WWE Night of Champions 2010

WWE Intercontinental Championship
Kofi Kingston vs Dolph Ziggler (c) w/ Vicki Guerrero
Build up: A passable storyline. Vicki Guerrero playing the dysfunctional general manager who abuses her power to help out her "boyfriends", wrestlers who are nearly half her age. Still, makes me laugh a bit, but the problem is we've seen it too many times. It's getting stale and predictable. They either need to find a new "gimmick" for Vicki or spice things up....a love triangle perhaps? A love square even? Wrestlers fighting for her affections, think Dirty Rotten Scoundrel..... but a PG pro wrestling version....
The Match: A fast paced 13 minute opener. Not bad. A pretty crisp and clean worked match, but not enough time for any solid psychology to develop. The Champion (Ziggler) trying to slow down the explosive high-flier (Kofi). Ziggler gets a cheap win from a distraction, and they tease a "Hey, I don't wanna cheat anymore, suddenly I only want to win honorably, by myself". I do like Ziggler's potential as a face, he's been getting good pops from the crowd the last couple months, especially for his ZigZag finisher. Good look, funny name, solid wrestler, comfortable on the mic, and now getting over with the WWE Universe? I wouldn't sleep on him.
Rating: **1/2 Stars

CM Punk vs The Big Show
Build Up: Big Show is responsible for unmasking CM Punk and dismantling the Straight Edge Society. Still, the weeks leading up to the PPV, the development of the storyline seemed rushed, generic, and most importantly not exciting or interesting. The unexpected firing of Serena was probably in some way responsible for this. Hopefully, CM Punk will get a change of direction and a main event level feud in the next couple months. Punk's hometown entrance in Chicago as well as his blatantly heelish promo helped to get the crowd heated up before the bell.
The Match: A few nice spots, which is surprising since the match only last 5 minutes, if that. Just a waste of time, especially with the crowd so ready to pop and be involved in what potentially could have been a decent match. Why squash Punk at his hometown like that? Is CM Punk about to hit rock-bottom? Punk does seem legit in the ring with bigger wrestlers like Undertaker or Big Show, problem is he can't hit the GTS on them. He needs another finisher. Why not? Jericho has like 3 finishers, it works.
Rating: *1/2 Stars

WWE United States Championship
Daniel Bryan vs The Miz (c) w/ Alex Riley
Build up: A great feud between these two and an interesting and well crafted storyline. The Miz is one of the best in the business at drawing heat which helps a lot, but Bryan has player his part and Michael Cole taking a vocal heel role adds another nice layer. The submission wrestler trying to tap out the fearful heel was played up successfully and helps to give the match a natural psychology.
The Match: A solid 16 minute match. Interesting how the in-ring psychology played out. The Miz injured Bryan's left arm early on and Bryan did a great job of selling the injury. A stiffly worked match, some solid spots, and they worked the match like Bryan was going to lose because of his "injury". The ending had a surprise feeling despite the fact that it was likely Bryan was going to take the title going in. The Miz doesn't need it and hasn't defended it in a while anyway, so why not let Bryan take the title and run with it? Have the US Championship could really get Bryan over with the crowd, he's already getting nice pops, just needs another good feud. Alex Riley seem to obvious?
Rating: ***1/2

WWE Women's/Divas Unification Championship - Lumber Jill Match
Michael McCool (Women's Champion) vs Melina (Diva's Champion)
Build up: Who cares? Sorry, it's the truth. The build up up boring and half-hearted, there's just nothing here to draw real interest, aside from all the beautiful women involved. Maybe I'm just greedy. Can't we have a good feud that people actually care about, dynamic, interesting characters, and some consistently good wrestling? It's not a good sign when I have trouble telling the difference between one blonde competitor from the next.
The Match: Not bad wrestling wise. A hard worked match by both women, some pretty stiff spots, and the Lumber Jills on the outside provided an interesting dynamic. Although at times it looked more like a group of Playboy playmates rather than wrestlers. Not the worst thing, I guess. McCool gets the win. I'm guess there's a feud on the horizon between Layla and McCool. LayCool finally breaks up? Who really cares. At least it was short.
Rating: *

