Bleacher Report - Articles by Danny Starry

Randy Orton's Legacy: What Does WWE Have in Store for Them Now?

Danny Starry — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:02:15 -0400

I wrote an article a while back similar to this where I planned out three different paths for Legacy. None of them happened, yet I am going to make another bold prediction as to where the Legacy of Randy Orton is headed now.

I'll start with SummerSlam.

Most people saw the Orton vs. Cena match had its share of ups and downs. I personally loved the crowd for this match. They gave John Cena so much heat. I said before the match that I wanted to see them go fist to fist, and when it happened, I was thrilled to hear Cena get booed so heavily.

The ending was kind of lame in my opinion. Orton tried to retain by DQ and countout, but Vince McMahon kept communicating with Lilian Garcia through telekinesis, telling her to restart the match.

After a number of restarts, Orton finally retained his title in a pinfall after a "fan" got involved and tried to choke out the ref. This fan is rumored to actually be Ted DiBiase's brother, Brett.

The fan incident was very well done in my opinion. Everyone I spoke with immediately after was convinced an actual fan had just gone crazy and run in there. It was not until the day after that I first heard rumors that it was in fact Brett.

So, with this brief introduction of Brett into the WWE Universe, how will future events play out? Here's what I see happening.

Randy Orton discovers the identity of his mystery helper and decides to seek him out. Being a second-generation superstar who is obviously willing to help Orton win at any cost, he would fit in perfectly with the theme of Legacy.

Legacy now would have a four-man stable, much more formidable than a three, and now maybe Priceless can get a win in before the year ends. However, this four-man stable won't last too much longer.

As I brought up in my previous article, Ted DiBiase needs to turn face before his new movie premieres. Having Brett join the group will give WWE their favorite storyline ever to do this: a brother vs. brother feud.

It must be an unwritten rule somewhere that all brothers must feud at some point in their career. Brett and Ted will most likely, at some point down the road, get pissed at each other and be unable to work together as a team.

In order to turn Ted face, Orton will have to be on the side of Brett. They may have a brother vs. brother match with the winner staying in Legacy, and Orton and Rhodes will make the decision to help Brett over Ted since he sees more potential in Brett.

If WWE does this right, they can have tensions rising for a few months and give way to a decent brother vs. brother feud. But I have faith that they'll manage to mess it up. If not, I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks for reading. Feedback is appreciated.

Matt Hardy: Another Twist Of Fate?

Danny Starry — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:26:21 -0400

First off, let me say that if you haven't watched/finished Smackdown from tonight yet, don't read this, as it may give away some spoilers.

Now, with the spoiler alert out of the way, let's get right to it. Matt Hardy is confusing the hell out of me right now. He has been jumping back and forth from show to show, displaying characteristics of both heel and face, etc.

January 2009, Royal Rumble: Jeff Hardy defends his WWE championship title against Edge in a No Disqualification Match. Towards the end of the match, Matt Hardy shows up with a chair and gives Jeff a pretty nasty chair-shot.

Now, before this match, Matt Hardy resided on ECW and was considered a face, getting decent pops from many fans. After the match, Matt jumped ship to Smackdown and was considered a full-on heel, attacking Jeff, getting great heat, and even changing his attire.

Jeff and Matt then had a painfully short lived feud.

March 2009, Wrestlemania: Jeff and Matt face off against each other in an Extreme Rules Match. Matt gets the better of Jeff in this match and it looks as if this is the start of a great feud. In the next few weeks, Matt once again reigns supreme over Jeff in a Stretcher Match.

Things were looking good for Matt. It looked like he was going to get to shine in the main event much like his brother, Jeff. The third match was the charm for Jeff, however, and things started to fall apart for Matt.

April 2009, Backlash: Jeff and Matt face off one last time in an I Quit Match. Matt's luck runs out, and is finally beaten by his brother. To add injury to insult, he broke his hand in the match. This also looked like the end of the feud since a few weeks prior to this, Matt had been drafted to RAW in the annual WWE Draft.

Once Matt joined the RAW roster, he dropped into the mid-card scene and was soon forgotten among the mounds of mid-cards in RAW. After a few matches, Matt took some time off for surgery.

So just to recap, Matt went from face to heel and from ECW to SD! to RAW all since January.

August 7th 2009, Smackdown: CM Punk is set to fight Jeff Hardy in his rematch for the World Heavyweight Title. Tensions are high between the two though, so Vince McMahon decides that a special guest enforcer is needed. Who could it be? Matt Hardy of course!

As soon as Matt comes out, most people are probably thinking that Jeff doesn't stand a chance in this match. Jeff and Matt haven't exactly been seeing eye to eye in the recent months, and now Matt can legally interfere in Jeff's title match, again.

Matt however, shows absolutely no emotion through the majority of the match. Then, towards the end, Jeff starts yelling at Matt. I'm not really sure why. Anyway, Punk tries a baseball slide into Jeff, and hits Matt instead.

A few moments later, Punk counters a Swanton Bomb and goes for the pin. At a two-count, Matt pulls the ref out of the ring and breaks up the count. Punk, of course, is furious at this and starts to yell at Matt. Jeff rolls him up, and Matt counts the pinfall, giving Jeff the win.

What? A bit confusing to say the least. Does this mean that Matt and Jeff are all good? Does this mean that Matt is now a face on SD! again? That would mean Matt went from face to heel to face and traveled from ECW to SD! to RAW back to SD! in just seven months time!

Now, I'm all for change, but this is slightly ridiculous. I suppose that this may not be an actual face turn, but if it is, Matt's head is probably spinning with all this recent change. I think Matt can do well as both a heel and a face, so a face turn isn't really necessary, but he could pull it off.

Well, whatever works for Matt I guess, but I hope WWE has something good actually planned for him, since he definitely deserves it.

Thanks for reading, and as usual, feedback is always appreciated.

Christian Retains His Championship in an Extreme Main Event on ECW

Danny Starry — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:53:18 -0400

I was pretty impressed with ECW tonight. I thought it was going to be awful since it started off with Abraham Washington's talk show, but even that turned out to be better than usual.

I was honestly dreading how ECW was going to turn out starting with the man I despise more than Cena, Abraham Washington. He started off with those lame jokes that he always tells, this time targeting where ECW was being taped, Long Island, NY.

His jokes were cut short, however, by none other than Zack Ryder. The two exchanged insults and then agreed to focus on someone who was even worse than themselves: Shelton Benjamin.

This, of course, forced Benjamin to come out and give his retort. I have to admit I actually laughed when Abe called Benjamin a Dennis Rodman wannabe. Ryder and Benjamin went on to have a painful singing contest officiated by Abraham Washington himself.

Both "singers" were booed heavily by the crowd, however, this contest was not the end of it. Ryder attacked Benjamin as he was singing but paid for his sins when Benjamin retaliated and threw Ryder over Abraham Washington's Rent-A-Center couch.

Is this possibly setting up a feud between the two?

It certainly looks that way, which is strange in my mind, considering how WWE rarely sets up heel vs. heel feuds. Perhaps this will be to determine who the next No. 1 contender is for Christian's ECW title. Both deserve it in my opinion and could use the push.

The first actual match was Ezekiel Jackson vs. a jobber. Unfortunately, I sneezed and missed the entire match, but I assume Jackson got the pin.

Kozlov then came out and showed his dominance again, followed up this time by Jackson attacking the poor jobber yet again.

Wherever WWE is going with this storyline, they should get to it, because this routine is going to get stale fast. It's not like Kozlov is interfering in Jackson's matches; instead he's merely agitating him.

The next match was a Sheamus vs. Goldust round two. The result was no different this time around with Sheamus once again coming out on top. The aftermath, however, was another story.

Goldust attacked Sheamus after the match, allowing the two to possibly expand on a feud, as opposed to Goldust simply putting Sheamus over as a glorified jobber.

The third match was the main event: an Extreme Rules Match for the ECW Championship between Christian and Tommy Dreamer.

Unlike Raw, the match actually started with more than five minutes left in the show, so the two were actually able to perform a number of moves. Cena would be totally lost.

To get the fans into the match, Dreamer and Christian both carried a unique item to the ring with them. Dreamer wheeled a hot dog cart alongside him, while Christian carried a car door on his shoulder.

This was interesting to say the least. And I learned something new about hot dog carts. Apparently, the condiment holders are made of solid steel! Who knew? Good thing Matt Striker was there to inform me of that little-known fact.

Anyway, Christian got hit with these indestructible condiment holders and somehow lived. The two continued to brawl, going around the ring, grabbing, and destroying numerous trash cans along the way.

The match ended when Christian hit the Killswitch on top of the car door. He then added insult to injury by actually pinning Dreamer with the door. A bit of overkill if you ask me, but I guess whatever works.

So overall, ECW was a pretty good show in my opinion. Actually, I think it may have surpassed Raw this week.

Thanks for reading, and as always, feedback is greatly appreciated.

Two Hall of Famers at WWE Smackdown's House Show in Cohasset, Mass.

Danny Starry — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:02:33 -0400

Wow! I recently read an article debating whether or not house shows were worth the money, and I have to say, they most definitely are.

In a short span of two and a half hours, eight quality matches took place, making the $50 seats well worth it. One of the best parts was actually the arena itself.

The arena was actually just a tent seating about 300 or 400 people centered around the WWE ring (which for some reason security doesn't like you to touch, go figure). Our seats were about ten rows in, so we could see everything quite clearly.

Another great thing was the crowd. Although I disagreed with them on many occasions, they were full of energy, making the matches that much more exciting.

Pre-Match occurrences

Not too much exciting happened here. I bought a program (which came in handy later) and looked around at the different people present. There were lots of kids with Jeff Hardy sleeves and Rey Mysterio masks, although neither of them were present.

One kid, dressed in John Cena attire, did the "you can't see me" thing constantly. I wanted to hit him, but restrained myself. I did boo Cena's name when mentioned, though. The kid seemed upset, but he'll learn soon enough.

I also saw Howard Finkel, who happened to be the announcer for the night. Unfortunately, I didn't get his autograph.

Match One: Yoshi Tatsu vs. Shelton Benjamin

Before this match, I tried to stay out in front of where the superstars entered to get pictures, but Yoshi basically sprinted past me and the picture of Shelton came out super blurry. After this, I just stayed in my seats to get pictures.

This match was pretty exciting and the crowd was really into Yoshi. There were multiple times when Yoshi's name was being chanted, and he really seemed to enjoy the energy we were giving him.

Shelton also got some really great heat, especially when he would leave the ring to take some time off. In the end, Yoshi ended up getting the pin after hitting his finisher, much to the crowd's delight.

Match Two: Drew McIntyre vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

I was skeptical of this match at first, since I hadn't seen Drew fight before and Steamboat is an older wrestler, but it ended up being a great fight. Drew cut a quick promo before the match, gaining some real good heat, and when Steamboat came out in the middle of it, he got a huge pop.

I'm not sure why ECW or SD! don't use Drew on TV. He's a pretty decent wrestler, and he definitely has the looks to make it. I guess they just don't have a storyline for him, which is a pretty pathetic excuse, in my opinion.

Steamboat may be old, but he's still got it. He was the only one at WM25 that actually impressed me, and I actually enjoyed watching him last night as well. He even did a few top rope moves, which is really impressive considering his age.

Steamboat ended up getting the win after a splash from the top rope, and the crowd loved it. He then left to a big round of applause, followed by Drew getting booed all the way out.

Match Three: Tyler Reks vs. Paul Burchill

This was the only match that the crowd wasn't really into, and I'm not sure why. I found it to be an enjoyable match, but I guess since these aren't really the biggest names, people didn't care as much.

I was behind Burchill the entire time, much to the displeasure of those around me. I got a few dirty looks when Burchill had Reks in a headlock and I screamed for him to rip his head off...

Tyler Reks ended up getting the win and posed for a little, then left to a mild applause. Burchill actually got some pretty good heat as he was leaving, so I guess that's good since it seems he'll just be putting people over now.

