WWE Smackdown Review 7/11/14

Note: Rather to just repeat what I usually say at the end of the week, let's do something different. We always start the reviews with what happened but the sad thing is that WWE Smackdown is just a repeat of all the other shows. Only these matches are on TV. Even though we are watching this on a station that is for Sci-Fi shows and movies, sometimes WWE Smackdown does make up shit as they go along. So here we go with the epic bottom feeding show, WWE Smackdown...

Match#1: Cameron vs. AJ Lee

Winner: AJ Lee

(I wanted to know what was the point of this match. To see who would get a title shot at AJ Lee after she faces Paige or the slow split of Cameron and Naomi. Why was AJ Lee brought back to WWE if she was not the main point of this match? I mean I love seeing AJ Lee in good matches but this was not a good match. Cameron and Naomi splitting is good but also bad because we will see this again during the Total Divas show.)

Match#2: Adam Rose vs. Fandango

Winner: Adam Rose by Count Out

(To be honest, I lost interest in this match. Not because Adam Rose who is growing on me because we need more lively characters in the WWE. It was Fruit-Tang-Oh. I don't care about him or his bullshit. I guess because he is just a jobber with a gimmick. Next match, please....)

Match#3: Heath Slater and Titus O'Neil vs. The Usos

Winners: The Usos

(I will just move on because this was just stupid to watch and I couldn't bear to think this was a legit match.)

Match#4: Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton

Winner: Randy Orton

(The above match was just bad. This was just a big waste of nostalgia because we saw this match back in the early 2000's. This was back when RKO was fresh and Y2J was epic. This was more so a trip down memory lane. Next...)

Match#5: Layla vs. Summer Rae

Fandango - Special Referee

Winner: No Contest

(This was basic filler. I don't want to go into details nor want to go into this bullshit. )

Match#6: Goldust vs. Ryback

Winner: Goldust

(This was a decent match. I am starting to think more matches that would be seen on WWE Main Event or WWE Superstars can been seen on here. Good thing, this was also a way to showcase Stardust and the feud with Ryback and Curtis Axel. I know Goldust can make good matches and this was close to that. )

Match#7: Bo Dallas vs. Diego and El Torito - Handicap Match

Winner: Bo Dallas

(Bo Dallas and Fandango are going head to head with who I don't want to see. At least Fandango cannot wrestle and Bo Dallas can but is limited because WWE is scared to show off the younger talent. Time to end this shit!!!!)

Main Event: Rusev vs. Roman Reigns

Winner: Roman Reigns by DQ

(Why was RKO wrestling Y2J if he is feuding with Roman Reigns? I rather see a match with them then split them in different matches. Plus we all know that Rusev is a jobber killer like Ryback use to be. This match was not completely pointless but not seeing a title match is. Roman Reigns was not responsible for this match or bad ending to the show. That's WWE as a whole. Time to end this review. )

Final Thoughts: This was not a bad show as a whole but for two hours, there was maybe two matches that was ok and two matches that could have been better. The rest was shit. I miss the Smackdown when it was a different show. The whole reason for WWE to have a second show was to be different. This non branding is killing WWE Smackdown. Even with the WWE App being used to see all the taped backstage segments, it was just hard to watch. See you all for WWE Raw. 

Gene The Grappler

TNA Impact Review 7/10/14 - Championship Showcase

Note: So this is basically a championship edition of TNA Impact. This is interesting because TNA is good at showcasing their titles. At least TNA makes sure people know who their champs are. WWE only focuses on the main titles. Also it is going to be interesting because this is a taped show and I avoided spoilers. I am watching this and WWE NXT at the same time. However, the NXT reviews won't be up until the end of the month. NXT is getting a monthly review. So let's watch this special TNA show. Here is TNA Impact - Championship Showcase Edition.....

Match#1: The Wolves vs. Magnus and Bram - TNA Tag Team Title Match
Winners: The Wolves
(I would say this was a good match but this was very one sided. I only say that because Bram and Magnus was slow at times. Plus, this was just a way to make The Wolves look good. I was so happy to see this end because I was bored to tears. Not a bad match but then again, TNA needs more tag teams not two guys put together. Next match please.....)

