WWE DVD Review - Live in the UK November 2012

With each UK tour the WWE keep pushing the envelope as they try to give their loyal fans even more value for their money. This past November saw the company roll into Birmingham, here they would not only put on one heck of a show, but they would also record episodes of the Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown shows before thousands of lively and excited fans. 

Another bonus here is the complete (unaired in the UK) WWE Main Event show that was recorded in Birmingham too.

Live in the UK saw many of the Survivor Series 2012 combatants and teams in action, as they embarked on the road to that Pay-Per-View.

So what can you expect from this two disc set? First up there are some nice features on the UK's own Wade Barrett and William Regal. Irishman Sheamus is also given the spotlight treatment. 

On the match front we have a great many to choose from. Highlights of which are CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler versus John Cena and Ryback. Wade Barrett teaming with Big Show to combat hard-hitters William Regal and Sheamus. Elsewhere Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio have a well-paced Falls Count Anywhere encounter. Kofi Kingston and The Miz face-off for the Intercontinental Championship and the colourful combo of Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio tackle the fun duo of The Primetime Players.

WWE Live in the UK November 2012 is a very good DVD set indeed. Fans who attended will love this memento of their time there, others will enjoy seeing their heroes on UK soil and adapting their styles etc to suit them. These UK releases are very popular indeed and this is one of the best yet.

Extras wise we get two WWE Championship matches that were held in the UK. One is the near-classic Randy 'Macho Man' Savage and Ultimate Warrior scrap from Summer Slam 1992. The other is the very inventive match between The Rock and X Pac from the 1998 Capital Carnage PPV.

WWE Live in the UK November 2012 is available now on two disc DVD.

RRP £17.99

www.wwedvd.co.uk

www.wwe.com

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review: Elimination Chamber 2013

WWE DVD Review: Elimination Chamber 2013

The Elimination Chamber is one formidable and very unforgiving structure. This mass of metal was once the special feature in Pay-Per-Views, but it is now the star of its own. The concept is a good one and used sparingly it works very well indeed. What happens is six men enter caged environment. Two of them start off the match, whilst four others stand by in each corner, locked in a cubicle. Every few minutes a new competitor enters and things heat up. This is a pin fall/submission style scrap and it can get very violent indeed.

This year we saw Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, Kane, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry and Chris Jericho all participate and their reward was a World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 29. The action here was superbly paced, exciting and innovative.

The other big match on the EC 2013 card was the re-match between WWE Champion The Rock and former champ CM Punk. This match was the last chance for Punk to retain his belt and progress to WrestleMania. Punk and Rock have a very good rapport in the ring and Rock especially deserves praise for stepping back in to a semi-fulltime wrestling role so easily.

On surprise bout here was the one that pitted The Shield against the all-star trio of John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus. The surprise was not the talent involved or the effort put in to the encounter. It was the fact that the WWE really did decide to put so much behind the newest group on the scene The Shield.

Elsewhere we see World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio battle his nemesis Big Show. Their feud just went from strength to strength, Del Rio has certainly stepped up to the plate. Kaitlyn defended her Diva's title against the tough daughter of wrestling legend Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka Tamina. This was a fair Divas match, that did enough to warrant your attention throughout.

Elimination Chamber 2013 is a very good DVD release from the WWE. It certainly paved the way for WrestleMania 29 and offered an above average number of matches. The main event and chamber scraps are certainly well worth re-viewing as well.

Elimination Chamber 2013 is available now from www.wwedvd.co.uk and all good retailers.

RRP £17.99 (DVD), £19.99 (Blu-ray)

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review: Royal Rumble 2013

The Royal Rumble has always been a highlight of the WWE's Pay-Per-View calendar. The main event featuring 30 wrestlers battling it out for a shot at main eventing WrestleMania that year, has always been a piece of must-see grapple action. This year the company began the 'Road to WrestleMania' with not only a top notch Rumble encounter, but a highly anticipated and exciting WWE Championship Title match too.

That match saw WWE legend The Rock return to the fold once again. This time he had the intention of dethroning the companies longest (modern era) reigning champ CM Punk. This match is worth the price of the disc alone. Punk and Rock gelled well and once again the Hollywood movie star proved that he can indeed still kick it in the squared circle. The result is of course well-known by now, but the match is a hugely enjoyable affair all round.

The Rumble saw some excellent encounters. There were a few nostalgic appearances by former stars and some innovative and edge-of-the-seat action. Kofi Kingston pulled off yet another innovative return to the ring as well.

The rest of the card saw Alberto Del Rio defend his World Title against Big Show in a highly rated Last Man Standing match-up. Team Hell No battle Team Rhodes Scholars for the WWE Tag Team gold and Antonio Cesaro in a United States Title defence, facing The Miz.

Royal Rumble 2013 was a very impressive show. The main event and Rumble itself both sowed the seeds for what the 2013 WrestelMania card may feature. The matches here were for the main above par and everyone involved seemed to have their work boots on. Rock especially deserves credit for pulling off yet another top notch bout. His years of acting and non-wrestling do not seem to have slowed him down a bit.

It is always good to see a former wrestler return to the ring in as good a condition as he was when he left. We are often presented with beaten down former legends and we can never really believe they can pull of a title win. Rock is of course a very different story.

Alberto Del Rio and Big Show's scrap was memorable too. Show and ADR certainly seem to work well together.

The rest of the card delivered as well. We highly recommend this new WWE release.

