In Your House

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

WWE Hell in a Cell 2010.

Daniel Bryan Vs John Morrison Vs The Miz: Submissions count anywhere match for the US title. The early parts of this, where the action took place in the ring, were pretty rough, but once they started fighting into the crowd and up onto the stage, it became pretty entertaining. They used the surroundings pretty well, and Bryan got to bust out a few different subs. Not the easiest match to pull off, so they did well here to make this work. Miz ends up tapping again.

Randy Orton Vs Sheamus: Here's our first cell match, as Orton defends the WWE title. Pretty boring match, though it did provide the humour of Sheamus doing the Irish Curse backbreaker while standing on the steel steps, and Striker trying to explain that it hurt more because the steel under Sheamus's foot was more resistant than the mat. I guess Striker had to try justifying that stupid spot somehow. Orton hit a pretty rotten looking RKO on the steps to retain. They didn't really use the cell much, which I've noticed is becoming pretty common now in cell matches.

Edge Vs Jack Swagger: Impromptu match after Edge interrupts an Alberto Del Rio promo, Swagger gets involved, and we finally get a match made by that terrible fucking anonymous GM. Pointless and forgettable segment.

John Cena Vs Wade Barrett: If Cena loses he joins Nexus, if Barrett loses, Nexus disbands. We all know how this ends up. Nexus are banned from interfering, so not-yet-members Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty run in to cost Cena the match. Cole and Lawler are acting like somebody died with Cena having to join Nexus. Some pretty choice crowd shots here. Cena and Barrett work a pretty decent WWE-style main event match.

Natalya Vs Michelle McCool: McCool defending the Divas title. Pretty dire match. Nattie doesn't look good in there. Shit finish too, with Layla throwing a shoe at Nattie as she has Michelle in the sharpshooter, to draw the DQ.

Kane Vs The Undertaker: This feud rumbles on with the addition of Paul Bearer. This is a notch below their last match, and is pretty much ruined by the ill-conceived and poorly-executed finish. First of all, Bearer turning on Taker was extremely obvious. And, no disrespect to Bearer, but seeing him at that weight, struggling to move around the ring was pretty sad. So, Bearer's plan was predicated on him managing to get inside the cell, which he did thanks to the ref getting knocked out. Then he's chased into the ring by Kane, the lights dim, and Bearer opens the urn, from which a supposedly blinding light emanates, and is aimed in the Undertaker's face. This gives Kane the opportunity to hit Taker with the urn and hit a chokeslam for the win. The obvious problem is that the light that came out of the urn wasn't very bright at all, to the extent that I think it was really hard for the people in the arena to know what was going on. A shame.

MOTN: Cena/Barrett just gets the nod over the triple threat, both at 3 stars.

Show rating: Outisde of those two matches, a very disappointing show, and on the whole largely forgettable. 2 stars.  

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

WWE Bragging Rights 2010.

Daniel Bryan Vs Dolph Ziggler: This is a really strong match, with the only real weakness being Dolph's ho-hum offence in the control segment. But they really ramp it up for the finishing stretch. I'd say the Miz match probably felt a bit more satisfying, but this is up there.

Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre Vs David Otunga and John Cena: Rhodes and McIntyre came out to brag about being tag champs, but were put into this impromptu title defense. Cena pretty much squashed the champs to win the belts for the Nexus, and then gave Otunga an AA after the fact, just to make it clear that he isn't really a bad guy.

Ted DiBiase Vs Goldust: The very definition of a solid match here, with both guys looking good. It's a shame they didn't try more with DiBiase as he was a good prospect. I know he wasn't the most charismatic guy, but they've pushed worse. There's a bit of drama with Maryse and Aksana on the outside, as this was in the midst of Goldust's marriage angle with Aksana. Ted wins but Goldust gets the last laugh.

Layla Vs Natalya: This is quite a bit better than the Natalya/McCool match from the last show. Layla was willing to bump and stooge for Nattie's power offence, which made for a better dynamic than whatever Nattie and Michelle were going for. Another cheap win for Lay-Cool to retain the title. I'm glad I'm not watching these in real time again.

Kane Vs The Undertaker: The final chapter in this iteration of the feud is a Buried Alive match. A decent brawl more in the vein of the first match in the series. Nexus interfere to help Kane win again, definitively winning the feud. I thought and hoped this was going to lead to a Taker/Barrett match at Mania, which would have been a good way to elevate Barrett, but instead we got the Taker/HHH abortion. I can't actually remember Taker/Barrett having any interaction after this. I know Triple H beat down Sheamus on a Raw or something to tie up that loose thread.

Team Raw (The Miz, CM Punk, Sheamus, John Morrison, R-Truth, Santino Marella and Ezekiel Jackson) Vs Team Smackdown (The Big Show, Rey Mysterio, Edge, Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger, Tyler Reks and Kofi Kingston): Not a bad match by any means, but hampered by some odd booking decisions, and ineffective eliminations. Why, for example, is CM Punk on face-in-peril duties for team Raw on two different occasions? I'm not sure about the booking of having Rey taken out of the match either, especially when he just had his arm rammed into the barricade. Just very half-assed in a lot of ways. The action itself is fine, with the only real rough spot oddly involving Rey and the elimination of Jackson, which was just one botch after another (first a miscommunication centre-ring, then Rey slipping on a springboard, then Zeke seemingly kicking out at two, only to be ruled eliminated). Jackson and Reks being booked strong looks odd in hindsight, though I quite rated Reks at the time. SD retain the coveted Bragging Rights cup with Edge and Rey coming back from a big disadvantage to survive.

