WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Battleground 2013 Review

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Somebody told me WWE Battleground was taking place, so let's review it…I guess. Here's a PPV and a bag of tricks along with the--f*** it, let's just get started. 

Here's your PPV… enjoy… I think

As I mentioned during the week, I was not looking forward to this. While some of the hype to the major matches were at least appealing to register a watch, nothing else about the event was really selling it for me; but the final presentation is all that matters at the end of the day, right? Would that occur or would mowing a lawn be more entertaining? Let's find out. The first match of the night was the Hardcore match between Alberto Del Rio and RVD for the WHC. The match wasn't bad and a decent start to the show. It was good, but if you've seen a lot of hardcore matches involving RVD, this was nothing different. Del Rio wins the match after RVD misses a Van Terminator, thus Del Rio attacks RVD's arm to weaken it for the Cross Armbreaker. Looks like a wheel fell off that maneuver for Van Dam…

With the victory, Del Rio pretends the WHC means something while RVD will go home to count his money. Who's the next opponent for Del Rio's WHC? Eh, maybe they'll bring out the 'Insert some random guy here' roulette board to determine who should be next. TAKING ALL BETS!!!

The highlight of the night

I find it amazing how Zeb Colter is the only person in the WWE that can create the art of food…smack talk? Is that a thing? In fact, he probably went out to dip some buffalo wings into some maple syrup after the show. Hmmm… I wonder how that would taste? Anyway, Santino and Great Khali have a match against Almost Real Americans. Yeah, this makes it on Battleground and we aren't even an hour into the show? Maybe the creative staff shut down this week, what do you want from me!? The match is pretty forgettable until you get to the part where Antonio Cesaro swings Khali around. I could seriously watch that for hours. At least Battleground has at least one thing going for itself at the moment. After the 'Punjab-A-Whirl', Antonio pins Khali to defeat Comedy Disaster. After the Cesaro swing, the next best thing about this PPV is Zeb's promo. I'm actually being serious right now… yikes…

Fire Man is a dick

You know what can be a bit challenging? In the first Megaman game, you have to defeat Bomb Man, Fire Man, Ice Man, and Guts Man all on one life and no energy refills in between. And even if you manage to defeat all four of them, you still have to defeat Dr. Wily without any energy refills. Why is it so hard? There's challenging and just being completely unfair and THIS is pretty dickish. If only Fire Man's pattern was easy to recognize a--THE F*** AM I DOING!? Sorry, I got distracted with Megaman and I missed out on the IC and Divas title matches. At the same time can you blame me? Nothing about these matches stand out or even serve and importance. I even went back to force myself to watch these and I didn't miss a damn thing. I guess you can argue the AJ/Brie match at least got some build-up, but even then it was lazily done at the last moment. I'm not sure if my mind is playing tricks on me but I think the divas match was longer than the IC title match. To be fair, the matches weren't bad as nothing about them screamed terrible, but by speeding through exposition faster than a bean burrito, it doesn't make me care about the match… It just makes me want to play a video game. Hey look, I somehow connected all of that! Neither of these titles changed hands. Axel won cleanly while AJ had some help from Tamina to steal the match. The AJ match at least had some of my interest as I did not care at all for the IC title match. In fact, what's an Intercontinental Title? Curtis Axel might as well being holding onto a roll of toilet paper since that's pretty much what the IC represents these days…

Hey look, the PPV is trying to do something

The next match was Cody Rhodes and Goldust taking on the Shield in a tag team match. This was one of the few matches I was looking forward to this evening. The pieces were there to make this match truly stick out and I would say this was the best match of the night in terms of quality AND storytelling. The crowd was really into this match and I'll admit that it was definitely worth checking out, but something about it just screams rushed. The Rhodes family coming back in the WWE was a great moment, but you can tell the WWE was playing it up a lot more than they should. This would've been a bigger moment if the Rhodes family had been gone for months to get their redemption, not 3-5 weeks. This storyline needed more time to really go over, but it was enjoyable for what it was worth. 

Outsmart the walrus

Come in, beat somebody up, follow the buzzards, and leave. That seems to be the growing tale for the Wyatt family. Like I said in last week's Raw review, I like the Wyatt family and they show a ton of potential but you gotta do more than just have them repeat themselves every week. In fact, I think people are starting to grow tired of them since nothing's changed. The Punk/Ryback match was… okay. Yeah, it was just okay. Thanks to a slight distraction by Heyman, Punk utilizes his cunning to sneak a low blow on Ryback to steal this match. This was probably the best way to end the match if you wanted to continue the feud. Ryback doesn't look bad since he get screwed over while Punk looks good since he was able to outsmart Heyman. While I understand the reasoning for this type of approach, this outcome just adds to the list of things that aren't making this PPV stick out. That's another negative for the night… That list is really starting to grow, don't you think? 

Here's your knuckle sandwich

After another round of Daniel Bryan/Randy Orton matches, Big Show comes out to knock out DB. It seems as if Randy is about to steal the championship until Show has grown tired of all the pressure and knocks out the backup referee and Randy in the process, thus ending the PPV. I guess we have to wait a few more weeks until we have a WWE Champion as this match ends in a no contest. I know a lot of people are complaining about the ending since it puts things on hold a while longer but I understood why this happened and I don't mind the ending since its been building up to this. Big Show has been pushed to the edge by the corporation and the guy just finally had enough of it all and decided he needed to do something about it, thus screwing over Randy in the process. It was time for him to do something and he'll definitely be dealt with tomorrow when Trips and Steph have to talk to him. With all of that and despite the fact I understand AND agree with this move, the ending does nothing for the overall presentation of tonight's show. That's just another negative to add to the list. Well, let's get just to the conclusion already since that list is about to explode. 

Overall Impression:

I went into tonight's show with low expectations and outside of a few things that stood out from the show, I was still disappointed with this presentation. Nothing about it seems memorable and I have to argue that this PPV does nothing. Why was this even here? Why did this take place? Why does it exist? Is it because the company quota said you had to put a PPV on tonight, is that why? That's sadly the answer to the question but I would even say if this is what you were gonna showcase this evening, you would be better off canceling this PPV and waiting until Raw or Smackdown to air this. In fact, tonight's PPV felt like two episodes of Smackdown combined. Instead of Battleground, it should've been called Battledown or Smackground… That just sounds wrong. I wouldn't call this a bad PPV at the end of the day since the match quality was present. In fact, I would mostly refer to this as a boring PPV. I just had a hard time trying to sit down and enjoy this show. When I just trailed off in the middle of the review, that actually happened. I just got so bored and uninterested with Battleground that I literally had to switch to something else. I would've actually preferred to witness a bad PPV since at least I'd have something funny to look at. I know it seems odd that I would get more enjoyment out of a bad wrestling show compared to a boring one, but that's just how I see it. I watch wrestling to have a good time and be entertained, but when a showing's boring, I honestly just have to look elsewhere for entertainment. If I had to give Battleground a score between 1-10 and 5 considered average, I have to give this a 3 out of 10. I can see some people saying this was slightly below average, but I honestly had to bring it down a notch because of how boring it was. Antonio Cesaro's swing and the Rhodes family dilemma might be positives, but there's just not enough fun stuff to really make this event worthwhile. This is definitely one PPV I never want to look at again. I just hope something changes with Hell in a Cell, but I wouldn't be surprised if HIAC is similar to NoC and BG due to the fact WWE wants to use most of their cards at Survivor Series since it's one of the big four. With that said, I just hope it means things will get a little more interesting in the next few weeks. After all, I gotta hold onto something. Despite how disappointed I was with this PPV, I still think something good can come out of this and it should get better. After all, there's still traces of good stuff here and there and they had something good a few weeks ago. I'm optimistic to the point where I think the interest level will rise once more, but that's just me. That does it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. If you enjoyed any of my nonsense, check out some of my other reviews and partake in my stupidity. See you guys and girls in the next one. 

