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Wrestling’s 4R’s 10.29.12: WWE Smackdown & TNA Impact Wrestling Reviewed
How the 4R’s of wRestling Work!
Here is a quick explanation of the 4R’s. The column will run TWO times a week. THREE if there is a PPV. We will group our feelings on the shows in various categories: The Right, the wRong and the Ridiculous. The Right is stuff that worked very well: a great promo, a great match and so on. PuRgatoRy is a section between the right and wrong. It shows equal traits from both sides that cannot be ignored and needs discussed. It is not a bad place per say, as things can get remedied or go the wrong way the very next week. The wRong is what it sounds like: bad matches, bad or boring promos and so on. The Ridiculous is stuff that had no right on TV: Stupid angles and so on. And there is always a possibility of a 5th R, which is as bad as they come. This column is supposed to be analytical, and at the right time very critical of the shows, it was the whole reason it was created. This is not a “mark” column, nor a “smark” column, our goal is to analyze the show from many different fronts, reward the good and call out the bad. We will not apologize for our opinions, they are as they are, whether positive or negative.
Let’s rock…
By: Greg DeMarco
Impact Wrestling 10.25.12 (LIVE):
QUICK RESULTS:
* X-Division Champion Rob Van Dam pinned Zema Ion to retain in 4:32 [3/6]
* Television Champion Samoa Joe forced Robbie T to submit in 2:16 to retain [2/6]
* Austin Aries beat Mr. Anderson in 12:33 when Anderson was ruled unconscious [3/6]
* Knockouts Champions Tara pinned Miss Tessmacher in 3:52 to retain [2/6]
* World Champion Jeff Hardy pinned Kurt Angle in 14:19 to retain [4/6]
[If you’re not familiar with these ratings, it’s my own Personal Entertainment Factor. I use a scale of 1-6 (6, in honor of the number of sides TNA’s ring should have), so there’s no middle rating.]
Austin Aries vs. Mr. Anderson: This is for the match and the(mini) feud. What you do with a world champion after he loses is so important (see Roode, Bobby) and this is a great idea for Aries. They are both essentially heels, the fans just cheer for Anderson. Both will cheat, which we saw the start of this week. Anderson ups his game based on his opponent, as evidenced by his performances with Kurt Angle and Bully Ray in the past. Aries is one of the best in the world, so I expect this to be good. I also expect it to go on after Aries has his rematch with Hardy.
Which brings me to…
Austin Aries challenges Jeff Hardy: I take only a minor issue with Aries not waiting longer to invoke his rematch clause, but the way he did I was great. I also liked his stealing of the real world title belt. Normally the other belt disappears when a champion has a custom belt. This is a good way to make use of the old title. I hope it leads to Aries stealing Hardy’s version as well, leading to a ladder match between the two in December.
Joey Ryan & Matt Morgan: I’m not sure why they are together at this point, but they are damn entertaining.
Bully Ray & Devon promo: Great mic work by both men, and it sells next week’s Open Fight Night. Their first efforts against each other were uninspired, but I expect this to be awesome. Random fact: Devon challenged Bully Ray in the first ever Open Fight Night match.
Christopher Daniels & Kazarian promo: The best heel promos are when they are telling the truth. And that’s exactly what Kazarian and Daniels did—minus Kazarian’s flight being changed. Which is pretty much a damnation of the current champions. But that’s for later.
Jeremy Borash & Todd Keneley: I likely spelled his name wrong, but he did a great job. Despite Impact Wrestling only being two hours, I am fine with the split broadcasting team. It does achieve their goal of freshening up the broadcast team. I’d actually like to see New Guy with Taz. Funny how Impact Wrestling has two hours and splits it up, where as Raw has three hours and sticks with one team.
Hulk Hogan has something “huge” for James Storm? This has me interested. I hope it leads to something big—although I suspect a knock-off Survivor Series match at Turning Point with Storm as captain of the face team opposite Aces & Eights.
