Welcome to the rundown! There was no FCW posted for this week, so hopefully next week I’ll have a double dose once again!
Raw 1001 Final Thoughts: We were treated to seven matches over the course of three hours, and the show in my opinion was solid. I really feel like Summerslam has some good rivalries building up and the push that Daniel Bryan’s character has received is very impressive. Bryan has turned into one of the most valuable assets WWE has on the roster with his in ring talent and overall personality. I loved the decisive CM Punk heel antics. Anybody that wants to dispute whether he is heel or tweener at this point just needs to come out of denial. The WWE Champ is now a heel, which means you can probably bank on him losing the title at least one time between now and WrestleMania. Now that I got off topic, I’ll once again say this was a solid show and very enjoyable overall for a three hour program.
NXT 08/01/12
Leo Kruger goes one on one with Richie Steamboat. Steamboat wins the quarterfinal match in the goldrush tournament to advance for the NXT Championship.
Big E Langston squashes Adam Mercer.
Raquel Diaz defeats Audrey Marie.
Hunico and Camacho take on Mike Dalton and Jason Jordan. Dalton gets the pin on Camacho to win the match.
Seth Rollins defeats Drew McIntyre with a curbstomp to advance to the semifinals of the NXT Championship tournament.
Thoughts: Steamboat and Kruger are money, and their talent on the next level is just going to be extraordinary. Langston is a monster; Adam Mercer is becoming the new Salazar in terms of jobbing. Raquel and Audrey both looked decent in their match; it’s a shame they’re being developed into such talented performers on a roster where the divas are hardly even acknowledged. The tag team match was quality all around, and I would like to see Hunico and Camacho end up with tag team gold down the road with how good their chemistry is together. Rollins and McIntyre once again put on a quality match, and I’m glad WWE got the booking right and advanced Rollins further into the tournament.
Superstars 08/02/12
Tyson Kidd defeats Heath Slater using the blockbuster.
Natalya goes one on one with Layla. Layla wins after kicking Natalya to the head and getting the pinfall.
Cody Rhodes defeats Justin Gabriel using crossrhodes.
Thoughts: Slater and Kidd wrestled one of the best matches of the week, and most people won’t bother to take notice. Natalya and Layla once again showed why the divas need to be featured with legitimate matches on the main shows. Rhodes and Gabriel also put on a really good matchup. I’m curious about the direction of Cody Rhodes now that he’s moved out of the IC Title scene and isn’t challenging for any other major championships. The guy shined all the way until his feud with Big Show, and then his booking just went somewhat flat. His matches with Christian were solid, but after losing them all you would expect that Rhodes would be moving on to something significant. I’ll just sit here and ponder the WWE logic.
Impact Wrestling 08/02/12
Kenny King and Austin Aries defeated Zema Ion and Bobby Roode when King pinned Ion.
In-ring segment with Sting, James Storm, and Kurt Angle. Storm explains to Sting that he is not involved with Aces and Eights. Angle tells Storm he will make him tap out tonight.
Bully Ray defeated Robbie E. in less than a minute.
Madison Rayne defeats Tara, Mickie James, and Gail Kim in a fatal four way when Earl Hebner awards the win to Madison Rayne when her shoulders were down on the mat.
Chavo Guerrero defeats Kid Kash with Hernandez in his corner despite attempted interference on the part of Gunner.
Christopher Daniels and Kazarian throw Claire Lynch a baby shower.
James Storm defeats Kurt Angle in the main event. Bully Ray and Storm brawl after the match, as do Austin Aries and Bobby Roode. Aces and Eights is nowhere to be seen.
Thoughts: I left out a lot about the backstage segments, and that’s because I don’t have much to say on them. If you saw the show, you know Joseph Park is still floating around trying to find himself and clients for his practice. The tag team match that opened the show was wild and a lot of fun to see. The Bully Ray squash didn’t do much besides advance me in the BFGS pool that I’m in. The knockouts match was well executed, and despite the Earl Hebner storyline being lame, it has somewhat of a Mark Henry/Mae Young feel to it but yet still original. The Claire Lynch storyline on the other hand, I’m absolutely sick of it and ready for AJ and Daniels to move on from one another. Chavo’s match with Kash was good, and I’m looking forward to seeing him and Hernandez team up and go after tag team gold. The main event between Storm and Angle was also good, and I like the change up with the Aces and Eights not showing up. With the exception of Claire Lynch, TNA in my eyes is executing everything perfectly and putting on a great television program.
