Showing posts with label Ziggler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ziggler. Show all posts

Thursday, 19 July 2012

A mouthpiece opinion No.1 - The Jeri-troll

Hey guys, that's right, I'm back. It's been a while yes, but I've been fairly busy with some "offline life stuff", and haven't had a lot of free time or energy to write to the level I would like.

But, I'm back. It may or may not be back to regular posts, I'm hoping that is the case, but if not, I will try to write some stuff every now and then.

I have however, been keeping up with the wrestling. I've really been enjoying the Punk/Bryan/AJ storyline, and I feel like the quality of RAW has been stepped up a little, probably to help the 1000th episode of RAW.

But let's get down to business shall we?

Chris Jericho. I see all these comments and posts and what not about "Jericho hasn't won a match since his return" or "Why are the WWE burying Jericho?" .. And this week on Raw it was even brought into a promo, with Ziggler asking Jericho if he'd "lost his touch".

Now, I am, and have been of the opinion since before Mania that the WWE are not burying Jericho. Wrestling isn't about wins and losses people.. remember? It's a pre-determined contest... it's about the performance. And if you look purely at performance, Jericho has been performing at the same level, if not a little better than before he left.

Let's look at the way Jericho came back. The video packages.. the creepy children talking about the end of the world as we know it.. the build up. The hype. And then back comes Jericho, making his return in an LED-festooned jacket. He grabs the mic, stands in the middle of the ring and says.. nothing.

This happened for a few weeks if my memory serves me correctly, and then he gave us just that one line promo.

This was Jericho's way of manipulating the crowd into booing him. When anyone of note returns, the crowd will always cheer for them. The only guy who would still get booed today if he returned, would be mohammad hassan. Anyone else, cheers. JBL would get cheered, and he was the biggest heel in the company for a number of years.

Jericho took that, and turned it against the crowd, showing us how easy it was to manipulate us, and control us, just by throwing his hands up and shouting.

He said he would win the royal rumble. But he didn't.

He said he would beat CM Punk at Wrestlemania. But he didn't.

He said he would win the Money In The Bank Ladder match. But he didn't.

So I've had this theory running around my head for a little while now, but then I read an article on a Wrestling news website, talking about the original plans for the Money in The Bank. Apparently there was an idea floating about that Jericho would win, but then be the first guy to try to cash it in, and lose the match.

That's when it hit me, and I totally got it. Chris Jericho is still trolling us.

All the losses, it's all a big rib. Not on him, on the fans. Jericho is losing every match he's a part of essentially, and yet, he's arguably the most entertaining guy on Raw each week. Think about this. Jericho has been a top star for what.. 11 years nearly? It was December 2001 when he became the first Undisputed champion. The man has been wrestling at least 10 years more than that. So that's a 20+ year career.

It seems to me, that just the same as back in 2008 or so, when he dropped the Y2J gimmick, donned the suit, spoke softly and slowly, and coined the phrase "I am the best in the world, at what I do", Jericho is trying something new. He's managed to lose all the big matches, and yet never diminish in the eyes of the public. If he did have the MITB briefcase and ran down to cash it in, every single person would be sure that he would win the title. And THAT is why Jericho would want to lose.

He said it best on his "Breaking the code" DVD, when he talked about the way he left in 2005.. carried out by "security" screaming and whining and crying for his job. He talked about that being the best way for a heel to leave, and let's face it, Jericho is such a great heel, deep down he always wants us to boo him.

So before you start talking about how much Jericho has been buried, or used incorrectly, or "why isn't he champion?".. Think about it in these terms. This is all Jericho's master plan. He isn't champion because he doesn't want, or need it.

He is losing because he's working everyone on a whole different level to anyone else. We all expect he'll pick up a victory eventually right? We say..  "this time he'll win". It's keeping us tuned in, it's keeping us invested, and more importantly, it's keeping us entertained.