Tara vs. Miss Tessmacher: I think Tara is going to live here for some time to come. Her act with Jesse is such a waste of her talent—and Jesse is such an afterthought to me. I could care less about him. Any recognizable name would have been better. Plus the title is wasted on her when she’s basically moving on to a feud with half of the Knockouts Tag Team Champions (the female half, which is weird to say).
Chavo Guerrero Jr & Hernandez: I have to be honest—I couldn’t give a damn about Chavo & Hernandez. Chavo is a cheap Eddie tribute act, and Hernandez is fast becoming a guy full of wasted potential. You can pretty much predict what Chavo will do every time he comes out.
Rob Van Dam vs. Zema Ion and Samoa Joe vs. Robbie T.: If you add these two matches together, you have a near 7 minute match. Add in the fact that if you put that time into one match you have half the entrances, and you’re up to 10 minutes. I’d rather see Zema Ion vs. RVD for 10 minutes than what we got. I can live without those short title matches, even if they are entertaining while they last.
NOTHING
A good show, but one that shows me the company isn’t sure if they are Crash TV or not. I like that Austin Aries is still prominently featured, but I am really missing Bobby Roode. I worry that creative has “nothing for him” right now, which is a shame. If you can’t pick a feud for Roode, use him to elevate some or debut someone new. Still there was more good than bad, but not as good as they could be doing. SHOW RATING: 7 As a reminder, I will be going by the 411 scale… 0 – 0.9: Torture |
By: Larry Csonka
Smackdown! 10.26.12:
QUICK RESULTS
– Kane defeated Cody Rhodes @ 3:00 via pin [**]
– The Miz defeated Yoshi Tatsu @ 3:30 via pin [**]
– Wade Barrett defeated Randy Orton @ 15:00 via pin [***]
– Eve and Aksana defeated Layla and Kaitlyn @ 3:20 via pin [*½]
– Damien Sandow defeated Daniel Bryan @ 8:00 via pin [**½]
Kane vs. Cody Rhodes: Kane vs. Cody Rhodes was the opening match on the show, and while short, was a fine little match. Kane continues to work hard with everyone these days, and Cody sells well for the monster. The best part of the match was honestly Daniel Bryan and Damien Sandow on commentary. Bryan discussing his handsome beard and that, “I am the tag team champions,” while Sandow spoke about his IQ growing as he sits there, that his beard was perfect and that Bryan used poor grammar. We got solid wrestling, and a fun exchange at the commentary table. Between the way the Rhodes Scholars act toward everyone else, and the odd couple pairing of Kane and Bryan, the build has been very entertaining.
The Miz vs. Yoshi Tatsu: Last week I thought that it was extremely stupid the way the Miz was booked following his loss to Kofi Kingston, when he lost to Randy Orton. Miz was in limbo, had announced that he would use his rematch clause at HIAC to face Kofi again. Thankfully this week they rehabbed him a bit, and while I still think it needed to be done last week, it was a step in the right direction. Miz had a short match with Yoshi Tatsu, showed a good mean streak and pretty much brutalized you Yoshi. Hopefully that was enough to get Miz some heat heading into his rematch with Kofi, because they work well together and if the fans are into the rematch, it should be a nice addition to the card.
Final Build to Show vs. Sheamus: While it was nothing groundbreaking, I id like the go home angle for Big Show vs. Sheamus. They have been trying to add something to the feud, by making the finishing moves become the centerpiece. They have heavily pushed that the WMD and Brogue kick are deadly and have taken out everyone on the roster, and that these two big men shall meet to decide who it the man. They did the old stand off in the ring, including the line of victims, I mean security, along with Booker asking both men to be professional and to not cause any drama. Show held his ground, saying what he has been saying for weeks, we got to see Sheamus destroy the security guys and have the big stand off with Show. Sheamus had promised to hit as many brogue kicks as he needed to win, and I always love the poor security bastard getting laid out. Again, nothing groundbreaking, I wouldn’t call it a money segment, but I felt that it was good and was designed to be a focused go home segment for the PPV.
