WWE Network Reviews: Night of Champions 2013

Night of Champions 2013
September 15th, 2013 – Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan – Attendance: 10,500

Coming off the heels of a tremendous SummerSlam in 2013, Night of Champions had a lot to live up to. Daniel Bryan won the WWE Title from John Cena but dropped it within minutes to Randy Orton, who cashed in Money in the Bank. Bryan earned a rematch for this show. Alberto Del Rio reigned as World Heavyweight Champion but was very low on competition and would face the recently returned Rob Van Dam. This was the issue with the WWE at this point. John Cena went down with an injury and Brock Lesnar left again for a while, leaving someone like CM Punk to be in a match that was beneath him. Oh well, let's see what this show has to offer because the Bryan vs. Authority angle was running strong here.

As always, the intro video is pretty cool as it looks at the champions. It focuses mainly on the Daniel Bryan/Randy Orton rivalry as well as CM Punk's with Paul Heyman. So, this is already off to a start that I don't like because Triple H arrives to start the show with a promo. I hate this on Pay-Per-Views. Commentary is Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and John “Bradshaw” Layfield. He says that there will be no interference in the WWE Title match and is interrupted by Paul Heyman and Curtis Axel. He seems very concerned and HHH points out that he looks terrible. Heyman sucks up because he doesn't want to step into the ring with CM Punk. Even though he does a great job of putting over Punk and even Brock Lesnar, this was rather useless. HHH keeps the match and Curtis Axel decides to badmouth Triple H because he beat him on Raw (by countout) earlier in the year. Heyman yells at Axel for being stupid as HHH books Axel in a second match, this one with the Intercontinental Title on the line. The opponent will be the first person Triple H sees in the back.

WWE Intercontinental Championship
Curtis Axel (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs. Kofi Kingston
There's actually a tad bit of back story here as Kofi Kingston had defeated Curtis Axel twice in the past weeks, including one via pinfall. Early on, it's clear that Kofi is in Axel's head as he wins their exchanges. This causes Axel to step outside and catch a breather. Back inside, Axel takes control and sends Kofi outside. It's noted that Paul Heyman isn't doing much coaching at the moment as he's clearly not pleased with his client. Axel follows outside but gets taken down by a leaping Kingston. Axel turns things around inside with some shoulder thrusts and gets a near fall with a back suplex. Kofi's rally attempt is thwarted by a big clothesline from the Champion. Heyman's 5 o'clock shadow beard seems very itchy to him. Axel channels his daddy with the running neck snap before applying a rest hold. Kofi comes back but botches an innovative DDT. He hits a double jump cross body for two and nails the Boom Drop. BOOM BOOM! He claps for Trouble in Paradise but Axel ducks and sends him into the corner. Kofi goes for a springboard move but gets dropkicked in a cool midair moment for two. Kofi misses Trouble in Paradise but counters Axel's finisher into the SOS for two. He had beaten Axel with it before. With desperation in his eyes, Axel hits the EDDIE GILBERT hot shot before wrapping this up with his finisher.

Winner and Still WWE Intercontinental Champion: Curtis Axel in 13:56
I'm surprised these guys got nearly fourteen minutes. They did well with it and probably would've been better if the crowd was more into it. **3/4

We are shown a poll where the fans voted for the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time. Chris Jericho garners 63%, Mr. Perfect gets 24%, Honky Tonk Man earns 10%, Rick Rude gets 2% and Pat Patterson finishes with a measly 1%. 

Rob Van Dam is shown in the back with Ricardo Rodriguez. This was always such an odd pairing and I totally felt that Rodriguez would turn. Anyway, in this segment Ricardo teaches RVD some Spanish. AJ Lee is shown skipping to the ring when she bumps into Alicia Fox, Aksana and Layla. She wants them to go out with her, but none of them want any part of her. Trish Stratus wins the poll for best Women's Champion at 56%, Lita has 29%, Moolah at 8%, Michelle McCool with 6% and Wendi Richter at 1%. 

WWE Divas Championship Fatal Four Way Match
AJ Lee (c) vs. Brie Bella vs. Naomi vs. Natalya
AJ Lee's pipe bombshell on the Total Divas cast was shown and it's still fantastic to this day. As soon as the bell rings, all three Total Divas chase AJ, who is regretting her promo at least a little bit. The problem with this angle was that AJ was supposed to be the heel, but the fans sided with her over the reality stars. Brie Bella quickly turns on her fellow E stars and hits a double clothesline, followed by two running knees. Naomi snaps off a hurricanrana on Brie and then they bump into each other. DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER! Where's Monsoon when I need him? Naomi hits the Rear View on Natalya but Brie breaks the count. Natalya gets a near fall and Naomi, as always, overshoots her flying cross body and completely misses Natalya. She eventually goes to springboard into the ring but AJ pulls her to the mat hard. Brie rolls up Natalya for two but the powerful Divas fires back with a slam on both her and Naomi. Brie is on Naomi but the referee doesn't count because he must be blind. Natalya puts Naomi and Brie in a DOUBLE SHARPSHOOTER! That's like Canadian squared. AJ applies the Black Widow on Natalya, who is forced to tap out.

Winner and Still WWE Divas Champion: AJ Lee in 5:35
Good Divas match. There was never a dull moment, and they tried hard. The double Sharpshooter was creative and I give them credit. **1/4

We go to the “All-Star Panel” which features Booker T and people who have done nothing of note really. I'll give you Santino Marella, but then it's Josh Matthews and Alex Riley. They give useless “insight”.

