Hey everybody! Today as I write this, I will also be remembering the King of Pop. Although many will remember the scandals and accusations, I will choose to remember his musical greatness. Alrighty…let’s get this thing crackin’! Who’s Bad?!
Match 1: The All-American American Jack Swagger against Evan Bourne
This match was awesome! It was a Thriller…and a match of the year candidate IMO. The ending saw Evan Bourne going for the Shooting Star Press, Swagger moved, Bourne landed on his feet, Swagger hit the Gutwrench Powerbomb for the win.
Match 2: Dolph Ziggler vs Jimmy Wang Yang
This match was between two guys’ careers who have gone in opposite directions…shall I say they are as different as Black and White?! Dolph Ziggler gets the win, obviously.
Triple Threat match for the United States Championship: Kofi Kingston vs MVP vs Matt Hardy
Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough. Matt Hardy sure didn’t stop during this match. Hardy gutted out this match with an injury that requires surgery. This was a good match. Kofi gets the pin on Hardy with his Trouble in Paradise and tells him to Beat It.
RIP Michael. Your songs will live forever with us. From Dangerous to You Are Not Alone, and the Jackson 5 days to the present, you have entertained us emensely. You are truly the King of Pop and your legendary performances will be missed. Long live the King!
An ECW review? On Bored Wrestling Fan? Yes folks, I’m finally back to watching the silver brand of World Wrestling Entertainment on a weekly basis, and for the first time in quite a while, I’m reviewing it!
Hey everybody! Whose ready for another review of the rotating half face show?! I gotta say, the intro to Superstars kinda freaks me out a little. But, I digress. Let’s get this thang started.
First match of the evening pits THE ECW CHAMPION….CHRISTIAN against the Tommy Dreamer for the ECW title.
First out is Christian with his new shirt. I can’t wait to get it! Next out is the challenger, who was actually challenged by the champ, Tommy Dreamer. Why is the ECW championship match leading off the D-show? Shouldn’t it be the main event? Whatever….At one point, Dreamer looked like he was smelling Christian’s butt, when he applied a knee wrench. That was a little awkward. Throughout the match, Dreamer worked on Captain Charisma’s knee that was injured by Jack Swagger on ECW. This was a pretty good match. I’m not a huge fan of Dreamer’s work, but he certainly is not horrible. Christian is great and always does his part in the match. Dreamer hit a sicknasty suplex off the top rope and a cannonball to the outside, which were his two big spots of the night. Swagger made his way out the ringside and this match was ruled a no-contest. This match will likely be a triple threat match at Extreme Rules. This match gets a 8 out of 10.
Backstage interview with Josh Mathews and Chris Jericho
Jericho accuses Mathews of not respecting him and ties CMPunk’s popularity to his MITB briefcase. He defines greatness as himself and says Punk has his brush with greatness tonight.
The second match of the night is Kofi Kingston against William Regal
Regal should get a run at a world title soon. The guy is great. These two seem to work well together. I like their mix of high-flying and technical/brawling styles. From out of nowhere, Kingston hit the Trouble in Paradise for the win. This was good match for its length. I give it a 7.5 out of 10.
The main event of the evening is Chris Jericho and CM Punk
This match was good, but it seemed really random to have these two squaring off. It would have made more sense to have Punk and Rey tagging against Jericho and Umaga. This is the main event in name alone, as these two have no current beef with each other…Yet. Punk got the win with a counter of the Walls of Jericho into a rollup. After the match, Jericho hit a Code Breaker. This match looked like a seed-planter for a future program. We shall see. This match gets a 8.5 out of 10.
The show was very entertaining tonight. Except for the main event, everything else continued the storylines. Hopefully Jericho and Punk will start something going into Summerslam. As I leave you I will pose a question for you to ponder…If a penny is the unit for the American dollar, shouldn’t an ounce be the unit for the British pound?