Jericho won't be around for much longer (as far as this run in the WWE goes), and for me, what he's doing with this run is some of the most original stuff, as far as character, and giving us little peeks behind the curtain. I especially enjoyed the little promo he cut about having a lot of catchphrases, and then rattling them off one at a time to get reactions from the crowd.. once again showing how easy it is to manipulate the WWE Universe.

So enjoy it while he's around, because when he leaves (apparently after Summerslam), we will miss it a lot.

Ok that's about it for now. What do you all think about what I've written? Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know by leaving a comment on here, or on my twitter (@TheOzMouthpiece), and while you're at it, follow me on there as well.

Until next time, I'm the Aussie Mouthpiece, and my business is concluded. For now...

Friday, 4 May 2012

Home Schooling No. 15

Hello there readers, it's me, the Aussie Mouthpiece, and it's time for another weekly dose of home schooling. This week I'll cover Monday Night Raw, iMPACT, and I'll even go back and talk a little about the repercussions from Extreme Rules. 

So let's get down to business.

Having had a few days to digest the events of Extreme Rules, I've come to realise how important the match between Brock Lesnar and John Cena was. 

Think about it.

How long have the fans been crying out for a return to the attitude era? How long have there been fans saying "PG wrestling is terrible"? How long have they been saying "bring back blood", or "we want blood"

Most people would say too long. The match between Cena and Lesnar changed all that. In the space of just 20 minutes, Vince, the writers, and the entire WWE showed us what we've been waiting for for the longest time: a return to a more bloody, violent product. 

Yes, there has been blood in recent memory, Lesnar's attack on Cena a couple of weeks ago, and Triple H vs Undertaker. But, the difference here is that they were accidental. Clearly, the elbows Lesnar rained down on Cena were planned beforehand. This match looked, and felt so different to anything I've seen in the last few years. Brock Lesnar's reputation obviously had a lot to do with that, but I'm not sure that people are giving the WWE enough credit.

This match was (for the most part) a masterpiece in psychology. Lesnar completely dominated Cena. It wasn't a wrestling match. It wasn't even an extreme rules match. The way that Lesnar, and his MMA skills were used in this match made it feel like the beginning of a new era.

I do think however, that they faltered in one area, which showed that the WWE aren't entirely ready to shift into a new era. I'm talking about having Cena win. 
This is the one time I kind of agree with the Cena haters. It really looked like Super-cena. Brock dominated the match for near 20 minutes, and yet Cena can keep him down for a 3 count with a punch to the head and an Attitude Adjustment onto stairs? and more to the point, Brock can't keep Cena down with the 20 minutes of violence he laid on him?

It felt like the wrong decision is all I'm saying. 

I'm going to disagree with some people here though, and say that it didn't really hurt Lesnar at all. It seems that people consider a loss to be a guy getting "buried". Jericho is a popular topic for that. He's lost at every pay per view since his return, so therefore he must be getting buried. 

No. He's not.

He's basically headlined Wrestlemania this year, in the sense that he was in the WWE title match. He's had another title match at the last pay per view. He was in the final part of the Royal Rumble. And he's featured every week on RAW heavily, and usually getting the better of CM Punk, or delivering really strong promos.

That is not burying. Not seeing someone for ages, and then seeing them only losing and being used badly, is burying. Some might say Zack Ryder is being buried at the moment.

But back to what I was saying, Lesnar losing, didn't hurt him. Anyone who's seen the match, or highlights of the match, saw that Lesnar dominated, cut open, and basically tore Cena's arm off. I just think that if he had won it really would have signified the beginning of a new era, rather than a timid step over the line.


Ok let's move on to Raw.

Like I was saying in my Extreme Rules review, something that deviates from the norm is usually good. And this is the case with the Beat the Clock challenge. It gives the matches a different feel, and connects all the matches together in a unique way. So I'm glad they decided to bring that back. And I'm also glad we have a different challenger for the WWE title. CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan is a dream PPV match. I just don't understand why it's happening on Over the Limit...and not a bigger stage like Summerslam or Survivor Series. Maybe it's a case of the WWE not having a lot of faith that this match can draw big numbers. 

