Battle Royal
- Regal gets a nice chant but it means nothing. No audible called. Chrisitan comes back. Christian plasy face. Christian wins. Face Christian is so much better than heel Christian. Lets see how that plays out.

Kofi & Truth vs. Swagger & Dolph
- OK, so now that Swagger and Dolph are JTTS, Vickie as a character is officially dead and both guys need to disappear for awhile. I don't know if the world can handle another dancing move from Truth. That splits into a shuffle into a legdrop took forever. WHen Team BLondie did a double team on Truth, Kofi did not go for the save and Booker rightfully called him out on it. Pretty hot ending to a perfectly acceptable tag match but I don't care about any of these 4 guys... including Ziggler. How sad.

I find it amusing how Alex Riley's music always results in big pops until people see who it is.

Finish to the women's match was pretty sick

Beth Pheonix vs. Layla
- Crowd turns on the match when it got a little sloppy early on with "We Want Kharma" chants. What was the 2nd chant? I couldn't make it out. I was digging the leg work by Beth but the crowd did not give a shit. I gotta give them props. The 2nd half after Beth was working on the leg was not bad at all. Nice nearfalls, some sick looking bendy moves. Oh well, glad I didn't take a cigarette break for this one.

Jericho and Orton are horrible on the mic.

Jericho and Orton are the two most channel changing guys the WWE has had at the main event level in a long time from my perspective

Jericho needed to turn face two years ago. His heel schtick is beyond stale and I rather Orton win the title. He could feud with Del Rio and Bryan, while doing great work.

I always hated Orton on the mic. Jericho has always been extremely overrated on the stick as well. Jericho in general is amazingly overrated, or maybe I'm just tainted by his awful return. Fuck Jericho, man, seriously. I hope he goes away and never comes back. He's useless IMO.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus
- I think they should reserve these 4-way matches for mid-card guys and stay out of the main event unless there is some gimmick involved. We hate it when one guy stays out of a match forever in three-way dances but it is even more obvious and lame when two guys are "out". The one thing it does provide is a hot ending but is this a match anyone is going to remember in 2 months? I guess Jericho is now just used to put guys over. Has he won one match since coming back? To be honest, as lame as he has been, probably a good spot for him.

I like four way matches if their is a good feud behind them. This was an X Division title match.

Brodus Clay vs. The Miz
- Putting Brodus in the ring for more than 2 or 3 minutes right now really hurts him. Also, when he came back, he lost half his signature moves and the ring talking and all that stuff that made him so fun including his finisher. Oh well.

Christian vs. Cody Rhodes
- Kinda bummed. I thought they would have given this some time but it had no heat. Doesn't seem like the fans are sold on Christian as a face. It seems like they know they should cheer him but why get invested since he'll be a heel in 3 months again.

Aw fuck, Punk had to drop the 5 star classic tag. The match is cursed.

Now that was fucking awesome

Daniel BRyan vs. CM Punk
- Holy fuck, that crowd!!! Love it when smart crowds hype these two guys up.

Anyway, it is like Punk took DB into his private tour bus, popped on some Liger vs. Sano and said, "let's do a Best of this all in one". The ending with the tap right after the pin is a perfect way to set up the rematch. This is probably my American MOTY.

Fucking awesome.

The ONLY naysaying I have at all, the ONLY is that we saw SO much in the way of calling spots. They were talking to each other like crazy and the camera did a terrible job of hiding it.

But there was so much awesome, the figure four attempts, and then the SNAP dragon whip into it. One of my favorite things in wrestling is setting up move attempts that pay off later and there was just so much here, SO much. But it wasn't cutesy. And there was heaps of story and they sold things and everything had meaning and weight to it.

God that was awesome.

I liked it, but I didn't think it was better than Bryan/Sheamus last month.

I didn't either, let alone Cena/Lesnar

Still a sweet match, but I would have preferred Bryan sell the leg more at points and the spot calling was really egregious. Relatively minor quibble for a strong match though

I think the leg selling was done pretty well, myself. There were little things, like him getting up to the top too quickly and then selling AFTER the dropkick, which if we're going to compare it against top notch stuff matters, but i don't think there was a point where he forgot to sell it either before or after a move. It was always on his mind and never dropped or tossed aside. But yeah, he always remembered either before or after, never always before AND after.

There's so much stuff in this match to like I'd have to rewatch it a few times.

You guys sound like Meltzer...

Fuck, I really loved that one too.

It's tied with the Sheamus match right behind Cena/Lesnar.

Yeah God forbid that Punk/Bryan wasn't better than Davey/Elgin.

I'm going to watch it again tomorrow which I always do with matches like this.

