag and he wins this match. This means Dolph will get a title match on next week's Raw. That was an interesting series of events. It adds more heat towards Laurinaitis while giving Dolph a title match. At the same time, I think Dolph is just in a filler role as he goes into a world title match as opposed to a match he can actually win. I think the WWE is setting Dolph for something big, but I don't think this is it. Mainly because the main rivalry is Punk/Laurinaitis, while Dolph is just the third guy. It's possible Dolph can take the title, but I think they want to roll with Punk for the time being. Then again, Punk and Dolph put on some of the best matches, so I think it's a win. It should be fun to watch, but this match might have a dramatic effect involving the "It beings" promos. By the way, all of Laurinaitis' charisma has been used up. Maybe Laurinaitis can steal some from his future endeavors?

Winner via pinfall: Dolph Ziggler

Time for the final segment of the night. Kane comes out and is once again wearing the double mask. Why? Seems kinda silly to wear two mask to the ring every week. Imagine if a baseball wore two gloves on the field, but is only allowed to use one of them. Yeah, seems kinda stupid. Kane talks about how he's the REAL Kane now that he's wearing the mask yet again. Cena arrives on the entrance ramp to address Kane, but Kane ignites the pyro flames, thus keeping Cena on the entrance ramp for the rest of the segment. Getting off topic for a minutes, but imagine if Cena was in the wrong place? We would've had Kentucky Fried Cena tonight. Anyway, Kane says he attacked Cena because his concept of "rise above hate" is ridiculous. Kane says this world is naturally a dark place and that Cena should learn to embrace his hate/anger. I would play a Star Wars clip, but I've been doing that a lot lately. Kane says it's natural for humans to hate and it's better to embrace the hate as opposed to suppressing it. Kane says Cena needs to embrace the hate or else it will make him weaker, thus he'll lose to the Rock. Kane says he wants to help Cena. Kane leads the crowd into a "Cena sucks" chant (the crowd didn't warm up to this as well as they would've liked. Maybe they were tired?). The show ends with the fans continuing the Cena sucks chant while Cena just looks down and thinks to himself. 

I have heard a lot of complaints about this segment. Mainly from the IWC, but I actually enjoyed this segment. I kinda thought this whole deal between Cena/Kane would have some sort of connection of the Cena/Piper's Pit segment from a few weeks back. I know people are bitching that they need to just follow through with it/make the heel turn, but it would be kinda idiotic to do it now. I feel pro wrestling is better when you slowly build up these things up as opposed to rushing through these things. It just makes things easier to follow when you take your time with the build up of a storyline. They are going to take their time with this Cena psychology since this all should add up to Cena and his match with the Rock at WM. The other complaint I heard was this segment completely ruined Kane's revival. I don't really see it like that. I think Kane cut a decent promo. Not his best, but it wasn't bad either. Kane is pretty underrated when it comes to the mic. Anyway, I don't think this hurts Kane's character since I see him as a cross between his old school form and his current form. I know people wanted to see the old monster Kane and nothing more. You know? The old Kane that goes around, beats people up and says nothing. The deal is Kane as a person has risen above that for years now. Him going completely back to normal would be a downgrade. Not to mention it would look kinda silly to see Kane go completely mute when we know he can talk. I wanted to see Kane return with his mask, but that doesn't mean you make him completely mute. Having Kane be completely silent and take people out would get old very fast. Look at Sin Cara? He barely talks and we don't know anything about him, but we know a lot about Kane. Mainly due to the fact Kane can actually talk, while Sin Cara is still trying to learn the English language. Then again, that was probably a bad example since Kane has been well know in WWE for years while Sin Cara is still new to the company, but I think you get the basic idea on what I'm trying to say.  Besides, who says that monsters can't have brains or think intellectually? I think Dr. Frankenstein would say otherwise. Kane can still be that destructive force from back in the day, but he can also go out there and add something with his words. Think of it like this? Kane has referred to himself as the Devil's favorite demon (Undertaker does it as well). Well, with Kane talking like this, it's like he's the devil's advocate? I know people want to see the old school Kane and nothing more, but things have changed/evolved from that point in time and Kane adds more to the table. Either way, we get more hints that Cena could be on his way to a heel turn. I still don't think it will happen, but it's very interesting storytelling. This was a great ending to Raw. It leaves you with more questions than answers and this is the most interested I have been in the Cena character for a really long time. IWC complains that Cena always does the same thing and nothing changes. Well, they are trying something different and they're still complaining about it? Yeah…..think about it?

Overall Impression:

I was actually surprised by what I saw tonight. I expected this to be an episode that would cater more to comedy and reserve a lot of the major stuff for next week's show. We are still on a holiday week, so I figured we would get filler as well. Well, that was far from what we got. There was a lot of interesting stuff that happened tonight. There was more build up with Punk and Laurinaitis. If a Punk/Laurinaitis happens, I probably won't be too excited about it, but it will probably go by really quickly that you barely remember it. We saw the return of R-Truth, which cancels out the possibility that the cryptic videos are related to Truth. Then again, that was a very low possibility to being with. We also saw the development of Cena's character. A Cena heel turn is possible, but I still don't think it will happen. Then again, if that's the case, they are definitely planting the seeds. Some of the matches tonight were okay, but nothing overly amazing outside of the Punk/Dolph match. Still, I think the emphasis tonight was the development of storylines. They definitely made things interesting for the next couple of weeks. How will Cena continue his development? Will Kane help Cena embrace the hate, or will Cena try to wave it off? We also have the reveal of the "It beings" promos set for next week. I think next week's show was set up well enough with these videos, but they added something more tonight to make you come back for more. Like I mentioned in the beginning of the review, I will talk more about the "It begins" videos later in the week. I will have more on this when the time comes. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I have made a slight change in the 2nd Annual WrestlingNerd awards. I have created an online survey, which makes it easier to cast your votes and record statistics. I think this change makes it easier for everyone. For the people who already voted, I have already recorded you votes in the polls, so no need to re-vote. Be sure to vote as you have one more week to take part in the 2nd Annual WrestlingNerd awards. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time. 