Randy Orton Vs Wade Barrett: Barrett has Cena in his corner, who must guarantee Wade wins, or he (Cena) will be fired. I didn't get this storyline at all. It started off that Cena was a member of Nexus, but then he became Wade Barrett's servant and now Barrett has the power to fire Cena. Just seems like they didn't really think any of this through at all, and were just booking week to week. This match is as boring as can be, which makes Cena look good as he was alble to have a very enjoyable match with Barrett last time out. Of course there's a ref bump, and a Nexus run-in, with Cena helping Orton clean house, explaining to Barrett that he would have been DQ'ed had the ref seen Nexus in the ring. Orton has Barrett beat, but Cena hits the AA on Barrett so Wade wins by DQ, keeping up his end of the bargain. Orton quite rightly gives Cena an RKO. Cena's conflicted acting through-out the match is straight out of the Shawn Michaels playbook. To hell with this angle.

Match of the night: Definitely the opener, at 3.5 stars. I have Goldust and Ted at 3 stars also.

Show rating: This began like it was going to be a low-key great show, but really petered out. 2.5 stars.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

WWE TLC: Tables, Ladder and Chairs 2010.

Dolph Ziggler Vs Kofi Kingston Vs Jack Swagger: Ladder match for the IC title. Worth noting that this show is right after Cole cost Lawler the WWE title, so there's lots of back and forth between them. This is a decent sprint, with a pretty crappy finish. We get a spot with Vickie trying to climb the ladder on behalf on Dolph, and Kofi threatening to push the ladder over before she climbs down. Then the finish is Kofi and Swagger fighting over the belt on top of the ladder, the belt falling to the mat, and Dolph scurrying over to grab it to be declared the winner. It was interesting seeing that finish in the same week as the Carmella finish.

Natalya and Beth Phoenix Vs Michelle McCool and Layla: Tables match. Nattie is the divas champ by now. Cool spot where she puts both of Lay-Cool in a sharpshooter at the same time. Beth takes a really nasty-looking bump to the floor, which they replay about 20 different times. Layla is much more fun to watch wrestle than McCool. Nattie pushes Lay-Cool off the ropes onto a table, but they don't go through it, so she improvises and splashes them through it to get the win. Okay stuff.

Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov Vs Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel: Wade Barrett wants Nexus to bring the tag belts back home, as he readies for his chairs match with Cena. Santino does a shitty comedy promo before the match. Vlad is cool, but fuck Santino. Blah match with a DQ finish after the Nexus run in and Barrett beats down the champs with chairs.

Sheamus Vs John Morrison: Ladder match for the number one contendership for the WWE title. Sheamus is in full King garb. I remember people shitting on the outfit, but I liked it as a short-term thing. This is a crackerjack. Maybe Morrison's best ever match? Just stiff and brutal with some interesting use of the ladder as a weapon, without being too contrived. Sheamus is a great bully heel, taking apart Morrison's leg, and Morrison puts in a good babyface performance. Morrison ends up with the win. A real breakout match for both.

The Miz Vs Randy Orton: Another tables match, this time for the WWE title. Boring match, but it doesn't outstay it's welcome, and I really liked the finish. The ref gets bumped and Orton puts Alex Riley through a table in the ring, which allows Miz to hit a Skull-Crushing Finale on Orton, and then roll Orton onto the broken table so it looks like he put him through the table. The ref awards Miz the match, but then orders a restart after seeing the replay. This turns into a great hope spot, as Orton destroys the Miz, but Miz is able to push Riley into Orton, knocking him off the apron and through a table that was set up at ringside. Great chickenshit heel way to retain the belt.

Kane Vs Edge Vs Rey Mysterio Vs Alberto Del Rio: TLC match for Kane's world title. This is a grand old time. An excellent Mysterio performance in particular, but everyone brings something. They tease a non-competitor claiming the case again, this time with Ricardo. You'd think after all the times it had been teased, they would have put a rule in place to prevent it actually happening. Poor Carmella. Edge wins and Striker is acting like he's won the world title for the first time. It's actually his tenth reign. Very fun stunt show.

John Cena Vs Wade Barrett: CM Punk is out to replace Matt Striker on commentary. An upgrade. Punk is very anti-Cena with his commentary, talking about how Cena has made everyone's life miserable for years. Cole and Lawler are pro-Cena. I think Cena might be at his most annoying for me at this stage. He takes out all the Nexus in the back, and is so smug about it. I really do hate the John Cena character. This match is okay in parts, but overly long, and, as is the case with most big Cena gimmick matches, way too dramatised and over the top. Cena pulling all the chairs down on top of Barrett at the end is pathetic. Strikes a bum note does this one. Crowd is about as pro-Cena as I can remember them being though.

Match of the night: Definitely the Sheamus/Morrison ladder match. 3.5 stars. Fatal four-way TLC at 3 and a quarter. 

Show rating: Overall this is a good show. There're bits of every match I liked, and you have that one stand-out match. 3.25 stars.