Hey everybody! Tharvey1 here with the WWE Superstars Review for the Thursday April 16, 2009. Since this is the debut of the new Superstars, lets get this thing started off right.
Match number 1 of the night was Matt Hardy vs. The Undertaker.
The match started off with Taker dominating inside and outside the ring. As soon as the action got back into the ring, Taker went “Old School,” then sent Matt back outside the ring with a clothesline over the ropes. After the commercial break, Matt reversed a chokeslam into a neckbreaker, and then got his offense in. Taker then hit a bigboot as Matt tried to jump off the top rope, thus putting Taker back in control. The end of the match saw Matt scramble out of the ring and walk back up the ramp for an intentional count-out. Jeff Hardy does a run out and forces Matt back into the ring and into a chokeslam.
This was a pretty good match. Not too many spots to screw up, although I’m sure Shelton Benjamin could have found a way to if he were involved. I give this match a 7 out 10.
Match number 2 of the night was Christian vs. Finlay in the Finals of the Elimination Chase for the ECW Championship
I was in attendance for this match and the main event. During the ECW taping, Tiffany made this match for Superstars. The start of the match was slow and saw a lot of restholds. This is understandable, as both men had participated in the triple threat match with Tommy Dreamer not 45 minutes before hand during ECW.
The middle of the match saw a descent mix of power and tope rope spots. The finale of the match had Christian hitting the Unprettier (yes I will still call it that, even though WWE wants to call it the Killswitch). This was a good, short match, especially for both men’s second match of the evening. Christian is one of the best talents in the WWE, and hopefully he gets his shot eventually. There’s my cheap plug of the evening for Captain Charisma.
I give this match a 6.5 out of 10
Match number 3 and “Main Event” of the evening was Shane McMahon vs Cody Rhodes
Before the match, Shane cut a promo with Eve backstage about Randy Orton. Blah, Blah, Blah. Whatever…who cares?…time to wrap that angle up soon.
The beginning of the match had Shan’O Mac taking control, and treating Cody like the girl he has been made to be over the last few months. Cody got a little offense during the middle of the match. He got outside the ring and went for a chair, reentered the ring, and had the chair confiscated by the referee. Shane got tossed outside the ring by Cody, grabbed the chair, and promptly struck Cody with the chair. Cody wins by DQ.
After the match, Shane hits Cody a few times with the chair and sets him up for the Coast to Coast with a trash can from under the ring. Terrible effort with the Coast to Coast. Shane’s getting to old for that spot.
I give this match a 5 out 10.
Pretty good debut for the show. I can only hope this doesn’t turn into another Velocity or Heat. I will leave you with a random fact of life as I know it: RDLee loves Bacon! Had to give him a return shoutout from his realtime review.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week for another review of WWE Superstars.
It just wouldn’t be Wrestlemania Week without every keyboard-bashing monkey who knows the difference between a wrist lock and a wristwatch weighing in on match predictions and offering generally self-important commentary on the biggest wrestling – er – sports entertainment show of the year. Know what I have to say to that? My turn!
WWE Champion Triple H vs. Randy Orton
Trips wins. As if there’s any doubt. This was a storyline that really could have gone places. It did, but all the wrong places. Randy Orton was hotter than he had ever been, and people were absolutely into him. This whole story just got dragged out too long, and should have been left alone earlier. I’ll probably get slammed majorly for this, but the last thing that I wanted to see was the McMahon family stepping up to the Legacy at the end of RAW. This could have been THE moment for Orton and the Legacy. It won’t.
World Heavyweight Champion Edge vs. John Cena vs. Big Show (Triple Threat Match)
John Cena wins. Again, it’s not necessarily the best idea, but no way is this guy losing at Mania. I like a comedy love triangle story as much as anyone, but this one really hasn’t clicked well. Wrestlemania should be about the titles and major feuds, and throwing the “Who will Win Vickie Guerrero?” aspect into the match really cheapens it. A World Heavyweight Championship Title match does not need that type of extra flavor.
