Wrestling’s 4R’s Monday Edition 10.12.09: ROH on HDNet, WWE Smackdown, WWE Superstars, And Delayed HIAC
Posted by Larry Csonka on 10.12.2009
Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho pick up right where they left off, Sonjay Dutt and Delirious do battle again, Cryme Tyme and The Hart Dynasty continue their war and Hell in a Cell is a complete disappointment! Wrestling’s 4R’s breaks down all the action from WWE Superstars, ROH on HDNet, WWE Smackdown and the Hell in a Cell PPV!
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In HD where available…
By: Aaron Hubbard
ROH on HDNet 10.05.09:
QUICK RESULTS:
- Sonjay Dutt defeated Delirious [**1/2]
- Eddie Kingston defeated Kyle Matthews [1/4*]
- Joey Ryan defeated Roderick Strong [**1/2]
- Jay and Mark Briscoe won the Honor Rumble, last eliminating The American Wolves [***]
THE RIGHT:
DELIRIOUS VS. SONJAY, PART II: These guys had a match a few weeks ago that I didn't particular enjoy, but the second go-around was much more entertaining. Delirious worked in some comedy early and then started doing his signature moves down the stretch, including the awesome cobra clutch suplex. Dutt has finally grown into the heel role and seems to have *GASP* learned how to work a body part! He went after Delirious' throat and choked him with the tassels, and then beat him with the Camel Clutch, again using the tassels. It wasn't an amazing match or anything but it was perfectly acceptable for television. Sonjay put his hands on Daizee Haze after the match, which furthers the feud and gives Delirious something to do while giving Sonjay a chance to further his new character. Good stuff all around, though I worry about Dutt attacking a charismatic lovable loser's girlfriend. Didn't he do just spend like a year doing the same basic story?
BUILD-UP FOR KENTA VS. HERO: Hyping the next show is something that ROH has been doing very well for the last month or so. Next week's main event is Chris Hero vs. KENTA, so we got a promo for Hero where he got to show off his charisma and be cocky, trying to get you to want to see him get beat up. Then we get a video package for KENTA, since he can't exactly cut a great promo in English, and we saw that he's a guy who can beat Hero up, and in fact, he has in previous matches. The match should rock and I'm hyped for it. Excellent job again guys. Now if you could just do a video package for Roderick Strong in lieu of a promo next time...
PURGATORY:
THE EDDIE KINGSTON SQUASH TOUR CONTINUES: You know, every time I think I'm gonna get sick of Eddie Kingston squashing people and going nowhere, he gives another excellent promo to get my hopes again. But still, these squashes are getting REALLY repetitive, and threats in Hero's direction can only carry Eddie so far before the lack of follow up makes me not care. Nothing wrong, but nothing right either.
RODERICK CAN'T KEEP HIS EYE ON THE BALL: Roderick Strong came out for a match with Joey Ryan and Nigel McGuinness came out cutting the same basic promo he's cut for the last month, but at least it was directed at a fellow wrestler this time. Ryan took advantage and did a Pearl Harbor job. These guys had a solid match. Strong is always game and Ryan got a bit more offense this time around. Nana then distracted Roderick and Joey got a superkick and a small package for the upset win. Roddy took out his frustrations by hitting the Sick Kick on Joey and turned his attention to Nigel. This was all fine and dandy when it was taped, but guess what? Nigel and Roderick never faced each other on TV! So we don't get to see the payoff! And unlike the Ladder War or Hero vs. Kingston, this show aired on TV after the match and after Nigel left ROH for WWE! Hindsight is 20/20 and the unforeseen puts this in purgatory.
ARIES PROMO: Anytime Aries is on TV, it's a good thing, because he's entertaining and is the champion, and thus should be the focal point of the promotion. He announced another A-Double L-Double for next week, which I suppose is fine, but not something I'm overly excited about.
HONOR RUMBLE: And we come to the main event. This was basically a royal rumble with eight tag-teams. The early part of the match was about showcasing the Young Bucks at the expense of Jimmy Rave and Ernie Osiris of the Embassy, and then building a rivalry with the Dark City Fight Club, where they eliminated the big guys. The DCFC responded by assaulting Matt Jackson when he was eliminated, so Nick Jackson sacrificed the match to help his brother, which is a good idea because this match really wasn't about anything other than bragging rights. It's nice to see some brotherly love in wrestling. The tag teams of Erick Stevens and Brent Albright and Rhett Titus and Kenny King also came in and looked okay, but didn't really add much except throwing bodies out and adding bodies to throw out.
The second part of the Rumble was about showcasing the three-way feud between Kevin Steen and El Generico, The Briscoe Brothers and The American Wolves. There was a funny spot where Kenny eliminated everyone but the Briscoes and Steenerico and then got the Muhammad Hassan/Eddie Guerrero treatment. The two rival teams waited for the Wolves to come out and all Hell broke loose as everyone brawled. Steen eliminated Davey Richards but the referee didn't see it because Sara Del Ray was distracted him, so he came back in and the Wolves eliminated Steenerico and Jay Briscoe. Mark Briscoe fought the odds until Davey fell to the floor thanks to some help from Jay and then eliminated Eddie Edwards. This presumably gives the Briscoes a title shot on TV in the near future. The match was exciting and well booked and showcased ROH's tag team division, but it also drug a lot before the last three teams came in. There was a formula where they would hit a spot, then brawl and try to throw each other over, wait for the next team, spot, repeat. In match this short with this much talent, there shouldn't be any down time. I think it's a useable gimmick for the future, but they need to get the kinks out first.