WrestlingNerd's Official Score for WWE Battleground 2013: 3 out of 10

WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw 9/30/13 Review (CM Griffin)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today we take a look at WWE Raw 9/30/13. After a week of fighting space aliens from planet beebleblabble with snowballs, it's time to get back to some wrestling. Let's begin. 

Opening

We open up the show with CM Punk and how his storyline is predictable. You think for a man who's aware of the predictability would stop falling for these traps, but I guess he does it to add excitement to his life…

Anyway, Mr. Buttkisser arrives to inform Punk he won't get Pauly, Ryback, and Curtis Axel since it isn't good for business. Ever feel the creative staff has been watching way too much 'Pirates of the Caribbean 3' lately? That's seriously what I think every time somebody says 'it's good for business'. Big E arrives to deliver the promo of a century. Ah, it makes my heart flutter. It doesn't take long for a match between Punk and Big E to begin. Big E makes it interesting, but Punk finds a way to fight back and picks up the victory. It was a good victory for Punk to lead into his match against Ryback this Sunday, but maybe it wasn't THAT big considered Big E has been in limbo since not being able to get in AJ's pants. Come on, he's horny and not getting anything else in the meantime. Of course he would be off his game. The build for the Punk/Ryback match has been what I expected. Punk and Heyman continue to add intrigue to the match with their promo while Ryback will just nod his head while thinking about all the lunch money he could get by attending high school once more. It seems like a good balance. 

Oh yeah, the Wyatt family…

After Kofi dances on the remains of Fandango's career, Bray Wyatt arrives after the match to cut a promo. It's difficult to say if the Wyatt family is targeting Kofi, giving out a warning to everybody else or both but it was interesting to say the least. He talks about always having to go through hardships and how he will make others fall around him. I really hope this leads to the Wyatt family doing something since they've done nothing since sending Kane to a movie studio. Don't get me wrong, I like the Wyatt family and I really enjoy listening to Bray's promo, but they need to do more than just beat people up. A new opponent or some type of rivalry would definitely be a positive. There's a ton of potential with the Wyatt family and it's a shame that they've been forgotten since the birth of the corporation, but there's still time to turn his ship around and get the Wyatt family back on the right course. 

LOLZ

Los Matadores finally made their debut/repackage tonight. I'm gonna admit something to you folks. I've actually enjoyed watching the vignettes for Los Matadores. I can't really explain it, but there was something about them that made it charming in it's goofy fashion. Yes, I understand it's a bit ridiculous to have a couple of Puerto Ricans play Spaniards, but if they can be entertaining I don't see the problem. Of course, we haven't even talked about the actual debut yet. I know the internet is gonna s*** all over El Torito and just how silly it looks, but I was laughing my ass off when I saw this. I'll admit that it looks stupid, but the gimmick is already goofy so why the hell not? How was the match? I don't know. I was too distracted by the jumping mascot to pay any attention to it. I wanna see what else that guy can do. Look at him go!! Woo!!! I know the internet is gonna hate me for saying all of this, but I'm just sharing my honest thoughts. It's pro wrestling and is always gonna be over-the-top, so having these three seems like another day in the office. 

Rhodes vs McMahons

Triple H and Stephanie invite the Rhodes family to the ring. I'm surprised that Cody didn't respond by saying he use that Bed, Bath, and Beyond card to wipe his ass. It was a golden opportunity! Anyway, Cody and Goldust have to defeat Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in order to get their jobs back, but the catch is the Rhodes family will never be able to work again if they lose, thus Dusty Rhodes loses his job as well… For about three weeks since wrestling logic has an expiration date. Hey, there's gotta be repercussions now. After the announcement, Shield take out the Rhodes family with a sneak attack. I've really enjoyed this storyline and I look forward to seeing if some type of plot twist could happen with this match. Maybe something along the lines of Cody betraying his family and siding with the corporation? It's always a possibility, but I won't be surprised if Cody and Goldie end up getting their payoff and reclaim their jobs. 

Show's got the crazy eyes

After R-Truth defeated the Tin Man, there's a diva match taking place. Here's a lollipop for sitting through that match… Not sure if Randy threatened Brie Bella by hinting at breaking Daniel Bryan's legs or buying him a segway. I think Brie won the match or something. Still have no idea if the Bellas are playing faces because of DB, but it's best to not think on it too hard. Meanwhile, Heyman is thinking marriage with Ryback. Move over Billy and Chuck, you've got some company! There was also a disturbing scene where Big Show talked about knocking out Triple H since he's been pushed too far. Oh my God, Show's gonna eat me!!! Did you see his face? My God, look at him? He doesn't look like he wants to punch somebody. He looks like he's gonna kill somebody and then proceed to dance on their grave while drinking smoothies made out of their blood. Damn, that was scary. Try hanging that photo in your child's room and see if they find Show to be a gentle giant. 

Love is in the air

So the marriage proposal from Heyman to Ryback was to become a Paul Heyman guy, but it surely seemed like there was more to it than meets the eye. Just look at Ryback's face when he hears this news and tell me he isn't thinking of something different? CM Punk is about to crash the party, but…

Of course, it was nothing more than a ploy to get Heyman and Ryback to drop their guard as Punk would utilize a kendo stick to gain the upper hand. That clever bastard! I'll admit that was a pretty good fake out. 

Masculinity 

The Shield vs Dolph/Usos match wasn't too shabby. It ended when Reigns hit the Spear on Dolph the normal Shield antics. As Show prepares to get ready to knock out Trips, the police is about to arrest Show for threatening an employee. We have a police? Steph uses this excuse to get Show to not do something rash and talk about how he isn't man enough to please his wife. You're a spineless, pale pathetic lot and you haven't got a clue. Somehow I'll make a man out of you! You had to figure Show wouldn't follow through with knocking out Trips yet, but it's certainly on the way. FREEZE TIME!!! In other news, it's time for another edition of Spin the Santino…

It's sometimes the little things that make you happy. The final segment of the night was Daniel Bryan confronting Randy Orton. Just like earlier in the night, Randy continues to take shots at DB and Brie since he thinks of himself as superior manliness. Isn't this the same guy who cried like a girl a few weeks ago? After some insults from the two, they start to fight. Brie shows up to check up on her fiancee, but that might've done more harm than good for DB. The show ends when Randy sends Bryan through an announce table with an RKO. I really have nothing more to say about this match since I've pretty much said the same thing over and over again. Not sure who wins this match so that's one positive going into Battleground. 

Overall Impression:

This episode was okay. It wasn't great but I also wouldn't call it horrible. I will admit that this episode didn't do the best job in building up Battleground. In fact, I've felt the build going into this PPV seems very forgettable. I almost forgot there was a PPV coming up this week. It does seem like the major storyline of WWE has lost some of its flavor in the last few weeks, but all it takes is one night to change that around. At the same time, I wouldn't be surprised to see nothing that grand out of Battleground since there's another PPV coming up in another three weeks. I just hope this PPV does better than Night of Champions. Hey, I can at least hope. That does it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls in the next one. 

WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw 9/16/13 Review (Rebellion)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today we take a look at WWE Raw 9/16/13. After the events of Night of Champions, what happens next? Let's find out and begin. 

