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ThunderStruck: Smackdown! Analysis 05/18/12

John Laurinaitis opens Smackdown with a promo. He asks for a prayer from everyone when they go to bed tonight. interrupts. Punk says everyone has been praying and their prayers have been answered. He says JL gets terminated on Sunday when he loses to . JL books Punk in a match with tonight. JL rants on the crowd after Punk leaves and the audience is fired up by it.

^This is WWE’s way of making the fans get very excited for something that is not going to happen. JL worked the crowd really well after Punk left and got an impressively solid reaction from them. Punk is great for making fun of JL as always; I love it!

and defeat and Titus O’Neil in a short match. Truth gets the pinfall on Young after using the little jimmy on him.

^Young and O’Neil demonstrated their ability as an effective tag team and really hung in there with the tag team champs. This match was exactly what we need to continue seeing on all the shows to keep this division exciting.

Damien Sandow refuses to face Yoshi Tatsu and cuts a brilliant promo. Tatsu calls him a chicken when he walks away. Sandow attacks him and hits a neckbreaker on Tatsu before leaving.

^Sandow is awesome. He cuts some of the better promos that I’ve heard as of late. If you actually want to see his skills in the ring, just search his name with FCW on youtube and you can see a wide variety of the work that he’s done in developmental. It’s worth taking a peek at to see his skills.

and have a backstage exchange of words where they trash talk one another.

^This was a great backstage promo between the two biggest faces on Smackdown. I’d like to see these two work a long term program together if one of them decides to turn heel.

goes one on one with . Ryder taps out to the yes-lock in under three minutes.

^Let’s bury Ryder some more before he loses in the pre-show match on Sunday. These two could’ve put on a decent five minute match with plenty of good action. I don’t understand the booking of Ryder whatsoever.

CM Punk goes one on one with Kane, and Daniel Bryan is on commentary for the match. Kane wins by DQ when Bryan smacks Kane with a steel chair. Kane attacks Punk after the match by slamming him over and over with the steel chair and chokeslams him in the ring as Daniel Bryan watches from the top of the ramp.

^This was a surprisingly good match between Punk and Kane; Punk’s flying elbow was executed perfectly and Kane moved well with Punk’s running bulldog attempts. These two both worked hard and kept me entertained throughout and Bryan’s involvement was a perfect finish to the match.

goes one on one in a champion vs champion match with . Santino wins the match with a cobra as Rhodes charges at him and runs right into it before Santino gets the three count.

^This match was fun, and the ending surprised me; I expected Rhodes to win this one. The talk of which title has more prestige by the announce team leads me to believe that this feud is just getting warmed up. Anybody else notice Rhodes seems to be gaining muscle mass and getting bigger overall in terms of his size?

Randy Orton and Sheamus go one on one in a non title match for the main event of the night. Sheamus rolls up Orton with a school boy pin for the three count after he dodges an RKO attempt by Orton. Orton shakes Sheamus’ hand after the match and then hits him with an RKO.

^This was actually as good as their match from back in 2010. I’m not entirely sure now that Sheamus is going to retain his title on Sunday, despite my prediction that he will. I really enjoyed this entire show tonight. Where did this whole wrestling concept come from anyway? NXT, Impact, and Smackdown this week were ALL full of wrestling and had minimal backstage segments. No complaints from this viewer. I’ll have my FCW and ROH columns up by tomorrow night at the latest. Until next time, you’ve been ThunderStruck!

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ThunderStruck: FCW Recap And Thoughts 05/13/12

Antonio Cesaro goes one on one with Kassius Ohno. The ref gets knocked out by Ohno’s rolling elbow roughly fourteen minutes into the match when Cesaro pulls the ref in the way. Ohno wins the match by DQ and the FCW locker room has to come down and pull these two apart.

^Cesaro and Ohno wrestled as the Kings of Wrestling on the independent circuit. This match was ppv quality without question and I want to see more of these two going one on one. The finish was good because it leaves a lot of room for this rivalry to continue.

Bray Wyatt cuts a promo before going one on one with Benicio Salazar. Wyatt wins the match in under two minutes with the frontface slam.

^Wyatt has been awesome in this role, and the squash matches aren’t as bad as I originally thought. He already has the wrestling capability, and now it’s just time for this character to develop and for people to become more familiar with it.

Brad Maddox cuts a promo on facing Richie Steamboat for the FCW Jack Brisco F15 Championship.

^Maddox is going for that unstable/insanity gimmick that Dean Ambrose has been using, and I’m not sure if it’s going to work for him. Maddox is a guy to me that still needs a lot of work in the ring to get better.

Richie Steamboat goes one on one with Rick Victor. Steamboat wins the match using the superkick on Victor and gets the three count. Brad Maddox attacks Steamboat after the match and uses the dealbreaker. He screams in Richie’s face after the attack.

^Steamboat is clearly his father’s son, and this match was very entertaining. Rick Victor looked great as well compared to his other matches that I’ve seen him in. Steamboat’s attack from Maddox makes me look forward to that match next week a lot.

Jake Carter and Corey Graves with AW are in a segment with Summer Rae. She announces that the tag team champions will be defending their titles against the undefeated team of Ascension next week on FCW.

^So first it’s Steamboat and Maddox, and now we have a tag title match booked that is going to be awesome. How much luckier can we be when it comes to FCW right now?