World Heavyweight Championship
Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Rob Van Dam w/ Ricardo Rodriguez
ITS MEXICOS GREATEST EXPORT MAGGLE! This is Del Rio's third Night of Champions and he's been in a World Title match each time, though he's 0-2. The crowd is firmly behind RVD but Del Rio hits the first nice spot by dropkicking him. He does end up getting knocked outside and RVD follows with a botched moonsault. Maybe he was getting high before this match. RVD hits his corkscrew guillotine leg drop as Cole points out that the show is near RVD's hometown of Battle Creek, Michigan. He showboats which costs him as Del Rio throws him into the barricade. Inside, he hits a sick sounding kick to RVD's head and steals his taunt. He must have had enough finishers stored. I swear Del Rio has the best enziguri since Owen Hart as he levels RVD with one that knocks him outside. He follows with a suicide dive that misses the mark. RVD gets on a flurry in the ring and goes for Rolling Thunder, but Del Rio moves and hits a Backstabber. RVD fights back and goes to the top, where I can clearly see that he's balding, and hits a front flip for two. His rally stops when Del Rio hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Del Rio decides to target the left arm before nailing a vicious superkick for two. Del Rio leaps off the top into a heel kick and RVD goes for the Five Star Frog Splash. At this point in his career, it's like three stars. Del Rio gets his knees up to block and applies the Cross Armbreaker. RVD reaches the ropes but Del Rio declines to break the hold, resulting in the disqualification.

Winner via disqualification: Rob Van Dam in 13:24
Solid little back and forth contest that had a finish that left a lot of be desired. It should've been used to make Del Rio look vicious, but he just used it to escape with the belt. ***

Alberto Del Rio attacks Rob Van Dam after the match for a bit. He grabs a chair but Ricardo Rodriguez makes the save, allowing RVD to get the upper hand in the end and lead to their Hardcore Match at the following Pay-Per-View. RVD actually hits the Van Terminator and I'm impressed that he can still do this at like 42 years old.

In the back, Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman are talking and Heyman is scared for his life. Voting for the greatest World Heavyweight Champion ever is Booker T at 38%, Edge at 22%, Undertaker at 21%, Ric Flair at 14% and Batista at 5%. Surprising results for sure. Randy Orton barges into Triple H's office, worried that he'll have no help tonight. See, this was the issue with his character. He wasn't the same Randy Orton, he was a punk.

Fandango w/ Summer Rae vs. The Miz
I seriously question why this match is on Pay-Per-View. Miz won a dance off two night earlier on Smackdown while sporting an afro. Things start with some back and forth stuff as both guys get in some of their usual offense. Miz goes up top but gets knocked down, leading to Fandango posing. Fandango puts on a rest hold in the middle of the ring, but it's not a good idea since the crowd isn't really into this. Fandango gets a near fall after nailing The Miz outside as the fans chant “Randy Savage”. Yup, they're officially in “we don't care about this match” mode. Miz starts to rally and hits a dropkick to Fandango's leg but this has no heat whatsoever. The fans “want tables” for some reason s Miz gets the Skull Crushing Finale blocked. Fandango hits a falcon arrow of sorts for two. Fandango hits an impressive guillotine leg drop for another near fall. Miz applies the Figure Four shortly after and Fandango taps.

Winner: The Miz in 7:49
I never liked the Figure Four finisher for The Miz. This was pretty boring and the crowd was totally dead for it. *1/2

No Disqualification Handicap Elimination Match
CM Punk vs. Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman
The history of Night of Champions is kind of telling for the WWE career of CM Punk. In 2009, he was World Champion, in 2010 he lost a meaningless match to Big Show, in 2011 he was in the main event against Triple H, in 2012 he was in the midst of his amazing WWE Title run and here, he's in a handicap match against a mid-carder. Too much up and down. Heyman stays outside while Punk and Curtis Axel wield kendo sticks to kick things off. Punk wins out and nails Heyman with a suicide dive! He brings Heyman in but spends too much time pandering to the fans so Axel stops him with a low blow. Axel's now in control and he gets a chair. He sets it up in the corner and gets a near fall with a clothesline. Axel gets a table and also sets it up in the corner. They counter suplexes until Axel hits one that's not through the table for two. They trade shots until Punk sends Axel into the chair in the corner, but it doesn't have the impact they were hoping for. It looked and sounded pretty weak. Punk attempts a suicide dive but Axel blocks it with a steel chair in another spot that didn't look as good as it should've. Axel now wails away on Punk with multiple kendo stick shots. Punk rallies and takes out Axel with a kendo stick and the GTS before applying the Anaconda Vise and Axel taps. Punk turns to Heyman and the facial expressions are priceless. Heyman runs and Punk gives chase through the crowd but they end up in the ring. Punk lulls him into a hug but destroys him with some kendo stick shots. He brings out handcuffs from his boot, which is a great callback to when Heyman and Axel cuffed him earlier in the month. STORYTELLING! Heyman is great here. Before Punk can deliver the finishing blow, Ryback shows up and drives Punk through a table. He places Heyman on Punk and it's over.

Winners: Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman in 15:43
For a PG Hardcore match, they did well. They tried some fun spots, though they didn't come off great. Punk and Axel worked hard and Heyman was his usual great self. ***

We go back to the dumb “Expert” panel to waste time.

WWE United States Championship
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
Seeing the Shield come out together, even though Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns head to the back instantly, brings a tear to my eye. Some back and forth stuff to start and when Dean Ambrose avoids a move, he wipes his hair at Dolph Ziggler in a taunt steal. Dolph responds with a dropkick and ten elbow drops before taking him outside for a moment. Inside, Dolph chops away on Dean for a bit before Dean comes back with a huge spinebuster. Dean slows things with a rest hold but Dolph fights out and they trade rollups. As they up, Dean hits a double underhook suplex from the second rope for two. I appreciate something like that over the same old basic suplex. Dean goes back up top, so Dolph leaps up and hits a super X-Factor! AY-YO YOU DEALING WITH THE X-FACTOR! It only earns him a near fall though. Stinger Splash from Dolph followed by punches and a clothesline get two again. Dean dodges the Fameasser and gets a rollup for two, but once they're up Dolph hits it! He covers but Ambrose grabs the ropes. Dean hits a slingshot to the corner and as Dolph comes out, nails Dirty Deeds to retain.

Winner and Still WWE United States Champion: Dean Ambrose in 9:46
A good little match that could've been better. Nothing special but good nonetheless. ***

Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns arrive in the ring to celebrate with Dean Ambrose. The poll for greatest Untied States Champion is shown. Sting wins with 53%, Ricky Steamboat gets 24%, Sgt. Slaughters earns 12%, Harley Race gets 9% and Bobo Brazil clocks in at 2%.