Go here to cast your votes...

http://www.kwiksurveys.com?s=OLDMIH_e7474045

WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Smackdown Review 12/23/11 (Happy Holidays)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Smackdown for 12/23/11. The last wrestling show until Christmas, so let's find out how it went down. 

We open up the show with Big Show. He talks about his nine year climb to get the world title and how it all went up in ashes when Daniel Bryan cashed in MITB. They even showed the clip of the Josh Matthews interview that was on Raw this past week. Show says he was proud of himself for keeping his composure and not going all Medieval on them. Mark Henry interrupts and says Show has nothing to be proud of since he's the shortest reigning world champion in the history of this company. Henry demands to get his rematch for the WHC tonight. Show says he deserves a rematch for the title. Daniel Bryan interrupts. Bryan talks about how he' still shocked to the the world champion and talk about how nobody thought he would make it as a WWE Superstar. Bryan says he might not be the fastest, smartest, charismatic, talker, or most popular person in the wrestling business, he's a damn good wrestler and will prove it on a weekly basis. Teddy Long interrupts and says it will be Show vs Henry tonight, where the winner of the match will get a title match against Bryan. Teddy says congratulations towards the submission wrestler and that ends the segment. A pretty basic opening, but not too bad. Kinda interesting that they booked Henry vs Show tonight, despite the fact Henry is banged up. This will be addressed later on in the show. By the way, I totally called it when I said Bryan would be #1 on Booker T's Fave Five. 

Match #1: Cody Rhodes vs Zack Ryder

Cody continues to poke Booker's buttons during the match. Button, button, who's got the button? Anyway, this was a fair match, but nothing overly amazing. The finish comes when Booker gets a mic and sings Cody the red-nosed reindeer for the SD audience. As Cody is distracted, Zack hits the Rough Ryder and gets the victory. The screwy finish doesn't make Cody look weak, while it continues the tension between Booker and Cody. Booker is making a strong case to be Broski of the week for next week's show.

Winner via pinfall: Zack Ryder

Backstage where Teddy is talking to Santino. The comedian wants to be the new assistant to Teddy since Ryder is a little busy these days. Teddy says he will think about it. Aksana arrives and flirts her ass off. Is this Teddy/Aksana deal leading to something? They've been doing this for a while and I would like to see….I don't know…..some progress? Once she leaves, Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler arrive. I have to admit, the innuendo joke by Santino was pretty hilarious. Dolph complains about wanting a rematch for the US championship. At some point. Dolph talks about how he's superior to the current WHC. Teddy thinks about it and makes it Dolph vs Bryan tonight. Well, that sounds pretty cool. 

It appears we are ready for the Show/Henry match until David Otunga arrives. Otunga really needs some new entrance music. Imagine a lawyer coming out to Justin Bieber music? Yeah, it doesn't work. Otunga says Henry hasn't been medically cleared to complete, so this match won't happen tonight. Show greets him with a KO punch. This was kinda weird. Henry isn't able to compete tonight, so don't really know why you tease this potential match when it didn't seem very likely from the start. To be fair, casual fans aren't really aware of Henry's injury….until now. Still, this scene seemed like a cheap way to drain out the clock. There's also wrestling logic in this scene. Normally, the GM would know about the health issues of his performers, so how did Otunga know but Teddy knew nothing? Being around Jennifer Hudson allows Otunga to get some connections. By the way, I SPLIT MY COFFEE!!!

Backstage where Teddy is talking to the Miz. Miz talks about how he was told to show up on SD, but Teddy didn't get the memo. So, Teddy didn't know about Henry's medical condition or Miz's appearance? Teddy really can't get Aksana out of his head, can't he? Miz goes on a rant in cutting down the SD talent and how he's superior to anyone on this show. Miz says he will take on anyone from the SD roster. Teddy says he will go find someone. 

Match #2: Miz vs Sheamus

Well, Teddy apparently found someone to accept the match. What? No Sheamus/Jinder Mahal match tonight? When I heard about this match, I thought it would be interesting. The match was really short and it ended when Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick and got the clean win. While Miz didn't look completely weak since he almost won this match, it does make him look bad if he was set to go up against CM Punk for the championship. Then again, maybe Miz isn't going after the title? I like Sheamus getting the win, but didn't like how it made Miz look bad since he's supposed to be one the major heels in the company. As for Sheamus, nice to see him do something besides beat up jobbers. Still, Sheamus needs a program. 

Winner via pinfall: Sheamus

We are in the ring where Wade Barrett wants to talk. He talks about how victorious he is over Randy Orton and claims he wants a world title match. Just as Wade is about to leave, Randy shows up and the two start to fight. Orton is winning the brawl and is about to hit RKO, but Wade runs away. As Wade heads to the back, Orton goes after him. The two fight to the back and near the parking lot. Orton hoses him down? Yeah, he took a water hose and sprayed Wade with water. Seems kinda strange, but R-Truth has proved that water bottles are the ultimate weapon in pro wrestling. Orton even tosses garbage on him. I was almost waiting for Wade to say "OH GOD, it smells like TNA". The scene ends when Orton hits RKO on Wade while on top of a car. This scene gives new meaning to the term, vehicular manslaughter. As expected after Raw, Orton and Wade will continue their little rivalry. I still see this being over by the time Royal Rumble comes around. Either way, it appears Wade won't be having a good Christmas. 

