The review will be shorter than usual due to some personal thing going on. It will be an all wrestling issue which may annoy people but trust me, bigger things are on the horizon. I'll get into that more later in this edition but let's talk about a pretty solid PPV. I'll recap Money In The Bank which was a predictable but a really good show. I got my predictions right and I'm happy that was right because it was the right booking decisions even though if Chris Jericho won, how cool would have it been. Overall though it was a solid show and I'm happy I got to see it live. I'll still always be haunted that I was in Croatia during last year's Money In The Bank. I was watching Cena vs Punk from last year and I still get goose bumps. The crowd was incredible and the match was near five stars worthy. Everything just went together perfectly in that match and to see Punk prevail made me jump out of my chair watching it 1 in the morning on Thursday night back home. I told the story that I was on 28 hours of sleep but after a night out with friends, I needed to see the match. I'm happy I did then I saw the next morning how Daniel Bryan and Christian (two favorites of mine) won big match ups. I rarely buy PPV's on DVD but this one was a must buy when it came out on DVD. I got it signed by Punk when I met him in October. He thought it was cool so that made me feel better about it. Even though I didn't see it live, I got to see just about everything else so I'm still happy. Here's the picture of Punk and I before I review the show.
This was a major highlight of 2011 of many highlights.
Money In The Bank Recap
Its about damn time!
Money In The Bank (World Heavyweight Championship)- The opener was the match that I was looking most forward to. With all the different talents in this match, I was looking forward to see a few guys stealing the show and seeing some extreme spots. It looked clustered at first and it was really botchy at first. Sin Cara continues to show that he's a bust with an awful botch with Dolph Ziggler on the third turnbuckle. Then Tensai was going for a power bomb on Santino but lost him in the air which was pretty brutal. Cody Rhodes had some sloppy moments at well and I'm starting to lose some interest in Rhodes even though he'll still be a major player in the future. Eventually the match started to heat up thanks to some great chemistry with Damien Sandow and Christian doing some great work. I would love to see a feud between both guys especially with Sandow looking good. Christian was an absolute workhorse in this match and I think everyone could agree with me. People may say I'm a bit too high on Christian but he was in the middle of everything for a reason. He took command of the match and really took some good bumps then doing some great moves. Tyson Kidd finally got in the fold and he got to shine with his athleticism. The sunset flip power bomb on Ziggler was spot of the match which made me literally say "holy s***". Kidd could have done a bit more but overall I'm happy with his performance. Tensai had some big moments and looked like a monster but I'm just not feeling Tensai. If he was let go this week, I would really be happy because he doesn't do anything for me. It was cool to see him power bomb through Sin Cara a ladder then throwing Dolph Ziggler into the commentating table which Dolph Ziggler sold like a champ like usual. I want someone to make a GIF of Dolph getting thrown over the table. Another spot that was awesome was Christian paying homage to Edge from Wrestlemania 17 with the spear on Rhodes jumping off the ladder. It wasn't as crazy as Edge's from 11 years ago, but it was still a great moment. The ending was pretty abrupt with Christian alone on top and I swore for a second that he was about to win. As much as I love Christian, I'm happy he didn't win and took a painful fall once Dolph regained his composure. Nobody deserved it more than Dolph and hopefully he'll finally get his well deserved title reign. He did some great bumps and had his moments like hitting the Zig Zag on Rhodes so I can't complain. Tyson Kidd, Christian, and Damien Sandow also looked great in the match and looked like stars.