I don't think his selling was bad, I just thought there was a lot of signature offense that involved leaping/kicking/using the knee/et after the leg work. Again it's not a match killer, but it's the reason on first watch I have it a bit lower than the top two matches from the last ppv

It's a long Punk singles match, if if you can't learn to block out the long headlock conversations you won't have a good time.

And yes that match was awesome.

I prefer the structure of Bryan/Sheamus. I'm a fan of 2/3 falls matches where each fall plays a part into the next. Punk/Bryan was like a hybrid of 90's New Japan Juniors, WWE Main Event Style and 2000's US Indy Style infront of a hot crowd. I liked it a lot.

I just noticed it way more than usual. Maybe because I was watching more closely or something. No idea.




I think part of it was self aware, though. It was a story element. In part, it's why Punk went for the leg in the first place. But more importantly, the dropping of the kneepad was a huge moment. Just like the charging knees to the ribs relatively late in the match. It was a self-aware escalation despite the risk. It was a "high risk decision." I'm not mixed up on which leg that was, am I? I wouldn't put that past myself.

I'd really have to see both this and Bryan/Sheamus again. I loved them both too.

I'm not watching, but there's a Big Show heel turn coming isn't there.

Ryback vs. Camacho
- I like the way they initially introduced Ryback but they need to do something with him to combat these Goldberg chants or he is dead in the water.

Cena vs. Johnny Ace
- Spurs game started. Only watched this half ass. Saw the Big Show turn coming a mile away.

Lawler/Cole should've been worked more like Cena/Ace. I didn't care for the mid match mic work portion of the match, but it was at least amusing. Cena abusing Ace was entertaining, and Ace only getting minor cut off spots off of dropping Cenas arm over the ring barrier and a low blow was pretty cool. Very Lawler/Hart-esque. Saw Big Shows turn coming from a mile away, but it was a plausible means of a victory for Big Johnny. Cena/Show should be a good series of matches.

Punk talks in all of his matches. It's part of the charm. You will never see a great Punk match if the spot calling bothers you.

Well, if they were gonna do the Big Show turn, I'm glad that it seems like the idea is Laurinaitis promised to give him his job back while being throttled as opposed to it being a SECRET PLAN.

Also, for once, they didn't change an obvious angle. PLANS DID NOT CHANGE.

I kind of want reluctant Show/Otunga as tag team champs.

Of all the times for the WWE to stick to their guns and resist the urge to swerve the Internet fans. Now we're stuck with this shitpile of a Laurinaitis storyline for God knows how much longer. And a secret plan would've been better. I don't see the point of making Show someone we're supposed to boo after building him up as a sympathetic figure.

I didn't order the show, but Punk/Bryan sounds like it's worth going out of my way to check out.

When anyone whispers into their opponent's ear, I go by the Fabulous Ones creed on Sally Jesse Rapheal.... " I'm talking to 'em but I can't repeat what I say to them on the air".

Someone needs to make gifs of the two Cena fans in the front row after the Show turn, the big guy in the green Cena shirt, and the kid in the black polo.

There was a GREAT kid with a Sheamus sign at one point too.

It was awesome when Jesse would cover for obvious spot calling on WWF TV in the 80s, especially if it was a heel doing it. He wouldn't miss a beat and immediately mention how Wrestler X is adding to the pain of a hold by talking smack to his opponent while doing it. I bought it completely as a kid and it didn't dawn on me until much later what was actually going on.

As much as I hate the Russo-esque "it was a plan all along!" stuff, if it wasn't a secret plan, that means Big Show really is a crying bitch who begged for his job last week. I guess since he's a heel now, it's OK to portray him that way, but man does it make him look weak.

Every time Bryan goes on one of his rants about people getting on him and Dave saying WWE changes their plans all the time, I always get the impression he's speaking to you and/or others here directly. It just adds to the normal amount of amusement I get from his George Costanza rants.

I almost just want them to do heavily piped in Ryback chants as kind of a "fuck you too then"

I loved this whole show. I went in thinking it was gonna be a one match show, Punk/ Bryan, and I ended up having a fucking blast. Granted, I was watching with friends and family on a big screen TV as we grilled steaks and pork chops, drank and smoked, and made an evening of the PPV and the eclipse. The special eclipse glasses helped when looking at Sheamus. But what a fun show! I missed the opener cause Direct TV is incompetent. The Tag match was a blast, Vickie looked hot and was kicking ass as a manager. Layla / Beth was fine, nothing great but perfectly fine and Layla is hotter than Georgia asphalt so bravo. The four way was fucking great. It started out a little dull but picked up and ended up being a shitload of fun. Miz/ Clay was a perfectly fine and fun mid card act, and Miz dancing was great. My one and a half year old nephew loves Brodus so this was a win in this house.
I liked Christian/ Cody a lot, and I hope they get more matches with more time. Christian's face turn here makes total sense and should make Dylan happy, right?