THE WRONG:
NONE
THE RIDICULOUS:
NONE
The 411
As you can tell by the breakdown, this was a very middling show. There was nothing horrible, but nothing exciting. I like not having anything to complain about, but I like to have something to rave about and recommend to people who may have missed the show. Sadly, I can't say that there was anything to rave about this week.
SHOW RATING: 5.5
By: Steve Cook
Superstars 10.08.09:
THE RIGHT:
Ted DiBiase vs. Evan Bourne: It was nice of Teddy to dedicate this match to the memory of his tag team partner Cody Rhodes. What better way for the Million Dollar Kid to get back on track than by wrestling Bourne, who has become famous lately for taking solid asskickings and making his opponents look better than they actually are. I fear that Bourne is too good in this role, therefore he'll never receive much of a push and end up in the Barry Horowitz/Lanny Poffo type role. Ah what the hell, somebody's gotta do it, right? Teddy does seem like he's getting better with every match they put him in, so more power to him.
Cryme Tyme vs. Hart Dynasty: Maybe I've missed a couple of shows here and there, but this was the first time I've seen the Hart kids get to cut a promo. They did a pretty good job at it too, giving me hope for the younger generation. I know we complain about these guys wrestling each other every week, but when you put things in perspective and figure that the Hart Foundation probably wrestled the British Bulldogs 365 times in 1985, it just seems more repetitive to us because more of their matches end up on television these days. The one problem these teams have right now is that they don't really have anything to fight for except maybe someday getting a tag team title shot. But we can forget about that for right now and focus on the match, which was another solid effort from these four and well worth the main event slot this week.
PURGATORY:
Shelton Benjamin vs. Sheamus: Arn Anderson must have had a hand in booking this match, or he's at least been teaching the Celtic Warrior how to work over a body part. Classic Anderson-style arm work always brings a smile to my face, but the lame DQ finish keeps this match from ending up in the "Right" section. I know WWE is emphasizing the DQs these days, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it, especially when they come for lame scenarios like being in the ropes too long. They make the heel wrestlers look like dumbasses…besides, any good heel would say that if he's gonna get disqualified, he might as well do something to deserve it, and Sheamus's half-assed stomps to Shleton's arm didn't warrant a DQ in my eyes. It should also be pointed out that the crowd was completely dead for the match, which can't speak well for either man since this feud was actually built up a little bit over the last two weeks.
THE WRONG:
NONE
THE RIDICULOUS:
Ask the Divas: I have nothing more to say about this segment that is either relevant or true. I would appreciate suggestions for any good questions to Ask the Divas that might make this worth watching.
The 411
Another good effort on Superstars this week from the usual suspects. I wouldn't mind seeing the Hart Dynasty & Cryme Tyme on the show every single week from here on out, and Bourne had another good Superstars match, this time with TDJR. Shelton v. Sheamus was kinda there, but the other two matches made this show well worth the watch.
SHOW RATING: 7.5
By: Jeremy Thomas
WWE SmackDown 10.09.09
THE RIGHT:
VINCE HAS SOME BAD NEWS OF TEDDY'S TO ANNOUNCE: After a package of video stills highlighting the Undertaker/CM Punk match at Hell in a Cell, SmackDown began with Teddy Long in the ring. Teddy's boos were pretty much forgotten since Taker came out on top. Teddy used Taker's win at Hell in a Cell to proclaim SmackDown the most dominant brand in the WWE. Uh…Teddy, he beat a SmackDown guy, not a Raw guy. Didn't exactly prove anything there. Teddy then said that if Cena lost at Bragging Rights that he would be welcome to the Blue Brand. Somehow, I don't see that happening but sure. CM Punk then made his way down to the ring, selling his injuries from Hell in a Cell. JR tried to put Punk's work against the Dead Man over and not make it seem like it was an extended squash. Points for trying, Jim. Punk was pissed that Teddy was talking about a Raw guy and berated the GM for not being focused on him. He was pissed about being in a match with Batista and wanted to cash in his guaranteed rematch against Taker in a submission match with Scott Armstrong as a referee and long ringside. Punk delivered a promo that had nothing to do with drugs or alcohol and was very well delivered. He was arrogant, pissed off and making demands, and it's nice to see Punk doing something that doesn't harp on his straight edge gimmick for a few minutes.
The argument between Long and Punk was interrupted when Vince made his way down to the ring. Long awesomely announced Vince's presence, a nice little way for him to suck up. Vince then pointed out Long's probation and said that Long was planning on announcing a four-way match at Bragging Rights against Batista, Punk and Rey Rey in a Fatal Four-Way match. The interplay here between the three men was great. Punk was talking down Long off-mic while Vince spoke, and when it was Punk's turn to speak up Vince cut him off. The three were playing a great dynamic that showed how little each of them liked or at least cared about the other, but without being over-the-top about it. Vince then stole the spotlight to announce the first match with Rey Rey, and as the little guy got in the ring Punk stared him down and walked off. This was a solid way to start the show and it was the little things everyone did, accompanied by some fresh mic work, which really made it work for me.