Bo Rotundo goes one on one with Leo Kruger in our main event of the night. Bo wins the match with a spear from out of nowhere as Kruger gets frustrated from Bo breaking the sleeper hold.

^Two former Florida Heavyweight Champions going one on one in a great matchup? Again, this show was just loaded with awesome wrestling. I read that Bo is changing his ring name from Rotundo to Dallas. I’m assuming this is just to avoid the association with his father(same as his brother changing his name to Bray Wyatt). I can’t wait to see what happens next week! Until next time, you’ve been ThunderStruck!

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ThunderStruck: NXT Redemption Analysis 05/16/12

Johnny Curtis defeats Percy Watson clean with a falcon arrow suplex after a solid four and a half minute opening match.

^I find it hard to believe that WWE would consider getting rid of either one of these guys. I was originally leaning towards Curtis being someone that they might cut when it came time to do roster cleanup, but he’s got so much talent and it just seems like it would be a horrible idea to let him go. Percy is probably the most dynamic and fun to watch young guy on the show. Unfortunately for Percy, I could also see him being a superface very quickly in WWE and having the act become stale rather fast. Time will tell with both of these guys.

and Ezekial Jackson defeat and in a six minute match. Khali botches a chokebomb(punjabi plunge) on Reks and falls on top of him as he goes down to get the three count victory.

^Well, Lightning will be pissed. I’m not sure why WWE keeps Khali around; I know Vince loves big guys, but Khali just absolutely appears useless every time he sets foot in the ring. Big Zeke is basically in the same boat from my perspective. Reks and Hawkins are a good tag team, and I’m excited to see their quest continue to get on Smackdown and win some gold.

defeats Maxine in a solid six minute match with an arm stretch/back pressure submission hold that causes Maxine to give up.

^More quality wrestling from the divas. Maxine debuted a new outfit for this match; it looked a lot better than what she wore to the ring before. I hope the rivalry between these two doesn’t end anytime soon, and I only say that because they ALWAYS put on a well worked match together.

defeats Derrick Bateman and in a great fourteen minute triple threat match. Kidd went from the sharpshooter and converted it into a dungeon lock to force Bateman to tap out.

^This was the best triple threat match that I have seen in a very long time. This was also the best I’ve ever seen Derrick Bateman wrestle. Props to him for showing up and realizing that he wasn’t producing the way he should as of late. Tyson and McGillicutty will always be two of my favorites to watch go at it no matter what sort of match they’re put in.

No backstage segments and four solid matches made up this show, and it was fantastic for a pure wrestling fan. I couldn’t have asked for anything better, and I’m very excited for the tapings to start in Florida to see where NXT goes from here. Until next time, you’ve been ThunderStruck!

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ThunderStruck: ROH Border Wars Reaction

Eddie Edwards and wrestle a short opening match and Edwards wins with the school boy rollup for the three count. went to attack Truth Martini after the match but Martini pulled out a wad of cash and gives it to . walks off and Truth is unharmed.

TJ Perkins and the All Night Express defeated the Young Bucks and Mike Mondo in a six man war. This match was insane! TJ Perkins and Mike Mondo are so talented; it’s unbelieveable to see what they did in the ring with those two tag teams. This match had a lot more to it than what I was expecting.

and Tommasso Ciampa wrestled an awesome match that ended with Lethal delivering ten backbreakers to Ciampa and ending the dominant male’s undefeated streak. This match was great from start to finish, and you have to wonder how long before Lethal will be challenging for the ROH World Title.

and Mike Bennett wrestled a style of match that was much different than their contest from Showdown in the Sun. Bennett actually controlled the pace of this match quite a bit and it was more of a brawl style contest than a technical one. I was surprised to see Bennett hold his own. The match just wasn’t filled with high spots like their last one; it was more about just beating the hell out of each other. Storm got the win with the superkick and the three count to finish Bennett off. Good match here. I can’t wait for the rubber match! Storm thanked the Toronto crowd after the match for their appreciation of the hard work tonight in the ring. He thanked ROH for still having honor in this sport. Class act.

Michael Elgin defeats Adam Cole with the 360bomb after the buckle bomb on Cole. This match was awesome too! Cole is a rising star, but Elgin is on his way to becoming a full time main eventer. He’s extremely talented for a guy with his physique. Again, this was just another great match on the card. Adam Cole superkicked Truth Martini for running his mouth after the match.

Fit and Roderick Strong wrestled a very solid technical contest with some impressive brawling outside the ring mixed in with it. Strong wins the match with a running kick to ’s jaw as he retains the TV Title by getting the three count. This matchup was completely unique to the rest of the card in how it was worked. I thoroughly enjoyed this match.

WGTT defeated the Briscoes to become the new ROH World Tag Team Champions. sprayed something on a towel and used it to choke out Mark Briscoe before picking up the three count. Before the screwy finish, these two teams wrestled an excellent tag team match for over fifteen minutes. The Briscoes showed why they are the best tag team in wrestling today, and WGTT just stole the belts back in sneaky fashion.