WWE World Heavyweight Title
The Undertaker vs Kane (c)
Build up: Awesome build up, great feud. One of the greatest feuds in wrestling history - revised, renewed, and developed over months to successful results. Kane trying to destroy his older brother, steal his power, and finally get his long awaited revenge. And the fact that Undertaker is so close to the end of his career makes everything feel all the more special. Could this be the final chapter?
The Match: The crowd was hot and into the match from the beginning. Not a great match, but not too bad either. Good work rate all things considering, and both wrestlers sold the match well. Would have liked to see some more drama and close falls near the end, still, it's good to see Kane win and get put over by the Undertaker. I mean, it's about time. However, I'm sure this feud isn't finished yet, I could see this carrying on to Wrestlemania. If it's done well then I wouldn't mind. I already like the direction they're taking it - are the Undertaker's powers finally gone?
Rating: ***1/2

WWE Tag Team Championship - Tag Turmoil Match (Gauntlet Match)
The Hart Dynasty (c) vs The Usos vs Kozlov & Santino vs Evan Bourne & Mark Henry vs Drew McIntyre & Dashing Cody Rhodes
Build up: Basically, none. They just announced the match, no storyline, and virtually no hype at all. The announcers tried to hype up tag team wrestling and it's strategy and need for cooperation and teamwork to win, blah, blah, and blah. If they want to make their Tag Team division matter then the WWE needs to put some real effort and time into creating good teams, not just mid-card wrestlers that are thrown together for a few months.
The Match: A fun gimmick match. Would have liked to see it given more time, some of the teams were eliminated to quickly, and why have Henry & Bourne and McIntyre & Rhodes be the final two teams, putting them over the only two legitimate tag teams you have in the Hart Dynasty and the Usos. Once it got down to the final 2 teams, it was also painfully obvious that Rhodes and McIntrye were going to win.
Rating: *** Stars

WWE Championship - 6 Pack Elimination Challenge
Chris Jericho vs Edge vs John Cena vs Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett vs Sheamus (c)
Build up: Not bad hype and storyline for this match. But really I'm not of a fan of 6-pack challenge matches, too many wrestlers involved, things get cluttered, and unfocused. That goes for the storyline and the in-ring match as well. The fact, that it's an elimination match and not first pinfall wins helps a lot though. A lot feuds and side plots interweaving here, just adding to the unpredictability, which is a good thing I suppose. Who's going to win? No one can say for sure who's leaving with the belt.
The Match: Jericho eliminated first and fast. Disappointing, but great to hear those Y2J chants. Hope he gets a final face run with the title before he hangs it up. The tension between Cena and Orton on the staredowns was well booked and you could feel the electricity. It'll be epic when they meet at Wrestlemania this year. Some solid wrestling, and a few fun spots, the crowd was really into this one. By far the loudest pops of the night. Edge eliminated 2nd. Nexus comes down and wreaks havoc. Chaos ensues and makes the match worse in my opinion. They just create an excuse for the match to breakdown into a jumbled, rushed mess, instead of a well thought out, hard fought, epic battle that it could have been. Was a shocking moment when Cena got eliminated though, but adds more fuel to the fire with his feud with Nexus. Orton wins the title and it wouldn't surprise me if he kept it for a while. He's perhaps the biggest face in the WWE now and it creates a new wrinkle in the rivalry between him and Cena.
Rating: ***1/2

Overall: Not too bad of a show. Would have liked to see more focus and time devoted to the in-ring product, but that's a common complaint with the WWE. Plenty of entertaining moments, Daniel Bryan winning the US title was great, Undertaker vs Kane was okay, and the main event delivered for most part. The PPV managed a few surprises and left a lot of interesting question marks with storylines. What now for the Miz? Is the Straight Edge Society finished? Has Kane finally destroyed his brother? And will Chris Jericho leave the business?
Rating: *** Stars