That's it for 2010 then. Bring on 2011, the year of Punk and Henry. Looking forward to it.

[DreamBroken]

Loved that Morrison/Sheamus match and that whole rise for Morrison leading up to the great Jan 3 2011 falls count anywhere match vs Miz.

On 6/20/2017 at 10:05 AM, Yo-Yo's Roomie said:

WWE Bragging Rights 2010.

Daniel Bryan Vs Dolph Ziggler: This is a really strong match, with the only real weakness being Dolph's ho-hum offence in the control segment. But they really ramp it up for the finishing stretch. I'd say the Miz match probably felt a bit more satisfying, but this is up there.

At the end of the year, WWE.com ranked this as tied with Taker/Michaels for Match of the Year

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

WWE Elimination Chamber 2011.

Alberto Del Rio Vs Kofi Kingston: Decent opening match. ADR used to be so cool, so aggressive. I love the way he dismissively kicks Kofi away after making him tap.

Edge Vs Rey Mysterio Vs Drew McIntyre Vs Kane Vs Wade Barrett Vs The Big Show: This is fan-fucking-tastic. I'm going to go on the record as calling this 'balls to the wall fun'. I thought that chamber match from a couple of year's ago was hot shit. This one might be even better. I'm okay calling the chamber the best gimmick match the WWE does. Rey, once again, is God-like in this match, as he and Edge go coast to coast. Edge performs well too. Best supporting player award definitely goes to Drew Mac. He has maybe the best entrance to a chamber match ever, just destroying everyone. Barrett takes a king-size beating in this and is good value. I enjoyed everyone hitting big offence on Show to try to eliminate him. It's been done before but they work it well. Another really hot finishing stretch between Rey and Edge. The selling is really good, really putting over the exhaustion from being in the match so long. Even the post-match is awesome, with ADR coming out and attacking Edge, and then Christian making his return after injury and just going postal on Del Rio.

Vladimir Kozlov and Santino Marella Vs Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel: The Corre has got to be the worst name for a stable ever, right? This is the definition of a fun little 5-minute match. Slater and Gabriel win the tag belts.

An awful segment follows with Booker interviewing Trish Stratus in the ring. Then later Trish makes the save for Kelly Kelly who has been jumped by Lay-Cool. Trish looks terrible in both segments (well, she doesn't 'look' terrible, obviously), but probably shouldn't be trying to do physical stuff in heels.

The Miz Vs Jerry 'The King' Lawler: I got a bit of stick at the time on this board for criticising the TLC match on Raw, but this one I enjoyed quite a bit (in spite of Michael Cole, although the spot where King throws Miz onto Cole is a lot of fun). I definitely feel they should have given Lawler the feel-good win here, and then screwed him out of the belt the following night on Raw or something. 

John Cena Vs CM Punk Vs Randy Orton Vs Sheamus Vs John Morrison Vs R-Truth: Obviously not a patch on the Smackdown match, but still pretty good. A bit too much Randy Orton, who it seems is on offence for the entire time he's in the match. Sheamus and Morrison look quite good in there. Sheamus is really looking the part now in the ring. I groaned at first when Punk got pinned instantly by Orton, and then the stupid Raw GM put him back in the match, but Punk's reactions made it, and it turned into a good angle, when he came in last and eliminated Orton, and then nearly went all the way. I would have liked a longer closing stretch between Cena and Punk, but I feel like I'll see them face-off again at some point. Morrison has a couple of nice spots utilising the chamber. Poor Truth looks good coming in a house on fire, but gets eliminated in short order. He never lasts long in these things.

Match of the night: An easy choice for the Smackdown chamber, which I'd go as high as 4.5 stars on. 3 1/4 for both Miz/Lawler and the Raw chamber.

Show rating: This is really a fantastic show, with only the two Trish segments bringing it down (and those are short enough). 2011 is off to a stellar start. 4 stars. 

[The Natural]

On 5/28/2017 at 9:34 PM, Brian Fowler said:

I'm partial to the very first Kane/Taker match at Mania, but I haven't watched 2010 one in a really long time

Those are the two best Undertaker/Kane matches by far.

4 hours ago, Yo-Yo's Roomie said:

WWE Elimination Chamber 2011.

Alberto Del Rio Vs Kofi Kingston: Decent opening match. ADR used to be so cool, so aggressive. I love the way he dismissively kicks Kofi away after making him tap.

Edge Vs Rey Mysterio Vs Drew McIntyre Vs Kane Vs Wade Barrett Vs The Big Show: This is fan-fucking-tastic. I'm going to go on the record as calling this 'balls to the wall fun'. I thought that chamber match from a couple of year's ago was hot shit. This one might be even better. I'm okay calling the chamber the best gimmick match the WWE does. Rey, once again, is God-like in this match, as he and Edge go coast to coast. Edge performs well too. Best supporting player award definitely goes to Drew Mac. He has maybe the best entrance to a chamber match ever, just destroying everyone. Barrett takes a king-size beating in this and is good value. I enjoyed everyone hitting big offence on Show to try to eliminate him. It's been done before but they work it well. Another really hot finishing stretch between Rey and Edge. The selling is really good, really putting over the exhaustion from being in the match so long. Even the post-match is awesome, with ADR coming out and attacking Edge, and then Christian making his return after injury and just going postal on Del Rio.