Match #3: Primo vs Kofi Kingston 

Well, nice to see more build up with the tag team division. Maybe WWE is going to take it seriously? What's strange is Primo and Epico haven't teamed together very long, but I kinda like them. Not a lot of personality there, but something about them seems to work. Then again, they are cousins. Still, I would like to see the Usos used on this show more. This was a short and somewhat forgettable match. The finish comes when Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise for the clean victory. They are definitely trying something with these two teams. Oh, and I guess Hunico is STILL in the Witness Wrestling Protection Program. What happened to him? Maybe Orton killed him with the RKO at Survivor Series? 

Winner via pinfall: Kofi Kingston

Match #4: Daniel Bryan vs Dolph Ziggler

This wasn't a bad match, but I know I've seen better Danielson/Ziggler matches. Still, both guys had a chance to show what they can do in the ring. Jack Swagger would get involved early in this match. This would bring out the Big Show to watch the rest of this match. The finish comes when Swagger takes a cheap shot at Show on the outside of the ring…

That's right. Show gets angry and ends up attacking Swagger in the middle of the ring. The match ended up stopping as Teddy would come out and make it a tag team match.

No Contest

Match #5: Daniel Bryan and Big Show vs Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger

As this match is progressing, Show is trying to show Daniel what he's capable of. Bryan would seem to answer back. At the same time, Show is actually cheering for Bryan during the match. Yeah, the big guy is pretty conflicted at the moment. The finish comes when Bryan locks the Le Bell lock on Swagger for the submission victory. I like the move of making it a tag team match. What it mainly does is that it protects Dolph. It seems the WWE wants to really try something with Dolph. Even though losing to the WHC wouldn't be that bad, it wouldn't help him either. By changing the match, it keeps Dolph's stock high while Swagger's stock continues to fall. Then again, what else is new? It also gives the WHC another victory, but there isn't much to brag about in beating Swagger. It also shows Big Show being a little lost since he isn't sure how to act. It really seems like Show is being built towards a heel turn. 

Winner via submission: Daniel Bryan and Big Show

Overall Impression:

There wasn't a lot to be impressed about with SD this evening. Then again, this show is two days before Christmas, so I didn't expect a whole lot. I expected lots of filler with minor build up with the current storylines. Well, that's pretty much what happened tonight. I really didn't want to review this episode since there was a lot of filler, but I felt bad that I missed the last couple of SD reviews and wanted to do this week's show. The wrestling matches were okay, but nothing alarming to witness. There was some build up with the storylines, like Big Show and Orton/Wade, but it was stuff you already knew going into the evening. Still, as far as a wrestling show near Christmas is concerned, this was okay. Trust me, I've seen worse. Time to rank all the shows for this week. In terms of wrestling quality, I rank it Raw, SD, and Impact. Raw had a couple of good matches. SD had average matches while Impact…..was just impact. In terms of promos/segments, I rank it Raw, SD, and Impact. Pretty much the highlight of the week was TLC, but that was expected. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. I know this review is pretty short, but I wanted to keep it short for the holidays. The nomination list for the 2nd Annual WrestlingNerd award show has been release. Be sure to vote and let your opinion be heard. Tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time. Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Happy Kwanzaa. Happy Holidays to all, and to all a good night. 

http://thewrestlingnerdshow.blogspot.com/2011/12/2nd-annual-wrestlingnerd-award-show.html

WrestlingNerd Presents: TNA Impact Wrestling Review 12/22/11

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at TNA Impact Wrestling on 12/22/11. Since I'm still insane and want to like this show, let's find out what they did this week. Let's just start the damn review already. 

We open the show with Robert Roode and Bully Ray. Both guys talk about Christmas and how they like giving beatings for the holidays. Giving beatings? Oh, I'm sure there isn't an innuendo in that sentence whatsoever, but it isn't like you get enough innuendos with the KOs. Anyway, Roode talks about how Sting likes to issue consequences when he oversteps his boundaries. He actually purposes Sting to suspend him since he feels he deserves it. If TNA suspended Roode, I think I would have to break something since he's one of the few bright spots on this show. Instead of Sting showing up, Jeff Hardy interrupts. Hardy talks about ending the selfish generation at Genesis and mentions it will be Roode and Bully vs Hardy and a partner of his choice tonight. Bully goes on a rant in how Hardy has no friends, which cues the fangirls to go nuts over Hardy. Sting shows up in the face paint and says he will team up with Hardy tonight, which ends the segment. Very short opening, but it was harmless. Roode and Bully at least make this scene interesting while Hardy "tries" to cut a short promo. By the way, why is Hardy looking like Goldust tonight? Hey, wrestling fans automatically think of Goldust if you go with gold and black makeup. Just a thought.

Match #1: RVD and Christopher Daniels vs AJ Styles and Kaz- Wildcard Tournament match

For the love of Jesus Christ on a tap dancing stage, why is this RVD/Daniels rivalry still going on? This is another one of TNA's issues, but it also falls on the creative staff. There has been so many times this year where TNA had a rivalry that was over and done with; but instead of moving on to a different rival, they would keep it going for no apparent reason. Why? TNA, learn to pull the f***ing plug already. RVD and Daniels had two matches and RVD won both. What would get accomplished for this charade to continue? Damn, this is one of those rivalries that I should've put in the Worst Rivalry of 2011. Then again, it isn't too late. RVD and Daniels were on opposite ends throughout the match. Daniels is barking orders since he feels this will give him a personality (Guess what? It doesn't) while RVD just goes with it. He eventually gets sick of Daniels' crap and kicks him in the face. Kaz hits a finisher and wins the match for his team. So, Styles went from working a program with Roode, to that stupid overtime, now to this Wildcard deal? I'm not the biggest fan of Styles, but don't you think it's a bit insulting to work a main event program to now this gimmicky tag team deal? I'll let you think about that one. 

