Having Alex Riley open the show was an excellent move, as he truly shined in his promo and made me looking forward to his future days in singles competition.The video package showcasing The Miz and his high intensity was simply awesome to say the least, and a good attempt to rebuild the Awesome One going into Over the Limit on Sunday.
I literally marked out after hearing CM Punk was taking on Kofi Kingston, seeing they had yet to face each other in a singles match and given their history together. I was a little disappointed to see the match only last four minutes, but at least Punk went over clean in order to gain back some momentum he's lost recently. The Divas match was weak as expected, but I can only hope it leads to Kelly Kelly taking the belt off Brie Bella seeing that the twins do not make good champions. The angle with Kharma furthers my interest, and hopefully leads to a match between the two down the line. Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio always deliver strong matches, even if the finish was a little weak. R-Truth's promo following the match gives me hope his heel persona will pay off. Words can not describe how badly I want this angle between Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler to be over. We hear the same thing every week now, and the added foot stipulation did nothing to add interest into this match for me. The tag team match was nothing special, but much like Punk's match, I was glad to see Nexus go over here to show that Kane and Show can be defeated. I am impressed with Swagger's showing against John Cena and would like to see a future feud between the two, even though I'd love to see Swagger go babyface after abandoning Cole earlier in the show. I was a little confused as to why Cena was the one getting the better of The Miz as the show closed, but at least he showed aggression. Overall, it was a decent show. It did an acceptable job building hype for Over the Limit, and also provided us with some limited in-ring action. Final Grade: B- Monday Night Raw
With only a week left until Over the Limit, this week's RAW did an acceptable job of building towards the upcoming pay-per-view. The wrestling was a little light, but it was successful in including everyone in the broadcast with some sort of purpose. Khamra's interactions with the Divas have begun to grow stale, but it still excites me to see the women's division be basically dominated by one of the best women's wrestlers in the industry today. I disliked the jobbing of MasonRyan to the WWE Tag Team Champions Kane and Big Show, and hopefully the tension within the Nexus does not come to a breaking point since Ryan is still very green in the ring and won't be able stand on his own. Dolph Ziggler has just become just another fish in the sea, which is unfortunate given his potential, but worthless wins won't help him improve and climb the ladder to a World Championship. Alex Riley had a nice showing against the WWE Champion John Cena, but it was easily predicted he would be buried once again. Another predictable match was the main event, where we saw The Miz once again earn contedership against John Cena at Over the Limit. However, the action should not be taken for granted and certainly won match of the night. Overall, this RAW earns an average rating. Friday Night SmackDown The opening segment with Randy Orton and Christian nicely. I am certainly enjoying the pushes that Sheamus and Mark Henry are receiving as the top heels on the show. The Daniel Bryan vs. Sin Cara match is the type of action I was highly anticipating when both men were drafted to Friday Nights. It's unusual sight for WWE to book two faces against each other, so I throughly enjoyed the suspense that was provided during the duration of their contest. Seeing Layla with a microphone and hearing her promo made me automatically assume something was bound to happen. Michael Cole's interruption makes me wonder if the Divas are planning to plot against Cole following his match with Jerry Lawler at Over the Limit, but Kharma's interference once again proved she is a force to be reckoned with. Kane vs. Wade Barrett had to be the worst match of the night, which disappoints me seeing how they have the potential to put on a good one. It's become predictable to see any match the Corre is involved with end in disqualification, and it takes away from the group's credibility. Their attacks have also grown stale, but I did enjoy Ezekiel Jackson's brief dominance he displayed prior to the beat-down. The Khali Kiss Cam is pointless but harmless, and doesn't annoy me to watch since it is not a weekly thing. I am becoming more and more intrigued with the program between Khali and the debuting Jinder Mahal, as it seems to be leading to a supposable heel turn by Khali. I am also content the Punjabi Playboy is finally involved in an angle that doesn't make others look weak. The match between Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase was disappointing since it was treated as a throwaway victory, but it does surprise me they booked these two to fight seeing they are both heels. The main event tag team match was solid and received excellent time, with awesome showings from all four men. The finish was very well done and built towards the World Title match next Sunday. Overall, this was an enjoyable edition of SmackDown. It built hype for the upcoming Over the Limit, had decent action match-wise, and didn't bore me as usual with giving me the feeling that watching it this week wasn't a chore. Within only a matter of days, the entire landscape of the WWE has changed immensely. Whether it be the ground-breaking WWE 2011 Draft or the historic World Championship victory, to Michelle McCool's immediate retiring and even the controversial capturing of Osama bin Laden on Sunday, this past week proved to be on the most memorable in professional wrestling for the first time in a good while.