Vladimir Kozlov and Santino Marella Vs Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel: The Corre has got to be the worst name for a stable ever, right? This is the definition of a fun little 5-minute match. Slater and Gabriel win the tag belts.

An awful segment follows with Booker interviewing Trish Stratus in the ring. Then later Trish makes the save for Kelly Kelly who has been jumped by Lay-Cool. Trish looks terrible in both segments (well, she doesn't 'look' terrible, obviously), but probably shouldn't be trying to do physical stuff in heels.

The Miz Vs Jerry 'The King' Lawler: I got a bit of stick at the time on this board for criticising the TLC match on Raw, but this one I enjoyed quite a bit (in spite of Michael Cole, although the spot where King throws Miz onto Cole is a lot of fun). I definitely feel they should have given Lawler the feel-good win here, and then screwed him out of the belt the following night on Raw or something. 

John Cena Vs CM Punk Vs Randy Orton Vs Sheamus Vs John Morrison Vs R-Truth: Obviously not a patch on the Smackdown match, but still pretty good. A bit too much Randy Orton, who it seems is on offence for the entire time he's in the match. Sheamus and Morrison look quite good in there. Sheamus is really looking the part now in the ring. I groaned at first when Punk got pinned instantly by Orton, and then the stupid Raw GM put him back in the match, but Punk's reactions made it, and it turned into a good angle, when he came in last and eliminated Orton, and then nearly went all the way. I would have liked a longer closing stretch between Cena and Punk, but I feel like I'll see them face-off again at some point. Morrison has a couple of nice spots utilising the chamber. Poor Truth looks good coming in a house on fire, but gets eliminated in short order. He never lasts long in these things.

Match of the night: An easy choice for the Smackdown chamber, which I'd go as high as 4.5 stars on. 3 1/4 for both Miz/Lawler and the Raw chamber.

Show rating: This is really a fantastic show, with only the two Trish segments bringing it down (and those are short enough). 2011 is off to a stellar start. 4 stars. 

A great show with one of the best Elimination Chamber matches from the Smackdown side. I know you weren't sure in your review whether this or the RAW one from No Way Out 2009 was better, I'd definitely take the RAW one, it remains the #1 Elimination Chamber match to this day.

Wrong call in The Miz vs. Jerry Lawler. Give Lawler the win here for the WWE Championship and he ccould drop it back on RAW the next night or a week later You get the story line Lawler misses out not only his first ever WrestleMania but headlining his very first WrestleMania as WWE Champion.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

WWE Extreme Rules 2011.

Randy Orton Vs CM Punk: Last Man Standing match. Decent match, but I think I preferred the Mania match. Punk really was in a kind of no man's land before the pipe bomb changed everything for him. They do some weapons stuff, but don't overdo it. Orton wins with a top rope RKO.

Sheamus Vs Kofi Kingston: Sheamus defending the US title in a tables match. This is another decent match with Sheamus bullying Kofi around. Good heel. Kofi pulls off the upset.

Michael Cole and Jack Swagger Vs Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross: Well, this is crap. I don't know why WWE had to drag this feud out for months on end when all anybody wanted was to see Lawler beat the shit out of Cole at Mania and get his hand raised. Now we have to see JR wielding a belt in this country whipping match. The fans don't even really care. Cole pins Ross so we get more gloating from him throughout the rest of the show as he joins the commentary team. By the way, I'm enjoying Booker T on commentary quite a bit. Spouts a lot of nonsense, but it's the delivery that I enjoy so much.

Rey Mysterio Vs Cody Rhodes: Another WrestleMania rematch. I thought Cody's mask gimmick was so good, and he really should have been elevated higher up the card with it. I loved the whole package- the mask, the entrance with the newspaper headlines, the "baggers", the promo delivery. This was definitely his best work up to the team with Goldust. This is a falls count anywhere match, and as usual, Rey delivers. The finish sees Rey use mist on Cody, which I don't remember him doing again.

Layla Vs Michelle McCool: Loser leaves WWE. Shitty match with a shitty finish. Michelle hits the Faithbreaker but covers nonchalantly, allowing Layla to roll her up crucifix-style for the 3 count. Layla has to no-sell Michelle's finisher, and if Michelle is leaving, why can't she take a definitive fall anyway. Whatever. Then poor acting from both as they sob. The more interesting thing happens after the match, with the debut of Kharma. What I found interesting about it was how the crowd didn't really seem to give a crap. In this day and age you just know that the debut of some worker with a big rep would be met with a sizable pop, but here, nothing really. It was kinda jarring.

Christian Vs Alberto Del Rio: Ladder match for the vacant world heavyweight championship. Really well-worked ladder match. Not too much contrivance, just brawling and using the ladder as a weapon. Del Rio targets Christian's arm, which is a nice focus for the match. What was a little weird was Del Rio's seeming reluctance to take any big bumps in this match. Every bump he takes it seems like he's trying to break his fall. I remember him taking some crazy bumps in the MITB match later in the year, so this stood out to me. Brodus Clay and then Edge both get involved. Brodus gets busted open hardway and there's a pile of blood on the outside. It looks like he was a little reckless with Christian, so Christian just blasted him in the face with a ladder, maybe as a receipt. Great feel-good moment with Christian winning the big one. Shame they had to take it away from him a couple of nights later.