Here lies Daniel Bryan's hopes and dreams

We open up the show with Daniel Bryan. As you would guess, Bryan is talking about his WWE Championship victory. Wow, what a moment for the man! So, where's the part of the show where the man with the big nose crushes his dreams? Oh, there he is! Right on time! After a replay system that makes you question the NFL replay system, Scott Armstrong admits that he made a fast count and claims he and DB were working together in order to ensure Bryan's championship victory. Bryan denies these claims, but Trips has heard more than enough to strip DB of the WWE Championship. Bryan refuses, but he eventually has no choice but to fork it over…

Randy Orton arrives and the two are about to fight, but it's revealed that Orton ISN'T the WWE Champion and things will get figured out at a later time. I should note that by the end of the night, we still don't know the fate of the WWE Championship, so we currently have no world champion at the moment…

Very intriguing backstage scene where Orton was acting like a crybaby for not getting his championship back, but Stephanie puts him in his place and claims Orton deserved to lose since he's not the same, vicious, Randy Orton who made their lives a living hell. That was definitely something. Looks like Randy is gonna have to look himself in the mirror and find that sadistic snake. This is definitely an interesting turn of events, so definitely a positive start to the show. Although, it's kinda sad that this opening might've been more engaging than the entire NoC PPV. I should note that much later in the evening, Armstrong would get fired for his actions at the PPV. Armstrong didn't seem thrilled about the news, but Trips insures that Armstrong will be taken care of. So, how much did Armstrong sell his soul to the Game? I would like to know. 

Yay, filler time!

The rematch between Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose might've been better than their match from last night. I liked their match from last night, but this felt like it was given more time and thus, felt more fleshed out. Dolph defeats Ambrose with the Zig Zag in this non-title match. Well, that evens the score so far in the rivalry. I look forward to the rematch. Did King just say 'Paul-rus'? Ugggggggggggh… who's keeps writing King and Cole's jokes, Chuggaaconroy? Later on in the show, the diva match didn't feature AJ or Natalya in the ring, but they were on commentary. Yeah, it's one of those matches were listening to the banter is more entertaining than the actual match. Seriously, name one thing that happened in the match from the top of your head? I bet you can't do it since nobody remembers it. I don't even know who was in the match. I think that should sum it up right there. Although, I will admit that the interaction between AJ and Natalya was fun, but it felt like Natalya came off as a spoiled child. I can't really explain it, but that's just how I felt. 

Unleash bitch-mode

After fast-forwarding through the Fandango/R-Truth match, the American Dream, Dusty Rhodes arrives with something to say. Dusty pretty much wants the opportunity for Cody Rhodes to get his job back. Stephanie says Cody does have the opportunity to get his job back, but he can also give the job to Goldust. It's up to Dusty to decide who gets their job, Cody or Dustin. Wow, what a bitch! Dusty decides he will not do such a thing and tells Steph to go to hell. After the Shield and Big Show arrive to the party, Steph orders Show to knock out Dusty. Once Show starts to shed the tears, he apologizes to Dusty and knocks him out, but not before catching him. As you would understand, Show only did the attack since he knew the Shield would've done something much, MUCH worse to the Hall of Famer, so he took the bullet once again. I know people don't like the sniveling, Big Show, but I personally don't mind it since he plays his part very well. Still, this does ask the question at what point does Show start to rebel against the corporation? By the way, has anyone noticed that anything involving the people wanting to rebel, Booker T is somewhere in the scene? Just something I wanted to point out since its become a regular thing. So the Rhodes/McMahon family dilemma continues to grow. Just like the DB/corporation deal, this is another feud that could turn into a potential Survivor Series match, but not sure about that. The merits are there, but I'm sure something along the lines of a war can get the green light. 

Yay, more filler!

RVD hits the Frog Splash on Damien Sandow and the winner is Damien Sandow…what? Sorry, the entrance music said otherwise. Somebody hit the wrong button in the back. That dude better be care. Trips has already fired two people in his ego trip and can definitely get ride of somebody else in the process. In other filler performances, the Usos defeated Tons of Saturated Fat and Almost Real Americans to become the #1 Contender to the tag titles. Where were the Prime Time Players? Well, my guess is they forgot to set their alarm clock. While it seems the WWE wants to do something with the tag division, but it isn't clear as to what exactly. They were going with the Usos for a while, but then they went with the PTP, but now they're back to the Usos. It's usually the championships that get the hot potato treatment, not the #1 Contendership. It just feels a little odd to say the least. 

Randy's anger

Randy got an opportunity to unleash that evvvvvvvil persona once more and he does it by attacking Miz before the match. In fact, he would pretty much kill the Miz right in front of the Miz's parents. I know this is pro wrestling and everything for the most part is staged, but it would've been a nice touch to see his parents jump the guardrail and get held back by security as they try to help their son. I mean, if your child was getting the crapped kicked out of him, wouldn't you go in there and do something about it or just stand there and watch? This is a minor complaint and the scene still gets its point across, but I would've appreciated the extra effort. Like I said, the scene did its job to set up the fact that Randy Orton has mega evolved in Mega Orton, king of jackasses. Hmmm, perhaps Trips told Armstrong to do the fast count in order to not only kick DB in the balls once more, but to unleash the evil side of Orton? It's not a bad theory if you think about it. 

Kiss of death

Paul Heyman comes out to gloat about the fact he defeated CM Punk in a match, while Ryback claims he attacked Punk because he doesn't like bullies. Yeah, the bully doesn't like bullies. Try to figure that one out. To add to the creepy atmosphere, Pauly kisses Ryback on the forehead and Ryback really seemed to get off on it. I haven't seen him this happy since he forced somebody to take a shower. Yeah, we're learning a lot today. As for Curtis Axel, I almost forgot he was there. Maybe he can go make Ryback and Pauly a couple of sandwiches. He's gotta do something, right? Anyway, I still like the progress of this storyline and I think the edition of Ryback will be a great plus since Axel is still young and Brock Lesnar isn't always available. 

And now, chaos!

The final match of the night was Daniel Bryan vs Roman Reigns. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, but I was surprised. The match was pretty damn good. Check it out if you're curious. The finish comes when Randy interferes, thus resulting in a no contest. After the match, Shield and Randy take down Bryan and it seems Bryan is about to get the Miz treatment, but some talents in the WWE have grown tired of the corporation's treatment. The rebellion consisted of RVD, Dolph, PTP (they finally woke up), Usos, Zack Ryder, Justin Gabriel, Kofi Kingston, and R-Truth. The show ends with the rebels taking out the Shield and celebrating with DB. Oh boy, the evvvvvvil, big, bad, corporation is gonna be furious. Well, Trips technically didn't put any repercussions if you helped Bryan so he can't fire them, but you can bet some 'punishment' will be on the way. You had to figure at some point, people would be willing to risk their careers to do the right thing. If anything, I expect to see some type of punishment on this upcoming Smackdown. If that's the case, it could be something to check out later in the week. 

Overall Impression:

This was a major improvement over Night of Champions. If you checked my review on the PPV, you would know that I was overall disappointed with the event and just something I don't want to go back and watch. Thankfully, WWE realized the error of their ways and put together a pretty entertaining episode of Raw. Not an episode I would put in my top five of 2013, but still an episode that the majority of wrestling fans will get an enjoyment out of. Check it out and judge for yourself. That does it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls in the next one. 

WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw 9/9/13 Review (Edge must save him...later...)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today we take a look at WWE Raw 9/9/13. What happens this week? Let's find out and start the review. 

We open up the show with an apology from me. Sorry there was no Smackdown or Impact reviews last week. I'm in the middle of recovering from a cold and just taking it easy until I'm healthy once more. I should also note that the likelihood of SD and Impact reviews this week probably won't happen due to the fact that I'll be out of town once more due to personal reasons. Again, I apologize for the choppy schedule, but hopefully I'll figure out some type of system to get this a little more consistent. I know it bothers people and it honestly bothers me, but just be patient and things should hopefully get back to normal real soon. 

