WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw Review 1/16/12 (Robots have emotions?)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Raw on 1/16/11. How did the show turn out? Well, let's take a look and start the review. 

We open up the show with Mick Foley. He says he would like to have one more match in the WWE since a few of his children have never seen him compete in a wrestling ring. I guess that means TNA is so bad that Foley wouldn't allow his children to watch his matches. That's really saying something. Oh, the TNA fans will hate me for that comment. Anyway, Foley wants to compete in the Royal Rumble match. Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero interrupt. Dolph says it's a joke that Foley wants to be one of the 30 entrants since it shouldn't go to such seasoned talent. Foley realizes that his entry can be a flop, but he is in it to win it. Just like the lottery. Dolph almost becomes insulted with the thought that he could be the WWE Champion and might have to defend it against Foley. He tells Foley to just go home and leave the business. CM Punk interrupts. Punk talks about how him and Foley earned their spots in the main event, while Dolph hasn't done enough. He also brings up the "brilliance" of John Laurinaitis. This brings out Mr. Excitement. He continues to say that he will be unbiased in the WWE Championship match at Royal Rumble. Laurinaitis says he will think about Foley's petition to be in the Rumble match….for about nine seconds. Laurinaitis says "No" to Foley. Roboinaitis is in full swing if he already thinks of ideas in seconds. An interesting start to the show. The audience was pretty much eating up with Foley had to say. I think Dolph did pretty good with his mic time here. Still, I wonder what would come out of this? I mean, what purpose does Foley serve for this scene? Well, we would get more answers later in the show. Once again, the WWE title match seems to be more about Punk and Laurinaitis than Punk and Dolph. It doesn't diminish Dolph too badly, but it doesn't help him either. 

Match #1: Primo and Epico vs Air Boom; WWE Tag Team Championships

In a house show on Sunday, we actually crowned new tag team champions in Primo and Epico. Needless to say, it's kinda odd they would do a title change at a house show. This has happened before, but I would prefer to see title changes broadcast on TV rather than a select audience. Many rumors flying around as to why the title change happened last night. Most of them involving Evan Bourne. I don't want to dig into all of that since that's dirt sheet stuff. Regardless, things aren't looking good for the highflyer. This was a short match, but it was okay to watch. The finish comes when the Puerto Rican Express hit Backstabber on Bourne for the clean victory. Primo and Epico winning the match proves that the title change at the house show wasn't a freak accident and it was planned ahead of time. We will wait and see what happens in the next few weeks regarding the Evan Bourne deal. As far as my thoughts on Primo and Epico getting the tag titles, it seemed like it was gonna happen. They aren't a bad little team, but not a special tag team. I just hope Primo and Epico can still have consistent opponents in order to make their tag title reign mean something. I immediately think of the Usos jumping in to face off against the tag champs. We will see what they do next. That's if WWE is actually true to making the tag division mean something. 

Winner via pinfall and still Tag Champs: Primo and Epico

Backstage where David Otunga gives Laurinaitis a letter. Laurinaitis is more concerned about a six man tag match for tonight than the letter. This is an important plot point for later in the evening. It was announced it would be Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry, and Otunga vs Punk, Daniel Bryan, and……Chris Jericho. Sparkle sparkle. Another backstage scene. Zack Ryder and Eve are talking. Ryder hasn't been medically cleared, but he will still go out there and compete since he wants to be a fighting champion. Wrestling logic immediately comes into mind, but they are trying to tell a story here.

Match #2: Zack Ryder vs Jack Swagger; US Championship match

According to the kayfabe on this show, Swagger gets a US title match because of the referee screw up in the Swagger/Punk match from last week. Ryder has taped up ribs and is trying to fight back, but the injuries he got from Kane were too much to overcome. Swagger hit the Gutwrench Powerbomb twice, but Ryder continued to kick out. Swagger hit the Gutwrench for a third time and Ryder is finally down for the count. That's right, we have a new US Champion in Swagger. So, there is a lot of outrage by wrestling fans since Ryder just got the US title, so it makes him look bad. Here is the way I look at it. Ryder was selling his injures from the Kane attack and showed some toughness in the match. Keep in mind that it took three finishers to keep him down, so they didn't make him look terrible. It would later be revealed in a backstage scene that the letter Laurinaitis got was a doctor's note from Ryder, but he didn't read it in time and thus apologized for putting Ryder in the match. That guy is a douche. Eve would yell at Laurinaitis, but keeps his composure. This is an important element for later in the evening. Either way, it seems like Laurinaitis screwed over Ryder since Laurinaiits hasn't been high on Ryder based on past events. I kinda like how Ryder dropped the title because he showed some guts as opposed to being over the top. After a while, the goofiness of Ryder needs to slowly fade in order for him to move up the ladder. In fact, I almost forgot about Ryder's goofy gimmick during this whole show. This also puts Ryder in a program with Swagger, since we will assume that Ryder is aching to get is US title back. I think by Swagger winning the US Championship tells a much better story more than anything else. I realize most people are pissed off about the decision since Ryder is one of the favorites. Based on that, people do have a right to be angry about the move. However, I don't see this as a Ryder demotion as they are trying to give Ryder a decent program with some character development while showing the asshole nature of Laurinaitis. In fact, I see Swagger dropping the title in a matter of weeks to Ryder. That's at least what I think they are planning. It's always possible things won't go like that, but  I don't think that's the case. Wrestling logic is all over the place here since it was only a month ago that we had a MITB cash-in become denied because someone wasn't medically cleared to compete. As long as there is a good story being told, I am fine with the logic getting raped. 

Winner via pinfall and NEW US Champion: Jack Swagger

Match #3: Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox vs Bellas

Some guy named Perez Hilton did the in-ring introductions for this match. I personally don't care for this, but it's not the first time they have brought in celebrities for these things. Still, you think they would get people who actually qualify as celebrities. The match was nothing special. The finish comes when Perez disrupts the Bella switch out, thus allowing Kelly Kelly to use her finisher, the rollup, to win the match. After the match, the Bellas knockdown Perez. Kelly and Alicia chase them away, blah blah blah. Yeah, not something I would really care about, but the scene is harmless. Trust me, I have seen much worse from pro wrestling. It was like a ripping off a band-aid. It stings at first, but you won't remember the pain for long. 

Winner via pinfall: Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox

Back in the ring where R-Truth wants to say something, but Wade Barrett interrupts. They talk about the Royal Rumble match. Truth says he doesn't see Wade winning the rumble. He even showed off his Disney land postcard collection by showing off his pictures of Mickey Mouse and crew. By the way, did Wade say "old dick"? I'm sure he was saying something else, but you gotta admit that it sounded really close to that. The Miz attacks Truth from behind. Sheamus arrives to even the odds. The faces clear house. Teddy Long shows up and says Laurinaitis is a little busy (Laurinaitis really takes advantage of unlimited text messaging), so he can make matches. Teddy makes it a over the top rope challenge between the four individuals. Well, a lot of RR talk this evening. It's about time they started talking about this match on Raw. 

Match #4: R-Truth vs Miz vs Wade Barrett vs Sheamus; Over the top rope Challenge

This match operated like the royal rumble. Once you go over the top rope and both feel hit the ground, you are eliminated from the match. The match would continue until there is only one person remaining. Hey, at least there isn't any stupid leprechaun running around. Wade was the first one to be eliminated since all three took him out. The match was okay, but nothing great. The finish comes when Sheamus is trying to eliminate Miz. As he is doing that, Truth comes from behind and tosses over Sheamus. This eliminates Miz as well and Truth wins the match. Live it up Truth because that's as close as you're gonna get to winning the Rumble. 

Winner: R-Truth

Backstage were John Cena is yelling at Laurinaitis for screwing over Ryder. Laurinaitis admits to his mistake, but says Cena should be more concerned with Kane. It will be Kane vs Cena at the Royal Rumble. Cena will also face off against Swagger tonight. Cena is really pissed off….hmmm…..interesting. 

Match #5: Jack Swagger vs John Cena

Damn, when did Cena turn into Goku? Seriously, he just went Super Saiyan on Swagger's ass. This wasn't even a match. It was just Cena beating the crap out of Swagger. He even used the steel steps and was completely angry. It almost seemed like Cena had lost control for a split moment. Kane showed up on the titantron and said THAT'S what he has been trying to do….

If you're paying attention, Cena just lost it and showed a little bit of his angry side. I really like this scene. Kane was using Ryder as a device to get Cena off the deep end. Well, we can definitely see signs that Cena is starting to lose control of himself. I like it because it makes Kane more of a devil's advocate than a monster. Kane can tap into that monster side at times, but is very intellectual and can get inside your sub-conscience. Get out of my head. GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!! Okay, I'm fine now. I still say this has been the most interest that I have had for Cena's character for quite some time. As I have said many times in the past, I don't see Cena turning heel and really see it as a change in Cena's overall character. Then again, who really knows?

No Contest

Match #6: Brodus Clay vs JTG

Dude, people were loving the Funkasaurus. Just because the IWC says otherwise doesn't mean that's how the 90% casual fans feel about the character. It's silly and ridiculous, but I like it. Although, WWE should NEVER put Brodus in slow motion. People don't need to see that. The match was short and it ended when Brodus hit that running crossbody. Brodus seems to be trying for more of a Goldust edge by psychologically getting in his opponents' head since he forces all the innuendos. By the way, Michael Cole referred to the running crossbody as the "Funk It". What the funk is that all about?

Winner via pinfall: Brodus Clay

Daniel Bryan cuts a promo. He talks about how Big Show is a freak and took this whole WHC deal too far by injuring AJ. Bryan says that AJ will never be the same again. Well, that's some groundbreaking reporting. He also threaten Show to not show his face or he will pay. That's some big talk coming from a guy who couldn't even beat the giant with a chair. By the way, I like how Bryan knows exactly how much AJ weighs. YOU know what there were doing behind closed doors…..giggity giggity. Anyway, Bryan says he dedicates his match against Henry this week to AJ. Well, that might be the worst dedication ever. Joking aside, it will be interesting to see how Bryan weasels his way out of this one.  

