First Awesome Kong Promo In The WWE

Last time on Monday Night Raw, there was the first promo of former TNA wrestler Awesome Kong prepping the WWE Universe for her arrival.  Copy and paste the link to watch the promo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6ejzSYHCGo&feature=related

The Raw Report

 

5 Man Gauntlet Intro:  Yes Cena came out and reiterated that the match happening in a year from now will be great, but that doesn't excuse the fact that the match will not be happening for another 12 months.  The current 5 wrestlers that are on top of their game right now came out to plead their cases as to why they should be the number one contender.  Pretty standard opener but an interesting match came of it...

Eve Vs. Brie Bella For the WWE Divas Title:  It was really interesting to see one of the Bellas actually win a singles title.  I was sure that the WWE had solidified them as eye candy and nothing more, hoping to profit off of the fact that they look alike.  This will surely lead to an interesting story angle, possibly having the Bellas fight over the Divas title.

Sin Cara Vs. Primo:  I was very glad to see Sin Cara in his first official match and let me just say that it did not disappoint.  Sin Cara is certainly living up to the hype in my opinion and I am really looking forward to what he has to offer next.  The match was fun, Primo did a good job of making Cara look good, and Sin Cara's finisher was possibly one of the coolest things I have ever seen.  I am a supporter of the Sin Cara movement and am excited to see how he progresses in the WWE universe.

The "Apple" Vs. The Corre:  We start out with the Corre arguing with each other, which is a step in the right direction in my opinion, and then a really funny angle comes out in the form of the "Apple" featuring Santino Marella, Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry, and Evan Bourne.  This is a really fun angle and even though it has no longevity, it certainly makes for good tv this week.  Since the "Apple" did not win this week, it is almost certain that we will see them again.

Jerry Lawler W/ Jim Ross Vs. Jack Swagger Vs. Michael Cole:  I am really glad that they kept this angle going.  Michael Cole is a great heel and I think that having him continue doing battle with Cole really makes for fun television.  Not only do we get a great angle but it is always a huge pleasure to see Jim Ross behind the announce table again.  Having Cole piss off Swagger at the end just adds to the drama which has the WWE universe praying for Cole to get his.

Edge Retires:  See my article dedicated to this topic.

 5 Man Gauntlet Match (John Cena, R-Truth, John Morrison, Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler):  This was a pretty entertaining match and all the superstars involved put on a great show.  John Morrison lost (which is not surprising due to his recent actions) Ziggler continued to put on a great show, Orton was attacked by the New Nexus which renewed their feud, and Truth was finally put in the main event picture with Cena and Miz.  I think having Truth be involved in the main event at Extreme Rules was a cop out.  Whil the outcomes of wrestling angles are surprising, WWE fans are not stupid and definitely know that there is no chance that R-Truth will walk away with the title.  Im glad to see the WWE giving Truth a chance but I think they will realize that he does not have main event talent.

WWE Reportedly Not Happy With Morisson And Melina

Reportedly, John Morrison and Melina are getting a lot of backstage heat due to recent actions.  The main reason for the heat is Morrison's refusal to work with Trish Stratus.  During their Mania six man tag match, Morisson can be seen not interacting with Stratus at all, and even turning his back on her when she tried to hug him after they won.  It is rumored that the reason for his hostility towards Stratus is due to the fact that he felt that Stratus was being favored more so than his real life girlfriend Melina.  Morisson and Melina believe that it should have been Melina in the match as opposed to stratus.  Since Trish is highly regarded in the WWE, this has turned practically the whole company against the couple.  I believe that Morisson is being completely unprofessional and is having a hard time differentiating business and personal relationships.  This will probably hurt Morisson's push and I think if this happens he deserves it.  As it already stands Morisson is not respected in the locker room.  He is viewed as spineless because a few years back, Melina cheated on Morisson with former WWE superstar, Batista and repeatedly allowed it to happen again and again.  Sounds like a really healthy relationship.

Smackdown Summary

Edge and Christian Confront Alberto Del Rio:  It's always fun when the WWE use vehicles in their bits.  I loved the touch of the Brisco Bros. tow truck which if you are a die hard wrestling fan you will get the reference.  The setup for Christian and Del Rio to fight for the number one contender spot was a great idea for a main event match.

Kane, Big Show, Santino Marella, Kofi Kingston Vs. The Corre:  I do not understand why the WWE felt the need to have this match again.  It was crap at Mania and it wasnt any better on Smackdown.  I am also not a fan of how WWE just decided to hope fans forget about evil Kane and make him a friendly guy again.  It just reeks of half assed writing.

Cody Rhodes Vs. Trent Baretta:  This match didnt really serve any purpose other than furthering the Mysterio/Rhodes feud.  Rhodes beats Baretta, Mysterio attacks Rhodes, nothing all that special.

Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly Vs. Lay-Cool:  Pretty standard diva match.  It seems that there will be a Lay-Cool breakup and probably a match between Layla and Michelle McCool.

Sin Cara Attacks Michael Cole and Jack Swagger:  Another fun appearance by Sin Cara.  He has a very impressive move set and certainly reminds me of Mysterio in his prime.  I definitely see the fans appreciating Cara since he is the obvious choice to fill Mysterio's luchadore spot when he retires.  I am impressed with Cara so far and am looking forward to seeing him in an actual match.

 

Alberto Del Rio Vs. Christian w/Edge for the #1 Contender Spot:  First off, just wanted to mention that Edge is one of the few superstars who are competent at the announce table.  The match itself was a good one.  Del Rio is growing as a superstar every day and Christian always puts on a good match when he needs to.  It's such a shame that Christian is such a great ring general but also has a boring character angle. Christian is great and definitely see him as going down as one of the better wrestlers of the WWE but I never see him winning the big one.  This is supported by the fact that he did not win this match.