Match Four: Tyson Kidd vs. Jimmy Wang Yang

Tyson Kidd should have fought someone better, in my opinion. I have never been a fan of Yang, and this match didn't make me an instant fan. He's a decent competitor, there's just something about him I don't like.

Tyson Kidd was accompanied by David Hart Smith, who cut a short promo before the match, gaining a lot of heat. Throughout the match, David Hart Smith and the WWE Sign Guy got in an argument, and Smith ripped one of his signs in half.

Kidd ended up getting the pin in true heel fashion. He rolled Yang up and put his feet on the ropes to get better leverage, but the ref didn't see it, so he got the win anyway. This got him some massive heat, but I was clapping of course.

Match Five: Mike Knox vs. John Morrison

I would consider this the match of the night. Morrison really played to the crowd and got them to cheer and boo by pointing at himself or Knox. Knox tried to do the same, but just got booed constantly.

Knox actually looked pretty good in this match. He also got some great heat, so WWE really should come up with a good storyline for him. And by good, I don't mean, "I don't know why I attacked Evan Bourne and Rey Mysterio."

Morrison was awesome in this match. He hit a great number of high flying moves, including a standing moonsault and his finisher Starship Pain (which looks so much cooler in person than on TV).

The only thing that made this match not as good was that Morrison was supposed to fight Chris Jericho. Jericho was nowhere to be found, though, which was disappointing, but not enough to ruin the night.

Match Six: Melina vs. Katie Lea Burchill

After a brief intermission, the Divas got a match. Katie Lea actually came out to a pretty good pop, and it was exciting to see her wrestle someone other than a Bella twin for once.

Melina got one of the biggest pops of the night, next to Christian and, for some reason, CM Punk.

This was a short match, but it was still pretty good. Both Divas looked good, but Melina got the best of Katie Lea, and the crowd seemed happy with the result.

Match Seven: Christian vs. William Regal

This was for the ECW championship. I'm not sure why; it's not like anyone thought Regal would actually become ECW champion at a house show. But I guess it added excitement so it’s all good.

Regal came out to the biggest heat of the night, without a doubt. Captain Charisma came out to the biggest pop of the night, so it was obvious who the crowd was behind. I was going for Regal though.

For the record, telling the heel to kick the face's ass next to a family with little kids gets you some dirty looks as well.

Both superstars ended up putting on a great show, and much to everyone's surprise, Christian retained. This was probably the second best match, in my opinion, although I would have preferred Zack Ryder to be there.

Main Event: Kane vs. Great Khali vs. CM Punk

This was for the Number One Contender's spot at Summerslam for the World Heavyweight Championship. You'll never guess who won.

Punk came out first to a pretty big pop. I guess he didn't think this was a good thing, so he took a little kid's sign and threw it to the ground. This got him a little heat, and he proceeded to argue with a few people at ringside.

The WWE Sign Guy had a sign that said "Seeing Punk makes me drink," but security didn't seem to like it, so he put it down and replaced it with "Kane's so ugly, he trick-or-treats by phone."

Kane also came out to a pop and Khali, the supposed face, actually got the smallest pop of the three.

This match wasn't that great in terms of actual wrestling, but it did provide some good entertainment. Punk tried at first to talk Khali into teaming with him, but as soon as he turned his back, Khali brain chopped him. This caused Punk to roll out of the ring and Khali and Kane fought for a little.

When Punk finally got back in the ring, he tried to convince Kane to team with him, and had some success. He and Kane tied Khali up in the ropes, but then Punk turned on Kane by kicking him in the back. Not the smartest move.

Punk then tried to hit the GTS on both monsters, and failed miserably. He then looked at the crowd, dejected, and got double chokeslammed. Ouch.

Kane and Khali went back and forth a little longer, until Kane hit a chokeslam on Khali. He botched it, but then again, Khali does weigh over 400 pounds. Punk then came in and kicked Kane and got the pin on Khali. Bet you didn't guess Punk would win!

After the match, Kane grabbed a chair and attempted to attack Great Khali. Khali countered however, and hit Kane with the chair, causing Kane to scamper off like a scared little puppy.

Post-Match Antics

After the match I was scrounging around like any dedicated fan for any autograph I could get. And who showed up? Hall of Famer, Ricky Steamboat! He signed the ten-dollar program, making the program actually worth ten dollars.

A few drunk guys also were in the parking lot trying to wrestle. This was almost as entertaining as the actual fights. WWE should sign random drunk guys, because some of them are good.

One guy got slammed to the pavement and then the other guy did a front-flip and landed on him. And to think I paid $50 to watch professionals.

So, all in all, this was an incredible experience. If you have not attended a house show yet, I strongly recommend it.

The feeling you get, seeing these larger-than-life characters a few feet in front of you is insane. Its well worth the money and thoroughly enjoyable.

Thanks for reading, and as always, feedback is appreciated.

Review of WWE's Night Of Champions: Possibly The Best PPV This Year?

Danny Starry — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:00:59 -0400

Well, another PPV just ended, and I can happily say that I was very impressed this time around. WWE did a lot of things right with very few slip-ups. I'll go through a quick recap of the matches, and then what I personally thought of the result, as well as where WWE can go from here.

The team/superstar listed first is defending.

Match One: Unified Tag Team Match between Chris Jericho/Big Show and Priceless

WWE certainly surprised a lot of people with this move. Many people were saying Chris Masters or Kane, but I read hardly any Big Show predictions. I was skeptical at first when Jericho announced who it would be (as was the crowd) but Jericho proved to be quite compatible with The World's Largest Athlete, and these two will certainly prove to be a force to be reckoned with.

I think it was a bit predictable that Team Jericho would win, but that didn't stop this match from being good. Legacy didn't look too bad even though they lost, and Cody Rhodes actually hit a pretty impressive moonsault at one point.

I think it does make them look kind of bad losing time and time again, but I'm pretty sure they will capture the gold soon enough.

Hopefully, Jericho and Big Show can help the tag division by appearing on all three brands. Legacy, or at least Priceless, needs to stay together at least until more tag teams arrive, but all in all, I think things are looking up for the tag division.

Match Two: ECW Championship Match between Tommy Dreamer and Christian.

I'm glad Tommy Dreamer finally dropped the title. Don't get me wrong, I like the guy, but he's not a realistic champion. I've said this many times, he's past his prime, and is not the person you want to represent an entire brand.

Christian, in my mind, can definitely lead the brand as a respected champion while Tommy Dreamer can focus on putting younger talent over, retiring, and looking back on a great career.

Despite the fact that Tommy isn't in the best shape of his life, the two were still able to put on a decent show. While it wasn't the best match I've ever seen, it definitely showed that ECW isn't just a show for losers.

I thought after last week's show that Christian might be turning heel, but it doesn't appear so after his post-match actions. This can actually work out for the better though, as it can put some of the better heels on ECW, such as Shelton Benjamin, in the main event scene where the belong.

Match Three: Six Pack Challenge for the United States Championship between Kofi Kingston, Primo, M.V.P., Carlito, The Miz, and Jack Swagger

Let me just say that Kofi Kingston is looking unstoppable right now. He has now successfully defended his championship in both a fatal-four way and six pack match up. That's like defending against eight superstars right there! Even Cena would be impressed.

This, in my mind is great, both for Kofi's career as well as the prestige of the U.S. title. It now has some worth to it, and Kofi definitely looks like a capable champion.

Some people were saying before this match that they weren't looking forward to it since it basically just threw a bunch of feuds together, but I think it turned out rather well. At one point, it looked as if the Colons would make up and work together, but Carlito quickly ended that by delivering a Backstabber to Primo.

As much as tag teams are needed, I think this was a good choice. It wouldn't have made sense to have the Colons split and make up just like that, and it would have made the WWE writers look rather desperate for options.

One person that I'm a bit confused about right now is M.V.P. It keeps looking as if WWE is going to give him a push, but then he ends up in matches like this, without much action. He tried to hit his finisher once, but was stopped by The Miz. Other than that, M.V.P. was mainly MIA.

Match Four: Women's Championship Match between Michelle McCool and Melina

This was one hell of a Diva's match. It helps that they were given more than five minutes to perform, and they definitely put on a great show tonight. Both women showed that they can be taken seriously and McCool retained, helping her look like a more credible champion.

This match hopefully shows that the women's division is on the rise, and hopefully we will see more quality matches like this from the Divas.

Match Five: Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship between Randy Orton, Triple H, and John Cena.

When I saw that this match was coming on so early in the night, I was shocked. I thought for sure that this would be the main event, and in my mind, it should have been. I suppose that it can afford to be earlier though, since it can help add prestige to the matches after it, which included the Diva's title and the Intercontinental title.

Anyway, back to the match. It started off a bit slow, but once it picked up, all three superstars gave it their all, and ended up putting on a great show. Orton looked like a coward at first, but ended up giving both Cena and Triple H quite a beating. Cena and Triple H also got in their fair share of hits though, so no one actually looked to much weaker than the others.

The only part I didn't like about the match was the ending. Triple H and Cena both had Orton in a submission hold, causing Orton to tap. However, since both men were locking in submissions, neither one could be declared the winner. That's not the part I don't like though. (I actually found that rather creative).

The part that I didn't like was Priceless interfering. I'm glad that Orton retained, but the only way he can do it is by using DiBiase and Rhodes? That doesn't exactly make him look like a strong champion.

Hopefully this will have ended this ridiculously long feud between Triple H and Orton. If not, then it better end at Summerslam, Hell in a Cell preferably. I don't really like Cena though, so I don't want him in the main event. I don't think my wishes will be coming true though.

Overall, this was a great match though, and was definitely main-event worthy.

Match Six: Diva's Championship Match between Maryse and Mickie James.

This was another great match put on by two great Diva wrestlers. Mickie James is undoubtedly the better of the two, but Maryse did look good in the ring, and put up a good fight. Mickie looked as if she would get disqualified at one point, but luckily the ref restrained her, and she went on to win the title.

This, of course, made her the second woman to hold both the Diva's title and Women's title. Personally, I thought she deserved to be the first over McCool, but maybe she can be the first to hold both simultaneously. I doubt WWE would do that, but who knows?

This match also showed promise for the wrestling division and hopefully is a sign of good things to come.

Match Seven: Intercontinental Championship Match between Rey Mysterio and Dolph Ziggler.

Rey Mysterio just recently had a great feud with Chris Jericho, and I have a feeling this feud could prove just as great. Ziggler is an amazing athlete and can garner some major heat. Mysterio does great working with heels since he is a mega face, and he could really help Ziggler's career skyrocket.

Ziggler had some very impressive moves in this match including a dropkick on Mysterio as Rey was coming off the top turnbuckle. Unfortunately for Ziggler, this wasn't enough, and Mysterio ended up hitting the 619 and retaining his gold.

I think this is a wise move by WWE. To put the title on Ziggler in his first title match would have made him look too incredible and wouldn't have allowed a feud to properly develop between the two. I wouldn't be surprised if he won at Summerslam, however, and I don't think it would be that bad of a move.

This feud shows promise, and along with Mysterio's previous feud, can help bring a sense of value back to the IC title.

Main Event: World Heavyweight Championship Match between CM Punk and Jeff Hardy

Something about this match just didn't do it for me. It wasn't a bad match or anything, I just think it wasn't main-event quality, especially after the WWE match.

Although it wasn't the greatest athletic match, it did have a surprising ending. With all the talk going around of how Jeff hasn't re-signed his contract, I thought there was no way that he would walk out champion. After Punk hit the GTS, I was getting ready to close the window. I was sure, positive, that Punk would retain. And yet, I was wrong.

Jeff pulled off a victory, much to the delight of the crowd. I'm a big Hardy fan as well, but I'm a bit concerned, as I don't see this reign lasting long. I see Punk winning his rematch and Hardy leaving soon.