Alas, Bleachers, GSM has returned from a week-long hiatus to present to you the fallout from this past Sunday's WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view. Although I was out of town all weekend, I was fortunate enough to return in time that night to view the amazing Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which was probably the best event so far this year. Now as we move forward to what is awaiting on the horizon of professional wrestling, we now turn on our focus to the upcoming WWE pay-per-view, Over the Limit, which will occur in nearly three weeks. As one of the latest additions to the event lineup last year during the revamping of the entire schedule, last year's May event would be soon known as one of the most lackluster shows of 2010. I thoroughly enjoyed the Judgement Day events that originally occupied the May pay-per-view slot, but it was possibly due to the buy rates that would lead the WWE to replace it with something that felt fresh. I'm not really sure how adding an event with a ridiculous name and a disappointing card would help improve that. Hell, I've seen independent shows with better event names than Over the Limit. Anyways, I have composed a list of 10 potential pay-per-view titles that, in my opinion, would be suitable replacements for the upcoming event. Obviously, it's too late for any of these to go into effect now, but one can only hope some could be taken under consideration by WWE management. On a side note, most of these event names are current titles of event shows I host under my personal business, Next Era Wrestling, that I've created. I apologize to those that may have suggested some of these titles before without my knowledge, as that was not my intention to steal other's ideas. Redemption With the removal of the former annual pay-per-view Backlash from the line-up last year, I have also been thriving for something similar to rightfully replace it. Redemption could be the blow-off to many continuing rivalries from WrestleMania, with the Superstars earning justice once and for all. Day of Darkness This specific title in North East Wrestling serves as the equivalent to WrestleMania, but I understand it could play an entirely different role in WWE. It could be the counter to the now questionable Night of Champions, although the name is debatable. Unbreakable During the pay-per-view revamping throughout late 2009, changes saw Breaking Point added to the line-up, where the three top matches of the evening were contested under submission rules. I liked the concept of the event and was surprised to learn it would meet the same fate as Unforgiven, so having it return under his name still in WrestleMania aftermath mode would bring in a larger audience. Crash and Bash It fits a similar format to Over the Limit, but you can decide which displays the better name. I strongly disliked the hype video for Over the Limit that aired on Sunday, with no relation to the supposed automobile theme whatsoever. This event could also bring back of what the Great American Bash used to be. Heroes Final Stand The title sounds intriguing, as if it were the climax to a boiling battle between two of the top stars in WWE. It closely resembles the name of the Last Man Standing Match, leading me to believe that the bout type could serve as this event's main event. All or Nothing Although the title may sound basic, the theme of the show could revolve around each wrestler putting something at stake in their respective matches. Whether it be each individual match or only the main event, I have always enjoyed the concept of was the headlining match of TNA Sacrifice 2009. No Vacancy The card for this specific event could be stacked with intense matches, thus earning the name No Vacancy. It's opposed to the usual WWE pay-per-views these days where matches are made on that night without prior hype or mentioning. See No Evil As we enter my personal top three picks, I present to you readers See No Evil. The title has an eerie and intimidating feel to it, which certainly surpasses the bland pay-per-view name of Hell in a Cell that we currently have now. Take No Prisoners As used in a slogan of war, the event could serve as the home of such structures such as the Elimination Chamber or Hell in a Cell if either event is scrapped anytime soon. It seems as if the title could imply a war erupting between two feuding Superstars. Capital Carnage As my personal favorite, I present Capital Carnage. With rumors spreading that the Fatal-Four Way pay-per-view in June has been replaced by a new event entitled Capital Punishment, why not spice it up a bit and add the extra carnage? It implies that the destruction of the show would be nothing short of epic. Well, there you have it, Bleachers. With such a short period of time to be building rivalries, I have a strong feeling Over the Limit will be the downfall of the steady pay-per-views WWE has produced recently. The Over the Limit title obviously has played no factor in earning more buy rates for the event, and its lackluster theme thrown into the mix adds nothing to its prestige of the potential card. Make sure to comment below with feedback on my possible pay-per-view titles and even some of your own. GSM out. |
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