NXT Women Invade Monday Night RAW

There is a surge of electricity still buzzing throughout social media over the blockbuster announcement laid forth by Stephanie McMahon. With the resurgence of women’s sports sweeping the world, the Principle Owner of WWE nourished the Divas division with a crop of new talent from the NXT developmental system. And let’s just say this invasion angle is awesome.

After weeks of trying to bring change to the Divas division, Paige was at the end of her rope trying to thwart Nikki Bella’s stronghold on the Divas championship of nearly 240 days. But with the Bella Army including Nikki’s sister Brie, and the newest groupie Alicia Fox, Paige was initially fighting a losing battle. Rumors went around the inter-web that the women from NXT would join Paige in the fight, but the card is always subject to change.

Then the rumors started taking shape as photos leaked on twitter of some of those NXT women shown arriving to RAW in Atlanta. But that could’ve meant anything, they could have been there to film a vignette or gain some experience by simply observing. But when Stephanie interrupted Nikki’s self-praising, that’s when the landscape of the Divas division changed.

Accompanying Paige in her crusade is the lass kicker from Dublin, Ireland, Becky Lynch. The steam punk’d, orange-haired wrestler made a hell of an impression at the last NXT Takeover when she took the current NXT Women’s champion to the limit. Also joining the team is the genetically superior Charlotte. The second generation wrestler dominated the NXT women’s division for the better part of a year.

But the fight against the Bellas doesn’t just involve Paige and her new team, which the inter-web has already dubbed as the Powerpuff Girls, Naomi and Tamina Snuka have been against both Paige and The Bellas. Juxtapose to this fierce duo is the self-proclaimed boss of NXT and current reigning and defending NXT Women’s champion Sasha Banks!

Talk about a dream come true. Two years ago, Paige made the jump to Monday Night RAW from NXT, to make a name for herself and to prove that the future was with NXT. Now we have three amazing talents blazing their own trails.

And how awesome was that sight as history was being made and the battle lines were drawn. Team Bella were staring at both Paige’s team of Becky and Charlotte and Naomi’s team of Tamina and Sasha Banks? The Atlanta crowd were losing their minds! It was like a superhero battle of the ages. It was like the X-Men vs. The Avengers vs. the Guardians of the Galaxy! Then the Divas champion made the drastic mistake of pushing the Women’s champion, then all hell broke loose.

It was a moment in time created by these three women, who have broken the barriers of what women can accomplish when given a chance.

What are your thoughts on the NXT Women taking over Monday Night RAW?

That’s it for the post, follow WTX on: Instagram / Twitter / Google+ / Facebook / tumblr

Don’t forget to like the post, share it, and subscribe! Links are available on the right hand column.

About the blogger: I love pro wrestling and all of its layers of athleticism and entertainment. I also love to read and write, which is why, hopefully, WrestlingTimesX will come across as different, in a better way, than anything else that you read on the web. My mantra on wrestling, in any state, is to love it then, now, and forever.

State of Divas Division without AJ Lee?

Pretty soon after WrestleMania, the wrestling world was stunned when news broke that the former 3-time WWE Divas champion AJ Lee had decided to retire from the WWE. This, undoubtedly, has left a void in the Divas division, which poses the question, who will fill her boots?

Known as Miss April on the independent scene, AJ made her breakthrough in the WWE as a “rookie” on NXT. Although she lost the competition, AJ was bound for greatness with her charisma and her infectious skipping.

She would later capture our hearts as the crazy chick who would lip lock with the male talents. Surprisingly one of those guys turned out to be her future husband C.M. Punk (funny how storylines become reality).

AJ was also the RAW General Manager, which was very strange because we all wanted to see her compete in the ring. Although she did look cute in a suit… But then she got serious with a hint of crazy. She became very outspoken and even stood face to face with Stephanie McMahon. How did that never pay off into a main event on pay-per-view?

She was also very vocal about certain Divas, The Bellas, only coming into the business to jumpstart their modeling career, or to be famous. AJ may not have been friends with every Diva, but she was outspoken about those she respected: Paige, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Charlotte. When accepting her WWE Slammy for Diva of the Year, AJ had mentioned their names as the next Diva she would want to see winning the award. Simply put, she had the balls to say what nobody else had the balls to say.

AJ Lee left the company on top with a 2-0 win streak at WrestleMania, and a profound WrestleMania moment when she tapped out the Divas champion in the center of the ring. She had her Cinderella story come true as this nerd who wasn’t into the supermodel thing, but just a fan of pro wrestling. Hell, she cried when she met WWE Hall of Famer Lita when she was a kid. She got to live her dream as a wrestler, and now she’s living her new dream as a happily married woman.

Break the rules. Be a fighter. Any dream is possible if you are brave enough to do it YOUR way. Thank you all. pic.twitter.com/qu7bBOMFdu

— A.J. (@WWEAJLee) April 5, 2015

Thank you, AJ.