Match#2: Austin Aries vs. Sanada - X Division Title Match
Winner: Austin Aries - New X Division Champion
(My god, this was what I missed. A good X Division match with a good ending. Nothing against Sanada but the whole storyline with him was getting old and very lame. We know that the Japanese love wrestling but he was basically doomed to fail. He can wrestle but don't give him a mike and speak. As for Aries, he is just more so a big name in TNA. He can win any title and make it look good. He created Option C for Destination X and he will prove it again soon. )

Match#3: Gail Kim vs. Madison Rayne vs. Angelina Love vs. Brittany - Fatal 4 Way for the TNA KO Title
Winner: Gail Kim
(Unlike WWE with the Divas, TNA does have better women's matches. I might not like Angelina Love, Velvet Sky or Madison Rayne but they can make a good match. Also seeing Brittany was good. Gail Kim is the queen of TNA. This was her night. I will admit that aside from Gail Kim, Brittany is getting better. Too bad she is in an angle like Mickie James was back in WWE. Thank you TNA for this.)

Main Event: 20 Man Battle Royal for the #1 Contendership for the TNA Heavyweight Title
Winner: Jeff Hardy not Willow
(I will admit that this was not what I wanted to see but for those who really like TNA, this was good. I wanted someone who is on Lashley's level to win this but Hardy is ok. I really cannot say much else because Hardy is like Yawn Cena in WWE. This was not boring but the ending was predictable. Time to end this review. )

Final Thoughts: The ending was lame and weak but the whole show was good for the most part. I got to see a good X Division match and a very decent KO Title match. I will admit that not seeing Lashley defend the title was bad but then again, it could have been done better. Basically, TNA did a good job to be competitive but sadly TNA also dropped the ball with having Hardy come out of his other gimmick just to job to Lashley. We will see. See you all for WWE Smackdown...





Gene The Grappler

WWE Raw Review 7/7/14

Note: New week and we are going into another WWE PPV coming up. One more then we get the summer extravaganza known as Summer Slam. It is hard to keep up with all the PPVs that WWE comes up with that isn't the original four. So as we get into the new week, I know there will not be any mention of Emma being arrested for larceny or Santino announcing his retirement. Also there will not be any Real Americans because Swagger can't leave the USA. As for what's going on for this upcoming PPV, well at least the odds for Yawn Cena to lose the titles will be better than 50/50. So let's watch WWE Raw and hope for something good....

Match#1: Erick Rowan and Luke Harper vs. The Usos 

Winners: Luke Harper and Erick Rowan

(I have come to the decision that these matches with these teams are building up to the PPV. So rather to say things like this was boring or wonder how many times I want to see this match during the four weeks leading into the PPV, I will look at it like this: Warming up to the PPV. This was better because as we all found out this week that all matches in WWE will be more aggressive. So no more bullshit. We are going to where it was watchable. So this was not bad but this was not good either. Next match please. ) 

Match#2: Alicia Fox vs. Nikki Bella 

Winner: No Contest

(In a way, I am glad it did not have a winner. This just proves that Alicia Fox is trying too damn hard to be hated. Also the psycho woman gimmick is stale. Also, why is Nikki Bella on TV? Shouldn't she be off TV like her sister? Oh wait, she is still fucking with Yawn Cena. Nevermind but thank you Alicia Fox for the effort in trying to be like Stone Cold. )

Match#3: Rusev vs. Rob Van Dam 

Winner: Rusev 

(I did not care for this match. I was watching Lana. Why? She is fucking hot and at least she can hold my attention. This match was done because Swagger can't leave the USA. So basically, their feud will pick up in a couple of days during the next Raw in the USA. This was bullshit...NEXT!!!!!)

Match#3: Randy Orton vs. Dean Ambrose 

Winner: Randy Orton 

(This just proves that Dean Ambrose is going to be mid carding for years. This was a rare squash match for RKO. This was good to watch but that is because the action picked up. I will just move on because there was not a lot I can say to make this match more than what I said it was. Sad to see Dean Ambrose get jobbed. Moving along....)

Match#4: Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio 

Winner: Alberto Del Rio 

(I won't wasted time with this match because there is no point. How many times can you see these men wrestle? This is worst that seeing paint dry or water boil. I love Ziggler but at least give him someone he can wrestle with not someone that is stagnant. NEXT!!!!)

Match#5: Sheamus vs. Damien Sandow 

Winner: Sheamus 

(I don't know what was worse: Seeing Sandow act like HBK or seeing Bret Hart punch him out. Then after that, he had to job to Sheamus. My god, this was just a big fuck you to Damien Sandow. Moving on from this sad excuse of a match....)

