klunderbunker
Welcome to My (And Not Sly's) House
Monday
To the shock of no one paying attention, Impact got a 1.1.
Monday Night Raw
Date: January 3, 2011
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Michael Cole
Its the first show of the year and we have a huge main event in the form of Miz vs. Morrison in a falls count anywhere match for the WWE Title. Apparently thats going to be opening the show which kind of negates the whole main event thing. Also well get to see the next step in the Punk vs. Cena feud. Lets get to it.
Theme song opens us up.
Raw World Title: The Miz vs. John Morrison
No Lawler due to the beatdown last week by Miz. Morrison takes down Riley to start and we hit the floor very quickly. Morrison fights both guys off and comes off the top of the big W with a huge cross body for two. Back to the ring as that was a very quick segment up there. Missile dropkick gets two for the challenger. The running knee gets two also as Riley interferes. Morrison DESTROYS Riley and we take a break as the paramedics attend to him.
Back with Miz setting up a piece of railing up against the stage. He cant suplex Morrison through it for awhile but Morrison tries one too many counters and winds up taking a backdrop into it for two. Back towards the ring again with Miz in control. They slug it out in the ring with Morrison taking over again.
Morrison gets Miz down and goes for Starship Pain. Miz rolls out of the way and gets the Reality Check for two. He charges but rams into the post. Starship Pain hits for two and a big kick sends Miz to the floor. Morrison sets up a table and goes for Starship Pain off the top through the table. The champion moves and the table more or less explodes in an awesome looking spot. That somehow only gets two and Miz is pissed off. The Skull Crushing Finale on the floor ends this clean at approximately 22:00.
Theres a #1 contenders match later in a cage.
Back with a new backstage interviewer who is with Miz. Miz goes on about how hes WWE Champion and is still awesome.
We recap the Natalya vs. Melina issues with Cole saying Natalya needs to get over it.
Melina/Maryse/Alicia Fox vs. Natalya/Eve Torres/Brie Bella
Quick break between the intros. Those are some lackluster partners for Natalya. Maryse and Brie brawl to start with Maryse controlling. Brie is sent to the floor and the twins switch under the ring. Off to Natalya and Alicia and Natalya is more concerned with getting at Melina than Alicia. Butterfly suplex puts Alicia down and Natalya goes after Melina. The champion gets clotheslined over the top rope and heres Melina officially. Natalya drills her with a spinning forearm and brings in Eve. Not much of a showdown there. Eve hits a spinning neckbreaker to end it at approximately 3:00.
Uso Brothers vs. Vladimir Kozlov/Santino Marella
Pretty sure this is non-title but Im not sure. Vladimir and I believe Jimmy start us off. After some brief Russian dominance were off to Santino to a big pop. This is looking like a squash so far. Im glad theyve giving Santino some real offense such as the sambo stuff. Back to Kozlov and the crowd dies almost immediately.
The Usos take over with basic jobber offense for a little while. Santino comes back in and cleans a few rooms. He isnt doing enough to classify it as cleaning house you see. Kozlov comes back in illegally to try and help out his partner by growling at an Uso. Somehow this works but Kozlov winds up getting sent to the floor. Vlad gets stuck on the ropes for a bit so Santino has to finish shoving him over. Santino sets for the Cobra but walks into a Samoan Drop for the surprising pin at 4:02.
Post match Tamina and Santino hit a double Cobra on Jey. You never would know they had just lost the match based on how well theyre taking it.
Tough Enough is officially coming back. Oh joy.
Punk is on his way to the ring.
Back from a break with the new leader of Nexus. Punk says he loves being in Phoenix and that hes been bust all day looking for Cena. He couldnt find him anywhere though and that he, ahem, couldnt see him. Cena isnt here this week because of Punk and what happened last week.
Punk talks about being a leader of men and that Nexus saw this and they almost begged him to be their new leader. We see a clip of the Nexus beatdown from last week and Punks GTS. Punk talks about hustle, loyalty and respect and how its just a catchphrase to Cena but to Punk its very real. Cena cant win this fight and Punk is taking over both Nexus and Monday Night Raw.
Heres Wade Barrett who isnt thrilled with this at all. Barrett says that Cena isnt here because of a beating he gave Cena in a match in Pennsylvania earlier in the week which is true kind of. Barrett also says hes the leader of Nexus, not Punk. Punk says Nexus needed new management and now has it. Wade says that Punk is a liar, including about being straightedge.
Punk says lets ask Nexus who the liar is and Barrett agrees, calling down the troops. I like how they come out in the V formation like an army. We get an E-Mail almost immediately and tonight theres are three participants in a match in the cage for the title shot at the Rumble. Its Barrett or Punk vs. Sheamus vs. Orton. They finally have something that looks like an e-mail on the screen too.
Barrett says hell take the spot as the leader of the Nexus. Punk says take it as hes a talker not a fighter. If Barrett wins the match then Punk will work for him and Barrett can be the leader. If Barrett loses hes out of Nexus and Punk is officially the leader.
Del Rio is here? Nice surprise. I love that car hes in which is a red and white Chevy from the 1967. He says its his destiny to be world champion and that hell show that tonight. Its his destiny to win the Rumble and be in the main event at Wrestlemania. R-Truth apparently disagrees. Truth says that Albertos destiny is to go back where he came from.
Alberto Del Rio vs. R-Truth
Truth dominates early on with his usual unorthodox offense. A clothesline puts Alberto on the floor almost immediately and a dive over the top puts Del Rio down as we take a break. Back with Truth hammering away on Alberto in the corner. Del Rio gets in a shot to break the momentum and hits a Codebreaker onto the arm.
Off to an armbar as we talk about how Del Rio has taken out various people on the Smackdown roster and wants to take out more. Truth tries to fight back but cant do his flip out of the corner due to the arm. A modified arm drag gets two and its back to the arm. Truth manages to send Alberto to the floor and starts taking over with his one good arm. And never mind as Alberto sends his arm into the post and the Cross Armbreaker (with very little torque on it at all) ends this clean in 10:00.
Barrett talks to Nexus and says that he can make each and every one of them champions like he did Slater and Gabriel. Punk comes up and calls out Barrett when Barrett says Punk is using Nexus for his own gain. Punk says theyre all pulling for him. Barrett leaves and Punk shakes all of their hands.