Show up... plug a show... leave

Anyway, Edge opens up the show with the Cutting Edge. He basically says Randy Orton is a little bitch due to the fact he's the corporate puppet, so he's gonna have a different guest in Daniel Bryan. After some talk from the hopeful underdog, Edge pretty much calls out all of Triple H's garbage and how he sucks at picking talent. Trips says while he admits to being wrong about talent, but thinks Edge was never that great of a talent and was overrated. I know the line was used in the show, but Trips really puts the 'dick' in 'dictator'. And it's nice to see Trips living up to his new persona by having Christian beaten up off-screen. Of course, it was reported that Christian did have a concussion, but I thought it was a clever touch to write him off in this fashion. I especially love this scene where Trips is telling Edge this is 'his' town and wants him out, but I mostly love it because of Dean Ambrose. He just has that look where he isn't paying attention to what's being spoken and is thinking to himself. Hmmm… Did I leave the oven on his morning?… Well, that's gonna be a problem when I get back. So, how does Edge get his revenge? By doing absolutely nothing! I know the man is limited in what he can do, but it would've been a nice touch to see him run out there and screw over the corporation to some degree. Eh, oh well…

Dr. Punk

Curtis Axel's anger gets the best of him and it gives Kofi Kingston a DQ victory. Well, that was nice of him. Let's celebrate by offering him a plate of d--kick to the face… Well, that plan backfired, what do you want from me!? To continue with this storyline, Paul Heyman 'trips' on water backstage and wants to have his own doctor take a look at him…

As you would guess, Heyman uses this 'injury' as a means of getting himself out of the match against CM Punk this Sunday. In order for this to work, Heyman has to allow the WWE medical team to evaluate his condition. That's right folks, we have a medical evaluation going on in the ring right now. I think some would like to call bulls*** on this, but this is also the same show that had a paternity test as well so anything can happen on here. Next week, we get to see a bully intervention for Ryback. YAY!!! After Heyman calls the doctor a quack, Punk arrives to give him a third opinion. While not as strong as last week's segment, this was still entertaining enough to keep me invested. It was campy and over-the-top, but very enjoyable from my perspective. 

Divas segment

During the Total Divas vs other divas match, AJ continues to be outspoken on the ladies and their reality TV show status. I like the new AJ. She has more fire with her words and it seems more natural for her. It was almost a good fit for her to go down this direction. I'm gonna ask an honest question… Did you even watch the diva match or were you listening more to AJ's words? I honestly don't remember a thing from the diva match. Let's see… there's a couple of women fighting… I think a Sharpshooter showed up…somebody wore blue… that's all I remember. Once again, we get mixed messages since one week the actions in the ring showed you were supposed to be concerned with AJ, but this week, Cole and Lawler were basically attacking her while on commentary and she even insulted them in the process. We're getting some mixed signals with who's playing face/heel for this rivalry, but I think it's for the best. Leave it up to the audience to determine who's in the right/wrong here. I'm personally pulling for AJ, but that's just me. 

Goldie vs Golden Boy

One of the main themes of tonight's show was Goldust trying to avenge his brother's firing by fighting to get his job back. In order for Cody Rhodes to be hired once again, Goldust would have to defeat Randy Orton in a singles match. I've always enjoyed Goldust's work throughout his career. Sure, the man's character is very odd and can seem a little bizarre, but I've always felt he went out there and gave his best and found a way to be enjoyable. Goldie gives it his best shot to defeat Randy, but it wasn't enough. Due to the defeat, Goldust has to…Umm…He…Ummmmmm…Hmmm…What exactly is the punishment if Goldust lost the match? Does he have to pay? Does he have to give up his wardrobe? Does he have to wash Trips' car? What's the punishment? Oh well, I guess the punishment of Stephanie unleashing bitch-mode on you for disappointing the Rhodes family is punishment enough. Speaking of which, right on time, Steph! Aww, poor Goldust. I haven't seen him this down since breaking up with Booker T. I really liked how this came across. Makes me wonder what the Rhodes family will do in order to get one over on the McMahons. 

WrestlingNerd's ADD moment(s) of the night

Bray Wyatt defeated Dolph Ziggler due to all the help from the Wyatt family. Hmmm, I wonder if Dolph is missing AJ and Big E at this point? Hey look, it's RVD and Alberto Del Rio building up something… or someone…I got nothing. Although, I thought it was funny to have RVD vs Ryback. Turns out the loser of the match would have to get a new artist for their attire. Antonio Cesaro went up against Santino this evening. It's been awhile since we've seen Santino and it was great to finally seem him back. The best part of the match was seeing the spinning Santino. It's the WWE Game Show: Spin the Santino… WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! I want to play! I know it would've been dangerous, but part of me wanted to see him fly into the audience. How far can he go? Nobody knows!!! Why did I talk about any of this? I don't know!!!

DB lives?

The final match of the night was Daniel Bryan vs Dean Ambrose. Big Show was forced to watch on the outside since Show's contract states he must cry at least once a week. After all, the man's 'broke'. I also find it funny when it breaks things backstage since I imagine he has to pay for that. Instead of feeding the family, I must break or blow up stuff. Blow s*** up! Anyway, DB defeats Ambrose despite some Shield assistance. After the match, Shield attacks while Sad Show continues to be tortured. Randy Orton comes out and hits and RKO. This seems to be the end of the show, meaning that the IWC can bitch about the show ending the same yet again….BUT WAIT!!! Trips comes out and wants Show to deliver a KO punch to DB. Show continues to question him while Randy is getting in his face to follow orders. After some more bitching from the substitute golden boy, DB gets back up and hits Randy in the face with a Captain Falcon knee. It's like a rising knee to the face! Yeah, so the show ends with Bryan standing tall for once. I know it's gonna be common for the corporation to stand tall in future episodes, but you gotta mix it up once in a while. I know the likelihood of Bryan actually winning this Sunday is 0-1%, but I just hope to see an entertaining match until it comes time to perform the shenanigans. 

Overall Impression:

This episode wasn't too bad. I really liked the opening, but it does leave you with an empty feeling and it did bother me a bit. I realize Edge is very limited in what he can do, but interference by waiving his arms in the air would've been appreciated. Outside of that, I thought this was a decent episode to go into Night of Champions. I know it looks like NoC can be one of those filler PPVs since there most likely won't be a WWE title change, but something can happen in the WHC department since that guy in the robe is still lurking. Yeah, I really don't have much to say about this episode. It wasn't bad or anything since it was still pretty good episode, but it doesn't hold up against some of the other episodes as of late. Like those episodes have been so good that even a decent episode can be look at as average. Does that make any sense? Well, I think I need to wrap this up. Thanks for checking out the review and tell me what you thought of the show or the review. I will see you guys and girls in the next one. 

WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw 9/2/13 Review (Emo Show)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today we take a look at WWE Raw 9/2/13. What happens on this Labor Day edition of Raw? Let's find out and begin. 

Intro time

We open up the show with Triple H and Randy Orton. Randy basically tells you that you have to respect him. If you don't, you can screw your family, friends, career, well-being, pet goldfish, 3rd grade teacher, and die. Yeah, that's a good representation of Randy's words. As Triple H continues to piss off the IWC with all this Cruiserweight talk, Daniel Bryan interrupts. After a little more pushing and shoving, Trips books DB vs Big Show for later this evening…

To add to his douchebaggery, Trips and his bitch run into Cody Rhodes. Cody starts to speak his mind about the corporation's ego trip, so this leads to Cody's career being on the line against Randy later this evening. Wow, so a lot going on in this episode and we're barely 20 minutes into the show. To be honest, I wasn't really expecting this due to the fact it's a holiday, but I like this approach. If the train is still going, why slow it down? 