Winner via pinfall and moving on in Wildcard Tourney: Kaz and AJ Styles

Match #2: Zema Ion vs Tony Neese; Best of Three series

This is the second match of the best of three series. So, TNA called him Anthony and now want to call him Tony? I'm aware he goes by both names, but TNA should pick a name and stick with it, or else it will confuse people. Plus, not sure how I feel about some bland wrestler who looks like Bud Bundy on my TV screen every week. This was not a bad match. In fact, it might've been better than the match they had last week. I will spoil it for you now and say this was the best match of the night. Zema is once again trying to show off while Tony is fighting back. The finish comes when Tony gets a miracle roll up for the victory, thus evening the series. I think my main problem with this series is that you had to figure it would go to three matches. Since Zema got the first win, it took the fun out of this match since you had to figure they would give this one to Tony. They will end this series on next week's show, so that should be good. Oh, and the Hardy fangirl from earlier was going ape s*** when Tony got near her. This is sadly the most passionate fan I've even seen out of the Impact Zone. 

Winner via pinfall: Tony Neese

Backstage where we find out Madison Rayne is the new VP of the KO division. According to kayfabe, Karen Jarrett gave her job up to Madison before she was fired, so I guess the transaction is "legal". I like the idea of Madison getting more screen time since she is the most underrated talent on that KO roster, but I would rather see her in a more active role as opposed to being appointed the new Vince McMahongina. There was also a backstage scene where the Pope was talking about being a better father figure than Devon. Devon would arrive to confront the Pope. He would provoke him and…..somebody….ANYBODY…..what the hell? Did somebody miss their cue in this scene? Devon had Pope against a wall for what seemed like an eternity as Devon's kids would FINALLY hit their father with a steel chair. Just so you know, yes this show is taped. TNA could simply do a second take, but I secretly think the creative staff and Dixie Carter don't give a s*** anymore. It would explain so much. Oh, and I guess Pope and Devon will happen at Genesis…

There was an on location scene with Eric Young and ODB. They are at some restaurant. Young is almost trying to pass it off as a date while ODB doesn't see it like that and acts rude at the restaurant. I'm just gonna save you the trouble and just move forward with the rest of the show. The scene sucked, plain and simple.  

Back in the ring where Madison calls out Tara and Tessmacher. The Impact Zone continues to shake my head of disapproval. There is a USA chant during this bit….why? All three of them are American. I get it, Tara and Tessmacher are wearing USA colors, but it's still makes them look pretty silly. Madison makes them go up against each other tonight. Madison will be the special referee and that match begins right now. Why Tara and Tessmacher? Why not someone who actually gets featured on this show in a more consistent basis? TNA REALLY needs to do some spring cleaning because there's too many people on their roster and most of them aren't even doing anything on the show. Gee, I would sure like to get paid to do absolutely nothing. That's what we call living the Hulk Hogan style. 

Match #3: Tara vs Tessmacher

What in the world was this? I can't sugar coat it. This match was bad. This match was REALLY bad. You can argue the match wasn't design to look good, but you know something is wrong when the Impact Zone is silent. It started off with a bunch of locks and silly rolling around. Madison is getting angry since she wants to see some actual conflict. She totally has a point there because it was just boring. Once again, TNA opened up the second hour of the program with a KO match. When will they learn? You open up the second hour with one of your bigger storylines or an interesting match. The match never had a conclusion. Madison actually got some tension between the ladies, but it went nowhere as both ladies would punch Madison and leave. I guess the purpose of these events is to lead towards Madison's destructive reign, but could they have thought of something more…..entertaining? I really advise skipping this match. Alicia Fox beating Beth Phoenix in under two minutes isn't so stupid all of the sudden. 

No Contest

Backstage where Sting and Hardy are marking out over each other. Don't we get enough marks from the IWC? By the way, did you listen to the background during this scene? As Sting and Hardy are talking, you can hear Mike Tenay talking about the RVD/Daniels tag team match for later tonight. If you recall, Tenay made this announcement after the opening scene. That would basically tell me they filmed this scene right after the opening bit and Tenay's commentary went through the background. Why didn't TNA pick an area to film that wasn't completely cut off from other sounds? It really makes TNA look bad when they can't even edit out simple stuff like this. Then again, maybe they just don't care anymore?

Back in the ring where James Storm cuts a promo. Storm says his home is in the ring and at a local bar in his hometown. He talks about pulling off a Tim Tebow with his late comeback against Kurt Angle at Final Resolution. We cut to the titantron and it appears Angle is in Storm's favorite bar in his hometown. He talks about how these people will be sorry about their luck. What will he do to them? I know what? He will torture them with the Best of Immortal and Jeff Hardy DVD. NOOOOOOOOO!!!

Match #4: Shannon Moore and Anarquia vs Eric Young and ODB; Wildcard Tournament match

Shannon did cut a promo in not being happy to be teaming up with Anarquia. Oh yeah, they had a storyline this year, didn't they? I wouldn't be surprised if you completely forgot. What caught my eye was when Shannon said he will do what he has done for 19 years, fight and win. Really? Shannon winning? This is the guy who JBL made his own personal bitch back in the day. Yeah, I'm no much of a Shannon Moore fan, sue me. The match was just more attempted comedy you get out of a Eric Young match. There was a point where Eric went to the outside and tried to touch Sarita and Rosita. Maybe Nintendo was wrong in saying touching is good? As ODB gets in the match, Anarquia does a scoop slam on her. Shannon gets mad since he doesn't like the idea of fighting a woman. He does what he should've done in the beginning of this match, leaves his partner. As Anarquia is distracted, ODB and Eric do a double move to take him down. At some point, ODB actually kicks Anarquia in the balls and gets the victory. This match was a mess. I wonder if it's too late to add this to the Worst Match of 2011 category? Then again, it's my award show. So, we will get another Young/ODB match in the future?Yes, because THIS is what will make TNA hit the map for 2012. I can already smell the ratings. 