Royal Rumble 2013 is available now on DVD.
RRP £17.99 (DVD, £19.99 (Blu-ray).

wwe.dvd.co.uk
By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review: Survivor Series 2012

WWE DVD Review: Survivor Series 2012

CM Punk tries to survive the combined might of John Cena and Ryback in the main event of the WWE's newest DVD release of 2013. Here is what I thougt about that main event and the rest of the card.

The WWE may now be the only major wrestling company to run monthly Pay-Per-Views (as TNA have perhaps wisely opted to reduce their output to four a year, with 3 hour special events filling the gaps), but not too long ago Vince McMahon and Co. did just the same. Back then (in the good old days if you will) the company produced four big PPV events. One of which was November's hugely popular Survivor Series.

Heavy Metal music has its 'big 4' of course and wrestling does too, Survivor Series was joined by Royal Rumble, WrestleMania and Summerslam in winning the WWE new fans and it is still doing so today.

2012 sees the format changed slightly however, The traditional style five-man team encounters that featured heavily for many years have been pushed back to one or two per PPV and perhaps that is indeed a good thing. Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing and the WWE have realised that here. One well told SS match can far outweigh numerous sub par efforts after all.

Anyway I digress from the matter at hand here, what exactly does this DVD release have to offer wrestling fans old and new?

Well first up the (already mentioned) main event sees CM Punk defend his WWE Championship gold in a triple threat match alongside not only John Cena, but the monster of a man who (many feel) he robbed of the belt.

What you have to remember here is that this is Punk at his most cunning and crafty. This was a man defending not only his championship, but also his year long title run too.

Elsewhere we get a lively traditional style 'Survivor Series' match-up. This featured Team Ziggler (Dolph Ziggler, Damien Sandow, David Otunga, Alberto Del Rio and Wade Barrett) versus Team Foley (Team Hell No, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston and The Miz). This is a great example of how a booker can bring ten different athletes into the ring and offer each their chance to shine. It is also good to see Mick Foley back in the company.

We also get to see Irishman Sheamus attempt to wrestle the World Heavyweight back from his successor Big Show. Show seems to be in synch with The Celtic Warrior here and that makes for exciting viewing.

The Divas get a look in as champion Eve tackles challenger Kaitlyn. Many knock the division, but these ladies are indeed talented and make the most of their short ring time on PPV.

R-Truth challenges Antonio Cesaro for the United States belt in a decent scrap.

And the company's high-flyers get a chance to shine too. With Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio teaming up to battle The Prime Time Players. Cara may have failed in some ways as a solo performer in the WWE, but he is now more than suitable as a partner to Mysterio. They do indeed compliment each other in the ring nicely.

Survivor Series 2012 was a card that featured many more hits than misses match quality wise and it was also pivotal in many ways in relation to storyline progression as well.

The PPV is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.

RRP £17.99 (DVD), £19.99 (Blu-ray)

Extras: (DVD)CM Punk and Paul Heyman Share their thoughts at the event. (Blu-ray) Raw highlights Nov 12 2012, Smackdown highlights Nov 26 2012, Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero accuse AJ Lee, Ryback Vs Brad Maddox, Kane & The Miz Vs Team Rhodes Scholars, CM Punk Vs John Cena, Miz TV with Team Foley and Randy Orton teams with The Miz to face Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio.

Www.wwedvd.co.uk

www.wwe.com

By Phil Allely

Undertaker returns to the ring

Undertaker returns to the ring.

By Phil Allely

WWE legend Undertaker (Mark Callaway) has perhaps silenced his critics by stepping back in to a WWE ring. The 49 year old has been nursing numeorus injuries since he last graced a WWE ring.

That  match against Triple H saw Taker retain is unbeaten streak at WrestleMania. Recent months have seen many insiders specualte that Callaway was too beaten up to enter the ring this year. However there were rumours that he may indeed be returning to face the companies top bad guy CM Punk.

This past weekend (at a WWE house show in Waco, Texas) saw a well looking Undertaker team up with Sheamus to battle the Rhodes Scholars combo of Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. Taker took the win for his team with a nice nostalgic 'Tombstone Piledriver' on Sandow.

Many fellow WWE superstars were quick to tweet their response to Undertaker's re-appearance.

Randy Orton: Got to watch Undertaker perform in Waco tonight at the Smackdown live event. Very motivating to watch him do his thing.

Ricardo Rodriguez: Ca't describe the feeling we all got here tonight in Waco, Texas after having the Undertaker compete. I legit got goosebumps.

Wade Barrett: Hell of a night at #wwewaco. Expect the unexpected.

This live appearance by Undertaker must surely be a clear sign that we will see him return to TV and defend his streak. Whether that is against CM Punk is yet to be seen, but as the next few weeks play out all will become clear for the WWE's biggest event of the year.

Royal Rumble 2013 - Live Review

WWE Live Review: Royal Rumble 2013

The Royal Rumble serves many purposes in the world of the WWE. The very nature of the event itself see's it stand out from the rest of the company's PPV output. This is after all a show that features a (usually) exciting over-the-top-rope battle royal style match-up. This scrap see's 30 wrestlers (inc. some surprises) battle it out and win a World Title shot at that year's WrestleMania. The Rumble is also not only the first WWE PPV of the year, but it is also what we fans like to call 'the first step on the road to Mania'. 

The Royal Rumble is normally the place where the first seeds are sown as to what we may look forward to at the WWE's biggest show of the year WrestleMania. Last year of course we all knew that we were to expect a Rock/John Cena bout at that very event. However this year we were still in some doubt as to what may unfold at the Rumble and what effect it may have in relation to Mania.