Punk/ Bryan was god damned fucking awesome. Every little detail was perfect. My favorite part was Lawler marking out and shouting that looks don't matter, it's talent. At the end of this match the whole house here was going nuts and only two of us are fans.

Ryback faced a son of Haku in a harbinger of things to come.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNBHKO0w6Jc...;feature=relmfu




Cena/ Johnny was a great time. Fun as fuck. We all called the Show turn, but it was done incredibly well.

I love how Miz came out and did a perfectly acceptable version of the Thriller dance, but Lawler had to sell as if he was dancing like Elaine from Seinfield. All the piss poor Diva matches they've ever done don't expose things as much as stuff like that does.

Was there any good reason for Punk and Bryan to not close out the show last night? Is he ever going to get real top billing as champion? He has had this incredibly long reign by modern standards, but he just feels like a glorified IC champ because there's always at least one angle that's considered the real main event above him.

The reason it didn't close out the show is because Cena is still the face of the company and will be until he retires/gets injured/takes time off. Cena has now slipped into the mode of a sort of "super fight" guy who doesn't have the title, doesn't need it and almost doesn't even want it. He's like a cross of attitude era Austin and post-Warrior loss Hogan. There is nothing else fun they can do with him in the role of company ace with the belt, so he is now quasi-company ace without the belt. It's a role that has value short term, but little value long term and ultimately undermines everyone else on the card

It's interesting, because I think what Punk needs more than anything is to be a part of the top angle on the show. With titles devalued the way they are, I think just being a part of the most important thing happening is more important than wearing the gold. I know Rock was teasing another title run in his post-WM Raw promo. I'm interested in how they're going to move the belt from Punk to Rock, or from Punk to someone else who will drop it to Rock.

The WWE probably thinks that just having the belt around his waist is enough, but that's ass-backwards. Belts don't get wrestlers over, wrestlers get belts over. Giving Punk a long title reign while Cena acts like the belt isn't worthy of his attention doesn't elevate Punk, it devalues the championship.

If anyone does rewatch, I'd be curious to hear thoughts. I kind of want to rewatch Punk vs Cena from last year too. I have a hard time figuring out what a better Punk match would look like than this, but that's where I'd start looking.

Punk had a few matches in the indies better than that, the 10/16 Samoa Joe match is a long way ahead. The Cena match last year was better too, maybe not due to the ring work but because it was an incredibly hot angle, his hometown and the ending was perfect.

Still, fun match, especially working that style in that context and having it get over. Fun to see the two guys get a good amount of time on a big WWE show, they've earned it. Daniel Bryan is all kinds of fun, he almost persuades me to watch full time. Almost, because then I'd have to sit through junk like the rancid main event on a regular basis.

It seems to me like they'll be doing a submission match next month.

Browsed through the PPV. The Funkasaurus is an intro, and nothing else. The Miz is everything I hate about modern WWE. Shitty match, the best part is watching the dancers at ringside.
Cena vs Johnny Ace, talk about draaaaaaaaaaaging a long segment with an obvious finish. Complete crap. Especially since now one punch of the Big Show is more lethal than a 15 minutes ass-beating by Brock Lesnar. Yeah, right. Gotta love the fat mark with the Cena attire at ringside though. It's still real to him damnit.
Punk vs Bryan, great fucking match. Not crazy about the ending but it plant the seeds for a rematch, and really, this is easily a MOTYC, and easily the best match I've seen in WWE since... I don't know when. Just great stuff. Amazed that the indy chants have made their way to WWE.

Um that has been Show's finisher since 2008. He beat the Undertaker with that punch.

Well, blame me for being a non regular watcher. And as a casual fan, it looked stupid as hell to me. A punch ? Really ? And it's not like Big Show throws a Bobby Eaton looking like punch either. The last guy who had a lethal punch was... Johnny B. Badd ? Oh, anyway... Terrible overlong segment. Punk vs Bryan should have gone last. God forbid we make any new legit stars though. Need more Cena vs Big Show on TV...

Two thing that bothered me as always with WWE product : the announcing was rotten. Someone should tell them that Stevie Ray was the good announcer, not Booker. And Kevin Dunn's epileptic directing sometimes bothered me during the Punk vs Bryan match. Let me watch the damn wrestling match, you don't need to switch shots every three seconds to hold my attention, retard.

Then you should hold back on commenting.