The other match that was announced this week, really befuddles me. John Cena's next opponent is.. John Laurinitis? Didn't CM Punk want to fight Ace last time I checked? And, moreso, why would anyone think that Cena would even have the slightest problem kicking Ace's ass, if he can overcome the crazy beating Lesnar dished out, and beat Lesnar!

I just don't understand this match. I get that they can play up the injured arm and that gives Laurinitis an easy target to work on, but the man hasn't wrestled in something like 10 years, and he's spent a good part of that last 10 years in a suit, as a corporate man. Lesnar was a UFC heavyweight champion, and Cena beat him. 

It's like a story Jim Cornette told on one of his Kayfabe Commentaries dvds. He was talking about Marc Mero and Sable (History time kiddies). Mero was either just having a match with, or was supposed to be starting a feud with the then up and coming Stone Cold Steve Austin. So the story goes that Marc Mero let Sable powerbomb him on TV.
 Then soon after, Steve was talking to Vince and the writing team saying "Well who am I wrestling next week then? Because he just let his wife powerbomb him, so why would anyone think I would have the slightest problem beating him?" Granted this is a different circumstance, but the argument is still sound. If Cena can overcome Lesnar, why would Laurinitis pose any threat? And, more to the point, why would anyone pay to see it?

Speaking of Lesnar, we had this opening segment with Triple H coming out and tearing up Lesnar's list of demands, and then Lesnar "breaking" Triple H's arm. I was a bit ambivalent about this segment honestly. I just don't understand why they did it. I hear it could be because Lesnar has a set number of TV appearances in his contract, and they didn't want to use them up before the year is up or something. I guess as well that it puts him over even more as a ruthless animal. But it's all a bit confusing. I'm still not sure whether the WWE want the crowd to cheer for him, or to boo him. He acts like a heel, but then does really awesome stuff that we love seeing. Maybe they're not trying to sway the crowds one way or the other. Maybe they're letting Lesnar be Lesnar.

I also saw that it's come out this week that Rey Mysterio got suspended for violating the wellness policy, and that he was not/is not going to be getting a push when he returns. Now to me that's gotta be blown a little out of proportion (the second thing I mean). There will have to be some kind of announcement and big return. My theory is that they meant he won't be moving straight into the title picture or anything, but maybe will feud around the mid card level with someone. I think he and Ziggler could put on a good match.


Impact Wrestling.. I mean I'm trying to get into it.. I really am. But what with the crazy music going on during the "Gut check contract" segment, and Flair flipping and flopping around from a No to a yes after the dude delivered a crappy promo, and the heavy editing that's really badly done, I'm finding it really hard to keep watching. I did like the Bully Ray/Austin Aries segment though. Bully/Bubba has come so far lately I think. 

I just can't get past his name though. Imagine that.. "And the new TNA World Heavyweight champion.. Bully.. Ray!".. It sounds like a children's cartoon character. I understand they wanted to keep the similarity to Bubba Ray and Brother Ray, but surely they could have just used Ray, or his real name or something. We can figure out that it's still the same guy.

What about this? He comes out and says "Brother Ray was the name keeping me down for so many years, but now that I've rid myself of my "brother", you people, can call me ____________" Or something.

That's about all I have to say this week, so until next time, you can follow me on twitter @TheOZMouthpiece if you're not already, and also check out my writing at the following sites:

http://sltdwrestling.blogspot.com
http://pwjournal.wordpress.com
www.wrestlingheads.com

I'm the Aussie Mouthpiece, and my business is concluded, for now.

Sunday, 26 February 2012

Tis the season for picking a fight.

Yes. Yes I said I was back about a month ago, and then poof! I was gone again. The short version is I had some personal stuff to deal with and writing of any kind was just about the furthest thing from my mind.

But, that doesn't change the fact that I am indeed back.

And what a time to get back into this. Really, is there any better time for a wrestling fan that Wrestlemania "season"? Let's face it, the storylines (generally) get better, the quality of matches goes up, and then in turn, other companies try to lift their game/s to keep people interested in their product. It's a win/win.