TNA Sacrifice 2010 Review

TNA Sacrifice 2010
Sunday May 16th

Team 3D vs Beer Money Inc vs Motor City Machine Guns
A decent opening match. The crowd gave some decent pops and stayed involved. Tenay and Taz sold the psychology of the match well, complimenting the chaos and unpredictability of having 6 wrestlers in the ring. Robert Roode sold well all match and the Guns performed with a lot of energy and had some nice trademark spots. Sabin especially stood out, his mouth bloodied and back likely legitimately sore from some reckless bumps. Didn't expect the Guns to get the win, a nice surprise and I think they needed it to stay relevant. Beer Money and Team 3D are already over enough and don't need the rub. Still, the way Taz and Tenay were putting over Beer Money throughout the match, I'd expect a huge push for them in the near future, most likely a big face turn. Overall, a good match, nice energy, it kept the crowd hot, and I thought the outcome was smart.
Match Rating - **1/2

Global Championship Match
Orlando Jordan vs Rob Terry
A bit of a crowd killer. Terry certainly has a strong look, but he's still green and learning, that's pretty evident when you watch him awkwardly stomp around the ring. There was an attempt at ring psychology with Jordan working over the Freak's leg, but mostly the match seemed slow and crowd never really got involved. An abrupt finish to the match didn't help the already poor pacing of the match. I like how the worked leg played a part in the post match angle, but not really looking forward to seeing these two continue their feud for another month. The dichotamy of the 2 competitors works, but the in-ring product is likely to stink again.
Match Rating - **

X Division Title Match
Doug Williams vs Kazarian
A definite crowd killer, at least for the first 5 minutes or so. By the finish the crowd was into it, but they were right to yawn during the opening moments. The big corner powerbomb spot was a pretty rough looking bump by Kaz and was just what the match needed to get the crowd hyped up. Also liked how William worked over Kaz's neck after the bump, good psychology, but the match could have used another 5 minutes and a couple more big spots to really finish strong. It's the X division and the in-ring product should really stand out, impress the crowd, and push the limits. This match wasn't even close in those regards.
Match Rating - **

Knockout's World Title Match
Tara vs Madison Rayne
A better match than the two two preceding it in a lot of ways, this match at least had the crowd popping and in-ring work rate was pretty high. Really, this is just a statement about how solid of a worker Tara is and has been during her stay in TNA and she really went all out in terms of effort, including two moonsaults from the top-rope. The crowd gave Tara a nice ovation, but I thought TNA and the announcers could have put her over more and give her the credit she deserves for work with the fed. Still, a well worked Knockout's match.
Match Rating - **1/2

Tag Team Title Match
Kevin Nash & Scott Hall vs Ink Inc
The Band may over-the-hill and have some serious short comings in the ring, but they are still very over with the crowd, showing what a legit draw the nWo was in it's heyday. Not a big fan of the in-ring work of Jessie Neal or Shannon Moore, but they did a passable job of pulling out a watchable match with the two old stiffs. The finish wasn't anything amazing, but having the match push an angle is better than relying on the in-ring product in this case. Kept it short and sweet, smart move, and again having the crowd involved helped a lot.
Match Rating - **

Desmond Wolfe v Abyss
Not bad. Seemed a bit more like an Impact match than something deserving of a PPV though. Could have been much better, but at least kept the crowd involved with a nice energy and pace. Again, wished the match was given a bit more time, but Wolfe was on his game, best spots were because of him, and his look of shock after Abyss "Hulked-up" was priceless. The finish was creative and well played, plus the other thing this match had going for it was Chelsea. She's just SUPER hot!
Match Rating - **1/2

