411’s WWE Superstars Report 06.22.13

Commentators: Matt Striker & Tony Dawson

Championship’s roll call: WWE Champion: John Cena… World Champion: Alberto Del Rio… Intercontinental Champion: Curtis Axel… United States Champion: Dean Ambrose… Tag Team Champions: The Shield… NXT Champion: Bo Dallas… NXT Tag Team Champions: The Wyatt Family… Diva’s Champion: AJ Lee

R-Truth vs. Darren Young (w/Titus O’Neil):   Young takes some time quaffing the ‘fro before the match begins; Truth quickly forces him into the corner and gives the clean break… so Truth MESSES THE ‘FRO and slaps him in the face. What’s up? They lock up again and Young clubs the back of Truth’s head but Truth then dances and angers Young into charging into a fall-away hiplock. He hits the breakdance legdrop for two and an armdrag sets up an armbar. Truth works a chinlock for a while and then a seated half nelson into an armbar. At least they are changing up the rest holds. Young finally backs him into the corner but Truth tips-over in the opposite corner and armdrags into another armbar as we head to break. Back from commercial, Truth counters another comeback with a straight punch to the face. They battle onto the apron and O’Neil provides the distraction allowing Young to backdrop suplex Truth onto the apron. O’Neil whistles the kick is good and gets a rousing reaction from the fans about ringside. Back in the ring, Young takes over strong with forearms to the back in the ropes; he works the weakened back with a back suplex but then turns to a chinlock for a little bit. Truth tries a fight back but gets caught coming off the ropes in a Northern Lights, for two. He chucks Truth in to the corner roughhouse style as Titus shouts mean things from the floor. We take time out for a Million of Dollars dance followed by a stomp to the guts. Young goes back to the back standing on Truth’s back in the ropes. All of a sudden, Truth pops up and begins his comeback and nails the leg lariat. They exchange blows and Truth wins it and BUILDS MOMENTUM with clotheslines and the Truth Conviction (sit-out gourdbuster), for two. O’Neil provides a distraction, Young tries the Gut Check, but Truth shrugs it off and plants him with the Lie Detector for the pinfall.   5.5/10 Actually a pretty good match; young (who clearly was not winning) provided good in-ring work going after Truth’s back after his big move off the apron. Truth wins as he usually does (especially against a predominantly tag wrestler). Good match.

Here is your winner… R-Truth via Lie Detector pinfall

Our first Raw recap is John Cena’s rather pandering promo followed by the AWESOMENESS of Mark Henry’s retirement speech which led to Cena’s wig gettin’ split. The most ironic part of the promo is that he says he will ALWAYS “be ready”… and then got completely caught off-guard by Henry. I said in my Raw review that this may have been Henry’s best promo in the WWE; if you want to read it, please click here. After that we check out the last few minutes of the Randy Orton/Daniel Bryan no DQ match from Raw which ended by referee stoppage costing the respect obsessed Bryan a win.

The Funkadactyls vs. Natalya Neidhart & Layla:   Naomi and Layla start off; Tony Dawson plants possible heel turn seeds for Layla (which was supposed to happen pre-WrestleMania but was scrapped) saying that this match was brought about by Layla’s jealousy that the Dactyls were more featured than her on E!’s new show, Total Divas. Layla outwrestles her with an armbar and a head scissors on the mat. She clamps on a standing side headlock. Dawson then brings more backstory saying that Layla was a former Miami Heat cheerleader and Naomi a former Orlando Magic cheerleader. Layla floors her with a shoulderblock and shimmies her chest. They run the ropes and Layla drops her and slaps her ass; she then shoves her ass in Naomi’s face. Naomi one ups her nails her with the Rear View. This is like Glen Quagmire’s dream WWE match. Cameron tags in and the Funkadactyls hit a tandem clothesline/running flipping senton combo, for two. Layla backs Cameron into her corner and brings Nattie in. She immediately goes to a submission front facelock but Cameron reverses and TRASH TALKS. Nattie calmly flips up and armdrags her into an armbar. Natalya with the badmouth and they trade some wrestling holds. Pretty decent exchange here actually; Cameron reverses a whip with a float-over and flattens Nattie with a PALM STRIKE. Cameron now shakes her ass so Nattie SLAPS her. Things are getting a bit testy here as they catfight on the mat. The referee fails to separate them so the partners come in to pull their respective charges apart. Odd that this would happen during a match where they are supposed to beat the shit out of each other as opposed to a pull apart brawl in the locker room. The referee FORCES them to shake hands for some reason but they do not release… Nattie turns to tag and NOW Cameron heels it up a little by shoving her into Layla and pulling her in to the Dactyl corner. Layla quickly shrugs it off and plants Cameron with the Bombshell kick for the pinfall. Take that bitch!   6/10 Actually this was a very entertaining match probably one of the best divas matches I’ve seen in the WWE (not NXT) in 2013. Layla was heeling it up in the outset but as match went along, Cameron really turned heelish. I also thought the match ending was good with Cameron getting her comeuppance in a spilt-second after she got a bit too big for her britches.

Here are your winners… Natalya Neidhart & Layla via Bombshell pinfall

The show concludes with highlights from Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk where Brock Lesnar attacked Punk (presumably for “breaking up” with Paul Heyman earlier on the show). The BIG question remains: did Heyman send Brock out there? I presume yes since all systems point to a Punk going babyface.

OVERALL 5.5/10 You know, for what this show has been in recent months, this was a good effort. I was entertained for the twenty minutes of in-ring action I was presented with this week. Good show (for Superstars that is).

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