I thought I might just pick a couple of the bigger news items of late and give my insightful opinions and thoughts on them, as well as where Wrestlemania is headed as of right now.. and probably some other small things that have caught my attention lately.

So where to begin? Let's go with... the CM Punk/Chris Brown twitter thing.

As far as I could tell this whole thing just kinda came out of nowhere, and was started by Punk. Now, I don't mean that in a bad way.. from what I've read, he was answering a question about who he'd like to see fight, or who he'd like to fight at wrestlemania or something, and gave a joking response saying that he'd "love to curb stomp that turd at 'mania".

The "turd" being Chris Brown.

Now I'm about the furthest thing from a "popular" music fan, so it's fair to say I have no idea what Chris Brown has done in the last few years. But he won a grammy.. so I guess that shows where the current music scene is, and how bad it's gotten. Seriously, don't get me started on music, or we'll be here until Wrestlemania. I could start an entirely new blog about the decline of skill, talent, creativity, and originality in music.

Some might say the music industry and Pro-Wrestling have a lot in common.

But, let's get back on topic.

So Brown replies with some remark about Punk being on steroids (I can't remember it, and one of Chris Brown's "staff" has deleted all the tweets). Way to come up with something original in response Chris Brown.. Oh.. wait.. the music thing.. I get it, there isn't any originality anywhere inside Chris Brown.

I'm right in thinking he's one of those guys who dances EXACTLY like Michael Jackson and calls it his own style aren't I? ... Nuff said.

Anyway, he takes the most general, first thought response to a wrestler.. "you're on steroids". Anyone who knows anything about CM Punk, would know he's straight-edge. Also..umm.. take a look at the guy? If it was Triple H or John Cena that had opened this up, you could almost forgive the guy for jumping on the steroid bandwagon. But Punk kinda just looks like a regular (albeit solid and much bigger) guy.

So after the steroid thing, he starts on the whole "I don't even know who CM Punk is" stuff. You may not know who he is Chris Brown, but I am damn sure he's much more respected by the general public that DO know who he is, because he stands for something, and doesn't abuse people. I'm not going to go into my own version of Punk's video, but it's safe to say that I agree with CM Punk's side of things.

You never hit women. It's cowardly. It's weak. It's a lack of respect, and it's disgusting that someone would need to make himself feel powerful at the expense of someone who at that time, would have trusted and loved (I assume) him. And giving celebrities special treatment and relaxed punishment because they are in the public eye is also disgusting.

Anyway, I digress again. Punk posted a video response, and it was amazing. Not a "promo" as such, and definitely not a work. Just a clear message. And amazingly well delivered. Oh, and Chris Brown?.. It wasn't defensive. It's not defensive to say "I am straight edge. I don't do drugs, I don't smoke, I don't drink, and I don't hit women"..

In the end nothing is going to come from this really, it's just CM Punk standing up for what he believes in, and it just proves even more that Chris Brown is exactly what Punk said he was.

I definitely do NOT want to see a match in WWE with these two. Chris Brown deserves no publicity for these kinds of actions, and WWE would, I'm sure, not want to do business with someone who conducts themselves in the way Chris Brown does. So, I think it should be left to settle.

I'll get to the other big thing I wanted to talk about soon, but I thought i'd just stop and lighten things up for a minute with some short opinions or reviews on some stuff i've watched lately.

Elimination Chamber: Decent PPV, found it really strange that the namesake match of this Pay Per View wasn't the main event. Marked out for Santino's near fall. Ziggler took so many crazy falls on the steel.. that guy is the man. Thought the Cena win over Kane was too clean, but I understand it as a definitive end to that feud. 6/10

Undertaker/HHH at Mania
I could write an entire post on this. Undertaker wearing a wig... HHH kind of being put in the same position as Punk put him in (as in pushing his buttons until he makes a rash decision), the Shawn Michaels factor.. the Hell in a Cell, but for now I'll just say... 20-0 ! Also I can't wait to see bald 'Taker! Who's with me?