Mr. Anderson vs Jeff Hardy
Sloppy and a bit underwhelming. The match opened hot and there was a nice spot or two early, but as it went on both guys looked tired and things started to break down. Would have liked to see this match go outside the ring a bit more, or make use of their environment more, but mainly, there just wasn't enough tension or big moments. They didn't use Anderson's injured back enough in the match psychology, just something thrown in really to excuse Anderson for the loss. An awesome pre-match promo by Anderson was a good lead-in and the post-match angle was somewhat intriguing. Still, nothing too special here.
Match Rating - **

Jeff Jarrett vs Sting
After the pin, Tazz says "Oh, thank God it's over." and I couldn't have agreed more. Sting beats up bloodied Jarrett backstage, eventually into the ring for a quick pin. However, the only thing grotesque about this match was listening to Tenay annoyingly over-hyping the angle. Jarrett took 2 maybe 3 bumps during the whole "match" and Sting took none. They progressed the angle I guess, but just not a very entertaining or well done segment.
Match Rating - n/a

TNA World Heavyweight Title Match
AJ Styles vs Rob Van Damn
A decent main event. This match started out hot, they played up the crowd well, built some tension, had some big spots, Flair and official Earl Hebner had a heated showdown, then things started to slow down from there. After the first 5 minutes or so RVD was visibly fatigued and the pace of the match dropped a bit. They certainly picked things up towards the finish, but all the extra chaos with Jay Lethal and Flair outside just took the focus off the match and really stopped them from closing out in a solid fashion. In a lot of ways it made things predictable and anti-climactic, you could see the finish coming miles before it happened. A shame, these two need to really be given the freedom to put on a great match and it didn't quite happen here. Probably the best match of the night, but not good enough to give it 3 stars.
Match Rating - **1/2

Overall PPV Rating - **
Just a disappointing show as a whole. All the angles just got in the way of the wrestling, felt like I was just watching an episode of Impact. TNA's problem is they emphasize storyline, hype, and chaos over the thing that really counts and that's in-ring quality. You can write-up great angles all you want, but if you cant deliver a solid wrestling match when you're a pro wrestling company then you're not going to last long. Critics of the WWE may complain about its predictability, its PG rating, or its formulaic booking, but at least they can still deliver a good match occasionally on Raw or on PPV's. Since Bischoff and Hogan have taken over there has been a noticed absence in quality wrestling matches on TNA programming, something that used to be a strength of the company, but really that's been a trademark of Bischoff forever. They can do all the angles they want on TV, but when its PPV time they need to put on solid matches and pay-off the feuds. Not one match on the card worth watching again, none of the matches really got me excited or put me on the edge of my seat with tension. If you paid to see Sacrifice then that's a shame.

The 5 Best Heels in Wrestling Today

Here's my list of the top 5 heels in the business today. If you were to start a wrestling promotion who would be your main event heel? I'm talking the 5 best heels in the business, guys that are basically better suited heels than faces and drawing hatred from the crowd is just natural for them. That's first. Other stuff counts as well, like in-ring ability, career accomplishments, and overall gimmick. Simply put, heels make the business go round. I love heels. Most of my favorite wrestlers are heels or my favorite moments of most wrestler's careers are usually when they're playing the "bad guy". So, that being said, here we go...

Honorable Mention

Desmond Wolfe - Wolfe is one of my personal favorite wrestlers and has the potential to be one of the top heels in the entire business. In-ring abilities? Top notch. Mic Skills? Check. Gimmick? Think a heel version of James Bond. What's keeping Wolfe out of the Top 5 is that he hasn't really accomplished anything yet. TNA has yet to push him to true main-event status and his biggest success has come in Ring of Honor. Smarts in the wrestling community have been crossing their fingers for Nigel McGuiness/Desmond Wolfe for a long time now, so hopefully he'll break though and get a nice run with a big league World Title soon.

Edge - Edge has main-evented and won World titles as both a heel and a face, but in my opinion he's better suited to play a heel. There's something sort of slimy and sinister about his appearance and I think his gimmick is at its strongest when he's emphasizing the devious parts of his character. I'd place him in the top 5, but I think he's the definition of borderline guy. He has a long list of great matches, but I'm not sure if he's ever really been over with the crowd. Is Edge a true main-event draw? I think he's very close and will eventually get there, but something seems to be holding him back in my opinion.