Over to Orton who says last year meant nothing and that the only thing he cared about was Miz cashing in. Orton says he was FAR too nice as he actually held back a bit and didnt punt Jericho. He says that nice guys finish last and implies that isnt happening anymore.
Cage match is next.
Randy Orton vs. Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett
In a cage and the winner gets Miz at the Rumble. Were going old school here as its escape only. Cena might be back next week. BIG pop for Orton. Sheamus and Orton beat down Barrett early on but Sheamus tries to run away, only to be stopped by Orton. Barrett takes over off the distraction and goes for Wasteland which is acknowledged as the move that injured Cena. Orton tries to escape to no avail.
Sheamus tries to escape to complete the set of people trying to get out. Orton almost goes through the door but turns back around to coil up in front of the other two. Cole says Orton couldnt have made it out, but it was pretty clear he could have. Odd indeed and we take a break.
Back with Orton almost all the way out until Sheamus makes the save. Barrett helps to finally pull him back in and the two evildoers take over again. Orton tries for the elevated DDT on Sheamus but has to stop to keep Barrett from getting out. He tries for a double elevated DDT but Barrett fights out of it. Sheamus blocks as well and sends Orton into the steel.
Orton gets taken down by the two UK dudes but since one is Irish and one is British they start fighting amongst themselves. Barrett goes up but slips, allowing Orton to make another save. Superplex puts Barrett down as are Orton and Sheamus. Sheamus gets up and beats the hell out of Barrett but cant get through the door thanks to Orton.
Barrett sends Sheamus into the cage multiple times and adds a pump handle slam. Orton is back up though and gets taken down almost immediately by a Boss Man Slam. Barrett tries to escape but Sheamus slows him down. Wade kicks him down but instead of going out he tries a top rope elbow which gets knees. Sheamus doesnt take the chance to get out either and gets taken down by Ortons clotheslines.
Powerslams to both guys and the Angle Slam to Sheamus. Elevated DDT to Barrett but Sheamus slows Randy down. They slug it out on the top rope until Barrett kicks said rope to crotch both guys. Both guys are down now after a pair of big boots. Barrett is the only person up so he tries to climb out. Heres Punk though, climbing into the cage and offering his hand. Hed help a lot better to just open the door for him but whatever.
Barrett takes his hand but Punk goes all Scar to Barretts Mufasa and pulls the armband off and shoves Barrett back into the ring. Sheamus puts Orton down and the door is open. And of course theres the RKO to Sheamus so that Orton can go through the door at 19:40 to get the title shot at the Rumble. Oh joy.
Results
The Miz b. John Morrison Skull Crushing Finale
Natalya/Brie Bella/Eve Torres b. Melina/Maryse/Alicia Fox Spinning neckbreaker to Melina
Uso Brothers b. Vladimir Kozlov/Santino Marella Samoan Drop to Marella
Alberto Del Rio b. R-Truth Cross Armbreaker
Randy Orton b. Sheamus and Wade Barrett Orton escaped the cage
Tuesday
Impact got a 1.1.
Smackdown got a 1.4. Remember it was New Years Eve.
Raw got a 3.1 which is a bit lower than the previous week.
NXT
Date: January 4, 2011
Location: Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona
Commentators: Todd Grisham, Josh Matthews
Its the first elimination week for this season which is the best thing that could have happened as the show is being dragged down by the awful guys they have on here. I cant imagine its not OBrian or Novak that is gone tonight. I fell asleep before the show came on so this is being written after the show and I had it spoiled for me by accident although I cant say I was stunned with the result. Lets get to it.
We open with a montage of the rookies interacting with their pros and how its the first elimination tonight. Nothing we dont know in other words.
Wow these guys have been wild and young for awhile now. Shouldnt it be tamed and older by now?
Striker is on the stage with the rookies and announces that the winner will get a tag title show with their pro. Tonight there is a Pros Challenge in the form of a battle royal. The winning pro will have the option of trading their pro if they so choose. Cool. Before we start though, Ricardo Rodriguez comes out and offers to take Albertos spot for some reason. Ok then.
Battle Royal
Immediately Bryan picks Ricardo up and puts him in an airplane spin for a mind blowing 30 seconds. The other pros stand around and cheer Bryan on, saying how long can you do that for. Truth takes mercy on Ricardo and throws him out. Its DiBiase, Bryan, Masters, Ziggler and Truth in there if youre not familiar with the Pros. Ziggler puts out Bryan and shouts that Bryan has no idea how good that felt.
DiBiase gets a low bridge to put Truth out. Sorry for the lack of commentary here as its hard to talk about battle royals. Masters tries to put DiBiase out so Ziggler comes up behind them and dumps both guys out to win at 3:50. Yeah it was rather short but I think that was the point.
Ziggler talks about how he never liked Novak and trades him for Saxton. Thats certainly an upgrade. Then again the coat is more valuable than Novak so its not like an upgrade is hard in this case. Novak vs. Saxton next.
Byron Saxton vs. Jacob Novak
Novak starts off all aggressive prompting a funny reaction from Ziggler who shouts WHY DIDNT YOU DO THAT WHEN YOU WERE WITH ME? This is rather boring and the crowd certainly seems to agree with me on that point. Ziggler keeps screaming things at Saxton and is definitely the most entertaining part of the match. Novak is one of the least interesting characters Ive seen in a very long time.
Theres nothing interesting about him at all and his time on offense here is putting me to sleep, which is saying a lot as I slept for a long time earlier tonight. Saxton makes a comeback while Dolph tells Novak that he sucks. This match is setting records for clotheslines used. Saxton reverses a suplex into .uh .Im not sure to call it. He hooked a Tazmission looking hold and rocked Novak forward and then backwards into a mat slam with Saxton sitting out the other way. It was pretty stupid if you didnt get that but it ended this at approximately 5:40.
Curtis is talking to Truth about how they can work together as a wolf pack roaming through the Arizona desert. Truth doesnt know what Curtis is talking about and Curtis isnt sure either. Curtis vs. Clay is later.