REY MYSTERIO vs. CHRIS JERICHO: This was, unsurprisingly, a hell of a choice to open the show. I've spoken before about how well the Blue Brand does at giving the crowd a hot opener, and we all know how well Rey Rey and Y2J work together. This match actually started off a bit worryingly, as Rey and Jericho seemed to be moving pretty slowly through their movements despite Rey's fast paced offense being the focus. They picked it up early though as JR and T-Grish recapped the Rey/Jericho feud earlier this year in a nice touch. Once the momentary initial awkwardness was worked through, they settled into another great match. It was nothing highly innovative—Jericho worked Rey over a lot while the smaller guy kept coming back to pop the crowd—but what they did was mostly crisp and nicely executed. There were a couple flubs that brought it down, most notably Rey Rey's rana into the 619 that looked rather weak, and this was far from their best match. But it was still a good one, and Rey got a needed win to give him some momentum heading toward the Pay-Per-View. Overall, this was a winner that I couldn't complain too much about.
JOHN MORRISON vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER: This was, of course, a rematch from Hell in a Cell and was for the Intercontinental Title. Morrison came out first to a strong pop from the crowd and then out came Ziggler. They got about ten minutes and made the most out of it. To me, this match carried off much better than the match between Miz and Kofi Kingston from Raw. Both featured two guys who work quite well off each other, and both were rematches (of sorts) from Hell in a Cell. The difference between the matches was that this one had more of a connection with the crowd, and that's something that Morrison and Ziggler have been able to accomplish during a match that Miz and Kofi can't yet. Both the Raw guys get reactions before and after matches, but it's during the match where you hit that extra level. Midway through the match Maria came down and took a seat to watch, which you just knew would play into the finish. Low and behold it did, as Maria grabbed the chair to sit again, which meant that Dolph didn't have it to waffle Morrison with. I'm more and more concerned that Dolph is developing a reputation as a choke artist, but I have no problem with Morrison holding the title since the main event face side is pretty heavy at the moment.
DEAD MAN PROMO TIME: We came back from commercial late in the show to the Undertaker being announced and his typical stylish entrance popping the crowd. He had the World Heavyweight Title around his waist and made his slow walk to the ring as the arena went nuts. Twenty minutes later, he was in the ring and ready to speak. Okay, not that long, but I love to joke about it. Taker talked about how he's the reaper of souls and he now has the Holy Grail of the WWE. Basically the gist here was that he wanted the title so that he could claim all the souls who would otherwise duck him. Okay, that's a little funky but I'm okay with it. I liked this promo, he even gave us a little hint of old "Big Evil"/Bad Ass Taker when he called the ring "his yard." He then addressed each of his opponents to be, saying he would take Punk's soul, show Rey Rey's no mercy, and best Batista strength and rage. This was overdone and theatrical as usual, but it was better mic work than usual and with it being in the ring, the crowd was really into it. That pushes this above the standard Dead Man promo into the Right.
PURGATORY:
WORD UP: We hadn't seen a Word Up in quite a while, and as I'm not a huge fan of the segment, I hadn't missed it at all. This, I didn't mind quite so much. The entire point was putting Eve over since she was taking on Michelle McCool coming up after the break. I can tolerate these when they're actually extended to a purpose and not just meaningless fluff. This was a tiny bit silly and I didn't love it, but I can go with it at the very least. It was short and to the point, and that's all it needed to be.
EVE vs. MICHELLE McCOOL: Eve made her way to the ring for this match and had an encouragingly strong pop from the crowd. We're not talking Rey Rey pops or anything, but it was noticeable and was in fact stronger than Michelle's heat. This match was surprisingly good, I have to say. They resorted to the rolling on the ground a bit which I always hate, and there were moments where they were far from crisp in their execution. But otherwise, I found this an enjoyable match. Eve sold Michelle's offense nicely and let Michelle play the dominating heel, which she did fairly decently. At the same time, when it was time for Eve to begin her comeback she looked good on the offense for the most part. I think they went a little too ambitious a couple of times and it caused some problems, but the finish was solid and the kick to the face was as solid of one as we've seen in a long while. This gives me further hope that Eve could eventually rise to a position where she can be seen as a contender to the Women's Title. It could have been better, but what they did was entertaining and encouraging for the future.
TEDDY, VICKIE & ERIC BACKSTAGE FUN: Backstage, Vickie and Eric Escobar where playing nibble-the-ear in Teddy's office, which Teddy was none too happy about. Vickie was pissed also, that Eric didn't have a match and that Punk and Taker weren't getting a fair chance in the Fatal Four-Way. I love how Vickie's playing Vince's parrot of sorts and is willing to sound indignant over Taker's unfair treatment just so she can stick it to Teddy. Eric then said some stuff in Spanish and kissed Vickie's hand, then departed. This wasn't great, to be honest. Despite the fun of Vickie being Vince-lite, they haven't given us any reason to be impressed by Escobar yet and Vickie's sounding as wooden in her acting as ever. I appreciate that they're trying to ease us into Escobar and I imagine we'll see enough of him soon, but this just seemed to be a segment with the entire purpose of breaking up the matches and I would have liked to see more than that.