I’m surprised to say that this match was more of a brawl than an in ring matchup for the first six minutes or so. They used the ringside area a lot more than I expected in this one. The crowd was clearly against Davey with all of their f-you chants towards him. Steen was still able to hit most of his signature moves in this one. The crowd was hot with all sorts of chants throughout this match; they were just never quiet. Davey used the DR Driver on Steen and got a two count near the end of the match. Steen hit the F5 after an amazing exchange of blows and slaps and only got a two count. Steen then hits a moonsault off the top rope for another two count. Steen countered Richard’s ankle lock attempt and countered it into the sharpshooter, and then Richards countered back into the ankle lock when Steen’s knee buckled. Steen grabbed the turnbuckle and Davey pulled so hard that Steen ripped the turnbuckle off and Davey flew face first into the exposed turnbuckle when Steen was able to counter the hold. Steen then hit the sleeper suplex followed by the package piledriver and the three count to become the new ROH World Heavyweight Champion! Steen is hugged by Jimmy Jacobs and Steve Corino after the match. This match was great; it wasn’t what you would call a five star classic in terms of a technical matchup, but it’s a solid four plus stars for the story it told and the performance these two gave us.

Now THAT is how you deliver a great pay per view. I hope now that the first two pay per views of May have been good that the third and final() delivers this coming Sunday. Thanks for checking this out and remember that you can view this show for only fifteen dollars on rohwrestling.com.

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Thunder And Lightning: Over The Limit 2012: Thoughts And Predictions

is this Sunday on ppv, and here are Mike Lightning’s predictions for the show along with my own. I don’t have a lot to say about this show, and that’s mostly because I’m letting the show speak for itself and hoping the outcome isn’t as obvious as it appears to be. Based on the card, it could flop, or it could flourish. Let’s get to it.

Speculation:
Lightning and I both believe that Miz and Brodus Clay will wrestle an impromptu match, and we both believe Brodus’ squash run will continue at Miz’s expense. We also think Ryback will squash someone in a quick match as well. Lightning thinks his opponent could be Alex Riley; I think there’s a possibility they could randomly book him to face or Santino. Rhodes and Santino have a champion vs champion match on Smackdown this week, and it’s also possible that they could have a match again this Sunday.

Confirmed Card:

Preshow Match: vs.

JT: Kane will win. The misuse of Zack Ryder will continue. The match will be short.

ML: We have nothing relevant for the Big Red Machine to do right now, so we’ll book him against a guy who he really hasn’t feuded with but has been involved in a few of his storylines. This match has no buildup but will conclude a “feud” that has gone on since Ryder and Cena were “BFFs.” There really isn’t much more to say about this match.
Predicton: Kane

Divas Champion vs.

JT: Layla just came back, and she’s been on a role. If you want to talk about some bringing legitimacy, I’m going to have to argue that Layla has helped make the divas division legitimatte. This should be a good match, and I hope it’s given 8-10 minutes for these two to tell a good story. I don’t think Beth will get the title back just yet; it’s more fun to watch her chase it. I’m predicting that Layla retains her title.

ML: So, the “injury” angle where Beth lost the title to wasn’t about Kharma. It was about Layla? That doesn’t make much sense to me. My guess is, winning the Divas Title was to try and lure the Bella Twins into re-signing with the company. When that failed, Layla made her return to win the title. That way Nikki didn’t beat Beth without an “injury,” and if the Bellas did re-sign, Nikki could hold the title for a period of time before losing it. That’s my theory on the whole thing, especially considering now that Kharma hasn’t returned. So, they scrapped the injury angle and Beth is back in the picture.
Prediction: Layla to retain the Divas Championship

WWE Tag Team Champions & vs. &

JT: Kofi and Truth just won the titles. I don’t see them dropping them this soon. This match has the potential to be really entertaining if it’s given a fair amount of time. I predict Kofi and Truth to retain their titles.

ML: With AJBP(Air Jimmy Boom Proof), my name for them, winning the tag titles on Raw a few weeks back, they were thrusted immediately into singles match against Ziggler and Swagger. With the singles matches being split between the two, it set up this Tag Match. This match, if they’re given enough time to showcase what tag team wrestling is about. Considering 3 of the 4 guys in the ring, should be competing for some sort of World Title, a tag team title match will have to do. It is nice to see some sort of gold around the waists of Truth and Kofi. Ziggler needs to break away from Vickie and Swagger, and move into the World or WWE Title pictures.
Prediction: Air Jimmy Boom Proof to retain the Tag Team Championships

vs. John Laurinaitis

JT: Lightning is right about this match. will probably help JL score the victory. If not , then it will be Lesnar. If not Lesnar, then it will finally be . There’s better odds on Big Show at this point. Even if JL wins the match like I’m predicting, it will be a lot of fun to watch Cena kick his ass for a short while. This won’t be match of the night, and it won’t even be memorable, but you know it’s going on as the main event to close the show.

ML: I’m not sure how many people have linked this match to some of the other storylines going on, but I made a connection last night that I have only shared with one person, Joe Thunder. Before, I get to that connection and reveal what I think wll happen, I’m going to comment on how bad I believe this match is going to be. JL wasn’t a very good wrestler in his “prime”….and now that he’s older, it’s going to be worse. Also, the fact that this match is going to be the Main Event, royally pisses me off, because I feel like we’re not going to even get a 2-Star match out of it. Now, that I’ve done my ranting and raving about this match…..here’s my theory.
Prediction: John Laurinaitis

QuickNote: John Laurinaitis is going to win this match with help from BIG SHOW. Yes, that’s right, Big Show. Think about it for a moment….Big Show gets fired on Raw, he had to beg for his job. If anyone on the WWE roster interferes duing the match, they’re fired. With Show being fired on Raw, he’s TECHNICALLY NOT part of the WWE roster anymore. He helps JL win the match, and the next night, gets re-hired, but he’ll be heel and on JL’s team. BOOM! You have another GIANT to feud with Cena, while Cena has to contend with Tensai, as well. That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.

