Tuesday, 21 August 2012

WWE Raw 20th August 2012 Episode 1004 - Post Coverage and Review

Hot on the heels of a superb night of which was the 25th Anniversary of SummerSlam, Episode 1004 of Monday Night Raw came LIVE from Fresno, CA. This show was to answer many questions, and begin the next chapter in WWE history.
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Kicking off the show was Brock Lesnar and his advocate Paul Heyman. Lesnar prevailed the previous night at SummerSlam by defeating Triple H with the deadly Kimura Lock. What words did he have to say to the WWE Universe?
Heyman did most of the talking and gloating, and he spoke about how Lesnar made Triple H give up on his friends, his family, and the whole WWE Universe. Brock Lesnar asked for the referee of last night's match, Scott Armstrong to come out to the ring, and when he did Lesnae said two words to him, "Good Job". Paul Heyman also went on to declare Brock Lesnar as the New King of Kings, the Lord, the Master, and judging by his performance at SummerSlam, that is quite a legitimate claim. Lesnar remains unstoppable, and now we wonder, where will the pain go next?


Next up was a 6 man tag team match, as the Tag Team Champs Kofi Kingston and R-Truth (who defended their titles the previous night) teaming up with Sin Cara to take on the Prime Time Players and Cody Rhodes.
After some back and forth tag team action, the match reached its climax when Rhodes was in the ring with a high momentum Sin Cara who performed an insiguri and hurricanrana on Rhodes before a crossbody and the pin. The Prime Time Players broke up the pin before R-Truth and Kofi drop-kicked them before Kofi went airborne taking down the Prime Time Players. Cody Rhodes then tried to unmask Sin Cara, but Sin Cara got him in the pin to win the match.



Do not say Crazy!
It then went over to Matt Striker, who had the General Manager, AJ Lee for a short interview. Then we saw David Otunga return from making his movie. He said that AJ needs someone to look after her, and if anyone calls her crazy, he will file a lawsuit immediately. AJ responded to the word crazy, by saying I can use your services... In the ring tonight, and I'll choose the opponent.
We've learnt that one should never say the word "Crazy" to the GM, otherwise they will have trouble in the ring.


Feed Me More!
It was now feeding time for Ryback, taking on 2 athletes in a tornado handicap match. He was dishing out utter destruction, before Jinder Mahal interrupted with an attack, and locked in the Camel Clutch. But with unbelievable power, Ryback lifted him up and dropped him then Jinder Mahal fled as Ryback made a statement with his finisher. This rivalry has furthermore intensified.


High Stakes Clash
Backstage we saw Chris Jericho, then Dolph Ziggler came an asked for a rematch. Before they were to argue, GM AJ Lee made a huge match, Ziggler v Jericho, and the stakes were high. If Jericho lost his contract will be terminated, if Ziggler lost he would give his MITB contract to Jericho. The match was high stakes and was to bring out the best of those athletes.



Robbed from the Title
Del Rio was in the ring next talking about how he got robbed at SummerSlam. In all honestly, it was clear that he was robbed, but the referee did not see. Del Rio demanded a rematch straight away, but instead AJ came out and gave Del Rio a match against the Viper, Randy Orton!
Sheamus was at ringside to watch the action unfold, it was quite a good contest and conclude when Ricardo Rodriguez got on the apron and Orton went to get him but he jumped of the apron straight to Sheamus. Orton stared at Sheamus before Del Rio got a back-breaker from behind but Del Rio could not cover him as he got his foot on the rope. Sheamus was angered by this and he turned straight into an emphatic RKO. Orton wins.

 Lesnar Leaves
We received a Tout from Lesnar where he said he is retiring and never coming back to the WWE because he has nothing else left to conquer. If this is the case, Lesnar has left a deep trace in WWE history.



Funkasaurus loses, but gains upper hand
The Funkasuarus, Brodus Clay was in action next, with a huge challenge in front of him, that being, the Intellectual Saviour of the Masses, Damien Sandow.
Clay dominated the majority of the match, but Sandow won when he moved out the way of Brodus who crashed into the turnbuckle before a roll-up pin. As he was embracing in celebration, Brodus Clay came behind and slammed down Sandow before a gigantic splash and dancing in the ring.


Game Over?
Next, the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels was LIVE via satellite from his home in Texas. He delivered very strong and emotional words, and said he lied to Triple H, and should have told him that he doesn't think The Game would have beaten Lesnar. Tears in his eyes, he said there was nothing for HHH to be ashamed of. If this is the end of the Game, what an incredible career. Thank You Triple H.