After the events of WrestleMania, I assumed that the focus would have shifted over to Paige as the next challenger for the Divas championship, but it appears that the attention has been placed on Naomi.

Naomi was a fellow graduate with AJ as a semi-finalist on NXT. Rightfully so, she has the beauty and the athleticism–plus she can do a flying butt-butt better than Colt Cabana (sorry Colt). So it is about time that Naomi gets some attention.

Now enter “Big Pimp Daddy” Kane on RAW with his HO Train of Divas putting their bid in for the Divas championship by requesting a Divas Battle Royal. So now all the Divas are involved. And while it may seem unfair to Naomi, it just may be the next challenge that she supersedes to get her championship opportunity.

However, Naomi isn’t the only Diva getting some attention: Natalya and Ashley had a great match of SmackDown with guest referee Cameron. In spite of Cameron’s ability as a wrestler (remember when she covered her opponent who was on her belly?), she justified her standings in the Divas Battle Royal by dropping both combatants with a pair of DDT’s at the conclusion of the match.

Then there’s The Miz (no he’s not a physical Diva, he just acts like one), who gave a Diva a chance by allowing Summer Rae to have a feature role in his movie. Even though Summer Rae is displayed on the cover of The Marine 4 as Miz’s equal–and the main reason why most guys will watch it–Miz does have a point. She may or may not be a co-star in the movie, but she damn well held her own on the mic against The Miz. Now that was Awesome.

The landscape of the current Divas Division is starting to get interesting, but the moment the NXT women’s wrestlers start getting called up to the main roster, that’s when things will get really interesting.

That’s it for the post, follow WTX on: YouTube / Instagram / Twitter / Google+ / tumblr

Don’t forget to like the post, share it, and subscribe! Links are available on the right hand column.

About the blogger: I love pro wrestling and all of its layers of athleticism and entertainment. I also love to read and write, which is why, hopefully, WrestlingTimesX will come across as different, in a better way, than anything else that you read on the web. My mantra on wrestling, in any state, is to love it then, now, and forever.

Give Divas a Chance

WrestlingTimesX is not a misogynistic blog. WTX gives Divas a chance no matter how bad they may be on the mic or in the ring (that’s right, Bellas). WTX supports the exposure of talented women like a Paige or an AJ Lee (not like that… #NakedPaige)

When the #LikeAGirl spot aired during the Super Bowl, WWE followed with their own #LikeAGirl spot featuring WWE Divas from the main roster and NXT to demonstrate that their Divas are role models because they are strong and beautiful. But after a brutally short Divas Tag Team match on Monday Night RAW, the #GiveDivasAChance movement was born because, clearly, WWE needs a reminder that the Divas should not be overlooked.

Before making her return to WWE this past Monday, AJ Lee blindsided Stephanie McMahon on twitter stating that the Divas were grossly underpaid despite being on the highest rated segments and having record-selling merchandise. Stephanie McMahon was said to be livid–wouldn’t you be if your employee made you and your company look bad on social media? But her response–probably advised by office staff members and Vince McMahon himself–was curt, yet professional. Because it’s not like Stephanie could berate AJ Lee on twitter after just tweeting about Women’s Rights and Using Your Voice to be heard. She would’ve been a total hypocrite.

Much like her husband, AJ is not afraid to voice her opinions in a public forum such as an episode of Monday Night RAW or on the twitter. And despite the fact that she does not like the term “Diva”, AJ is very vocal on the importance of women’s wrestling.

Yet, in true WWE fashion, while Vince may “hear” the fans clamoring for more women’s wrestling, the movement has already been downplayed to where R-Truth, who will be one of the participants in the Intercontinental championship ladder match at WrestleMania, promoted his own hashtag at commentary #GiveTruthAChance. This of course trended on twitter for some time because: A) It was entertaining; and B) Wrestling fans what to see more talents being utilized.

With WrestleMania so close and the predominate Divas storyline focused on Paige’s title hunt against Nikki Bella with Brie Bella, and now a returning AJ Lee, will WrestleMania have a Fatal Four-Way bout for the WWE Divas championship; or will it subject us to a multi-free-for-all Divas Battle Royal as in previous years?

But in the mean time and in between time, while we wait for the WWE to give Divas a chance on the main roster, check out NXT on the WWE Network and watch the women’s matches there. At NXT Takeover R-Evolution, Charlotte and Sasha Banks had a fantastic match for the NXT Women’s championship. Then at NXT Takeover RIVAL, we witnessed a great Fatal Four-Way and the crowning of a new champion. The women on NXT outshine even some of the guys from the main roster because they don’t play cute and dumb. When that bell rings, those women show the world that #LikeAGirl they can be strong and beautiful.

That’s it for the post, follow WTX on: YouTube / Instagram / Twitter / Google+ / tumblr

Don’t forget to like the post, share it, and subscribe! Links are available on the right hand column.