Ordinarily I would be upset by this, but it opens up the spot for the main event. John Morrison is well deserving of this spot, and it is about time he is put there. If it has to be at Jeff Hardy's expense, so be it. I want him in the main event now.

On a seperate note, however, Punk has been getting some great heat. He cut a great promo early in the night, insulting the audience. I'm not sure if everyone will consider him a heel yet, but I think it's pretty safe to say he is now.

So overall, this was an excellent PPV. I would even go as far as to say it was the best one this year so far. I'm sure people will disagree with me on this, but this PPV had eight matches, and all of them were of high quality. None of them needed gimmicks to be great either. The superstars/divas involved put on a great show all by themselves.

On a scale of 1-10, I give this PPV a 9.5. Well done, WWE!

As always, thanks for reading, and feedback is greatly appreciated.

John Morrison: The Star Of WWE 'Superstars'

Danny Starry — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:15:07 -0400

WWE Superstars is actually usually one of the better shows in my mind and this week it did not disappoint. It features mainly straight wrestling matches, with little or no ridiculous drama. I'm not saying I'm completely against drama, but when RAW puts on a two—hour show with an hour and a half of drama, it's a bit disappointing.

There's an old saying "quality over quantity" and this week's Superstars lived up to that. There were only three matches, but they were all exciting to watch and each lasted longer than thirty seconds.

Match One: Christian defeats William Regal

It's really a shame that Regal is jobbing now, because he's actually a really talented performer. He had the advantage throughout most of the match and pulled off some great power moves.

Another great thing about Regal is that he can get enormous heat. The crowd absolutely hates him! (I did find it humorous when the crowd started chanting USA at the beginning of the match, considering the competitors).

He is getting old, however, and he will excel at putting the newer superstars on ECW over. Not only can he sell moves well, but he can also make his opponent look good by dominating most of the match and then "being overcome."

This is exactly what he did to Christian tonight. He gave Christian some great momentum going into NoC so hopefully Christian can take the title back from Tommy Dreamer.

Match Two: Evan Bourne defeats Jamie Noble

I saw Jamie Noble in the ring and I thought this was going to be a squash match, but Noble actually put up a pretty impressive fight. It was mainly to push Bourne though, so it wasn't hard to predict who would win.

Bourne looked great in this match and hit a good number of athletic moves including his impressive finisher, the shooting star press. Noble actually hit a few impressive moves and countered the shooting star press twice. But, like I said, the match was to build up Bourne.

Hopefully Bourne will continue to be pushed. I wish he had been in the six pack challenge because he really deserves to be in a mid—card title hunt. The only reason I say mid—card is because he's not the biggest guy, so I don't see him as a World Title holder any time soon, if ever.

Main Event: John Morrison defeats Kane

Why is the "D" show the only show that realizes a main event needs to be longer than four minutes? John Morrison and Kane gave us a solid twenty minute main event. That's what I want to see from RAW and ECW!

Both of these competitors put on a great show if you ask me. I think Kane is probably the best monster in WWE now (although I am liking what Mark Henry is doing) and John Morrison is one of the best, if not the best, high flyer right now.

Kane dominated with his power moves, and Morrison fought back valiantly with exciting, high—energy moves. This clash of styles made for a very exciting match which left the viewer truly wondering who would win. Unless of course you looked up the spoilers.

Morrison ended up winning by DQ when Kane threw a chair at him. Kane was looking to dish out more damage to Morrison, but Khali came in, allowing Morrison to get in a chair shot of his own. Kane and Khali then had a brief encounter, showing that they will probably be feuding in the near future.

I've written briefly on the possibility of these two feuding before, and I said that I would not like to see it happen, but after seeing what Kane was capable of tonight, I think he just may be able to pull it off. Khali may be a lost cause, but Kane could at least keep us halfway interested.

As for Morrison, he needs to be in a damn PPV already. They guy is one of the best, not to mention one of my favorites. He's got skill, he's got charisma, he's got experience; put him in a title hunt!

Overall, Superstars put on a great show, especially after what RAW and ECW put on this week. Hopefully, the "A" show can learn from this taping.

Thanks for reading and as usual, feedback is always appreciated.

Abraham Washington Ruins ECW... Again

Danny Starry — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:27:49 -0400

To be fair, he didn't actually ruin ECW tonight. The whole show kind of sucked. He definitely helped add to it though, and left me with a feeling of nausea after his main event talk show.

How many times is he going to use an unoriginal fat joke on Tommy Dreamer? Tommy eats a ton, Tommy's butt is big, etc. We get it, Tommy is fat. We don't need you pointing that out, we can watch him in the ring to see that he's not the most athletic superstar.

I predicted, before the show started, that Tommy and Christian would fight during the show. Not really a hard prediction to make, and not really that accurate of one either. Each of them slapped each other and talked some classic smack. I guess what I was most disappointed with was that neither of them hit Abe.

As I said earlier, ECW was mostly a drag tonight anyway. Regal, Goldust, Paul Burchill, and some jobber each put over Yoshi, Shelton Benjamin, Tyler Reks, and Ezekial Jackson, respectively.

Zack Ryder was not included on the card, so the show automatically lost points there.

I think the highlight of the entire show was actually when Paul Burchill told the referee to "F--- off" after his post-match antics. I actually chuckled to myself and was entertained for a few seconds.

I really don't understand why Abraham Washington would be booked for the main event. I have never heard anyone say anything positive about him. I understand that heels are supposed to be hated, but they are supposed to be entertaining at the same time.

I know people have complained about Abe before, but I really think ECW needs to lose him. There are plenty of other superstars that could do better talk shows. Or, possibly give us some talented wrestling. Put one or two stars in a show, and then have a good grudge match.

Thanks for reading, and as usual, feedback is always appreciated.

WWE's Monday Night Raw Rocks Out with Guest Host ZZ Top

Danny Starry — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:52:20 -0400

I personally found this week's Raw to be rather disappointing. Maybe it was ZZ Top hosting it, maybe it was the fact that half of the matches were just repeats of last week's. Who knows? Something about this week's Raw just didn't feel right.

John Cena started Raw off, announcing that the main event would be Priceless vs. Cena and Triple H and began to say how excited he was for it. Randy Orton interrupted him, however, and after a brief standoff between Legacy and Cena and Triple H, Orton set up the main event so that he was also involved in it.

So the main event was set up to be basically the same as last week's.

Santino then had a short backstage segment with the guest hosts, ZZ Top. I'm wondering if Santino will actually wrestle anytime on Raw, because for the past few weeks he's just been talking with the hosts and not showing any action.

After a short commercial, it was announced that the United States Championship will be defended in a Six Pack Challenge between Kofi Kingston, Big Show, Jack Swagger, Miz, Carlito, and MVP.

Match One: three-on-three tag-team match between the teams of Kofi, MVP, Primo and Show, Swagger, and Carlito.

This was pretty much just a warm-up match for NoC. Primo got the pin on Carlito after some back and forth action. His celebration was cut short however, as he suffered a spear from Big Show. Show then continued to wreak havoc on everyone in the ring, proving that he is the dominant choice for the U.S. champion.

ZZ Top is still backstage with Santino as Chris Jericho walks in and introduces himself. He suggests that they have a jam session later, but ZZ Top announces that they have bigger plans for Jericho tonight. He will be taking on Mark Henry.

Another match that was shown last week.

Match Two: Standard Match between The Brian Kendrick and Jerry Lawler.

Vince is obviously still upset with Kendrick seeing as how he is now a glorified jobber. This week it was to a retired Hall of Famer turned announcer, Jerry Lawler. This was a very short match, and was not very entertaining.

Match Three: Standard Match between Chris Jericho and Mark Henry.

Henry started off as the dominant force, but Jericho soon got an advantage and knocked the World's Strongest Man down. The advantage didn't last for too long, however, and Henry once again used brute strength to control the match.

The match spilled out onto the floor where Jericho grabbed a chair and began to beat Henry with it. This caused Jericho to lose the match by DQ, but that was the least of his troubles. Henry then countered the third chair shot and threw Jericho across the announce table and back into the ring where he delivered the World's Strongest Slam.

This match wasn't awful, but it wasn't anything special either. Jericho is still yet to announce who his tag-team partner for NoC will be.

ZZ Top is shown backstage with Santino yet again, this time meeting Chavo Guerrero. Chavo says how he has been humiliated by Hornswoggle too many times and deserves better (basically what most of B/R is saying) and ZZ Top announces that he will be facing Hornswoggle yet again in a Tuxedo match.

A third repeat match.

Match Four: Tuxedo Match between Chavo and Hornswoggle.

Chavo's pants were sewn together, giving Hornswoggle an obvious advantage. Hornswoggle started off strong, ripping Chavo's jacket and shirt off, but Chavo then got a slight advantage and took Hornswoggle's jacket and shoes off.

Chavo then got pushed over the middle rope and became "caught up" in the ropes, allowing Hornswoggle to strip the pants and the dignity off of Chavo.

This is pissing me off almost as much Cena overcoming the odds. Chavo deserves to be pushed so much more, and yet he is not even mid-card level. He has lost to Hornswoggle three weeks in a row. This is past the point of funny, it's just plain ridiculous.

Chris Jericho was confronted by Priceless as he was walking to his car. They talked down to him and seemed very confident that they would win the titles this Sunday and that Jericho didn't even have a partner.

Jericho seemed just as egotistical and confident as always however and shot both of them down and replied that he could pick anyone in the WWE, even Randy Orton.

In my opinion, that last part was just ridiculous. Randy Orton as his partner? As much as I would enjoy seeing it, I can't say I'm betting on it happening. Orton is defending the much more prestigious WWE title later that night. There is no way he is going to waste any energy on any other match.

Match Five: Diva's Tag-team Match between Kelly Kelly/Gail Kim and Rosa/Alicia Fox.

This was actually the match of the night in my opinion. Well, Kelly Kelly looked good at least. She showed some great moves and athleticism and showed once again just how much she has improved since beginning in the WWE.

Rosa and Alicia Fox were ridiculous as usual. I'm not sure why either of them are in the ring. I guess WWE needs divas but talent would be nice.

Gail Kim looks good, but she wasn't given as much of the spotlight as Kelly Kelly in this match.

Alicia Fox actually somehow got the pin even though both she and Kelly Kelly were tied up in the ropes for the entire three count.

Main Event: Handicap Match between Legacy and Cena/Triple H.

We just saw this last week. It was the same match with a different ending. The majority of this match saw Triple H getting pounded by all three members of Legacy until he was able to make the hot tag to SuperCena.

Cena then began his finishing routine on Rhodes, but was unable to hit the F-U thanks to DiBiase. After some chaos in the ring, Cena was left with Orton, with the others strewn about outside. Orton went for the punt, missed, and Cena got the roll-up pin.

Despite the fact that I thought this match was rather pathetic, I'm glad Cena won it in that style. If he had pinned Orton after a five-knuckle shuffle and F-U, I would have been pissed, but the roll-up sort of lessens the whole "superhero" attitude.

Shaquille O'Neal was announced as next week's guest host. I don't think I am going to like it considering what I saw from ZZ Top. I understand that this will get more casual viewers, but celebrities don't really do it for the more dedicated fans. A Seth Green every now and then would be fine, but have the majority of the guest hosts be wrestlers. Or get a permanent GM.

Thanks for reading, and as usual, feedback is always appreciated.

Love Him or Hate Him: ECW's Zack Ryder Makes an Impact

Danny Starry — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:00:48 -0400

It's easy to hate Zack Ryder. I can completely understand how he would piss people off.

However, I find his character entertaining to watch both athletically and humor-wise. So, today I'll try to see both sides of the Zack Ryder argument.

Reasons to Hate Zack Ryder

Reason One: The Catch Phrase. "Woo Woo Woo. You know it!" It's a pretty ridiculous catch phrase all right. I personally find it humorous, but I've heard people say how stupid they think it is, so I guess it's a reason to hate him.