R-TRUTH & MATT HARDY vs. DREW McINTYRE & KANE: Damn it, and Matt was doing so well, too. I'm kidding there mostly, folks. I don't think that a single loss to put McIntyre over does Matt any real damage, I just find it amusing that people are acting like Matt should have stayed with TNA rather than this. Truth came down first and had the crowd eating out of his hand; Matt was next and got a huge pop. Matt is hitting that point where the crowd loves him and he doesn't really suffer when he loses a match, and that's exactly why he took the loss here. McIntyre needs to get the crowd against him, as evidenced by the quiet reaction on his way to the ring, and this was the kind of match we needed to have him in, where all the other competitors are hugely over and he looks like he can hang with them. J.R. noted that Vince McMahon doesn't sign a lot of losers a s a means to put Drew over; hey Jim, Nailz says hi. So does Nathan Jones. The problem here was that Drew didn't really do that. He got the pinfall and looked strong, but he didn't do anything in there that set him apart from anyone else on the roster. He was solid but not exceptional. The match was a fairly standard affair and as I said Drew picked up the pinfall, giving him a credibility boost that made this match worthwhile. He'll need to show more to me if he wants to get into the Right though.
BATISTA vs. CM PUNK: Earlier in the show, we got a little interaction between Rey Rey and Big Dave, where Rey apologized for taking the loss and Batista said not to sweat it. They then talked briefly about the Fatal Four-Way match at Bragging Rights and how they both wanted to win. I actually hope that they leave this as a friendly rivalry between them and nothing more. They can go at it when they get in the ring against each other, but we've seen enough of the "two faces are friends, but get mad at each other over a PPV match" thing. Keep it friendly and keep them focused on Punk and Taker, and I'll be happy.
When it became main event time, the crowd was pumped for the match. Batista got a monster reaction from the crowd as he came down to the ring; bitch all you want people, but the casual fans love him. And they HATE Punk, who made his slow, PPV Match-selling walk down to the ring. They gave this match just under ten minutes and started off with Big Dave's strength and rage against Punk's brain. Batista looked strong for much of the match and I can hear people complaining about that, but hear me out here. Big Dave was in a tag team match at HiaC, and didn't take the pin. Punk was in Hell in a Cell. It would make complete sense that he would be at a disadvantage, and he used his head in the match to make comebacks and stop Batista's momentum. I'm absolutely okay with that because it fit his character, and this match far from buried the Straight Edge Superstar. Did he win only by count out? Yes, but he still lost and he was the fresher guy. That says a lot, and people won't remember that it was a count out loss, only that Big Dave suffered his first loss since his return at Batista's hands. The match itself was not good enough to put it in the Right, but it was far from a bad ending to the show.
THE WRONG:
DOLPH & MARIA: THE END: So, after weeks of storyline building up that Michelle was trying to break up Dolph and Maria and even teasing that maybe Dolph was a legitimately good guy around Maria…after all that build-up, they blow off the relationship with a post-match tantrum? I mean don't get me wrong folks…to their credit, Dolph and Maria played this well. You could see shades of Dolph being bothered by what he was doing in the way he stroked her hair just before saying that they were through, and Maria was decent in their reactions. I actually hope that this is just a development in the storyline and not the end. If felt very final though, and if this is the way they're cutting the storyline off I really dislike it due to the wasted potential and time spent in the build.
THE RIDICULOUS:
DID YOU KNOW?: Nope. And, as always, I don't care.
The 411
By and large, this was a strong show. We had some really good matches in Rey Rey/Jericho and Morrison/Ziggler and even Eve/Michelle was better than expected. Sure, there were a few things I could have done without, and I hoped for more from the tag team match, but otherwise this was an all-around enjoyable couple of hours to spend with the WWE. It seems like they're hitting their stride again after some shuffling around with Hardy's departure and Taker and Batista's returns, and hopefully they can keep that up.
SHOW RATING: 7.5
From JUSTINW:
Roethlisberger was a great host of RAW. He is a legit wrestling fan, and is a very well known man, so to those who say they have never heard of him (insert joke about his name), he won 2 recent Super Bowls and is one of the most famous current athletes.
I agree that he was a good host for Raw. Admittedly I don't know him well, but then I don't watch football. I follow my team of choice in the stats but that's it. Anyway, Roethlisberger did a good job and I can't at all complain about it.
From Guest#0334:
"The Ridiculous: DIVA BOWL:"
A pity to read that, as it was easily the most interest the live crowd showed in the Divas in ages and was more entertaining than some of the garbage from the Divas that the live crowd rightfully doesn't give a damn about, like the Michelle-Melina angle on SmackDown that has replaced Kane-Khali in terms of fan apathy.
On a related note, I was surprised to see Jim Ross mention on his blog that he preferred the Diva Bowl over Mickie-Alicia at the PPV.