About the blogger: I love pro wrestling and all of its layers of athleticism and entertainment. I also love to read and write, which is why, hopefully, WrestlingTimesX will come across as different, in a better way, than anything else that you read on the web. My mantra on wrestling, in any state, is to love it then, now, and forever.

How to End this Kane Storyline

Will the nightmare end for Daniel Bryan?

Daniel Bryan went to extreme measures to successfully retain his championships against “The Big Red Machine” Kane. But despite pummeling him with a monkey wrench, dumping him from a fork lift, tossing him into a burning table, and smashing his face with a running knee, Kane still got up. Now Kane has made it a personal vendetta to not only eviscerate his former tag team partner, but with the added pleasure of making the Danielson’s lives a living hell.

Didn’t Scooby Doo and the Gang solve this mystery? Do we need to call in Sam and Dean to hunt this demon? Seems silly for Bryan and Brie to be running away from a guy who he partnered with for a year. They went to Dr. Shelby’s Anger Management class together and hugged it out. What if the solution to all of this was a hug?

Unfortunately for B+B, Mother doesn’t approve of Bryan as World champion. Mother has forced Kane to reach down deep into his dark demonic soul and has once again unleashed the umpteenth resurrection of Big Red.

Who in the bloody hell is “Mother” you may ask? Read “Kane’s New Master“.

So with glowing masks, cliché appearances in a stalled car, Kane X needs to be killed once and for all. But how do you kill something that supernaturally cannot be killed? Send him through a burning table! No… that didn’t work. Send him a box of kittens! Wait… why’s the box empty!? If Kane is anything like his brother, caskets won’t work, and there is no such thing as last rides for the damned. The only other option is to be buried alive!

Someone has to stop Kane, someone needs to put an end to this campy summer horror flick. That someone needs to be Bryan in a buried alive match. Not to say that this will forever do away with Kane, because the damned always find a way back out, but at least this will get him out of the title picture and out of the WWE, at least until the kids from NXT stumble upon Crystal Lake and awaken the beast once more.

That’s it for the post, don’t forget to like it, share it, and subscribe!

Also, follow me: Twitter / Google+ / tumblr 

I want to take this time to honor the memory of Connor “The Crusher” Michalek, a 6-year old wrestling fan who lost his battle to cancer. This kid was far braver and filled with more life than we would ever hope for.

Please read the article here: Connor “The Crusher”

Watch this touching tribute video by WWE:

About the blogger: I’m an avid fan of pro wrestling and all of its layers of athleticism and entertainment. I also love to read and write, which is why WrestlingTimesX will come across as different from anything else that you read on the web. My mantra on wrestling, in any state, is to love it then, now, and forever.

My posts can also be read in the blog section at 2xZone.com.

AJ Lee’s Pipe Bomb

Tuesday morning, Facebook and Twitter were beaming with posts from wrestling fans enthralled by AJ Lee’s pipe bomb on Monday Night RAW. The WWE Divas Champion’s pipe bomb was a mixture of truth and sour grapes towards the stars of the hit reality series Total Divas. It is no secret that AJ Lee has felt a level of resentment towards the Total Divas girls because as the champion, she wasn’t asked to be a part of the show.

She stated that she got into the WWE based on her abilities alone: That she didn’t “suck” up to the right people to get to where she was; or have a family lineage in the WWE to gain an easy entry. Clearly the first shell of the pipe bomb was directed towards The Bella Twins who are dating John Cena and Daniel Bryan; and the second shell is spear-headed towards Natalya Neidhart, the daughter of Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart and niece of WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart.

While those were some good points to make, AJ’s “pipe bomb” comes across more as a cry for attention versus speaking the truth. When CM Punk–as everyone has already compared the two–dropped his pipe bomb in the summer of 2011, he had always been kept away from the main event spotlight because of WWE’s warped vision that John Cena was The Best. CM Punk not only made us believe, but we were able to take a peak behind the curtain to see the Great and Powerful WWE as a machine keeping down CM Punk. We all knew that CM Punk was great in the ring, but he made us question WWE’s tactics and with unrelenting animosity and determination, he knocked off WWE’s poster boy.

The difference between AJ and CM Punk is that at the time of the “pipe bomb” CM Punk hadn’t broken the glass ceiling, grabbed the brass ring… essentially he hadn’t been the WWE champion. AJ Lee, who has embraced her psychopathic gimmick, has valet’d some of the top WWE Superstars, had taken on a brief role as the General Manager of Monday Night RAW, and she is in current possession of the WWE Divas championship. AJ basically has everything that most WWE Divas would kill for.

Despite being the best technical wrestler, Natalya hasn’t been given the breaks one would assume coming from a family of such rich history. For a while, Natalya had to ride out a degrading backstage segment week after week of her breaking wind. This woman can fold you into a pretzel faster than you can blink and WWE had her as, literally, the butt of the joke.