World Heavyweight Championship Fatal 4-Way Match: Chris Jericho vs vs vs

JT: This should be a really good match. Jericho and Orton add a lot of star power to a match that I honestly thought would be dull if it were just Sheamus and Del Rio one on one. I don’t think Jericho or Orton will win the title right now, and I don’t think WWE has enough belief in ADR as a top heel to be the champ either. I’m picking Sheamus to win this match. If Sheamus were for some reason to not retain the title, then I would actually expect Jericho to be the surprise winner that nobody expected.

ML: I don’t believe Randy Orton and Chris Jericho were added to this match because one of them are going to win. I believe they were added to the match because WWE lost confidence in the idea of Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio 1-on-1 for the World Title. That should make Sheamus feel really good about his abilities. So far, Sheamus has defended against , an amazing wrestler who can carry anyone. Then, in his next 1-on-1 match, the WWE adds too top notch wrestlers to the mix in Jericho and Orton. Hmm….if I’m Sheamus, I’ve lost confidence in myself. If this match is done properly, it could be one of the best Fatal Four-Way matches we’ve ever seen. Either way, this match should be fun to watch.
Prediction: Alberto Del Rio to become the NEW World Heavyweight Champion

QuickNote: It doesn’t really make much sense to have Sheamus lose the title already, but the addition of Jericho and Orton, does concern me. I feel like the WWE officials may have lost confidence in Sheamus, already. I’m not sure what would have caused that to happen, but it seems fishy to me. I suspect that Sheamus and Jericho will feud from here, considering they were the last two participants and that Del Rio and Orton will start the feud I thought was going to happen back before Mania.

WWE Champion vs. Daniel Bryan

JT: The first WWE ppv meeting between the two best performers in the company happens this Sunday at Over the Limit. As long as these two get at least twenty minutes, this match will make the show worth paying for. I hope this is the start of a long rivalry that goes all summer like Orton/Christian in 2011. I could almost see the title changing hands here with the help of AJ, and then seeing Punk chase Bryan for the title over the next couple months. However, I’m predicting AJ’s involvement in this match will cost Bryan his shot and that Punk will retain the WWE Title.

ML: If there ever was a match that screamed “HEY! I COULD BE A 5-STAR MATCH!”….it’s this one. These two are both awesome wrestlers and absolutely amazing to watch. The lack of buildup for this match makes me believe that we could see a DBry and CM Punk feud. If you remember correctly, CM Punk and Chris Jericho’s feud didn’t really start off fast either. And with the backstage segment of AJ and CM Punk this past Monday, it makes me further think that this feud wll develop further. I’m hoping the WWE doesn’t book AJ to get involved in this match, this match alone can be the best match of the year. Intereference or distractions would only kill what this match is capable of delivering.
Prediction: CM Punk to retain the WWE Title

QuickNote: If the WWE does decide to book some sort of interference or distraction in this match from AJ, I actually suspect that AJ could get involved to HELP Daniel Bryan win, to try and gain approval from DBry. So, if AJ does get involved, look for a Daniel Bryan victory.

Lightning is up by four matches in our prediction challenge for the year. We predict for WWE, TNA, and Ring of Honor ppvs. Over the Limit should be an interesting show this Sunday, and I hope for all of our sakes that the outcome is not as predictable as we made it sound here. Thanks for reading!

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ThunderStruck: TNA Sacrifice Reaction

opened with a solid tag team match that resulted in new champions being crowned in Daniels and Kazarian. I expect Joe and Magnus to get a rematch right off the jump, but you have to wonder if TNA plans on keeping the pair together for long. These guys showcased what tag team wrestling is all about.

used the ropes to pin Brooke Tessmacher and retain her Knockouts Championship. This was a good women’s match from TNA and I’m glad Gail kept her title. She defends it well month to month and is the perfect heel to represent the division. Brooke wasn’t quite ready to be the champion, but you can see how much talent she has and know that she’ll be around in TNA for a long time to come.

Devon retained the TV Title in a short triple threat match with Robbie E. and Robbie T. I can’t see T and E lasting as friends much longer after the way things ended in this match. Devon needs a new rivalry and I’m sure TNA will come up with something for him.

beat in a decent match with a botched finish. I expect Anderson to argue that he deserves the next title shot at Bobby Roode, but I don’t think this will be his last match with Hardy as long as Jeff claims that the pinfall wasn’t legitimate. I’m thinking both of these guys might be involved with the title match at Slammiversay if King of the Mountain is brought back.

Crimson defeated in an impromptu match. EY gets mistreated and can wrestle better than most of the roster. Crimson is not very talented and pretty bland to watch in the ring. With rumored to be leaving, I don’t know what’s next for Crimson and I don’t know that I like the idea of him being involved in any important rivalries.