I think it's a bit much to say the crowd is totally apathetic about Michelle/Melina. They're not that into it, but that's more because they've been facing off for too long. Had this been a fresh feud, we would have seen more of a reaction I'm guessing. As for J.R....well, he's entitled to his opinion.
From The Great Capt. Smooth:
I can just picture Iron Man as a "special enforcer" for the Cena/Orton match.
That would be phenomenal. If he wasn't doing ninety gazillion projects, Downey would probably even do it, too. They could get to him through his Iron Man 2 co-star Mickey Rourke, even. Cross-promotion for the win!
From Loki:
" He called Orton vs. Cena THE rivalry. You know…people are gonna laugh, but I can't disagree with it talking strictly about Raw."
Actually, given how fresh, relatively entertaining and well put together it was, I've got to say DX vs. Legacy was THE feud on the Raw side of things.
Well it would be if it wasn't for the incredible Chavo vs. Hornswaggle feud.
And I really hope that Jerishow (I like that phrase so there) win at Bragging Rights, so in the SmackDown vs. Raw match they meet as opponents - with Jericho involved, some very interesting things could stem from that.
That's a really good point about Jericho and Show winning; they would be on opposite sides. I would love to see that, and they could carry on the feud with DX past Bragging Rights. I will go back on my statement about what was THE feud, because I agree that DX/Legacy was a more interesting feud and had as much heat as Cena/Orton.
From Insane Snake:
First of all, a big Thanks for having my comment mentioned in your column.
Second, for those who don't know, the reference to cold macaroni and cheese is from a comment made by CJ that his two baby daughters would throw it on the floor and he hated stepping in it.
I actually didn't know that one. Thanks for pointing it out!
From Eboney:
You didn't like the Layla Flair flop, Jeremy? haha
I liked the Diva Bowl. I know the Divas aren't known for the "super serious" wrestling matches.. But when it's suppose to be just for fun, they do those matches waaayyy better. I wouldn't say it was a gimmick match, just a giant themed tag match. It could've been worst.. I mean look at last week. That was supposed to be a "serious and credible" match. Same can be said for most, if not all, of the Diva matches lately. Somehow the WWE just doesn't get that Mickie isn't the wrestler every fan of he's thinks she is. Hell, Rosa was in perfect position and Mickie missed her kick in that match.
I didn't have a problem with Raw. Most of the show was kinda there. I was hoping that with all those big ass line men and Big Ben that their bouncing would break the ring at the end. That would've been funny if not somewhat awkward.
I hope with Miz being the US Title, Maryse comes back soon. They did have a few backstage pep talks with Maryse telling the Miz "Go do something if you want something.."
Hey, Eb. This wasn't as much about the super serious wrestling, this was because the match should entertain. In big Diva schmoz-fests, the entertainment should come from the hotness of the Divas and the booking. I didn't think this was well-booked and I thought the idea of dressing all the Divas identically cut down on the hotness factor. I would also like to see Miz and Maryse doing some segments where Miz points out that he's a champion now and Maryse isn't. That would be great.
WWE HELL IN A CELL (SHORT FORM) By: LARRY CSONKA
MATCH RESULTS:
* World Title Hell in a Cell Match: The Undertaker defeated CM Punk to win the World Title @ 10:00 {**}
* IC Title Match: John Morrison defeated Dolph Ziggler @ 16:00 {***½}
* Divas Title Match: Mickie James defeated Alicia Fox @ 5:00 {*½}
* Unified Tag Team Title Match: Chris Jericho and The Big Show defeated Batista and Rey Mysterio @ 14:00 {***¼}
* WWE Title Hell in a Cell Match: Randy Orton defeated John Cena to win the WWE Title @ 21:00 {**¾}
* Drew McIntyre defeated R-Truth @ 4:00 via pin
* US Title Match: Kofi Kingston defeated The Miz and Jack Swagger @ 8:00 via pin {**}
* Hell in a Cell Match: DX defeated Legacy @ 18:00 via pin {**½}
The 411
First of all, I am sorry that the show isn't getting the full R's format as usual. Family comes first, and last week was just too busy. If you're married and have a kid, you'll certainly understand.
Onto the PPV. Overall not a bad PPV, but also nothing special. Outside of the fun tag team title match and the IC Title match, there was nothing redeeming about this PPV. First of all, as I feared, the HIAC has been devalued. The two world title matches were matches that could have been regular cage matches. They barely used the Cell, which made it being there a waste. Some will say that they didn't want to burn out the crowd and the spots before the last match. Well then, DO NOT BOOK THREE HIAC MATCHES!
Secondly, having the WWE and Word Title change hands, AGAIN, is devaluing the titles. 15 title changes between the two titles this year is just ridiculous. The constant matches between Cena and Orton are bad enough, but the tile change means that it is NOT over and the HIAC has always been a match that ends shit. Not in this case. The same goes for Punk vs. Taker. I have nothing against Taker, but the fact is that they hurt the momentum that Punk had been building with the title loss. I have stopped caring about the titles due to all of this.
Morrison and Ziggles delivered a good match, not quite the match they NEEDED to have, but they did well. What I mean is that I feel they needed to really blow away people to prove that they are worthy, and they didn't quite do that, but a good match. Thankfully they got the time to work.