Though The Bella Twins are easy, no pun intended, to point out their short-comings as wrestlers, they are an attraction to witness. Twins are a rarity in the business of professional wrestling, let alone a pair of hot twins. And let’s not cut out their wrestling abilities short because for Brie, dating Daniel Bryan has paid off in terms of upping her in ring skills. She’s actually applying submission holds, though she still relies on her sister Nikki to bail her out of trouble, that’s just the heel thing to do.

AJ Lee is an incredible talent and she deserves to be the top Diva in the division right now, but to hold a grudge against Divas who hardly received any TV time to find new live in a reality series is a bit cheeky.

Answer the Question: What were your thoughts on AJ Lee’s Pipe Bomb?

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[Watch AJ Lee’s Pipe Bomb courtesy of WWE’s Official YouTube channel]

WWE Money in the Bank: CM Punk’s Goodbye

The WWE, previously known as World Wrestling Entertainment, has lost its signature heavyweight title after C.M. Punk left Chicago with the WWE Championship following his pinfall victory over John Cena in the main event at WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Punk’s message to Mr. McMahon, his dislike of John Cena considered “the best,” was made loud and clear to McMahon and WWE brass that he is the “Best in the World.”

From C.M. Punk’s anticipated entrance, sporting a brand new t-shirt, handing said-shirt to his mother in the front, to sitting indian style in the center of the ring, the Allstate Arena were rabid for their hometown hero. Then when Cena’s “The Time is Now” entrance music kicked, a tidal wave of boos flooded the Allstate Arena, adjusting John Cena’s demeanor. He didn’t come out trying to pander to the crowd, or even tried throwing his red t-shirt into the crowd (he lightly passed it to a nearby fan who already owned the shirt.)

The match itself was incredible. John Cena (possibly reading what Chavo Guerrero tweeted) wrestled throughout the match, instead of his usual–let his opponent do all the work as he powers through at the very end with the 5-move-set. C.M. Punk wrestled Cena’s best match since arriving in WWE. Which is why doubts arose whether Punk would actually win the title. Here he is instilling the heart and passion of a “pro-wrestler” back into Cena, was this Punk’s final gift to WWE? A WWE where its “champ” is not simply providing the bare minimum to appease his top spot in WWE.

Punk pulled out all the stops: a head scissor locked in a figure-four leglock, a knee drop onto Cena drapped over the ring apron, and a frankensteiner. Cena attempted to put the Second City Saint away several times but C.M. Punk broke free from two STF submissions, and kicked out of two Attitude Adjustment fireman carry slams. When was the last time anyone kicked out of one of Cena’s AA, let alone two?

What fans had prematurely dubbed “The Chicago Screwjob” witnessed McMahon (along with gladhanded John Laurinaitis) call for the bell, sending Laurinaitis to notify the time keeper. But before Executive Vice President of Talent Relations had an opportunity to recreate The Montreal Screwjob, John Cena laid him out with a hellacious lariat, not wanting to win the match that way. However, Cena walked into a GTS that granted Punk the WWE Championship. But McMahon had one more “Ace” up his sleeve–Mr. Raw’s Money in the Bank winner Alberto Del Rio. McMahon called for Del Rio to cash in his opportunity, but was met with an enziguri by Punk as soon as he entered the ring.

With Del Rio knocked out, Punk cleared out of the ring with the championship, blew McMahon, and the WWE, a kiss goodbye, and ran through the Allstate Arena as the company’s final WWE Champion.

Tomorrow night on Monday Night Raw, John Cena will have to answer to Mr. McMahon because the stipulation going forth in to this match was: If C.M. Punk “left Chicago with the WWE title,” Cena would be fired.

As for Alberto Del Rio, since he didn’t officially cash in the briefcase, he is still guaranteed a shot at Raw’s World Title. Problem is, as of midnight July 18, 2011, Raw is no longer in possession of a World Title.

Christian finally became the World Heavyweight Champion by virtue of Randy Orton getting himself disqualified. A handy provision in Christian’s contract stating that had Orton gotten himself disqualified, or had the referee made a “bad call,” Christian would automatically win the title. Which is exactly what happened. Christian hawked a giant wad of spit at Orton’s face, which set off The Apex Predator to blatantly kick Christian with a low blow. However, Orton continued the assault by driving Christian with two RKO’s on top of the Spanish Broadcast announce table (which wouldn’t break).

As for Christian’s next challenge, will another fans’ poll require him to defend the title against Orton in the main event on SmackDown again?

Speaking of challenges, “The American Dragon” Daniel Bryan unhooked the SmackDown Money in the Bank briefcase in a very emotional career making moment. Since returning in the main event at SummerSlam 2010 as the surprise member of Team WWE, Daniel Bryan became lost in the shuffle throughout the winter of 2010 going into the spring of 2011. The move to SmackDown–via the WWE Draft–granted Bryan more television time, and an opportunity to work a storylined feud with Cody Rhodes. Think about it: This time last year, Daniel Bryan didn’t have a job, now he is in possession of a guaranteed World Heavyweight Championship opportunity for anytime within the next year.

Can Daniel Bryan win the big one?