Austin Aries defeated Bully Ray in the second really good match of the night. Bully Ray’s losing streak continues, and I’m curious when and who he will end up getting a win over. I thought the new gimmick would mean a more dominant character that won matches, but instead this losing streak is somewhat comical and will add to the character’s storyline anger. Aries is great, and I’m not sure who he is supposed to drop the X Division Title to before going after the World Title down the road.

defeated using the ankle lock after AJ was distracted by Kazarian and Daniels. Angle and Styles took care of Daniels and Kazarian after the match. It looks like Styles and Angle will be forming a tag team in the near future. As for the match, this is one of those battles that will be highly underrated and not talked about nearly enough. Their match was awesome and could have easily been the main event of the night. Angle and Styles never fail to put on a good show together, but I’m not sure if they’ve had a better overall wrestling match with one another before now. Good booking from TNA.

Bobby Roode defeated RVD in a ladder match to retain the World Title. It was a good ladder match, but it wasn’t in the top ten ladder matches of all time or anything. It worked, and now Bobby Roode looks like one of the most dominant World Champions in the history of TNA. I expect him to hold onto the title until James Storm takes it back.

This was a really good show. I’d like to reference the quote below to talk about what I think attributed to some of the success of this event. Everything went right and we didn’t have to listen to any Hogan or Bischoff promos. This is what TNA needs to do every month going forward. Forget the drama and forget the authority figures. Just shut up and wrestle. WWE could take a lesson on this as well. Thanks for reading!

“It was noted by some TNA Wrestling employees Sunday night how good Sacrifice was without , and ’s last-minute involvement. All three individuals were not on hand for the annual pay-per-view event.” – wrestlenewz.com

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ThunderStruck: Raw Analysis 05/14/12

Raw opens with a backstage segment between and John Laurinaitis. JL tries to tell Hunter he didn’t know Lesnar would attack him the way he did. says he will address the world with what he wants to say; he wishes JL luck in his match on Sunday.

^Anybody else wonder why JL wasn’t fired by Trips after his business with was dealt with? How about the fact that JL has acted ridiculous and abused power? Are the board of directors in charge of JL instead of Triple H? The lack of explanation makes me think the WWE wants me to be stupid and not care. If we’re not supposed to care about those details, then why even have the storyline?

Triple H comes to the ring and talks about quitting every time things get tough. comes out and taunts Triple H with the fact that Lesnar is going to sue him for the money the WWE owes Lesnar. Hunter grabs Heyman and threatens him. Heyman gets pissed and tells Triple H he now has another lawsuit against him for assault and battery.

^Paul Heyman is great on the mic, and he basically makes the feud between Lesnar and Trips more interesting. I could honestly care less about the match that’s being built around this storyline though. Lesnar CAN wrestle well, but he doesn’t make other wrestlers look good. Triple H can work a solid match, but he’s not a standout show-stealer and he’s past his prime.

and defeat and Daniel Bryan when Punk hits the GTS on Rhodes for the three count.

^Match of the night. It was odd pairings but it was decent tag team wrestling. I love watching Punk come out on top, but I’m disappointed with how little air time he received and how little build he and DBry have been given for their match this Sunday. The match itself will speak volumes for both superstars. I’m glad WWE put Santino and Rhodes in the same match; this was a good way to remind of us how little Cody defends his title and how even worse the fact is that Santino’s US Title run has been completely meaningless.

defeats in under two minutes with the glam slam while watches on from the top of the ramp. takes Beth down in a fast altercation after the match.

^Let’s piss on the divas some more, WWE. Really? Both of these ladies could’ve put on a solid six minute match that would’ve been fun to watch. I’m excited for Layla and Beth’s match this Sunday.

defeats with a chokeslam after JL demands an apology from during the match. After the match, JL humiliates Show and makes him apologize repeatedly and get on his knees. JL fires Show anyway.

^Kane and Big Show has been done. It was boring in the past and it was boring tonight. I respect both men and what they can do in the ring in the right situations, but where the hell is the consideration for them when it comes to consistent and even halfway interesting booking? The segment with JL and Show was ridiculously long and dragged out. It wasn’t all that entertaining, but I’ll admit that Big Show seems to be a good actor. He’ll have his job back before you know it.

Brodus Clay and Jimmy Boom defeat and ZigSwag in a six man tag match. Brodus gets the pinfall on Miz after trouble in paradise from Kofi and a big splash.

^I’m not going to complain about this match; we saw some legitimate wrestling and got to see some of my favorites in the ring. The tag title match this Sunday will be good; I’m expecting an impromptu Brodus Clay match with the Miz now.

Backstage segment with CM Punk and AJ Lee. AJ wishes Punk good luck in his match on Sunday. Punk tries to be nice but tells AJ that he doesn’t trust her and that she’s been unstable as of late. She looks pissed/upset when he walks away.

^AJ getting involved in the match this Sunday? I don’t think it will change the outcome, but it could definitely make things more interesting if Punk continues to treat her the way he did just now.

defeats by DQ when (on commentary) attacks Jericho after Y2J shoves Orton into . and Orton try to brawl after the match but the refs come down and separate the two.

^Not that I think Jericho or Orton will be the World Champ anytime soon, but I’m glad they’ve been introduced into this feud with ADR and Sheamus. This match could’ve been more; every match with Jericho could be better but lately the majority of them seem to go without a normal finish. I was half expecting Christian to make his comeback and join in on the fun with this match.