Angry Giant
Following a commercial break, David Otunga  was in action, his opponent was a very angry giant, Big Show. He destroyed David Otunga, finished it with a WMD, and stormed out. Big Show is extremely angry and very dangerous, will this power him to the heights of the roster again?


Anger Management
Next up, AJ had made a match that would make Daniel Bryan and Kane manage their anger, by teaming up with opponents that they don't get along with. Kane was teaming up with Zack Ryder to take on The Miz and Daniel Bryan.
They managed to co exist for a short while, until Kane was tagged in and Bryan wanted to tag out but Miz refused. So Bryan slapped Kane who went absolutely nuts and chased down Bryan who escaped. He unleashed his anger by destroying the outside area and destroying Ryder with a Chokeslam and Tombstone Piledriver before storming off backstage.
Kane has became angrier and angrier, unable to contain his anger, who will be next in his path of destruction?


New No.1 Contender
Then there was a Diva's Battle Royal to determine No.1 contender for Layla's Divas Championship. The final two were Eve and Kaitlyn, and it took two clotheslines to eliminate Eve. Kaitlyn will now face Layla for the title at some point in the future.



Jericho Leaves
It was then time for a huge high stakes match, CONTRACT v CONTRACT. If Jericho lost he would have his contract terminated, if Ziggler lost, he would have to give his MITB briefcase to Jericho. These incentives were to push both wrestlers to the boundaries of their ability, and they pulled off a great match.
With superb moved, it concluded when Jericho went for the Lionsault but it was met by indeed straight to the ribs, Jericho was then on the receiving and of a ZigZag and pinned. Then as Ziggler was showing off, Jericho got the briefcase, hit it on Ziggler before a Codebreaker. What a career for Jericho, an all time WWE great, he will be missed, but what a match to go out on.


Respect?
CM Punk was next in the ring, and to finish the show he had an important announcement in regards to his Night of Champions opponent. He first went up to the announce table and asked Lawler to admit that he was wrong, after refusing, Punk told him to apologise, but then out came John Cena. And CM Punk went on about respect and how he was below The Rock, Triple H and John Cena. He had enough, and wanted to get the respect that he deserved, and not to be taking the back seat. He made Cena the No.1 Contender because he wants and has to defeat Cena again, so this time it will matter more, and he will earn respect. He made a huge ultimatum, that if Cena wants the title match, all he has to do is admit that CM Punk is the Best in the World.
In response, John Cena spoke about how his relationship win the fans is based on respect. He made an example of someone supporting a team and them not winning, you wouldn't move you would still support them. The crowd cheered to his valid points, and he refused to call CM Punk the Best in the World saying that he must know he is the best to achieve. Cena got very passionate on the microphone about believing in himself to succeed. He said that he will not sacrifice his integrity to stroke Punk's ego, and let him choose whoever he wants. He left the choice to Punk, before saying he has no respect for by title or himself.
Punk went on to invite Lawler to be ring, and told him to apologise. He said to Lawler that he went to far, and Lawler apologised. But CM Punk said he is not finished as he left, and ordered Lawler to say Punk is the Best in the World, Lawler refused to do it. And then as he exited the ring, CM Punk kicked him in the back. The crowd were disgraced, as Punk looked on at the crowd, and that is now the show ended.





This leaves a lot to be answered still. But tonight, we have potentially lost Lesnar, Triple H and Jericho. What impact will their departures have on the complexion of the WWE? And will Cena be the No.1 Contender? Find out next week! 

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Monday, 20 August 2012

WWE Raw Tonight: The Day After SummerSlam: Game Over?

Right on the heels of a superb night in Los Angeles, SummerSlam, now etched into history, writes the next chapter for WWE, as Episode 1004 comes LIVE from Fresno, California, with a lot to be answered following an outstanding night of which was the 25th Anniversary of SummerSlam.
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We saw Chris Jericho emphatically defeat Dolph Ziggler by making him tap out to the Walls of Jericho. It was a great finish to a great match, and immediately after, Dolph Ziggler used Tout to ask for a rematch. 
Will it be accepted? Could we see a sequel to the amazing match that started last night's PPV? What more must these athletes prove to establish that they can win the Big One? We will find out tonight.