Raw Rebound is about the cage match and doesnt mention the whole WORLD TITLE MATCH or anything like that. Not important at all.
We get a clip of the way too excited Bateman talking to Bryan. Bateman offers his advice on the love triangle with the Bellas because he was called Dr. Love in high school. Bryan: No you werent. Bateman: Ok no I wasnt but I still know what Im talking about. Funny stuff. Theres a double date next week. Bateman says theyre about chicks and AMERICA, as he pulls a random flag out from behind him. Im liking this guy a bit more every week.
Ziggler and Saxton affirm their love for each other with Ziggler telling Saxton to stay away from Vickie which is no issue. Theres a battle of the mic competition later. Apparently its next.
Time for the Battle of the Mic. To update the immunity point standings:
Curtis: 5
Bateman: 3
Novak: 1
Saxton: 1
OBrian: 0
Clay: 0
Good thing Clay has that thing called talent to get him through this safely. Naturally this is worth four points so that the previous weeks mean far less. Basically this is a talk-off. First up is Clay vs. Curtis. Clay talks about how funny it was to see Curtis go through that table last week at him hands. Curtis says it was funny that time when he hit Clay in the mouth, which hasnt happened. Curtis naturally pops him in the mouth. The crowd picks Curtis and Brodus is eliminated.
Bateman vs. Saxton is next. Bateman says that Saxtons voice destroyed ECW and says that Saxton is the lovechild of Carlton Banks and a shorter Carlton Banks. Saxtons reply is that no matter what, hes still better than Bateman. Both of these were really bad and Saxton is out.
Novak vs. OBrian is next and I need a stiff drink. Novak talks about the rat thing and plays up the whole rat thing. OBrian makes a bunch of stupid jokes but the delivery is definitely better. OBrian wins this by a mile as he definitely should.
Round 2 is where you have to insult both guys. Curtis makes fun of Batemans haircut. He says he likes rats so he has nothing to make fun of for OBrian. Striker likes rats too.
Bateman says that Curtis looks like he belongs on To Catch a Predator. Conor is a lot like Conan, minus the talent.
OBrian makes Your Mama jokes and somehow these are the funniest lines in the whole thing. OBrian wins it and he actually should have. Curtis has the immunity points lead still though.
Johnny Curtis vs. Brodus Clay
Remember that Curtis hit Clay just a few minutes ago. Clay runs him over to start and the beating is on. Curtis gets him to the floor where DiBiase yells at the big man a bit. Brodus uses some of those supelxes to take over. I like this guy pretty well I think and hes definitely the most interesting guy on this season as Ive said before. Clay keeps using basic power and we hit a nerve hold.
This is such a change in night and day as compared to the other one on one match as the fans are into this and theres an energy here that is very refreshing. Curtis fights his way up and takes out the knee and hits a spinwheel kick to take over. A top rope shot to the head gets two. For some reason he goes after DiBiase though and a Tongan Death Grip Slam (more or less a chokeslam) gets Brodus the clean pin at 3:32.
Post match Striker asks Clay what fuels him and he says its because hes tired of being cast aside and is the marathon .whatever that means. Elimination is up next.
Curtis says that Clay should go home tonight. To the shock of absolutely no one, Novak is gone first. Its a crushing blow but he got to have this be a learning experience. Ziggler makes fun of him almost the whole time which is rather funny. The next elimination is in two weeks and the points are set to zero.
Ziggler makes fun of Masters again and does his pose thing. Since apparently hitting him in the back is too complex for Masters he tries the full nelson on him and the IC Champion escapes to end the show.
Results
Dolph Ziggler won a Pros Battle Royal
Byron Saxton b. Jacob Novak Sitout Half Nelson Slam
Conor OBrian won the Battle of the Mic
Brodus Clay b. Johnny Curtis Tongan Death Grip Slam
Jacob Novak was eliminated in 6th place.
Wednesday
Typical middle of the week night with nothing going on at all.
Thursday
Impact
Date: January 6, 2011
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West
Episode Title: Genesis .the Beginning or the End?
Its the go home show for Genesis where the card is more or less complete I think barring maybe a match or two being added tonight. Hopefully Impact can keep up what its been doing recently of having good television. Lets get to it.
We open with a recap of the whole Morgan vs. Anderson issue with Foley being worried about Anderson and how bad his head might be. This is mainly focused on Morgan hitting Anderson and getting the pin after the shot to his head.
Immortal opens the show in the arena with Bischoff talking about how Genesis is the beginning. He promises nothing underhanded in the title matches on Sunday where hes put a bounty on all the titles. Tonight is a night of champions apparently. Bischoff wants to talk to some champions, starting with Lethal.
The X-Division Champion comes out looking rather cocky. Bischoff says that with that attitude he cant guarantee that Immortal will be good to him. Jay gets in rather hesitantly. Here come the Guns by invitation also. Finally its Williams who is very skeptical as well. Bischoff talks about how these people are going to steal the show on Sunday because thats what champions do.
He makes matches for later: Lethal vs. Abyss, Guns vs. AJ/Kaz and Williams Rob Terry. The Guns have an issue with shaking AJs hand. Theres no handshake as it breaks down into a brawl. Bischoff acting all calm with the mic is funny as hell for some reason. Van Dam comes in for the save and Immortal scatters.
Van Dam demands Jeff Hardy again to Bischoff and also wants to know who the opponent is. Bischoff says hell say when hes damn good and ready. Van Dam says hell find out tonight.
Ray talks about how he's been using D-Von for 15 years and challenges D-Von to a fight in the parking lot right now as we go to a break.
Back with a quick recap of last weeks Tommy Mercer vs. Jarrett in the MMA challenger. Heres Jarrett with Angles entrance still. He announces the tweeks that were made to the competition last week and are official tonight. First up, they have to be his size or shorter. Also its an exhibition, so Im not sure if the money is still going or not. Apparently it isnt.
Someone from the Twilight Saga is here. Egads you cant escape the damn things. The guy is something called a junior black belt. Its not happening though because his dad is taller than Jeff so the other guy isnt eligible. Jarrett sees a fan in the back that works here. Naturally its a massacre with Jarrett beating the tar out of him and ending him with the ankle lock.