JL and close the show in the ring. Cena makes fun of JL every time he tries to talk. comes out and delivers a letter to JL from the board of directors before he can make his announcement. Cena reads it aloud. JL is fired if he loses Sunday, and any Superstar that gets involved in the match will be fired. JL is not allowed to name any special referees or change the match in any way. The crowd loves it. Cena asks JL what he wanted to say before the letter was delivered. JL slaps Cena across the face and walks away.

^Cena was funny trying to imitate Jim Carrey; it worked surprisingly well for him. I’m amazed at how much effort WWE has put into getting the fans to cheer for Cena, and they’ve actually had some success with it. I’ll talk more about the match in my predictions column, but I actually feel like this promo(mostly Cena) kept the show from being completely mediocre.

Overall, this was not my favorite Raw. This basically felt like a continuation of the same old thing with absolutely nothing new introduced. I mean you could see WWE trying to change things up with the six man tag instead of a Brodus squash, and you could see the lack of Tensai(odd for how much they wanted to push the guy). There was also a blatant lack of backstage segments(I’m not complaining about this specifically, but follow me for a second). It wouldn’t have been a problem, but the in ring segments were dragged out horribly and we had a hundred replays of things that we’ve already seen. Was this show booked in a hurry without any careful planning? I love WWE, and I’ll never stop watching, but I definitely was not impressed with this show as a whole. I’ll have my reaction column and some other stuff up in the next couple days. Thanks for reading.

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Thunder’s Take: TNA Sacrifice 2012: Thoughts And Predictions

TNA produced a very solid ppv in last month. Out of the last three episodes of Impact Wrestling, two of them were very solid. This pay per view has had a solid build to the card. The key word here is solid. TNA is taking a more entertaining turn with their storylines and match booking and I’ve been impressed with it as a whole recently. This should be a good show and I’ll definitely be watching live on Sunday.

TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
Robbie E vs. Devon vs. Robbie T: I look at this as a very simple and predictable match. T and E will end up fighting over who gets the pinfall and the title, and that will lead to Devon winning the match and retaining his title. I like Robbie E. as a competitor, but it’s time for him to move on to a new rivalry and it’s time for Devon to defend the title against other opponents.

KNOCKOUTS CHAMPIONSHIP
Brooke Tessmacher vs. : Considering this isn’t WWE and Impact Wrestling books their female talent far better than Vince could ever dream of, I’m expecting a really good matchup from these two. Gail has been successful defending the title for awhile now and it’s hard to see her hot streak coming to an end. Brooke is a great wrestler, but outside of having a great match, I don’t see her coming out on top in this one. I predict to remain the Knockouts Champion.

Bully Ray vs. X Division Champion Austin Aries: The common theme going into this match is that Bully Ray has been losing and getting embarrassed for months now. It’s hard to imagine that TNA will book him to lose this one, but I don’t think it matters much. Aries and Ray could tear the building down and just beat the hell out of one another and the crowd will love it. I am however predicting Austin Aries to lose this match and continue the rivalry into next month’s big ppv event, .

TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Daniels and Kazarian vs. & Magnus: Joe and Magnus have become a very successful tag team over the course of their title run, and they’ve been quite impressive to watch as a team. On a singles level, Joe doesn’t wrestle nearly as well as he used to. He looks like he’s in worse condition than ever and just doesn’t give a damn about his appearance. I hope he decides to turn this around and try to work his way back into the World Title scene in TNA. Joe aside, Daniels and Kazarian have been highly misused and hardly treated with any major importance. I’d like to see them get a title run and turn this into a big time tag team rivalry. I’d like to see Daniels and Kazarian be booked to win the match, and that’s going to be my official pick.

vs. Mr. Anderson: I don’t think this will be the match of the night, and I don’t this will be anything near either individual’s best match, but I do think these two will work their asses off to entertain the crowd with a good matchup. Both of these guys would make great additions to the main event if it were to be a fatal four way ladder match for the World Title. If that doesn’t happen, then I pick Anderson to win this match.

vs. “The Phenomenal” : The best one on one wrestling match of the night is what you will find in this match. I’m afraid of the possible outside involvement from Kazarian and Daniels, but the two of them effecting the finish will not ruin just how entertaining these two can be in the ring together. I could actually see Angle and Styles forming a tag team to take the titles off Daniels and Kazarian once they win their match. For this one on one match, however, I’m predicting Angle to come out the winner.

LADDER MATCH – WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP:
vs. champion Bobby Roode: This may not be the best overall wrestling match of the night, but these two are going to put on the most entertaining battle of the night. Unfortunately for Van Dam, this is Roode’s title run and Roode’s title run won’t be ending until James Storm comes back to reclaim the championship. Robert Roode will come out of this as the winner and look like the most dominant TNA Champion since last held the NWA World Title.

I’m expecting a very entertaining show, and I don’t think TNA is going to fail to live up this time. It should definitely be worth checking out on Sunday. Make sure you Ring of Honor’s Border Wars on Saturday night as well. You can order the show for fifteen dollars on rohwrestling.com and view it on their site as well. Thanks for reading; enjoy the show!

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ThunderStruck: Smackdown! Analysis 05/11/12

and team up against and to open Smackdown. The match gets stopped shortly into it when the ref loses control and the four men brawl. Orton is booked into a match with ADR tonight and Sheamus is booked into a match with Jericho.

^So Smackdown opens for a second week in a row with a match that doesn’t have a finish? I smell a lack of creative thinking here. That’s okay though; sometimes it’s better to have singles matches as opposed to always seeing tag matches when four guys are involved in a rivalry. Also, since the , I never get tired of watching Sheamus and Jericho in the same ring.