Dolph's spot

After a quick match between Miz and Fandango, Booker T tells Bryan to get with the program since he's fighting a war he can't win. Since Bryan is the lone wolf, he turns down his offer. Hey, it's Booker T's new job, the un-motivational speaker. He does his job well. Dolph Ziggler is getting ready for a match against Ryback, but Dean Ambrose attacks Dolph before the match. You think the referee would call off the match, but he's probably forced to not question it if he still wants a weekly check. Thanks to the attack, Ryback has an easy time defeating Dolph. One of the things I wanted to bring up is Dolph's placement since it seems a lot of people feel that Dolph has regressed a bit since losing the WHC. First of all, he's being used in the main storyline of the show. To me, that's higher on the pecking order than the WHC. In fact, the WHC has dipped quite a bit during that time since it feels more like a mid-card title than a world title. I just feel Dolph has more to gain by being apart of the heroes vs corporation storyline, so I don't think it's a big deal if Dolph's completely done with the WHC. It's just something I wanted to bring up since since it seems people think you're getting mistreated if you don't have something shiny on your shoulder and/or lose a few matches. Besides, the matches he's losing are being used to build the storyline and not as a use of punishment… Well, kayfabe punishment, not real-life punishment… massive punishment?…NEXT SCENE!

CM Punk follow-up

I like how Paul Heyman complains about the match at Night of Champions and Trips basically says 'F*** you, you're doing the match'. How will Paul get out of this one? Will he be punked? Tune in next week to find out. CM Punk does go out there to cut another good promo on this storyline. Once again, I really enjoy seeing how Punk and Pauly can work off of each other and see how the other can 1-up the other. Good segment that's worth checking out if you're curious. 

Common family vs corporate family

While there's not a whole lot to discuss with the Prime Time Players/3MB match, it was a nice distraction and it's at least worth a viewing. The next match was Randy Orton vs Cody Rhodes. This is what I would consider to be the best match of the night. It was given a decent amount of time and the match meant more when the audience showed so much support for Cody. While Cody did everything he could to win, it still wasn't enough and Randy wins with the RKO. After the match, Trips fires Cody Rhodes… For probably a few weeks since I highly doubt the man is truly fired. If anything, this is to add another individual to this gigantic storyline and we'll see Cody in the near future. Not sure how he'll get brought back and how it'll connect to the main storyline, but I await his return. I've enjoyed what he's done since the funeral of Rhodes Scholars, so I'll await his return with patience. Later on in the evening, Cody explains the Rhodes/McMahon family dilemma and how the McMahons have always made the Rhodes nothing but sideshow attractions. Considering Dusty Rhodes was the originator of every dancing character in professional wrestling and Goldust is the originator of every gender, confused, character in pro wrestling, I can see how there has to be something there from a real-life perspective. It was a good shoot by Rhodes and can't wait to see him return after the honeymoon. 

A diva segment with a switch-a-roo? 

There was a #1 Contender match to determine who gets a Divas title match. As the Total Divas beat the crap out of each other to determine who's deserves the opportunity, Harley Quinn's adopted sister joins us for commentary. It seems Naomi is about to win the match, but AJ interrupts the match since she feels none of them deserve this opportunity. All of the sudden, the Total Divas take out AJ…Huh? I don't know why since this is how the body language in the ring sold it, but why does it seem the roles for this match just flipped sides? The Total Divas taking her out as a team seems more like a heel move while you're given this scene where you're supposed to feel sorry for AJ. Yeah, I wouldn't blame you if your feelings are all over the place on this one. I need to see more with this storyline to see where it's headed, but it still has my interest because of the events of last week and tonight. I should also note that at NoC, it will be a Fatal 4-Way for the Divas title. Like I said before, this makes things rather complex to say the least. 

WHC or US Championship? 

You know what? I'm convinced they put Ricardo Rodriguez with RVD because they wanted Ricardo to still roll his 'r's'. So far, that has been the only proof available for pairing these two up. I know Ricardo has some beef with Alberto Del Rio, but teaming up with RVD? Oh well, let's just move on. RVD defeats Damien Sandow, Del Rio looks on, and this sets things up for their upcoming Intercon--er, I mean World Heavyweight Championship match. Yeah, that's totally what I meant to say… Totally…

Big Show tears

Okay, so it's now time I finally talk about the Big Show conundrum. I saved this segment for last due to obvious reasons you will read about in a few moments. Before I do that, let's address a few things that made me laugh. I like how Show throws a temper tantrum backstage after Steph forces him to do her bidding. No, Big Show!!! You can't break those things! You can't afford it!!! I also love how minutes after an emotional segment, the commentators jump from tears of sadness to the WWE App. Wow, Show's really having a moment here…Hey, the WWE App! Stephanie explained to us that Show is in no position to fight the corporation since he's broke. They explain that Show made some terrible decisions that made him broke but they probably could've dived deeper into the problem. I thought it would've been funny if they explained Show had a gambling problem or spent his wealth on robotic hookers, but I guess they were trying to do something a little more realistic. The reason this was brought up is Show doesn't want to fight Bryan because he considers him a friend…Even though there's been NO indication of this on the show. It isn't like you see Show and Bryan talking with one another all the time and hang out all the time. You're just supposed to accept that they're friends and nothing more. Yeah, I'll admit that was a bit of lazy writing on their part considering Kane would've been a better option in all of this since Kane and Bryan HAD that interaction on the show, but it would feel a bit strange to see Kane having to shed tears of sadness. You can see why that idea would be scraped, but let's get back to the Show/Bryan deal. Like I said, I understand the reasoning for picking Show to be in this storyline since the man plays his part very well, but it would've been nice if they showed more interaction that they're friends other than just saying 'They're friends' and nothing more. Due to Stephanie naming off Show's secrets, Show is basically forced in a corner to do the corporation's evil deeds while being very emotional about it. To be honest, there was really no point to bring up the fact that Show's broke. It would've been fine if you showed Show and Bryan being friends and then blackmail the giant to do your evil deeds. By doing that, you would've achieved the same result as what you saw tonight. I know you can argue that Show's financial issues can add more to it, but I still find it unnecessary. So, let's break it down. You're either gonna enjoy the idea that Show's broke or you're gonna hate this idea. For me, it's too early to say if I'll like it or not since I'm pretty neutral about this new information. With that said, I really liked the interaction between Bryan and Show on tonight's episode. From the beginning of the night all the way to their match where Show was forced to hit the KO punch on Bryan, it was persuading due to the fact that Show sold his emotions rather well. In fact, Show has sold his emotions very well during this entire storyline. I know people are complaining due to the fact that the program has ended the same way for three straight weeks, but you have to give these things time and learn to be patient with some of these things. It's another thing I wanted to bring up since people tend to want the payoff way sooner than it should happen and I think you just have to give it more time before you start waiving the flag. Yeah, I may have some hangups with Show having money issues or the sudden grasp of Show/Bryan's…Ummm, Twitter friendship, but the acting/storytelling can usually be the saving grace for things like this and I think it has. 

Overall Impression:

I went into tonight's show not expecting a whole lot due to the fact it was a holiday and most people would be away from their television sets this week, but I would suggest checking this one out if you did miss the telecast. I personally think WWE has done a great job in the last few weeks in the storytelling department. Of course, there's gonna be a few head-scratching moments or things you aren't gonna like about it, but no storyline/segment is perfect and I think the positives cancel out most of the negatives. This has been one of the more intriguing storylines for quite some time and the storyline itself is too interesting for me to really spend a large amount of time harping over some of the little things… Even though some of those little things could at least use a polish here and there. Again, this is personal preference at the end of the day and I totally understand why some people aren't really enjoying the major storyline. It's only my opinion at the end of the day and if you don't enjoy this storyline or totally disagree with me, that's totally fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and there's nothing wrong with that at the end of the day. I liked tonight's episode and I think it's worth checking out, but take of that whatever you will. That does it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought of tonight's episode or the review. I will see you guys and girls in the next one. 