He wont let go of the hold though and heres Kurt Angle! Hes back and gets after Jarrett to break up the hold. Why is it that wrestling security will let people jump the guard rail so often? As Punk says, security here sucks. Angle says hes about the same height as Jarrett and since its an exhibition hes not breaking his promise of not wrestling. The showdown is made for Genesis as we take a break.
Back with a brief recap of what we just saw.
Motor City Machineguns vs. AJ Styles/Kazarian
The Guns jump them to start as theyre such nice guys. After a skirmish on the floor we start with Sabin vs. AJ in the ring. Double teaming and chops have Sabin in big trouble. Kaz has a thing for slingshot legdrops as two of them both get two. The announcers would rather talk about the PPV than the match which is something Ive never been a fan of at all.
Sabin finally gets loose and we get double tags to bring in AJ and Shelley. Shelley gets rid of Kaz to get us down to Shelley s. AJ. This works for me. Rolling Chaos doesnt work for AJ but he manages to counter Sliced Bread. The moonsault into a reverse DDT by AJ cant hit either. A belt shot misses and Sliced Bread #2 finishes AJ at 4:50.
Post match Beer Money beats down the Guns.
Pope is going to call out whomever is following him around.
After another break AJ is getting chewed out by Bischoff saying it's not as simple as it sounds. Flair says that they just want AJ to be the best he can be. AJ asks if Flair won every match he was in and Flair says no. Eric says it's not about Flair and more or less says again that if AJ doesn't get the TV Title on Sunday he's gone.
Pope is in the ring to address being followed everywhere. He yells about the invasion of privacy and wants the guy to come out here right now. And it's .Joe? Joe talks about how we've seen Pope in the back of the strip club and how no one has gotten their stuff at orphanages and shelters and how there are no puppies there.
Pope goes on a rant talking about how he's been judged all his life and how he doesn't need a Samoan in his way now. He has reasons for everything going on, including that he's just talking to the strippers and telling them that they don't have to do this to make a buck. His answer for the dog thing is more or less that he loves pit bulls and kids would too. That doesn't really address Joe saying the kids don't have them. Pope has spoken though so that's that.
Sarita/Madison Rayne vs. Mickie James/Velvet Sky
Velvet and Sarita start us off. Always a fan of these tags that get both feuds into a single match as theyre as good of a way to save time as I can think of. Madison breaks up the momentum as we get a great ass shot of Sarita. Rayne chokes away at Velvet while Tenay teases Tazz about a slip of the tongue that wasnt funny.
Rayne keeps making sure Mickie cant get in because she knows Mickie would destroy her. She does her mat humping move which rams Velvets head into the mat. Off to Sarita again with Velvet getting a jumping DDT to counter. Mickie comes in illegally and beats up the champion for awhile. While the referee tries to get her out, Tara pops Velvet with the elbow brace and a punch from Madison lets Sarita get the pin in 4:45.
RVD is talking to Bischoff and he still wants Hardy. Eric gives him a match tonight but wont say against who. RVD says ok and Hardy is next.
Rob Terry vs. Douglas Williams
Tazz touches on the former alliance here in some nice continuity. Shame thats such a rarity in wrestling anymore. Doug tries to use some speed moves to start us off. Cravate sets up some knees to the head which Terry simply shrugs off. And heres AJ to destroy Williams in maybe a minute. He slams Dougs hand into the steps and post to destroy it before the PPV.
Bubba is heading to the parking lot.
Back with Bubba in the parking lot and D-Von is ready to go. Security holds them back while Bubba runs his mouth. They stay separated until Bubba gets a cheap shot. He says D-Von should think of himself and not show up Sunday for the sake of his kids.
Jarrett says he has a plan for Sunday and an insurance policy. Eric wants to have RVD taken care of tonight and makes a No DQ match which Jarrett seems happy with.
Abyss vs. Jay Lethal
We take a break before the match starts. This is non-title of course because you wouldnt have a big guy like Abyss go after a title that has no weight limit right? Why would you want your monster to try to claim a title in a match that on paper shouldnt be a challenge for him? Lethal uses lots of hit and run offense and gets a missile dropkick for two.
Abyss takes over with power but misses a quick splash in the corner. And never mind as the Black Hole Slam kills Lethal. Abyss pauses before covering though and pulls Lethal up at two. Apparently Immortal wants Abyss to soften up Lethal so that Kaz can take the title. Why not have Abyss take the title if he can destroy Lethal that easily? Anyway he chokes in the corner a bit too long and its a DQ at 3:40.
Kaz comes out and has Abyss hold up Lethal so he can look him in the eye, even though hes more or less dead.
We get a music video hyping up the PPV and running down the card.
Theres a sitdown interview with Morgan and Anderson which is almost all about the head injury. Morgan says Anderson should be careful while Anderson says wrestlers get injured. Morgan asks who has seen the paperwork saying Anderson is ok and Anderson says its none of his business. Tenay wants to know if Anderson is working everyone. Anderson says youll find out at Genesis. They stare each other down to end this.
Jeff Jarrett vs. Rob Van Dam
Remember this is No DQ. Jarrett tries to kick with RVD for no apparent reason. He hits what looked a bit like a Superman punch which is about all of his offense for the opening part of this match. Rolling Thunder is aborted as Jarrett hits the floor for a bit. He takes a few laps around the ring and comes back in to get knocked down again.
Murphy trips Van Dam up and Jarrett takes over. If its No DQ, why dont they just come in and pummel him? After some more basic offense they do just that. RVD gets a chair but the numbers are too much for him. RVD fights them off for a bit but Hardy runs in for his cameo and the Twist of Hate ends this at about 5:30.
Morgan comes out to save RVD as Hardy gets the chair. Anderson comes out and swings the chair, naturally hitting Morgan. He gets all ticked off to end the show.
Results
Motor City Machineguns b. Kazarian/AJ Styles Sliced Bread #2 to Styles
Sarita/Madison Rayne b. Velvet Sky/Mickie James Punch to Sky
Douglas Williams b. Rob Terry via DQ when AJ Styles interfered
Jay Lethal b. Abyss via DQ when Abyss refused to break a choke hold
Jeff Jarrett b. Rob Van Dam Twist of Hate from Jeff Hardy
To the shock of no one paying attention, Impact got a 1.1.