The Punk/Jericho Feud
Ok this has been added in after I first posted, so i'll make it really short and elaborate in my next post after RAW this week. I really like how this started, the It Begins videos were interesting, Jericho not talking was great, and now that he's started talking he's stepped it up again. Punk is just being Punk. Which is awesome. Going to be great.

Eve turning heel/Cena on RAW this past week
FINALLY! I'm talking about Cena with attitude, not Eve turning heel. It was too quick, and felt forced. But Cena's Skank juice/Skankapottamus lines.. and then that promo at the end of RAW .. simply amazing. I agree with a few others that i've heard/read lately.. Cena is the babyface in this.

Which leads me into the second big news item I wanted to talk about.

The Rock is not all that popular backstage apparently, and people are talking about how he's just taking up a main event spot, yet he's not a full-time guy.

Now, there's an argument to be made about the 3rd highest match on the card.. which involves two part-time guys (Taker/HHH) and how it's hypocritical not to have the same feelings towards these guys, but I think the difference is that Triple H has been around this year, not to mention it's gotta be safe to assume he's backstage most of the time, and Undertaker is Undertaker. 21.. going on 22 years in the WWE... he can show up once a year and no-one would have anything to say about it.

The other difference, is that Rock has been booked in the main event since the day after Wrestlemania last year. Yet he's been seen on what.. two different occasions, actually live in the ring? He came back on his birthday or something, and then he was back around Survivor Series. That's it.. right? Correct me if i'm wrong, please.

But we have 5 episodes of RAW left before mania. Only five.
John Cena has been at oh.. 44 or so more episodes of RAW than Rock.

But the biggest thing to me, as a fan now more than trying to look at the wrestler's opinions, is Rock saying "I'm back.. and I am never leaving again" .. and as John Cena said.. "and then you left.. again!" ..

It's a joke.

Rock should have been around more. He did some "live via satellite" things during the year, why not do a few more of those last month? Surely one night out of a month wouldn't have been too hard to make it to a RAW and come out and just cut a promo about Mania. I know Cena was in a feud with Kane and they probably didn't want to blur the two feuds, but the problem with building and booking this match for a year in advance, is that we knew that the Kane feud would end. It had to.

Here's an idea for what WWE could have done.. at Survivor Series.. Rock takes Cena out. And I mean (kayfabe) injures Cena. Cena is now focused on recovering and rehabbing himself to get to mania. Keep him off of TV (Punk's merchandise would cover the costs, seeing as how that would be a major concern over quality tv) but have him do interviews from home.. in a cast, in a wheelchair.. something. Have vignettes like they have had with the two training, but without Cena being focused on someone else.

Just a thought..

But i think that the other WWE wrestlers have every right to feel the way they do. Sure, Rock will draw money, and it does make sense to put him in a marquee match, but Rock hasn't made the effort, and I hope, I wish, I plead with WWE... make Rock the heel. It won't happen, he's going to come out on RAW this week, run down John Cena, the We hate Cena crowd will love it.. and we'll have this weird "both guys are faces and heels" situation.

Imagine how shocked some people will be if The Rock comes out and says something like (read this part in the Rock's voice for added effect) No no no no no no NO! The Rock would have come back earlier, but The Rock has had so many movie premieres, so many interviews, so many media appearances, that quite frankly, The Rock just could not bring himself to come here. In Hollywood, The Rock can hang with (Insert b grade celebrity here), be seen by the millions... no no, the real millions. But here.. all the Rock has is a bunch of fruity pebble yabba dabbas chanting You can't see me at The Rock! How could the Rock not see you? You all look like Rainbows!" Or something.  Just imagine that. (Of course Rock would be better than my small attempt at writing a Rock promo)

But you see where I'm going.. Rock the hollywood type heel... vs Cena.. the company guy. Picture it.

Ok, this is quite long now, so i'm going to finish up. But as always, leave me a comment, or let me know what you think on Twitter @TheOZMouthpiece  and follow me on there so you can get spammed whenever I write a new post.