Reason Two: The Attire. No one can argue that Zack Ryder sports one of the most ridiculous outfits in the WWE currently. Just looking at the picture above proves that. But the glasses, the headband, and the crazy hair is just the half of it.

What you don't see in the picture, however, are the pants. Half pants, half wrestling tight. It's ridiculous, it's obnoxious, it's a reason to hate him.

Reason Three: The Attitude. He's cocky and, quite honestly, he's an idiot. The announcers on ECW constantly refer to him as a tool and unfortunately they're right. He looks like a stereotypical dumb jock and acts like one too, giving people another reason to hate him.

The thing is though, he's a heel. You're supposed to hate him. If you hate him, he's doing his job well. I usually like heels more than faces though, and Zack Ryder is no exception.

Reasons to Like Zack Ryder

Reason One: He's comedic. This basically involves everything I just listed as the reasons to hate him. I suppose some people don't really like this kind of humor, but in my opinion it's better than Santino cross-dressing or Chavo jobbing to Hornswoggle.

Reason Two: He's athletic. He's not big enough to rely solely on power moves, so he has to be somewhat of a high-flyer. He incorporates his legs into many of his moves, including missile dropkicks and his finisher, which actually looks pretty effective.

Reason Three: The Zack Attack. This is one of the better looking finishers in the WWE today. It's original, it's innovative, and it looks pretty damn effective. It is set up when the opponent is bent over slightly. Ryder then puts his knee against the side/back of their head and twists and slams their head down on his knee. It's kind of hard to explain, so if you haven't seen it, check it out here.

What I would like to see be done with Zack Ryder

Option One: Mid-Carder Forever. Although it isn't what I want to see, it's probably the most likely. Unless he receives a huge push soon, I fear he will end up much like the other mid-carders we have now. He has won his last three matches, however, so things are looking good for now.

Option Two: ECW Title Hunt. Since he is more of a veteran than the newcomers, this is technically possible. It's not likely right now, since we've got great competitors such as Dreamer and Christian right now, but maybe after their title "runs" are over, Ryder could get a chance.

Option Three: Feud with Edge. This is what I want to see the most, and of course, it's the least likely. But it could work.

Think about it. Edge looks like he is coming back face, it won't be for a while (giving Ryder time to rise), and they already have a decent storyline to start.

Ryder used to be one of the Edge-heads along with Curt Hawkins. He could feasibly start a feud with Edge based on how Edge treated him, or something similar to that. He would have to get off of ECW, of course, since I don't see Edge coming back to the "C" show.

There are plenty of other options for Edge as well when he comes back, but this is the one that I would like to see.

So there you have it. Love him or hate him, Zack Ryder has potential, and if he's used correctly, I think he could help ECW and even WWE as a whole.

As always, thanks for reading and feedback is greatly appreciated.

WWE Raw: Thumbs Up for Guest Host Seth Green

Danny Starry — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:04:16 -0400

It's not often I say this, but I was actually thoroughly impressed with this week's Monday Night Raw. Raw was hosted by Seth Green this week, and Seth got things started quickly by announcing the main event to be Legacy vs. Triple H, John Cena, and Green, himself.

Now, Seth Green isn't quite as tall as most of the WWE superstars, setting up quite a few good backstage comedy segments. Everyone from Santino to Big Show seemed to have something to say to Seth, usually concerning his height.

My personal favorite backstage moment, believe it or not, involved John Cena. Ordinarily, I'll bash Cena in my articles as much as I can, but I actually liked what I saw from him. He was funny, and he didn't pull off a miracle victory.

I was impressed by the main event. I expected either Cena to "overcome the odds" and F-U all three members of Legacy together, or for Seth Green to pin Orton after some ridiculous move.

Seth Green did not pull a Mickey Rourke, but actually took more of a beating than he dished out. He even looked like he was about to get punted in the head until SuperCena saved him at the last minute.

Instead, the match ended in disqualification after Legacy brought a chair into the ring and looked as if they were about to beat on Cena. Triple H brought out his trusted sledgehammer, though, and Legacy scampered away. It may have made them look a bit weak, but I don't think it took away from what I thought was a very enjoyable main event.

There were a few other things I liked about this Raw as well. One was the Primo vs. Miz match-up.

After coming back from a commercial break, Primo was standing in the ring to what was apparently his own music (I had no idea he even had theme music). He was ready to fight and called out his brother, Carlito.

Instead, The Miz came out and told Primo that he would be fighting him instead. The two had an average match, but what I liked was the ending. Carlito came out and distracted Primo, allowing Miz to take advantage and get the pin. Carlito then spit in the face of his brother, basically ensuring that they would not be making up.

It looks like WWE is giving us another brother vs. brother feud, which I don't particularly care for right now. I thought of something different though: What if Miz and Carlito teamed up against Primo and John Morrison?

Sure, this will probably never happen; I just think it would be interesting. John Morrison would have to be put on Raw, but since he's not deeply involved in any storyline right now, its technically possible. Like I said, I doubt this will happen, I just think it would be interesting to watch former enemies team up against former partners.

I also like what Raw is doing with Mark Henry. I think turning him face will end up being a good decision, and it ought to be enjoyable to see him in a new light. I also like how they are turning him face.

Mark Henry acted like he was going to befriend both Randy Orton and Chris Jericho, only to turn on them moments later. Both Orton and Jericho are huge heels right now, so attacking them was a great way to turn face. I liked his attitude of "Yeah, I'll help you. Psh, just kidding."

Finally, who is going to be Chris Jericho's tag team partner? I know a few other people have dedicated entire articles to this subject, so I'll keep it short and sweet. I think Chris Jericho's partner should be The Miz.

I know I just said that The Miz and Carlito should tag, but I think this could be more likely. Both of them are arrogant, deserve the titles, and have experience in tag matches. Miz is more of a mid-carder right now, but that could all change with the right push, and this could be it.

So overall, it was a great performance by Monday Night Raw. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.

As always, thanks for reading and feedback is always appreciated.

Endless Possibilities for Smackdown!: The True "A" Show of WWE

Danny Starry — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:15:35 -0400

I just finished watching this Friday Night's Smackdown!, and I found myself thinking, "Now what would I do from here?"

I actually had quite a few different ideas for many of the different feuds, which pleases me, since Raw is going nowhere fast right now.

Before I go any further, let me say that I watched Smackdown! on YouTube, so it may not have aired where you live yet. I will be giving away the endings to some of the matches, so stop reading if you are waiting to watch it.

Smackdown! opened with Jeff Hardy coming out with an eye patch on, mocking CM Punk. After a short promo, Kane came out and had a match with Hardy. Kane had the advantage for the majority of the match, but towards the end, Hardy got the upper hand.

Just as Hardy was about to hit a Swanton Bomb, CM Punk's music hits and out comes Punk, staring Hardy down. Hardy is distracted long enough to allow Kane to get up and hit a chokeslam from the top rope.

Kane then gets the win over the No. 1 contender via pinfall.

I didn't really think much of this result, since it made sense that Punk would want to mess with Hardy and cause him to lose. I got a strange idea later on in the show, however, after Punk's match.

Later in the show, Punk faced The Great Khali. Khali had the advantage for most of the match, but then Kane came out, holding a chair. Khali looked shocked for a bit while Punk slid out of the ring.

Ranjin Singh gave Khali a chair, and the two monsters had a bit of a stand-off in the ring. Kane struck first, but Khali stood strong. Khali then punched Kane's chair away and got a bit of revenge by giving Kane a chair shot.

I wrote earlier that we might be seeing the beginning of a monster versus monster feud between Kane and Khali. This would be beyond boring, if you ask me, however, I thought of something that would spice it up quite a bit.

What if Punk and Hardy joined the feud? Punk and Kane could team against Hardy and Khali. The two high-flyers would provide the "wow" factor, and the two monsters would provide us with the power moves.

It makes sense, too. Khali and Kane have been at ends with each other, and Hardy recently lost to Kane due to interference from Punk. Punk also was losing in his match until Kane showed up.

Kane and Punk have been helping each other, why not let Hardy and Khali help each other?

There is the small matter of Punk holding the World Heavyweight Championship currently. Now, I wouldn't mind him holding a title and tagging with Kane at the same time, but WWE doesn't seem to like tag members holding other titles, or being involved in a title hunt, for that matter.

Give the title to John Morrison or Chris Jericho, and let them feud. Morrison said to Teddy that he wanted to challenge the winner of Punk vs. Hardy. Teddy seems to like Morrison, so he should set that up.

Jericho will want to also be in the main event now that his tag partner, Edge, is injured. It would be interesting to see him hold all four tag titles by himself, though.

Sure, Jericho could get a new partner, but I don't really want WWE to just throw together any tag team they can just to keep the titles on Jericho. He's better in the singles, if you ask me.

Dolph Ziggler beat John Morrison in a singles match in true heel fashion. Ziggler got a roll-up and held Morrison's tights for the three-count. This, of course, leads the viewers to believe that Ziggler should be in the main event over Morrison.

There's a problem with that, though.

Ziggler and Jericho are both heels. WWE doesn't do heel vs. heel feuds, especially for the big titles. So, for the WHC, I'll keep Morrison vs. Jericho.

But what to do with Ziggler?

Ziggler has talent and plays a great heel. Where do we need a heel? In the intercontinental championship hunt.

Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho had a great feud, but Mysterio just retained against Jericho, allowing a new heel to start feuding for the title.

Ziggler also attacked Mysterio after his match with Jericho, setting up the start of a feud.

It all fits.

Plus, Joe Burgett mentioned that Ziggler was going to start on the IC path soon, so that's also where I got this idea.

Well, thats what I would do if I was one of the writers. Agree? Disagree? Different ideas? I'd love to hear them.

As always, thanks for reading and feedback is greatly appreciated.

Shameless plug: Think WWE and TNA are getting stale and boring? Looking for the best new talent? Check out Ring of Honor on HDNet or check out their youtube channel. You won't be disappointed!

Ring Of Honor Presents: Claudio Castagnoli, He's Very European!

Danny Starry — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:06:08 -0400

"He's very European." That is a phrase that is often said of Claudio Castagnoli (who I will be referring to simply as Claudio from now on due to the complexity of his last name).

This phrase is due to the fact that he is from Switzerland. However, there are many other words that would fit in that phrase.

Claudio is also very powerful. Standing at six and a half feet tall, he is what would be considered more of a power moves-based wrestler. Despite this, however, he has the agility to move quickly and the ability to perform top rope moves when needed.

Claudio is also very conceited. He looks down on Americans (and everyone else for that matter) and treats them as if they are his subjects. Now, conceited leaves one to think that Claudio is a heel, and he certainly plays that role well.

Since around January of this year, Claudio has been involved in a feud with Brent Albright. This started over a controversial call in a match. These two wrestlers have put on great match after great match with each other and shown how a feud should be run (*cough* pay attention WWE *cough*).

In the last two singles matches between the two, Claudio has gotten the best of Brent in true heel fashion. In the first of the two matches, Claudio got the pin after rolling Brent up and holding on to the ropes. The ref did not notice the rope hold however, and Claudio was announced the victor anyway.

In the following match, Brent had Claudio locked into one of his finishing holds, the crowbar, and it looked as if Claudio would tap soon. There was outside interference, however, when Ernie Osiris threw a shoe at Brent causing him to break his hold.

While the ref was distracted with Ernie, Claudio delivered a low blow and was able to get the pin. This introduced The Embassy into the feud.

The feud is now dwindling in a way, since more wrestlers have been introduced, including Colt Cabana and the Necro Butcher.

As I mentioned already, Claudio is a power moves-based wrestler. He uses European uppercuts frequently (another reason he's very European) and even incorporates them into one of his finishers, Swiss Death. In this move he throws the opponent up and then delivers a European uppercut to them.

This usually is followed by his other finisher, The Ricola Bomb. This is a modified powerbomb in which Claudio first crosses the opponent's arms and then delivers the powerbomb usually pinning them immediately after.