Monday Night Raw
Date: January 3, 2011
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Michael Cole
Its the first show of the year and we have a huge main event in the form of Miz vs. Morrison in a falls count anywhere match for the WWE Title. Apparently thats going to be opening the show which kind of negates the whole main event thing. Also well get to see the next step in the Punk vs. Cena feud. Lets get to it.
Theme song opens us up.
Raw World Title: The Miz vs. John Morrison
No Lawler due to the beatdown last week by Miz. Morrison takes down Riley to start and we hit the floor very quickly. Morrison fights both guys off and comes off the top of the big W with a huge cross body for two. Back to the ring as that was a very quick segment up there. Missile dropkick gets two for the challenger. The running knee gets two also as Riley interferes. Morrison DESTROYS Riley and we take a break as the paramedics attend to him.
Back with Miz setting up a piece of railing up against the stage. He cant suplex Morrison through it for awhile but Morrison tries one too many counters and winds up taking a backdrop into it for two. Back towards the ring again with Miz in control. They slug it out in the ring with Morrison taking over again.
Morrison gets Miz down and goes for Starship Pain. Miz rolls out of the way and gets the Reality Check for two. He charges but rams into the post. Starship Pain hits for two and a big kick sends Miz to the floor. Morrison sets up a table and goes for Starship Pain off the top through the table. The champion moves and the table more or less explodes in an awesome looking spot. That somehow only gets two and Miz is pissed off. The Skull Crushing Finale on the floor ends this clean at approximately 22:00.
Theres a #1 contenders match later in a cage.
Back with a new backstage interviewer who is with Miz. Miz goes on about how hes WWE Champion and is still awesome.
We recap the Natalya vs. Melina issues with Cole saying Natalya needs to get over it.
Melina/Maryse/Alicia Fox vs. Natalya/Eve Torres/Brie Bella
Quick break between the intros. Those are some lackluster partners for Natalya. Maryse and Brie brawl to start with Maryse controlling. Brie is sent to the floor and the twins switch under the ring. Off to Natalya and Alicia and Natalya is more concerned with getting at Melina than Alicia. Butterfly suplex puts Alicia down and Natalya goes after Melina. The champion gets clotheslined over the top rope and heres Melina officially. Natalya drills her with a spinning forearm and brings in Eve. Not much of a showdown there. Eve hits a spinning neckbreaker to end it at approximately 3:00.
Uso Brothers vs. Vladimir Kozlov/Santino Marella
Pretty sure this is non-title but Im not sure. Vladimir and I believe Jimmy start us off. After some brief Russian dominance were off to Santino to a big pop. This is looking like a squash so far. Im glad theyve giving Santino some real offense such as the sambo stuff. Back to Kozlov and the crowd dies almost immediately.
The Usos take over with basic jobber offense for a little while. Santino comes back in and cleans a few rooms. He isnt doing enough to classify it as cleaning house you see. Kozlov comes back in illegally to try and help out his partner by growling at an Uso. Somehow this works but Kozlov winds up getting sent to the floor. Vlad gets stuck on the ropes for a bit so Santino has to finish shoving him over. Santino sets for the Cobra but walks into a Samoan Drop for the surprising pin at 4:02.
Post match Tamina and Santino hit a double Cobra on Jey. You never would know they had just lost the match based on how well theyre taking it.
Tough Enough is officially coming back. Oh joy.
Punk is on his way to the ring.
Back from a break with the new leader of Nexus. Punk says he loves being in Phoenix and that hes been bust all day looking for Cena. He couldnt find him anywhere though and that he, ahem, couldnt see him. Cena isnt here this week because of Punk and what happened last week.
Punk talks about being a leader of men and that Nexus saw this and they almost begged him to be their new leader. We see a clip of the Nexus beatdown from last week and Punks GTS. Punk talks about hustle, loyalty and respect and how its just a catchphrase to Cena but to Punk its very real. Cena cant win this fight and Punk is taking over both Nexus and Monday Night Raw.
Heres Wade Barrett who isnt thrilled with this at all. Barrett says that Cena isnt here because of a beating he gave Cena in a match in Pennsylvania earlier in the week which is true kind of. Barrett also says hes the leader of Nexus, not Punk. Punk says Nexus needed new management and now has it. Wade says that Punk is a liar, including about being straightedge.
Punk says lets ask Nexus who the liar is and Barrett agrees, calling down the troops. I like how they come out in the V formation like an army. We get an E-Mail almost immediately and tonight theres are three participants in a match in the cage for the title shot at the Rumble. Its Barrett or Punk vs. Sheamus vs. Orton. They finally have something that looks like an e-mail on the screen too.
Barrett says hell take the spot as the leader of the Nexus. Punk says take it as hes a talker not a fighter. If Barrett wins the match then Punk will work for him and Barrett can be the leader. If Barrett loses hes out of Nexus and Punk is officially the leader.
Del Rio is here? Nice surprise. I love that car hes in which is a red and white Chevy from the 1967. He says its his destiny to be world champion and that hell show that tonight. Its his destiny to win the Rumble and be in the main event at Wrestlemania. R-Truth apparently disagrees. Truth says that Albertos destiny is to go back where he came from.
Alberto Del Rio vs. R-Truth
Truth dominates early on with his usual unorthodox offense. A clothesline puts Alberto on the floor almost immediately and a dive over the top puts Del Rio down as we take a break. Back with Truth hammering away on Alberto in the corner. Del Rio gets in a shot to break the momentum and hits a Codebreaker onto the arm.
Off to an armbar as we talk about how Del Rio has taken out various people on the Smackdown roster and wants to take out more. Truth tries to fight back but cant do his flip out of the corner due to the arm. A modified arm drag gets two and its back to the arm. Truth manages to send Alberto to the floor and starts taking over with his one good arm. And never mind as Alberto sends his arm into the post and the Cross Armbreaker (with very little torque on it at all) ends this clean in 10:00.
Barrett talks to Nexus and says that he can make each and every one of them champions like he did Slater and Gabriel. Punk comes up and calls out Barrett when Barrett says Punk is using Nexus for his own gain. Punk says theyre all pulling for him. Barrett leaves and Punk shakes all of their hands.