WWE Tag Team Championship
The Shield (c) vs. The Prime Time Players
Were the Prime Time Players faces here?I guess so. They won a Tag Team Turmoil on the Pre-Show to earn this shot. We open with Titus and Seth. It just dawned on me that this was around the time that Darren Young came out so I see why they got a Pay-Per-View match. Titus tosses Seth hard across the ring and the way the crowd is popping for PTP, they had something with this team. I miss them. Young comes in and does his thing, knocking Roman Reigns outside and hitting Seth with a stiff elbow for two. Seth knows I love it because he turns the tide with the EDDIE GILBERT hot shot! Seth and Roman now work over Young until he snaps off a belly to belly. He makes the hot tag and Titus completely RUNS OVER Seth Rollins. Like turns him inside out and everything. He nails both Champions with hard hitting shots and hits a huge sky high on Seth. YOU BETTER RECOGNIZE! It only gets him two as Reigns and Young battle outside. Reigns enters and hits a huge Spear behind the referee's back to earns Seth the three.

Winners and Still WWE Tag Team Champions: The Shield in 7:26
Again, nothing special or really of note. Decent but that's about it. The outcome was also never in doubt. **1/2

We see the greatest Tag Team Champions poll and DX wins with 47%. They beat the Hart Foundation, Wild Samoans, Legion of Doom and the British Bulldogs. The fans know nothing.

WWE Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
To those who don't know the story, Daniel Bryan won the WWE Championship at SummerSlam but then ate a Pedigree from Triple H and Randy Orton cashed in Money in the Bank. As Orton comes out, they do the greatest WWE Champion vote. Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, John Cena, CM Punk and Triple H finish in that order. Bryan works the shoulder as he's planning ahead to use the Yes Lock. Orton retaliates with some of his trademark rest holds, including one where he pulls Bryan's beard during a headlock. Creative. They sort of botch a Thez Press so I won't go into JR shouting for Stone Cold mode like I normally do when someone hits that move. Bryan rallies with a big running elbow that Michael Cole calls a clothesline. He hits a dropkick in the corner and reels off kicks to the “Yes” of the crowd before snapping off a top rope hurricanrana. Orton rolls outside but is met with a suicide dive. FLYING GOAT! He goes and hits it once more but fails a third time as Orton blocks it. Orton hits a DDT from the apron to the outside as Scott Armstrong, who I call Finlay ref due to thei resemblance, nearly counts the challenger out. Bryan makes it back in as Orton mocks the “yes” chants. He coils for the RKO but Bryan shoves him away and Finlay ref goes down. Orton goes for his DDT again but Bryan counters into the Yes Lock as a new ref arrives! Orton gets out but gets kicked in the arm a bunch. He dodges a corner dopkick though and sets up Bryan on the top. Bryan wriggles free and gets Orton in the tree of Joey Lawrence (woe). He dropkicks him and hits a second rope suplex but hangs onto the top with his legs in a wise move. He powers up and nails a flying headbutt for two. Finlay ref is up and takes back over. Bryan kicks Orton in the chest a few times but he counters the last one with a T-Bone suplex. Bryan counters an RKO and ends up hitting his Running Knee for the victory!

Winner and New WWE Champion: Daniel Bryan in 17:33
Really good main event that had an abrupt finish. Also, the Scott Armstrong quick count would lead to the title being vacated the next night. ***3/4

Overall: 6.5/10; Above Average. A solid show with nothing outstanding but a few solid bouts. The main event is the best match but the United States Title, World Title and CM Punk matches are all good. Everything else is decent at best. So not a bad show, but not a show that you MUST go out and see. Perfectly acceptable.

Smackdown Report 10-3-14

John Cena opens Smackdown, which is a place that he's actually not seen that often. He look stupid with his red and yellow everything and then a gray and pink shirt. Maybe that's just me. He cuts a typical Cena promo before calling out Seth Rollins, only for Dean Ambrose to respond instead. Ambrose's pop destroys Cena's as one would expect. Ambrose rightfully claims that he should get his hands on Rollins over Cena, they go to make a truce before the Authority appears on screen. They make Orton and Kane against Cena and Ambrose. So, literally the same damn main event we saw on Monday. 

Mid card Champions Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus take on The Miz and Damien Mizdow next and Mizdow continues to be everything in life. He is fantastic. This was your typical mid card tag match. It got about seven minutes and Ziggler's Zig Zag on Mizdow ended things. Mizdow gets hit with a chair after the match, because Sheamus is a total heel trapped in a face role. Miz and Sheamus have a staredown and the midcard continues to be a mess as it seems like Dolph and Sheamus are trading challengers. 

We get another promo video for Luke Harper. I honestly wonder where this is headed. Then we cut to a video package for the Show/Henry/Rusev love triangle currently going on. I would be so pissed if I paid to see Smackdown and had to watch non stop Raw recaps. Paige and Alicia Fox is going to be a recurring thing I guess, at least until the writers get bored and forget about it. Fox accompanies Paige to the ring for her match with Naomi. Paige wins via submission in about two minutes. Her gloves and new old attire is fantastic, as is the see through-ness of her pants. AJ runs out post match and stands tall over Fox as Paige ran behind JBL, stealing his hat in the process.

Big Show comes out to "apologize" to the Russian people for pulling the giant flag to the ground on Raw. I'm not a patriotic guy, but it's dumb that he has to apologize for this while Lana and Rusev can blatantly disrespect America on a weekly basis and it's fine. Show says sorry to Russia but not to Rusev and Lana. They come out, this goes back and forth and Rusev superkicks Show. Show gets to his feet, making Rusev and Lana head to the back.

Tag team action is next as The Usos beat SlaterGator in under two minutes. SlaterGator had their Gator at ringside, as the Bunny and Adam Rose showed up to continue this classic rivalry. Goldust is on vacation so the Usos' interaction with the Dust Brothers had to be minimal this week. Renee Young interviews Dean Ambrose and their hots for each other is apparent. It's the usual fun Ambrose stuff. We see that Cesaro and R-Truth had issues backstage because Cesaro said Dolph Ziggler must have been born on a highway because that's where accidents happen. OH SNAP. Cesaro beats Truth in two minutes.