*Fun Fact* Claudio was going to join the WWE but was released before he ever wrestled. He was however featured in backstage segment involving DX. Watch it here. Claudio is the second cop seen. He doesn't actually do anything but it's interesting to see him on WWE.

As always thanks for reading and feedback is greatly appreciated.

Ray Bogusz has been promoting RoH a lot lately, and I would like to help. This is the ending to his latest article. I'm giving credit to Ray for this ending and getting me into RoH. Thanks again Ray!

Ring of Honor can be seen on its YouTube channel, or on HDNet. While you're clicking on all these links, why not join the ROH Community?

See also:

MsChif

WWE Disbands One Of The Few Tag Teams Left: The Colons

Danny Starry — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:37:00 -0400

Last Monday Night's Raw showed us that Carlito just could not stand losing anymore and chose to blame Primo for his losses. Now, I actually wanted this split to happen, I just think the timing of it is not too great for the tag team division.

As I, along with many others, have said already, WWE's tag team division has been suffering and needs to be built up more. Disbanding teams at this point is the exact opposite of what they should be doing.

Let's look at the tag teams that WWE has currently.

Cryme Tyme: These two have finally started wrestling again and seem to have started a feud The Hart Dynasty.

Hart Dynasty: As I just mentioned, these two are now feuding with Cryme Tyme. These guys were looking real good together on ECW and I hope they can continue to perform well on Smackdown and eventually hold the titles.

Priceless: While these two could easily rise to greatness, they have been struggling both in the ring as well as out of the ring. In singles matches, both lost on Raw last night and Ted has been showing some attitude towards Orton.

Legacy is set up for a split when Ted turns face which is a lose-lose situation right now. Either Ted is the only one to leave, breaking up Priceless, or Cody leaves as well, destroying Legacy.

Rated Y2J: As most of you have heard by now, this team has to disband now since Edge apparently tore his Achilles Tendon. This team would have done the tag division a world of good and, although WWE couldn't have foreseen this, it makes the timing of the Colons split that much worse.

Regal and Kozlov?: Although this isn't an official tag team yet, I personally think it needs to be seeing as how without them, WWE has only three tag teams. I don't know how it will turn out though since Kozlov is scheduled for a number one contender's match for the ECW title on the next episode of ECW.

Splitting the Colons cost WWE one of their much needed tag teams, but what's done is done. Where will the Colons go from here? I have a few theories...

Theory one: The Colons make up

I really don't think this is going to happen. However, maybe WWE will realize that with Edge out of action, they need more tag teams and they will make Carlito realize he was out of his head or whatever and apologize. I doubt it though, and we'll probably see another brother vs. brother feud.

Theory two: A brother vs. brother feud

This seems most likely, even though we don't really need it. We recently saw the Hardys feud with each other and we all know how that turned out. It was great for Jeff, but not so much for Matt.

If these two do end up feuding, I'm pretty sure the same thing will happen. The only question is who will suffer the fate of Matt?

Either one could possibly be buried. Carlito has been great before, so he could easily once again rise to greatness, or be used to push Primo and be buried in the process.

Theory three: Separate paths

This is the theory that I would like to see happen. Carlito, as a heel, could easily rise to the top and give Orton a rest. By the time he gets to the top, we will have seen Orton feud with every top face. Carlito could come in and provide more feuds.

Primo, in my opinion, is the less talented of the two brothers. Because of this, and the fact that he is a face, he could do well in a mid-card title hunt. Raw doesn't need another top face in the main title hunt, so mid-card seems like a better place for him.

As always, thanks for reading and feedback is greatly appreciated.

My New Addiction, Ring of Honor, Presents: Delirious

Danny Starry — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:32:36 -0400

First of all, a big shout out to Ray Bogusz for his articles on Ring of Honor wrestlers and getting me interested in this great wrestling organization.

The first match I ever saw in Ring of Honor, which happened to be yesterday, featured Delirious vs. Jerry Lynn. While both of these two are great athletes and put on an excellent show, I chose to write about Delirious because he seemed like quite an interesting character right away.

And I was correct. Delirious is a demented, high-energy, high-flying, maniac who goes crazy at the sound of the bell and doesn't let up from that point forward. He's like Festus. That is, if Festus was awesome.

Although Delirious lost his first match that I saw, he still managed to amaze me with his in-ring style and incredible athleticism. What makes him an incredible athlete is the fact that he is able to pull off both power moves as well as the high risk moves that amaze the fans.

Delirious has a few unique moves including his finisher, Shadows over Hell. This is a top rope move in which he does a splash onto the opponent who is either bent over or on all fours. This move is kind of hard to explain and much easier to just see it performed.

I would suggest you watch The Top Ten Moves of Delirious. While some of these moves are not exclusive to Delirious, he still pulls them off excellently and makes the viewer feel like he is actually inflicting a lot of pain to his opponent.

I think my personal favorite move of Delirious would have to be his Panic Attack. Its basically a running knee to the face of a downed opponent, usually in the corner. Although its a relatively simple move, Delirious makes it look so realistic that it leaves me amazed every time.

Delirious was quite recently in a Fight Without Honor match against Jimmy Jacobs. This is basically RoH's version of a No Holds Barred Match. I found this match particularly entertaining and would highly recommend it to any wrestling fan.

This match, along with every other RoH match on HDNet, can be found on RoH's youtube channel. I ask you to check it out at least once. RoH is just as good as WWE and far better than TNA in my opinion. They get straight to the wrestling and don't worry about PG guidelines. I loved it after the first match, so hopefully you will too.

As always thanks for reading and feedback will be greatly appreciated.

And thanks once again to Ray Bogusz for getting me into RoH!

John Cena vs. Triple H: A Main Event I Am Not Looking Forward To

Danny Starry — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:52:47 -0400

I was just watching USA and saw what felt like the 100th promo for next Monday Night Raw's main event: John Cena vs. Triple H for the No. 1 contender's spot at Night of Champions. This got me thinking about the possible outcomes of the match.

First, let me recall how we got to this mind-blowing match.

Last Monday, Batista announced that there would be a mini-tournament to determine Randy Orton's No. 1 contender.

There would be four competitors taking place in two first-round matches, allowing the finals to take place the following week. Triple H would take on MVP, and John Cena would take on The Miz.

I thought to myself, "Oh, good. Hopefully, we'll see one of the main event stars take on one of the mid-carders and either MVP or The Miz will be getting a well deserved and needed push." Silly me.

Both Triple H and John Cena won their matches after their respective opponents had the advantage for the majority of the match.

Not only does this kill the momentum that The Miz had and MVP could of had, but it promotes two superstars that are already larger than life.

Plus, it draws a very clearly defined line between main eventers and mid-carders and makes it almost impossible for the mid-carders to cross it.

Now, WWE has been hyping up this match as much as possible. Lawler has even said it will be the best main event he's ever witnessed. Two of WWE's biggest superstars fighting for a chance to take the gold from Randy Orton. It should be great!

The only good thing that I see coming out of this match is that one of these ego-maniacs will lose. Why? Well, lets look at the possibilities for each superstar.

Triple H wins.

Upsides to this? We've finally found John Cena's kryptonite.

Downsides to this? Triple H faces Randy Orton at a PPV for the 100th time.

Now, let me just say I don't mind Triple H; I actually like him as a wrestler. I just don't (and I know many others have said this too) want to see Triple H vs. Randy Orton over and over again.

My hopes are that if WWE does decide to go with Triple H winning, he will lose at Night of Champions, setting up a match for Summerslam.

I know that sounds strange, seeing as how I just said I don't want to see these two wrestle each other ever again, but let me explain.

This feud has been going on forever. Night of Champions is not a fitting PPV to end this feud.

Summerslam, on the other hand, is considered one of the "big four." WWE should have ended this feud at Wrestlemania, but Summerslam works for me. Set up a big match (Hell in a Cell maybe) and end it once and for all.

As much as I want Orton to retain his title, if dropping it at Summerslam meant ending the feud, I would be happy. Orton could feud with a new face, Triple H could feud with a new heel, and we would all be happy.

John Cena wins.

Upsides? I really can't think of any.

Downsides? John Cena has once again shown that he can "overcome the odds" and will probably win by hitting one F-U on Triple H.

This may not seem fair to Cena, since I am quite obviously biased against him. Shane Howard's latest humor article on Wrestlemania 26 made my day because of how he slammed Cena. That being said, let's see why I don't want him to win, storyline wise.

If Cena beats Triple H and moves on to Night of Champions, I see two possible outcomes.

The first is, Cena wins after losing the majority of the match to Orton in a match that makes Orton actually look good. This allows Cena's fans to think that he has once again overcome the odds.

The alternative isn't much better. If Orton retains, I have a strange feeling that it won't be fairly. Orton will spend the majority of the match running away from Cena and looking like a coward.

Legacy will then get involved, have a three-on-one beat down on Cena, and Orton will retain. This, or Orton will get himself intentionally disqualified and retain that way. This only makes Orton look bad and Cena look more like a wronged superhero.

Either way, I'm sure Cena will just laugh it off, remind us that he has suffered worse fates, and ask for a rematch.

Ordinarily, I would applaud good sportsmanship, but when Cena does it, I just get pissed. If someone took away my chance at a championship title uncleanly, I'd flip out much like Jeff Hardy did.

Who knows though? Maybe WWE will pleasantly surprise me.

As always, feedback is appreciated and thanks for reading (I apologize that this was more of a rant than an article).

Note: When I had written this article I was unaware that the spoilers for Raw were already out. Also, some of the comments below tell of some spoilers, including the result of this match. If you don't want to know, DON'T READ THE COMMENTS!

ECW's New Roster: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Danny Starry — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:59:08 -0400

I wasn't planning on writing on ECW this week (or even watching it for that matter) but there were so many new faces, I feel that I must. ECW not only received five great draft picks, according to GM Tiffany, but also a number of young new superstars.

The Good

Yoshi: Although we didn't see much from him, I have a feeling he's got potential. He showed one athletic move and will obviously be getting a push since he beat The Gold Standard. Hopefully we'll see him actually wrestle next week.

Shelton Benjamin: Even though he lost to a brand new wrestler, this is probably the best place for Benjamin right now. Here he can shine among the newer superstars and hopefully go after the ECW title soon. At the very least, he can give the new guys a bit of a push, but I hope to see more of him actually wrestling soon.

William Regal: Regal showed dominating force in his main event tag match with Kozlov. He showed that he will be a force-to-be-reckoned-with and we may even see him in the title hunt soon, too. I have no doubt that he, too, will be aiding the younger talent get a push.

Kozlov: True, he's not actually new, but this was his first real match on ECW. Before tonight, he was taking out jobbers left and right. Now, in his nice new red outfit, he tagged with Regal and made a definite statement for himself. Could we even possibly be seeing a new tag team? I hope so.

The Bad

Abraham Washington: Umm...this is wrestling, not Comedy Central's stand-up night. Bad jokes, a lame "talk show", and he didn't even show us if he could wrestle. First impressions are important as a fellow B/R writer said recently, and Abe did not make a good one. All I can say is, he better be one hell of a wrestler.

The Bella Twins: The only two divas on ECW right now if I'm not mistaken. So unless they feud with each other, there isn't much for them to do here. Their positives? They look good I guess. Oh, and we found out tonight that they are excellent on the mic...

The Ugly

Sheamus: This guy is hard to look at, no doubt about that. His match tonight was against a jobber, so it was kind of hard to tell how good he actually was. Hopefully we'll see more of his wrestling ability in future weeks. Dan also reminded me that Sheamus' finisher is quite impressive, so hopefully we'll also see more of that in the future.

Goldust: Goldust did not appear on ECW tonight, and I can't say I'm disappointed. The only thing I see him being used for is to push the new talent over anyway so I guess ECW is the best place for him.

Where does ECW go from here?

There was one more new superstar that is now a part of ECW but I can't quite remember his name. He introduced himself to Zack Ryder and will be competing against Ryder this Thursday on WWE Superstars.