Triple H - Still one of the best in the business right now and one of the all-time greats. However, I don't want to put in the Top 5 heels today because I think he's proved himself equally suited to play a face. His runs as the top face world champion and his time with DX make him almost more of a face than a heel when you look back over his career. You could rank Triple H no. 1 and I'd accept that, but for my personal criteria I choose to put him on the bubble. Plus, he's getting old and his in-ring work has really begun to drop off recently.

Ric Flair - The greatest heel of all-time and one of the top 3 wrestlers of all-time in my opinion. He's proven with his run with TNA that he still can draw heel heat with the best of them and at age 61 his promos are still wild train-wrecks that you simply can't take your eyes off of. Look up the definition of heel in the wrestling dictionary and there's a picture of the Nature Boy. The only thing slowing this man down is age. To be the man you have to beat the man....whooo!


The Top 5

5. The Miz - Just making the cut, the Miz appears to have what it takes to prove me wrong and become the next "awesome" main event heel in the WWE. When I first saw Mike Mizanin on the Real World in 2001 I found him to be slightly annoying and although his pro wrestling dreams were admirable, I certainly didn't take him seriously. Then came Tough Enough. The Miz was clearly the most talent contestant on season 4 and deserved to win, but still, he did earn himself a contract. And although I could admit the Miz was talented, I still only saw him as a mid-carder. But then came Miz and Morrison, where Miz would really begin to shine. Finally, I began to see what a few others had seen. The Miz has always been great on the mic and he's full of personality, that's never been the issue. The main problem I saw was that he wasn't big enough, nor did he fit the look of a main-event player. But that's changed, he's gotten bigger physically, and he's defined and improved his style/look/gimmick. His in-ring ability still isn't great, but he does sell moves well and understands pacing and how to use the crowd. He's proved himself to be a hard worker and diligent student of the industry. Basically, the Miz has shown that he has what it takes to become a big draw. He still needs to improve in the ring, but that's not what is going to make Miz a star. It's his acting ability, his character, and his "awesome" gimmick. Don't be surprised to see a World Title around his waste soon.

4. Mr. Anderson - Easily one of the best heels on the mic today. His whole gimmick revolves around his verbal slandering abilities and his arrogantly, abusive tirades. He's also funny and entertaining. The guy just knows how to draw heat, in fact, it's his strongest attribute as a wrestler. He also understands how to draw and absorb people's attention. When Ken "Mr." Anderson talks, you listen, but of course, the bright spotlight doesn't hurt either. In the ring, he's decent. He's not going to blow you away with his athleticism or his technical wrestling ability (certainly there are much better workers out there), but he understands how to put on a good match and how to play off the crowd. After arriving in TNA he was put right into a program with Kurt Angle and they had a great, long-lasting feud that drew a significant amount of heat and emotion from the audience. Anderson and Angle put on a **** star match at Lockdown and it's a prime example of the type of main-event level feuds that Anderson can drive with his cocky, ruthless, and cunning gimmick. The WWE shouldn't have ever released him. Rumors have circulated that he was let go because of injury issues, or because of drug addiction, or because he injured Randy Orton in a match, or a combination of these reasons. Either way, the WWE shouldn't have given up on him so early. Now, TNA will benefit. Mr. Anderson should be a main event heel for years to come in TNA and win multiple World Titles. He's an absolutely huge part TNA's future.