We get our main event and it is relatively similar to what we got on Raw. Dean Ambrose continues to be tremendous, while Randy Orton, Kane and John Cena continue to be the same stale characters they've been for a long time. Seth Rollins comes out and John Cena chases him to the back, because leaving your partner alone is the best thing a face can do. This ends via disqualification somehow as Kane hits a big boot even though he's part of the match. After the match, Kane and Orton beat down on Ambrose until Cena returns, late as hell and is upset with himself for allowing this to happen.

Another blah episode of Smackdown airs. Nothing on this show is really that good or needed. I enjoyed seeing Mizdow. That's about it. 3/10.

NXT and SuperStars Report 10-2-14

This week's NXT kicked off with a rematch from TakeOver: Fatal Four Way as it's Championship Week! Bayley got another shot at the Women's Title against Charlotte. I thought this on par with their TakeOver match as both girls worked very hard. While I believe that Charlotte is not the future of the Divas division like she's being painted to be, she did impress me. Her bridging figure four was fantastic and, despite my hope for Bayley winning, Charlotte would retain again. I would have been totally fine with this main eventing. Bayley once again earns Charlotte's respect.

We're set up for Hideo Itami vs. Viktor next but instead of a match, we get a beat down by the former NXT Tag Team Champions. There was literally no match and Itami was left lying. Later in the show, Funaki, SMACKDOWN'S NUMBAH ONE ANNOUCAH, showed up to check on Itami and they exchanged pleasantries. We then see more of Enzo Amore, Big Cass and Carmella training at the Performance Center. It continues to be entertaining as Enzo and Cass are non stop funny.

Baron Corbin showed up again and so far we've seen him destroy CJ Parker on two separate, less than one minute occurrences. He faces Troy McClain, who was recently released by the WWE and he does it really quickly. We need more of his personality shown though. He's supposed to be a different breed, but all we've seen is the same old squash. This was followed by The Vaudevillains beating Jason Jordan and Tye Dillinger in a tag team match. This was basic stuff but my biggest issue was the fact that someone thought it would be a good idea to change the Vaudevillians' theme music. Because it's not. They win though, so there's that.

Bayley gets interviewed backstage and is attacked by Sasha Banks. Banks needs a title shot and if Bayley won't be the next Champion, I'm all for Sasha being it. We go to our main event, which is a Last Chance NXT Title match. Tyson Kidd gets yet another shot at Adrian Neville. This time, Titus O'Neil is in the front row. We got another really good match between the two and Titus got involved. Sami Zayn showed up to even the odds, leading to Neville retaining the belt. Zayn and Neville had a staredown to close the show.

Overall, this week's NXT earns a great score of 8.5/10. Both the opener and the main event were great. The Itami segment and Corbin segment did their job as well, and the Vaudevillians match was solid. Onto SuperStars, we had a rather meaningless bout between Kofi Kingston and Sin Cara that didn't do much. Kofi wins. Things got interesting though when Stardust met Jey Uso, in the rare Superstars match that actually continued a storyline. Jey would win a solid match. Superstars earns a 6/10.

Top Ten Thursday: Potential Brock Lesnar Opponents

With Brock Lesnar working a part time schedule, we only get a few matches from him. We've seen him wrestle Triple H and John Cena three times. I want no more of that. No more Big Show either. I'd love to see new matchups, like his SummerSlam classic with CM Punk. So here is my list of ten guys that I'd love to see him wrestle for the first time ever. Some are realistic, others aren't. Oh well. That's the fun.

10. The NXT Five

This is one of the more unrealistic choices on my list and yes, I'm cheating by putting five guys here. It's my list though. Adrian Neville is the one I'd least like to see face Brock. However, Sami Zayn would bump like a madman for him and he can have great matches with anyone. I've yet to see much of Finn Balor but I hear great things. Hideo Itami is fantastic and hits hard. I'd be very intrigued by a match between Brock and him. The number one choice from this list is Kevin Steen. I've seen this dude have complete wars before and that's exactly what a match between him and Brock would be. War. 

9. Bray Wyatt

For sure, this would be an intriguing battle. I'm not sure if their styles would mesh well since Bray Wyatt has only really had a handful of matches that standout to me. Actually, only about two. But they were with Daniel Bryan and Sheamus, two guys who can work their ass off. Brock is similar as he can go. While I would be interested in a program between two, the matches may not work as well since Brock is all about dominance. I doubt this will happen since both are heels and Bray has fallen pretty hard lately.

8. Roman Reigns

Easily one of the more realistic choices on this list. Roman Reigns is pegged to be the WWE's next big star although he did fall victim to a hernia injury. He was starting to receive some backlash from the fans so the injury might be a blessing in disguise. He gets time away and absence makes the heart grow fonder. He can come back, possibly win the Royal Rumble and if Brock Lesnar is still WWE World Heavyweight Champion, dethrone him at WrestleMania 31. He would be the one to beat the one in twenty one and one. That's at least the way I've seen it going for a while. Roman still has in-ring improvements to make, which is what puts him lower on this list, but this would probably be fun.

7. Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho is one of those guys that can always be counted on to produce good matches. His stuff with Bray Wyatt was good but not great and his match with Randy Orton recently was good but had no heat. A legitimate feud with Brock Lesnar would of course get good heat and Jericho can be counted on to produce a good match with him. I'm not sure if Jericho can handle the physical war with Brock at his age, but I'm sure it would be really good. I would've loved if he earned a title shot at Brock before he left. That didn't happen though and this match probably never will.

6. Cesaro

Coming out of WrestleMania XXX and being paired with Paul Heyman, a LOT of people on the internet clamored for Brock/Cesaro at SummerSlam. Of course, the Heyman experiment failed and Cesaro was relegated to the SummerSlam Kickoff show. Cesaro needs a TON of work on his character but man, a match pitting him against Brock would be a physical war and I am dying to see it. This is another that I doubt would happen due to Cesaro's placement on the card but I can dream can't I?

5. Seth Rollins

I nearly lost my mind at Night of Champions when the above photo happened. Seth Rollins came very close to cashing in Money in the Bank on Brock Lesnar and winning the WWE World Heavyweight Title. Again, this is a match that I'd love to see but I don't think will happen except for a cash in. Seth Rollins isn't turning face anytime soon and neither is Brock. Both guys are technically working for the Authority and if any member of that team is turning face, it won't be these two. It will be the next guy on this list. Regardless, this would more than likely be a fun and interesting match as Seth would bump seriously for Brock.