First of all there were hints at a Rock/Cena re-match and of course we all want to know if Undertaker will make his annual appearance to defend his WrestleMania winning streak.The good news is that one of these questions was (pretty much) answered at the 2013 Royal Rumble.

Royal Rumble 2013 was kind of overshadowed by the main event encounter between (Hollywood action star) The Rock and the WWE's best bad guy CM Punk. 

But the rest of the card was well worth a look too. The dark match (ie for live fans and DVD viewers only) saw United States Champion Antonio Cesaro battle The Miz. Your reviewer may not be a fan of Cesaro, but for what it is worth he did fare well here and his win over former world  champion The Miz bodes very well for his character. Miz's face turn seems to be coming along well too.

World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio then kicked things off proper by beating The Big Show in a 'Last Man Standing' encounter. Show and Del Rio worked well together here, using the available weapons to the best of their ability and also pulling off a few nice stiff moves. Show's chokeslam through a table looked great and the finish was well worked. Del Rio retaining over his much larger foe shows the WWE's faith in him and his tenure as champ.

Team Hell No (WWE Tag Team Champs) then successfully defended their belts against the formidable and fun combo of The Rhodes Scholars. Am I the only one amazed that Cody Rhodes moustache can at times receive more attention than him? The match here unfortunately wasn't much to talk about. We have all seen this before and we also get the idea that the WWE will keep the gold with Kane/Danielson until they feel they have lost their charm. 

The Royal Rumble itself had its moments and whilst much of the 30 man match was predictable. There were some nice touches and some pleasant surprises too. First up were surprise entrants Chris Jericho (a man who we have interview here and reviewed his rock band Fozzy too), Goldust and The Godfather. Jericho entered the match at number 2 and he lasted almost 50 minutes. Goldust had a memorable few moments and his exchanges with his brother Cody may lead to a match down the line. Godfather did his usual nostalgic thing and it went down a storm too. There were also a few returns by formerly injured stars , Rey Mysterio, Santino Marella and Sin Cara all received a nice pop when they made their entrance. The final four saw Ryback dispatch Randy Orton and Sheamus with ease, he then as we feared fell to John Cena to see Cena move one step closer to a rematch with The Rock.

Speaking of that result. The Rock did indeed best WWE Champion CM Punk in the main event of the show. Punk's recent knee injury did not seem to slow him down here and even though he lost his beloved title, he did leave the match without too much tarnish to his name. With only a few mistimed moves, this was a fine outing for both men (considering Rock's long in-ring lay-off and Punk's injury). 

Royal Rumble ended with us now knowing that Cena could very well (or may have by the time you read this) decide to challenge Rock for the title at Mania. Hopefully Rock/Punk will get a re-match at Elimination Chamber to address the few faults we saw at the rumble and maybe now we almost have one half of the main event, we will see Punk challenge Undertaker to a match.

Royal Rumble 2013 was very good in parts and the Ruble itself had some extremely fine points and moments. The build up to WrestleMania is now in full swing and I cannot wait to see what else we get along the way. We also have the Hall Of Fame coming up too, so far Mick Foley and Bruno Samartino have been given the nod and of course many more will follow.

www.wwe.com

By Phil Allely

WWE TLC Review 2012

WWE Live Show Review: TLC (Tables, Ladders, Chairs) 2012

WWE's TLC pay-per-view event is one that has a tendency to deliver greatly with its match quality and results. Even the lack of blood can't affect the violence that many of the wrestlers bring to the ring when foreign objects such as table, ladders and steel chairs become legal weapons. This year we were also treated to a few new faces, which helped create new feuds and elevate some often neglected mid-card talent. With CM Punk injured there was some re-jigging behind the scenes match wise, but perhaps it was for the best. WWE need his fresh and ready for his upcoming scrap with The Rock.

It was also nice to see the legendary Jerry 'The King' Lawler return to his commentary duties. Lawler seems to have recovered well after his near fatal heart attack (which occurred during a live raw show).

TLC kicked off with a (dark match) battle of the 'Santa's Little Helpers' In other words a diva encounter. This will of course probably make its way on to the DVD version of the show. Here we had a reasonable if not too exciting Diva's style scrap. Competitors were Alicia Fox, Askana, Naomi, Cameron, Tamina, Kaitlyn, Layla, Natalya and Rossa Mendes. The match was short and sweet, with Divas champ Eve Torres sticking her oar in to allow Namoi a shot at her title.

TLC started (proper) with a very reasonable tables match for the number one contender spot for the WWE tag team belts. The duo of Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara battled Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes in a fun battle. Cara is looking so much better in the ring now he is teamed up with fellow high flyer Mysterio. Rhodes Scholars on the other hand are a wonderfully fresh addition to the diminishing tag ranks. Rhodes and Sandow picked up the win after Cody caused Cara to plough through a table.

Your reviewer is not a hug fan of US Title holder Anonio Cesaro, but he can put together a pretty decent match with the right (talented) performer. The match however didn't really sizzle as much as we had hoped it would. Cesaro was able to overcome a few nice looking pin attempts by Truth and nailed a 'Neutralizer' to retain his gold.
Uk wrestler Wade Barrett has been making real strides in recent months to get one more big push for his WWE career. His match with Kofi Kingston here highlighted the fact that Barrett does have potential. Putting Kofi's Intercontinental Title on the line helped as well of course. Wade is a very good big man and has an aura about him, perhaps he will be William Regal's successor to the role of sterotypical British bad guy. Kofi did manage to fend off his European influenced assault and retained the belt.