It appears that The Miz injured his knee from a nasty drop after hanging unto the briefcase when the ladder was kicked from under him. Since stretchers and trucks were already used for both Sin Cara and The Big Show, The Miz had to be assisted out of the Allstate Arena on foot. But he did return for one final nail-biting performance. He was inches away from become a two-time consecutive Raw MITB winner, when Rey Mysterio sunset flipped powerbombed him — eliminating him from the rest of the match.

In other bouts at Money in the Bank, Kelly Kelly defended her WWE Divas championship against Brie Bella … Mark Henry defeated The Big Show … Alberto Del Rio defeated Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, Alex Riley, R-Truth, The Miz, Evan Bourne, and Jack Swagger to win Raw’s Money in the Bank ladder match … Daniel Bryan defeated Kane, Sin Cara, Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, and Sheamus to win SmackDown’s Money in the Bank ladder match.

Until next time: Remember to subscribe to Wrestling Times X to receive new posts directly to your e-mail. Share this and all posts. And follow me on Twitter @WrestlingTimesX for quick rants.

Talk Raw: Kharma Pregnant, Alex Riley’s Face-Turn, Evan Bourne’s Future, R-Truth vs John Cena

Welcome back to The Wrestling Times. The power of DVR allows you to pause, fast forward, rewind, and play at your convenience. Problem is when one decides to watch Monday Night Raw before WWE Tough Enough. After C.M. Punk’s match, Michael Cole blabbed the results of TE. Damn you, Michael Cole. Let’s discuss Raw.

The wait is over, Kharma is indeed “with child.” Oh, and Jim Ross called her “fat” when she tried out for Season 2 of MTV’s Tough Enough. Leading Kharma to pursue her “wrestling” training in Japan, and compete in every nitty-gritty “wrestling” promotion in the world so she could be a “wrestling master.” Everyone said that Kharma’s dreams of competing inside of a WWE ring would never come true. Well, never say never.

I respect Kharma for telling us upfront what the issue was and why she will be leaving WWE for a year. Problem is, her gimmick is completely shot.

How convincing will a return feud with The Bellas be one year from now?

That poor dad, he was just taking his kid to watch a wrestling show, and instead gets talked down to and a cup of soda splashed into his face. But it’s okay, John Cena gave him an arm band, which apparently makes everything all right. Give it up for that man for putting up with being humiliated on Monday Night Raw. WWE probably gave his kid a whole bunch of free autographed merch, so as not to be sued. But hey, welcome to professional wrestling.

If R-Truth’s angle with Cena is anything like The Miz’s first angle — and it is — it will end in a squash at WWE’s “Capital Punishment” pay-per-view.

Alex Riley is strongly being pushed as a potential main event babyface. What’s the recipe for “The People’s Hero?” Attack The Miz and Michael Cole. Instant babyface!

Who else had this treatment before they dropped it due to The Nexus angle? Daniel Bryan.

Dolph Ziggler is back to sporting the platinum blonde hair, and going after the U.S. title. Seems like a step down for a former World Heavyweight Champion. (Yes, that happened.) At least on SmackDown, Ziggler was moving up, but on Raw, both Ziggler and Kofi Kingston have remained stagnant in the midlevel title hunt. These guys need to start breaking into the main event via special tag teams or just run ins.

What will Jack Swagger and Evan Bourne gain from their series of matches? The score is 1-1, making the rubber match next week. Can we finally see Evan Bourne go after the U.S. strap? A series of matches with Kofi would be incredible.

That’s it for this post. What do you guys think about R-Truth’s push, Kharma’s farewell, and Alex Riley’s face turn? Comment in the comment section below, tweet me @WrestlingTimesX, and share this post via the share buttons at the end of this post. Let the world know about The Wrestling Times.

WWE Over the Limit: John Cena vs The Miz; Randy Orton vs Christian

WWE presented Over the Limit on PPV from Seattle, Washington. The event featured two main-events as John Cena defended the WWE Championship in a “I Quit” Match against The Miz, and Randy Orton defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Christian.

RIP “Macho Man” Randy Savage (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011)

Welcome back to The Wrestling Times. “Over the Limit” took place in Seattle, Washington, and yet, Aberdeen, Washington’s own Daniel Bryan couldn’t even make it on the card. Then again, he at least went over in a dark match against Drew McIntyre. Congratulations American Dragon, you’ve just made Zack Ryder status. Let’s discuss WWE’s May 2011 PPV “Over the Limit.”

The best match of the night, surpassing probably any match this year, was Randy Orton versus Christian. Even though this was not the final bout of the night, this was easily the show stealer. Though it was a given that Randy Orton would retain the belt, seeing those two go back and forth, near falls after near falls, and execute such amazing ring psychology, it was a match for wrestlers trying to make it into the biz to aspire to. The peeps can rip on Randy all they want, but the better man won. We all wished that Christian could have won back his belt, the belt that he spent 17 years of his career striving for, but as Orton put it, he made sure that this ‘feel-good story’ didn’t have a happily ever after.