Match #7: CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Chris Jericho vs Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry, and David Otunga

Well, it didn't take long to find out what Jericho's intentions were for tonight. He was tagged into the match, played to the crowd, then just tagged in Bryan and walked out of the match. The boos towards Jericho were a lot heavier this week than the past two weeks. Jeritrolling should be the new thing. Regardless, it seems heel Jericho is going to be unleashed any moment now. Bryan and Henry brawl to the back, so it was down to a 2 on 1 match. Foley would arrive and told the referee that Laurinaitis allowed him to take part in this match. The finish comes when Foley is now in the match and unleashes Mr. Socko. It appears Foley has won the match for his team….BUT WAIT!!! Laurinaitis arrives and says he didn't give Mick the right to take part in this match, so he is reversing the ref's decision. There is a lot more after this, but let me get this out of the way first. 

Winner via Roboinaitis: Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry, and David Otunga

Punk would get angry and finally just let Laurinaitis have it. He wants to know what the hell is Laurinaitis' problem with Punk, but Punk thinks he knows why. Punk talks about how Laurinaitis is bitter with how his own career went. Laurinaitis had the look for the business, but he just absolutely sucked. He thought he could go somewhere because of his last name (Laurinaitis' brother is Road Warrior Animal), but not even that could help him get a spot in the prime time. Punk says Laurinaitis hates him because he accomplished more in one year than Laurinaitis did in his lifetime, and that's eating away at him. Punk says he will make sure he walks out with the WWE Championship, but if Laurinaitis screws him over, he will kick his ass. Punk calls him pathetic and leaves. Laurinaitis is almost starting to lose it at this point. Foley gets on the mic and wants to know the truth. He wants to know if Laurinaitis is plotting to screw over Punk at the Royal Rumble. Laurinaitis finally snaps and says he is sick and tired of getting disrespected and he does plan to screw over Punk. Laurinaitis hits Foley over the head with the mic and the show ends with Foley struggling to his feet. Well, that had to be the first time Laurinaitis didn't sound like a robot. He's like the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz. He finally got a heart and can how show human emotion. His emotions say……what a dick. Punk delivered a great promo. He really dug into Laurinaitis as a person and really got him to go over the edge. For the first time, Laurinaitis showed off his real intentions and showed why people don't necessary like him. I also like the promo Laurinaitis delivered. It was his best yet and showed that if he can escape his shell once in a while, he can be a convincing character on this show. I also liked this because this is the Punk people want to see a little more of. The Punk that goes out there and tells it like it is. The Punk who likes to stick it to the man and will piss you off more with his words than actions. Great way to end the show. 

Overall Impression:

I thought Raw was pretty good this week. The in-ring action was lacking, but it was more about storytelling than anything else. Tonight had a lot more to do with storytelling and Rumble hype, and I think they did both things rather well. The theme of tonight's show was Laurinaitis. He got the most screen time and everything that was happening in the show had some type of connection with Mr. Excitement. I like Swagger getting the US title for storyline purposes. From a champion standpoint, Swagger isn't really there, but this is more about Ryder than Swagger. We saw Cena lose his cool and show signs that he is starting to embrace the hate. We also saw Punk finally deliver one of his pipe bombs and even saw Laurinaitis break down. This was probably the best Raw of 2012…..at least so far. There was a lot more talk about the Rumble match and some of the matches for the PPV, including a new addition in the Cena vs Kane match. It's still kinda vague in who will end up winning the rumble, but I think I can narrow it down to about 4-5 people. Tonight didn't really feature great matches, but it was the storytelling that I found more interesting. I like watching some quality wrestling, but a good storyline can keep you invested in the matches, no matter who is wrestling who. 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 will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time. 

WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Smackdown Review 1/13/12

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Smackdown 1/13/12. Will Daniel Bryan still be champion after tonight? Well, let's find out and start the review. 

We open up the show with Daniel Bryan. He talks about how he lives for defending his world title and how he successfully defended the title against Big Show. The crowd is hating on Bryan, but Daniel wants it understood that he didn't want the match to end with Mark Henry's interference. He even claims that Henry should be suspended. This brings out Mark Henry. Mark informs Bryan that because of last week's actions, he isn't allowed to observe this match. Henry also breaks the news that he will get his world title match next week. Bryan says he doesn't have a problem with that. I should note that the commentators have no faith in Bryan and were basically saying that Show was going to win the WHC title tonight. I guess being the top of Booker T's Fave Five doesn't mean jack. A pretty basic opening to set up the main event for tonight. Throughout the night, we would see more character development, mainly with Bryan. Again, we will get to that when the time comes. 

Match #1: Justin Gabriel vs Heath Slater

This match was pretty short. It ended when Hornswoggle showed up to distract Slater. This allowed for Gabriel to get the advantage. Gabriel would then hit the 450 Splash and win the match. I wasn't really big on Hornswoggle showing up since it doesn't help Gabriel out that much, but it's possible that Gabriel isn't getting a push or extra screen time and it was all at the expense of Hornswoggle. If that's the case, I am not happy with that. Hornswoggle can try comedy ("try" being the key word), but I kinda wish they would keep him out of the matches. The show already has enough silliness, so they don't need an assist from Hornswoggle. Oh well, at least this isn't the Hornswoggle/Chavo Guerrero rivalry. 

Winner via pinfall: Justin Gabriel

Backstage where Daniel Bryan is talking to AJ. She says she loves Bryan and she will do anything for him. This will be an important plot point later in the show. Either that or Daniel is a decedent of Link and is just going into his natural instincts. Seriously, Link gets all the ladies. 

Match #2: Cody Rhodes vs Ezekiel Jackson

Cody cut a promo before the match. He talks about pulling an Ultimate Warrior….

Warrior was just straight up insane. Then again, that's what made him awesome. Anyway, what Cody meant was he wanted to hold both the IC title and the world title at the same time. To my knowledge, only Warrior and Triple H have done this feat. Then again, when Triple H did it, it unified the IC title with the world title. After that, the IC title was off TV for almost a year until it was brought back. Anyway, I am really getting off track here since most people don't care about all this history stuff. This was a short match. The finish comes when Cody hits Cross Rhodes for the clean victory. Cody keeps adding to his stock while Zeke…..continues to max out on protein. Zeke is hoping that increasing muscle size will help him develop charisma. 

Winner via pinfall: Cody Rhodes

Backstage where Santino was pitching some stupid ideas for matches to Teddy Long. I cage within a cage? How about a cage made of lasers with radioactive sharks? Actually, that sounds kinda cool. David Otunga arrives since he wants to talk to Teddy about the Royal Rumble. Santino pitches the idea of facing off against Otunga, which Teddy approves. This will happen later tonight. For a lawyer, he sure loses a lot of arguments. This is the worse lawyer ever. Oh, and Drew McIntyre would arrive later in the scene. Teddy tells Drew that he needs to win or he might be fired. Da du DAAAAAAA!!!

Match #3: Drew McIntyre vs Ted DiBiase

Hunico and Camacho were on commentary for this match. They seem to have a problem with DiBiase because they didn't invite him to the DiBiase Posse party. Isn't tailgating like an open invitation? Yeah, it's a poor excuse for a rivalry, but I have seen worse ideas. Hey, I'm just glad to see them do something with their younger stars. The finish comes when McIntyre gets tripped up on the ropes. DiBiase is able to take advantage of this and hits Dream Street for the clean victory. Hunico and Camacho applaud DiBiase while Drew is pleading his case towards the referee. Yeah, there isn't much to say about the DiBiase/Hunico deal since it's still new. As for the McIntyre deal, nothing else was brought up about it. This means it will be addressed next week. I think what will end up happening is WWE "firing" Drew, thus he disappears for some time to get a repackage. Drew does need a bit of a change. Then again, it wouldn't shock me if Drew is being written off the show indefinitely. Then again, I still think they are repackaging him. 

Winner via pinfall: Ted DiBiase

Match #4: Sheamus vs Jinder Mahal

Aw yes, the match that was advertised since last week. That means we will get a 20 minute contest. Wait, this is Jinder Mahal, so what the hell am I talking about. Jinder matches last about two minutes. This was a pretty short match. It ended when Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise. In fact, I am calling it now…..Jinder will be the first elimination in the Royal Rumble match. 

Winner via pinfall: Sheamus

Backtstage where Big Show is talking to the referee. The ref is explaining the rules to Show, but he tells him not to worry because he has this in the bag. Overconfidence much? AJ arrives and tells Show that she doesn't want anything to happen to Bryan. Show says this is a competition, but he will keep it short. Bryan arrives and thinks Show is putting the moves on AJ. Bryan is upset with Show, while Show says that WHC has changed Bryan. He says that won't be a problem because it will all end tonight. Once Show leaves, Bryan says he won't let anything happen to AJ (Remember that for later). Bryan also wants to find out how much AJ loves him, so they go and talk about something in private. Either they are coming up with a plan, or Bryan is getting a little pre-match workout….if you know what I mean. 

Match #5: David Otunga vs Santino

A lot of the matches tonight were nothing special. Well, this one was no different. The finish comes when Otunga counters the Cobra and hits a finisher. If you remember when Finlay used the Celtic Cross as his finisher (Not to be confused with Sheamus' Celtic Cross, which is entirely different), that's what Otunga used. It's also referred to as the over the shoulder belly-to-back piledriver. I'm just going to call it the Law Degree to save time….or the Final Verdict. Yeah, so they actually gave Otunga the victory. Well, Santino is a comedy jobber, so I am fine with it. Besides, a win like this doesn't really do much for Otunga. 

Winner via pinfall: David Otunga

Match #6: Brodus Clay vs Tyson Kidd

Dude, the Funkasaurus dance took longer than the actual match. I think the match lasted like five seconds. Brodus hit a running crossbody and gets the clean victory. I don't want to dive into the whole Brodus/character deal again since I already gave my thoughts on it. I just tell people to wait and see where they are going with it. If you want my thoughts on Brodus, go check out my Raw review for this week. Sorry, but I just feel I would be repeating myself once more. Funky Kong is in the house. If you're losing matches in five seconds, your future doesn't look very bright in the WWE. 