Winner via pinfall and moving on in Wildcard Tourney: Eric Young and ODB

It appears that local bar goes can't fight a trained wrestler. Keep that in mind the next time you get hammered. Overall, Storm has some pretty stupid friends. Angle takes them all down and kicks them in the jaw. It was a pretty silly segment, but it does set the stage for a rematch between Angle and Storm. Probably one of the best rivalries going on in TNA at the moment. Then again, not sure if that makes me happy or sad. 

Match #5: Robert Roode and Bully Ray vs Jeff Hardy and Sting; No DQ match

If you're having a difficult time sleeping or dealing with insomnia, watch this match and I'm sure you will get a good nights rest. Oh man, I did not like this match. It operated like a free for all tag team match (tornado tag match). The action was split up so much that most of the match was in a duel screen. Now, it's common for pro wrestling to use the duel screen, but it's usually for a brief moment. I hated how this looked since the action was so small. There was an orgy of weapons in this match. It figures there would be since that's pretty much what Sting can do at this stage of his career. I'm fine with Sting getting involved ONCE in a great while, but the key word being "once". Another match that makes a strong case to be in the Worst match of 2011 category. For the most part, I hate it when you go overboard with the weapons. I understand that it was a gimmick match, but you don't have to shove it down our throats. Again, how can the two best heels in TNA have problems taking down a 52 year old man? Quite ridiculous. The finish comes when Hardy hits a crossbody on Roode, through a table. The show ends with the good guys celebrating. I advise extreme caution if you want to watch this match. I found it boring, slow paced, and hated how TNA went for a mini-TV vision for most of this match. The victory for Hardy makes the case that he can win the world title at Genesis. In terms of booking, it makes sense but I still detest to the idea of Hardy getting the gold so quickly. This is the same guy who screwed up less than a year ago. I know the Hardy fanboys will tell me to get over it, but I felt TNA gave this guy a slap on the wrist while they were quick on the ball when it came to dealing with Matt Hardy. Then again, if you read my Matt Hardy article, you already know how I feel about him, so let's just move on and finish this damn review already. 

Winner via pinfall: Jeff Hardy and Sting

Overall Impression:

TNA, you did so well last week. Yeah, last week's show wasn't great or good, but at least it was average when you look back on what this company normally produces. I did not like what TNA did tonight. I liked the opening, X Division match, and the Storm bit, but didn't care for anything else. The matches were nothing to rave about. The main event was disappointing since there was too much of that hardcore style of wrestling (I realize people like that type of wrestling, but I've outgrown it. I like it when the use of weapons is kept to a minimum as opposed to it being about how many weapons can show up before the end of the match) and a lot of the action was pretty rough to sit through. That KO match was just awful. Again, I get they were going for storytelling, but who's wrote this scene? The Eric Young/ODB tag team is pretty hard to digest, but I guess it isn't the worst thing out there. It just seems like TNA is trying to make their tag team division a joke since Young is getting a new program. There wasn't much in terms of Genesis announcements. In fact, their only matches so far are Roode/Hardy, Storm/Angle, and Pope/Devon. There has been talk of the tag team and X division titles since those opponents are waiting to be determined, but it just feels like TNA is procrastinating again. Next week will be the third episode after a PPV or two weeks before the next PPV. If I know what TNA is going to do, they will jam pack the entire show and try to get through every storyline imaginable so they can fill out the card. I really dread those episodes. Again, TNA really needs to work on time management since cramming an episode will not make people tune in and it gets confusing. It's pro wrestling and it should be easy to follow and entertaining, but TNA honestly treats it like an Einstein project. That's where you get the stuff that makes no sense, confusing, or boring. This was not a good night by TNA. The in-ring action was lacking tonight. While some of the promos were okay, the rest were either silly or stupid. Not sure if they can do better next week, but we'll wait and see. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. The voting is now open for the 2nd Annual WrestlingNerd award show, so cast your votes. Then again, I might have to make some additions after watching this episode. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time. 

Vote for 2nd Annual WrestlingNerd award show here...

http://thewrestlingnerdshow.blogspot.com/2011/12/2nd-annual-wrestlingnerd-award-show.html

2nd Annual WrestlingNerd Award Show Nomination List (Best and Worst of WWE & TNA for 2011)

Since we are near the end of the year, it's that time where we take a look back and remember some of the best and worst moments of pro wrestling (at least in WWE and TNA). I did this last year and I had a lot of fun putting it together, so decided to do it again. Of course, I need to explain a few things since there was a lot of confusion in last year's nomination list. Then again, it was also my fault for not explaining things better. How this works is people will get a chance to cast their vote for who they feel is worthy of winning the award. I will also list my choices for the winners of these awards in the process. There will basically be two winners, my choices for these awards and the vast majority of what the fans/readers choose. There might be some similarities between me and the vast majority, but there could be some differences, but I also think that's what makes this intriguing. Voting will be opening between now and January 1, 2012. I also ask when you vote, please keep the voting on the page (via the comments) where the categories are listed. When I have to go back and read the results, it would make it easier on myself to get a good compilation. You can also email your votes in case you feel embarrassed listing them in the comment section. It would also be nice for people to explain why they're making their choice. Again, that adds to the fun in all of this since it gets the debate going. Please only vote ONE TIME per category so it can be fair for everyone else who votes. I do post at other locations and realize there can be some people stashing the votes, but please do not or else it takes the fun out of it. I want to try an award show that gets some fan interaction, so people have a chance to launch their opinions and I get to list my choices in the process. When I release the winners of the awards, I will go into detail on why I included so and so in a category and explain my winner, but the fan's choice will also be released at the same time, so that should make it a little more interesting. Anyway, let's have some fun with this award show and let;s hope it does better than last year.