And for those questioning Randy Orton’s submission maneuver from the match, the inverted Boston Crab, it’s used by ROH’s and NWA Hollywood’s own Colt Cabana (former WWE Superstar Scotty Goldman). His inverted Boston Crab finisher is known as Billy Goat’s Curse.

His response on twitter: “It’s Ok…. My new Nickname is Colt “The Jew Viper” Cabana aka THE JIPER.” He also had this photo to show: Click Here.

The WWE Championship match fell short of Miz’s promo expectations, and unfortunately lived up to the old Cena/Superman expectations. The Miz enlisted Alex Riley into this match seeing as there are no rules in an “I Quit” match, which was fine except he didn’t do, or add, much to the match. The Miz did the heavy lifting with kendo stick shots to Cena’s abdomen, and leather belt whips to his back. For the better part of 30+ minutes, The Miz was dominating, which only made the final moments more painful to watch.

Alex Riley pulled a page from WWE History when he used a recording from his cell phone to simulate that Cena had uttered the two dreadful words. But just like he cost Miz the belt last time, Riley screwed up and left the cell phone for the referee to find. Now, if The Miz doesn’t make Alex Riley regret the day he was born on the following Monday Night Raw, then he deserves to no longer be in the Main Event picture.

What I hate about Cena in “I Quit” matches, or Cena’s matches in general, is the lack of story that is told. Cena spends the majority of the match getting the living hell beat out of him, as if someone was beating Superman with Kryptonite. And then in the final minutes, Cena instantly defeats his foe, just like whenever the threat of Kryptonite is eliminated. So within 3 minutes, Cena savagely whips Miz with his own leather belt, and then locks in the STF to get the win. Not a good ending at all.

Cannot even recall Jerry Lawler’s match with Michael Cole because it lasted as long as a Divas match. But it wasn’t about the match, it was about Michael Cole getting his in the end. Eve Torres, who Michael Cole has personal insulted, landed a sexy moonsault. Jim Ross made Cole eat a large helping of crow, and some of J.R.’s classic BBQ sauce. And the last man, who should’ve been Jack Swagger, turned out to be Bret “The Hitman” Hart to slap on the Sharpshooter, so Cole could be forced to kiss Lawler’s foot.

Have to say, this was not at all the pay off that I was anticipating from this feud. Then again, Michael Cole is not a wrestler by any means. Let’s just see if Michael Cole will now shut the hell up.

The Divas Championship match was actually pretty decent, emphasis on pretty. Brie Bella and Kelly Kelly had a nice back and forth, with the ladies executing the moves properly, something we have not seen from the women of WWE Tough Enough. The Bellas made great play with Twin Magic to successful defend Brie’s Divas Championship. And this is where Alex Riley should’ve taken notes because though Nikki is not the Divas Champion, Brie allowed her to hoist up the belt as if it was her’s, so as not to get Nunzio to reverse the decision.

Sin Cara’s match with Chavo Guerrero fell short from the rave reviews of their house show matches. Cara’s (or Mistico’s) finisher La Mística Tilt–a–whirl headscissors takedown was botched. And unlike TNA’s “Sacrifice” pay-per-view when Sting’s Scorpion Death Drop move botched, Sin Cara did not attempt to execute the move again, he instead did the smart thing and went for the cover. Because, although the move was botched, nothing is more hokey than executing the same move after it was just botched. As for this match, everyone has a bad day at the office.

C.M. Punk’s and Wade Barrett’s leadership skills were on display at “Over the Limit.” This time, it was Wade Barrett who proved to be the better leader. When Ezekiel Jackson had Barrett up in the Torture Rack, his comrades came out to his aid, and the three of them delivered an ass whipping. Sure, Ezekiel won via disqualification, but the Intercontinental title remained with Barrett. Punk and Mason Ryan failed to win the WWE Tag Team Titles from Kane and The Big Show. And because Kane/Show destroyed Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga back stage, Punk had no followers to intervene. It’s time that Punk goes solo because after two years of failed factions, he is no closer to winning his fourth World Title.

That’s it for this post. The other match that took place was R-Truth defeating Rey Mysterio. What did you guys think about the pay-per-view? Was it worth the paycheck? Did you wish that somebody would have done the “Macho Man” Randy Savage signature elbow drop? Which Punk attempted, but crashed and burned. Thoughts on the night’s matches please jot them down in the comment box, or send me a line on twitter. My twitter handler is WrestlingTimesX. There are also some nifty share buttons on the bottom: Spread the word!

The Rock’s Birthday > WrestleMania 27?

After spending a long time in fear… praying to find a way back… and trying to once again grasp that electricity. Finally! The Rock has been redeemed!