4. Randy Orton

Randy Orton's heel turn has disappointed heavily. He wanted to turn heel for so long and once he did, it fell flat. He lost all of the edge that made Orton cool. Now there are rumors of him turning face on the road to WrestleMania and the only way that would work is if he got back to his "Viper" roots. That vicious Randy Orton would make a great opponent for Brock Lesnar. I would love to see this match and I've wanted it since Brock returned in 2012. When Orton is motivated there are few guys who are better than him. A major program with Brock Lesnar should be enough to motivate Randy into a top notch performance.

3. Dean Ambrose

The single hottest act in pro wrestling today is Dean Ambrose. When he left to film a movie, Raw became a chore to watch. He returns and spices things up, at least when he's on screen. A match between him and Brock Lesnar would be a chaotic brawl. Ambrose is magnetic to watch and would be one of the few character who would challenge Brock without a care in the world. I could see him doing any and everything to get his hands on Brock even though he knows that he'd get beaten up. It would make for compelling television and that's all I can ask for.

2. Sheamus

A move to the mid-card has hurt the possibility of a Sheamus/Brock Lesnar match. I never even thought of this until I watched their Slam City episode together. I was instantly thinking "this would be a great match." Adding to that, since Sheamus returned at the 2014 Royal Rumble, he has developed a more strike based offense and has had some hard hitting contests. His two Pay-Per-View matches with Cesaro this year have been brutal. He would be one of the few guys that I could see taking it to Brock as much as Brock takes it to him. I need this match to happen but it won't unless Sheamus gets a build back up towards the top.

1. Daniel Bryan

I know that Daniel Bryan just had neck surgery. I know that he probably can't take the physical beating that a Brock Lesnar match brings with it. I know that this is probably unrealistic due to those circumstances and I understand that. It's still a dream of mine. Once Brock Lesnar ended The Undertaker's streak and Bryan won the WWE World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania XXX, I felt that a clash was inevitable. Bryan got injured which changed things but they would have a war. I've seen Bryan take physical beatings against the likes of Samoa Joe, Nigel McGuinness and Takeshia Morishima. While none of those guys are Brock, Bryan knows how work with brutal opponents and this would be great.

Main Event Report 9-3014

Due to a very busy day today, which includes nearly four hours of recording podcasts that I will link here, I am only recapping Main Event instead of the entire Tuesday night block. Sorry. Main Event opened with the Real Americans colliding as Cesaro went one on one with Jack Swagger. When they first split, Cesaro was getting the push so he beat Swagger. Then, Cesaro disappeared in the summer while Swagger was in the Rusev program and Swagger beat him. Here, Cesaro is back in the mid-card title picture, so he won a really good opener. Good start to the show. Have a look back at them as a team.

Corporate Kane is in the back where Natalya comes up to him. She brings her NXT angle where she basically runs things for Tyson Kidd by asking Kane to give Tyson a match tonight to help him prepare for his Last Chance NXT Title match set for this week. Tyson comes in and gets upset at her but Kane books it. After a recap of the Hulk Hogan nonsense from Raw, Kidd, with Natalya in tow, faces Kofi Kingston. This is one of the only storylines from Total Divas that crosses over to well to the WWE. Kidd wins a fun five minute match and shrugs off Natalya celebrating with him. I love Kidd's heel character.

The worst theme music in the WWE currently, has to be a tie between Brie Bella and Cesaro. Brie's is so bad that I tweeted about it last night. Twice. It plays as, after beating Cameron and Eva, she continued her handicap match barrage by facing SummerLay. This is Nikki and the Authority getting back at Brie for having Nikki wrestle like a million handicap matches after Brie quit. Decent Divas match and Brie won following miscommunication from SummerLay.

The main event of Main Event (see, capitalization matters people) pitted Mark Henry against Bo Dallas in a Raw rematch. See, on Raw, Dallas defeated Henry to continue his losing streak. Henry got pissed and attacked him after. This would be a short match as Henry just beat up Dallas, resulting in the disqualification. I'm guessing this is leading to a Henry heel turn, though it's strange to have him beat up a heel. Doesn't get the pop that beating up a face after a competitive match would. Overall, not the best episode, though the first two matches were really good. 6.5/10

RAW Report 9-29-14

Raw, live from Chicago, kicks off with the Authority. Stop me if you've heard this one before. Stephanie McMahon instantly makes this fun by telling the "CM Punk" chanting fans that they cheer for quitters because they are quitters. Paul Heyman interrupts because he's upset that Seth Rollins tried to cash in the briefcase. Seth Rollins shows up saying that the Authority had nothing to do with that, it was all him. He wanted to beat the best. Heyman eventually leaves after shaking Seth's hand. Seth is no amused by Dean Ambrose taking his briefcase on Smackdown, so Dean appears on screen and tells Seth to come get it. As the Authority head up the ramp, John Cena appears and they brawl. Pretty basic stuff but it was at least entertaining.

In the back, Triple H orders Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble to get the briefcase back, solidifying their role as the new age Stooges. After beating The Miz last week, and besting Cesaro on Smackdown in controversial fashion, Dolph Ziggler defended the Intercontinental Title against both men in a Triple Threat match to open the broadcast. This was your match of the night, right out of the gate, as Ziggler picks up the victory by pinning the Miz. Also, Damien Mizdow is life. He's everything. Noble and Mercury look for Ambrose in the back, but run into Rosebuds, Khali and Big E. I don't get it.

We get a creepy Wyatt vignette as they haven't appeared on television in weeks. This video only focused on Luke Harper. Strange and not in the usual Wyatt way. Damien Mizdow cuts a promo as The Miz, making Triple H laugh. He says that Mizdow's job is to make him laugh and books him against Sheamus later. He also jokes on Miz's straight to DVD film career, which is the pot calling the kettle black. Layla, with Summer Rae, defeats Rosa Mendes, with Natalya and Tyson Kidd in a dud. Nattie gets upset at Tyson for something on his phone, but I have no clue what. Meh stuff here.