Intercontinental Champion JBL vs. Rey Mysterio
This match screams “Oh crap! We forgot to put the guy who single-handedly draws the Hispanic demographic on the show!” The IC title should be a major reward, not a consolation prize, which is what it looks like by having JBL win it and Rey challenging for it. With all of JBL’s promises to do something legendary at Mania, look for him to retain the IC title, retire it, and take his rightful place at the announce table.
Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy (Extreme Rules Match)
This looks to be really good. Matt versus Jeff couldn’t really have happened before this year and actually worked, and I’m hoping to see an absolutely unbridled vicious side of Matt Hardy in this match. Matt has pushed and pushed Jeff, but this story isn’t ready to end at Mania. It really hasn’t played out long enough. There’s still more to come, and with that thought in mind, Matt wins after using his more grounded technical skills and savage brutality to take out the more daredevil Jeff. Jeff really shouldn’t win until the feud is ready to end, and it shouldn’t yet. I’m all for things beginning and ending at Mania, but this story just doesn’t feel complete.
WWE Tag Team Champions [Carlito and Primo Colon] vs. World Tag Team Champions [The Miz and John Morrison] (Unified Tag Team Championship Lumberjack Match)
The Miz and John Morrison win, and unify the tag team belts. Please don’t let this match come down to the interference of the feuding and still interchangeable Bella twins! Please? The fact that there’s as much focus on these two twits as there is on the actual tag teams and belts causes concern. No title unification match at Wrestlemania should hang on the interference of irrelevant valets. Period.
Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker
Undertaker wins, and the Streak (insert Ray Stevens song here) remains intact. This match will be great. Probably the match of the night. And well should it be, considering the two guys involved. The fact that Mania is in Texas, and both Michaels and Taker are from Texas, will kick this match off the chart. However, the very idea that Shawn Michaels should be the one to end Undertaker’s Mania win streak is incomprehensible. The Streak is almost as legendary as the man who holds it. The person who ends it, if anyone ever does (and it might not ought to be ended at all), would be catapulted to the highest level and be forever remembered in the annals of pro wrestling as the guy who ended a legendary winning streak. Michaels doesn’t need that. He’s already a legend in his own right, and, in a sense, ending Taker’s streak would be wasted on him. It’s not as if he suddenly needs to get over after a lengthy absence. If someone is going to finally defeat the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, it should not be Shawn Michaels.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Mark Henry, Finley, CM Punk, Kane, Shelton Benjamin, Kofi Kingston, MVP [US Champion], Christian)
I would love to see CM Punk win this because CM Punk rules. He’s my favorite guy in the match, and I’m totally biased in his favor. The fact that he has already won it once, though, makes it unlikely. As much as I love Punk, he really shouldn’t even be in this match. Previous winners shouldn’t be in it again, and if they must, it should be quite a while. Several years, possibly. Punk should be in a one-on-one Mania match, which is described below. Christian winning the MITB would be amazing, because he would then be in a position to insert himself in angles involving Edge or the Hardys afterwards. He’s certainly the most experienced “ladder match” guy of the lot. However, Vince doesn’t see him as a star, and the MITB isn’t just a ladder match. It’s a guaranteed title shot, and I don’t see Christian being allowed that at this point. Therefore, with my first choice (CM Punk) and my second choice (Christian) being highly unlikely, I’m calling MVP to win it. He has the US title, which means that he’ll probably have to lose it to someone before cashing in his title shot. This could be the start of a major angle for MVP if he wins.