Welcome back to The Wrestling Times. Last night, The Rock celebrated his 39th birthday in the biggest way imaginable. From start to finish, from catchphrase to Rock Bottom, from celebrities to pies, to promises and congratulations… The Rock created the most electrifying episode of Monday Night Raw. Not often can an episode be considered up to par with WrestleMania. Don’t know where I’m going with this? Need some help getting there? SIT YOUR MONKEY ASS DOWN, and KNOW THE DAMN DRILL. Let’s discuss–are you ready?–Rocky XXXIX!

On September 11, 2001, terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center. America was shaken, but not defeated. On September 13, 2001, SmackDown aired a special live episode, the first major congregation of Americans since the 9-11 attacks. On May 1, 2011, almost a decade later, the threat of Osama bin Laden officially ended. The footage of President George W. Bush eulogizing the attacks, and of Lilian Garcia singing the Anthem two days later, along with Garcia returning to sing the Anthem last night, was possibly the greatest patriotic moment in all of professional wrestling. The Raw open made you want to get up and start chanting USA! So to WWE, thank you.

Lilian Garcia is simply a rock star. Thousands of people have sung The Star-Spangled Banner throughout every sporting event, but Garcia nailed it like you wouldn’t believe. Check it out here.

Though many celebrities were seen throughout the broadcast, including live performances by Pitbull and Mya, what made The Rock’s Birthday celebration so amazing was that all the WWE Superstars stepped up their game to treat this edition of Monday Night Raw as they would WrestleMania.

After a brief match between Maryse and Kelly-Kelly, Kharma continued her methodical dominance by attacking The French-Canadian Diva with the Implant Buster. As one fan via Twitter brought up, Kharma had destroyed two blondes and one brunette Barbie dolls in her vignettes. Michelle McCool and Maryse have both felt Kharma’s wrath, which could only mean that the Divas Champion Brie Bella is next. “Kharma’s Gunna Kill You..!”

During the tag team match pitting four of Raw’s newest acquisitions, via the Draft, it became apparent that the feud between Alberto Del Rio and Rey Mysterio will finally be revisited. The way that the feud ended on SmackDown was horrible, a dusty finish in their final bout, but now that Raw is obviously renewing the feud, this storyline of who is the Greatest Mexican wrestler could last well into the summer, if done right. And if the rumors are true, if Mysterio does intend on retiring soon, Del Rio is the perfect wrestler to put over on the way out.

R-Truth did a great job carrying the intensity from his Extreme Rules run-in over to Raw when he bum-rushed John Morrison at the start of their scheduled match, which has now been rescheduled until a later date. If there was ever a concern over wrestlers trying to make it “more real,” Truth knocked it out of the park by the force he drove Morrison down. Is he hurt? Because that looked like it hurt a lot! And if it has me questioning over the well-being of a performer, than Truth must be doing something right.

C.M. Punk walked down to the ring alongside Mason Ryan, who had a match with Kane. After this match, it’s obvious that Ryan is being pushed as the next big unstoppable force. He was able to strong-arm Kane from applying the Chokeslam, and speared The Big Show. But let WWE history show that being physically imposing does not guarantee that you will go over with the fans. Failed experiments include: The Great Khali, Vladimir Kozlov, and Ezekiel Jackson. But it did look as if Ryan has disbanded from The New Nexus, which must worry Punk.

And sure, Monday Night Raw did not have the “Match of the Year” caliber that was The Undertaker versus Triple-H, but it did make up for WrestleMania’s main-event. In the midst of The Rock’s Birthday celebration, and of the two-hour program, John Cena defended the WWE Championship against former-champion The Miz. First off, Cena went for a drop kick as one of his opening moves. How often do you really get to see that out of Superman? It almost felt like I was watching an actual wrestling match, as opposed to the “John Cena Smash!” garbage of 2007. The camera focused hard on The Miz, after he failed to lock in Skull Crushing Finale, and couldn’t get the pinfall from The Reality Check signature. Out of nowhere, Cena launched Miz with his Fireman’s Carry slam, but he kicked out! A false finish on Monday Night Raw, how often does that happen? Close to never. With The Miz utilizing the distractions from Alex Riley to smash Cena’s face with the belt, and be declared the new champion was a thing of beauty. But because Miz did not dispose of the belt from the referee’s field of vision, the decision was reversed.

This match was incredibly entertaining, with The Miz stepping up his game and telling a great story in the ring. Doesn’t matter that the ref reversed the decision, Miz proved that he could hang with the top dogs on Monday Night Raw.

That’s it for this post. One of the DAMN best special guest appearances of the night was Ron Simmons (a.k.a. Faarooq) because he started a stable known as The Nation of Domination. The faction that created The Rock character.

Until next time: Remember to please subscribe, tell a friend, phone a friend, add The Wrestling Times to your web browsers’ favorites on your computer and your mobile devices. Follow me on Twitter @WrestlingTimesX for quick rants, which I will be too lazy to post on this site. Oh, and RT everything I say because it’s golden!