Winner: Brodus Clay

Match #7: Natalya vs Tamina

This was a carbon copy of the match these two had last week. Tamina wins quickly with the Snuka Splash. Um…why? What's the point in performing the exact same match when this happened last week? I think they are trying to illustrate that Tamina is on a roll and they plan to do something with her, while Natalya is on a losing streak and could be in for a change. I get all that, but I still didn't see the point of doing the exact same match from last week. Two times in a row, man. 

Winner via pinfall: Tamina 

Right after the match, Wade Barrett came out to cut a promo. He talks about winning the Royal Rumble. Wade also challenges Sheamus to a match. We would find out that Sheamus vs Wade will happen on SD next week. Once again, all the Rumble talk is being focused on SD. It's still very open in who will win the RR match. At the moment, I have four guys that are very prime in winning the match…..but I will talk about that another day. Hey, gotta save something for down the road. 

Match #8: Daniel Bryan vs Big Show for the WHC; No DQ/Countout

A lot of matches tonight. Unfortunately, none of the matches were what I would call a watcher. AJ was at ringside for this match. They should've referred to this match as a Chairs match. Why? Because all they used was chairs. This was probably weaker than the Bryan/Show match from last week. Then again, you're kinda insane if you're expecting a five star Bryan/Show match. Show is pretty much dominating the match, but Bryan keeps battling back. The finish comes when Show accidentally tackles AJ to the ground. The match was waived off as they would attend to AJ. She is loaded up on a stretcher. Show is crying since it wasn't what he wanted to do. Bryan is concerned. Once AJ is being taken away, Bryan mouths off at Show for his actions. Bryan says Show took this whole thing too far. Bryan leaves with the medic crew and the show ends with Show not happy with himself. Okay, well I want to give AJ props since she just had to take the bump of the century. She's a trooper. So, the first thought was did Bryan actually talk AJ into taking this bump? It would kinda make sense based on how the earlier scenes were set up for this bit. With the finish, Bryan is still the WHC while Show still hasn't gotten a fair shot. Not to mention that Henry is supposed to get a title match for next week. Yeah, so they have definitely set up something for next week. We get even more traces of Bryan making a heel turn, especially if it's ever revealed that Bryan talked AJ into taking this massive bump. Big Show gave the appropriate reaction to this since he obviously didn't mean for that to happen. It will be interesting to see the transaction of his character as he feels the guilt trip. It will add more to it since Bryan will keep mentioning this to Show….maybe even resulting in Show helping Bryan retain the title in some way. Yeah, now I'm getting ahead of myself. Just a crazy theory if you think about it. It's a weird finish, but it's interesting because of the storyline. By the way, a "She's okay" chant? What was the audience thinking? I'm sorry, but this sounds like something the Impact Zone would've created. Yikes!!!

No Contest

Overall Impression:

The wrestling quality wasn't really there this week, but this was yet another week dedicated to the storytelling aspect of the show. There was a lot more insight in Daniel Bryan and his transaction into a heel. He does come off as a jackass since he put his kayfabe girlfriend in danger, but we are seeing more and more traces of his evil side. Like I said last week, I actually like Bryan playing this character since it gives him a bit of a personality. I wasn't big on tonight's episode since most of the matches were kind of a waste and didn't really add much into the Royal Rumble. I have seen better shows. It's okay, but so "okay" that you can afford to skip this one. In many ways, this was very similar to last weeks show. I preferred last week as opposed to this week, but I did like the Daniel Bryan character development. There was parts of the show that were interesting, but there was something missing from making this show a watcher. I would consider this slightly below average to right around average. Time to rank the shows. For wrestling quality, I rank it Impact, Raw, and SD. Yes, you read that correctly. For promos/segments, I rank it Raw, Impact, and SD. Yeah, I was serious when I said Impact had a pretty decent week. 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. 

WrestlingNerd Presents: TNA Impact Wrestling Review 1/12/12

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at TNA Impact Wrestling 1/12/12. With Genesis over, how will this company move forward? Let's find out and start the review.

We open up the show with Robert Roode. He says after his "successful" title defense, he is the greatest world champion in TNA history. He gives Jeff Hardy credit for overcoming his habits, but it wasn't good enough. He wants Hardy to come out and give Roode credit for being the better man, but Sting shows up instead. Sting….talks like Tarzan? Not only that, but Roode joined along. Me Boss. Me World Champion. Me getting annoyed. Anyway, Sting says Roode will go up against Hardy for the world title tonight. Why? Because Sting is boss and boss make decision. Personally, I don't have a problem with the world title match. It would make more sense to hold it off until the next PPV with an added stipulation, but things will get plenty interesting after the night was over. We will talk about that when the time comes. 

On location where Crimson and Matt Morgan shamelessly plug Direct Auto Insurance and talk about their match tonight. I'm being serious. You can literally cut this scene off the program and use it as a freaking' commercial for Direct. Why the cheap plug? I realize they are sponsors for TNA, but the Direct plugs are out of control. That logo is everywhere on TNA's program. I wouldn't be surprised TNA didn't read the contract, thus Direct can plug the product everywhere. Oh, and these two have a match. Just in case you forgot…..brought to you by Direct Auto Insurance. It's everywhere…..brace yourself. 

Match #1: Matt Morgan and Crimson vs Robbie E and Robbie T

The match was a joke. Morgan and Crimson destroyed these two. They hit their double team finisher on Robbie E and win the match. I can see the common compliant in how this makes the TV champ look bad, but since when has holding that title meant anything on this show? After the match, Samoa Joe and Magnus attack the tag champs. They actually take down the champs and stand tall. As I expected, Joe and Magnus will remain in the tag race. I think it's for the best since it gives them something to do. Not a great tag team, but I have seen much worse ideas for tag teams. Hey, I'm just glad to see some actual rivalry in the tag division. It desperately needs it. 

Winner via pinfall: Matt Morgan and Crimson

I swear that Hulk Hogan makes more appearances in TNA commercials than the damn show. Why did TNA re-sign Hogan again? Easiest money every. Back in the ring where Eric Bischoff calls out his son. By the way, did you watch the video package for this? If you watch closely, you can see someone wearing a CM Punk shirt. If keep looking, you can tell that person is bored out of his mind. Anyway, Eric talks about how his son isn't cut out for the wrestling business and should just leave now. Garett arrives to confront his father. Here's a tip for Garett. If you want to show anger in your promos, it would usually be a good idea to NOT be smiling throughout the entire promo. Garett need acting lessons. Anyway, Garett says he will not be intimidated by his father and no matter how many times Immortal attacks him, he will keep coming back. Garett also mentions he has a new trainer and they will meet up with him very soon. Garett is about to leave, but Eric doesn't want his son to leave. Garett grows a pair and actually stands up to his father. The scene ends with Garett walking out on his own free will while Eric looks like he just pooped his pants. Nobody go near that guy. Oh no…..this rivalry will indeed continue. Most of you already know that I am not a fan of this storyline. I can't buy Garett as a character on this show while nothing else about the storyline is really standing out. Oh, and special trainer? Considering that Hogan has helped out Garett in the past, that would be my guess. Yeah….I'm not excited if Hogan is returning….again. Then again, this is all speculation. I really hope I'm wrong. 

Match #2: Winter vs ODB

Eric Young and Angelina Love are at ringside for this match. The match wasn't too bad for a woman's match, but all the silly shenanigans does drive down the value. There was a point where Angelina was about to interfere, but Young would get in the ring and do a helicopter to Angelina. This is where he picks her up and spins her around. After that, ODB hit payoff and wins the match. Well, if you hate Young's comedy and hate this pairing, chances are you aren't going to like these segments. I just don't find Eric funny. Yeah, being stupid can be funny, but Young acts so stupid that it's……just dumb. 

Winner via pinfall: ODB

AJ Styles calls out Kaz since he wants answers from last week. Kaz arrives and says he can't explain why he walked out on him. Christopher Daniels interrupts and says the reason Kaz walked out on AJ is because AJ is a lost cause. Daniels continues to talk down to AJ. Throughout this scene, Kaz doesn't seem thrilled that he betrayed AJ. Probably the best acting Kaz has done his entire life, and all he did was stand still. Just as Kaz and Daniels are walking away, AJ throws the mic at Daniels and attacks him. Okay, who goes around throwing microphones? AJ is attacking Daniels, but Kaz comes in to get Daniels out of the ring. They retreat while AJ is pissed off. I have mixed views on this storyline. It's mainly mixed since I am not really a fan of either of these guys talking, but I suppose it can be worse. I will admit that Daniels has improved on his mic skills, but I just don't find it appealing. The story here is Daniels has some power on Kaz, which is preventing Kaz from not explaining himself and siding with the enemy. I will give this storyline a chance and see where they are going. It could be interesting once we find out more details. Then again, TNA probably hasn't thought that far ahead. Meaning when it comes time to reveal the details, it will make no sense.

James Storm is in the ring and calls out Kurt Angle. He wants a rematch since Kurt took the easy road. Kurt says he has nothing more to prove and he's done with Storm. Sting arrives and says it will be Storm vs Angle tonight, but with a catch. The winner will be the #1 Contender to the World title. Kurt makes an excuse in how he isn't ready to compete, but Sting says he will either do it or Storm will get the free victory. I would think they would wait until PPV to do this match, but no matter. 

Match #3: James Storm vs Kurt Angle; #1 Contenders match

The match started off with Kurt missing his curtain call. The ref starts to make the 10 count, but Angle makes it to the ring in time. I didn't really see the point of this scene. Of course, Kurt's character can use this as an excuse. Why? Because all heels in pro wrestling have to come up with a million different excuses for losing a match. If Kurt doesn't bring it up, the whole ten count was just pointless. Then again, this is TNA. Anyway, this was a great match. I found it a lot better than the match they had at Genesis. It was a good back and forth match between Angle and Storm. Both guys were given a fair amount of time. Something worth checking out. After a dozen near falls, the finish comes when Storm hits the Last Call Super Kick and wins the match. With the victory, Storm is now the new #1 Contender. I am sure there will be no drawbacks after this….none at all. 