WrestlingNerd's Mini-Reviews: WWE Smackdown 8/30/13 Review

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another edition of mini-reviews. Today we take a look at WWE Smackdown 8/30/13. Let's not waste any more time and begin. 

We open up the show with Miz Seacrest. Big Show talks about having to stand there and witness Daniel Bryan being attacked while NOT being able to help out. He said it was the toughest thing he had to do, but it seems like he's more concerned in impersonating Christian Bale's Batman. This wrestler is… READY for other people to believe in goooood! Dolph Ziggler was also choked up about speaking his mind, which prompts Triple H to arrive to the party. Yay, it's party time, but only for one person. Trips makes a couple of matches and benches Show. I love how the commentators try to explain the stipulations to the ironclad contract. So, it's a semi-ironclad contract? Or maybe it's an ironclad contract that isn't ironclad? I know it's wrestling logic and the entire stipulation doesn't make any sense, but I've just learned to move on from it and poke fun of it at my leisure. 

One of the matches Trips made was Randy Orton vs Miz since he wanted to give Miz an opportunity… an opportunity of death! Shield shows up in the middle of the match to 'observe' the action, while Show continues to watch and can't do a thing about it. In a very competitive match, Randy wins with the RKO. After the match, the Shield and Orton continue the beatdown until Daniel Bryan comes out to chase them away with a chair. Yeah, one guy with a chair scares off four guys…Only in the wrestling world. The next match of the evening was RVD vs Damien Sandow. RVD wins the match and Damien wonders if holding onto the briefcase is a curse. Ever notice how the person holding the blue MITB briefcase loses a lot of matches? It just seems to be a continuous trend in the WWE. 

Just like a week ago on Raw, Dolph tries his best to fight against Shield, but the numbers were just too much to overcome. After the match, Dolph is treated to a triple powerbomb, so you know what that means…

Poor soul…He never stood a chance. Anyway, the next segment is Paul Heyman and Curtis Axel. Curtis starts to talk, but Pauly quickly takes over since it's time for daddy to take over the big boy stuff. Again, Curtis can definitely wrestle, but can't talk for s***. Paul takes over and basically says they will massacre CM Punk. It's pretty much a follow-up to their actions on Raw this past week. It's a good promo and it could be something worth checking out, but I'll admit you aren't missing much if you skipped out on the segment. And since you haven't seen it enough, let's see the Wyatt family destroy Tons of Saturated Fat in a matter of minutes. You know, you have other options/candidates to throw out there for these matches? It doesn't always have to be Tons of Funk. Follow the repetition! 

Since Bryan acted as a bully, his punishment is to bully the bully. Wait, wasn't that the name of a level in Super Mario 64? Anyway, it's Daniel Bryan vs Ryback. In a fair match, Bryan is about to win with the Yes Lock until Orton runs interference. After the match, Orton and the three stooges continue their attack on DB. Show starts to get tired of it and stands up for Bryan, but the eeeeeeeevil Triple H arrives to put Show back in his place. One thing I haven't mentioned is Show's emotional changes during the night. I would say the guy was pretty spot on with his emotions. The man was torn and emotional during all of this and I think his acting reflected that. Show is actually a pretty decent actor on WWE programming. It was a good job. Show wants to fight back, but Trips' voice is too much to handle. The episode ends with corporation standing tall. 

Overall Impression:

One thing I liked about this episode is how they stretched out the major storyline. The focus wasn't just Bryan, but how some of the other talents feel about Trips overstepping his boundaries and how they aren't allowed to help out the lone rebel without repercussions. Like I've said for a few weeks, this storyline is big enough to get other people involved and this could lead to a war between good and evil. While that's nothing new since the idea has been done before, I'm enjoying this version of it and it probably has to do with the cast. Ideas in the wrestling world are gonna get reused a lot, but it's the people involved/characters that can add something different to it and I think people like Daniel Bryan and Shield are making this seem like something intriguing. This episode is worth missing out on, but there could be something worth checking out if you're curious enough. That does it for the mini-review and I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought about tonight's show or review. I will see you guys and girls in the next one. 

WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw 8/26/13 Review (Shaking things up!)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today we take a look at WWE Raw 8/26/13. What happens this week? Let's find out and begin. 

Before we begin…

Okay, so the first thing I need to address is my upload schedule from this point forward since I'm back to a consistent work schedule. I apologize for no Impact or Smackdown reviews last week. I tried to watch Impact, but was so bored with it that I just couldn't continue watching. It wasn't the worst I've seen from TNA, but there's only so much you can do when you're bored by something. I watch wrestling to be entertained and have a little fun, but for some reason, that episode felt like more of a chore than fun, which is why there was Impact review. As for Smackdown, I was simply out of town and unable to do it in time before leaving. I've mentioned many times in the past that other things are going to come before this page. I have stuff like family, friends, social life and work that are higher on the priority list than this little hobby of mine. Yes, I referred to this as a hobby since I take time out of my schedule to do this. I don't write reviews for money since I don't get paid for ANY of this. I write reviews because I have loads of fun and I enjoy making people laugh. It was something I wanted to re-address just in case people were wondering what's going on around here. To the people that were patient with me in the first place, I thank you for your courtesy and hope we can still have a good laugh with future articles. Now we shall continue. 

Corporation's new rules

We open up the show with Triple H. He's disgusted with Daniel Bryan for being disrespectful towards his wife, so he made an example out of him by having the Shield and Randy Orton attack him last week. It's funny how he gets upset with DB for making fun of Stephanie, but it's a-okay when Trips calls his wife a whore. It sounds like a happy marriage, don't you think? Where do you spend your anniversaries, a shooting range? Trips brags about the ratings and it's all because of Randy Orton. If you haven't picked up on it yet, Trips has pretty much gone into full-time, dick-mode from here on out. I know it was apparent after SummerSlam, but this and his actions to end Raw last week officially sealed it. Trips gives Randy a gift…

This prompts Mr. Beard to interrupt the jerk-fest. After some insults and a terrible musical number by Trips (Seriously, he should not be allowed to sing to any child), the COO of the company puts Daniel in a gauntlet match against the Shield later this evening. By the end of the night, that car dies. It just has to based on wrestling logic. We'll miss you, car #309749. You were the most forgettable and I salute you. 

You broke my heart, Punk. You broke my heart!!!

The Cody Rhodes/Fandango match gets interrupted due to the showcase that is Mizdango. It was bizarre, but what was more bizarre was seeing Rosa Mendes as his partner. She's been gone so long that I literally said, 'What, she still works here?'. Apparently she does after tonight, but for how long? It's now that time of the night where Brad Maddox does the only thing he was hired for, impersonating Teddy Long. Holla holla holla!!! A forgetful tag team match leads to Miz and Cody as the victors over Damien Sandow and Fandango. CM Punk has a match with Curtis Axel, but there was a stipulation brought to you by the greatest device summoned from the Gods of the almighty, the WWE App…

Is there anything the WWE App can't do? Anyway, the fans picked the stipulation where if Punk defeats Axel, he gets to fight Heyman. Punk defeated Axel with the GTS, so that means it's time for Heyman to think of another plan. Oh yeah, Curtis is still there and has finally recovered from the knee to the face… Probably should've done something about that, Punk, but that's what wrestling logic will do to you. Axel protects Pauly and handcuffs Punk's hands. Due to Punk being handcuffed, Heyman unloads on Punk with a kendo stick. I love how Heyman is shouting how Punk broke his heart while whipping him with a stick. This kinda reminds me of a relationship with the crazy ex who starts to act like a mental patient. You know, trying to show how much they love somebody, but just come off as disturbingly creepy. I think that's where Heyman's at, but I attribute that to good acting. Like I've been saying for a few weeks, Punk and Heyman continue to work off each other and really have made the rivalry pop out. I love it! It was announced that Punk vs Heyman will happen at Night of Champions and if Paul doesn't go through with the fight, he's fired… for about two weeks until they think of another way to bring him back. 