25-Diva Battle Royal for title of “Miss WrestleMania”
Ugh. This is a complete waste, but not for the reasons one might assume. Lance Storm was completely right when he said that this match was a good idea because it gave more of the women a piece of the big Mania payday, which they would not otherwise get. That much is absolutely fair. Unfortunately for them, a 25-person over-the-top-rope elimination battle royal is going to be a giant mess no matter who is in it. That’s just too many people in one ring at a time, and all of them can’t even wrestle to begin with. Candice Michelle and Ashley Massaro won’t be involved, so the chances of serious injury for everyone else in the match just went down. Some of the truly important former Divas aren’t going to be involved, and it really doesn’t feel significant. Sunny will be there, as will Victoria, Torrie Wilson, Jackie Gayda-Haas, and Molly Holly, but let’s look at the list of those who will not. Wendy Richter turned them down, supposedly. Sable and Dawn Marie are both pregnant, and won’t be there. Lita won’t be there, and after how she was treated at the end of her tenure, one can’t blame her at all. The Fabulous Moolah is no longer with us, not that she should have won such a thing, but come on, it’s Moolah. Mae Young won’t be involved in the match itself, but, to be fair, she IS almost 90 years old now. Amy Weber and Joy Giovanni don’t count as major contributors, but they won’t be there. Christy Hemme and Jacqueline (the original Jackie) obviously weren’t asked, as they currently work for TNA. Gail Kim is there. Terri Runnels isn’t. Debra won’t be there. I don’t personally know about Chyna (unlikely) or Jazz. There may not even be 25 women to put in the match by the time it’s all done. With some of the truly legendary Divas not being involved in this match, the original point seems to have been lost. Even so, I call Trish Stratus to win, as she deserves the title of “Miss Wrestlemania” (such as it is) more than anyone, past or present.
Chris Jericho vs. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat & Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka (w/ Ric Flair)
This is terrible. Chris Jericho wrestling three old guys who can barely move, bona fide legends though they may be, is a very bad decision. Sure, this could all be a swerve and Stone Cold comes out at the actual show to defend the honor of legends everywhere, and it’s really a one-on-one match. The entire angle also could have and should have served the purpose of elevating someone who stepped up to fight on behalf of the legends who inspired him to get into wrestling in the first place. Someone like CM Punk would have been perfect for this, despite the fact that Punk has already been World Champion once. Imagine the absolute GOLD that a promo war between Jericho and Punk would have been! Jericho takes out legend after legend, then Punk steps up and announces that he’s had enough of the disrespect, and that if Jericho wants to bully someone, he can try to bully him. Part of Punk’s appeal to the masses is that he’s one of us, a regular guy who was a fan, and who just happened to have the talent and drive to realize his wrestling dream. Inspiration from legends such as these three is almost built in to the story. This would have been a great Mania match. At least the match of Jericho/Punk wouldn’t have given away the winner. It could have gone either way. No such luck here. Jericho loses at Mania, no matter who and how many he faces in the ring. Aside from the fact that he has already succeeded in beating up the legends, no way is the feel-good vibe of Mania being sullied by evil Jericho winning. Jericho will not only lose, he’ll do so in utterly humiliating fashion. Jericho and the fans deserve better than this.
Hey guys, I just added a new skin to the list of choices. This one is a WrestleMania 25 inspired minimalist blue and silver themed skin called “BlueMania 25.”
Speaking of Blue, I haven’t watched SmackDown from this past Friday yet, but here are the results for your reading pleasure:
Triple H says he’s the cure for the disease that is Randy Orton. Then he beat Vladimir Kozlov.
MVP recaptured the United States Championship, defeating Shelton Benjamin.
Shawn Michaels defeated Kane
Jeff Hardy beat The Brian Kendrick in an extreme rules match. We find out that Jeff’s match with brother Matt at WrestleMania will also be extreme rules.
The Von Erich family is being inducted into the hall of fame by Michael P.S. Hayes
The Undertaker defeated JBL
Vickie Guerrero announced that the winner of the triple threat at WrestleMania will win her heart. This led to an altercation between Edge, The Big Show, and John Cena that left Vickie victimized by an accidental spear from Edge. Big Show carried Vickie off.