Whether they are associated with Champion CM Punk The Shield are a welcome addition to the WWE roster. Their sneak attacks and N.W.O. Inspired storyline is something that may just inject some much need adrenaline into the WWE product.

The match here was a TLC one and The Shield (Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose) faced off against the formidable trio of WWE Tag Team Champs Kane/Daniel Bryan and the fastest rising star of the year Ryback. This match was a brutal, tough and well-paced affair. Working with such talented opponents The Shield team were on perfect form. What was nice was that amidst the weapons based fun and games, we saw some new faces get their hands raised (over some more established acts). This angle by WWE may just work out very well for all concerned. The Shield pulled off a rather good win, to continue their progression.
The Divas returned next, with Eve defending her title against (pre-show match winner) Naomi. Naomi did show some impressive in-ring ability here. It was of course always going to be Eve's night and here she did not disappoint. Eve retained her glamorous belt as predicted.
As explained before a TLC PPV should really feature some blood. But you know what sometimes the spilling of claret is not necessary. The World Heavyweight Title match between champion Big Show and challenger Sheamus was a real barn-stormer. Sheamus seems to bring something out in show that we have not seen in a while and perhaps Show himself has grabbed this opportunity to highlight how valuable he is to the company. The match was violent, hard-hitting and worked to both men's advantage. Shows win maintains his grasp of the belt and Sheamus' loss does little more than make him a man we will root for next time.
Next up we saw an interesting battle. This was Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre taking on Alberto Del Rio, The Miz and Brooklyn Brawler. This was a nostalgic match for veteran fans, as longtime jobber the Brawler (Steve Lombardi) returned to the ring. Lombardi is a familiar face to anyone whoo who watches WWE biographical or special edition DVDs. He often pops us as a talking head on such releases. Lombardi never won a major title, but he did elevate many superstars to the enxt leevl and his simple style made him a minor league star. Brawler got his chance to shine on PPV in Brooklyn (of course) and even picked up a rare win.

Love him or hate him John Cena is one of the few real stars the WWE have available to perform at present. His act may need polished and a break from his main event appearances would help things. But with no one else ready to fill his spot or shift as much merchandise this is a picture we will have to expect for a while, the one of Cena in the main event.

The storyline featuring Cena/AJ/Vickie Guerro has been fun (even if it does echo a recent ill-fated TNA one). This match between Dolph Ziggler and Cena was a curious entry too. Ziggler could have as easily cashed in his 'Money in the Bank' title shot, but instead he offered it up in a match with Cena. This was a ladder match to remember. Cena took some stiff shots, Ziggler was a bump-machine (in the style of Shawn Michaels) and the outside interference proved to be beneficial to the pair. Cena in a rare moment for his character stared at the lights for the ever-exciting Ziggler. AJ did prove to be the thorn in Cena's side, but this was really all about raising Dolph to the next level. After all if he can beat Cena, this man may just be able to win the big one.

TLC 2012 was a very good event to round off 2012 for the WWE. The company may be floundering slightly talent wise, but things are looking up and after so many journos like myself suggesting it, there are now some fresh faces in the mix.

Here's hoping Punk can recover OK in time for his Royal Rumble encounter with a certain Mr Johnston.

Wwe.com

By Phil Allely

WWE Survivor Series 2012

 WWE PPV Review; Survivor Series 2012

Annual WWE PPV The Suvivor Series is one of the original 'big four' events of the WWE year (alongside the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania and SummerSlam). The event in its prime featured some of the wrestling companies finest matches and a few real highlights from its history. The main difference between this show and the others was the traditional Survivor Series matches, which pitted thrown together teams in some interesting last man standing encounters.

After a few years of no SS matches and a possible removal of the event from the PPV entirely from upcoming events. However fortune prevailed and the show has once again returned to form and has become a staple part of our WWE diet.

2012's effort was highly anticipated by our very own Phil Allely (the recent Raw live show in Belfast whetting his appetite nicely). So what did he make of it?

The opener saw Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal tackle the combined might of Zack Ryder and Santino Marella. Marella did comedy work well, Ryder attempted to elevate things and their opponents pulled every heel trick they could out of the bag. The end came when Drew McIntyre utilised is plaster cast covered arm to put Ryder away for the three count.

The first traditional SS style match of the night saw the team of Brodus Clay, Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd, Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio battle the unit of Darren Young, Titus O'Neil, Epico, Primo and Tensai. A reasonable example of the type of tam encounter we come to expect this bonus scrap had its fair share of fun moments. The numbers where whittled down nicely the by the faces here and ended well with Mysterio, Cara, Gabriel and Kidd all celebrating a team win.

The Divas Title match between champion Eve and challenger Kaitlyn was a decent outing for the division. Eve has come on leaps and bounds as a grappler and Kaitlyn is getting there too. The Divas do need some new blood added to the roster, but those there are certainly the best the division has to offer. After a number of near falls and cheap shots Eve hit a nice neck-breaker to retain her belt.

Your writer is not big fan of US Champion Antonio Cesaro, but he must have something to offer as he has been not only a champion for a while now, but also been given some superb opponents as of late. This time around he was up against the fun R-Truth. Truth when in the mood is an exciting wrestler and whilst this fell below my expectations the crowd seemed at least to show an interest in proceedings. Cesaro of course held on to his gold for now.