The praise for the divas match amazes me. Yes Fox is getting good, and yes this was better than the shit we've been seeing, but just because they have a match that doesn't completely suck, let's not throw praise and snowflakes all over the place.
Unified tag title match was a lot of fun, and Rey doing the clean job was the right call.
Orton vs. Cena had some good story telling, but the blade popping out, the lethargic pace and shit ending made it just passable.
Drew McIntyre vs. R-Truth should not have been on the show. I am all for giving the guys a chance, but they can't do shit in 4-minutes. I appreciate that they had the right idea, and I know that they want to push Drew to the moon because HHH loves him and they had Steamboat work with him on the house show loops, but you need to let him shine. Don't give me a shit TV match on PPV. This was a bad call by the company.
US title match was average, not bad, but also they needed more time. I like all three guys, but the angle going in was stupid and I was hoping for more.
DX vs. Legacy in the main event was a good call in the fact that they are TRYING to make Legacy stars, but just putting guys in the main event doesn't make them main eventers. They dropped the ball here, plain and simple. Legacy attacks, they then lock HBK in the cage and KICK THE PISS out of him for 13-minutes. They could not beat down HBK enough to win, and then HHHUNTOR THE BAR-BERRIER made his way to the ring, made the save, DX wins and ALSO leaves Legacy laying like complete jobbers in the end. Yay, the good guys won, the same good guys that have been on top for seemingly forever.
Overall not a good PPV in my eyes. There wasn't a lot of shitty matches or anything, but the piss poor booking, bad match layout, lack of heat for some bouts, the damage to the HIAC gimmick and the world titles really knocks this down in my opinion.
SHOW RATING: 5.0
**LARRY'S** RANKINGS THUS FAR
Rankings may change through out the year upon a second viewing…
2009 PPV Rankings:
-ENTER THE DRAGON {9.9}
-ROH RISING ABOVE {8.0}
-WWE NO WAY OUT {8.0}
-TNA SLAMMIVERSARY {8.0}
-[ENTER THE DRAGON] - Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant vs. Amasis, Icarus, Hallowicked and Gran Akuma (****¼)
-[ENTER THE DRAGON] - Yamato vs. BxB Hulk (****¼)
-[TAKE NO PRISONERS] – Tyler Black & KENTA vs. Austin Aries & Katsuhiko Nakajima (****¼)
-[ROH RISING ABOVE] – I QUIT MATCH: Jimmy Jacobs vs. Austin Aries (****¼)
-[TNA GENESIS] - Kurt Angle defeated Jeff Jarrett (****¼)
-[TNA GENESIS] - X-Division Title Match: Alex Shelley defeated Chris Sabin (****¼)
-[TNA SLAMMIVERSARY] – X-Division King of the Mountain Match: Suicide vs. Lethal vs. Creed vs. Sabin vs. Shelley (****¼)
-[WWE NO WAY OUT] – THE RAW ELIMINATION CHAMBER (****¼)
2009 PPV MVP AWARDS: Not every PPV will have one, it just depends on who I think steps up and deserves some extra recognition.
-[TNA GENESIS] Sabin, Shelley, Angle and Jarrett – Rocking The House
-[ROH RISING ABOVE] – Danielson and McGuinness - Defining the ROH World Title
-[WWE ROYAL RUMBLE] – RVD – The Joke Pays Off
-[WWE NO WAY OUT] – EDGE – The Ultimate Opportunist
-[WWE WRESTLEMANIA] – HBK and The Undertaker – Stealing the Show
-[ROH CAGED COLLISION] – Nigel McGuinness – Better Than You Sugar Nuts
-[TNA LOCKDOWN] - Christopher Daniels – Pulling Double Duty
-[WWE BACKLASH] – Edge and John Cena – Stealing the Show
-[TNA SACRIFICE] – The TNA Roster – Making the Best Out of Shitty Booking
-[WWE EXTREME RULES] – Rey, Jericho, Edge and Hardy – They Are Awesome
-[TAKE NO PRISONERS] – Tyler Black, KENTA, Austin Aries and Katsuhiko Nakajima – Main Event Excellence
-[TNA SLAMMIVERSARY] – Daffney and Taylor Wilde – Two Hardcore Bitches
-[WWE THE BASH] – Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho – Making the Show Worth It
-[WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS] – CM Punk – Solidifying His Spot
-[TNA HARD JUSTICE] – The Terror Dome Guys – Continuing to deliver despite the booking of the division
-[WWE SUMMERSLAM] – CM Punk and Jeff Hardy – THIS IS AWESOME!
-[ENTER THE DRAGON] – The Entire PPV Roster – Redefining PPV
-[WWE BREAKING POINT] – Randy Orton vs. John Cena – I QUIT!
-[TNA NO SURRENDER] – AJ Styles – Champion Again
-[WWE HELL IN A CELL] – Dolph Ziggler vs. John Morrison – Stepping Up
2009 TOP TV Match Rankings:
I will update as often as needed.
-Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black – (ROH on HDNet: 07.25.09) {****½ }
-STEEL CAGEMATCH: Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk - (Smackdown: 08.28.09) {****}
-Jeff Hardy vs. John Morrison - (Smackdown: 07.31.09) {****}
-Edge vs. Rey Mysterio - (Smackdown: 06.05.09) {****}
-Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black – (ROH on HDNet: 04.25.09) {****}
-Evan Bourne vs. John Morrison - (ECW: 04.14.09) {****}
-Christian vs. Jack Swagger - (ECW: 02.24.09) {****}
-Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena - (Raw: 01.12.09) {****}
-Jerry Lynn vs. Tyler Black – (ROH on HDNet: 09.07.09) {***¾}
-Christian vs. Zack Ryder - (ECW: 07.28.09) {***¾}
- Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho - (Smackdown: 07.24.09) {***¾}
-Edge vs. John Morrison - (Smackdown: 06.12.09) {***¾}
-Edge vs. Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk - (Raw: 06.08.09) {***¾}
-Edge vs. Jeff Hardy - (Smackdown: 06.12.09) {***¾}
-CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho - (Superstars: 05.21.09) {***¾}
-Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black – (ROH on HDNet: 05.09.09) {***¾}
-Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries – (ROH on HDNet: 04.04.09) {***¾}
-Beer Money vs. Team Canada – (Impact: 02.19.09) {***¾}
-Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles – (Impact: 01.22.09) {***¾}
Posted By: Guest#9028 (Guest) on October 11, 2009 at 11:10 PM
I maybe the only one who says this, but I think you are being too generous with this PPV, I think this PPV is on the level of this year's Victory Road.
Posted By: JWestmoreland (Guest) on October 11, 2009 at 11:17 PM
Someone other than Hubbard needs to do ROH on HDNet. He underrates it every single week.
Posted By: Guest#0560 (Guest) on October 11, 2009 at 11:22 PM
"Ask the Divas"-
What do you do when your Implants burst?
Posted By: Guest#4568 (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 12:04 AM
I have no idea why you could possibly think that Orton vs Cena at Breaking Point is better than their HIAC encounter.
The I Quit Match was slow, didn't have any major spots, just continues singapore cane shots.
Some of your match ratings are way off.
My changes:
* Taker def Punk (**1/2) from **
* Morrison def Ziggler {***½} same
* Mickie def Fox {**} from *1/2
* JeriShow def Reytista {****} from ***1/4
* Orton def Cena (****) from **¾
* McIntyre def R-Truth ** from ?
* Kofi def Miz & Swagger (***)from **
* DX def Legacy (****1/2) from **½
You're TV ratings are always spot on but you're always harsh on ppvs
Posted By: Ryan Haseldine (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 12:38 AM
I just realised that there are more TNA PPVs than any other company in the top 5 and top 10 for the year. This pleases me.
Posted By: bxb (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 12:40 AM
jericho is wrestling
Posted By: ICON (Registered) on October 12, 2009 at 01:21 AM
im hoping too that the maria/ziggler breakup was also storyline buildup. im thinking maria might try to win him back by helping him win his first title against morrison.
Posted By: Phil (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 01:53 AM
That was a terrible review of the PPV opinion or not. You barely mention match quality, crowd response etc.. I thought this PPV was a solid 6.5 - 7.0 give or take depending on your tastes. I thought it beat Judgement day anyway.
Posted By: FistsMcPain (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 02:00 AM
Personally, I really liked the ending to the Cena/Orton match, but then I'm an old school guy. To me, a rope assisted chinlock followed by the punt was just awesome.
Posted By: Homie (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 02:09 AM
im hoping too that the maria/ziggler breakup was also storyline buildup. im thinking maria might try to win him back by helping him win his first title against morrison.
Posted By: Phil (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 01:53 AM
That makes sense. I surely hope that's what they're planning on Smackdown.
Posted By: EddieGibson (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 02:55 AM
I agree about the Dolph/Maria angle. It would have been interesting if they had tied Dolph using the chair to the fake photo of Dolph and Michelle. I can picture Maria asking Dolph, " Dolph, I saw the photo of you and Michelle. If you're willing to cheat to win a title, how do I know that you aren't willing to cheat on me?".
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 05:54 AM
Thanks you for mentioning the poor math layout even if breifly. That killed the momentum for me when I knew DX/Legacy was main eventing. Andbarley using the fucking cell. I do kind of agree with Ryan you are a little harsh with PPVs but their your opinion
Posted By: Guest#9048 (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 06:21 AM
Wow Csonka, I usually completely agree with your ratings (I trust your opinion more than anyone else on this site) but I feel that your ratings for HIAC were way off.
The DX/Legacy HIAC was great because it was old-school storytelling and the psychology used by the young team of Legacy was impressive, even though it wound up backfiring on them. Being an old school guy, I thought that you would dig that match.
And I'm disappointed that you're one of the "OMG!! DX burried Legacy!! Epic Fail!!" guys. DX didnt bury Legacy. They had two highly competitive matches at both Summerslam and HIAC which they lost and they beat DX by SUBMISSION at Breaking Point. I dont see how that's burying them. What DX did to the Spirit Squad was a burial. This was not. They lost the HIAC match due to their COCKINESS. The announcers even alluded to it. They had HBK beat, but instead of just pinning him, they wanted to taunt HHH and furthur punish HBK. It was their cockiness that cost them, not because they are an inferior team.