A lot of people have voiced their opinions on how ECW got robbed in this mini-draft. I wholeheartedly agreed with them until watching ECW tonight.

I must admit, ECW gave up alot. The Hart Dynasty, Finlay, Bourne, Mark Henry, and Jack Swagger all left and it seemed like ECW didn't get much in return.

On paper, the names drafted to ECW don't seem too impressive. However, I think ECW won't be too badly off after all.

Sure the Bella twins were a waste, but Regal tagging with Kozlov has real potential and finally gives the writers something to do with Kozlov. Benjamin can do some great things, and if not can push younger wrestlers along with Goldust.

Add those to the young new talent, and ECW might not be too badly off after all.

Thanks for reading and feedback will be much appreciated.

What Does WWE Have Planned For Randy Orton's Legacy?

Danny Starry — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:11:42 -0400

First, let me just say that this wasn't the picture I wanted. B/R won't let me upload photos for some reason, and this is the only picture of Orton they had.

The way I see it, there are many possibilities for Legacy at this point.

Possibility No. 1: Legacy Splits into Orton and Priceless.

Rhodes and DiBiase lost in their tag team match this past Sunday at The Bash and Orton proved that he did not give a damn. Orton was thinking only about No. 1, himself.

I'm not completely against this theory. In my opinion, Orton could do much better without them. Currently, he is portrayed as a coward who can't do anything unless Rhodes and DiBiase come to help him. This should not be the case, though.

Think of the few matches that Priceless didn't interfere in.

Fatal Four Way for WWE Championship: No Priceless, no problem. In this match, Orton showed us that he was able to wrestle, and able to actually hit an RKO. He got a clean pin on Big Show and was rewarded for it.

Last Man Standing match with Triple H: Let's be honest, everyone expected Priceless to interfere in this match after Orton got beaten up for a few minutes. This was not the case however, and Orton had the upper hand for most of the match. Triple H did get the last hit in; however, Orton did not actually lose this match.

Gauntlet Match: As a whole, this match isn't that great of an example. The first match with Evan Bourne, however, is. Bourne looked good, and Orton was able to counter many of his moves, including his finisher. He was able to hit the RKO and get the pin cleanly.

Orton can survive without Priceless, but what about vice versa.

I'm pretty sure Priceless could do just fine without Orton as well. Although they did lose their last match for the titles, they still should be in the title hunt and seem to perform just as well, if not better, without Orton around.

Possibility No. 2: Jack Swagger Joins Legacy, Forming a Four-Man Stable.

This past Monday's Raw showed us that Jack Swagger is a suck-up. He willingly got counted out against Orton in order to "make a lasting impression" and show his respect for Orton. As far as I see it, Orton can take this two ways.

First, he could ignore it and act like he doesn't owe Swagger anything. He can claim that since he isn't a second-generation superstar, he can't join Legacy. Swagger can then complain about this and feud with Orton.

I don't see this happening as much since WWE isn't too fond of heel vs. heel feuds and Jack Swagger doesn't seem like much of a face. Who knows, though.

The other thing Orton could do is incorporate Swagger into Legacy. While I don't see Orton being the grateful type, this storyline could really work.

I personally think that having four men in a stable is much more threatening than three. Just think about The Four Horsemen or Evolution. It would also allow them to capture all of the title son Raw and establish themselves a true threat.

Orton would be WWE Champ, Pricelss would take the tag titles, and Swagger would capture the U.S. title.

The only problem I see with this is that Swagger seems a bit too cocky to settle for a mid-card title. I suppose he could theoretically turn on Orton after a while, but who knows. I just hope Swagger doesn't turn into one of Orton's mindless henchmen.

Possibility No. 3: Swagger Joins, DiBiase Quits.

WWE has been pushing this DiBiase/Orton argument since The Bash pretty heavily. Orton didn't care that Priceless lost in their title match, and he didn't care that DiBiase's father was going to be the next guest GM on Raw.

Now, Rhodes doesn't seem to mind being treated like dirt, but DiBiase seems to think he deserves more (which he does). This could, of course, lead to DiBiase leaving the group to go on his own title hunt.

I don't really see this happening too much, but again, it could cause several good storylines. Of course, if DiBiase left, he would most likely convince Rhodes to quit as well, leaving just Swagger and Orton.

DiBiase's father could come into play as well. He could talk Ted into quitting since he has been getting treated so badly. Then DiBiase Sr. could set Orton up in another grueling match as revenge.

Of course, there is no way to tell what WWE is thinking so this is all just speculation on my part. I personally like where all three of the theories could go but I think right now, number two seems like the best option.

Thanks for reading, and as usual, feedback is always appreciated.

Batista in Charge Of Raw 6/29/09

Danny Starry — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:18:30 -0400

Mr. McMahon started things off on Raw tonight by giving the fans a recap of some of Trump's ideas including some roster changes that would remain. He also announced that he would be abiding by the guest GM every week policy that Trump mentioned.

The guest GM this week: Batista!

Batista announced that there would be a tournament to determine the number one contender for the WWE Championship at Night of Champions. In the first round, it would be John Cena vs. The Miz and Triple H vs. MVP.

Randy Orton then came out and threatened Batista, but then learned that as GM, Batista had unlimited power. Batista used that power to put Orton in a three-on-one Gauntlet match between Orton and three of the superstars drafted from SD!

Match One: Night Of Champions Tournament Match between Triple H and MVP.

Early into the match, Triple H made it obvious that his leg was hurting from last night. MVP used this as an advantage, targeting it several times and even locking the famous figure-four leg lock. Triple H attempted a Pedigree but MVP countered and then hit his Ballin' elbow.

MVP then hit a big boot and after a near fall, went for the Playmaker. Triple H countered this however, hit a Pedigree, and got the pin.

In my opinion, Triple H looked exactly like Cena in this match. MVP had everything going for him until Triple H hit one Pedigree. Triple H used that one move to get the win and continued into the finals, injured leg and all.

The good news for MVP, however, is that he showed some good athleticism in this match. The crowd didn't seem very into it, but if MVP gets a little more of a push, he could easily be more involved in the title hunt very soon.

Match Two: Tag-Team Championship Match between Chris Jericho and Edge (defending) and The Colons.

Before the match, Edge and Jericho cut a short promo, talking down to the fans, but were interrupted after a few minutes by their challengers, The Colons.

Jericho and Primo started things off and Primo got the advantage early. Primo then countered a cheap shot from Edge and threw Jericho out of the ring on top of Edge. Carlito then entered the ring and The Colons hit Edge and Jericho from inside the ring with baseball slides. The two stood triumphantly in the ring as Raw went to a commercial.

Raw came back to Jericho having the advantage over Primo. Edge and Jericho both did some damage to Primo, but Primo eventually got a tag to Carlito. Jericho went for a lionsault, but Carlito countered and got a near-fall out of it.

Jericho was able to tag Edge back in but as Edge went for a spear, Primo pulled Carlito out of the way. Edge then got distracted by Primo, allowing Carlito to hit a backbreaker. The ref however, did not start the count immediately due to the fact the he was dealing with Primo.

It looked as if The Colons were going to win as Carlito had Edge's shoulders to the mat, but Jericho broke up the pin just in time. Primo took Jericho out of the ring and the two started to fight outside of the ring.

Back in the ring, Carlito tried to hit a springboard move on Edge, but as he jumped on the rope, Jericho knocked Primo into it, causing Carlito to fall. Edge then capitalized on the moment by hitting a spear and getting the pin.

I think this match shows hopefully that the tag team division is on a rise again. Jericho and Edge can do wonders for it and put on a very good show with The Colons. I have no doubt that The Colons will stay in the title hunt however, since they are the most dominant face team currently and will cause Edge and Jericho to visit Raw, helping Raw out.

After another commercial break, Legacy is shown backstage discussing how unfair the Gauntlet match is. Batista shows up and mentions that if Priceless interferes they will be fired.

Match Three: Night Of Champions Tournament Match between John Cena and The Miz.

Miz started this match off with momentum but Cena soon countered and hit quite a few power moves. Miz then countered as he was sent to the corner however and once again got the advantage, delivering several fists to Cena.

Cena once again got the advantage, hitting a couple power moves and put Miz in a headlock. The two moved to the corner where the ref broke the two up. Miz used this opportunity to get a cheap shot in and once again gain the advantage.

This Miz advantage lasted a bit longer as the Miz was able to hit a few power moves and even get a near fall out of it. Cena tried to counter with a running bull dog but Miz was able to counter this and threw Cena to the mat.

As Cena got up, Miz pulled Cena's neck down onto the rope and began an assault on Cena, eventually leading Cena into the corner. The ref managed to pull Miz off Cena as Raw went to another commercial break.

Miz continued with the advantage as Raw returned. Miz got a near fall after a clothesline and delivered several more fists onto Cena. Cena tried to deliver an F-U from the second rope but Miz countered and delivered an electric chair drop to Cena.

Cena kicked out twice after this and Miz continued the assault. Cena tried another counter and tried to put Miz in the STF(U) but Miz countered into a sleeper. It looked like Cena was going to pass out but managed to back Miz into a corner, giving Cena the advantage.

Cena then hit two shoulder blocks, a five-knuckle shuffle, a leg drop, and then made Miz tap out to the STF(U).

Once again, this is why I hate Cena. I was writing this as the match was going on and as you can see, Miz dominated for six paragraphs. Cena then "overcomes the odds" and beats Miz with one sentence.

With Cena winning this round of the tournament, I can't say I am looking forward to the finals much. If Triple H wins, they continue a stale feud between him and Orton. But honestly, I think this is better than the alternative.

If Cena wins, Orton is doomed because even if he adds ten more members to Legacy and they all destroy Cena for a straight hour, Cena will muster up the strength to hit one move and pin Orton.

After another commercial, Legacy is shown in the locker room again. DiBiase informs Orton that his father will be guest GM next week. Orton doesn't care however since that doesn't help him tonight and storms off. Could Legacy be breaking up soon?

Match Four: No. 1 Contender's Match for Diva's Championship at NOC between Kelly Kelly, Mickie James, Rosa, and The Glamazon.

This was one of the best Diva matches on Raw in a long time. It gave them plenty of time to show the wrestling world what they are capable. There were many good spots including an instance when all four had each other in headlocks. Beth powered out of it however, and ran the other three into the corner.

Kelly, Mickie, and Beth each had a number of near falls, usually broken up by another Diva. Mickie finally capitalized by pinning Rosa as Beth and Kelly were out of action.

I, personally, am looking foward to this match at NOC. In my opinion, Mickie is the best Diva in terms of wrestling skills and should be able to put on a good show. Unfortunately for her, she won't be able to become the first Diva to earn both the Women's and Diva's Championships but it should still be a good match.

Match Five: Standard Match between Big Show and Kofi Kingston.

Kingston started off by kicking Show a few times, however, Show quickly got the advantage and performed quite a few power moves. Eventually Kingston was able to counter however and hit a missile drop kick. After getting a near fall, Kofi jumped on Show in the corner, allowing Show to simply throw Kingston to the floor.

Show then followed Kingston outside the ring and was about to throw him into the ring post but Kingston managed to counter and send Show into the post. However, neither man was able to make it back into the ring, resulting in a double disqualification by count-out.

I'm not sure what to think of this match really. It seems to be pulled out of nowhere and Show didn't really seem that into it. I've heard rumors that Show may be getting released soon due to issues with the IRS and some boxing organization so I guess that may have had something to do with it.

Kingston couldn't really do much in this match since Show is so much bigger. That doesn't really allow Kingston to get much of a push since he was counted out as well. Seems like a worthless match if you ask me.

Main Event: Gauntlet Match between Randy Orton and Evan Bourne, Jack Swagger, and Mark Henry.

Match One: Evan Bourne. Bourne had the advantage early on, scoring some nice athletic moves as well as a near fall. Orton then gained the advantage and began to attack Bourne's legs. Bourne countered again though and hit a standing moonsault.