Ireland's own Sheamus took on World Heavyweight Champion Big Show next. Sheamus is a bit of an enigma in the the WWE, he has the size, attitude and willing to make it as a real head liner, yet he still misses something. The former champ did give his all against the (still) lumbering Big Show here. The action was pretty good however and the pair gelled nicely too. Show seemed to win after a ref bump, but the decision was changed to that of a DQ win for Sheamus. Unfortunately that meant he didn't reclaim his belt but.

The second Survivor Series team match saw Team Foley face off against Team Ziggler. There was of course also a replacement for the injured Cody Rhodes to work out too. So what we had was the team of Alberto Del Rio, Damien Sandow, David Otunga, Dolph Ziggler and Wade Barrett face off against Kane, Daniel Bryan, Kofi Kingsston, The Miz and Randy Orton. This time around the teams were on the ball and up for the challenge. Some eliminations were unexpected and the in-ring action was superb. Ziggler ended the match as the sole survivor, which hopefully means he is heading back towards the main event scene.

The main event triple threat match saw WWE Champ CM Punk tackle John Cena and Ryback in a very entertaining encounter. Ryback is a fresh face to WWE main events and one that it certainly needs. Ryback's 'Goldberg' style character and attitude works so well that we as fans really do want him to win his matches and net a title soon. This was a goo outing for the trio and one that saw Punk (and Paul Heyman) shine as they deserve to. The end came as Ryback was assaulted by some NXT goons and Punk stole a pin off the prone Cena.

Survivor Series 2012 was one of the most enjoyable WWE shows your reviewer has seen in recent years. The results may have been expected and the matches played out as we may predict, but the enthusiasm was there by all concerned and it certainly shined through too.

Running The Ropes were very impressed with Survivor Series 2012.

By Phil Allely

WWE Raw Review - Belfast 7/11/2012

WWE Live Review : Raw in Belfast Nov 7th 2012 The WWE tour the UK/Ireland only a couple of times a year. As such as long as they can maintain a high TV profile and promote the events wisely, the company are pretty much assured a sell-out series of events. However in the past the organisation seemed to believe that sell-out crowds at house shows did not warrant the rosters big name players attending the shows. Thankfully times have changed and the WWE are now offering event the most remote house show a decent list of wrestling talent. The sea of John Cena merchandise in Belfast's Odyssey proved the fact that even though smart fans hate him, Cena is the main merch mover in the WWE. The fun opener saw the combo of Santino and Brodus Clay put away Primo and Epico with relative ease. Next up Michael McGillicutty had the unenviable task of battling the huge Tensai. Tensai controling most of the bout, with his power moves. The Albert chants were more interesting than the match however. McGillucutty did scrape himself the win though. Whilst not on par with their competitors (TNA's Knockouts) matches the WWE divas can pull off a fine match given the right talent. The triple threat match for the Divas Title was one such highlight in Belfast. Pitting (champion) Eve against challengers Layla and AJ the encounter balanced the right amount of titillation with wrestling action and comedy to please all in attendance. In a nice touch AJ seemed to win the gold for a title change on Irish soil, only for Vickie Guererro to interupt the celebrations and re-start the match. Eve swiftly took down AJ to retain her belt. A lot earlier than expected John Cena hit the ring to take on Dolph Ziggler (with Guererro). The crowd were pumped for this one and the 'let's go Cena/Cena sucks' chants engulfed the arena throughout. Vickie proved to be a thorn in Cena's side until she raised the ire of the referee. With her ejected from the ringside area Cena/Ziggler continued to trade near falls and signature moves. But a convenient ref bump saw the sneaky Vickie return (Money in the Bank) steel case in hand, to assist her beau. Fortunately for Cena a revenge seeking AJ decided to help him out, the feisty young lady helping not only to distract Ziggler, but provide the funniest moment of the night. As Guerrero attempted to attack Cena she was struck by AJ with the case. Vickie then fell to her knees and landed in Cena's crotch (as fans beside me began to chant 'you suck' Vickie) to a he crowd pop. Cena pulled off the win to leave the Irish Cenation faithful happy. One irritation on the night was the length of time devoted to the dull Zach Ryder and Antonio Cesaro battle for the United States championship. Cesaro was barely able to evoke a reaction throughout and Ryder had little chance to shine. Cesaro's win was painfully too long coming here. Thankfully the following scrap made up for it. The inspired team of Kane and Daniel Bryan are one of the years most fulfilling combos in wrestling. Their opponents Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes (the Rhodes Scholars) were on fine form too. This was what we wanted, in-fighting between teams. Rhodes and Sandow being afraid of Kane. Bryan attempting to out do his partner at every turn and Kane showing that he is by far the most proficient wrestler under a mask ever. Team Hell No prevailed and retained their Tag Team Belts with ease, the post match stare-down and hug between the pair was superbly timed too. The main event between (Goldberg wannabe) Ryback and WWE Champion CM Punk was a it should rightly be the match of the night. Your reviewer was wonderfully surprised to see his hero Paul Heyman had made the trip to Ireland as well. Heyman is not only a legend in the business, but an old school manager who knows how to play a live crowd to perfection. Heyman's presence at ringside was a joy to behold and really kept things moving along. Maybe more such managers should be employed to do the same. Ryback's character is perfect for todays WWE and his appeal is well founded. Punk on the other hand is on the top of his game and can easily handle any opponent or crowd he is presented with with ease. The match ended with a succession of run-ins, Tensai, Rhodes and the other event heels ran-in to save Punk. Then the faces Kane, Cena et al evened things up. The show ended with Ryback pummelling Punk and winning by DQ. WWE Raw Live was one of the best shows Belfast has seen in years. We may be missing such big names as Triple H, Undertaker etc, but the roster on hand we were presented with did on whole give their all. The matches were well-paced and the live crowd lapped them up. The nice touch was that this house show veered more into less family friendly territory than the WWE TV product does. As was heavily promoted during the show the company will return to these shores in April 2013, we cannot wait to see what happens then. By Phil Allely