Winner via pinfall and NEW #1 Contender to World title: James Storm

Backstage with Sting and Madison Rayne. She is once again trying to get the VP of the KO position, but Sting has another idea. It will be Madison vs Mickie James in a steel cage match for next week. By the way, what in the world was TNA thinking with the camera shots during this scene? You have a cameraman there, so he records the scene by looking into another camera. What the hell? I don't even want to know what they were thinking when designing this scene. Other than that, there isn't a whole lot to say. 

Match #4: Robert Roode vs Jeff Hardy; TNA World Championship

I forgot to add that during the Sting announcement for the Storm/Angle match, he also mentioned that Roode can't get himself intentionally DQed or he will lose the world title. There was also an earlier backstage scene in which Roode was talking with Bully Ray. Both seemed to have worked on a plan in case things got a little too crazy. Aw yes, the man with a plan. Like the Storm/Angle match, I felt this match was better than the one they had at Genesis. Seeing these two matches really diminishes the values of Genesis, which wasn't that high to begin with if you read my Genesis review. Both Roode and Hardy go back and forth for a while. Both guys came close to winning the match, but no one wanted to give it up. The finish comes when Hardy finally hits the Swanton Bomb. He has the match, but Bully arrives and pulls the referee under the ring. Bully kicked the ref in the head, thus sticking with his deal that he has big calves. They are calves of death. The show ends with the match ending in a no contest and Hardy being pissed off that he got screwed out of the title yet again. Interesting ending to the show. I am fine with the ending since it puts the world title situation in a predicament. You have Hardy, who has gotten screwed out of the title. You also have Storm, who just won a match that said he would get a title match. Hey, WWE has done things like this, so TNA can get away with it. In fact, it's wrestling 101 booking. So, who ends up being the true #1 Contender? Well, it's possible that Roode ends up defending the title against both guys in a triple threat match at the PPV. While I can see some people not liking this since everything was rushed (they probably could have waited until the next PPV to do all these changes), but I like it since it gets Storm back in the world title hunt…..or at least I hope. Then again, there is still the offbeat chance TNA can still screw this up. Nothing has been announced regarding the world title situation, so I am sure these things will be addressed in the next few weeks. What I hope happens is a triple threat match between Roode, Hardy, and Storm. I hope they get Hardy out of the title picture afterwords since it would come down to Roode and Storm, which is where we originally started. That would actually make for some decent storytelling….but it all depends if that's the direction they are headed. In a way, a triple threat match can be looked at as padding, but who says filler can't be entertaining? Hey, I'm trying to be optimistic. I realize there's the chance they can screw this up, but I hope they can do this right. In fact, I want to remain in suspense, so I have avoided the spoilers. I do know that TNA has filmed the next few weeks of Impact, but I won't be checking it out. I also tell the people to NOT POST SPOILERS in the comments. I don't like it when people post spoilers, so please respect it. I hope TNA can get this right, but we will wait and see. I guess my only problem with the finish is that it makes Roode look weak, but that's pretty common with heel world champions. 

No Contest

Overall Impression:

I know people are going to get pissy with me since bashing TNA seems like the "cool" thing to do (at least in the internet world), but I liked Impact tonight. I really didn't like the first hour of the show, but the second hour was great. We saw two good wrestling matches and they both told a great story. They even left it so you are left with more questions than answers, thus grabbing your attention for next week. It just goes to show that TNA can put forth good entertainment when they get their thumbs out of their asses. Still, this was a pretty good night for TNA. This was probably one of the better Impacts I have seen as of late. This is actually one I can recommend watching. I still advise skipping the first hour since it was nothing special (and pretty dumb at times), but the second hour is where it's at. See, who says I don't give TNA any praise? 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.

WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw Review 1/9/12 (What the funk?)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Raw on 1/9/12. How did this week fair out? Well, let's find out and start the review. 

We open up the show with FIREBALLS YUM!!! Well…..firewalls to be more exact. Kane arrives and talks about how the audience needs to embrace the hate since they all live fake lives. He also says the audience uses John Cena's accomplishments to fill them with glee, but they should be angry because they wish it was them and not Cena. Kane talked about how the audience made Zack Ryder a star, but it means nothing and he gets what he wants at the end of the day. Cena arrives in a pissed off mood and attacks Kane. It appears Cena has the advantage, but Kane would fight back. The two fight to the back, then outside. They appear to be near a loading dock as they continue to fight. There was a point where Cena used a crowbar on Kane, but it didn't do much since Kane would continue to attack. Cena is down for a while. Once he gets back up, Kane has disappeared. I just realized it. Kane is Batman!!! If that's the case, Cena is completely screwed. This is a continuation of the Cena/Kane rivalry where Kane wants Cena to embrace the hate, but Cena continues to avoid doing it since he's a boy scout. There would be a heavy emphasis on this rival for this evening. If you hate this rivalry, chances are you are going to hate this show. I kinda like this rivalry since it's something new. 

Match #1: Sheamus and Santino vs Wade Barrett and Jinder Mahal

It's the International Cup. Seriously, look at everyone competing in this match? It was a pretty short match. The finish comes when Sheamus hits Brogue Kick on Jinder. He tags in Santino, which leads to Jinder eating the Cobra. The finish made the most sense since Jinder is underdeveloped and it doesn't matter if he loses again. It's funny how people get mad at me and say I am too harsh on Jinder, but the audience barely gives him a reaction. Seriously, watch the entrance and listen to the crickets during Jinder's entrance. That's not a good sign. 

Winner via pinfall: Santino and Sheamus

Backstage where Miz complains to John Laurinaitis about R-Truth. Once again, Laurinaitis tells him he brought this upon himself and he should take care of it. It's wrestling logic since nobody is taking the steps to get rid of Laurinaitis as the GM while it was different with Triple H was in charge. By the way, Big Johnny? I bet Roboinaitis had been thinking of that one all week long. Oh, and he said Brodus Clay will debut tonight. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I will believe it when I see it. Yeah, like Brodus is going to show up tonight? Edge will be inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame. If you haven't read my Edge tribute, you should check it out sometime. I wrote it back in April of 2011. Shameless plug from my previous work. That sounds so egotistical. 

A short scene of Miz talking to Mason Ryan to recruit him. Mason refuses since he would rather remain off WWE television as opposed to appearing on it. Another backstage scene. Zack Ryder and Eve are talking. Eve is wondering how Ryder is feeling after getting raped by Kane on last weeks show. Ryder says he's okay and tries to be brave. He ask Eve on a date and she accepts. The date will have to be for later since she has a match against Beth Phoenix tonight. Ryder says he will wait. Just as she leaves, Ryder walks away timid. From behind a door, Kane appears to be watching. Kane is coming back from round two of that ass. Yikes!!!

Match #2: Kofi Kingston vs Daniel Bryan

This was a short match. Bryan tries to play the good guy act, but you know something isn't right with how he comes off. The finish comes when Daniel counters the crossbody with the Le Bell lock. Bryan gets the submission victory. Bryan once again over celebrates again. Bryan would probably gets thousands of fines if he played in the NFL. Big Show comes out to talk to Bryan. Daniel cuts him off and says he didn't like how Mark Henry ruined the match last week, so he wants to give Show another chance for the title. Show says he talked to Teddy Long and they will have a rematch on SD this week. The difference is that it will be a No DQ/No countout match. Bryan looks on while Show seems happy about the announcement. So, who thinks shenanigans are on the way? Yeah, I don't blame you. 

Winner via submission: Daniel Bryan

Match #3: Brodus Clay vs Curt Hawkins

Okay, so I have to give Laurinaitis some credit since he was telling the truth about Brodus debuting tonight. Many people were expecting Brodus to debut as a monster, but most people were far off. Brodus was a cross between the Godfather and Donkey Kong. He was wearing all red and dancing around the ring. He had two dancers with him. They referred to him as the Funkasaurus. The match was really short. Brodus would continue to dance around, but would try to play to the crowd. The finish comes when Brodus hits a running crossbody for the clean victory. Okay…time to talk about what we just saw. I was really surprised. I didn't see Brodus showing up like that. It reminded me of a cross between Rikishi and Earnest Miller. Now, I know people are disappointed with how his debut went tonight. I think because people wanted him to be a monster. I am kinda glad they didn't make him a monster. Why you ask? Because WWE has lots of those at the moment. They have Kane, who is a intellectual monster. They have Mark Henry, who is just a pissed off monster. Then they have Big Show, who is a giant. Show is more of a face than a heel, but what I am saying is there is plenty of monsters at the moment. Plus, does Raw really need two monsters with Kane running around? Brodus would've been lost among that group. You have to admit you didn't see that coming. I am a mixed feelings on this since a gimmick like this doesn't really seem like something that will make his career and reduces him to a comedy style gimmick. It could be interesting if done right. I think another reason people are angry is because the gimmick was too ridiculous, and people expected something a little more serious. Wrestling is supposed to be fun and entertaining. I always tell people to not take it so seriously. Well, there is a small group of people who take it way too seriously. That's something I can't control since everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I am fine with this silly gimmick. I want to sit back and see where they are going with all of this. It could help Brodus, or it can be a disaster. We will wait and see. It seemed like Brodus was trying to make it work, so you have to give him some credit for trying. Still, I bet many people had this confused look on their face since you're seeing a tattooed version of King Kong Bundy now acting like the Disco Inferno. I know I was. There was some pretty funny moments during this bit, so that has to be worth something? He did his own commentary. That was pretty funny. Besides, who knew Brodus had this type of charisma? All I can say is what the funk? What the funk did we just witness? Since I refer to Brodus as Donkey Kong, I guess that makes Brodus Funky Kong. 