So until next time, I am the Aussie Mouthpiece, and I come from a land Down Under.

Monday, 19 September 2011

Champions or Chumps?

It's that time again... another pay per view has come and gone, and I'm going to give my thoughts. This will be more of a recap than my blogs about RAW, so if for some reason you don't want spoilers, look away, or wait until you've watched Night of Champions to read this.

So my first overall thoughts, some 3 hours and a bit after the PPV has finished? I thought it was a good show, was surprised by how good some of the matches were, shocked at some of the finishes.. but overall, a little confused. Hopefully watching the replays (of which we get 3 in australia) will help.

I'll get to the rundown of the matches in a minute, but first of all, some initial opinions

No Jim Ross? Are you serious? Especially bad considering the "lead" announcer lost his voice and didn't do anything during the main event.

Just because Kofi and Bourne both wore green, it doesn't make them a "team". To me it still feels like two singles wrestlers put together. I'm not a fan of their name, and i've never been a fan of just using both guy's music as their entrance. At least do what they did for Miz/Show, or Jeri-Show, or RatedRKO and make one song out of their two entrance themes.
And Miz and Truth look even less like a "team". For all the reports that the tag team division is supposed to be being built back up, we're not seeing it yet. What about pushing the Uso's? The one "TEAM" you have WWE...

After the way the Women's (not using the word diva) match went down, I think it would have made more sense to put it earlier in the card. Just in case the crowd kinda died because their hometown girl didn't win. And also, who the hell believes that Kelly kelly could hold Beth Phoenix down in that kind of pin combination for a 3 count, especially when she didn't even get her legs over Beth's arms??

Cena winning is the right idea. Del Rio wasn't doing well as champ. I wasn't taking him seriously. He can be a world champ, but it wasn't the right timing I don't think.

Mark Henry cut a great promo after he (finally) won the title. He surprised me with how good that was. I hope he can keep it up, because he deserves a run with the belt.

Why was there an in ring promo segment?.. This isn't RAW or Smackdown.. i didn't pay to see guys talking to each other. Why not instead of that, have Christian and Sheamus in a match? Sure, it's "night of champions", but what was the main event?

And I'll get to that main event later, because I have a feeling it's going to be a long post.

Ok, so now that's out of the way. Let's get on to the matches.

So the show opened with the Tag Team titles.. well what are you going to do? They are, at this point, the belts with the least amount of importance. Which is a shame, because tag team wrestling can be a great part of a wrestling show. Look at the motor city machine guns and beer money. when they're not injured. But, having said that, the first match on a card is fairly important. It sets the tone.

As I said before, Miz and Truth don't look like a team. Miz could have worn black tights so he matched Truth's pants...
The match was solid, but nothing special to me. I still think that Miz needs to be in the main event picture, maybe move to smackdown, and have a Miz/Orton feud after Orton and Henry are done.
No real highlights to speak of, at leats nothing that I remember, aside from Miz's Cutter/DDT move which is .. pun intended.. awesome.

Oh actually, I remember watching Raven's video blog, and he talked about the fake tag spot that people do sometimes, they did that spot, but it was reversed, where the good guys faked the tag, and the bad guys got caught. That was interesting.

The finish makes sense, the whole conspiracy angle that's been going on, but just because it makes sense, doesn't make it good.
Why not have the finish be that Miz or Truth went for a cover but the ref was knocked down or distracted, and then bourne or kofi got the quick roll up, instead of a DQ. It would serve the same purpose, and they could still knock the ref down afterwards. The DQ wasn't satisfying at all, and didn't help make AirBoom look strong at all.
 5.5/10

It is quite funny that Miz and Truth beat down a ref and try to bully him.. and then there's an Anti-bullying ad shown.

Cody and Ted Dibiase was also a solid match. I'd even say it was quite good. The problem is that the crowd were pretty much dead for the whole thing.
I haven't watched a lot of Smackdown, so I'm not exactly up to speed on this storyline, but I would assume these guys would work well together because of their past.