Alberto Del Rio vs Sheamus (World Heavyweight Championship)- The build up was pretty good for this match even though both guys aren't great on the mic. The match was pretty solid overall but the ending was terrible. You have Del Rio being dominant but then Sheamus wins so easily? You have Del Rio targeting the arm but you don't have one attempt at the cross arm breaker. Thats not the right way to make Del Rio look like a threat but not even attempting his finisher once. It was lame and it made it feel like an easy victory in the end. Sheamus just hits the Brogue Kick so easily with no reversal from Del Rio. I'll admit that when Del Rio did the back stabber, it got me pretty excited but other than that it wasn't a great match. This was probably Sheamus worst match as a champion but he's had a lot of quality matches so that doesn't mean it was a complete disaster. Ziggler went for a cash in and it didn't feel right so I knew he wasn't going to win. I popped for about 3 seconds but then I knew Del Rio would interrupt it. He did enough to let Sheamus hit him with the Brogue Kick which is lame. Every week Sheamus hits Ziggler with the brogue kick, it will be very satisfying when Ziggler cashes in on Sheamus in a month or so.
Primetime Playas vs Epico/Primo- This was an odd match with the tag champs being R-Truth and Kofi Kingston just watching. I'm happy their was some type of tag team wrestling and it was decent. It went on a bit too long but it had some good moments. Abraham Washington is joining my list with David Otunga on guys that need to be future endeavored. He's not entertaining at all and he makes me want to mute my television. Epico and Primo winning was pretty shocking but I don't mind because both guys impress me. I'm a huge Carltio fan and he's related to Primo so I'm in support of the Colons winning matches. After the match, R-Truth soaking Abraham Washington with water was funny and it brought back memories of Truth being a heel feuding with Cena. R-Truth being a heel was by far one of the most entertaining things I've watched since getting back into wrestling in 2008. I miss those days, please turn Truth soon.
CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan (WWE championship)- This match turned into a no disqualification match last minute which was a positive. It was another classic between both outstanding wrestlers and having AJ as a ref didn't hurt. She didn't do a lot to really affect the action which was a positive. I was really sick of her after the stupid marriage proposals from Monday but she did a good job here. She messed with each guy once while trying to go for a weapon so it told a good story. The skipping is still lame in a serious match but you can't win them all. It also hurts that this wasn't the main event but that's another battle that we can't win as fans. The match is a possible match of the year contender and right up there with Punk's best matches against Jericho. I loved when Bryan included the kendo sticks and they did a lot of creative things with that. Both guys countering each other was a joy to watch and it goes to show how much it is to watch these two perform. That's why I want to see more ROH or TNA guys going to WWE. These guys have so much past chemistry that they can work so easily and it would been epic. Thats why guys like Samoa Joe or Austin Aries being paired with Bryan or Punk would be special. Hopefully it happens someday, all four guys still have plenty of time in wrestling so I have hope. Overall this was easily the best match of the night and I'll miss these two performing. Hopefully in a few years, they can feud again with Punk being a heel and Bryan being a face. The mat wrestling and dramatic spots were so well timed that nobody can complain. Bryan kicking out of the GTS was huge for him because it makes him look even more credible. People may rip on the ending that a back suplex was the finish through a table but it looked painful and I didn't see anything wrong with it.
Ryback vs Curt Hawkins/ Tyler Reks- I'm a big fan of Hawkins because he's from Long Island and he's pretty crafty in the ring. He's a wrestling lifer and very talented all around so I was happy to see him. Tyler Reks is slowly improving and I'm gaining appreciation for him. These two were bound to lose to Ryback who I really don't care for. He'll get pushed to the top but Ryback hasn't really done much to shed off the whole Goldberg persona. I'm happy the match went more than just a minute and Ryback actually took some bumps but other than that, nothing to really talk about.
Layla, Kaitlin, Tamina vs Beth Phoenix, Eve, Natalya- This was your usual divas clustered match at the last minute. I went to get a drink for this match and get some cantaloupe for this one. Its terrible how Beth Phoenix character has been diminished and how she's not a monster anymore. Its even worse that Kharma has been apparently released although I can't confirm that. Divas division continues to suffer and Layla gets as big as crowd reaction as Ryback's jobbers got. She's not a credible champion and things are getting pitiful. It was nice to see Natalya in a match because she's very underrated and should get a bigger role. In the end, this was an afterthought and I'm bored of Layla.