Winner via pinfall: Brodus Clay 

Backstage where Ryder is getting ready for his date with Eve. He still seems off put since he fears Kane will show up. If you look in the mirror, Kane was standing right behind him. When Ryder turns around, he's gone. Ryder is now officially playing Luigi in Luigi's Mansion. Is King Boo going to show up? Why am I making so many video games references today?

Match #4: CM Punk vs Jack Swagger

To the people that are saying nobody will care about Brodus and this gimmick, he was the #1 trending topic at this part of the show. Looks like the IWC is getting angry again because wrestling isn't serious enough. Miz was also talking to Primo and Epico about helping him. It went nowhere. Laurinaitis comes out before this match starts and adds a stipulation. If Punk is able to win, Swagger and Vickie will be banned for the Royal Rumble championship match. This was probably the best match of the night. It was refreshing to see Swagger actually look like a competitor, as opposed to what he's been doing for the last few months. As much as I liked the match, the finish is a little screwy The finish comes when Punk hits the Flying Elbow for the victory. What was strange was Swagger got his shoulder up in time, but the referee blew the call. At first, I thought this was a simple mistake, but I wouldn't be surprised if they planned it like this. Why? Well, they would show the replay a couple of times, and the commentators played up this whole bit. They will probably use this as a plot device for next week. That's at least what I would like to think. If they never bring it up again, the ref blew the call and a mistake was made. Stuff like that has happened before. Oh, and Dolph Ziggler will face John Cena later tonight. 

Winner via pinfall: CM Punk

Backstage where Ryder and Cena are talking. Ryder talks to him about Kane while Cena tells Ryder to take it easy since it only gets harder as you climb the corporate ladder. Ryder is still concerned about Kane. Kane is hunting for that ass. Every time I see that WWE Network video, I think Super Mario Sunshine Versus. Anybody else feeling that? There was a backstage scene of Ricardo Rodriguez talking to the Bellas. They have a message for Alberto Del Rio. Ricardo is annoyed that they didn't just make a phone call, but the Bellas wanted to do something different. Before they can make the offer, Miz interrupts and tells Ricardo to call out R-Truth or else he will beat him up. I feel bad for Ricardo. He's the human punching bag. WWE did two introductions for the WWE Hall of Fame tonight. The Four Horsemen will be inducted this year. Well, it's about time. One of the best stables in wrestling history. Still, a little odd they are doing this since there is not only a member of the Four Horsemen in the Hall of Fame, but they are working for TNA. Then again, maybe it doesn't matter, nor should it (at least to a degree). I know there was other members of the Four Horsemen, but they referred to the original Four Horsemen being inducted. That's probably for the best. 

We are in the ring with Ricardo. He calls out Truth by making fun of him. Truth arrives and is crazy as ever. I kinda like the old R-Truth as opposed to this version. He's more comedic than crazy. I personally liked the crazy part of Truth more than the funny bits. In fact, the crazy moments even made him funny at times. Anyway, Truth wants Ricardo to sing. Ricardo does it and it was actually pretty amusing. I always said the best thing of Del Rio is seeing Ricardo since he actually shows a human emotion. Truth is happy and wants him to sing again, but Ricardo isn't feeling it. He knocks down Truth's mic, which makes him angry. He starts to attack Ricardo, but Miz attacks Truth from behind. Truth gets back in the fight, which makes Miz run away. So, Miz is having a rough go around against Truth. I have mixed views on this storyline. I guess I just prefer Truth to be more crazy than anything else. He has his moments, but not as great as before. 

Time for Chris Jericho to show up once again. He once again plays to the crowd. He is getting everyone excited and hyped up. He is about to talk, but starts to break down and cry. He leaves the ring and says nothing once again. When Jericho showed up at this point of the show, I had a feeling he wasn't going to say anything. This is one of those slow build ups since we are seeing different emotions of Jericho every week. It's all being built up to something. Still, not sure how long they can keep this up. I still think Jericho is just playing with the audience since he's being a bad guy who's pretending to be a good guy. I still like it since it's something different. Chances are if you hated Jericho's return from last week, you will hate this episode. You have just been Jeritrolled. 

Eve is getting ready for her match, but Kane's music hits. She is scared. Ryder arrives and takes her out of the building. They are now in the parking lot and want to drive off, but they have a flat tire. Oh no, not a flat tire!!! Ryder rushes to change the flat tire while Eve is screaming her head off to hurry up. Umm….it would probably go a little quicker if Eve would help, but wrestling logic say otherwise. Funny thing is ten minutes during the show, Ryder is still changing the tire. At that point, you probably could've hot wired a car or something like that. Yeah, this was the overly campy edition of WWE Raw. 

Match #5: Dolph Ziggler vs John Cena

Pretty long break between matches, don't you think? The match didn't last long. The finish comes when they show the titantron of Ryder trying to escape. I don't think Ryder was even close to changing that tire. Where's the Michelin man when you need him? Kane arrives and attacks Ryder. He Chokeslams him off the loading dock and on a pile of pallets (probably not since that would break Ryder's back. Probably landed on a comfy mattress). Cena sees his and leaves the match. Dolph looked pretty banged up after the match. I kinda wish Dolph would have won via shenanigans just so he can brag a little more. Then again, the focus of Punk's title match is Punk and Laurinaitis and not Dolph. Still, it would be great to give Dolph a little something. Anyway, the match would end in a no contest. Cena walks to the loading dock to check up on Ryder, but Kane attacks. Kane uses his new finisher…murder!!! That's what they should call it. The show ends with Kane standing tall as Cena is passed out and Ryder is still down on the pallets. So, this is more build up since Cena can't seem to do anything against Kane. Will Cena have to embrace the hate in order to have a chance against Kane? Well, I think that's the picture they are trying to go with here. This scene was pretty silly since it was a very campy horror scene, but I didn't hate it. It was kinda funny at times. 

No Contest

Overall Impression:

This was a pretty strange episode of Raw. We had Brodus debut as a dancing fat man. We have Jericho Rick Rolling the world. We had overly campy scenes with Kane, Cena, Ryder, and Eve. Oh, and there was some wrestling thrown in there. Only in pro wrestling can you get all of this in two hours. Even with all that weirdness, I kinda liked it. I don't know why, but I liked it. I think it's because of the slow build ups to the rivalries. I don't know why people are angry that these rivalries are moving so slow, since one of the more common complaints is storylines moving too fast. I like it when they take their time with these type of things. There was no mention of the Royal Rumble. Notice how must of the rumble hype has been featured on SD more than Raw. Hmm….does that mean a SD guy is more likely to win the rumble? Well, it's very likely. I know people want my thoughts on the rumble match, but I am going to torture you by putting my thoughts on hold. I know, I can be mean sometimes. Even though I liked Raw, I think I am the minority on this one. I can see a lot of people not liking this one. I would consider this a better episode of Raw, but this one probably falls in the category of average. If you don't mind some silliness with your wrestling and want to have a little fun, you will like this show. If not, you probably will hate it. I enjoyed this showing more than I did Genesis. Why do I get the feeling that I will get angry TNA fanboys yelling at me after this review? Anyway, 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. The third part of the award show has been posted. Check it out when you get the chance. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time. 

WrestlingNerd Presents: TNA Genesis 2012 Review

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at TNA Genesis 2012. The first wrestling PPV of 2012. How did it fair out? Well, let's find out and start the review. 

Match #1: Austin Aries vs Zema Ion vs Kid Kash vs Jesse Sorensen in X Division title match; Elimination style

We open up the PPV with the X Division match. Right off the bat, I felt TNA already screwed up. There was little build up for the actual match as they focused more on Zema than anything else. Don't you think it would've made a little more sense for TNA to tell the audience watching Impact how this match is going to work? That little bit of entail would've helped. Instead, TNA didn't explain how this match would work until now. I think my biggest hangup with this is listening to Mike Tenay explain how the match works. He can seriously take you out of it. Anyway, this was a pretty good match to open up the PPV.  Lots of fast paced action. If you like cruiserweight wrestling or spot monkey stunts, this is the match for you. Like I said in the TNA review last week, my main problem with this match is the lack of story. That would be the main flaw, but it was still entertaining. Zema eliminated Kash with the 450 Splash. Jesse eliminated Zema with a small package. Zema would complain to the referee about the decision. Aries had the match, but Zema's bitching kept the ref occupied. Jesse hit his finisher on Aries, but the ref doesn't make the three count in time to end the match. Zema goes into hiding as the match continues. The finish comes when Jesse goes for a top rope move, but Zema interferes. Once again, TNA shows a prime example of bad choreography. The ref sees Zema's interference, but pretends he didn't see it. I don't know what Zema was thinking by interfering near the ref's vision as opposed to staying on his blind side. I swear this happens more on TNA than WWE. Zema would've been fine if he did the interference in the same spot. This is nitpicking, but these little spots need to be fixed or else it can ruin the value of the match. Anyway, Aries is able to take advantage with the Brain Buster to retain his title. The screwy finish might start something between Zema and Jesse. Both of these guys aren't ready for the X title, so having them go up against each other will be a good start. Zema seems to be developing his arrogant character pretty well while Jesse is just as bland as ever. Why do people like this guy again? Not sure what Aries does next. Alex Shelley is always available…..just suggesting. 

Winner via pinfall and still X Division Champ: Austin Aries

Match #2: Pope vs Devon

Oh great. THIS match made it on the PPV? By the way, great job of making this a PPV match when they haven't talked about this storyline for the last 3-4 weeks. There was an interview with Devon's kids. They are dressed up like the Pope and consider him cool. There was even a video package of this rivalry….why? Nobody cares about this rivalry, especially since it isn't consistent. The match just seemed to drag a bit. It was okay, but it's so okay that it isn't worth existing. There was a point where Devon is down and Pope encourages the boys to attack their father. All of the sudden, they seem off put by the whole thing. Okay, this makes no sense. We saw the boys attack their father in the past and take part in his downfall (with chairs, mind you), so NOW they got some feelings? There was no build up with the boys sticking up for their father, so it makes this whole thing look even more stupid and a bigger waste of time. What the hell, TNA? Well, with the boys coming to grips on the error of their mistakes, Pope attacks them. Devon gets back up and takes down the Pope. It ends when Devon hits a finisher and gets the victory. After the match, the boys apologize to their father and have a Cosby Show moment where the boys hug their father. Even if the whole thing was stupid and made no sense, I am glad this rivalry is over. Nobody cared about it and it was lazy writing. This storyline should've been over months ago. 