WWE Money in the Bank 2012 DVD Review

WWE DVD Review – Money In The Bank 2012 For years the MITB concept was the highlight of WWE events. Now that the innovative match has been given its own PPV we can enjoy it even more. The idea behind MITB is simple a match winner gets to grab a case and in that he has a shot at the World Title (which can be cashed in at anytime). The MITB matches have been the ones that have elevated many of the WWE's current stars and made them real stars for the company. This DVD release by Silvervision is a nice addition to the calendar and one that really does warrant a second or third viewing. The opening scrap between Hunico/Comancho and Kofi Kingston/R-Truth is an entertaining effort. Next up the MITB Ladder Match revs things up and gives us an insight into the excitement a match of this style can offer up. Dolph Ziggler, Christian and Cody Rhodes stood out here and gave their all in the spot-fest that ensued. The world Heavyweight Title was up for grabs next and it featured Ireland's own Sheamus (champion) battling his long-term thorn in his side Alberto Del Rio. Sheamus is indeed improving and Del Rio is a man so talented that he could get a good match out of anyone. This is well worth a punt. Unfortunately for your review the Titus O'Neil/Darren Young and Primo/Epico bout didn't float my boat. The addition of R-Truth and Kofi on commentary did help but. As a big fan of Daniel Bryan I don't wish to be biased here. Suffice to say that the NO DQ match between him and CM Punk is a real highlight of MITB 2012 for me. Viewers will see exactly why when they view it again. Ryback continued his 'Goldberg' style run next with a decimation of Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins in a swift encounter. The two-on-one odds proving to be not a huge deal to the big man. The Diva's got their chance to shine next and whilst the division is knocked often for its poor talent the ladies here were mostly above par. The teams of Layla, Kaitly, Tamina and Beth Phoenix, Natalya, Eve featured at least four good workers. This may be a short match, but it is fun. Up next we get the MITB Ladder match for the WWE Title shot. The name value hee alone makes this worth watching. When you factor in Kane, Chris Jericho, Big Show, John Cena and The Miz you know you are in for something special and this one is indeed. The finish may be popular knowledge by now, but that cannot ruin the encounter. MITB 2012 is a great DVD and one that will sit nicely alongside your collection. The matches are mostly above par and the action throughout will certainly keep you entertained. MITB 2012 is available now from www.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers. By Phil Allely

Paul Bearer Interview Highlights

THQ and WWE Games have announced that their new game, WWE '13, will feature Alberto Del Rio's personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez, as well as the legendary manager, Paul Bearer. To celebrate, WWE Games caught up with the urn-holder himself for an extended talk about his time as an actual mortician, the evolving role of a manager in WWE, his favorite managers in history, favorite "Attitude Era" moments and his top three WWE Superstars—CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler. Bearer states, "CM Punk is outstanding. I put CM Punk above Cena. I never knew him until I came back when I got kidnapped by Edge. He has the mentality and the ability and the athleticism to perform. He picked up all of that on his own, from Taker and Kane and talking with those guys. He is like a sponge and he just picks up everything. I think he is fantastic. Cena is fantastic too, but Punk is, in my estimation, No. 1 on the roster. "Daniel Bryan was in developmental when I was going to a different territory each week. He came from Shawn Michaels' school. Shawn is one of the best in the business, and he taught Daniel Bryan right. He is not a CM Punk, but he is pretty close. He is really good at one he does. "Dolph Ziggler…he had to grow on me. I had never heard of him before and he looks so much like Billy Gun. Certain things he does in the ring…I see Billy Gunn. He’s not Billy Gunn, but he is a fantastic performer. I have nothing bad to say about any of these guys – they are all really good at what they do." The legendary manager also discussed his association with The Undertaker and Kane. "They are such great performers, such great athletes. Such great men, gentlemen in general. I am truly humbled that I have been allowed to be associated with them for all these years," Bearer said. "When me and Taker first started, his first WrestleMania was my first WrestleMania, so we’ve really been together all that time. I get asked, would you have thought then, that he’d be still going in 2012? Hell no, I wouldn’t then and I’m sure that he wouldn’t have either. In the early years, me and Taker were together so much, I mean all the time. We had a very special relationship and a very special bond. It was such a perfect chemistry, a perfect meant-to-be thing. We were meant to be for each other, but we had no idea it would last this long."