Big Show and Kane Vs Ezekiel Jackson and Wade Barrett: I had no recollection of Show and Kane having another run with the tag belts. This is a lumberjack match. Some of these lumberjacks don't look familiar to me at all, and I was watching regularly at this point. Who's that with the corn rows and shades? Filler match which teases dissent in the Corre. Da-da-DUH!

The Miz Vs John Morrison Vs John Cena: Triple threat cage match. I'll start by reiterating that I hate when titles chance hands in triple threats, especially when it's a babyface finally overcoming a rival. The other guy being in there just spoils the moment for me. The best part of this cage match was R-Truth coming in and laying a beating on Morrison. Morrison deserved absolutely everything he got. One of the all-time most justified heel turns. I wasn't feeling this match at all otherwise. Morrison and Cena almost broke Miz's neck at one point with a really crummy double superplex. With Morrison out of the way thanks to Truth, Cena hits a top rope AA to win his tenth world title and break Michael Cole's heart. 

Match of the night: There are 4 decent matches on this show, with the ladder match being the pick of the bunch. I'd call that 3.5 stars, and each of Punk/Orton, Rey/Cody and Sheamus/Kofi 3 stars.

Show rating: Overall, this show is a win. A good main would have put it over the top, but even without that it's still a 3 star affair.

[(BP)]

Isn't this the show where Cena announces that Bin Laden got mercked? 

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

Yes, it is.

[PetrolCB]

Yep. 

It's crazy that was 6 years ago. I was actually at that Phillies game when the news broke. ...and of course we lost to the damn Mets. 

[cwoy2j]

Quote

Who's that with the corn rows and shades?

Most likely JTG

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

It was a white guy. 

[FDC1]

Jacob Novak. He was part of this NXT's season and was coached by JTG

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

Yes, that's him. Thank you.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

WWE Over The Limit 2011.

R-Truth Vs Rey Mysterio: Truth starts with a promo about not having a parking space. I like the no music for him. Some Little Jimmy signs. Got over quick. This is a fun little match. Best Truth match I can remember actually. He works pretty good as a heel. Terrible finisher though. It was called the 'Shut Up'? Oy.

Wade Barrett Vs Ezekiel Jackson: Wade defending the IC belt. Zeke is pretty over actually. Crowd is into his big comeback. Kinda bland but inoffensive in the ring. Jackson is closing in on the win before Slater and Gabriel run in for the DQ. The Corre leaves Zeke laying.

Sin Cara Vs Chavo Guerrero: This is an extended squash with Cara getting to show off a lot of offence. Really it should have been 2 or 3 minutes shorter. They botched the finish.

The Big Show and Kane Vs CM Punk and Mason Ryan: My wife asked why Punk was teaming with Batista. This is Kane and Show defending the tag belts. Pretty nothing match. Ryan gets to show off his strength, and Kane plays face in peril. The champs retain with a double chokeslam on Ryan.

Brie Bella Vs Kelly Kelly: Sheesh. This ppv is a little lacking in the in-ring department, let's say. Bellas are looking good though. Weak in-ring action before twin magic helps Brie retain.

Randy Orton Vs Christian: Okay, now this is a really good match. Very fast-paced and action-packed. I hate that they put the title on Orton right after Christian won it, but I can't complain about this rematch. Some really good nearfalls for Christian, and the crowd was really into it with dueling chants throughout.

Jerry Lawler Vs Michael Cole: Kiss my foot match. Cole tries to weasel out of it with a doctor's note, but the ref rips it up. I can't believe Lawler still had to sell for Cole here, if only very briefly. Finally the decisive win for Lawler that should have come at Mania. Eve, JR and Bret Hart gets in on the fun in the post match. I don't endorse anything involving heel Michael Cole.

John Cena Vs The Miz: This was ludicrous. I Quit match, worked as a handicap match with Miz and Riley as a team. Miz and Riley, the two least intimidating guys on the roster. This is like a cross between the Passion of the Christ and that episode on TNG where Picard is tortured by the Cardassians. How many lights do you see, Cena? Miz calmly telling Cena "I have a weapon" might have worked if he came across as a badass in any way. And then the attempt at the Rock/Mankind finish with the recording of Cena saying I quit, with the announcers acting like Cena actually said it when it was clearly a recording... Just another shitty high concept Cena main event match.

Match of the night: Christian Vs Orton. 3 3/4 stars. Truth Vs Mysterio- 3 stars.

Show rating: The weakest show of the year so far, capped off by a poor main event. 2 stars. 

[DreamBroken]

4 hours ago, Yo-Yo's Roomie said:

WWE Over The Limit 2011.

Terrible finisher though. It was called the 'Shut Up'? Oy.

Randy Orton Vs Christian: Okay, now this is a really good match. Very fast-paced and action-packed. I hate that they put the title on Orton right after Christian won it, but I can't complain about this rematch. Some really good nearfalls for Christian, and the crowd was really into it with dueling chants throughout.

It was originally called the "What's Up", then when he turned heel it became the "Shut Up", later in the turn it would simply become known as "The Little Jimmy" before in recent years quietly returning to the original Whats Up name.

Huge fan of that Orton/Christian match. My favorite match in their series. Been meaning to rewatch it sometime. Always loved the crowd seeming like a legit 50/50 split. Awesome face v. face match.