AJ destroys in a short match and pins her after a knee to the temple. comes to the ring after the match. Bryan tells AJ he’s never seen her so ruthless. He tells her he’s looking forward to moving on to Kaitlyn after he wins the WWE Title at . She gets angry and looks like she might slap him, but she walks away instead. Bryan laughs and leads the crowd in yes chants as she walks away.

^Anybody else think AJ might be involved in Bryan’s match this Sunday? But, I expected AJ to become involved at and she didn’t, so I’m not sure if she will play a factor or not. I wish her match with Kaitlyn was allowed to be longer than a minute, but I see the purpose of the storyline to put over the psycho angle further.

Daniel Bryan goes one on one with . John Laurinaitis rings the bell when Bryan applies the yes-lock on Show. Show never tapped out. JL gets in the ring and confronts about making fun of him on Raw. JL tells Show he doesn’t believe his apology. He tells Show that he will apologize again on Raw, and it better be a damn good apology. JL stops at the top of the stage and says he is going to shake the WWE to its foundation when he defeats John Cena.

^More bullying from Laurinaitis to Show. Anybody want to gamble that Laurinaitis will start to treat Show like a robot under his control?

Heath Slater cuts a promo before being destroyed by Ryback in a short match.

^The one man southern rock band found the Smackdown script once again, and he managed to be used in that jobber role yet again. I think it’s safe to say it’s official that Slater is the modern day Brooklyn Brawler. Ryback looked good, but he only did the usual moveset. Anybody else want to see more from this gimmick?

Teddy Long plays the role of guest ring announcer for Alex Riley’s match with Antonio Cesaro(accompanied by Aksana). Cesaro is referred to as the Swiss Sensation, Rugby Baller, and Aksana’s delight by Teddy. Cesaro wins the match very quickly with the front body slam that he’s been using. Aksana tells Teddy that they are just friends and that Antonio is now her lover. She kisses Antonio in front of Teddy.

^If Vince’s idea of entertaining television is cruel treatment of specific characters, he succeeds on a regular basis. I definitely had sympathy for Teddy when this storyline started, but not it’s just sickening. Cesaro looked good in the ring as usual, but I’d like to see him wrestle a longer match(like what he does on FCW) so the fans can get a good idea of what he’s really capable of.

Randy Orton goes one on one with Alberto Del Rio. Ricardo Rodriguez causes the DQ finish when he launches himself off the ropes at Orton when he calls for the RKO. Orton lands the RKO on Ricardo instead and the ref calls for the bell. Del Rio applies a cross armbreaker on Orton after the match and refuses to break the hold.

^These two were supposed to have a match at according to rumors, but I’m glad Orton feuded with instead. These two in the ring don’t do a whole lot to impress me together. Del Rio is just very bland. The storyline of him applying the cross armbreaker to weaken all of his opponents is interesting to to me; I wonder how it will affect the match at Over the Limit.

defeats in just under four minutes with both men’s partners at ringside for the match. Kofi hits Swagger with trouble in paradise from the outside and its followed up by the Truth’s finisher.

^This was a short little match to promote the tag team match that’s been signed for Over the Limit. I like the booking move, and maybe this will lead to Ziggler and Swagger capturing the titles or at least be a match to remind WWE of just how great is in the ring.

and Zack Ryder team up and face off against and Titus O’Neil. O’Neil pins Ryder after a “get ‘em blaster” double team backbreaker into an elbow drop from Young. O’Neil makes Lillian Garcia repeat the announcement that they won the match and they cut a ridiculous promo on themselves talking about being the future tag team champions and then do a money dance.

^ is right about a few things: O’Neil and Young are fresh and full of charisma. They’re also a very solid tag team in the ring. I can see these two carrying the tag team gold and becoming one of the better tag teams in this century. This was a solid tag team match all around.

Damien Sandow is interviewed by . Sandow apologizes for confusing Striker last week with his vernacular. He talks about the false prophets in WWE that he will expose for not being true to enlighten the audience. He ends the interview and says your welcome before Striker can say anything else.

^Sandow is going to become a star. I have a feeling we might be waiting awhile for him to wrestle an actual matchup with this gimmick. I’d love to know if he’s writing his promos himself or if someone is writing them for him.

Hunico and Camacho attack Brodus Clay and beat him to the mat. Hunico then goes one on one with Clay and gets squashed again. Brodus wins the match after the modified tbone and then a splash.

^Vince’s love for the big guys just needs to stop. When is he going to wake up and realize that this is just awful booking? You have three guys that are booked to squash their opponents in quick fashion. Two are faces and the other, a heel. One moves his arms up and down like an idiot robot, the heel looks like he’s gained a hundred pounds since he last appeared in WWE, and the third dances and mocks being a dinosaur. The sad part here? The guy who was squashed in this match, Hunico…yeah. He has more talent in the ring than all three of the previous mentioned performers combined.

Chris Jericho goes one on one with Sheamus in the main event of the night. ADR comes down and tosses Jericho into the steel steps, causing a DQ. Del Rio jumps on Sheamus and applies the cross armbreaker. Orton makes the save. Orton and Sheamus argue over who is going to hurt Del Rio. Jericho slips in the ring and hits the codebreaker on ADR before sliding to the outside. Orton follows up on ADR with an RKO, and then Sheamus finishes the trio of attacks with a brogue kick to the man of destiny. Orton and Sheamus stare at one another to close the show.