Ted still moves too much like Randy Orton to me though. I know that they had that big run as Legacy, but Cody doesn't move like Orton anymore.
A decent match, not many highlights.. Funny moment when Booker T called a Spinebuster a Sidewalk Slam... Booker used to use a spinebuster when he wrestled right?
6/10

Christian and Sheamus talk.. only thing worth mentioning is Uncle Fergus/Fargas's green testicle.


US TITLE MATCH
I was completely surprised by this match. I'm a big fan of Ziggler, but the other 3 guys, i'm not so much into. Especially Swagger. He's annoying, he's not that good in the ring, and he's got no personality. Morrison was a little impressive, but he's still not as good as he thinks he is. And Riley.. just looks like a carbon copy of the Miz with less hair on the sides of his head.

But it was a good match. Some good spots, using 3 of the guys doing combination moves, and variation of a tower of doom, (with a near botch however), and as usual the interaction between Vickie and Ziggler is great tv.

Really good finish too, Ziggler picking up Swagger's scraps after knocking Swagger out of the way.
7/10.
And i'll say it again. Dolph is going to be the world champion before the end of 2012.


Mark Henry's pre match promo was fairly solid. He's really improved this year. Like i said earlier I haven't watched a lot of Smackdown, but I've been noticing Mark Henry. And today/tonight's match was no exception. He's doing a great job.

This match was really good too. Orton is great, and works well with Mark. They told a really good story with Orton having to really pull out all the stops as it were, to even do a little bit of damage to the much bigger Henry.

The spot where Henry was stretching Orton around the ring post looked absolutely brutal, and really highlighted the whole "Mark Henry could break you in half if he wanted" thing. And then standing on Orton without putting his weight on the ropes was just as brutal.

Henry dominated, as he should for most of the match. That's the thing with the big man/smaller man match.. the story is already written essentially.
Great finish, if a little surprising.. I was not expecting Henry to win. Glad he did though. And that promo he delivered after he won...really great.
7.5/10

Beth vs Kelly. Ok so we all already know that most of the divas are not what you'd call "good" workers.. But, having said that, Kelly at least y'know.. could take a lot of moves from Beth.
On the other hand, that match had the worst finish of the night. And Kelly clearly didn't know how to react when the crowd booed her.

The match was decent, the Superplex looked awesome. Beth was great. And deserved to win. I don't understand why they decided not to have her win in her hometown.. it doesn't make Kelly look like a strong champion when she gets a quick roll up and messes up the pinning move, it doesn't really help Beth and Natalya's crusade look legitimate when Beth can't beat Kelly on 2 occasions..
4.5/10 (low score for the stupid finish)

Here's an original idea though.. what about at Hell in a Cell in 2 weeks (don't get me started on how stupid that idea is... 14 days between pay per views? I'm not buying it)... lets have Beth vs Kelly inside the cell! You want to put the divas back on the map, do something that's never been done before. Cage matches have been done yes, but as far as i can remember, not in the WWE.

But that won't happen.. will it...?

John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio
Great match. I know right? I said a Cena match was a great match. Cena has been on a different level lately. Sure, he's still "the man" and still marketed to kids, but he's added some new moves to his arsenal, and especially tonight, there was no 5 moves of doom. Not all in the same order anyway.
I said this on twitter, but i'll say it again. Alberto needs a non-submission finisher. Having a submission finisher is fine, but when it's an armbar, it makes it harder to tell different stories. He has to target the arm at least part of the match, so it's limiting.
The match was good, honestly I was suprised when Cena won, but I think it was the right move.
7.5/10
One other thing.. if Cena is marketed to kids, and an all around good guy.. how is it ok that he stole a car, and admitted it?


Onto the main event. CM Punk vs Triple H.. well before jumping too far ahead, lets see.. it was fairly obvious that Nash would be involved somehow. Laurinitis texting earlier in the ppv, and even before that, the Limo ride that Laurinitis took with Nash. That was a no brainer I think.