Match#6: The Miz vs. Chris Jericho 

Winner: Chris Jericho 

(This was good. This was better to watch. Y2J is good and so is Miz. This is a side feud because we all know that we will see Jericho vs. Bray Wyatt at the PPV. This was a good match and at least this was not boring. I am starting to think WWE Raw needs to go back to two hours because the middle hour and most of the last hour gets bland. )

Match#7: Cameron and Naomi vs. AJ Lee and Paige 

Winners: Paige and AJ Lee 

(I will admit that this was the time I used to basically stop watching as a reviewer and saw this for what this was: FAP Time. I did not care that Paige and AJ Lee are going to have a rematch because it will be on the PPV. I don't care if Cameron and Naomi are splitting. I just saw four women bouncing around. Next week, I will be objective. Moving along with the show....)

Match#8: Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston 

Winner: Kofi Kingston 

(Why bother having Kofi win when Cesaro is going to beat him like a stepchild? I loved the after match beatdown than the match because it was like who wanted to see Kofi win wanted to see him get the shit beaten out of him. I will say that is very sadistic and evil. I loved it. )

Match#9: El Torito vs. Bo Dallas 

Winner: Bo Dallas 

(All I will comment on is why is WWE trying to make him a star. Bo Dallas is a joke. El Torito is a joke. This match was a joke. I want to call bullshit but it won't help. This was beyond bullshit. Time to end the show because it is getting to the end of this review as well. )

Main Event: John Cena vs. Seth Rollins 

Winner: No Contest

(Why? Really, WWE? No point in commenting on this match because the whole thing is setup for the main event of the PPV. I am just going to end the review because I just think it is sad to see the young guys be used to mask the rematch no one wants to see again: Yawn Cena vs RKO. At least Roman Reigns was there at the end. Time to end the review....)

Final Thoughts: Like I said after WWE Money In The Bank PPV, I only watch to see everyone else but Yawn Cena. I actually changed the channel before the main event started because I knew either Yawn Cena would win or it would not have a winner to begin with. So with that said, this was an ok show for the whole except for the ending with Yawn Cena. Bret Hart was a good thing to see but don't care much for the shit with Damien Sandow. I will just say the PPV for this weekend is looking good but the title match is going to be interesting because we all know that Yawn Cena is going to win then showcase the SummerSlam PPV. So with that said, see you all for TNA Impact....

Gene The Grappler

WWE Smackdown Review 7/4/14 - Holiday Edition

Note: Well it is the 4th of July, and like a lot of Americans we are all on vacation/holiday mode. So I don't expect to see a lot of action in this show because this will be more focused on the military and full of ads for the WWE Network and also various DVDs coming out. So let's what this special episode of WWE Smackdown...

Match#1: Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio - US Title Match
Winner: Sheamus
(Please forgive me in this but since this is my opinion, this is going to be honest. WHY ARE WE SEEING THIS MATCH?????? When one of these men had the WHC title, it was interesting. When these men were fighting to be #1 contenders for a title, that was interesting. This is different! Why? It is because neither man is from the U.S. and this is for the U.S. title. Sheamus as US champion is a joke because he is not American or billed from the US. The match was good but just why. Also even though it is a holiday, this was more like a joke. )

Match#2: Bo Dallas vs. Diego
Winner: Bo Dallas
(For over 30 years, I have watched some weird matches. Seeing matches with Boggeyman and Papa Shango was weird. Watching Goldust back in the day was weird. This was weird in a new way. So we ran out of people for Bo Dallas to face? Also why is Los Matadores still a team? Why is El Torito still working? This was so bad that I changed the channel to watch a kids cartoon just to erase this match out of my memory. However, we will see this shit again on Monday. Next!!!!!)

Match#3: Big E vs. Cesaro
Winner: No Contest
(I wish this match had a winner. This was not even filler. This was just a good match being fucked over. I am tired of seeing good matches go to shit because WWE is trying to make the fast edits and give the main event more time. Again, we will see this match on Monday.)