#AmbroseLive is trending because he's out to steal the show. Isn't that Dolph's gimmick? Anyway, Ambrose doesn't like the merchandise stands so he steals from it and gives away merch. John Cena's doesn't get a great pop and he offers Sheamus' stuff for a quarter. He's offended that his merch calls him unstable. He has the line of the night by stating that Triple H sent the "Cruiserweight Division" after him. I seriously lost it. It gets lame as the Stooges come out, followed by Seth Rollins. Ambrose leaves the briefcase in the ring for him and has DXed it with green slime. Pretty childish and lame but at least Ambrose was hilarious.

On the pre-show, Mark Henry was being interviewed but was interrupted by Bo Dallas, whose new gimmick must be to feud with Rusev's leftovers. They have a match on Raw, and to continue his struggles, Henry loses to Bo. To a simple BoDog. There goes credibility. The Dust Brothers discuss the cosmic key and stuff in the back. Up next, it's Divas match number two as Brie Bella faces Cameron and Eva Marie. I don't think Brie is the best Diva worker, but even this is still an advantage in her favor. Nikki comes out and talks about how Brie quit last time they were in Chicago. Brie wins a relatively short match. I wonder when Bella vs. Bella is going down. The crowd "Yes"es with Brie, but if you watched last week's Total Divas, you couldn't possibly like her still.

SlaterGATOR is out with Mini Gator, to take on Los Matadores and El Torito. I guess they've moved on from the feud with the Bunny. Scratch that. The Bunny and Adam Rose come out, and the Bunny splashes Heath Slater. Former Raw Guest Host Jesse Jackson was in the crowd and he celebrates with the faces. Rusev and Big Show cut a promo that Lana is the best part of. Rusev has learned some English as he states that he will kick Show in the groin. I mean, I guess that works. A new record is set as we get our THIRD Divas match of the evening. To be fair, at least this one has the Champion. AJ Lee defeats Alicia Fox, who is apparently best friends with Paige now. Paige introduces her and is sporting her awesome new/old gear. They beat up AJ after the match, and yes, there were "CM Punk" chants.

The phenomenal Damien Mizdow is out for his match with Sheamus.Obviously, Mizdow doesn't win. I did catch a stat on Twitter after this match saying that it was Sandow/Mizdow's 20th straight loss on Raw. He went from holding Money in the Bank last October, to literally, not winning a match on Raw in 2014. Hulk Hogan comes out, brother. He's here for no reason except to talk about Susan G. Coleman, jack. Surprisingly, unless I missed it, he doesn't plug the WWE Network, for just $9.99, dude. It doesn't accomplish much. At all.

Main event time as Dean Ambrose teams with John Cena to face Randy Orton and Kane. Man, we need new main eventers. I'm not upset at Cena and Orton, but Kane is stale as hell. Especially considering he's in the best shape that I've seen him in since like the early 2000's, but his matches have been relatively bad. Ambrose and Cena win via disqualification but get completely taken out. Both men eat RKOs, Curb Stomps and Chokeslams. Interestingly, Seth Rollins is ordering Orton and Kane around. The show closes with that as the fans chant "Thank You Rollins" for Curb Stomping Cena.

For a Chicago Raw, which usually delivers, this was lackluster. I enjoyed the Seth/Dean stuff, even with the cheesy slime segment. The IC Title and tag match main events were pretty good. Most of the other stuff was just alright. Overall, tonight's Raw receives a 5/10.

WWE Network Reviews: Night of Champions 2012

Night of Champions 2012
September 16th, 2012 – TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts – Attendance: 14,886

At the 2011 version of this show, I questioned the decision to have CM Punk lose to Triple H. The WWE made up for it at the Survivor Series when Punk dethroned Alberto Del Rio to win the WWE Championship and would go on to have the longest reign with that belt in the modern era. That reign faced it's toughest challenge to date on this show as he would face the man he originally beat for the belt at the previous year's Money in the Bank, John Cena. That match was in Punk's hometown of Chicago and this would be in Cena's hometown of Boston. The only other thing from this card that I remember off the top of my head is that I enjoyed Sheamus' World Title defense against Alberto Del Rio and look forward to seeing it again.

The video package shows all of the belts and former holders before focusing on CM Punk's quest for respect. I always hated how they had guys like Bret Hart tell him that he needed to earn the respect. Like, had he not? Or John Cena saying that he's only kept the belt “by any means necessary” which was untrue for the entire first half of his run. CM Punk was honestly right in everything he said during his heel run. Michael Cole informs everyone that Jerry Lawler is improving after his heart attack during Raw the previous week. His replacement for the show is John “Bradshaw” Layfield, who gets a big pop from the fans. I miss when JBL was good on commentary instead of how he's useless now.

WWE Intercontinental Championship Fatal Four Way Match
The Miz (c) vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Sin Cara
The Miz cuts a pre-match promo about how unfair this is, but gets cut off by Rey Mysterio's entrance. This starts basically as a tag team match with Miz and Cody Rhodes against Sin Cara and Mysterio. The Luchadors get in control early but then Miz and Cody try to work over Sin Cara. He botches a part of his comeback before arm dragging Mic out of the ring. Mysterio sends Cody out and goes to square off with Sin Cara. Cara has a backbreaker type move reversed into a head scissors that was cool. Cody and Miz now one up each other with shots on Cara and Rey before going against each other. They counter one another until Cody gets sent outside and we get a series of pins from the other three. JBL wisely mentions that both Rey and Cara have been AAA Champions in their past. Cody hits the Disaster Kick on Cara, and I hate that the name changed from the Beautiful Disaster. A “Let's Go Cody” chant breaks out as Miz powerbombs Cody who hits a second rope suplex on Rey. Now, we get a “Miz is Awesome” chant as he hits a sweet DDT on Rey. Cara hits a suicide dive on the Miz while Rey hits a head scissors on Cody outside. Back inside, Rey and Cody pick up near falls with nice little moves. Cody and Miz end up in 619 position and Miz gets nailed with it. Cody moves but ends up outside as Rey drops the dime on Miz. Cody stops the pin and goes for it himself but Cara breaks it. Rhodes goes to unmask Cara and sends Rey outside hard. Cara pulls out another mask from his trunks and goes to put it on Cody, but Miz attacks him from behind. He goes for a powerbomb and Cara puts the mask on Miz, who is now blinded by it. He bumps into Cody and instinctively hits the Skull Crushing Finale to pin Cody.