Money In The Bank (WWE Championship)- This went on last because John Cena is in it and he's more important than anything including the WWE championship. I'm not happy about it but I'm always trying to be positive. The Miz made his return which was a major positive. I've soured on Miz a bit due to his de push but I'll always be a supporter of Miz. Other than Ariel Helwani, no celebrity was more friendly to me than Miz when I met him. It was nice to see Miz with a new hairstyle since his faux hawk was getting lame. The match was better than I expected especially since Miz was added to it. The early spot with Cena hitting the AA on Big Show through the Spanish announce table was a great beginning. Big Show eventually recovered and looked good for the most part. I was really excited to see them bring back the ladder from the 2010 match that Show used when he was in Money In The Bank. It annoyed me that Michael Cole reacted like it was the first time he seen it. It annoys me when they can't even remember two years (Michael Cole is the absolute worst). Chris Jericho was the work horse in the match like most people expected. He played a Christian role of doing lot of great bumps but landing several moves. He brought back the Lion tamer on Miz which was cool to see. Kane played a pretty minimal role which was disappointing since he's been really putting on good matches the past few months. In the end, John Cena won as expected although it was pretty odd to see the briefcase come loose before Big Show fell. It might have been a botch but I was just relieved to see Cena win. If Big Show won, I would have been really annoyed because Big Show has no value. When he knocked out Jericho from the ladder which was hilarious, I was yelling "no" like an eight year old. Cena won and it got me excited because now will get Cena vs Punk again which was the feud of the year in 2011.
Overall this was a decent show that was better than I expected but also predictable. Its never good when I predict everything right but the quality was great. Now with 1000th episode of Raw coming up along with the build to Summerslam, I'm really excited to see what happens. I'm also excited to see the returns of Rey Mysterio, Wade Barrett, and Randy Orton which will help the roster. I've been annoyed with wrestling especially the WWE recently but things may be on the rise going forward which is a big plus.
Top 10 Favorite Raw Moments
I might be doing this a bit early but I got a few more things in the future to talk about so I rather do it now while I'm talking mostly about wrestling. I'm going to recap the 1000th episode of Raw and look very much forward to watching it but right now I want to give out my favorite moments all time. I've watched it from 1998 to 2005 then late 2008 to now. I've missed a decent amount but I've seen a lot of wrestling as a fan. I'm only 19 years old so their might be a shortage of attitude era moments. That's because I was still a little kid at the time and my memory isn't that great. My memory is really good but some things I just forget. Of course I'll still have some old school picks because attitude era is still very much considered the golden age of wrestling. Remember when reading the list that these are my personal favorites and not the most important moments. I'll post clips then talk about them and it will be in numbered order. These are my selections so don't be too harsh if some picks are a bit odd. I'm sure the main writers like Dave Meltzer, Wade Keller, or my buddy John Canton will make far greater lists. Anyway here are the top ten picks for my Raw moments.
1. Stone Cold saves WWF from the Alliance
I'll never forget being a little kid growing up when it was still real to me. I'll never forget seeing the merger between ECW-WCW and I would hate them so much because they would destroy the WWE. Stone Cold at the time was at a crisis and WWF was in dire need of help. When Austin was taking out everyone, I'll never forget hopping around the television. Stone Cold was my favorite wrestler growing up and he was the perfect guy to save WWF. Now I'm not going to rate the whole Invasion angle because it ended up being a disappointment but this moment still makes me remember why I love wrestling so much. Also listen to Jim Ross in this video, that's why he's the best commentator ever in sports. I don't care if you want to call this a sport, nobody beats Jim Ross. The way he was yelling and showing so much passion still blows me away. It was cool to see Team WWF be true hall of famers in business with Austin, Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Kane, and even Kurt Angle. That was a dynamic team full of great performers.