MAJOR UPDATE AS OF 12/24/11
I have created an online survey. This will make it easier for people to vote since it's all done with a click as opposed to listing a bunch of names and stuff. For everyone who has voted, I have already recorded you votes in the poll. Thank you and enjoy. 
http://www.kwiksurveys.com?s=OLDMIH_e7474045

Mid Carder of the Year

Cody Rhodes 

Dolph Ziggler 

Daniel Bryan

Zack Ryder

Rookie of the Year

Brodus Clay

Crimson

Sin Cara

WWE Superstar/Wrestler of the Year

CM Punk

Alberto Del Rio

John Cena

Miz

Mark Henry

Randy Orton

TNA Superstar/Wrestler of the Year

Robert Roode

Kurt Angle

James Storm

Bully Ray

Sting

Diva/Knockout of the Year

Kharma

Madison Rayne

Beth Phoenix

Gail Kim

Kelly Kelly

Mickie James

Tag Team of the Year

Air Boom

Awesome Truth

Beer Money

Mexican America

Best PPV of the Year

WWE SummerSlam

TNA Destination X

WWE Vengeance

WWE Money in the Bank

WWE Extreme Rules

Worst PPV of the Year

TNA Victory Road

WWE Over the Limit

TNA Turning Point

TNA Hardcore Justice

WWE Capitol Punishment

TNA Against All Odds

Most Underused Talent of 2011 

Drew McIntyre

Austin Aries

Justin Gabriel

Tyson Kidd

Magnus

Alex Riley

Biggest Potential for 2012

Dolph Ziggler

Sheamus

Cody Rhodes

Wade Barrett

Best Rivalry of 2011

Randy Orton/Christian

CM Punk/John Cena

Dolph Ziggler/Zack Ryder

Triple H/Kevin Nash

Breakout/Comeback Star of the Year

Bully Ray

Christian

Sheamus

Dolph Ziggler

Zack Ryder

R-Truth

Worst Rivalry of 2011

Michael Cole/Jerry Lawler

Kurt Angle/Jeff Jarrett

Pope/Samoa Joe

Garett Bischoff/Eric Bischoff

Pope/Devon

Jinder Mahal/Great Khali

Stupidest Storyline/Segment of the Year

Immortal (the entire thing)

Jeff Hardy's "party" before a PPV match

Michael Cole getting out of control

Jinder Mahal

Abyss' out of the blue face turn

Biggest Disappointment of 2011

Douglas Williams

John Morrison

Sin Cara

Alex Riley

Drew McIntyre

Gimmick Match of the Year

CM Punk vs Alberto Del Rio vs Miz-TLC match at TLC

Alberto Del Rio vs Christian- Ladder match at Extreme Rules

Randy Orton vs Christian- No Holds Barred match at SummerSlam

Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder match

Undertaker vs Triple H- No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania

Miz vs John Morrison- Falls Count Anywhere match on Raw

Smackdown Elimination Chamber match

Best Promo(s) of the Year

Rock's first return promo

John Cena/Piper's Pit segment

CM Punk's worked shoot promo

James Storm's promo towards Kurt Angle

Sheamus' storytime

Bully Ray's bully talk

Worst match of 2011

John Cena vs Miz- I Quit match at OtL

Big Show vs Mark Henry- Chairs match at TLC

Michael Cole/Jerry Lawler/Jim Ross- pick your choice of match

Sting vs Jeff Hardy- 90 second match at VR

Jeff Jarrett vs Kurt Angle- MMA match at Genesis

Non-Gimmick Match of the Year

CM Punk vs John Cena- Money in the Bank PPV

CM Punk vs Alberto Del Rio- Survivor Series

Randy Orton vs Christian- Smackdown and/or OtL (I couldn't pick one, so both deserve praise)

CM Punk vs Rey Mysterio- Capitol Punishment

Austin Aries vs Zema Ion vs Low Ki vs Jack Evans- Dest X contract match

Edge vs Dolph Ziggler- Royal Rumble

Best Storyline of the Year

Christian's heel turn/rivalry with Randy Orton

Zack Ryder and Dolph Ziggler go back and forth

CM Punk leaving WWE with WWE Championship

Robert Roode's heel turn/gets the brass ring

Worst Superstar/Wrestler of the Year

Jinder Mahal

Jeff Hardy

Johnny Curtis

Robbie E

Gunner

Abyss
Ezekiel Jackson

Comic Relief Character of the Year

Santino

R-Truth

Eric Young

Michael Cole

WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw Review 12/19/11

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Raw 12/19/11. With TLC over and done with, how will the company continue as 2011 ends in two weeks? Well, let's find out and start the review. 