Winner and Still WWE Intercontinental Champion: The Miz in 12:05
Solid opener, but not much different than other Fatal Four Ways for mid-card titles. Fun action and the Sin Cara mask story came into play. ***

The Prime Time Players yell at Eve Torres about how they should be on the show tonight. They do the “Millions of Dollars” dance as Eve gets told there is an emergency. They find Kaitlyn taken out and her ankle has been injured. She's sad because tonight was her shot at the title. 

WWE Tag Team Championship
Kofi Kingston and R-Truth (c) vs. Daniel Bryan and Kane
The video package recaps the awesome anger management segments between Daniel Bryan and Kane. That whole thing was hilarious including their hug it out stuff on Raw. I'd like to point out that I strongly disliked Kofi Kingston and R-Truth as Tag Team Champions. The Champions double team Kane early but he fights out and tags Bryan hard. Truth hits a nice backflip into an armdrag before tagging in Kofi. Michael Cole mentions the “great” teams to hold these titles in the past and brings up Big Show and Kane, as well as the Basham Brothers. Terrible. Truth hits a dancing leg drop and Kane blind tags in. The crowd is very hot for Bryan as they “Yes!” everything. They continue to work well as a team and Kane hits a dropkick before moving to a rest hold. The challengers go to do another double team but Bryan misses and they start to argue. A shoving match ensues until Bryan asks for a huge, which gets a huge pop. They hug to an even bigger pop but it allows Kofi to get a bit of a hot tag. He hits his usual offense including the Boom Drop and he taunts for Trouble in Paradise, but Kane pulls Bryan out of the ring. They argue which gives Kofi the opening to hit a baseball slide and a sweet front flip onto them. He springboards back in, but is caught into the No Lock! Truth saves him but then runs into Kane outside. Bryan hits a big dropkick in the corner and Kane tags himself in. Kane climbs to the top and gets into it with Bryan again, leading to Bryan shoving him off and onto Kingston for the three.

Winners and New WWE Tag Team Champions: Daniel Bryan and Kane in 8:30
Decent tag team match made better by Daniel Bryan and Kane's fantastic chemistry and the crowd being into it. **3/4

Kane and Daniel Bryan shout “I AM THE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS” at each other a bunch of times after the match. Cutting backstage, Booker T and Theodore Long are talking when Eve walks in to give them the update on Kaitlyn, saying she can't perform. Booker says there must be a title match and gives Eve the shot. You can see this whole story coming a mile away.

WWE United States Championship
Antonio Cesaro (c) w/ Aksana vs. Zack Ryder
Zack Ryder won this title shot by winning a battle royal on the Pre-Show. Antonio Cesaro was doing his “I speak five languages” thing at this point too. Right at the bell, Cesaro slams Ryder and slaps him around. They also mention that Cesaro is a former rugby star, and it's funny that still in 2014, they have no idea what his character should be. He busts out the EDDIE GILBERT hot shot on Ryder. Cesaro uses his power to psychically wear down the challenger. Cesaro hits the awesome pop up uppercut for two. Ryder busts out of a submission and hits a discus clothesline. Ryder then hits a second rope dropkick and counters a suplex with a neckbreaker for two. Ryder hits a top rope hurricanrana and attempts the Broski Boot but Aksana pulls Cesaro out of harm's way. That allows him to win with an uppercut and the Neutralizer.

Winner and Still WWE United States Champion: Antonio Cesaro in 7:46
Nothing match. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything of note either. The outcome was never in doubt. **1/2

Dolph Ziggler w/ Vickie Guerrero vs. Randy Orton
This is Randy Orton's first match back after being suspended sixty days for violating the Wellness Policy again. He was coming off of a run during 2011 and 2012 where he put on really good matches consistently. Orton uses his strength advantage to gain the early upper hand on Dolph Ziggler. Dolph turns the tide and things are off to a slow start. Orton picks things up a bit with his signature backbreaker and some clotheslines. He snaps off his excellent powerslam but Dolph reverses his DDT into a rollup for two. They fight to the top and Orton gets knocked off and onto his back. As he gets up, Dolph meets him with a missile dropkick for two. Dolph busts out about six straight elbow drops and shows off in between. He applies a headlock and does his headstand with it. Orton rallies with a back suplex and man, Vikcie's voice is killing me at ringside. Orton decides he wants to be like a mid-90's vanilla babyface and uses a standing dropkick. Ziggler goes up top but gets crotched and Orton nails a superplex for a near fall. Vickie hilariously points at the fans and laughs at them. Things break down as the two men trade shots with the crowd in Ziggler's corner. Orton seems to win this battle until Dolph connects with the Fameasser for a close near fall. Ziggler blocks Orton's rope DDT for the second time and they fight outside. Orton finally gets his DDT with Ziggler on the guardrail in a cool spot. Orton brings him inside and covers but Dolph gets his foot on the bottom rope. Randy smells blood but his RKO is countered into a rollup for two. Dolph applies the sleeper but Orton breaks it and hits a pop up RKO for the victory.

Winner: Randy Orton in 18:24
That started slow but picked up nicely near the end. Randy Orton can really be hit or miss when it comes to in ring work but he seemed motivated here. ***

WWE Divas Championship
Layla (c) vs. Eve Torres
JBL says that this is the arena where Layla made her debut in 2006 and says that she won the $250,000 Divas Search and an NBA ring as a Miami Heat dancer that year. Impressive. Layla snaps off a sweet armdrag near the start and Eve shows off some athleticism. Layla fires back with an interesting pinning combination for two. Eve goes away from sportsmanship as she attacks Layla on the outside. At one point though, Layla is clearly smiling as she's thrown into the apron. Eve puts on a choke of sorts in the corner and is progressively going more heel by the moment. Layla rallies and hits a dropkick but continues to oddly have a smile on her face. She goes for her corner splash spot but misses and Eve takes advantage by hitting a corkscrew suplex of sorts to win.