2. CM Punk shoot promo
It's no surprise that this was going to be on the list. Nothing makes me happier in life than seeing hard working people in anything get what they deserve. CM Punk was easily the most underutilized performer from 2010 to June 2011. When he finally got the opportunity to speak his mind, it was an unforgettable moment. This led to a summer that was known as the Summer Of Punk where it was must see TV to see what he'll say next. It was also a blessing that Punk stayed because I couldn't imagine how awful Raw would have been without him. He was that great of a performer and for WWE to finally loosen up their PG rating and let something like this was brilliant. Punk will be in the Hall Of Fame first ballot one day and will at least go down as one of the top 25 wrestlers in history (just from a star perspective, not actual in ring and character). The main spotlight started on this day although it should have started far earlier. I've talked about this promo several times already so I'm not going to go on and on. This will always be a memorable moment in wrestling that will be talked about forever.
3. Chris Jericho heel turn
The moment that got me back into wrestling. This is a moment that many people will savor because it began a career change for Chris Jericho. It's no secret that Jericho has a huge fan base and that many people look at his heel run to be a huge success. It brought Jericho a few title reigns and some really entertaining feuds. When I heard Jericho returned, I didn't get back into wrestling right away because I was going through some personal problems in my life. Then when people were telling me that Jericho was going to feud with Michaels, it became must watch. I'll always love the Y2J character but it was great to see a character change. When Jericho started speaking slowly with the suits, it became fun to watch and my vocabulary would go up listening to him. Chris Jericho is my favorite wrestler of all time and Jericho has said in interviews that his 2008-2010 work was the best of his career. That says something and I can agree with him because at times in mid 2000s, he wasn't in the spotlight as much. Some may say its too high but this is what got me back into wrestling and if it wasn't for this feud then who knows if I would be making a list like this.
4. This Is Your Life
The highest rated segment in Raw's history will easily be on everyone's list. This was easily the funniest segment I've ever watched in wrestling history. Even though I'm more an Austin fan, The Rock is the funniest wrestler in history. I've been critical of The Rock's latest return to wrestling but there is no denying that Rock is one of the greatest ever if not the greatest. This segment was hilarious bringing back Rock's teacher, coach, and girlfriend and having The Rock own them. Mick Foley (Mankind) was a great host playing the co-star of the segment then delivering great presents. The Rock socko made me laugh so hard along with the jackets which were cool. It's amazing how they tried to do the same with John Cena in 2011 and it was a complete fail. This is 1999 and the segment was so entertaining that even as a six year old at the time, I really enjoyed it. Then watching it in 2012 now, it still doesn't fail to crack me up. The Rock hit all his punchlines and everything flowed perfectly. The ending was a bit lame with Triple H but overall you'll never get a comedy segment that good in wrestling like that again. This built up to a championship later that night between The Rock and Triple H which was a great match. 2000 was the golden age of wrestling with everyone performing at the top of their game. It still amazes me how Jericho, Edge, Christian, Angle, and Benoit were in the mid card. That says a lot looking back on it.
5. Chris Jericho Debut
This remains the best debut in wrestling history. If you watch the Chris Jericho DVD, he talks about how he thought of the idea. It was pure genius since the millennium drop was happening that year. It was the first of many great promos from Jericho who got a major pop. Eventually it took a few minutes to get the crowd booing after he ripped on everything that the WWF was doing. It was a classic segment with Jericho ranting then The Rock using his usual catch phrases. I'll never forget watching this live and making fun of Jericho's haircut. My brother was telling me that Jericho came from where he grew up which was Jericho, New York. That made me an instant fan supporting the home town guy even though The Rock was one of my favorites. It was a great clash with The Rock getting the advantage then Jericho's facial reactions which resembled an 8 year old crying. Despite the awful beginning of 1999, the end of 1999 really picked up into 2000 which everything started to get better in the wrestling world. I do wish I was older for these moments since I would have known Jericho from his great promos in WCW. Instead I watched and learned to see these guys go at it with each other. I'm hoping for a debut that comes anywhere close to this someday but it likely won't happen. The fact that they used Jericho against the hottest star in the WWF on the first night showed that Jericho was going to be a star.