Winner via pinfall: Devon

Backstage where Velvet Sky is talking to Sting about the VP KO position. Oh my God, make her stop talking. She wouldn't shut the hell up and kept talking in circles.  Who thought this was a good idea? Anyway, Velvet has an idea to keep Madison Rayne at bay for the KO title match. She whispers it in Sting's ear (either that or she's trying to earn brownie points). Sting makes this idea a go. Oh great, I can't wait to be disappointed. Oh, and Sting talks about Jeff Hardy and how he's an inspiration. Yeah, about as inspiring as the Manson family. 

Match #3: Gunner vs RVD

This match didn't last too long, but longer than some of the last few Gunner matches. The match wasn't too interesting, but I suppose it was okay. I really didn't like it. Gunner ripped off the padding early. The finish comes when Ric Flair argues with the referee. With his back turned, Gunner hits a DDT on RVD on the concrete and tosses him back in the ring. At least the choreography was better this go around. Gunner pins RVDRVD away on a stretcher. I have heard rumors that RVD could be done with this company, so they could've wrote him out of the show if they don't agree on a contract. At the same time, I've heard reports that RVD's contract isn't up until March, so I have no idea what's going on. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the last time you see RVD in a TNA ring. They also could've put this scene together to build up Gunner's stock since he got a pretty big win tonight. I still don't like Gunner since he lacks personality and looks like a garbage man. Come on, his catch phase can be he will take out the trash. Oh well…

Winner via pinfall: Gunner

Match #4: Gail Kim vs Mickie James; KO Title match

Velvet's idea was to put Madison in a cage help above the ring. The cage looked like it was pooped out by Kirby. My main problem with this idea was Madison became the center of attention, so it was easy to forget about the match. The match was nothing special. I personally thought their match a few weeks back on Impact was a lot better. The finish comes when Madison tosses down a pair of brass knucks. The ref would see this and take care of it. While the ref is dealing with this matter, Madison tosses down a second pair of brass knucks. Mickie grabs them and hits Gail with a punch. The ref sees it, so Mickie is DQed. I like how Mickie is completely guilty and doesn't seem to care that she just screwed herself out of a match. I'm sorry, but our emotion is in another castle. The screwy finish basically means this rivalry will continue. By the way, I like how Velvet wants to be the VP and doesn't seem to care about getting the title back….even though that was her entire gimmick last year. That's a good thinking…..WRONG!!!

Winner via DQ: Gail Kim; Gail Kim is still KO champ

Match #5: Bully Ray vs Abyss in a Monster's Ball match

By the way, did Bully just rape Jeremy Borash during the interview? He was standing right behind him and….let's move on. Now, I have made it well known in my previous reviews that I am not a fan of hardcore wrestling since it's just cranking out weapons and going for that holy s*** moment. There was a point in my younger years I kinda liked this style of wrestling, but it isn't for me anymore. I just don't like it when it goes overboard with the hardcore aspect since it just becomes a weapons orgy as opposed to a wrestling match. So, I didn't have high expectations for this match. This match did operate like any other cliche hardcore match, but this one had a few amusing moments. Though, I didn't understand why Bully tried to leave the match when it amounted to nothing. Something about that part seemed either out of place or like someone missed a cue since it was pointless. Janice makes a return in this match. In case you forgot or don't care, Janice is Abyss' weapon, the 2x4 with nails in it. There was trash cans, cheese graters, trash can lids, thumbtacks, barbed wire tables, and chains. I should note that there was a point where Abyss took the cheese grater and used it on Bully's nut sack. Why? That's not cool or unique, that's just….disturbing. Bully would scream out "Owe….my balls!!!". You know, I'm disappointed by this match. They featured all these weapons and didn't feature the ultimate ass kicking weapon in pro wrestling. Where are the water bottles? Hey, its not hardcore if there's no water bottles. Yeah, so this match had some shock value moments, but I found it unappealing at times. The finish comes when Abyss hits Black Hole Slam on top of the barbed wire table and wins the match. Not the worst hardcore match I've seen out of TNA, but not memorable either. Oh, and someone should tell Tazz that the real sandwich from hell is the broodwich. I thought everyone knew this?

Winner via pinfall: Abyss

Match #6: Matt Morgan and Crimson vs Samoa Joe and Magnus; Tag Team Championships

This match was actually not too bad, but I think it was a victim of bad timing….or lack of a storyline….or both….or the fact nobody cared. Yeah, I can keep going, but I'll stop there. The audience didn't really seem to care about this match since they were all tired out from the hardcore match. By the way, I don't think Christy Hemme even announced Magnus. She probably did and I missed it, but I don't think she did. The finish came when Morgan and Crimson hit their double team finisher on Magnus for the victory. I think these two teams will face off against each other again. At least I wouldn't be surprised since there is still a low number of tag teams in TNA. I don't mind the Joe/Magnus pairing since it gives them both something to do. 

Winner via pinfall and still Tag Champs: Matt Morgan and Crimson

Match #7: James Storm vs Kurt Angle

Storm cut an interesting promo backstage. He he…sucking and swallowing. That crazy cowboy. This was a pretty technical match. If you remember the match between these two at Final Resolution, it was pretty much the same match. It still wasn't bad, but something is missing in making these matches classic. Still, I like them. I guess it's because I like Storm, I like Angle as a wrestler, and I like the storyline. Proving that TNA can make interesting storylines….if they would stop with the other crap. There was a moment where Storm hit an RKO. Hmm….did this have anything to do with Kurt complaining about wrestlers stealing his moves? Seriously Kurt, you need to stop doing that. It's a worthless argument since about 80-90% of wrestling moves have been featured these days. Anyway, the finish comes when Storm sets up for the Last Call Super Kick, but Kurt uses the ref as a shield. Storm stops the kick. With the distraction/hesitation, Kurt hits a low blow on Storm. He would then hit Storm with a Super Kick of his own. It's funny because it's ironic (Kurt's a hypocrite). The finish means there will be a rematch between these two. I kinda saw this coming since it seems they were going for a possible best of three here. The rematch should probably be the final match…depending on what they have planned for these two. In my opinion, this was the best match of the night. 

Winner via pinfall: Kurt Angle

Okay, this is something that made zero sense. They are backstage with Bully and they ask him where Abyss is. Bully says he has no idea. This was never brought up for the rest of the night. What was the point of this? It might be something in the works, but seems kinda stupid to do this random five second scene. Oh well, maybe we should just pretend it never happened. 

Match #8: Robert Roode vs Jeff Hardy; TNA World Title

Roode had some new entrance music. It was more dark. There was moments where this match was okay, but I felt it was slow paced. Seriously, hit the fast forward guys. I know both of you are capable of speeding it up. Then again, getting Hardy off speed is probably a good thing. Roode is staring to remind me of Lord of the Rings….

Seriously, that's how he's treating the world title. The match was back and forth for the most part. The finish comes when Roode tries to leave the match for a second time with the title, but Hardy gets him back in the ring. Roode is even grasping that title with all his might. That is his precious. Roode realizes that his shenanigans aren't working, she he kicks the referee in the balls and the ref calls for the bell. Hardy wins via DQ, but no world title changes happen via DQ or countout. After the match, Hardy hits Swanton Bomb on Roode. The show ends with Hardy playing to the crowd in disappointment while Roode won't let go of that title. The finish doesn't surprise me. I expected some type of shenanigans to keep Roode as the champ, but to make Hardy look strong in the process. I think the Hardy/Roode rivalry will go for at least one more match, but it could be on for a while longer. I know I don't normally like championship PPV matches ending like this, but I am fine with it if it sets up the story or it's fun and entertaining. While I am not the biggest fan of Hardy, I am fine with this ending and seeing what these two can do the next go around. Still, I wasn't the biggest fan of this match. Parts of it worked for me, but I felt it was too slow. 

Winner via DQ: Jeff Hardy; Robert Roode is still TNA World Champion

Overall Impression:

Based on some of the TNA PPVs of 2011, this was a step in the right direction. I felt the quality was a lot better compared to what TNA has been showing on PPV as of late. Even with that said, it wasn't what I would call a good PPV. This was right around average territory for TNA. I really didn't like most of the matches this evening. Only 3-4 matches were worth checking out, but most (if not, all of them) aren't worth a second take. I also don't think we will look at these matches tonight and be talking about them down the road. It's possible certain events can change, but it just doesn't seem likely. Another issue with the PPV is that it was too predictable. I didn't do any predictions for this PPV, but most of the picks I made were correct. I have said in the past that I would rather get by picks wrong than correct since it shows the ability to think outside the box. Now, most stuff is predictable these days and I can't be too harsh on this aspect, but it does take away some of the value. One positive thing I have to say after this PPV is it does add a certain amount of interest for this weeks Impact. Not a whole lot, but there is a little bit of intrigue. That should at least be worth something. If I have to give this PPV a score on a scale of 1-10 and 5 considered average on my show, I give Genesis a 4 out of 10. I did say it was average for TNA, but average for TNA generally means slightly below average. I thought this was much better than the PPVs TNA has put forth as of late, but it was nothing to brag home about. This entire show/matches didn't feel like PPV and seemed more like a glorified TV taping. Then again, that's actually a good thing for TNA since the TV quality is all over the place at times. Still, at least there was moments where it looked like they were trying, which is more than what I can say for some of the other PPVs TNA has put together. I know this is a common topic I bring up with TNA PPVs, but the Impact Zone needs to go. They need to do more travel in 2012 because this audience doesn't help bring in more interest for this show since they are so predictable. Hey, I kinda like it when WWE travels since the reaction is different every week. It just sucks when the reaction is always the same, which is what you get in the Impact Zone. Then again, this is more of a suggestion for the company as opposed to the PPV. 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. Check out the award show if you haven't checked it out yet. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time. 