Winner and New Divas Champion: Eve Torres in 6:38
Perfectly fine Divas match. Not much more to say here except that Eve turning more heel by the minute was some solid storytelling. **1/4

After a promo for the Rock vs. Cena “Once in a Lifetime” (yea right) DVD, Lillian Garcia introduces some breast cancer survivors in the crowd. The camera cuts to Daniel Bryan shouting that he's the Tag Team Champions to random backstage people before running into AJ Lee and Dr. Shelby. Kane comes out shouting the same thing and they force AJ Lee to shout at them. Kane pours Gatorade on the three of them and says that he's going to Disneyland! Funny stuff.

World Heavyweight Championship
Sheamus (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio w/ David Otunga and Ricardo Rodriguez
Sheamus is sporting white, green and gold trunks in honor of the Irish community in Boston. Smackdown General Manager Booker T shows up and reinstates the Brogue Kick. Sheamus tries the Brogue Kick instantly but hits David Otunga, who was on the apron. Del Rio misses a move and falls outside so Sheamus follows with a battering ram off the apron. Del Rio drives Sheamus into the Spanish announce table hard and kicks him in the ribs. They go back inside and Del Rio locks on a Crossface of sorts. He ends up nailing Seth Rollins' Blackout for two, which I've never seen him do before or after. He gets perched on top and applies the Cross Armbreaker on the top rope which looked really cool and painful. He leaps off the top, which was a mistake as Sheamus clobbers him with an axe handle. JBL calls Sheamus a mutant, which got a chuckle out of me. Del Rio ends up on the apron and blocks the 10 Beats of whatever. I always forget. Sheamus ends up fighting him off and wailing away with it anyway in the corner. Del Rio counters White Noise with a Backstabber for a near fall. He ends up rallying and connecting with White Noise anyway. Time for the Brogue Kick, but Del Rio ducks and nails a step up enziguri for a very close two. Del Rio has one of the best enziguris of all time. Del Rio applies the Cross Armbreaker but Sheamus rolls through and tries the Texas Cloverleaf only to have Del Rio block it. Sheamus charges and gets his arm caught in the ropes, so Del Rio kicks it into oblivion. Del Rio hits another move on the arm he's worked throughout and gets the Armbreaker on! Sheamus muscles out and powerbombs Del Rio to break the hold. He goes for the Brogue Kick but it's again dodged by Del Rio, who again puts on the Cross Armbreaker! Sheamus gets the ropes to survive. He gets up in the corner and Del Rio makes the crucial mistake of trying another enziguri and Sheamus moves. Once Del Rio gets to his feet, he eats the Brogue Kick to end things.

Winner and Still World Heavyweight Champion: Sheamus in 14:29
Really good match here. One of the best in either guy's career. The arm work was masterfully done, Sheamus sold like a champ and Del Rio looked strong unlike last year. Both men deserve praise for this. ****

The WWE Championship video package is excellently done even though John Cena was beyond ignorant for some of the stuff he said. He was right about certain things though, so kudos to him for that. Paul Heyman is in the ring as he cuts a short promo on Boston about witnessing history when CM Punk retains for the 302nd straight day.

WWE Championship
CM Punk (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs. John Cena
This is a case of two men who bring out the best in one another. I never expected that between them but they always deliver great bouts. Punk is sporting Yankee pinstripes on his trunks which is tremendous since this is in Boston. Sadly, this is Punk's first PPV main event since December. Disgusting. A mental chess game opens things as Punk smartly avoids the patented John Cena shoulder block. The wrestling sequences continue while the crowd is split on the participants. Punk showboats and it nearly costs him but he's able to break off a DDT for two. He then applies an Indian Deathlock of sorts, which is always a good looking move. Punk trash talks the fans on the outside, leading to a baseball slide from Cena. JBL and Michael Cole argue about why Cena gets everything and Punk gets shafted. Cena hits a fishermen suplex on the outside but gets kicked in the head when they're back inside. Heel Punk continues to shine as he jabs Cena a few times with a little juke in between. Cena blocks the GTS and it's time for the shoulder blocks. Punk reverses the slam though and gets a near fall. His neckbreaker is blocked and Cena clotheslines his head off. YOU CANT SEE ME. He goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle but Punk kicks him in the mouth. The story of Punk knowing how to counter everything is well done so far. Punk hits a cross body but Cena rolls through and goes for the AA. Punk holds the top rope but Cena dumps him outside. He actually busts out a suicide dive and the shock on Paul Heyman's face is priceless. Back inside, he goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle again but Punk pulls him into the Anaconda Vise in an awesome counter! Superman turns it into the STF, but Punk counters again into a crossface. Cena powers up and slams the Champion. They trade shots in the middle of the ring until Punk hits a kick and then a knee in the corner. He hits his bad looking Macho Man elbow for two. Punk signals for the GTS but Cena counters into the STF! Punk breaks it and connects with the GTS but Cena kicks out! As they get up and trade shots, they block each other's finishers and Cena hits a fast version of the Shuffle so it's not blocked and follows with the AA but Punk is able to get his shoulder up! Cena goes up top and misses his super Fameasser, so Punk kicks him in the back of the head for two. He gets another near fall with a William Regal Knee Trembler of sorts. The Champion goes up top and misses a crooked moonsault (a rumored meaning of the CM in his name). Punk hits a second GTS but Cena kicks out. Remember when finishing moves would actually finish matches? CM Punk hits Cena with a badass Rock Bottom and he honestly should've won with that. Cena kicks out but how tremendous would that have been? Cena pops up and hits an AA that doesn't get the job done. Cena sets up Punk on the top and hits a second rope German for the three!

He runs out and grabs the belt and I remember being furious at this result. I see some pissed fans leaving but the referee take the belt away and hand it to Punk. I've never heard a main event end in a draw and get a positive reaction from the fans.

The match is ruled a draw; CM Punk retains the WWE Championship in 26:54
Great match as always between these two, but I think the false finishes might have been a bit overdone. Ending in a disqualification hurt the score as well. ****1/4

CM Punk lays out John Cena with the WWE Title and shouts “Respect!” to close the show.

Overall: 8.5/10; Great. The best in the Night of Champions series in my book. Only the United States Title match is passable here and maybe the Divas match. The Four Way opener was fun, Orton/Ziggler was good, Team Hell No winning the title was solid, the World Title match was great and the main event was a thrill ride. Thumps way up for this show.