Opening Talky Bit…Again: I have talked about this in the past, but I am not a big fan of the show opening interview segment. I know why they do it, but it now appears to be a crutch that shows use 95% or more of the time. Sure they set up matches and advance angles, but when I see the show opening interview, unless I am recapping, I tend to fade off and not pay attention, because it bores me. Yes it was set up to push the Orton vs. Del Rio feud, as well as set up the Barrett vs. Orton match for later. But I am really sick of the shows opening virtually the same way each and every week. Excuse me for wanting something different.
Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett: Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett was the only match on the show that had any substance, simply for the fact that they got 15-minutes to work with. While it seems cool to ate on Orton these days, for some reason, if you give the guy time ad someone skilled to work with, it will be at the very least good. SO given the fact that the other guy was Wade Barrett, yes sir, this was a good match. The worked well together, and Barrett continued t look and carry himself like star. But I have to say that this is another one of those matches that speaks to the overall booking of the product. Last week they felt Orton needed rehabbing, due to him losing a few times, and he defeated Miz, who really needed the win. Also on last week’s show, they beat Barrett when they really shouldn’t have. So in feeling that he needs rehabbing (even thought he doesn’t have a PPV match) they book the angle with Orton, and while Orton was distracted, he lost heading into the PPV. So Barrett, who is NOT on the PPV, was put into a bad position, and they thought that having him beat Orton, who is in one of the top PPV matches, was the right way to fix things. There is no thought put into the booking, they know what PPV matches they want, but then they book so week to week that they wonder why no one has any momentum. That is because of the even Steven booking that happens on an almost weekly basis, to where no one is really over, and then you have this giant group of mid-card guys and no stars.
Daniel Bryan vs. Damien Sandow: Daniel Bryan vs. Damien Sandow was a good wrestling match, going about eight minutes with the commercial break. Good work in the ring, Cody was fun on commentary, complaining about Kane and using the ice pack on his neck. Following some heel shenanigans, Sandow stole the victory from Bryan, giving the heels momentum heading into the PPV. My problem here is just not that Bryan lost; it is how they perceive him. First of all some sort of run in-brawl finish with all four guys would have worked, instead Bryan loses, once again after they are running that “weak link” bullshit. I don’t like angles like this for anyone, because if you tell the audience that someone is shit, and then they lose guess what? PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE SHIT. Yes, the heels cheated and the face lost, I get that, but this is more representative of all WWE booking right now. They wonder why there are no next level of stars ready to go, but refuse to look past their own booking issues. I may have let it go normally, but it seems to happen so often, even on this show, that much like the Barrett vs. Orton match, I had to make mention.
Diva Drama is Too Much: I really appreciate the attempt to create an interesting angle in the diva’s division. Eve has been pretty great in her role, but this week as they broke out the main reveal and set up a PPV match, I simply hated it. Te backstage segment came off completely annoying, with the women uncontrollably bickering, and Booker appearing to have no control over things. Add into things the tag match, which was rough, and overall I was not a fan of the ladies segments this week. I know some people seem to feel that the tag match was great, and more power to them. But it appeared clipped in spots, Kaitlyn is simply awkward in the ring and Aksana is still not good. Hopefully they have someone very good laying out the triple threat for the PPV, there is talent with the three ladies, and I want them to succeed, but as for the stuff on Smackdown, I just didn’t like it.