By now, we all know that Matt Hardy turned on his brother Jeff this past Sunday at the Royal Rumble, blasting him with a chair and costing him the WWE Championship. From that point, several fans of the Hardys came out of the woodwork to condemn Matt’s actions on his MySpace, many of whom seem to believe that because Matt turned on Jeff, it automatically means that Matt was behind everything that’s happened to Jeff since Survivor Series in November. I’m here to tell you why it wasn’t Matt Hardy behind the attacks.
First, there was the attack the night before Survivor Series. Jeff is out of action, he can’t compete in the WWE Championship match, and Edge swoops in to win the title. The following Friday on SmackDown, Jeff competed in a “Beat the Clock Challenge.” Jeff’s match was first, where he set the pace. Matt was the opponent of Vladimir Kozlov in the challenge, and he did everything in his power to prevent Kozlov from beating Jeff’s time. This shows Matt as being supportive of his brother, rather than trying to harm him. Ultimately, Jeff tied with Triple H in the challenge and went on to a Triple Threat match at Armageddon.
Triple H had the WWE Championship won at Armageddon when Vladimir Kozlov interfered and prevented him from getting the pinfall on Edge. Matt came out and attacked Kozlov. Matt’s attack on Kozlov would make no sense if he were working with Edge, because Edge was the one Kozlov saved. Jeff went on to win the match and the WWE Championship.
In the weeks that followed, the Hardys worked together, competing in tag team matches and supporting each other as a part of the “Hardy Party,” which saw both men as World Champions. A few weeks later, mysterious things started to happen to Jeff.
First, there was the hit-and-run accident. If you watch the “police video,” the policeman asked Jeff if he know the person who hit him. Jeff said that he’d never seen him before in his life. I’m pretty sure that Jeff would have recognized his own brother, even if he didn’t know the vehicle.
Over the course of the next week, Matt loses the ECW Championship to Jack Swagger, and Jeff returns to SmackDown, only to be blown up when the pyrotechnics were tampered with. This is the only thing that’s happened to Jeff that the storyline will allow me to believe could have been done by Matt. Matt was in the building, Matt was upset because he lost his title, and perhaps he was jealous because Jeff still had his. Not to mention that Matt was the last person to come out and check on his little brother as he was being rolled away on a stretcher.
The attack at the Royal Rumble shouldn’t have been that surprising, and maybe things look suspicious, but if you look at the facts presented here, it’s clearly not Matt who did all those crazy things to Jeff…
I know, I know, the show was two days ago, but I’ve been caught up in working on a new skin for BoredWrestlingFan. It’s not quite ready yet but I expect it to be up and running around Monday morning. I’ve put a lot of work into it, and it’s going to be the first theme to really break away from the original “BWF Classic” theme. It probably also doesn’t help that I started to watch SmackDown while it was on the other night, and didn’t really feel like watching it again to review it. Not to say that it was a bad show, at least what I’ve seen so far. Now that I’ve gone off on a rant about my reasons for not doing the review yet, I’ll get to work on this week’s WWE SmackDown on DVR review!
SmackDown review and thoughts (finally), after the jump! (more…)
I like doing these “On DVR” reviews. I get to watch a WWE show, give you my thoughts on it as I watch, and be done in like an hour and a half. It’s much easier to enjoy the shows this way than trying to write them in real time as the show is actually on. Anyways, SmackDown’s been my favorite show of the week on a consistent basis, and I get to do a review of SmackDown, which features the new WWE Champion, Edge! It’s been a while since Edge has been seen on SmackDown, and since he’s one of my personal favorites, I’m glad to have him back, as I feel as though it can only make the show better.
Enough of my ranting and raving about the Rated R Superstar, my thoughts on this week’s WWE SmackDown are after the jump! (more…)
Well folks, as announced yesterday, from now on you’ll be getting DVR reviews of all the WWE shows from yours truly, as my shift at work has changed to 3-11. We’re kicking things off with the post Survivor Series RAW, where John Cena is our new World Heavyweight Champion!