Over to Orton who says last year meant nothing and that the only thing he cared about was Miz cashing in. Orton says he was FAR too nice as he actually held back a bit and didnt punt Jericho. He says that nice guys finish last and implies that isnt happening anymore.
Cage match is next.
Randy Orton vs. Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett
In a cage and the winner gets Miz at the Rumble. Were going old school here as its escape only. Cena might be back next week. BIG pop for Orton. Sheamus and Orton beat down Barrett early on but Sheamus tries to run away, only to be stopped by Orton. Barrett takes over off the distraction and goes for Wasteland which is acknowledged as the move that injured Cena. Orton tries to escape to no avail.
Sheamus tries to escape to complete the set of people trying to get out. Orton almost goes through the door but turns back around to coil up in front of the other two. Cole says Orton couldnt have made it out, but it was pretty clear he could have. Odd indeed and we take a break.
Back with Orton almost all the way out until Sheamus makes the save. Barrett helps to finally pull him back in and the two evildoers take over again. Orton tries for the elevated DDT on Sheamus but has to stop to keep Barrett from getting out. He tries for a double elevated DDT but Barrett fights out of it. Sheamus blocks as well and sends Orton into the steel.
Orton gets taken down by the two UK dudes but since one is Irish and one is British they start fighting amongst themselves. Barrett goes up but slips, allowing Orton to make another save. Superplex puts Barrett down as are Orton and Sheamus. Sheamus gets up and beats the hell out of Barrett but cant get through the door thanks to Orton.
Barrett sends Sheamus into the cage multiple times and adds a pump handle slam. Orton is back up though and gets taken down almost immediately by a Boss Man Slam. Barrett tries to escape but Sheamus slows him down. Wade kicks him down but instead of going out he tries a top rope elbow which gets knees. Sheamus doesnt take the chance to get out either and gets taken down by Ortons clotheslines.
Powerslams to both guys and the Angle Slam to Sheamus. Elevated DDT to Barrett but Sheamus slows Randy down. They slug it out on the top rope until Barrett kicks said rope to crotch both guys. Both guys are down now after a pair of big boots. Barrett is the only person up so he tries to climb out. Heres Punk though, climbing into the cage and offering his hand. Hed help a lot better to just open the door for him but whatever.
Barrett takes his hand but Punk goes all Scar to Barretts Mufasa and pulls the armband off and shoves Barrett back into the ring. Sheamus puts Orton down and the door is open. And of course theres the RKO to Sheamus so that Orton can go through the door at 19:40 to get the title shot at the Rumble. Oh joy.
Results
The Miz b. John Morrison Skull Crushing Finale
Natalya/Brie Bella/Eve Torres b. Melina/Maryse/Alicia Fox Spinning neckbreaker to Melina
Uso Brothers b. Vladimir Kozlov/Santino Marella Samoan Drop to Marella
Alberto Del Rio b. R-Truth Cross Armbreaker
Randy Orton b. Sheamus and Wade Barrett Orton escaped the cage
Tuesday
Impact got a 1.1.
Smackdown got a 1.4. Remember it was New Years Eve.
Raw got a 3.1 which is a bit lower than the previous week.
NXT
Date: January 4, 2011
Location: Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona
Commentators: Todd Grisham, Josh Matthews
Its the first elimination week for this season which is the best thing that could have happened as the show is being dragged down by the awful guys they have on here. I cant imagine its not OBrian or Novak that is gone tonight. I fell asleep before the show came on so this is being written after the show and I had it spoiled for me by accident although I cant say I was stunned with the result. Lets get to it.
We open with a montage of the rookies interacting with their pros and how its the first elimination tonight. Nothing we dont know in other words.
Wow these guys have been wild and young for awhile now. Shouldnt it be tamed and older by now?
Striker is on the stage with the rookies and announces that the winner will get a tag title show with their pro. Tonight there is a Pros Challenge in the form of a battle royal. The winning pro will have the option of trading their pro if they so choose. Cool. Before we start though, Ricardo Rodriguez comes out and offers to take Albertos spot for some reason. Ok then.
Battle Royal
Immediately Bryan picks Ricardo up and puts him in an airplane spin for a mind blowing 30 seconds. The other pros stand around and cheer Bryan on, saying how long can you do that for. Truth takes mercy on Ricardo and throws him out. Its DiBiase, Bryan, Masters, Ziggler and Truth in there if youre not familiar with the Pros. Ziggler puts out Bryan and shouts that Bryan has no idea how good that felt.
DiBiase gets a low bridge to put Truth out. Sorry for the lack of commentary here as its hard to talk about battle royals. Masters tries to put DiBiase out so Ziggler comes up behind them and dumps both guys out to win at 3:50. Yeah it was rather short but I think that was the point.
Ziggler talks about how he never liked Novak and trades him for Saxton. Thats certainly an upgrade. Then again the coat is more valuable than Novak so its not like an upgrade is hard in this case. Novak vs. Saxton next.
Byron Saxton vs. Jacob Novak
Novak starts off all aggressive prompting a funny reaction from Ziggler who shouts WHY DIDNT YOU DO THAT WHEN YOU WERE WITH ME? This is rather boring and the crowd certainly seems to agree with me on that point. Ziggler keeps screaming things at Saxton and is definitely the most entertaining part of the match. Novak is one of the least interesting characters Ive seen in a very long time.
Theres nothing interesting about him at all and his time on offense here is putting me to sleep, which is saying a lot as I slept for a long time earlier tonight. Saxton makes a comeback while Dolph tells Novak that he sucks. This match is setting records for clotheslines used. Saxton reverses a suplex into .uh .Im not sure to call it. He hooked a Tazmission looking hold and rocked Novak forward and then backwards into a mat slam with Saxton sitting out the other way. It was pretty stupid if you didnt get that but it ended this at approximately 5:40.
Curtis is talking to Truth about how they can work together as a wolf pack roaming through the Arizona desert. Truth doesnt know what Curtis is talking about and Curtis isnt sure either. Curtis vs. Clay is later.
Raw Rebound is about the cage match and doesnt mention the whole WORLD TITLE MATCH or anything like that. Not important at all.
