Saturday Morning Slam 12/08/12
Sheamus defeats Titus O’Neil using the brogue kick.
Booker T teaches the steps to perform the spinarooni.
John Cena defeats Heath Slater using the attitude adjustment.
Thoughts: Sheamus had a pretty decent match with O’Neil given that he’s so young and big. The Cena/Slater match was halfway entertaining, but Slater got in way too much offense in this one. Overall it was a fun show and I’ll still keep watching.
WWE NXT 12/12/12
Paige defeats Sasha Banks using the paige-turner.
Roman Reigns is interviewed.
Bray Wyatt’s “son” defeats Oliver Grey.
Dusty Rhodes comes out and announces that no more bounties will be allowed in NXT. Camacho comes out and argues with him. Big E comes out and Dusty announces that Camacho and a partner will take on Big E next week in a handicap match.
Big Show accepts Bo Dallas’ open challenge for next week.
Seth Rollins defeats Jinder Mahal using the skywalker to retain the NXT Championship.
Thoughts: Sasha and Paige are both going to be fun to watch on the main shows. If WWE really wants to take the Divas seriously, then Paige and the lady hailing from Boston both need to be featured in legit matches on Raw and Smackdown. Roman Reigns’ charisma and promos remind me of Kevin Nash in all the worst ways. I hope he’s more exciting in the ring. I love the Bray Wyatt Cult gimmick and I hope it’s allowed to be brought to the pg form of Raw and expanded into a unique faction. Big E and Camacho don’t interest me much, but we’ll see how it goes next week. Big Show will destroy Bo Dallas, but it will be interesting to see if Bo can do anything with the giant. Rollins and Mahal had yet another good match, and I think both guys have proven that they need to be out of developmental and only featured on the main roster in whatever capacity WWE can come up.
WWE Main Event 12/12/12
Ryback defeats Alberto Del Rio.
The 3MB defeat International Airstrike.
Thoughts: Ryback worked a fairly decent six minute match with Del Rio. You didn’t see a whole lot of move versatility, but the match was paced out well enough that you didn’t have to get a lot of action to make it decent. The 3MB/IA match, on the other hand, was awesome! The athleticism of Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel was featured here, and the 3MB have proven why they deserve to be relevant. Overall, Main Event bounced back this week from the one match turned into two that we saw last week. Great show!
WWE Superstars 12/13/12
Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre defeat Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd.
Brodus Clay defeats Michael McGillicutty.
Thoughts: The tag match was basically what we saw on Main Event, and the action was just as good. It seems like lazy booking by WWE, but it is what it is. Brodus defeating McGillicutty was awful, and the guy deserves to have a real push sooner rather than later. Brodus just needs to disappear because he’s a waste of a Royal Rumble spot next month.
WWE Smackdown 12/14/12
Big Show defeats R-Truth with Antonio Cesaro and Sheamus on commentary. Cesaro shoves Sheamus into Show after the match. Show talks to Booker T backstage and wants the match cancelled at TLC because of Sheamus “violating” the no contact order. Booker refuses.
Team Rhodes Scholars defeats the Usos. Sandow gets the pin on a rollup.
Big Show recruits Otunga to help him out. They come to the ring and demand the match be called off for TLC. Booker comes out to argue. Sheamus comes out and says he will smash Show up with the chair if the match is cancelled. The match is on and Show leaves. Sheamus hits the brogue kick on Otunga.
The Shield are shown beating down Randy Orton before he can be interviewed. He is now out with a separated shoulder.
Kaitlyn defeats Aksana.
The Miz has Team Hell No on MizTV. The Shield comes out to attack from the crowd but Ryback comes to the ring and they stop dead in their tracks.
Tyson Kidd pins Primo to win the eight man tag. International Airstrike, Khali, and Hornswoggle defeat Primo, Epico, and the Prime Time Players.
Kofi defeats Alberto Del Rio with a rollup. Wade Barrett tries to attack Kofi after the match but Kofi hits trouble in paradise.
Antonio Cesaro defeats Sheamus by countout when Sheamus tries to save William Regal from an attack by Big Show. Show hits Regal with a chair and stares at Sheamus to close the show.
Thoughts: The Big Show/Truth match was somewhat short and pretty bland, but the purpose was to enhance both rivalries with the commentary(done TOO MUCH lately). Rhodes Scholars looked good, and it was nice to see the Usos on TV again this week; I wonder when(if ever) they’ll get a shot at the tag team titles. The Show/Sheamus segment got more fuel added to the fire with Show backing off like a coward. I think this is probably Big Show’s last major run with any title. I like Orton being written off the show with a legit injury through storyline; I hope he doesn’t win the Rumble for a second time this year. Kaitlyn and Aksana had way too many rest holds and didn’t have much action at all. Granted, the match went longer than a typical women’s wrestling match, but there wasn’t anything quality to coincide with the length. I like the potential of the six man tag Sunday, but I’m almost certain it will be too short and the Shield will come up with a ridiculous victory that involves outside help. The eight man tag would’ve been better without Khali and Hornswoggle. They could’ve made it a triple threat tag and it would’ve been far more entertaining. Kofi and Del Rio worked a good match, and I was actually surprised to see Kofi get the victory. Kofi winning this match and defeating some of Del Rio’s caliber makes me wonder if Wade Barrett is going to capture the title on Sunday. I liked the ending of Cesaro/Sheamus, and that’s because they can wrestle again in the future without any reference to one defeating the other in the past. The rivalry between Show and Sheamus ends this Sunday, and I think we’re all ready for their final clash.
That’s all for the rundown! Make sure to check out our TLC and ROH: Final Battle predictions this weekend and also check out our tribute column for the newest inductee into Thunder and Lightning’s Pure Pro-Wrestling Hall Of Fame! Thanks for reading!