I'm not going to talk about everything that happened in the match.. this thing is already really long. I do want to mention a couple of things though, and then i'll get to the finish.

Lets start with Triple H. He looked damn good. It just goes to show, the best guys can (until they get to ric flair's age) can always god, even with a bit of a layoff. And really, I'm pretty sure just because he's not working in the ring as a wrestler full time anymore, that wouldn't mean he has stopped training, or getting in a ring and working out somewhat. So really, it's no surprise that he didn't miss a step. Was the same with Undertaker at 'Mania this year.

And then there is the Macho Man Elbow through the announce table. Moment of the night, spot of the night, move of the night. Brilliant. Looked really brutal too. Looked like it hurt both guys a lot. And it was good to hear Lawler slip in "That was Savage... " too.

Speaking of commentary.. it was such a refreshing change to have no Michael Cole. It was like this annoying buzzing little insect that i'd finally killed. Seriously, that match was so much better just because his voice wasn't constantly nattering on.

The way Punk took the "chair in the turnbuckle" spot was really cool. The way he got stuck in the turnbuckle.. great stuff.

Ok the finish. I'll try to remember it all.
So.. Miz and Truth come out.. and beat up both guys.. for some reason.. Ok i know that they attacked HHH because he's the COO and they think there's a conspiracy, but why Punk? Other than they both had matches with him recently..
Anyway, they knock both guys down, then drag Punk onto Triple H and demand the ref counts the pin.
Then when the Ref hesitated and Triple H kicked out, Miz and Truth attacked him.
Johnny Ace comes out to check on said ref, and while that happens, Punk and HHH start beating up Miz and Truth, knocking them both out of the ring, and then HHH hits a pedigree on Punk.
At the same time, a second ref runs down, and HHH goes for the cover, but Laurinitis stops the 2nd ref and gets him to check the 1st ref.
Triple H gets to his feet, goes to the ropes and asks what the hell is going on?... Punk hits the GTS, goes for the pin  near the ropes, and Laurinitis sees this and gets the ref into the ring to count the pin. He then turned away to "text" someone.
And then, in the most confusing moment of the night, R-Truth pulls CM Punk off of Triple H. 5 minutes after dragging him onto Triple H when they were both out of it.
What? Who booked that crap?
Anyway. after that, HHH hit a pedigree, Punk kicked out at 2, and then Nash came out from the crowd.
Nash took out Punk and HHH, went for a Jacknife on HHH, but Punk attacked him. Punk then got hit with a Jacknife.
Nash went to the announcers table,and took the monitors out, and then as he turned around, HHH nailed him with a sledgehammer.
He then got back in the ring, and hit the Pedigree again and won the match.

I swear that is the finish. I may have even missed a couple of details.

The truth dragging punk of the pin spot was ridiculous. And what happened to Laurinitis? did he just leave after he "texted" Nash?

So what does all that mean? Well.. Punk was only pinned after taking 2 pedigrees and a Jacknife.. so Punk looks tough as all hell. Triple H eked out a win, and got a measure of revenge for all the crap Punk has talked about Stephanie.
Match gets 8.5/10

I saw a bunch of tweets about how "everything's back to normal" and "way to ruin it WWE".. really? You think it would be better for them to go with HHH not being in charge? Who would replace him? Johnny Ace, or.. Vince McMahon. Talk about going back to the way things were.. And they talk about how Cena winning makes it terrible product again.
NO. it doesn't. Del Rio wasn't a good champion. The only reason that match had the spot it did was because of John Cena, and because it was the RAW title. Berto will be champion again, but the timing wasn't right.

So overall, I think the pay per view was decent. I think it's a slight step down from Summerslam. And in a pay per view when every title is defended, you would think they would try to keep the quality going. You know.. to make their champions look good..

So overall.. Night of Champions was a 7/10 for me.

If you made it all the way through this, you get a 10/10 from me. It was long. let's be honest.
But thanks for reading, don't forget to follow me on twitter at @TheOZMouthpiece and leave me a comment on here too.

That's it, and That's all.