Bourne continued to show great athleticism, hitting Orton with more high-flying moves. When Bourne went for a Shooting Star Press however, Orton hit the ropes, causing Bourne to fall and allowing Orton to hit an RKO and get the pin.

This was a great match in my opinion. Bourne made a great impression on the Raw crowd and can easily go after a title soon. Most likely the U.S. title, but hey, any title is good.

Match Two: Jack Swagger. Swagger came out strong and hit the already damaged Orton with a power move. Swagger then stood outside the ring smiling at the ref and got counted out? Swagger then told Orton that he always respected him and wanted to leave a lasting impression.

The only thing I can see coming out of this is that Swagger wants in on Legacy and is trying to get on Orton's good side. Either way, he did Orton a favor.

Match Three: Mark Henry. Orton's eyes went wide when Henry's music went off. Henry came in with a mic and said he too respected Orton and wanted to make an impression. Henry hit one move and then stood outside the ring just like Swagger.

At five, however, Henry grabbed the refs hand and re-entered the ring. Orton got on his knees and pleaded with Henry not to do anything. Henry didn't care however and began the onslaught on Orton. After a few minutes of a beatdown, Orton suffered the World's Strongest Slam and got pinned by Henry.

Good ole' Mark Henry. I figured he wouldn't actually do the same thing Swagger did and I have to say I would have been pissed if he had. Henry showed absolute domination and will probably be in the title hunt soon. And could he possibly be turning face?

Thanks for reading and as always, feedback is appreciated.

The Results and Aftermath Of WWE's The Bash

Danny Starry — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:11:44 -0400

Another PPV has come and gone and as many predicted, The Bash left something to be desired. Some of the matches did prove to be exciting; however, the majority of the PPV was less than what I had hoped for.

Match 1: Scramble Match for ECW Championship between Christian, Jack Swagger, Finlay, Mark Henry, and Tommy Dreamer (defending).

This match was much like the previous scramble matches that WWE had provided. Christian and Swagger started off, followed by Finlay, Tommy Dreamer, and finally Mark Henry.

Swagger started things off by pinning Finlay soon after Finlay entered; however, Finlay soon earned a pinfall of his own. Mark Henry got a pinfall soon after that, followed by another Swagger pinfall. In the end, however, Dreamer walked away victorious, still ECW Champion.

Overall, I felt that this was an average match. There was enough excitement to keep it interesting, but not enough to really "wow" the crowd.

I'm glad Dreamer retained because this really wouldn't have been a great PPV for him to drop a title that he has worked on for so long.

Match 2: Intercontinental Championship Match between Chris Jericho (defending) and Rey Mysterio. This match also carried the stipulation that, if Rey lost, he would have to lose his mask forever.

Mysterio had most of the momentum early on in this match hitting many high-risk moves such as a seated senton from the turnbuckle to outside the ring, as well as a highly creative double springboard move.

The momentum changed however when Jericho locked in the Walls of Jericho. Mysterio managed to escape and set Jericho up for a reverse 619, but Jericho dodged it and countered with a clothesline. Jericho then attempted a lionsault, but Mysterio was able to get out of the way in time.

It looked as if Jericho had it after he countered a springboard splash, hitting a codebreaker as Mysterio was falling, but was unable to keep Mysterio's shoulders down for three.

After some more back and forth action, Mysterio hit a 619 and was going for a springboard splash, but Jericho countered it and got Mysterio into the Walls once again.

As Mysterio got out of the Walls, Jericho ripped of Rey's mask and held it as a trophy. Unfortunately for him, Mysterio had another mask on and continued fighting as Jericho was taunting the crowd. Mysterio hit another 619 and got the pin.

This match, in my opinion, was the best of the night. There was plenty of action, a good amount of high-flying, and I am overall happy with the result. I am a bit upset that Jericho did not hold the title for too long, but I feel its a good thing that Rey kept his mask and hopefully this feud will continue.

Match 3: No DQ Grudge Match between Dolph Ziggler and The Great Khali.

Many people talked down about this match beforehand, but it turned out to not be as bad as expected. Ziggler took a number of bumps from high spots and eventually incorporated a chair into the fight.

What also helped this match was the surprise at the end. All of a sudden, as the two are fighting, Kane's music comes on and Kane appears at the top of the ramp. Khali is distracted and Ziggler hits him with the chair while his guard is down.

As Kane approaches the ring, Ziggler leaves and Kane enters. Kane takes the discarded chair and delivers several chair shots to the already downed Khali. Kane then leaves as suddenly as he arrived and Ziggler climbs back in the ring and claims the pin.

This match both impressed me and confused me. I'm impressed that this match turned out better than expected and confused as to where Kane is involved in all of this. I haven't been following SD! as closely as I would like to, but as far as I know, Kane had been missing for quite a while.

As far as I can tell, its just the start of a new feud between Kane and Khali. I hope that Ziggler can remain involved, however, because I have a feeling that a Khali/Kane feud would be terribly boring.

Match 4: Tag Team Championship Match between The Colons (defending) and Priceless.

Unfortunately, my internet went down during this match, so I cannot give an accurate account of this match. All I know is that for some reason, Teddy Long decided to put Edge and Chris Jericho in the match and they ended up winning the titles. Once again, I apologize for not being able to give more on this match.

I see this new tag team as being both a good and bad thing. The bad part is that this could end the Jericho/Mysterio feud which was really the most interesting feud going on right now. Hopefully, both feuds can be incorporated.

On the plus side, this does wonders for the tag team division and could also tremendously help Raw. Since there is only one tag team title currently, that means it can be defended on any brand, possibly bringing Edge and Jericho to Raw.

Match 5: Women's Championship Match between Michelle McCool and Melina (defending).

As far as diva matches go, this was one of the better ones. There was good back and forth action and it lasted more than two minutes, making the divas seem more credible. Melina looked as if she was going to win at one point, but Alicia Fox pulled McCool's foot to the rope to break the pinfall.

McCool ended up getting the pin after hitting her finisher to become the first ever diva to hold both the Diva's and Women's Championships.

The Divas division hasn't really been doing too well lately and this match helped to prove that they are worth watching in wrestling as well as just looking good. Hopefully this will help the division become more dominant in the WWE.

Match 6: World Heavyweight Championship Match between Jeff Hardy and CM Punk (defending).

For the first few minutes, Jeff and Punk grappled with each other and got a few hits in on each other. Punk tried to hit the GTS multiple times failing to do so each time. Jeff went for a Swanton Bomb once and missed, but hit it on his second attempt.

The ref counted to three but after Jeff's music started playing the ref reversed his decision because Punk's foot was outside of the ropes.

The match then continued for a few more minutes. Punk tried to hit another GTS but Jeff elbowed him in the eye, causing Punk to go into the corner because he was "unable to see." As the ref was keeping Jeff off of Punk, Punk kicked the ref, getting himself disqualified, but retaining the title.

As it could be expected, Jeff was quite upset by this and so he attacked Punk as Punk was leaving and dragged him back to the ring. Jeff was eventually pulled off of Punk and Punk limped up the ramp with the help of an official.

This match was very disappointing in my opinion. With two highly athletic superstars such as Jeff and Punk, I expected a high-paced, action-filled match, but this was not the case. This match was unusually slow for both of these competitors, and it definitely left something to be desired. I assume and hope that this feud continues so that we can have a better feud-ending match than this.

Match 7: Grudge Match between John Cena and The Miz.

This match was one of the shorter, if not shortest match, of the night. Cena got in a few hits on The Miz but Miz got an advantage after countering one of Cena's hits by pulling his neck down onto the rope.

Miz then continued to dominate the match until Cena got one hit in on him and then hit a five-knuckle shuffle, a F-U, and made Miz tap out with the STF(U).

This match is the reason I'm pissed at Cena. He gets dominated by anyone, including the Miz, and then pulls off a win after hitting two moves, including one that doesn't even look like he's actually hitting the opponent (five-knuckle shuffle). I mean, who honestly thinks his fist is coming down on the opponents face?

I want this feud to last only if Miz actually gets to beat Cena. Miz is a good fighter and deserves to be a main-eventer.

Match 8: Three Stages of Hell Match for the WWE Championship between Randy Orton (defending) and Triple H.

Stage 1: A regular wrestling match. The first stage went relatively well with both competitors showing what they were capable of. Orton had the advantage as he threw Triple H out of the ring, but Triple H grabbed a chair and smashed Orton over the head with it. This, of course, got him disqualified and cost him the first round.

Stage 2: Falls Count Anywhere. Since it was a falls count anywhere match, there were no DQ's, so the chair was now legal. Triple H hit Orton with the chair a few more times, and after delivering a Pedigree to Orton outside the ring, got the pin in about two minutes.

Stage 3: A Stretcher Match. It looked as if Triple H was going to get another quick win as he immediately put Orton on the stretcher and wheeled him up the ramp. Orton got off at the top however and kicked the stretcher into Triple H, gaining the advantage.

Orton continued to beat Triple H back down the ramp and threw him over the barricade into the fans. After a few more hits, Triple H countered and got the advantage once again. The two worked their way back to outside the ring and eventually back into the ring.

Triple H looked as if he was going to win it again after immobilizing Orton inside the ring and dragging him onto the stretcher and up the ramp again. Orton once again got off the stretcher at the top, however, and the two started fighting at the top of the ramp.

Triple H hit another Pedigree at the top of the ramp and got Orton onto the stretcher yet again and it looked as if there was no way for Orton to get out of it this time. Right as he was about to cross the line, however, Cody Rhodes came out of nowhere and pushed against Triple H.

Triple H then attacked Cody Rhodes, disabled him, and went back to the stretcher. As it could be expected, Ted DiBiase then came out to give Triple H trouble. DiBiase gave Triple H a little more trouble than Rhodes and actually caused Triple H to knock the stectcher over with Orton still on it.

Things were looking bad for Triple H as both Rhodes and DiBiase were attacking him, but he revealed a hidden sledgehammer under one of the steel grates and used it to knock out both Rhodes and Dibiase.

Orton, after finally getting to his feet, came at Triple H and delivered a low blow. Orton then used the steel grate to hit Triple H over the head, causing Triple H to fall right on the stretcher, allowing Orton to wheel him across the line and retain his title.

Orton then celebrated for a few minutes, but Triple H cut it short by hitting him in the head with the sledgehammer.

Overall, this match was decent, but not near what I expected. When it didn't even start until around 10:30, I figured it wasn't going to be as good as promised, and I was right. Although I admire Triple H's intelligence in sacrificing the first round for and easy second round win, it made the second round ridiculously short.

This short second round caused the last stage to need to be incredible and a stretcher match just simply can not produce the level of entertainment that was needed. I think that each round needed to be special, but unfortunately they were not.

Hopefully, this feud will be over, but I have a feeling it is not since Triple H got the last hit in despite Orton walking away with the belt.

Thanks for reading and as usual, feed back is always appreciated.

Donald Trump's First and Last Episode of Monday Night Raw?

Danny Starry — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:30:55 -0400

Well Donald Trump's first, and apparently last, episode of Raw has come to an end—a great storyline that lasted all of...one whole week. Trump did give us no commercials and a Last Man Standing match, though, so I'm not going to complain.

After a few flashbacks to what happened last week on Raw, John Cena came out and called out The Miz, showing us all how Miz has been insulting Cena without actually ever fighting him one on one. Miz eventually came out and Cena announced that it would be Miz vs Cena at the Bash.

On one hand, I'm glad that this match will, finally, happen. On the other hand, however, I'm almost positive the outcome will not be good for the Miz. I just can't see the WWE letting someone like the Miz beat someone as superhuman as Cena.

Smackdown got the first match here on Raw in the form of a Six Man Tag Team match. Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, and The Great Khali beat Edge, Chris Jericho, and Dolph Ziggler after Jeff hit a Twist of Fate and Swanton Bomb on Ziggler. Punk also sat in on commentary.