Match#4: Eva Marie vs. AJ Lee
Winner: AJ Lee
(I feel so sorry for AJ Lee to have had to wrestle Eva Marie. Eva Marie is not a wrestler. She is still very green. She needs to go back to NXT. At least Jojo did because she was written off Total Divas. Eva Marie is just a train wreck with a bunch of TNT added. I love a redhead but she is not even a natural one. She is nice to look at but don't let her speak. As for AJ Lee, this was like a cakewalk. She came in, she made a woman tap, she leaves. Paige was at ringside but this is just a blip. )

Main Event: Randy Orton vs. Dean Ambrose
Winner: Dean Ambrose by DQ
(This should have been more like Dean vs. Seth. No point in adding RKO because at this point he is a joke. Let Seth and Dean fight and we will see what two guys who can wrestle do for WWE. That match is going to be epic. This match was boring because RKO is back to being stale and lame. I can make a better match for RKO on PS3/PS4 with WWE 2K13 or 2K14. Time to end this review. )

Final Thoughts: Well like I said, this was a holiday show. There was heat for WWE Raw but nothing new or relevant. I just want to know why they changed Big E. into a preacher and why now is Jack Swagger a face not a heel. Basically without a title or some seperation from WWE Raw, this is basically rematches from WWE Raw. So I am going to enjoy my holiday. Hopefully, next week we can get back to business. See you all for WWE Raw.




Gene The Grappler

TNA Impact Review 7/3/14

Note: Well I will admit that I had to see the spoilers seeing that TNA basically taped shows through August. So that means my reviews of TNA program might be more critical and also rant like. It is going to be interesting to see how TNA can basically promote shows and PPVs without people knowing and also how the storylines can continue without someone getting injured or worse. By the way, most of these matches might not be in order but these are the matches for this show. So let's see how this close to the holiday edition goes. Here is TNA Impact....

Match#1: The Wolves vs. Knux and Crazzy Steve vs. Robbie E. and Zema Ion
Winners: The Wolves
(This was a big clusterfuck. Holy shit, I haven't said that in a long while. Why did I say that? Because this match had too many things going on. One thing was that I was just stunned as to seeing everything in one match. Unlike The Usos in WWE, The Wolves are basically in TNA to help the division. This was not helping. I did not care for the present storyline with Knux and crew. I am waiting for BroMans to go away for good. Not the best way to start the show. )

Match#2: Bobby Roode vs. Kenny King - Street Fight
Winner: Bobby Roode
(This was a weird thing to watch. That's because seeing Bobby Roode as a face is something to witness live. I still think he is only trying to weasel into the title picture. As for Kenny King, he is a X Division guy not a mid carder. I don't want to see him in the mid card or trying to be in the main event. He is not ready. However, this match was weird because it wasn't a match but a fight of sorts. I loved the action but just looked weird to me. )

Match#3: Ethan Carter III vs. Bully Ray - Tables Match
Winner: Ethan Carter III
(So how many more times will we see a tables match with Bully Ray? I am not tired of the match but tired of the people in it. Plus adding Rhyno to come in to help EC3 was good but why? So we got a heel Rhyno but why only him? I mean if Dreamer coming in last week was not heel but Rhyno is. That confused me. This match was typical until Rhyno came in. By the way, I know he changed the spelling of his name but I rather stick to the way I am use to it. )

Match#4: Gail Kim vs. Angelina Love - KO Title Match
Winner: Gail Kim
(This just proves that WWE and TNA watch each other programs. Why? AJ Lee comes back to WWE and wins the Divas Title. So guess what? Gail Kim just happens to win the KO Title on the same week. The only difference is that Gail Kim did not leave to rest. AJ Lee did. Plus in TNA, Gail Kim is better and can do more. AJ Lee is stuck. Main event time....)

Main Event: Bobby Lashley vs. Eric Young - TNA Heavyweight Title Match
Winner: Bobby Lasley
(I was going to go into a long rant about comparing Bobby Lashley vs Yawn Cena as champions but it would make me think I am back in 2007 or 2008. I do like Lashley but it is hard to like someone that is one dimensional. Yawn Cena is the same way but the thing is that his character got stale when WWE went PG. Lashley is getting stale because he will not have any real competition until he faces Samoa Joe. EY is going to be on TV doing his other show and we will see him come back to the X Division. So this match was not boring but just predictable. Time to end the review. )

Final Thoughts: I have said that most times that TNA backstage is better than the matches or the show itself. I think this is one of those shows. I like that Earl Hebner is back as a referee. I have excepted that Angle is only going to be a mouthpiece until he is back to wrestling. Most of TNA is either about who is running it or who is champion. Other than that, it sucks to me because I love the X Division but there is no matches in that division. Hopefully I am wrong in the coming weeks. See you all for WWE Smackdown.




Gene The Grappler