WWE Smackdown 08/03/12
Vince McMahon announces Booker T as the new GM of Smackdown. Alberto Del Rio interrupts Booker T and congratulates him on becoming GM. ADR and Booker exchange words, and Sheamus comes out. Sheamus confronts Del Rio about not wanting to compete until Summerslam, and Booker T puts ADR in a match tonight with Randy Orton. Booker also books Sheamus in a match right now.
Sheamus defeats Tensai using the brogue kick.
Eve offers her services to be on Booker T’s staff. Teddy Long comes in and Booker T asks him to be his senior advisor and Teddy accepts.
A weather mocking vignette involving character “Skip Thunderstruck” is shown for Brock Lesnar(F5 Tornado).
Antonio Cesaro defeats Santino Marella in a non-title match.
Daniel Bryan cuts a promo wearing a new No No No shirt. Bryan, Miz, and Dolph Ziggler defeat Chris Jericho, Christian, and Kane in a six man tag when Bryan rolls up Jericho after Ziggler’s distraction.
Jinder Mahal gets intentionally disqualified against Ryback.
Darren Young defeats R-Truth in a short match.
Cody Rhodes exchanges words with Booker T backstage. Booker puts Rhodes in a match next week with Sin Cara.
Randy Orton defeats ADR by DQ after Ricardo goes after Orton. Orton nails ADR with an RKO after Sheamus tosses ADR back in the ring.
Thoughts: Booker T is the new GM? I don’t see it lasting long, but I do hope it will lead to Book wrestling some more matches down the road. Sheamus and Tensai actually wrestled a decent brawl, and yes I’m surprised to be saying that. Teddy Long joining Booker just makes me feel like Smackdown is going to be more of the same for awhile(which isn’t a bad thing in terms of wrestling). I like the Antonio Cesaro booking, but I hope WWE doesn’t waste time on Summerslam to have him defeat Santino for the title. He should have the strap going into the show and do an open challenge(having Kassius Ohno show up would be a dream, but it would more likely be Ryback). The six man tag leads me to believe that the three pairs of rivals will end up in matches together at Summerslam. Jinder is the legit rival for Ryback? Does this mean WWE views Mahal as a step up from Reks and Hawkins? R-Truth and Darren Young showed off their talents in their match, and I wish there was more time for wrestling on Raw for a bigger audience to see what these guys are capable of. The main event was good, and Orton looks as good as ever in the ring. This was definitely another quality Smackdown, and I think the decision to have Booker T as GM keeps things on a familiar level for the show.
ROH Wrestling 08/04/12
The Briscoes defeat the Guardiants of Truth by countout. Rhino and Roderick Strong come out and attack the Briscoes. Michael Elgin comes out but walks to the back without attacking anybody.
Kevin Steen cuts a promo on Eddie Kingston. Eddie Kingston is interviewed by Kevin Kelly.
Tommasso Ciampa fires the Embassy.
Mike Bennett defeats Lance Storm with the help of Brutal Bob and Maria.
Thoughts: Elgin’s face turn is nearly complete, and I’m excited to see him challenge Kevin Steen for the World Title in the future. Tommasso Ciampa going solo could mean that he will become a more vicious heel, or it could mean that he’s turning face as well. Bennett and Storm wrestled a solid brawl for what was supposed to be their final encounter. I’m not sure Lance Storm can be humiliated and let the rivalry end like this.
News Items:
Jericho leaving on 8/14: For the record, I don’t believe him. The guy has lied over and over on twitter about various things, and not just about wrestling. Jericho and Ziggler need to have a match at Summerslam and I’d be willing to bet that it’s already been booked. Don’t always believe what you read.
Undertaker/WrestleMania: Taker supposedly said he may or may not be at WM29. He’ll be there; mark my words. Taker is also expecting a child with Michelle McCool; congrats to him.
Triple H/developmental: Trips has been getting props for his work on NXT and FCW, and this is a good sign for the future of the company. I enjoy NXT and FCW more than any other programs, and so I’m excited for what things will be like once he takes charge.
Jinder Mahal: WWE officials feel Mahal has the potential to be a top heel. I don’t know why on earth WWE thinks a modern day Iron Sheik is a good idea, but apparently someone(Vince) is high on him.
That’s all for the rundown. Raw analysis and part four of my top Summerslam matches will be up Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Thanks for reading!
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