Michael Cole for a Night + MSG Live Thoughts

You all know Michael Cole. He’s that brash, arrogant, conceited, egocentric, narcissistic, pompous, self-absorbed, self-centered, self-important, self-involved, self-seeking, self-serving, stuck-up, delusional… and a whole bunch of over adjectives that I should not type here. He’s attempted to make WrestleMania all about him by constantly promoting his match against Jerry Lawler (So much for knowing his role, and shutting his damn mouth). It’s safe to say that a majority of wrestling fans cannot stand Michael Cole, and pray to Vince McMahon that he reinstate Jim Ross to full active duty. But, have you yourself ever spewed out the nonsense that Cole says? It’s actually really fun.

Last night, I attended WWE’s “Raw’s Road to WrestleMania Tour” at the famed Madison Square Garden. Now, Michael Cole was not present at the show, so it surprised me when the e-mail alert from the General Manager sounded off throughout the arena. To assume the role instead was Justin Roberts, who read the e-mails from his cell phone. Assuming that the e-mail alert came from his cellphone, could you imagine being at a small, quite place, and that went off (What was that!? Roberts: It’s okay, it’s just my phone).

So without Michael Cole, I instinctively felt compelled to act out his characteristics when certain superstars came out.

The Miz: (Immediately rising to my feet) “YES! YES! FINALLY, THE MIZ COMES TO MSG!! (Start ridiculously clapping) THIS MAN IS AWESOME! HE IS THE MOST MUST-SEE WWE CHAMPION IN HISTORY! GET HIM, MIZ! GET HIM, MIZ!”

You can imagine at this point, I’m surrounded by kids (Cena’s demographic), who instinctively cheer for the goodies and boo for the baddies, how they felt about me.

Vickie Guerrero: “YES! VICKIE IS HERE! SHE IS HOT! JUST LOOK AT HER! SHE’S A COUGAR!!”

(Side Author’s Note: How come no one chants Eddie’s name when she comes out? If the kids weren’t too young to even remember who Eddie was, I would have attempted to start the chant.)

At the show, Divas Champion Eve Torres, Kelly-Kelly, and The Bella Twins had a Tag Team Match with 2011 Hall of Fame Inductee, “The Original Diva” Sunny as the special guest referee.

Divas: (My friend shouted, “Sunny’s never wrestled a day in her life!”) “DON’T WORRY, NEITHER HAVE THEY!”

C.M. Punk: (At this point I started to get creative) “THIS MAN IS A PROPHET! HE TOLD THE WORLD THAT IF JEFF HARDY DIDN’T CHANGE HIS WAYS THAT HE WOULD BECOME A STATISTIC” (In regards to what happened at TNA Victory Road).

Not for nothing, Michael Cole may be the biggest pile of monkey crap, but to act out his gimmick is genuinely enthralling, especially when it pisses off little kids. I encourage everyone to try it next time when WWE rolls into your city.

Now for some quick thoughts on WWE’s Live Show. The only advertised feature match that WWE kept to was Triple-H vs. Sheamus in a NYC Street Fight (which seriously should be renamed to Arena Fight). Sheamus attacked Daniel Bryan (who defeated Ted DiBiase) after his match, and started boasting that after a bit of a losing streak, he is now the Champion of the United States. Then the crowd went wild for Triple-H, including myself, because how much longer will we see Triple-H wrestle, right? The two fought along the unpadded barricades, the steel steps, and even a kendo stick came into play (seriously thought it would be the sledge). When asked who I thought would win, I motioned my hands to “weigh-in” the possibilities: “Hmm… the united states champion… or THE MAIN EVENT AT WRESTLEMANIA?” Of course Triple-H won! But I was happy to see The Game take a couple of shots at Sheamus with the kendo stick, who was dangling upside down with his foot caught in the ropes.

The fans were cheated out of a 2 out of 3 Falls Match for the WWE Championship between The Miz and Randy Orton, when C.M. Punk attacked Randy Orton (which technically would make Orton the winner via DQ). Justin Roberts received an obnoxiously loud e-mail alert on his phone, stating that the GM would allow the fans to decide on either The Miz defending the WWE Championship against Randy Orton one-on-one, or a Tag Team bout which would include C.M. Punk and JOHN CENA!!! Of course the fans would choose the latter, the majority of MSG was filled with Cena’s Nation of Children. The match was alright, something you would expect from Monday Night Raw to have. Orton struck Punk with the RKO, was about to punt his head off until The Miz tackled him. Miz connected with The Skull Crushing Finale on Orton, only for him to kick out on three. Doesn’t say much for Miz’s finisher, but a lot about Orton’s resiliency. The match ended in favor of Orton and Cena with each connecting their finishers on the other’s respective rivals to win the match.

Another astute observation was that not a single heel won last night. Dolph Ziggler was about to be the first, after getting the pinfall on John Morrison. But his feet were on the ropes, so the referee restarted the match. For the most part I rooted for the heels, because I happen to have that mentality when it comes to WWE. Early WrestleMania hopes: I hope CM Punk defeats Randy Orton, and that The Miz retains the WWE Championship, just because.