Cena/Orton was also very good and was on par, I feel, with their Breaking Point match. So I dont see how you could give the BP match 4 stars, but not even give this one 3.
The tag match, I felt, was better than 3 stars and Punk/Taker, although short and disappointing, was certainly better than 2 stars.
That's just my opinion, though, and you have every right to dislike the show if you didnt like it. I'm just surprised because your ratings usually mirror how I feel about a match so it was just weird seeing you, in my opinion, low ball everything. I feel like I'm in Bizarro Land (or as the WWE would say, Canada).
Posted By: Monty (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 09:04 AM
My changes:
* Taker def Punk (**1/2) from **
* Morrison def Ziggler {***½} same
* Mickie def Fox {**} from *1/2
* JeriShow def Reytista {****} from ***1/4
* Orton def Cena (****) from **¾
* McIntyre def R-Truth ** from ?
* Kofi def Miz & Swagger (***)from **
* DX def Legacy (****1/2) from **½
______________
If a WWE PPV had 3 **** matches it be PPV of the freakin year
Posted By: Guest#3986 (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 10:54 AM
"Ask the Divas: I have nothing more to say about this segment that is either relevant or true. I would appreciate suggestions for any good questions to Ask the Divas that might make this worth watching."
Have you ever had sex with another diva? If yes who and how did it happen?
Posted By: Fuck PG (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Larry rated the ppv perfectly...If you take out both the awesomeness known as Morrison vs Ziggler (best current feud in the whole WWE) and the tag team title match, you have a pure shitty ppv.....
Cena vs Orton was an epic fail of cosmic proportions, I would be generous giving those two overrated roid egomaniacs a single star for their awful effort.....
Posted By: Alex Moon (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 01:11 PM
Have to agree with most here.
You severely underrated the HiaC PPV.
This was nowhere *near* WWE's worst PPV of the year.
And I have to echo the sentiments of those who are disappointed in you feeling like Legacy were buried as I (along with pretty much everyone else) saw the match for what it was, a smartly booked match giving the good guys a win and ending the PPV on a feel-good moment.
Watch the match again.
How you gave the Breaking Point match **** without the HiaC scratching *** is also a tad ridiculous.
I have to say this is by far your worst evaluation of any PPV I can recall.
Posted By: Dylan (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 03:08 PM
"I just realised that there are more TNA PPVs than any other company in the top 5 and top 10 for the year. This pleases me.
Posted By: bxb (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 12:40 AM"
You think that's great, check out the bottom five.
Posted By: His Bubbliness (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 03:37 PM
Starting to think this idiot has a real agenda against WWE PPV's
-TNA NO SURRENDER {6.5}
-TNA HARD JUSTICE {5.9}
-TNA AGAINST ALL ODDS {5.5}
-WWE HELL IN A CELL {5.0}
Aaaaaahahahaha.
Posted By: Haha (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 06:44 PM
Just watched the Hell in a Cell PPV, could not agree with you more. Don't know what people are smoking seeing **** in many cases for DX vs Legacy. It just simply wasn't that great, and you're the first one I've seen that points out that Legacy completely looked like chumps at the end. And now we get Orton vs Cena? What's next? Orton vs Triple H... oh wait...
Posted By: gwpbrian (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 08:18 PM
Superstars was better than ROH? Utter bullshit!! Superstars is a pathetic show. C'mon, for god's sake. I don't want to read anymore nonsense like that ever again.
Posted By: Donkey (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 09:42 PM
If more people were like me (and none of you are that clever) you'd flood the "Ask the Divas" section of the WWE Universe forums with "entertaining" "questions" for the Divas to answer. WWE probably will ignore one wiseass, but a few dozen wiseasses all doing the same thing would probably make them take notice.
Here's today's hot-button question: "Don't you agree that hair clippings are a precious natural resource?"
P.S. Right now the forum is filled with people WHO ACTUALLY LIKE THIS SEGMENT asking relationship questions. These people MUST BE SAVED FROM THEMSELVES. I am a CRUSADER FOR SANITY.
Posted By: sVybDy (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 11:54 PM
Why have 3 HIAC Matches that are pretty much all the same and have noone climb on top of the cage, that is just stupid!
Posted By: Guest#9415 (Guest) on October 13, 2009 at 02:08 AM
"I just realised that there are more TNA PPVs than any other company in the top 5 and top 10 for the year. This pleases me.
Posted By: bxb (Guest) on October 12, 2009 at 12:40 AM"
They also have 4/5 on the bottom. Way to go.
Posted By: Guest#6831 (Guest) on October 13, 2009 at 02:25 PM
"I think it's a bit much to say the crowd is totally apathetic about Michelle/Melina. They're not that into it, but that's more because they've been facing off for too long.
The crowds weren't really into the early part of their feud, either.
Posted By: Guest#5611 (Guest) on October 15, 2009 at 07:41 PM
HIAC got the shaft...
Posted By: ICON (Guest) on October 20, 2009 at 10:50 PM
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