CM Punk Interview Highlights

In a newly published interview with SunSport, WWE Champion CM Punk commented on becoming a hated figure again and his alignment with Paul Heyman. For Punk, getting fans to react to his character is one of the best parts about being a WWE Superstar. “Anytime I get to do stuff hands-on I’m more into it. To me I started to feel like I wasn’t where I should be at that stage, creatively. And I wanted to get there," Punk said. "To me it’s the name of the game – you have to evolve. You have to constantly change. I think the best wrestlers have always evolved." He continued, “I’ve never been the same for too long, but my changes have always been extremely logical. I don’t just wake up one day and I’m a different character. I’ve pretty much always been the same guy, I’ve just dialed things up or dialed things down certain things based on the circumstances. It’s important to not be a phoney, to not just one day say one thing and then the next day say another. Then people will never buy you’re whole stick if you are that wishy-washy.” A little over a year after referencing himself as a "Paul Heyman guy" during his infamous speech chastising WWE brass, Punk is now aligned with the man. He said, “I’m very excited about it. It’s pretty crazy to me. We’ve never gotten to work together in front of the camera. "I have worked with him extensively behind the camera. I think a lot of people are in for a treat." Punk also dismissed people who feel he shouldn't have a mouthpiece. “Rick Rude didn’t need anyone to talk for him, and Paul Heyman was his manager. Bobby Heenan didn’t need to talk for Ric Flair. Those are two examples of great duos," said Punk. “You’ll just have to wait to see what happens.”

WWE DVD Review: Over The Limit 2012

WWE DVD Review: Over The Limit 2012 WWE's latest DVD release Over The Limit 2012 is a well-paced pay-per-view form the top wrestling organisation in the world. Over The Limit was built around (like most WWE offerings) few key matches/feuds and padded out with some fair to middling encounters. Highlights were the John Cena versus General Manager John Laurinaitis brawl. Which of course featured some outside interference and the usual superhuman style of battle from Cena. The CM Punk and Daniel Bryan WWE Title match is well worth a repeat viewing too. Elsewhere on the card we saw a WWE Tag Team Title match that featured a fair few thrills and spills. An exciting Fatal Four Way war for the World Heavyweight Championship with Sheamus defending his gold against the formidable foes of Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton. Ryback and Comancho had a brief, but fulfilling scrap. Layla defended her WWE Divas Championship against Beth Phoenix and twenty superstars fought it our in a 'People Power' Battle Royal. Over The Limit 2012 was certainly a more hit than miss affair for the WWE. The key matches delivered what they promised and some are most certainly well worth re-viewing once again on DVD. The storyline's progress nicely where they can too. WWE Over The Limit 2012 is available now on DVD and Blu-ray from www.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers. By Phil Allely

CM Punk and Lita Pics

CM Punk Interview Highlights

WWE Champion CM Punk spoke with The Chicago Tribune to promote WrestleMania 28. Here are some highlights:




His relationship with Vince McMahon:



"(We) have a lot more one-on-one conversations. I wont say he takes the time to talk to me now, because he always did, but I think he views me differently now. He used to view me as maybe talking to a boy. Now he thinks he’s talking to a man after I stood up and did everything I did over the summer. I always thought I was a main event player. The difference is now he knows I’m a main event player."



Having no relationship with The Rock:



"I don’t think I have a realtionship with The Rock. Over the past few weeks, it’s been better. Probably because I’ve been outspoken (about him) in the media. Of course, everything gets sensationalized and twisted. I don’t hate The Rock or fault him for coming back. I just think heaping credit on The Rock for ratings, buyrates – that’s where I get offended. It’s a team effort 365 days a year. Me and the entire locker room bust our (butts) and all our super stoked. Give credit where credit is due. Wrestlemania had a huge buyrate last year, not because of one guy. The numbers out there prove he hasn’t done much else, like the Survivor Series buyrate."



Wrestling websites:



"I think you have to (read them). Anybody who dismisses it -- that's (crap). You have to have your fingers on the pulse of everything. You have to read it."



A possible movie career:



"(WWE) offered me a movie when I first told them I wasn’t re-signing. I immediately turned it down. They probably figured I would jump at a movie because I’m not a movie star. That’s not to say that if the right thing doesn’t come along, I won’t do it. That’s not my priority. … I think WWE films signed on three new movies. I’m sure one of them is probably slated to be a CM Punk vehicle. I haven’t heard anything yet. Nothing is set in stone. Take that for what it’s worth. I think I would love to do a movie if it’s the right project. I’m not going to be in 'The Marine 3' just because they offered it to me. If it’s something good, I’ll do it. I’d love to do it – as long as it doesn’t interfere with my wrestling schedule."

CM Punk interview highlights

WWE Champion CM Punk spoke with AZCentral.com this week to promote next week's RAW Supershow in Phoenix. Here are some highlights:




Q: Are American fans not respectful? (After commenting that Japan has respectful fans.)



A: It's just a lack of "excuse me" and "please" and "thank you." I'm a pretty approachable guy, but I've had my headphones taken off my head in the gym, people poking me in the back like I'm a farm animal. It's a part of the game.



Q: With so many young fans, you must find yourself being a role model.



A: Absolutely. I'm the straight-edge guy. I'm a damn good guy to look up to. But I approach it the way Charles Barkley approached it. I'm not a role model. Everybody should choose their own path in life. I don't get preachy with the straight-edge stuff.



Q: Do people put you on a pedestal because of it?



A: I find myself being a target as opposed to being put on a pedestal. I get criticized a lot. There are people who are skeptical about it or scared by it or intimidated by it.



Q: Do you mind that a personal choice like that has become part of your public persona?



A: No, because it's who I am. People say, "When did you decide to be straight edge?" I was born this way. It's nothing I really decided (pause) and, right now, while I'm talking, on the treadmill and doing an interview, there's a guy standing over here, taking pictures ... (He politely asks the guy to stop, which doesn't seem to go well). All right, and now he just flipped me off, and I'm the (expletive). See what I mean? (sighing) ... Anyway, I don't think I have a persona per se. I'm not trying to be something I'm not.



Q: What about acting? So many WWE people go into the movies.