Nothing
This was a solid, but unspectacular show once again. They did some nice work hyping the PPV matches, but there also felt like there was so much talking on this show. Combine that with the uneven booking, and once again I have to say that Smackdown is just not must see TV these days. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t a bad show, but if you missed it, you’re not missing much. SHOW RATING: 6.9 0 – 0.9: Torture |
YEAR IN REVIEW (PPV) by Csonka:
TOP PPVs:
* New Japan Pro Wrestling’s King of Pro Wrestling iPPV – 9.5
* ROH Glory By Honor iPPV – 8.5
* Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur iPPV 8.4
* TNA Destination X – 8.3
* DGUSA Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 iPPV – 8.2
* DGUSA Mercury Rising 2012 iPPV – 8.1
* WWE Extreme Rules – 8.0
* EVOLVE 13 iPPV – 8.0
* ROH Border Wars iPPV – 8.0
* WWE WrestleMania 28 – 7.9
* DGUSA Enter the Dragon Gate 2012 iPPV – 7.8
* TNA Hardcore Justice – 7.7
* DGUSA Untouchable 2012 iPPV – 7.6
* ROH Best in the World iPPV – 7.5
* TNA Bound for Glory – 7.5
* ROH 10th Anniversary iPPV – 7.4
* TNA Slammiversary – 7.4
* ROH Showdown in the Sun: Night One iPPV – 7.4
* EVOLVE 12 iPPV – 7.3
* TNA Sacrifice – 7.2
* EVOLVE 16 iPPV – 7.1
* WWE Money in the Bank – 7.0
* EVOLVE 17 iPPV – 7.0
* EVOLVE 14 iPPV – 7.0
* EVOLVE 11 iPPV – 7.0
* ROH Boiling Point iPPV – 7.0
* WWE Summerslam – 6.9
* EVOLVE 15 iPPV – 6.8
* TNA No Surrender – 6.7
* WWE Night of Champions – 6.6
* TNA Victory Road – 6.5
* TNA Against All Odds – 6.5
* WWE Over the Limit – 6.5
* CZW Down with the Sickness iPPV 5.0
* TNA Genesis – 5.0
* WWE Royal Rumble – 5.0
* WWE No Way Out – 4.9
* WWE Elimination Chamber – 4.0
* TNA Lockdown – 3.0
TOP PPV MATCHES:
* From NJPW King of Pro Wrestling iPPV – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki [*****]
* From The ROH Showdown in the Sun: Night Two iPPV –ROH Title Match: Davey Richards vs. Michael Elgin [****¾]
* From The ROH Glory By Honor iPPV – ROH Title Match:
Kevin Steen vs. Michael Elgin [****¾]
* From WWE Over the Limit – WWE Title Match: CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan [****½]
* From WWE WrestleMania 28 – Hell in a Cell: The Undertaker vs. Triple H [****½]
* From DGUSA’s Untouchable 2012 – CIMA and AR Fox vs. El Generico and Samuray Del Sol [****½]
* From The ROH Glory By Honor iPPV – Jay Lethal vs. Davey Richards [****¼]
* From WWE Night of Champions – WWE Title Match – John Cena vs. CM Punk [****¼]
* From DGUSA’s Enter the Dragon Gate 2012 iPPV – I QUIT Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Chuck Taylor [****¼]
* From TNA Slammiversary – Tag Team Title Match: Kaz and Daniels vs. Kurt Angle and AJ Styles [****¼]
* From WWE Extreme Rules – World Title Match: Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus [****¼]
* From DGUSA’s Mercury Rising 2012 – Low Ki, BxB Hulk and Akira Tozawa vs. Ricochet, PAC and Mazaaki Mochizuki [****¼]
* From EVOLVE 11 iPPV – Fit Finlay vs. Sami Calihan [****¼]
* From TNA Destination X – TNA Title Match – Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode [****¼]
* From TNA Bound for Glory – Street Fight – Bobby Roode vs. James Storm [****]
* From TNA Bound for Glory – World Title Match – Austin Aries vs. Jeff Hardy [****]
* From NJPW King of Pro Wrestling iPPV – Low Ki vs. Kota Ibushi [****]
* From NJPW King of Pro Wrestling iPPV – Kazuchika Okada vs. Karl Anderson [****]
* From TNA No Surrender – AJ Styles and Kurt Angle vs. Christopher Daniels and Kazarian [****]
* From TNA Hardcore Justice – Bound for Glory Series Ladder Match – AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe [****]
* From TNA Hardcore Justice – TNA Title Match – Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode [****]