WrestlingNerd's Official Score of TNA Genesis 2012: 4 out of 10

2nd Annual WrestlingNerd Awards (Best and Worst of WWE & TNA for 2011) Part III Finale

Well, it's time to end this award show and talk about the final six categories for the best of 2011. Let's begin. 

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

Fan's Choice- Undertaker vs Triple H

My Choice- CM Punk vs Alberto Del Rio vs Miz

This poll was very divided. Then again, it was a pretty tough choice since all of these matches were great in their own way. The fans picked Taker vs Trips, but the SD MITB ladder match and the TLC match were a close runner up. I was torn with my selection. I think a lot of people forgot about the Miz/Morrison match and the SD Elimination Chamber match. Mainly because it happened many months ago, but these were some really fun matches. The Christian/Del Rio match at Extreme Rules was an awesome match. It told a great story and the match kept you on the edge of your seat. Plus, it was a great moment to see Christian win his first WHC….despite what would happen a few days later in WWE land. Speaking of Christian, he would show up again when he had the SummerSlam match against Randy Orton. Christian and Orton really put together some great matches. I don't understand why people complained about this rivalry going too long? Amazing. People complain about short build ups, but when then give you lengthy programs, you still complain. Regardless, it was a fun match. The SD MITB ladder match was pretty epic in it's own right. Who would've thought that Daniel Bryan would win the briefcase? Not a lot of people had that prediction, so it was a curveball. This came down to Taker/Trips and the TLC match. I know this is going to seem kinda odd, but the reason I chose the TLC match is because the fans chose the Taker match. Both matches were done very well and they both told a good story. I know a lot of people had Taker winning the match, but here's the thing. It's not if Taker wins his WM match, it's HOW he wins. There's the true magic of the match. If there's one thing I look forward to each year, it's Taker's WM performance. He has lost several steps, but the guy can work with what he has left in the tank. As I said, I felt both matches deserved this award, which is why I voted the other direction. Punk, Miz and Del Rio put on an entertaining TLC match. It might not be considered one of the best TLC matches, but I think it was a worthy edition to the concept. I liked the anti-climatic finish in which CM Punk had to get the wheels turning as he needed to get free from the handcuffs. All around, they were both great matches. There isn't a wrong choice for this award. 

TNA Superstar/Wrestler of the Year

Robert Roode

Kurt Angle

James Storm

Bully Ray

Sting

Fan's Choice- Robert Roode

My Choice- Robert Roode

I was so tempted to pick James Storm, but Roode simply had the better year. In the fan voting, it was a two person race between Roode and Storm. Angle has simply had better years. Bully Ray improved quite a bit, but I can't give him this award since other people had a better year. Sting…..I was not impressed by Sting this year. Going into Joker mode? Why? It was silly and stupid, but it wasn't the worst thing TNA has put on TV. If you read my articles, you will know that I am a big James Storm fan. I always found Storm to be a guy loaded with talent, but wouldn't get the recognition he deserved. Well, glad to see TNA actually push both stars as opposed to only pushing Roode and having Storm remain in tag team wrestling. Even though Storm broke out and had a great year, it was Roode who had the better year. He made a heel turn and is currently the world champion. I wasn't the biggest fan of Roode as a face. In fact, I made it known in my reviews that Storm should've gotten the bigger push since he plays face better. Roode just seems more comfortable as a heel. At the moment, Roode and Storm are probably the only things I enjoy when watching TNA. Regardless, Roode is the TNA Superstar of the year, but let's not forget about Storm as well. 

Best Promo(s) of 2011

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

Fan's Choice- CM Punk

My Choice- CM Punk

Cena's better promos had to be the Piper's Pit segment. Leave it to Rowdy Roddy Piper to add so much into a scene. I really like Cena's emotion in all of it. If Cena turns heel or eventually snaps and embraces the hate, it will be this moment we all remember. The Rock promo was really an epic moment. Not many people thought the Rock was going to show up, but he did and cut one hell of a promo. It was a sense of nostalgia. As much as I enjoyed the Rock's promo, I have to give this to CM Punk. Why? Because it was not only a changing moment in the career of Punk, but it was a changing moment in the WWE. THIS was the promo that put Punk on the map and he never left it. It got him in the main event and Punk proved he can be big for this company. Most saw Punk's promo as favoring the IWC, but it was more than that. It worked so well that Punk now has a big fanbase with casual wrestling fans, which is more important than being the IWC's favorite. Sorry IWC, but you only make up 10% of the wrestling fanbase. Yeah, I'll take my chances with the 90%. Punk would also cut some other promos that deserve an honorable mention, but his worked shoot was by far his best. Another promo I liked was the Punk and Cena confrontation/contract signing. Another interesting one is Punk's contract negotiation with Vince McMahon. That would be infamous since WWE ice creams bars are still in high demand. By the way, where the f*** is my ice cream? Punk continues to show how stellar he is on the mic and that's why for a second straight year on my award show, Punk wins the promo of the year. 

Biggest Potential of 2012

Dolph Ziggler

Sheamus

Cody Rhodes

Wade Barrett

Fan's Choice- Dolph Ziggler

My Choice- Sheamus

This was really a difficult choice. Mainly because I think all four of these guys are going to have a good 2012. Dolph won over 45% of the vote for this category. Now, I have praised Dolph a lot lately and I think he will have a great 2012. I guess the main reasons I picked Sheamus is because of Randy Orton's injury. There is an open spot for the top babyface of Smackdown, and Sheamus is the best choice. He's really over with the fans and people seem interested in what he has to say. I realize Sheamus has been beating up a bunch of jobbers lately and hasn't had much going on for the last month and a half, but I think it's because WWE is setting him up for something big. Well, we are nearing WM and I can actually see Sheamus get a WHC title match, just in time for WM. The strange thing is I can also see Wade Barrett in this spot as well. Mainly because of how his build up has been going as of late. I think the reason I can't see Dolph having the best year amongst these talents is because he's on Raw (at least for the time being). There is just a little more pressure to work on the A show as opposed to the blue brand. While Dolph has been doing great on Raw, not sure if he can jump ahead of some of the other talents on that show. Then again, I already see Dolph as the second best heel on Raw, right behind Miz since Del Rio had not done good enough as the 1st or 2nd best heel. In many ways, I think a superstar has less pressure to make it big on SD as opposed to Raw. That's why my pick is Sheamus, but I really think all four of these guys will have a bigger years than 2011. 

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

Fan's Choice- CM Punk vs John Cena- Money in the Bank PPV

My Choice- CM Punk vs John Cena- Money in the Bank PPV

With 74% of the vote, you folks chose the famous WWE title match at MITB. I couldn't counter argue that point, despite the fact there was some great matches that gave this match a run for its money. There was just no way to over match the Punk/Cena match at MITB. The crowd on that night was electric. They were on their feet for that entire match and it was just an amazing experience. This is one of those times I wish I was in the audience when this happened, since I imagine the experience would be one hell of an adrenaline rush since we witnessed history. Punk and Cena were on their game when they put together this match. It was so good that when they did the rematch, it couldn't be matched. It was still a good match, but MITB was much better. I know I didn't talk about the other matches, but this one added so much more than the other matches. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the other matches. The Orton/Christian matches were very good and I think were a close second, but it just couldn't match this performance. The X Division contract match was one of the better matches I saw on TNA this year. It was well done, but it's ashamed that most people are not aware of it.  If you a wrestling fan, I advise checking it out. There isn't much more to say, other than amazing. 

We have done 21 categories, but there's only one left. Before we dig into WWE Superstar/Wrestler of the year, let's give a quick recap of the previous awards. 

Comic Relief character of the year- R-Truth

Worst Wrestler/Superstar of the year- Ezekiel Jackson and Jinder Mahal

Rookie of the Year- Crimson

Diva/Knockout of the year- Beth Phoenix

Best PPV of the year- WWE Money in the Bank

Worst PPV of the year- TNA Victory Road

Tag Team of the year- Beer Money and Awesome Truth

Mid Carder of the year- Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes

Worst match of the year- Jeff Hardy vs Sting 

Most Underused talent of 2011- Austin Aries and Drew McIntyre

Worst Rivalry of 2011- Garett and Eric Bischoff; Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler

Best Rivalry of 2011- CM Punk/John Cena

Biggest Disappointment of 2011- John Morrison and Sin Cara

Best Storyline of 2011- CM Punk leaves with WWE Championship

Stupidest Segment/Storyline of 2011- Immortal and Jinder Mahal

Breakout/Comeback star of 2011- Zack Ryder

Gimmick match of the year- CM Punk/Alberto Del Rio/Miz TLC match & Undertaker vs Triple H No Holds Barred match

TNA Superstar/Wrestler of the year- Robert Roode

Best Promo(s) of the year- CM Punk's worked shoot

Biggest Potential of 2012- Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler

Non-Gimmick match of the year- CM Punk vs John Cena MITB PPV

Now we are all caught up, let's reveal the final award of 2011. 

WWE Superstar/Wrestler of the year

CM Punk

Alberto Del Rio

John Cena

Miz

Mark Henry

Randy Orton

Fan's Choice- CM Punk

My Choice- CM Punk

I should call Part III of this award show the CM Punk edition. I know people are probably getting irritated that Punk won this much hardware (even though there is no actual hardware), but that's the type of year Punk had. The voting for this award wasn't even close. Punk won over 91% of the vote. Yeah, not much of a contest. In fact, Del Rio was second in the voting….with 5%. Reaching for the stars there, aren't you Del Rio? Miz and Mark Henry didn't get any votes. Then again, it was almost expected. They had great years, but this was a no contest. I'm kinda embarrassed that I didn't include Christian in the voting. He had a great year and he deserved to be on the ballot. Then again, I don't think it would've made that much of a difference. This was no race since it was CM Punk. He cut some of the more memorable promos. He competed in some of the best matches. He took part in some of the most interesting moments of the show. His T-shirt sales are through the roof and topped Cena's t-shirt sales, which hasn't happened in years. This was just Punk's year, and I think the majority of casual fans realized it as well. He also won the Slammy for WWE Superstar of the year, so I think that has to mean something….I hope. There isn't much to talk about since I've talked enough about Punk on this award show and I would just be repeating myself. CM Punk, your WWE Wrestler of the year. 