We get a clip of the way too excited Bateman talking to Bryan. Bateman offers his advice on the love triangle with the Bellas because he was called Dr. Love in high school. Bryan: No you werent. Bateman: Ok no I wasnt but I still know what Im talking about. Funny stuff. Theres a double date next week. Bateman says theyre about chicks and AMERICA, as he pulls a random flag out from behind him. Im liking this guy a bit more every week.
Ziggler and Saxton affirm their love for each other with Ziggler telling Saxton to stay away from Vickie which is no issue. Theres a battle of the mic competition later. Apparently its next.
Time for the Battle of the Mic. To update the immunity point standings:
Curtis: 5
Bateman: 3
Novak: 1
Saxton: 1
OBrian: 0
Clay: 0
Good thing Clay has that thing called talent to get him through this safely. Naturally this is worth four points so that the previous weeks mean far less. Basically this is a talk-off. First up is Clay vs. Curtis. Clay talks about how funny it was to see Curtis go through that table last week at him hands. Curtis says it was funny that time when he hit Clay in the mouth, which hasnt happened. Curtis naturally pops him in the mouth. The crowd picks Curtis and Brodus is eliminated.
Bateman vs. Saxton is next. Bateman says that Saxtons voice destroyed ECW and says that Saxton is the lovechild of Carlton Banks and a shorter Carlton Banks. Saxtons reply is that no matter what, hes still better than Bateman. Both of these were really bad and Saxton is out.
Novak vs. OBrian is next and I need a stiff drink. Novak talks about the rat thing and plays up the whole rat thing. OBrian makes a bunch of stupid jokes but the delivery is definitely better. OBrian wins this by a mile as he definitely should.
Round 2 is where you have to insult both guys. Curtis makes fun of Batemans haircut. He says he likes rats so he has nothing to make fun of for OBrian. Striker likes rats too.
Bateman says that Curtis looks like he belongs on To Catch a Predator. Conor is a lot like Conan, minus the talent.
OBrian makes Your Mama jokes and somehow these are the funniest lines in the whole thing. OBrian wins it and he actually should have. Curtis has the immunity points lead still though.
Johnny Curtis vs. Brodus Clay
Remember that Curtis hit Clay just a few minutes ago. Clay runs him over to start and the beating is on. Curtis gets him to the floor where DiBiase yells at the big man a bit. Brodus uses some of those supelxes to take over. I like this guy pretty well I think and hes definitely the most interesting guy on this season as Ive said before. Clay keeps using basic power and we hit a nerve hold.
This is such a change in night and day as compared to the other one on one match as the fans are into this and theres an energy here that is very refreshing. Curtis fights his way up and takes out the knee and hits a spinwheel kick to take over. A top rope shot to the head gets two. For some reason he goes after DiBiase though and a Tongan Death Grip Slam (more or less a chokeslam) gets Brodus the clean pin at 3:32.
Post match Striker asks Clay what fuels him and he says its because hes tired of being cast aside and is the marathon .whatever that means. Elimination is up next.
Curtis says that Clay should go home tonight. To the shock of absolutely no one, Novak is gone first. Its a crushing blow but he got to have this be a learning experience. Ziggler makes fun of him almost the whole time which is rather funny. The next elimination is in two weeks and the points are set to zero.
Ziggler makes fun of Masters again and does his pose thing. Since apparently hitting him in the back is too complex for Masters he tries the full nelson on him and the IC Champion escapes to end the show.
Results
Dolph Ziggler won a Pros Battle Royal
Byron Saxton b. Jacob Novak Sitout Half Nelson Slam
Conor OBrian won the Battle of the Mic
Brodus Clay b. Johnny Curtis Tongan Death Grip Slam
Jacob Novak was eliminated in 6th place.
Wednesday
Typical middle of the week night with nothing going on at all.
Thursday
Impact
Date: January 6, 2011
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West
Episode Title: Genesis .the Beginning or the End?
Its the go home show for Genesis where the card is more or less complete I think barring maybe a match or two being added tonight. Hopefully Impact can keep up what its been doing recently of having good television. Lets get to it.
We open with a recap of the whole Morgan vs. Anderson issue with Foley being worried about Anderson and how bad his head might be. This is mainly focused on Morgan hitting Anderson and getting the pin after the shot to his head.
Immortal opens the show in the arena with Bischoff talking about how Genesis is the beginning. He promises nothing underhanded in the title matches on Sunday where hes put a bounty on all the titles. Tonight is a night of champions apparently. Bischoff wants to talk to some champions, starting with Lethal.
The X-Division Champion comes out looking rather cocky. Bischoff says that with that attitude he cant guarantee that Immortal will be good to him. Jay gets in rather hesitantly. Here come the Guns by invitation also. Finally its Williams who is very skeptical as well. Bischoff talks about how these people are going to steal the show on Sunday because thats what champions do.
He makes matches for later: Lethal vs. Abyss, Guns vs. AJ/Kaz and Williams Rob Terry. The Guns have an issue with shaking AJs hand. Theres no handshake as it breaks down into a brawl. Bischoff acting all calm with the mic is funny as hell for some reason. Van Dam comes in for the save and Immortal scatters.
Van Dam demands Jeff Hardy again to Bischoff and also wants to know who the opponent is. Bischoff says hell say when hes damn good and ready. Van Dam says hell find out tonight.
Ray talks about how he's been using D-Von for 15 years and challenges D-Von to a fight in the parking lot right now as we go to a break.
Back with a quick recap of last weeks Tommy Mercer vs. Jarrett in the MMA challenger. Heres Jarrett with Angles entrance still. He announces the tweeks that were made to the competition last week and are official tonight. First up, they have to be his size or shorter. Also its an exhibition, so Im not sure if the money is still going or not. Apparently it isnt.
Someone from the Twilight Saga is here. Egads you cant escape the damn things. The guy is something called a junior black belt. Its not happening though because his dad is taller than Jeff so the other guy isnt eligible. Jarrett sees a fan in the back that works here. Naturally its a massacre with Jarrett beating the tar out of him and ending him with the ankle lock.