6. Mick Foley wins first WWF title
I don't think I've ever met a wrestling fan that doesn't like Mick Foley. Other than Stone Cold and The Rock, I think Mick Foley is the most likable wrestler of all time. I usually don't like putting in matches because these are moments but Mick Foley winning was a special moment. The Monday Night wars were going on at the time and it was at a pivotal moment during it. WCW was winning in ratings and they would tell the results of what the WWF was doing. The beginning of their broadcast they immediately said that Mick Foley was going to win the title and they laughed about it. Even to this day that annoys me but luckily WCW got what they had coming along with that dirtbag Eric Bischoff. It shows how desperate WCW was on how they would spoil results of what the WWF was doing. At the time, The Rock was a major arrogant heel while Mick Foley was a great sympathetic baby face that fans got excited to see. If you were watching Raw a few weeks ago, they had Mick Foley talk about the event and it showed the statistics of what happened. When WCW announced what had happened, 600,000 people changed the channel to see Foley win his first title. The crowd was excited to see a guy that they can relate to which is Mick Foley. I've watched Foley's DVD how he never was jacked and wasn't really that strong but he would make up for it by doing the craziest spots and taking the most damage. That's what made him the legend that he is and why everyone loves Foley. The reason that this wasn't higher was because I didn't see it live at the time and didn't understand the importance. It means a lot now and it was great to see but this just misses my top five similar to Foley just missing my all time five favorite wrestlers list which is Jericho, Austin, Punk, Edge, and Kane. This is going to be really high on many lists and it should be because this was a great moment for all wrestling fans because like I said, you have to be insane not to at least respect Mick Foley.
7. Shawn Michaels & Bret Hart handshake
Even though I missed the Hart & Michaels era, this was still a special moment. Bret Hart isn't in my list of top ten favorites of all time but I still love the guy and is easily one of the greatest of all time. His matches against Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold, and the list goes on were all special. I've seen the Montreal Screwjob several times and I've seen the rivalries DVD how much heat was behind that. When they shook hands, I'm sure everyone got up and cheered as wrestling fans. I'm sure many people would rank this higher but I didn't grow up in the era so I can't see I felt the full emotion. Nevertheless I'm sure everyone will have this in their top ten because it was always a major question if Bret Hart would ever return to the WWE. He finally did and to see them actually hug was a great moment for the WWE as a whole. Another cool part was that it almost looked like Michaels was going to hit him with the sweet chin music but instead he gave him a hug. Now Bret Hart is on good terms with WWE and makes appearances through the past few years. He'll be there for the 1000th episode and I'd love to see him interact with HBK for sure. The hatchet was buried for sure and it was great to see two of the greatest workers of all time finally become friends once again.
8. The Rock Promo About Hell In A Cell
When it comes to individual backstage segments from The Rock, this is the first thing that comes up. Everyone remembers the first and only 6 man Hell In A Cell. That led to Rock cutting the funniest backstage promo I've ever seen. The Kurt Angle part was great since Kurt was playing the all American arrogant heel character. Then Rikishi was next and they were still remembering how Rikishi ran over Stone Cold to help The Rock keep the title. "Shut up you thong wearing fatty" will be a line I hopefully use someday if I get mad at a party or something and notice it. Undertaker was probably the weakest one but it was tough to rip on Undertaker at the time since he was doing the American badass character. Triple H part was another classic part making fun of his voice and ripping on Stephanie McMahon. Other than Jericho, nobody was better than The Rock at doing segments with Stephanie. They were always very derogative but that's what made the Attitude Era great. The last was Stone Cold and that was hilarious as well. The Backstreet Boys line then putting the hat on Kevin Kelly was so well done. I'll always think of this promo when it came to Rock insults because he did such a great job. I wish he got to do this more of this when he came back but who knows, possibly at 1000th Raw he'll get to rip on some of the main guys on the roster.