AJ Lee taps into her inner, CM Punk

Because you requested it, you get to see the Natalya/Brie Bella match from SummerSlam yet again…Woo? After the match, AJ pretty much insults the entire cast of Total Divas and actually gets a positive reaction. I really liked AJ's promo, but I have to agree with what most are saying that the Bellas really came off as annoying during this bit. We get it, you're upset with her words, but you don't have to scream like a banshee every five-seconds. I think toning it down a bit would've made your message clear, but that's not what's important right now. In many ways, AJ spoke a lot of truth with her promo. She did work her butt off to get to where she's at and it's insulting how the Divas Champ gets less attention than somebody who's being paid to smile and look pretty. And to be fair, AJ has been one of the more meaningful Diva Champions in quite a while. This was a very good diva segment that sets up the stars of Total Divas trying to prove AJ wrong or AJ plowing through the reality show because she spoke the truth and is really better than all of them. I'm not expecting anything gigantic from the diva division after tonight, but they definitely got my interest after this segment and I look forward in seeing where this goes. 

WHC: a glorified mid-card title? 

Okay, I cannot take Ricardo seriously in that RVD shirt. I know the man looked like the little guy on 'Fantasy Island' while wearing that monkey suit, but seeing him in that shirt was odd to say the least. Then again, this whole pairing is just odd to begin with, so maybe that's the point. Thanks to Ricardo's distraction, RVD defeats Alberto Del Rio in a non-title match. You know the role of the WHC has gone downhill when they start giving away the matches for free. It kinda feels like a mid-card championship to be honest. Does anyone else feel like this? I know the WWE Championship is the bigger prize at the end of the day, but the WHC has fallen since the days of Cena, Undertaker, and Trips holding onto the title. In the continuing adventures of Biff 'Ryback' Tannen, he bullies Josh Matthews by shoving his fist down his face. If Ryback gets 20 more bully points, he will be able to join Cobra Kai. Oh boy!!!

Another edition of Michael Cole's pun-o-meter

So, Paul feels like a man by beating up his 'best friend'? More like a douchebag, if you ask me. Ohhhhh, I'm a douchebag and I'm okay! I beat you with a stick and eat all day!!! The next match of the night was Randy Orton vs Christian. This was a good match, but that fall Christian took looked pretty scary. What did you think? Randy utilizes a thumb to the eye to steal a match from Christian. After the match, Daniel shows up on the titantron and gives Randy's car a new paint job. Bob Barker would be pissed if he saw this. A Yes-calade? Awwwwwwwwwwww! Cole, that was terrible! Awww, I think my heart skipped a beat with that last pun! Awwwwwww! You think the corporation would be smart enough to put security around the car, but I guess nobody thought about that when goat-face was running loose. Due to his actions, Triple H wants the entire WWE roster to watch their hero fall and if anybody interferes, they will be fired. Wait, didn't something like this happen last week? I guess Triple H loved it so much that he wants to do it again. Encore, baby!!!

Tag Team feud minus the tag team 

Do you ever wonder if Zeb Colter just got back from a hunting trip with Dick Cheney? Maybe it's the vest that makes me think that, but who knows. Titus O'Neil defeats Jack Swagger thanks to Darren Young causing enough of a distraction for Titus to take advantage. Not sure how the Prime Time Players' face turn is gonna turn out, but I don't have a problem with it… kind of.  While I'm fine with Darren Young being honest with himself, it just seems odd that the PTP have all of the sudden started to get victories after this. I know this is a PR move and I honestly don't mind PTP getting a mini-push or doing it from a PR perspective, but it's still… It's like…Yeah, it's hard to describe. 

Triple H's wet dream

Big Show and Dolph Ziggler choose to not comment on the situation, while the Miz claimed what happened to them is….is? IS? IIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSS!!! The first opponent in the gauntlet match is Seth Rollins. In a solid match, Bryan defeats Rollins, but gets no time to rest as Dean Ambrose attacks. Only seconds into the match, Roman 'ROAR' Reigns attacks, thus the match results in a DQ. After the Shield had their fun with DB, Trips informs them to hit the triple powerbomb. Doesn't Big Show have an ironclad contr--Oh, I just to forget about that storyline. Randy arrives to finish off Daniel with the RKO. Remember what I said earlier about Triple H really loving the ending to last week? Well, this ending had to cement that comment. The storyline continues to show the stars dissatisfied with the eeeeevvvvvvil corporation's mindset, but realize they can't say or do anything since the same thing could happen to them. If WWE does this right, this could be the main event come Survivor Series. Team Corporation vs Team Yes? Has a nice ring to it, don't you think? 

Overall Impression:

Once again, this was another good episode. I've really enjoyed what WWE has done the last couple of months since I think they've put together consistent entertainment during this time and it's great. I would say only a few matches stood out this evening, but it's the segments and storylines that's making the shows fun and interesting right now. I would definitely say this show is worth a watch and I look forward to seeing how the corporation is gonna get taken down. I know that's months away, but that's how intrigued I am. I just hope things are just as interesting then as they are now when it comes time to end the storyline. That does it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's review. I will see you guys and girls in the next one. 

WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw 8/19/13 Review (Eeeeeevil Corporation)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today we take a look at WWE Raw 8/19/13. After the amazing night that was SummerSlam, what happens tonight? Let's find out and start the review. 

The 'B' stands for beard

We open up the show with John Cena. Mr. Fruity Pebble informs us that he will be going away for a while to deal with an injury, but will be back when he's ready. Ah, the day the IWC jizzed in their pants over the thought they won't hear see Cena for the next 4-6 months. Joking aside, I wish Cena the best in his recovery. I may not be the biggest fan of Cena, but I respect his work at the end of the day. Cena is also not happy in how Daniel Bryan was treated by the corporation, but he respects him and refers to him as a champion… and the guy who kneed him in the face. Anybody else think of Cena handing the mic over to Bryan as a symbolic jester of handing over the torch? You get to hold onto this torch for a while, but I want it back when I return! Stephanie McMahon interrupts and claims she feels 'bad' for Bryan, but it was all done in the name of business. Yeah, the EEEEEEVIL, big, bad, corporation is looking like a bunch of a-holes, don't you think? In fact, Stephanie even played her 'Bitch Card' to the extreme. Let's be honest, she's better at playing a bitch than a nice person. It was actually refreshing to see Steph play her old character. Just look at that smile on here face. Now, THAT'S the Steph we love to 'hate'. As you would imagine, things get very heated between Steph and Bryan. I love the line where Stephanie refers to Bryan as a solid B+. Oh, them's fighting words! Nobody calls me a B+ and gets away with it! How dare you call me a B+! Hmmm, I wonder if the 'B" stands for Beard+? Maybe she wasn't insulting him at all? Before you have time to ponder that thought, Steph sends the security to escort Bryan out of the building…

Very good opening segment in case you were curious to know my thoughts. 

Don't piss off the boss

The first match of the night was a SummerSlam rematch between Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. What's that? You have no interest in this match? You don't want to see something you saw yesterday? Well, too bad! This is what you get! Just like the night before, Rhodes and Sandow deliver a decent match, but I can understand why you wouldn't have an interest in this whole thing. For me, I've enjoyed just about everything this rivalry has done so far. While the tenure of Rhodes Scholars was pathetic…

Seeing the two finally break away from each other gave them a pulse. Rhodes picks up the victory yet again while Sandow wonders why his beard doesn't have DB powers. Once again, I believe this feud will lead into a match where the case is on the line. After the obligatory Total Divas showcase for the evening, we jump into a handicap match. Dolph Ziggler made some comments about Triple H on Twitter and let's just say that the big, bad, corporation, isn't happy about their employes speaking up! I kinda like the idea of the Bryan vs WWE storyline getting other people involved. Not only could it help people like Randy and Bryan, but could also do something for people like Dolph since the storyline is big enough for more involvement. Ziggles did his best to fight off the Shield, but it was too much to overcome. Roman Reigns ends the match with a Spear. Reigns lets out a roar, so it's time for a Triple Powerbomb. Not a bad match for what it was worth. 