Triple H, and Undertaker Fined

Despite the fact that they put on a great match, Triple H and The Undertaker were fined by WWE officials due to Triple H hitting Taker in the head with a chair at Wrestlemania.  This has been against the rules for a few years now and the WWE always fines people who break such rules.  Despite the fact that it was a stupid move by Triple H's part, I also think that it's kind of a shame that officials couldnt wave this fine due to the seniority of both competitors and that it was special circumstances.  Oh well, I guess for a rule to really work, there can be no exceptions.

Dear WWE, THIS IS CRAP!!!

After watching monday night's Raw I was greatly irritated by the WWE.  They had a great buildup to Cena Vs. Rock after Wrestlemania and the next night on Raw people generally knew a match was definitely going to be announced.  Well the match was indeed announced, but it was announced it wont happen until Wrestlemania 28 in Miami, exactly a year from now!!!  What the Hell?!  Why did they choose this date?!  If you are going to promote a match why the Hell would you tease us with already announcing it?!  This was a poor choice on the WWE's party as I know that many people were outraged by this.  They probably intended to have us excited for the match but instead they just left us annoyed and angry.

Wrestlemania Wrap-Up

So I just got back from Wrestlemania weekend in Atlanta and had a fantastic time.  Im sure ya'll know what went down but I'd like to share my opinion on the events.

12 Men Battle Royal:  This match was originally Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan but for some reason was turned into a 12 man royal.  The original match was crap and neither Bryan or Sheamus really put on that great of a show, which sucks because they usually on their A-Game.  Both superstars are great ring techs and its a shame it couldnt live up to the hype.  The battle royal was dumb and quick but it was a shock to see that The Great Khali won the match.  This was interesting due to the fact that the WWE seems to have given up on finding interesting angles for him.

Alberto Del Rio Vs. Edge:  This was a great opening match for the night.  Interesting order choice to have the World Title match so early in the night but it sure seemed like a main event.  It by no means was the best match of the night but it certainly was very entertaining.  I was so sure that the reason Christian was there was that he was going to turn on Edge and cost him the title, guess I was wrong.  That would have been a very interesting angle.  All in all, solid performances for everyone involved.

Cody Rhodes Vs. Rey Mysterio:  First off I want to give props to Cody for putting on an interesting angle during the match and truly doing well during the match.  The weaker performer was shockingly Mysterio!  His age is starting to show and even though Mania is a place where Mysterio shines, he was very sub average that night.  Cody pulled off some great moves, but Mysterio barely left the ground throughout the whole match.  Rey Mysterio is a great talent and a huge fan favorite but his appeal is hugely his high flying.  If he is terrible on the mic but he is a great performer.  If he becomes an average wrestler due to his injuries, then he loses everything that makes him interesting

Big Show, Kane, Santino, and Kozlov Vs. The Corre:  THIS WAS THE WORST MATCH OF THE NIGHT!  First off, I hate the Corre, not as individuals but the whole idea.  Its been done and is one of the most boring stables in wrestling history.  Second, the creative team of WWE couldnt find ANYTHING to do with future legends Kane, and Big Show?  This match was only two minutes long and was a huge disappointment.  None of the wrestlers benefited from this angle at all and I hope a lesson has been learned from this mistake.  Oh and way to soften up Kane WWE.

Randy Orton Vs. CM Punk:  Loved this match, both guys are in their primes right now and they really put on a great show.  Orton is a great ring worker and is always able to tell a story without uttering a word.  Punk will go down as one of the best heels in the history of the game and he is another talent that is able to tell a story with body language alone.  Great performance by these two and I hope this isnt the last time we see them lockup.

John Morrison, Trish Stratus, and Snookie Vs. Lay-Cool and Dolph Ziggler:  A very entertaining gimmick match.  Each performer did their part and I think that the people were largely entertained.  Trish looked great and Im glad she hasnt seemed to have lost a step since she originally left the company.  My only complaint was that both Ziggler and Morrison are great performers and I think putting them in this match was a bit of a waste.  Snookie's finish was pretty awesome by the way haha.

Michael Cole Vs. Jerry The King Lawler:  A very entertaining match.  Having Lawler chase Cole around for a few minutes before finally getting his hands on him is a classic angle that really draws people into the match.  Throw in the novelty of Austin being there, and you have quite a fun time.  I was crying of laughter when Cole first came out in his wrestling outfit.  Who would have thought that Cole would have been such an entertaining heel?

The Undertaker Vs. Triple H:  DEFINITELY best match of the night.  Was really happy that both of these veterans were able to put on an amazing match.  There were many times where I thought that each of them could have actually been hurt, especially when Triple H was backdropped off the announce table.  I don't think that this was better than Taker Vs. HBK but I do think that it was definitely second best that I have seen in a while.  I was really shocked that Taker won and it seems like they are going to either let him retire with an even 20-0 or have that be his last match and lose.  I am interested to see who they are going to chose to end the streak if they choose to do so.  I thought HBK and HHH were the best choices and since neither of them were able to do it, I can't think of anyone else worthy for such an accomplishment.

John Cena Vs. The Miz:  Great match on the account of both these wrestlers.  Miz was able to show people that he truly is becoming a ring general and was able to have fans ignore the fact that he is considerably smaller than Cena.  Cena was on his A-game as well and the back and forth these guys had was truly entertaining.  I was legitimately worried when they both fell on the concrete and you could hear Miz's head smack on the cold floor (I later learned he suffered a legitimate concussion).  Im proud of Miz for able to finish the match in great fashion.  I liked the ending with the interference by The Rock due to the fact that it is a great way to buildup the fantasy match of Rock Vs. Cena.  Oh and lastly, how great was the Miz's entrance?!  The opening video was awesome.