As usual, Smackdown did not disappoint with this match. I found it very entertaining the entire time, and it included a couple good spots like Jeff diving over the ropes and Rey jumping off Khali's shoulders to all three of the heels below.

The second match of the night featured Primo Colon vs Cody Rhodes as a tune-up match for the Colons vs. Priceless match at The Bash. After going back and forth for a while, Rhodes got the pin by pulling Primo's tights.

The crowd didn't seem too enthusiastic about this match, and I would have to agree with their attitude. Hopefully, the tag match at The Bash will be better. I have a feeling it will, since—in my eyes—Carlito and Dibiase are better wrestlers than their respective partners.

The third match tonight was the Trump- initiated Last Man Standing match. Triple H and Orton went back and forth throughout the match, going into the crowd; battling on a, seemingly, unbreakable announcer table; and ending up on the entrance ramp. The match ended when Triple H hit a Pedigree and neither competitor could answer the ten count. Triple H had hurt his knee earlier in the match, so the Pedigree hurt him too.

This was a great match, in my opinion. At first I wasn't looking forward to it, since I thought Triple H would win for sure. I feel that ending the match where neither wrestler actually won is a good way to keep the rivalry alive, and for Orton to retain the title for longer than a week.

Trump, then, came out and announced, once again, that everyone in the arena would be getting their money back and that live Raw events would, from then on, be free and commercial free.

Of course, Vince was not happy about this, seeing as how it would make him go bankrupt fast. So, he comes out and agrees to buy back Raw for double what he sold it for, thus ending the long-lived Trump Era.

As it would be expected, Vince was in a bad mood after losing so much money, so he took it out on Randy Orton. Vince announced that, at The Bash, it would be Triple H vs. Orton in a Three Stages of Hell Match. The three matches are scheduled to be a regular match, a Falls Count Anywhere match, and a Stretcher Match. Not the most hellish matches around, but I guess the fact that it's basically supposed to be three matches in one is the hell part of it. I like both of these wrestlers so I'm looking forward to this match anyway.

The Raw Divas also participated in a three-on-three Tag Team match. Mickie James and the Bella Twins beat The Glamazon, Rosa, and Maryse when Mickie James pinned Rosa following a pretty impressive Super Kick.

This was an average Divas match in my opinion—no better or worse than most.

The main event for tonight was between two superstars who have fought each other time and time again: SuperCena and Big Show. As stale as this rivalry is, I actually enjoyed this match, and not just because Cena lost for once.

There were a number of reasons that these two wrestlers interested me for the first time in their rivalry. First of all, Cena actually locked in his STF(U) on Show, which made me wonder why he could suddenly do it now and had to try and convince us that the rope would work just as well at Extreme Rules.

The second reason is that Big Show performed another Spear in this match. I don't know about anyone else, but I really get a kick out of that. I hope he uses that more frequently. Finally, I like the fact that The Miz came in at the end to interfere and cost Cena the match. It was kind of predictable, but still enjoyable. Hopefully, this will get a Miz-Cena feud going and give the Miz a good push.

Raw ended with Triple H attacking Orton as he was leaving. Triple H promised to put Orton through hell at The Bash.

Thanks for reading, and as usual feedback is always appreciated.

Even WWE Superstars Is Better Than Raw?

Danny Starry — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:43:47 -0400

For the past two weeks I've been watching WWE's newest show, Superstars, and thinking to myself that even this is better than Raw.

This most recent episode featured four pretty solid matches in my opinion.

The first match was between two Raw competitors, Santino Marella and Chavo Guerrero. When I saw the two come out, I thought it was going to be the same old story where Chavo gets humiliated and ultimately beaten by Santino, but to my pleasant surprise Chavo fought well and got the pin.

One good match so far.

The second match featured ECW's Zack Ryder against some jobber (Matt Williams maybe?). Since coming to ECW, I've been thoroughly impressed with Ryder and this match only impressed me more.

He's athletic, he plays his character well, his finisher looks pretty good, and he even has his own catch phrase (Woo Woo Woo!). Sure, his match wasn't against any big name, but he's getting a push that I think he rightly deserves.

Two good matches so far.

The third match was between two Smackdown divas, Eve and Layla, with Maria as guest referee. Now ordinarily I'm not too impressed with the actual wrestling ability of the divas, but Eve proved to be something else. Several of her moves showed real athleticism, especially her finisher.

Three good matches so far.

ECW got the main event this week with a six-man tag match featuring the Colons and Christian vs. The Hart Dynasty and Jack Swagger. All six of these superstars have impressed me before, and tonight proved to be no different.

Ultimately it was Carlito who got the pin after his finisher, but The Hart Dynasty continue to show promise and I hope they soon can compete for the tag team titles.

Four good matches in a one-hour show.

Recently, we've been lucky to see three good matches in Raw's two-hour show. This past week proved to be different, of course, but the main reason for that was that all three brands appeared on it.

Unfortunately its usually the same story week after week.

Randy Orton comes out, boasts about his title, and he and Legacy get beaten down by one face character. The Miz comes out and "beats" Cena. The main event ends in DQ, usually due to Legacy. Now I like both Orton and The Miz, but I'd also like to see some variety.

I can't decide if its the actual superstars on Raw that are boring me or if its just the feuds going on currently. I'm not a fan of Cena or Big Show, and their feud was one of the worst I've seen in quite a while. Triple H and Orton are great, but their feud is getting old. Batista? No thank you.

We need fresh talent and fresh feuds.

Its simple: either spice up the current feuds or get new ones. We've seen Orton and Triple H do just about everything. Let them feud with other wrestlers. We've seen Cena and Show compete in the most boring matches (submission match), so let them feud with someone else.

Throw Matt Hardy or The Miz or MVP into the title hunt. I know its been said the Vince wants his champions to be a certain build, but these smaller guys usually can do more exciting stunts and can make matches much better.

The bottom line is Raw needs to do something now or it will go from the A show to the D show fast.

Thanks for reading and, as usual, feedback is much appreciated.

A Few Thoughts on Raw and the WWE

Danny Starry — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:17:52 -0400

Raw's Three-For-All just ended, and so there are of course quite a few thoughts going through my mind as well as anyone else's who watched it.

I'll skip over the Intercontinental Championship match between Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho. I thought that match went well and I am overall happy with the way those two are working with each other.

The ECW Championship match is another story however.

I've always been a fan of Tommy Dreamer and I respect the fact that he is one of the great ECW orginals. But honestly, he needs to retire. His match with Christian was just embarrassing in my opinion. Whenever he threw Christian into the corner, it took him about ten seconds to reach the corner after him.

Hopefully he'll hold the title for one or two more PPVs and then drop the title and retire.

Now for the WWE Championship match.

I was thoroughly impressed with both how this match went and the overall outcome of it. I definitely expected either John Cena or Triple H to win the match so when Randy Orton pinned Big Show, I couldn't have been happier. In addition to the pleasing outcome, I was also impressed with how Orton fought. He actually attacked and fought instead of cowering around like I expected him to. When he finally hit that RKO, it was priceless.

And the new owner of Monday Night Raw is...Donald Trump!

I really don't care too much about this. Vince wasn't doing much with Raw so he might as well have sold it. Hopefully Donald Trump will be able to get things going in the right direction again.

Hornswaggle and Goldust haven't really been doing much for me in their matches so I for one actually found it entertaining when The Miz beat them down. I don't need them to fight and make real wrestlers look bad. They should be the ones looking like fools. Good job Miz.

And the final championship match, the World Heavyweight Championship.

This was definitely a great match, and should have been the main event in my opinion. I'm a fan of CM Punk, Jeff Hardy, and Edge so I really wouldn't have minded any of them winning. I did figure that they would give Punk a longer title reign than a week though and I can't say I'm disappointed that he won. I was a bit confused as to whether Punk was legitimately hurt or not after that fall to the steps that he took.

After the match, Theodore Long came out and announced Punk would be defending against Jeff at The Bash. This should be a good match, but I'm curious to see what Edge will be doing now that he seems to be out of the title race.

The tag-team match between The Hart Dynasty and the Colons was moderately entertaining.

I'm not overall impressed with the tag teams in any of the WWE right now. I was really rooting for The Miz and Morrison to be the undisputed champs and it's really a shame that they split up. My favorites right now would probably be the Hart Dynasty so I hope to see them fighting for the titles soon.

And finally for the Main Event: a ten man over-the-top Battle Royal.

I'm not usually a huge fan of Battle Royals other than the Royal Rumble, but this one actually proved to be pretty good. Legacy were supposed to work together to eliminate John Cena, Triple H, and the Big Show to improve Randy Orton's chances of defending his title. Big Show got thrown over the top but then Cena eliminated DiBiase and Triple H eliminated Rhodes, leaving a grim outlook for Orton.

But then it turns out that The Miz wasn't actually eliminated and was just hanging around outside the ring until now! I honestly thought that he was going to win it since Legacy had just illegally entered the ring and disabled both Cena and Triple H, however, he got eliminated quickly. After a little forward and back action, Triple H eventually threw Cena out of the ring becoming the number one contender for the WWE championship at The Bash...or so we thought

After the match ended, Donald Trump announced that instead of defending his title against Triple H at The Bash, Orton would be defending it next Monday in a Last Man Standing Match. I'm not sure which way to go on this one.

While I'm excited to see the match, especially under this stipulation, I'm not a fan of one-week title reigns. Hopefully this is just a sign that Trump will be implementing more unique stipulations into Raw's line-up.

Thanks for reading. I hope its been interesting and any feedback will be appreciated.

Review Of Extreme Rules 2009

Danny Starry — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:42:41 -0400

Names in bold indicate winner of the match

Match One: Fatal Four-Way Match for United States Championship between Matt Hardy, William Regal, Kofi Kingston (defending), and MVP

Overall this was a good match with enough action to keep it interesting. Kofi Kingston performed well and in my opinion deserved to retain his title.

Match Two: No-Holds-Barred Match for Intercontinental Championship between Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio (defending)

I thoroughly enjoyed this match. I am a big fan of both of these superstars, and both were able to show their expected level of athleticism. The surprise of Chris pulling off Rey's mask helped add to the match, in my opinion.

Match Three: Samoan Strap Match between CM Punk and Umaga

I found this match enjoyable to watch due to the uniqueness and athleticism of the two competitors. I was impressed with Umaga's ability to move so quickly and am disappointed to hear that WWE is releasing him.

Match Four: Hardcore Match for ECW Championship between Christian (defending), Jack Swagger, and Tommy Dreamer

This match lived up to my expectations. There was a good mixture of weapon use and standard wrestling, and I think Tommy Dreamer showed exceptional athleticism and deserved to win the title.

Match Five: Hog-Pen Match for Miss WrestleMania Crown between Santina Marella and Vickie Guerrero (defending)

This was quite a boring match, but I don't think many people were expecting otherwise. The addition of Chavo helped provide some comedy, but as far as actual wrestling goes, this match was severely lacking.

Match Six: Steel Cage Match for WWE Championship between Batista and Randy Orton (defending)

Although I am a Randy Orton fan, I still found this match quite enjoyable. Both wrestlers put on a good show, and I am not completely disappointed that Batista won the title.

Match Seven: Submission Match between John Cena and Big Show

This was the only match, other than the Hog-Pen Match, that I did not enjoy. These two wrestlers should never have been placed in a technical match such as a submission match, and as the match went on, I feel they only proved this point.

Main Event: Ladder Match for World Heavyweight Championship between Jeff Hardy and Edge (defending)

This was a fantastic main event in my opinion. Both Jeff and Edge have performed greatly with ladders in the past, and this night proved to be no different. Both superstars deserved the win, but Jeff proved that he deserved it just a bit more.

Extra: CM Punk cashes in his Money-in-the-Bank Contract for a match with Jeff Hardy

This surprise ending to an already great PPV really ended the night well.

Overall I give this PPV an eight on a scale of 1-10. There were a number of good matches and enough surprises to make it well worth the money. The only matches taking away from it, in my opinion, were the Hog-Pen and submission matches