I still love you, CM Punk…

Paul Heyman talks about forgiving CM Punk and admits he still wants to team up with him, but it's now Punk's decision. I forgive you, CM Punk, because I love you!!! I Love you, man! I never want to lose again! I'm a wreck without you! Since I want to get all this in one paragraph let's jump ahead to the part where CM Punk talks. Damn, that guy in the front row is probably having the best moment of his life. You get on TV AND chewed out by Punk? That sounds like a lot of fun if you ask me. Punk admits he's angry, but he starts to think that Paul Heyman is right… For about 20 seconds since he claims he will get his revenge on Heyman. A bit anti-climatic, but it works. Love the fire in CM Punk's promo. It's really making this scene come alive. Instead of Heyman, Curtis Axel decides to take the fight to Punk. This was NOT a match. It was a plain fight between two individuals. Once Punk took out Axel, the segment ends with Pauly walking away. Punk and Heyman are putting together some of the greatest promos in a long time. It's fun seeing the two work off each other and try to top the other. Nice job. 

Robertoooooooooooooo Van Dammmmmmmmmm… ooooooooooo

After an abrupt end to the Alberto Del Rio/Sin Cara match, Ricardo Rodriguez announces he's managing RVD…

RVD and Ricardo? Well, that's a very odd pairing. What, did the creative staff draw names out of hat? Then again, maybe I missing something here? Maybe RVD has always been a fan of Ricardo's work? Maybe he'll change his name to Roberto Van Dam? I'll give the team a chance, but it doesn't change the fact that this one came out of nowhere. With this move, it seems RVD will be the next one to challenge Del Rio for the WHC. I guess Dolph will have to wait another day for his rematch. If Sin Cara is injured yet again, I hope the recovery goes well for him. That's all I'm gonna say about it since I'm not gonna jump to speculations about Sin Cara based on online rumors that can either be true or false. With Sin Cara away, could be a time to repackage him. We can rebuild him, we have the technology…

Some love for the tag division

Zeb Colter's speech: They took err jerbs!!! They trek ye er!! Derk a der!!! Da Drrrrrrrrrr!!! Almost Real Americans went up against the Prime Time Players. There was no transition for the PTP's sudden face turn, but that's because of Darren Young coming out about his sexuality a week ago. I think it's great that Darren came out and can be proud of himself. I have no issues with this whatsoever. We see a video hyping up Los Matadores. I gotta admit, the name alone already grabs my attention. It seems a new tag team is on the way in the WWE, or is it an old tag team with a new gimmick? Hmmmm… Okay, there's no point in prolonging it. Primo and Epico are Los Matadores. Yeah, I couldn't resist. A bit odd to see two Puerto Ricans play Mexicans/Spaniards, but this is also professional wrestling. You have a Swiss guy playing an American, a Canadian playing an Italian and God knows how many others have been repackaged into a different race. Why stop now? To my surprise, the 3MB/Usos match was given a lot of time to flesh out. In fact, the Real Americans/PTP match also got this treatment. It seems WWE wants to continue the expansion of the tag division, and there's nothing wrong with that. I always like seeing the tag team division getting some love since it was my favorite division when I was a kid. 

What did I say about pissing off the boss? 

Zack Ryder gets a paycheck by shamelessly plugging other products. BUY FOOT LOCKER TODAY!!! The corporation commands you!!! In other news, Biff Tannen continues to bully people smaller than him. This time, Ryback forces a guy to ruin his clothes by getting them wet since we apparently live in a world without washer and dryers. Wa waaa waaaaaaaa!!! Yeah, I would be scared too if a guy forced me in the shower and said, 'take it out', so I don't blame him for doing this. So, is Ryback gonna start demanding lunch money? Its gotta happen next week, right? The Shield pull double duty when they have another handicap match, but this time against Big Show. Apparently, Show also said some negative things about Triple H, thus he gets put in this situation. Noticing a pattern, here? The match ends with a Triple Powerbomb. 

The minor stuff

What's up? LED lights is what's up. Bray Wyatt hits Sister Abigail on R-Truth in a squash match, but not before a dance routine between Bray and Truth. I guess Truth really wanted a dance this evening. Kinda disappointed that there was no promo from the Wyatt family this week, but maybe Smackdown can do something about that. What I find funny is Michael Cole mentioning the Barrett Barrage. A peashooter from 'Plants vs Zombies' has more of a barrage going than Wade. That's how far he's fallen. Fandango interrupts the Miz/Wade match since Miz can't be the permanent host of WWE Raw. Well, at least he and Fandango have something to do, right? 

Coronation by the corporation 

The final segment of the night was the coronation for Randy Orton. Triple H explains that he likes Daniel Bryan, but this was a business move and he did this for your children's children. Unless Randy is competing at 80-years old, I don't think that plan's gonna work. Then again, it's wrestling logic, so let's play along. The Shield has become the bodyguards for the McMahons, Trips, and Randy. It's kinda funny seeing the group that stood for injustice now gets along with the corporation. I do like the fact they addressed the Trips/Orton rivalry in the past. I know it's pro wrestling and plotholes are gonna be eventual, but it's nice to at least remember past storylines/rivalries once in a while. I also like the line of the coal turning into a diamond. That had to be a nod to the Evolution days. Anyway, Randy Orton comes out and nobody applauds… Except for Teddy Long. It's like being at a rally and you see that one guy applaud and nobody else joining in. It's just funny in my eyes. I kinda want to know the story behind this…

Teddy: I never had problems with Randy Orton, playa!!! He's a nice guy! Love that guy! Now where's my tag team match? 

Anyway, Orton comes out and is embracing his ego… Triple H has taught him well. Trips invites Bryan to come out and get all his anger out in the open. Bryan heads to the ring, but the Shield attack him. We attack in the name of injustice and money… Actually, it's just money! After a Spear by Reigns, Bryan crawls towards the ring while Trips is treating Bryan like a dog. Did anybody else notice that? Come on, boy! You can do it! You can make that step! Good boy, here's a treat! Unfortunately, the treat is an RKO. The show ends with the corporation standing tall. Like I mentioned with the SummerSlam review, Bryan is only getting started with his rise to the top. Sure enough, he's gonna take the war to the corporation and he just might pick up some allies on the way. I just like what WWE has going on right now and I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out. Oh, and like I mentioned earlier with Stephanie, the entire McMahon family work better as heels. They just feel more natural in the role. 

Overall Impression:

I wasn't expecting this to match SummerSlam, but I was expecting the WWE to continue with the stories. Did they do that? They definitely did since there was a couple moments on Raw that really stood out. The CM Punk segment showed the hero not waiting to back down from a fight and is still on the prowl for Heyman, while things continue to grow with Bryan vs corporation. The segments with Bryan were very engaging and had me listening to every word that was uttered. Needless to say, it was enjoyable from my perspective. Hell, even the undercard stuff was pretty good. While you can say the match quality was a drop, I thought the action was good enough. I'm not saying this was he Raw of the year since I've seen better episodes, but this episode was still a lot of fun and I think people that enjoyed SS will definitely get a kick out of this. Things are really getting interesting in WWE Land and I'm looking forward to the upcoming weeks. That does it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. If you hated my review, you can leave an angry comment, but take into account that I won't give a s***. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.