[Brian Fowler]

I remember having that Orton/Christian match second on my WWE MOTY ballot (behind Taker/Triple H if I'm remembering my years correctly)

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

WWE Capitol Punishment.

Dolph Ziggler Vs Kofi Kingston: Kofi is defending the US title here. Fast-paced, but not very good match that sees Ziggler win the belt with the sleeper hold.

The Miz Vs Alex Riley: I remember the segment with Riley turning on Miz being really good and hate-filled, and made Riley look great. This match is terrible though. Laid out poorly from the get-go with Miz just dominating Riley (and Booker saying the ref should stop the match!), but Miz is pretty poor working dominant, and Riley has no charisma as an underdog, so it just doesn't work. Riley wins, but his singles run is DOA.

Alberto Del Rio Vs The Big Show: This match is notable for Mark Henry opening the Hall of Pain with a pre-match attack on Show, slamming him through the announce table. It's amazing that when Show attacked Henry on Smackdown prior to this, basically destroying him, it looked like just a throw-away thing to build to this pretty meaningless Show/Del Rio match, but ended up being the catalyst for one of the best booked monster heel runs they've ever produced, and certainly my favourite. So the pre-match angle is really awesome, and the match itself is pretty fun, although I didn't care for the stoppage finish. I'm looking forward to more Henry to come.

Wade Barrett Vs Ezekiel Jackson: IC title match. Barrett cuts a weak anti-US promo before the match. Fans chant USA, although neither guy is American. Shades of Bret/Yoko! Shit match won by Zeke. Zeke cuts a shit promo afterwards. Worst IC champion ever?

CM Punk Vs Rey Mysterio: Punk says beforehand that when he wins this match he's going to do the most honest thing a WWE superstar has ever done. Pipebomb anyone? As always, these two have a really good match. Crowd is pretty dead for it though, which is a shame. This gets really good. Some good nearfalls. Punk catches Rey as he goes for a 619 and hits the GTS to win. Nice finish.

Randy Orton Vs Christian: Christian has completed his heel turn. This isn't as good as the last match, since a lot of it is built around Orton selling a concussion, and Orton isn't very good at selling. Otherwise, this is pretty good. Orton wins with the RKO, but Christian had his foot under the bottom rope. Guess we'll be getting 'one more match'.

Evan Bourne Vs Jack Swagger: Billed as a bonus attraction. Fans don't really care about this, but it was a fun match, with both guys playing their roles well. Bourne picks up the win by countering the ankle lock into a cradle.

There was a Barack Obama impersonator on the show who comes out to cut a promo in from of the crowd. Everyone is pretending it is the real Obama. This is so bush league. Booker even gets him in the ring and says he's made history by being the first African American president. Then they do a spinneroonie. Total trash. Don't know what WWE is thinking with crap like this.

John Cena Vs R-Truth: Boring main event. I like Truth's character, but I guess he just isn't a compelling enough wrestler to work main events. Especially dominating most of the match like he does here. Hate the finish with the little boy throwing a drink in Truth's face, and Cena rolling him in the ring, hitting an AA and pinning him.

Match of the night: Punk/Rey take top honours with a 3 3/4 star affair. Orton/Christian and Bourne/Swagger were both 3 star matches.

Show rating: This is a classic 'throwaway' ppv, which happened to have some big highlights like the Rey/Punk match, and the start of the Hall of Pain. Worth watching for those things at least. 2.5 stars. 

[sevendaughters]

read this entire thread on a long train journey recently. gold tier stuff. reminds me how much WWE i do not remember at all. even on shows i watched.

recall seeing Punk/Rey/Swagger in a 3-way on a house show before this event. Swagger was champ but it was mostly Punk and Rey so it was quality.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

WWE Money in the Bank 2011.

Why is the poster for this event Big Show and Hornswoggle looking in a book?

Kane Vs Wade Barrett Vs Sheamus Vs Daniel Bryan Vs Sin Cara Vs Heath Slater Vs Justin Gabriel Vs Cody Rhodes: We kick off with Smackdown's MITB match. This is a total spotfest, but a fun one, with a hot crowd. Cara gets taken out of the match when Sheamus powerbombs him through a ladder. Sheamus and Bryan were probably the stand-out performers in the match. Crowd pops huge for Bryan's win. Bryan was basically a glorified jobber at this point, so him winning was quite the nice surprise.

Kelly Kelly Vs Brie Bella: Kelly retains the diva's title in a poor match. The Bellas bicker after the match.

Mark Henry Vs The Big Show: Great hype video for this, showing Henry's path of destruction. My favourite was him throwing the tech guy into another dimension. My wife and I still laugh at that. Kingsized hoss battle, with Henry getting a dominant victory. Then Henry destroys Show's leg. I think that must have written Show off for a while.

Alberto Del Rio Vs Rey Mysterio Vs Alex Riley Vs The Miz Vs Kofi Kingston Vs Evan Bourne Vs Jack Swagger Vs R-Truth: Raw MITB. I didn't like this match so much. It felt too contrived, right from the start where everyone brings a ladder into the ring as a weapon. Highlight of the match was Bourne's shooting star off the ladder, and I also liked the finish with ADR taking off Rey's mask. Miz leaves the match after hurting his leg, only to limp back in and nearly win- was that a legit injury, because that seems like more of a babyface spot? Swagger took a really nasty bump at one point when he fell off a ladder awkwardly. Lucky not to have seriously injured himself. Truth hilariously botched a spot which for some reason they kept replaying.