He wont let go of the hold though and heres Kurt Angle! Hes back and gets after Jarrett to break up the hold. Why is it that wrestling security will let people jump the guard rail so often? As Punk says, security here sucks. Angle says hes about the same height as Jarrett and since its an exhibition hes not breaking his promise of not wrestling. The showdown is made for Genesis as we take a break.
Back with a brief recap of what we just saw.
Motor City Machineguns vs. AJ Styles/Kazarian
The Guns jump them to start as theyre such nice guys. After a skirmish on the floor we start with Sabin vs. AJ in the ring. Double teaming and chops have Sabin in big trouble. Kaz has a thing for slingshot legdrops as two of them both get two. The announcers would rather talk about the PPV than the match which is something Ive never been a fan of at all.
Sabin finally gets loose and we get double tags to bring in AJ and Shelley. Shelley gets rid of Kaz to get us down to Shelley s. AJ. This works for me. Rolling Chaos doesnt work for AJ but he manages to counter Sliced Bread. The moonsault into a reverse DDT by AJ cant hit either. A belt shot misses and Sliced Bread #2 finishes AJ at 4:50.
Post match Beer Money beats down the Guns.
Pope is going to call out whomever is following him around.
After another break AJ is getting chewed out by Bischoff saying it's not as simple as it sounds. Flair says that they just want AJ to be the best he can be. AJ asks if Flair won every match he was in and Flair says no. Eric says it's not about Flair and more or less says again that if AJ doesn't get the TV Title on Sunday he's gone.
Pope is in the ring to address being followed everywhere. He yells about the invasion of privacy and wants the guy to come out here right now. And it's .Joe? Joe talks about how we've seen Pope in the back of the strip club and how no one has gotten their stuff at orphanages and shelters and how there are no puppies there.
Pope goes on a rant talking about how he's been judged all his life and how he doesn't need a Samoan in his way now. He has reasons for everything going on, including that he's just talking to the strippers and telling them that they don't have to do this to make a buck. His answer for the dog thing is more or less that he loves pit bulls and kids would too. That doesn't really address Joe saying the kids don't have them. Pope has spoken though so that's that.
Sarita/Madison Rayne vs. Mickie James/Velvet Sky
Velvet and Sarita start us off. Always a fan of these tags that get both feuds into a single match as theyre as good of a way to save time as I can think of. Madison breaks up the momentum as we get a great ass shot of Sarita. Rayne chokes away at Velvet while Tenay teases Tazz about a slip of the tongue that wasnt funny.
Rayne keeps making sure Mickie cant get in because she knows Mickie would destroy her. She does her mat humping move which rams Velvets head into the mat. Off to Sarita again with Velvet getting a jumping DDT to counter. Mickie comes in illegally and beats up the champion for awhile. While the referee tries to get her out, Tara pops Velvet with the elbow brace and a punch from Madison lets Sarita get the pin in 4:45.
RVD is talking to Bischoff and he still wants Hardy. Eric gives him a match tonight but wont say against who. RVD says ok and Hardy is next.
Rob Terry vs. Douglas Williams
Tazz touches on the former alliance here in some nice continuity. Shame thats such a rarity in wrestling anymore. Doug tries to use some speed moves to start us off. Cravate sets up some knees to the head which Terry simply shrugs off. And heres AJ to destroy Williams in maybe a minute. He slams Dougs hand into the steps and post to destroy it before the PPV.
Bubba is heading to the parking lot.
Back with Bubba in the parking lot and D-Von is ready to go. Security holds them back while Bubba runs his mouth. They stay separated until Bubba gets a cheap shot. He says D-Von should think of himself and not show up Sunday for the sake of his kids.
Jarrett says he has a plan for Sunday and an insurance policy. Eric wants to have RVD taken care of tonight and makes a No DQ match which Jarrett seems happy with.
Abyss vs. Jay Lethal
We take a break before the match starts. This is non-title of course because you wouldnt have a big guy like Abyss go after a title that has no weight limit right? Why would you want your monster to try to claim a title in a match that on paper shouldnt be a challenge for him? Lethal uses lots of hit and run offense and gets a missile dropkick for two.
Abyss takes over with power but misses a quick splash in the corner. And never mind as the Black Hole Slam kills Lethal. Abyss pauses before covering though and pulls Lethal up at two. Apparently Immortal wants Abyss to soften up Lethal so that Kaz can take the title. Why not have Abyss take the title if he can destroy Lethal that easily? Anyway he chokes in the corner a bit too long and its a DQ at 3:40.
Kaz comes out and has Abyss hold up Lethal so he can look him in the eye, even though hes more or less dead.
We get a music video hyping up the PPV and running down the card.
Theres a sitdown interview with Morgan and Anderson which is almost all about the head injury. Morgan says Anderson should be careful while Anderson says wrestlers get injured. Morgan asks who has seen the paperwork saying Anderson is ok and Anderson says its none of his business. Tenay wants to know if Anderson is working everyone. Anderson says youll find out at Genesis. They stare each other down to end this.
Jeff Jarrett vs. Rob Van Dam
Remember this is No DQ. Jarrett tries to kick with RVD for no apparent reason. He hits what looked a bit like a Superman punch which is about all of his offense for the opening part of this match. Rolling Thunder is aborted as Jarrett hits the floor for a bit. He takes a few laps around the ring and comes back in to get knocked down again.
Murphy trips Van Dam up and Jarrett takes over. If its No DQ, why dont they just come in and pummel him? After some more basic offense they do just that. RVD gets a chair but the numbers are too much for him. RVD fights them off for a bit but Hardy runs in for his cameo and the Twist of Hate ends this at about 5:30.
Morgan comes out to save RVD as Hardy gets the chair. Anderson comes out and swings the chair, naturally hitting Morgan. He gets all ticked off to end the show.
Results
Motor City Machineguns b. Kazarian/AJ Styles Sliced Bread #2 to Styles
Sarita/Madison Rayne b. Velvet Sky/Mickie James Punch to Sky
Douglas Williams b. Rob Terry via DQ when AJ Styles interfered
Jay Lethal b. Abyss via DQ when Abyss refused to break a choke hold
Jeff Jarrett b. Rob Van Dam Twist of Hate from Jeff Hardy