We open up the show with…..the Conan O'Brien show? There was a drum roll and everything was dark except for the titantron. CM Punk was talking from behind the curtain, mentions how much of a tool John Laurinaitis is, and introduces the winner of the TLC match from last night. Yeah, so Punk did his own introduction. Maybe Punk's ego is out of control, but would you want it any other way? Punk makes his way to a loud ovation from the Philly audience. I think Punk was definitely the favorite for tonight's audience. Punk introduces the new US Champion, Zack Ryder. Once Ryder is in the ring, Punk introduces Daniel Bryan as the new WHC. It was at this point that I realize what is WWE paying Justin Roberts to do? Yeah, it's only a joke. Punk talks about how it was unthinkable that two Indy/ROH guys like Punk and Bryan Danielson managed to both break into the WWE and get the world titles. As I mentioned in the TLC review, I never thought it would happen, but I guess that's why they say anything can happen in the WWE. Punk says this moment isn't about himself and wants to let these guys talk. Ryder says the typical "woo woo woo" stuff while Bryan talks about how he never thought he would make it in the WWE. Despite the Coleritics, Bryan did managed to make it in the WWE and win the big one. Bryan had more to say, but Miz, Dolph Ziggler, and Alberto Del Rio are on the entrance ramp and start to head towards the ring. They are ready to attack, but the good guys hold their own. There was a point where Ryder did a springboard splash from the top rope. He got beaten up, but Punk and Bryan where there to make the save. Just as the heels are running away like chicken s***s, Roboinaitis arrives. Ladies and Gentlemen, it's Mr. Excitement. Laurinaitis says it will be Punk, Ryder, and Bryan vs Miz, Dolph, and Del Rio for tonight. Laurinaitis says this is his Christmas present to the WWE Universe. Hey, I thought robots were incapable of showing emotion? Regardless, I like this idea of a match. I think some people might have been upset with how long this opening dragged out, but I think WWE wanted for Bryan and Ryder to have their moment to reflect on what they accomplished. It's funny because there was a point where all three guys were not sitting pretty in this company, but it just goes to show you that things can change when you stick around long enough and work for it.

Match #1: Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett

I was a little puzzled as to why they did this match again. Especially considering that we saw this match last night on the PPV, but this isn't the first time a scene like this has played out. The match was okay to watch, but you're not missing a whole lot until you get to the end. The finish comes when Wade does a clear poke to the eye on Orton, thus causing a DQ since the referee clearly saw it. After the match, Wade hits Winds of Change on Orton (power side slam). Wade gets a table propped up in the ring and sends Orton through the table with Waste Land. Well, they did try to get Wade's stock back up after losing last night. Based on this booking decision, it seems WWE is pretty committed to Wade going far in this company. At this point, Wade is a shoe-in to become world champion in 2012. It's possible that Wade/Orton continue their little rivalry, but they probably should get this out of the way before the Royal Rumble. 

Winner via DQ: Randy Orton

Match #2: Beth Phoenix vs Alicia Fox

Let me ask a question. How do you make your champion look completely pathetic? Well, making them lose cleanly is one way, but losing cleanly in under two minutes adds more salt to the wound. As you would've guessed, Beth lost cleanly in a matter of seconds when Alicia hit her finisher for the clean victory. I don't like this decision, but I understand why they did it. They have been trying something with Alicia for a while and it does seem like they will be setting her up to become the #1 Contender, but it kinda takes the suspension out of that title match when she beats the champ in under two minutes. Yeah, not a great idea by WWE. Dare I say, a roll up victory would've made more sense since it wouldn't make your champ look this bad. Well, what's done is done. 

Winner via pinfall: Alicia Fox

Match #3: Sheamus vs Jinder Mahal

Once again, Sheamus goes out there to destroy a jobber. Sheamus wins this match with the Celtic Cross for the clean victory. While Sheamus is doing very well in terms of fan reaction, he needs a real rival/program. There's only so much you can gain by beating up on jobbers for the past month. Hopefully, they find something way more meaningful for him, because he needs it. I like how the commentators tried to make Jinder look like a tough opponent. They were laying it on pretty thick since Jinder hasn't done a meaningful thing all year long. There are piles of dog crap that have made a bigger impact than Jinder. 

Winner via pinfall: Sheamus

We open up the second hour of Raw with John Cena. He mainly talks about Kane attacking him on last week's show. He claims that he has no problem with Kane, but Kane shouldn't get in his way since he will take care of him if it comes to it. Mark Henry strangely interrupts. Henry is wearing a boot on his leg since we need to sell the injury, even though the real injury is a groin pull. So, we have a wrestler selling a kayfabe injury on the show, but not showing the real injury? Try wrapping your head around that? By the way, who the hell thought we would hear a "sexual chocolate" chant tonight? Once again, anything can happen in the WWE. It made the scene even more funny when Henry said he isn't here to joke around. Henry talks about wanting to get his WHC title back and how he had Cena last week. Henry says he isn't in the mood, so Cena needs to leaves. Just as the tension is rising, the pyro goes off and Kane has arrived. Once again, Kane is wearing two masks. He has that predator mask to start off, then he has the Kane mask. Kane arrives and looks at both guys. It appears he was going to deal with Henry, but passes up on him and goes right after Cena. John starts to attack the monster, but Kane is just too much as he gets Cena and pushes him towards the announcer's desk. He starts to choke him out with his hand over his mouth. Cena actually showed some blood in his mouth. Either that's real, or Cena chewed a blood capsule before Kane grabbed him. Kane leaves as Cena doesn't seem to have an answer for Kane. So, they are definitely going with a Cena/Kane rivalry. As I mentioned on last week's Raw review; the idea is interesting, but very tricky. Cena is the face of the company and he needs to make himself look strong as he goes up against the Rock. Then you have Kane re-debuting as a original monster and it would be pretty idiotic to bring Kane back and have him lose to Cena. In a way, it seems WWE wrote themselves into a corner for this rivalry. There are a few ways around it (DQ, countout, weapons, ect), but it makes it kinda silly to have Kane jump back into a rivalry with Cena. It's almost like WWE is having Kane bite off more than he can chew. Still, it's an interesting idea. It will be most interesting to see what they do when it comes down to winning and losing. By the way, why did he rip apart Cena's shirt and take it? You know what, I'd rather not know. 