3. CM Punk - The future of the WWE. Could be the next great WWE legend along the lines of Stone Cold, the Rock, and Shawn Micheals. Think I'm crazy? First, you're talking about a guy with solid in-ring skills. Put him in a program with anyone and he'll find a way to put on a good match. He has a unique and devastating finisher and a specific in-ring style. CM Punk also has a great look and gimmick. It's diverse. He can play up the whole alternative culture or he can emphasize his straight-edge history. I see a guy that has the look and feel of the ultimate underdog, a cocky, wild, gutsy, tough, and competitive champion, in others words, I see the next Shawn Micheals/Stone Cold. One day CM Punk could be a mega baby face for the WWE. So, why is he a top 5 heel then? Because he's done his best work as a heel so far in his career and I think he'll always be a better heel than a face, but not because he's not a good face, but because he's so damned good at being bad. The Straight Edge Society is a great gimmick and Punk does a masterful job beings it's cult leader. Punk understands how to be a "punk" and draw heat from the crowd. His mic skills and acting abilities are very strong. He can deliver long promos with passion and his facial expressions, body mannerisms, and other little details contribute so much when he's acting out his character. His work and promos have proven to be well-thought out, intelligent, and well delivered. Punk has the total package, charisma, gimmick, wrestling ability, mic skills, and whatever else you could want, including the best entrance music in wrestling today.

Check it out......



2. Randy Orton - The other future pillar of the WWE. The Viper has become a very unique and interesting character. A calm, cool, ruthless, and demented killer. He's made runs as the WWE's top heel on multiple occasions over the last few years and at times has carried the company. He's confident and well-spoken on the mic and is expressive with his facial expressions, especially that steely glare in his eyes, the look of pure evil that comes across his face when there's bad intentions swirling in his mind. In the ring, Orton is pretty decent wrestler. He sells very well and certainly doesn't have a problem putting over his opponents. He also has a viscous and creative move-set, including a back-to-back back & neck-breaker, stomping all over and around a grounded opponent, the hanging middle-rope DDT, and the soccer punt to the head. The unsympathetic brutality of his in-ring offense really compliments his cold-blooded and heartless character. And at such a young age, its amazing the history Orton already has in the WWE - he's the son of a legend, he was a member of Evolution, and with Legacy, Orton was the front man for the top heel faction in the WWE over the last couple years. So, it should be no surprise when I say that Randy Orton has the potential to go down as one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. However, he's got a long way to go in his career and likely his gimmick will evolve as the years go by to try and keep him fresh. With the recent break-up of Legacy, the Viper's first main-event face push is about to begin and I suspect it'll be quite a big success. Orton has a believable look and he always pulls huge reactions from the crowd, in fact, Orton could eventually take over Cena's spot in the near future. Don't be surprised to see him main-event the next Wrestlemania as the WWE's main-event babyface. RKO! RKO! RKO!

A cool Randy Orton mix, there's a lot of them out there....



1. Chris Jericho - The best in the world at what he does. And what Jericho does is masterfully draw heat from the crowd in a creative, hilarious, detailed, and intelligent way. He's truly dedicated to his craft. Jericho lives and breathes being the cocky cowardly-heel and in fact, he loves it. Its apparent by the sly grin on his face when he calls the crowd a bunch of hypocritical sycophants and parasites. And the best part? All Jericho does is make his opponents look awesome. Whether its begging off with a look of sheer terror over his face when many other "heels" just go through the motions, almost reluctantly. Or whether its putting a guy over in the ring, making him look better, taking a big bump, realistically selling his moves when there are plenty of wrestlers who can't or refuse to take a "fall". It's all about making your opponent look good by making yourself look bad and nobody does this better today than Chris Jericho. You want accomplishments? How about the first ever Undisputed Wrestling Champion (holding both the WCW and WWE Heavyweight titles at once), a 6 time World Title holder overall, a Grand Slam winner, and a wide range of wrestling experience from all over the world. He's almost put on too many **** star matches to count. Jericho will easily go down as one of the greatest to ever lace em' up and watching the subtle evolution of his character over the years has been an absolute joy. For instance, I loved the Rufus personal security era, but Jeri-Show was even funnier....he's like a fine wine, better with age. Jericho has a way to make me laugh with him, dislike him, and respect him all at once, and that's pure genius.

Jericho and Big Show break up! Hilarious...


The pre-match promo is classic Jericho...