Randy Orton Vs Christian: If Randy is DQ'ed, Christian wins the world title. Christian tries to get Randy to use a chair on him at the start of the match, but that doesn't work. They wrestle a normal match after that, and their good chemistry is holding up. Then, with Orton in control, Christian spits in his face, which sets Orton off and he gets DQ'ed for a low blow. Really weak way for Christian to win the belt, and then Orton absolutely destroys him after the match with two RKOs on the announce table. Crowd popped for the title change, but popped harder for the beatdown.

John Cena Vs CM Punk: You might be familiar with this one. Built up as one of the most important matches in WWE history, and it certainly feels that way with the atmosphere and the build. The crowd is absolutely electric. At the time I thought this was a stonewall 5 star match, but in the cold light of day, detached from the greater storyline, I don't think it gets there. I just felt in the early part of the match they were kinda just filling time, and the match didn't really have that sense of progression. It kicks into high gear about half way through, and the match is never less than compelling thanks to the crowd and the stakes. I do think Cena puts in an excellent performance as the under pressure ace. The sequence where Cena counters the GTS into an STF is great. I love the finish with Cena stopping the screwjob but being caught with the GTS. It kept that degree of doubt, but was still a strong way for Punk to go over. And then Vince calling out Del Rio, but Punk getting the jump on him and bolting through the crowd was a great way to end the show. This would prove to be the high point of the angle, but what a high point it was.

Match of the night: I have Cena and Punk at 4 and 1/4 stars. Show/Henry at 3 1/4. Smackdown ladder match and Christian/Orton at 3 stars.

Show rating: There was a lot of talk about this being the best ppv ever at the time. I think it definitely warrants being in that discussion, even moreso if you liked the Raw MITB match. I'd go as high as 4 stars.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

WWE Night of Champions 2011.

Air Boom Vs Awesome Truth: AB (terrible name) defending the tag titles. I was a fan of Truth's heel turn and persona, but Awesome Truth are lame as hell, from Miz being Truth's hype man as they come out rapping 'You Suck', to the stupid pose they do, just to the idea of Miz being this unhinged, dangerous man. Totally miscast in the role. This match is basically building to the angle at the end where Awesome Truth get screwed on a bad call, and then Miz gets DQ'ed for putting his hands on the ref. Reasonably effective actually.

Cody Rhodes Vs Ted DiBiase: Cody is the IC champ. The Zeke Jackson experiment didn't last long. This might have been a hot angle once upon a time, but they made Ted into such a loser that I don't think people were really too enthused about his face turn. This is an incredibly bland match with Cody retaining. 

Dolph Ziggler Vs Jack Swagger Vs Alex Riley Vs John Morrison: Dolph is defending the US title. The story here is that Swagger wants Vickie to represent him, which Dolph doesn't like. One spot has Vickie put Swag's foot on the rope as he is about to get pinned by either Riley or Morrison, which causes Dolph to go on a tirade, asking her if she just tried to cost him his title. Erm, no. She just saved your title. Anyway, Dolph gets a fluke win after Swagger does all the work. Standard 4-way stuff.

Randy Orton Vs Mark Henry: This is saving the show at this point. The only thing I didn't like about this is how easy Orton takes Henry off his feet right at the beginning of the match. They really should have built to that as a big moment. Otherwise, this is a good match, with Henry looking really dominant, and Orton looking good working from underneath. This is mostly about Henry though, and him winning the world title was a genuine mark out moment for me. I also liked how you could tell that Booker T was really happy for him.

Beth Phoenix Vs Kelly Kelly: Phoenix is really over in her home town here, like about as over as I can ever remember a woman being over on ppv. She jobs, of course. The match is okay, with a good dynamic. Top rope superplex from Beth is a huge spot in a women's match at this point in time. And then Kelly gets the roll up win, which deflates the crowd, but is the happy ending Lawler was looking for.

Alberto Del Rio Vs John Cena: The whole booking of the WWE title around this time was just horrible. From the tournament to declare a new champ to putting the belt right back on Cena that same night, to the hotshotting of the unification match, to Del Rio cashing in, and now to putting the belt right back on Cena here. Which I didn't see coming as I remembered it as Del Rio holding the belt until losing to Punk. Crappy booking either way. This isn't a particularly good match. Del Rio looks really disinterested in the first half of this, and Cena's selling isn't up to much. It does get better though. I'm interested in seeing at what point the crowd totally loses interest in ADR. He still has some heat at this point, but it's a Cena match, so hard to tell.

Triple H Vs CM Punk: Speaking of bad booking... This could be the single worst booking decision this company ever made. Seriously, fuck Triple H forever for inserting himself into this angle. Because who exactly was crying out for the involvement of Triple H and Kevin fucking Nash in the most buzz-worthy angle since maybe the Invasion? Nash, in particular, is such an embarrassment, lumbering around with his stupid moustache. For the match itself, they do a big ringside brawl, which is okay as far as these things go. Then silly season starts and we get run-ins from Awesome Truth (who beat both guys down, but put Punk on top of Hunter for a pin attempt, only to later break up Punk's pin attempt), and big Kev. Hunter knocked Nash out with a sledgehammer, and then nailed Punk with a Pedigree to win and keep his job as COO. This was an absolute shit-show. A totally unnecessary match, with a nonsensical finish and the wrong guy going over. No wonder Punk didn't want to work with Trips again.