9. Kane Unmasked
When people hear one of my all time favorite wrestlers is Kane, they are shocked. When I talk about wrestling, I'm more of a fan of the wrestlers. That means guys like Jericho, Punk, Eddie Guerrero, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, and Dolph Ziggler (can't say Benoit, just can't anymore). I'm a fan of big men that can wrestle which is something I wish Vince McMahon can get. I'm not like Vince where I need every wrestler to be 6'5 and weight 240 pounds but I do like to see athletic big man wrestlers. Kane is one of the greatest big men that can wrestle of all time. He was one of my favorites growing up because he was so mysterious with the mask. When he was a baby face, I liked him even more with his funny personality with RVD & The Hurricane. Eventually Kane lost in a big match which at first I didn't see coming because I still didn't totally understand how story lines were built. I knew it was a work but I'm sure most wrestling smart fans knew that when Stone Cold told Kane he needs to get meaner, you knew the mask was coming off. I didn't know and when it happened, I was shocked to see his face. Then he choke slammed RVD and it was a "holy s***" moment. I loved every minute of it and I've never seen a Kane pyro explosion that big in my life. I wonder what the people in the front row was feeling after that happened. This led to a great monster heel run for Kane which led to some epic matches with Shane McMahon and RVD. It's highly unlikely that people would put this in their top ten, but I'm a huge Kane fan and this will always be memorable. Jim Ross once again shows why he's the best ever by saying the funniest line "Is that a human". Seriously Jim Ross should open up a school for radio broadcasters.
10. Randy Orton Becoming The Man
I'm sure most people find this a bit forgettable but this was a great moment. I'm not as high on him as I was a few years ago, but I'm a major Randy Orton fan. He's much better as a heel but regardless, he's one of the best wrestlers in the world. When Orton was coming up, you see that he was going to be a star in the making. You could see that he was going to main events for years to come although who would have predicted that he would turn into a psycho dark character. Personally I'll always like the Legend Killer character more but he is a much better wrestler now. This was a huge moment for Raw in 2004 because Shawn Michaels was injured and Chris Benoit ran his course as champion. Other than Benoit, Edge, and Jericho nobody was really a big time star as a baby face (I'm not counting Eugene, bad flashbacks). Orton stepped up and became the hot shot baby face that people were happy to see. Even though his face run was considered a failure and it didn't last long, this was an awesome moment and it was the coolest thing to happen on Raw all summer. Evolution is one of the greatest stables of all time and it did its job producing two major stars in Orton & Batista. I'm sure most people will be shocked by this pick but Triple H did a great job being a heel and making this even better with Orton spitting in his face. The crowd was also hot for it and that makes for an even better segment.
As usual, I'll give a few honorable mentions for some great moments on Raw that didn't make the list. The backstage segment between Chris Jericho & The Rock when they were stealing each other's lines was hilarious. I know people will give me grief for not putting Stone Cold's beer machine but I didn't see that live and seeing things live usually puts things over. I do think that people overhype the beer truck in being an amazing moment. It was funny and great but it was just spraying beer on McMahon. I'm shocked that Edge didn't get on the list but then I realize that most of his main event career was on Smackdown. His retirement speech on Raw was great though and it all summed up how great Edge was. Shawn Michaels retirement speech was another unforgettable moment that was close to making the list. One last moment was The Rock returning to Raw which was awesome. I like to keep my lists with variety with not too much of one guy. Obviously it was a special moment and it reminded us all that The Rock can still bring it. The list may be a bit strange but I'm sure most of you will agree with my picks. This is from a fan's perspective and it also helped that I saw it live. Regardless if I was six years old or sixteen years old, seeing things at first hand always brings back fond memories. Raw has been an incredible show and hopefully it can avoid having episodes like last Monday's so we can see moments that we won't forget ever again.
Final Word/Plugs
I'm ending this short mainly because something has come up. I'll be back Thursday to explain the situation and it will clear things up. This is a positive one and I think everyone that has read my work will be really happy. I'm happy and I'm excited so I'll explain what the future holds for me on Thursday. I know I said I was going to talk about NBA free agency but I'm already seeing how much work I'm going to be doing with my new project so I'm going to start doing that by the end of the week. On Thursday, I'll explain everything so stay tuned. Thanks for reading and I'll be back Thursday for the surprise that will be major.
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