Match #4: Usos vs Primo and Epico

I really enjoyed this match. It might have been short, but it was a lot of fun. I really like the Usos. I wish they would use them more. In a way, I would think this extra exposure for the tag teams is a sign they will continue to build up tag team wrestling and make it fun again. Then again, who really knows? The finish comes when the Puerto Rican Express is able to steal this match over the Usos. The victory shows that Primo and Epico will get some type of build up and set up a rematch between them and Air Boom. In fact, Air Boom was watching this match in the back. Well, at least the tag teams in WWE are getting a little more interesting. By the way, did anyone catch the part where King called Primo or Epico, Carlito? If that's the case, Epico must not be very epic since the commentators are thinking of their relatives as opposed to them. 

Winner via pinfall: Primo and Epico

Match #5: Cody Rhodes vs Santino

There was a backstage scene between Rhodes and Santino. There was some mention of the Royal Rumble while Santino has a gift for Cody, the Christmas Cobra…

Well, THAT would be a sight. The match is what you would expect. Very short and Rhodes winning with the Alabama Slam. Are you really surprised? There was no mention of Booker T tonight. I guess they will save that up for Smackdown this week. 

Winner via pinfall: Cody Rhodes

Backstage where the Bellas argue towards Laurinaitis over Teddy Long's comments at TLC. To be fair, Teddy only wanted to play some reindeer games. Laurinaitis says he will deal with Teddy as the WWE is watching his actions. They kiss Laurinaitis on the cheek and leave. Did WWE ever go anywhere with the Bellas winning that free kiss on that Holiday edition of SD? Anyway, Vickie Guerrero arrives and wants Dolph to get a rematch for the US title. Hornswoggle arrives and has a mistletoe. He ends up kissing Vickie. Everyone leaves as Vickie is screaming. Maybe they are after her Lucky Charms? Yeah, that was a bad joke. I apologize. There was a backstage scene in which Big Show was getting interviewed by Josh Matthews. He talks about winning the world title for the first time in nine years and how it felt wonderful, but Daniel cashed in the MITB on him and his dream went up in smoke. Show is trying to be all nice about this since he was the one who tempted Bryan to cash-in the MITB before WM, but is hiding his emotions. Josh ask there is no way Show can be so nice about this, considering he ended up having the shortest world title reign in the history of WWE. Why do I get the feeling TNA is going to find a way to break that record? Anyway, Show starts to get angry at Matthews and eventually just leaves. Even more evidence for Show to turn heel. I know I should feel bad for Show, but I'm really not. Show doesn't need world title reigns at this point of his career, so I was fine with a 45 second title reign. I know, that's cruel. Now, I'll give Show some credit since he told a good story and delivered a convincing promo. Have you ever seen a giant cry? Well, outside of Disney films, I don't think so. 

Match #6: Miz, Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio vs CM Punk, Zack Ryder, and Daniel Bryan

Another cryptic video. Once again, I'm not going to talk about this since I want to save it for another day. Punk, Ryder, and Bryan enter in through the audience, which happens from time to time in the Indys. Hey, Philly loves their Indy wrestling, that's for damn sure. I thought this match was a lot of fun. This match really showed off more what the good guys are capable of doing as opposed to the bad guys, but the heels didn't look that bad. Overall, a pretty fun match. The finish comes with all hell breaks loose and it's down to Del Rio and Bryan. Daniel locks in the Le Bell lock and gets Del Rio to tap out. Wow, I didn't see that coming. Bryan definitely needed this victory more than the other two since Punk and Ryder actually won their titles, while Bryan used the old MITB trick to get his title. This shows a number of things. It those that maybe WWE is going to embrace the idea of Bryan being the champ. Again, I don't see it as a longterm title reign, but it can be an interesting one if done right. It also shows that maybe WWE is losing interest in Del Rio. Keep in mind that they could've had Miz take the pinfall (it was set up for it once Punk hit the GTS on Miz), but didn't since he's most likely the #1 Contender to the WWE title. They didn't want Dolph to lose again since they have been prepping him to eventually make a case to join in the main event, and losing on back to back nights wouldn't be the best idea. If WWE is starting to de-push Del Rio, I honestly can't blame them. WWE has invest so much time and money into Del Rio's character and it hasn't gotten over very well. The man knows how to talk and wrestle, but never has anything interesting to talk about. He's just boring. In fact, the best part of Del Rio is listening to Ricardo Rodriguez's in-ring introduction on a weekly basis. Del Rio might be a cross between Eddie Guerrero and JBL, but he's nowhere near their leagues. Those guys had personality and proved to be great champions. Del Rio hasn't, end of discussion. 

Winner via submission: Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and Zack Ryder

Overall Impression:

Compared to TLC, it was a letdown. Then again, the PPV and the free television are graded differently. Why the hell did I even bring that up? I thought tonight's show was not too bad. I didn't consider it a classic, but it did have it's moments. What made the show was Punk and crew. The opening was fair and their main event match was fun to watch. The tag match was fair and the Cena/Kane confrontation was okay. This might be considered an average episode of Raw, but I enjoyed it for some reason. In some ways, it was kind of a filler show. There wasn't a ton of new stuff or new rivalries. There was build up for things that were already established, like Kane and Big Show. Still, in terms of a filler show, this was okay and entertaining. Part of me thinks WWE will be running on filler for the next couple of weeks since they could be saving some stuff for the start of 2012. Which kinda makes sense since this is the holiday season and casual fans might not be able to check out the show. Then again, it isn't 100% filler since there is character development for certain people. Still, I liked tonight's show. It just shows that filler can be entertaining at times. Yeah, so mostly an average night for the WWE. It will be interesting to find out what happens on SD this past week, since there is a few things to address on the blue brand. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time.