^I hope Jericho and Sheamus are put into a one on one rival over the World Title down the road. These two in the ring together are just great to watch. They have a natural in ring chemistry where they work very well and one guy doesn’t need to carry the match. They both work equally as hard at putting on a good show when facing off. As for ADR, it was a lot of fun watching him fall victim to his three opponent’s finishers to close the show.

This felt more like I was watching Raw than Smackdown in the sense that the matches were very short, but on the plus side we got to see a lot of talent in the ring tonight. Between Daniel Bryan, the team of O’Neil and Young, and the Swagger/Truth match, we saw some decent wrestling tonight for sure. I’ll give the show a thumbs up, and it’s mostly because we weren’t beaten to death with many promos and interviews. Make sure you check out my ROH Border Wars predictions and my predictions that will be up tomorrow. Until next time, you’ve been ThunderStruck!

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Thunder’s Take: ROH Border Wars: Thoughts And Predictions

Border Wars is shaping up to potentially become the greatest pay per view in the history of Ring of Honor, and that’s saying a lot for a company that almost always delivers big on it’s pay per views. This show will feature the very best wrestlers of today along with three talents from the past that helped shape professional wrestling into what it is today. How can you not be excited for this show?

Likely Match: Six Man Tag: The Young Bucks and Mike Mondo vs The All Night Express and Technical Lightning TJ Perkins: Perkins is one the best high flyers in ROH and having him on any card makes a show that much better. The Bucks and the Express have been feuding for awhile now, and I can easily see this feud continuing and these two teams going a few more rounds. I predict for Mondo and the Bucks to pick up the win in this match if it does indeed take place.

Special Attraction: Dave “Fit” vs Roderick Strong: likes to fight, and that’s good for him because he will have his hands full with Roderick Strong in this match. It will be interesting to see two very different styles here with Strong being an all around wrestler and being more of the brawler with technical skills. I wouldn’t expect a clean finish in this one, and I predict that Roderick Strong will come out of this match the winner. I don’t think the TV Title is on the line in this match, which is fine for these two because it doesn’t have to be to make this match any better.

Special Attraction: Michael Elgin vs Adam Cole: Cole is an up and coming star, and Elgin is just one big match away from turning face and chasing the World Title. I was looking at the PWI 500 from 2010 the other day, and Elgin was ranked around the 360 range. It’s insane to think how much can change in such a short period of time. Elgin’s match with Davey Richards at Showdown was epic and deserves major recognition as one of the best wrestling matches of 2012. Cole is a guy that’s really making a name for himself across the independent circuit, and a huge match with Elgin could really boost his stock. A win here for Cole would be awesome, but a loss wouldn’t hurt him either. I predict Michael Elgin to pick up the victory in this one.

Grudge Match: Tomasso Ciampa vs : This rivalry has been heating up for months, and these two are about to put on a potential classic where they destroy one another. Lethal losing the TV Title doesn’t matter much as long as he continues to put on great matches. Ciampa is also a rising star that I could see in the main event scene down the road. For this match, I predict Ciampa will come out with the victory.

Challenge Match: Eddie Edwards vs : I love what does when it comes to brawls, and I love Eddie Edward’s style in the ring and so I expect this to be a great matchup. This isn’t just another henchman from the House of Truth that we’re talking about here; is one of the most accomplished brawling artists in the industry, and these two together will tear the building down. Like a lot of the matches on the card, I don’t see a loser in this one no matter who gets the pinfall. I’ll talk for the win to set up a rematch at the next .

Fight Without Honor for the ROH World Tag Team Championship: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team vs The Briscoe Brothers: I’m going to trust ROH when they say this is the last match for this feud, but I still think this one could top all their other encounters. I look for the Briscoes to pick up the big win here and retain their titles. I also expect that their might be some ironic handshakes at the end of this “fight without honor.”

Return Match from Showdown in the Sun: Mike Bennett w/ vs : To be honest, I don’t find Mike Bennett to be all that special. Maybe sees something in him that we just don’t see. Storm carried their Showdown match from start to finish, and I wouldn’t expect this match to be any different. If Storm wants to put someone over, he should take a look at a guy like Mike Mondo. For this match, I’ll predict Storm to pick up the win and for these two possibly even be booked for a third fight down the road.

ROH World Championship Match: Davey Richards vs Kevin Steen: This match could potentially become known as one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time, and this is not an exaggeration. Steen and Richards are two of the best in the business and both bring unique styles to the table. The clash of these two could be the biggest World Championship match that Ring of Honor has ever produced. I CAN’T WAIT! The rumor is that Davey plans on leaving for Japan, and the stipulation is that this is Steen’s only shot. I fully expected Steen to win the title here, but now I’m thinking he might lose this match and force his way into a rematch on another card. How can you only put these guys on an ippv one time? The potential here is to huge to just let it be one and done. I predict Davey holds onto the title in this one to keep the feud going.

No complaints here about the card or the buildup to this event. ROH has done a good job promoting the show and this will be the first time that the show is available directly through the rohwrestling.com website. I hope if you’re not a follower of ROH that you would at least consider checking this show out. It’s only fifteen dollars to order and it will be worth every penny and then some. Thanks for reading!

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