* From DGUSA’s Enter the Dragon Gate 2012 iPPV – Open the United Gate Tag Team Title Match: AR Fox and CIMA vs. Rich Swann and Ricochet [****]
* From WWE Extreme Rules – John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar [****]
* From WWE Money in the Bank- WWE Title Match: Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk [****]
* From WWE Extreme Rules – WWE Title Match: Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk [****]
* From EVOLVE 11 iPPV – Low Ki vs. El Generico [****]
* From EVOLVE 13 iPPV – El Generico vs. Sami Calihan [****]
* From DGUSA’s Untouchable 2012 – Open the Freedom Gate Title Match – Johnny Gargano vs. Akira Tozowa [****]
* From DGUSA’s Mercury Rising 2012 – Open the Freedom Gate Title Match – Johnny Gargano vs. Masato Yoshino [****]
* From DGUSA’s Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 – Open the United Gate Tag Title Match: Chuck Taylor vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Ricochet and Masato Yoshino [****]
* From DGUSA’s Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 – Akira Tozowa vs. Masaaki Mochizuki [****]
* From WWE WrestleMania 28 – WWE Title Match: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho [****]
* From The ROH Best in the World iPPV – Hybrid Fighting Rules: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly [****]
* From The ROH Showdown in the Sun: Night One iPPV – Last Man Standing Match – Kevin Steen vs. El Generico [****]
* From TNA Sacrifice – AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle [****]
* From TNA Destination X – Last Man Standing Match – AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels [****]
* Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur iPPV – Ladder Match: Gran Akuma vs. Icarus [****]
* From EVOLVE 17 iPPV – Samuray Del Sol vs. El Generico [****]
* From EVOLVE 15 iPPV – Samuray Del Sol vs. El Generico [****]
* From EVOLVE 14 iPPV – Samuray Del Sol vs. El Generico [****]
* From DGUSA’s Enter the Dragon Gate 2012 iPPV – I QUIT MATCH: Johnny Gargano vs. Chuck Taylor [****]
* From DGUSA’s Enter the Dragon Gate 2012 iPPV – Open the United Gate Tag Team Title Match: AR Fox and CIMA vs. Rich Swann and Ricochet [****]
* From TNA Bound for Glory – Tag Team Title Match – Daniels & Kaz vs. Angle & Styles vs. Chavo & Hernandez [***¾]
* From The ROH Glory By Honor iPPV – Adam Cole vs. Eddie Edwards [***¾]
* From EVOLVE 17 iPPV – Ricochet vs. AR Fox [***¾]
* From WWE Night of Champions – Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler [***¾]
* From WWE No Way Out – WWE Title Match – CM Punk vs. Kane vs. Daniel Bryan [***¾]
* From TNA Destination X – Bound For Glory Series Match: Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe [***¾]
* From TNA Slammiversary – X-Division Title Match: Austin Aries vs. Samoa Joe [***¾]
* Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur iPPV – Campeonatos de Parejas Match: Chuck Taylor vs. Johnny Gargano © vs. The Young Bucks [***¾]
* From NJPW King of Pro Wrestling iPPV – Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Hirooki Goto [***¾]
* Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur iPPV – Lucha de Apuesta: Mask vs. Hair Match: Hallowicked vs. Tim Donst [***¾]
* Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur iPPV – Eddie Kingston, Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Soldier Ant & Green Ant defeated 17, The Shard, assailANT, combatANT, deviANT [***¾]
* From TNA Sacrifice – Austin Aries vs. Bully Ray [***¾]
* From TNA Lockdown – Bobby Roode vs. James Storm [***¾]
* From WWE Over the Limit – World Title Match – Sheamus vs. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio [***¾]
* From WWE WrestleMania 28 – The Rock vs. John Cena [***¾]