Match of the night: Henry/Orton was pretty much the sole in-ring highlight. 3 1/4 stars.

Show rating: Apart from the landmark of Henry's title win, which as I mentioned, was a huge mark-out moment for me personally, this show is at best forgettable, and at worst a total slap in the face. 2 stars.

[cwoy2j]

Quote

 I was a fan of Truth's heel turn and persona, but Awesome Truth are lame as hell, from Miz being Truth's hype man as they come out rapping 'You Suck', to the stupid pose they do, just to the idea of Miz being this unhinged, dangerous man. 

The worst was them trying to get us to believe that John Cena needed his mortal enemy, The Rock, to help him deal with a guy he beat the holy piss out of in what was essentially a handicap I Quit Match and another guy he beat who jobbed to an 8 year old throwing soda in his face.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

And didn't he just deal with them both right before he asked the Rock to be his partner?

[The Natural]

On 8/10/2017 at 2:25 PM, Yo-Yo's Roomie said:

WWE Money in the Bank 2011.

Why is the poster for this event Big Show and Hornswoggle looking in a book?

Kane Vs Wade Barrett Vs Sheamus Vs Daniel Bryan Vs Sin Cara Vs Heath Slater Vs Justin Gabriel Vs Cody Rhodes: We kick off with Smackdown's MITB match. This is a total spotfest, but a fun one, with a hot crowd. Cara gets taken out of the match when Sheamus powerbombs him through a ladder. Sheamus and Bryan were probably the stand-out performers in the match. Crowd pops huge for Bryan's win. Bryan was basically a glorified jobber at this point, so him winning was quite the nice surprise.

Kelly Kelly Vs Brie Bella: Kelly retains the diva's title in a poor match. The Bellas bicker after the match.

Mark Henry Vs The Big Show: Great hype video for this, showing Henry's path of destruction. My favourite was him throwing the tech guy into another dimension. My wife and I still laugh at that. Kingsized hoss battle, with Henry getting a dominant victory. Then Henry destroys Show's leg. I think that must have written Show off for a while.

Alberto Del Rio Vs Rey Mysterio Vs Alex Riley Vs The Miz Vs Kofi Kingston Vs Evan Bourne Vs Jack Swagger Vs R-Truth: Raw MITB. I didn't like this match so much. It felt too contrived, right from the start where everyone brings a ladder into the ring as a weapon. Highlight of the match was Bourne's shooting star off the ladder, and I also liked the finish with ADR taking off Rey's mask. Miz leaves the match after hurting his leg, only to limp back in and nearly win- was that a legit injury, because that seems like more of a babyface spot? Swagger took a really nasty bump at one point when he fell off a ladder awkwardly. Lucky not to have seriously injured himself. Truth hilariously botched a spot which for some reason they kept replaying.

Randy Orton Vs Christian: If Randy is DQ'ed, Christian wins the world title. Christian tries to get Randy to use a chair on him at the start of the match, but that doesn't work. They wrestle a normal match after that, and their good chemistry is holding up. Then, with Orton in control, Christian spits in his face, which sets Orton off and he gets DQ'ed for a low blow. Really weak way for Christian to win the belt, and then Orton absolutely destroys him after the match with two RKOs on the announce table. Crowd popped for the title change, but popped harder for the beatdown.

John Cena Vs CM Punk: You might be familiar with this one. Built up as one of the most important matches in WWE history, and it certainly feels that way with the atmosphere and the build. The crowd is absolutely electric. At the time I thought this was a stonewall 5 star match, but in the cold light of day, detached from the greater storyline, I don't think it gets there. I just felt in the early part of the match they were kinda just filling time, and the match didn't really have that sense of progression. It kicks into high gear about half way through, and the match is never less than compelling thanks to the crowd and the stakes. I do think Cena puts in an excellent performance as the under pressure ace. The sequence where Cena counters the GTS into an STF is great. I love the finish with Cena stopping the screwjob but being caught with the GTS. It kept that degree of doubt, but was still a strong way for Punk to go over. And then Vince calling out Del Rio, but Punk getting the jump on him and bolting through the crowd was a great way to end the show. This would prove to be the high point of the angle, but what a high point it was.

Match of the night: I have Cena and Punk at 4 and 1/4 stars. Show/Henry at 3 1/4. Smackdown ladder match and Christian/Orton at 3 stars.

Show rating: There was a lot of talk about this being the best ppv ever at the time. I think it definitely warrants being in that discussion, even moreso if you liked the Raw MITB match. I'd go as high as 4 stars.

I went ***** for John Cena vs. CM Punk. For me the Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder match here is the greatest in the gimmick's history.  Feel the same with you on the RAW one. I bought the show on DVD, I rarely do. Only other? SummerSlam 2013.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

I went 5 stars at the time too, but it wasn't on that level for me this time around. I don't know if that was just getting caught up in the story at the time and now, divorced from that, just seeing that the quality of work isn't to that level. It's definitely a 5 star angle though, from the pipe-bomb to Punk kissing the WWE goodbye.