That will finally do it for the 2nd Annual WrestlingNerd awards. I really enjoyed putting this together, but kinda glad it's over since it took a while to put together. I want to thank everyone who participated in the survey for this year. It was a pretty decent turnout. Even if you didn't vote, I appreciate anyone and everyone who checks out my articles. If you're a weekly fan or just come by once in a while, I appreciate the support. YOU are the reason that I am still doing this and I appreciate all the comments and feedback…..even if it's negative. 2011 was a pretty good year for the Nerd, so I hope 2012 can be even better. Thank you for the feedback and I will see you on the next article. 

WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Smackdown Review 1/6/12

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Smackdown on 1/6/12. How will the first SD of 2012 fair out? Well, let's find out and start the review. 

Match #1: Cody Rhodes vs Booker T for the IC Championship

We open up with the IC title match. This wasn't a bad match to open up the show. The commentators kept bringing up the fact that Booker is old and maybe he doesn't have enough stamina to finish the match. I guess stamina potions aren't available. Booker and Cody went back and forth with this match. Booker hit the Scissors Kick, but only got a two count. The finish comes when Cody hits Beautiful Disaster and gets the clean victory. I think Cody needed to get the clean win here to keep his stock up and to move away from this rivalry. It wasn't too bad of a rivalry, but they should definitely move on after tonight. After the match. Booker gets a round of applause by the audience. Hooray for pity applause. 

Winner via pinfall and still IC champ: Cody Rhodes

Backstage where Cody runs into his brother, Dustin Rhodes. Dustin says congratulations for the victory, but Cody doesn't seem to care. Cody even went to say he was a better success than Dustin and hopes he never has to put on the face paint ever again. Hmm…does that mean a Cody/Goldust program is on the way? It's very possible that it might be the case. I guess we will wait and see. Another backstage scene. Teddy Long and Zack Ryder are talking. Since Ryder is the US champ, he's too busy to be the assistant to Teddy, but he has found a replacement. Drew McIntyre arrives and wants to talk to Teddy, but Ryder says that isn't the person. Santino arrives, which turns out to be Ryder's recommendation. Santino makes the suggestion that Drew should be fired since he lost last weeks match. This starts an argument until Teddy says it will be Drew vs Santino tonight. If Santino wins, he will be the new assistant. If Drew wins, it might be off the chopping block. You son of ma gun. 

Another backstage scene. Three in a row? What's this, TNA? Anyway, AJ is talking to Alicia Fox. They are talking about Daniel Bryan's title defense and how it doesn't look good for him. Alicia mentioned that Daniel was getting a bit of an ego, which brings forth Daniel. He talks about not having an ego since he beat the Big Show before and can do it again. Once Alicia leaves, Daniels questions AJ being friends with her. AJ says Alicia is just concerned about Daniel's title defense tonight, and she's worried to. Daniel says not to worry and when he retains his championship, he and AJ will celebrate. Daniel is pimping. 

Match #2: Hornswoggle vs Heath Slater; Over the Top Rope Challenge

Just like any Hornswoggle match, it was ridiculous. This was your comedy match of the night. Hornswoggle is able to get him over the top rope and wins the match. Heath can become a tag team champion, but can't toss over a person who is less than four feet tall? Wrestling logic strikes again. After the match, Slater kicks Hornswoggle in the face. This brings out Justin Gabriel in order to make the save. Gabriel hits 450 Splash on his former tag team partner. The Gabriel save seemed kinda random. Are they going to use Gabriel, or was it just a simple act of goodwill? Who knows?

Winner: Hornswoggle

Match #3: Hunico vs Ted DiBiase

Hunico and Camacho cut a promo against DiBiase. Why does every Mexican stereotype in professional wrestling have to dive into the Cheech and Chong bag? It gets kinda old. This match didn't last long. The finish comes when Hunico did a very interesting pinning/submission combination for the pinfall victory. I liked the move since it was unique and something new. As for DiBiase, it seems like things are going downhill for him…..again. I guess having a famous last name DOESN'T always guarantee you success. 

Winner via pinfall: Hunico

In the ring with Wade Barrett. He talks about the herniated disc that Randy Orton suffered and says this career is over…..kinda. He did say Orton can try to come back, but he won't be the same again. In a way, Wade is right. Wade says with Orton out of the way, he is the favorite to win the Royal Rumble and nobody can defeat him. Sheamus interrupts and says he can beat him and win the Rumble. He says Wade reminds him of his Uncle Wilford. He says his uncle liked to talk a lot, but his stories were full of s***. He also refers to Wade as a horse's arse. This brings out….Jinder Mahal? Apu here slaps Sheamus in the face. Yeah, that's a great idea. That's about as smart as kicking a bear in the balls. Sheamus attacks Jinder, but Wade would help out. It appears Sheamus is about to fight his way out of this predicament, but Wade hits Winds of Change on Sheamus. Once Wade has his moment in the sunlight, Jinder applies the Camel Clutch. Yeah, I'm sure Jinder will be perfectly fine on next weeks show. Oh, and Sheamus vs Jinder has already been announced for next week. Yep, no reproductions at all. 

Match #4: Santino vs Drew McIntyre

As opposed to Drew getting cheated like last week, this week he actually loses cleanly. Santino hit the Cobra and wins the match. This means Santino will be Teddy's assistant while Drew needs to pray upon the wrestling gods. JBL?

Winner via pinfall: Santino

Backstage where Drew is pleading his case to Teddy that the match shouldn't count since he feels Santino greased up the ropes. Teddy says he's tired of Drew's excuses and that's strike two. If warns Drew that if he cannot win next week, he might be fired. If Drew doesn't get it together, this will happen to him…

Match #5: Air Boom vs Primo and Epico

This was a non-title match. This match was okay, but nothing special. The finish comes when Evan Bourne goes for Airbourne, but Epico saves Primo by pulling him away from the finisher. With Evan crashing and burning, Primo pins him for the victory. The victory keeps the Puerto Rican Express as prime contenders to the tag team championships.

Winner via pinfall: Primo and Epico

Backstage interview with Big Show. He talks about winning the WHC tonight as Bryan doesn't stand a chance. Daniel interrupts the interview and seems offended that Show said he's only a good wrestler since he actually busted his ass to get to the top and didn't get anything handed to him. Bryan goes on to say he isn't some genetic freak like Big Show (Scott Steiner? Who am I kidding. Who gives a s*** about Steiner?) and says he had his size, he would be better because of his wrestling skills. He also brings up that his WHC reign didn't last 45 seconds. Show puts his hand on him, but Bryan seems pissed off and tells him to get his hand off of him. Bryan seems to show fire in his eyes as Show leaves. I think it's pretty clear that Bryan is going for a heel turn. I kinda like the new Daniel Bryan. Mainly because it gives him a bit of a personality. He just seems more natural in his bad guy stat than he did as a good guy. That's at least my opinion. 

Match #6: Natalya vs Tamina

A lot of emphasis that both these ladies have fathers that were pro wrestlers during their days. This match was a little short, but it was better than the train-wreck of a Kelly Kelly match. The finish comes when Tamina hits the Snuka Splash for the clean victory. It's nice to see them do SOMETHING different in the diva division. They are making Natalya look bad, but they might be pushing Tamina in the process. I think it's an improvement over Kelly and Eve. 

Winner via pinfall: Tamina

Match #7: Daniel Bryan vs Big Show for the WHC

Mark Henry was on commentary for this match. Damn, Henry was just straight up pissed off. Michael Cole would ask some really stupid questions and Henry would call him out on it and tell him to shut up. Hey, I think I like Henry even more than before. Honestly, can you blame Henry for being pissed off when you have Internet Cole asking questions like "Who would win in a match between Bryan or Hornswoggle?". So, Bryan was putting up a fight against Show, but the size disadvantage was a little too much to overcome. There was even a moment where Bryan locked in the Guillotine, followed by the Le Bell lock to make Show tap, but Show would power out of it. The finish comes when Bryan gets out of the ring and looks back and forth between Show and Henry. He then runs up to Henry to argue with him since he might've heard some of Henry's commentary (Henry did cut down Bryan, but gave him some props here and there). Henry assaults Bryan. The referee would call for the bell and Daniel wins the match via DQ. The show ends with Bryan celebrating like a madman while Show seems pissed off. So, Bryan did a douchebag move in provoking someone else so they would interfere, thus retaining his championship. In many ways, Bryan comes off as a weasel. We are seeing the early stages of a character change for Bryan. It might not be a longterm championship reign for Bryan, but at least they're trying some things. 

Winner via DQ: Daniel Bryan; Daniel Bryan remains WHC

Overall Impression:

SD was pretty average tonight. I found it to be better than last week's show since the wrestling quality was better this week. There was some new things that could be used for down the road. We see more of a transition for Bryan and we might be seeing them do something with Tamina. There was more Rumble hype, but with Wade and Sheamus. I have Wade and Sheamus has high favorites for the Rumble, but I will give my thoughts on that another day. I enjoyed SD for the most part. I have seen better, but the show kept my interest for the most part. Okay, time to rank the show. In terms of wrestling quality, I rank it Raw, SD, and Impact. The reason I said Raw had the better wrestling quality was mainly because of the CM Punk/Dolph Ziggler match. For promos/segments, I rank it Raw, Impact, and SD. I thought the highlight of the week was Chris Jericho's return. Jericho was silent since he wanted to be a jackass and will most likely play a heel, so I don't know why people complained about it. I liked it since it was different from all the other Jericho returns. I thought people complained because everything is always the same? 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. Part III Finale of the award show will be posted tomorrow. Check out Parts I and II if case you missed it. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time.