Daniel Bryan got a shock victory over Kane last night at SummerSlam, which occurred when Kane was going for a Tombstone Piledriver of which was fuelled by a slap that Bryan gave Kane just moments earlier. Bryan reversed it into the roll up pin and got a victory before immediately fleeing the ring.
Kane was very angry from this, and as he stormed backstage in search of Daniel Bryan, Josh Matthews wanted a short interview, but Kane lashed out by throwing him into the crates. In reaction to this, the Raw General Manager, AJ (@WWEAJLee on Twitter) tweeted the following.
What will Kane's punishment be? And how will this rivalry continue? Where will Kane's destruction lead him to? And what is next for Daniel Bryan?



Also, last night we saw The Intercontinental Champion, The Miz, successfully ground Rey Mysterio to the extent of a successful title defence. Miz got the victory when Mysterio hit the 619, and when to the top rope for The Splash but missed. Then when both men regrouped, Rey Mysterio came running at The Miz who threw him into the air face first into the turnbuckle. Miz then finished off a dazed Rey Mysterio with the SkullCrushing Finale for the victory.
What is next for the Intercontinental Champion? And what will be next in Rey Mysterio's pursuit?


Kofi Kingston and R-Truth successfully defended their WWE Tag Team Titles, as they prevailed over the Prime Time Players, of who gave them a real challenge for the titles. The match was won when Kofi went high flying over the ropes to Titus O'Neil, as R-Truth looked on. Darren Young got a roll up pin from behind but R-Truth kicked out before a Lil Jimmy finisher to retain.
The competition in the Tag Team Division is sure to determine New No.1 Contenders, of course they could be the Prime Time Players. Kofi and Truth are at the top but for how long will they stay there?


Sheamus successfully defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio in controversial fashion. Following a very close contest, in order to give Del Rio an advantage, Ricardo Rodriguez got up upon the apron and threw a shoe to Del Rio, it fell to Sheamus instead. And with the referee's back turned, he was to throw it at Alberto's face followed by an Irish Curse, then a pinfall. Del Rio got his foot on the rope but the ref did not see and Sheamus took it off to retain his title.After the match Del Rio protested against the decision and to Booker T, and we received word that Booker will address it this Friday on SmackDown. But what about tonight? Will Del Rio take matters into his own hands? What is coming to Sheamus?


CM Punk may have earned the Respect he has been campaigning for after retaining his title in a Triple Threat match last night. The match reached its climax when Cena and Punk had submissions locked in on Big Show, who tapped. But there was no initial winner, so to sort the issue, the Raw GM, AJ Lee, restarted the match. Punk and Cena were furious of this decision and they turned around into Big Show who delivered an emphatic Double Chokeslam, but it was not enough to pin either of them. The match ended when Cena gave Big Show a huge Attitude Adjustment, and Punk threw Cena out the ring to pin Big Show and retain his title? Has CM Punk earned the respect of the WWE Universe? Who will be his next opponent? How will Cena recuperate after his defeat? And what is next for the World's Largest Athlete?


Brock Lesnar and Triple H collided in a huge main event, where it was The Perfect Storm coming to Play The Game. The stars were out to witness these two beasts go at it at the Biggest Event of the Summer. Both men looked in great shape and were ready to fight, and what a superb match they had. Both men showed incredible amounts of resilience, fighting through intense pain. The match concluded when Brock Lesnar was dishing out a beating to The Game,and it was furthermore painful as the referee was letting them fight. Triple H was on the end of a devastating F5, but he kicked out before moments later delivering his second Pedigree. He went for the pinfall but Lesnar locked him in the deadly Kimura Lock and had it tight, before breaking the arm once again of The Game and making him tap out. Brock Lesnar emphatically stood tall over The Game, before leaving the ring. We then saw Triple H resist medical attention for what almost indefinitely looked like a broken arm. He got up, looked at the fans who were chanting "YOU TAPPED OUT" and said he was sorry before walking up the ramp, and one question came to mind? Is it Game Over?

Will Triple H now retire? Is this too much for him to come back from? And the Perfect Storm maybe over, but where is Lesnar's destruction coming to next?



RAW TONIGHT:

Brock Lesnar will kick off the show, but what words will he have for the WWE Universe? Will he tell us what is next?
Also, will we see Triple H? And could it be Game Over?

Shawn Michaels will address last night's happenings via Satellite, he has spoken to Triple H on the phone, so does he have a message? 

Episode 1004 will answer many questions from last night's SummerSlam. And begin the new chapter of WWE. 

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