* From The ROH Best in the World iPPV – ROH World Title Match: Davey Richards © vs. Kevin Steen [***¾]
* From The ROH Border Wars iPPV – ROH World Title Match: Davey Richards © vs. Kevin Steen [***¾]
* From The ROH Showdown in the Sun: Night One iPPV – ROH World Title Match: Davey Richards © vs. Roderick Strong vs. Eddie Edwards [***¾]
* From TNA Victory Road – Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy [***¾]
* From TNA Against All Odds – TNA X-Division Title Match: Austin Aries vs. Alex Shelley [***¾]
* From The ROH 10th Anniversary iPPV – Eddie Edwards & Adam Cole vs. Davey Richards & Kyle O’Reilly [***¾]
* From DGUSA’s Mercury Rising 2012 – El Generico vs. Lince Dorado vs. Rich Swann vs. Cima vs. Chuck Taylor vs. Samurai Del Sol [***¾]
* From EVOLVE 12 iPPV – Fit Finlay vs. Jon Davis [***¾]
* From EVOLVE 12 iPPV – AR Fox vs. Sami Calihan [***¾]
* From EVOLVE 13 iPPV – Low Ki vs. Jon Davis [***¾]
* From EVOLVE 13 iPPV – DGUSA Open the Dream Gate Title Match: Johnny Gargano vs. AR Fox [***¾]
* CZW Down with the Sickness iPPV – Title Unification Ladder Match: AR Fox (CZW Junior Heavyweight Champion) vs. Dave Crist (CZW Wired Television Champion) [***¾]
NEW PODCASTS:
411’s Long Road to Ruin: The Rocky Franchise (Part 1): 411’s Mark Radulich and Sean Cormer launch the newest podcast for 411, 411’s Long Road to Ruin. On the show, the guys will breakdown some of the biggest and best movie franchises around. Today, the guys start with the Rocky franchise. Enjoy the show, leave feedback and even make suggestions of future franchise breakdowns. You can listen the show at this link.
411’s Long Road to Ruin: The Rocky Franchise (Part 2): 411’s Mark Radulich and Sean Cormer launch the newest podcast for 411, 411’s Long Road to Ruin. On the show, the guys will breakdown some of the biggest and best movie franchises around. Today, the guys continue with the Rocky franchise, breaking down the third and fourth films. Enjoy the show, leave feedback and even make suggestions of future franchise breakdowns. You can listen the show at this link.
Thoughts From The Man Cave: Friday Night Lights (Season One): 411’s Steve Cook joins the Man Cave to look back at season one of Friday Night Lights. We’ll look at all the major plots of the season including the Dillon Panthers march to the state title, the awesomeness of The Smash, the love stories of just about everyone in the school, and everything in between. If you enjoyed the show then this is a great way to look back on things. You can listen to the show at this link.
Thoughts From The Man Cave: Talking Taylor Swift & More: Jody Bergman joins Jeremy Lambert in the Man Cave to talk all things Taylor Swift. We’ll take a look at her new album Red, talk about how she’s grown as an artist but maintained her fan base, and touch on her personal life as well. Plus we’ll veer off on 100 other pop culture topics including talk about awesome people like Anna Kendrick and Emilia Clarke and terrible people like One Direction and Kristen Stewart. This might be my favorite podcast ever given my guest and subject matter. You can check out the show at this link
Thoughts From The Man Cave: Video Game Thoughts on Dishonored, Assassin’s Creed 3, More: 411’s Samer Kadi and Sean Comer join Jeremy Lambert in the Man Cave to talk about the latest in video games. We’ll review the widely acclaimed Dishonored and tell you why you should buy it, preview the upcoming Assassin’s Creed 3 game while also looking back at the other games in the franchise, and look ahead towards some of the upcoming releases between now and the end of the year. You can listen to the show at this link.
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