A: That's not up to me, but it's nothing I'm actively pursuing. I never say never to anything, but it's nothing I'm looking to actively do.

WWE Summerslam 2011 PPV Review

WWE Summerslam 2011 WWE SummerSlam 2011 – Pay-Per-View Review


By Phil Allely

In these days of monthly PPV events (in both the WWE and TNA) it’s hard to imagine that at one time not that long ago (early 1990s) there were only four big events of that type in the WWE. They were The Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and The Survivor Series, all of which built on TV storylines and usually housed big title matches and those all important title changes. Now of course we can see a belt change hands on a TV show or even a touring house show, but do those four PPV’s still deliver the goods when up against a cornucopia of similar themed events throughout the year? This year WrestleMania proved to be just able to stand out as event it should be, but the celebrity heavy guest list and host The Rock didn’t really shake things up like the WWE hoped. Thankfully SummerSlam proved a far better effort and one that even offered up a few surprises too.

2011’s show was hyped up well and of course was guaranteeing a undisputed WWE Champion, the John Cena versus CM Punk match had great potential, as did the rest of the card.

Things kicked off reasonably well with a bonus six man bout, this unadvertised scrap featured the team of The Miz, Alberto Del Rio and R Truth taking of the trio of Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston and John Morrison. This worked pretty well and allowed an injured Mysterio the chance to take it easy whilst performing the odd high spot. He even nailed the pin on Truth for the popular win for his team.

Next up Sheamus battled the often mocked Mark Henry in a decent big man outing. There was an amount of action and even some unusually violent moves (considering the PG rating WWE seek these days), however the bout really was set up to promote Henry and not the more worthy Irishman, Henry winning by count out.

The obligatory Divas match saw champion Kelly Kelly battle the much larger and powerful Beth Phoenix for the strap. Kelly somehow was able to overcome the might of Phoenix and retain her title.

Daniel Bryan versus Wade Barrett had a pretty good vibe going throughout its duration, both working hard to maintain a good pace and tell a story too. After attempting their signature moves and teasing the odd close pin it became Barrett’s night as he rose to the occasion and put down Bryan.

The No Holds Barred match for Christian’s World Heavyweight Title started with a guest appearance by the recently retired Edge. Who showed his annoyance at his best friend Christian’s recent attitude adjustment. This proved to be a hard-hitting, weapons based match-of-the-night winner, both men putting their bodies on the line once again to thrill the live audience and those at home. Orton’s win to reclaim the belt may not have been shocking, but it did come out of nowhere.

The main event then had an awful lot to live up to. The recent storyline of CM Punk leaving the WWE WWE Title in hand had of course led to a tournament for the vacant belt and then as Cena raised that new one Punk reappeared to challenge him.

Having new Chief Operations Officer Triple H as special referee added to the atmosphere nicely as well. Taking the fight to each other the pair worked hard, Cena proving he can actually wrestler when he wants to. After some back and forth action the end came as a Punk GTS proved too much for the usually superhuman Cena. The result was a tad controversial though as Cena’s foot was under the rope (Triple H was unaware of this).

As he celebrated his win Punk was shockingly attacked by the returning Kevin ‘Diesel’ Nash, his jacknife powerbomb leaving Punk prone to a Money In The Bank case cashing Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio easily put away the injured and exhausted Punk and became the undisputed champ (as many predicted he would have at Wrestlemania).

SummerSlam certainly many if not all of the boxes, we saw feuds end, new ones begin, two new world champions and the return of an old favourite in Kevin Nash. This was perhaps one of the best events of 2011 so far for the company.

Diehard Derek's CM Punk Views

http://www.diehardprowrestling.com/2011/07/15/news-updates/672/cm-punk-is-a-fcking-douchebag/
CM PUNK is a Bag of Douche!




Yeah, he may be the hottest trending name in pro wrestling as we speak, but it doesn't change the bad taste he left when we worked with him.



CM Punk - or should I pull a Vinnie Mac and just refer to him as "Phil" - is a very talented and gifted athlete. He's one of the best I've seen on the mic in a while. Unfortunately, his over sized ego casts an enormous shadow over his skills and paints him as an old school, red rubber, hanging in your grandmothers shower, vinegar smelling, DOUCHEBAG!



Before going any further, let me just make it clear that opinions expressed in this article are solely mine (DieHard Derek) and do not reflect on the opinions of the owners and integrity of this website.



Now out of respect for this and its visitors, I won't go into detail or take a big fat alton brown pizza dough dump on this website because I wouldn't want this to be associated with my personal feelings spawned by my personal experience with Phil. BUT, if you want to hear a story that a an indy locker room can attest to about what it was like working with Phil right before he signed with the WWE, then please click the link below to follow the full story.



Now on the flip side of the coin, I would welcome all your comments and opinions about Phillip Punk. I know many of you may be a fan of his work, as well am I. But I'm not talking about his character, I'm talking about him in real life. Mr. Phil Brooks! So if you were ever told to "F" off when asking for an autograph in an airport or a hotel, I'd love to hear about it!



In the meantime, enjoy the read!



Click Here for THE REAL BACKSTAGE STORY IN WORKING WITH THE STRAIGHT EDGE ASSHOLE



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http://www.diehardprowrestling.com/2011/07/15/news-updates/672/cm-punk-is-a-fcking-douchebag/

CM Punk recent comments

CM Punk, a WWE Triple Crown Champion and the only WWE Superstar to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match two years in a row, revealed to WWE Magazine what he has left to accomplish. "Obviously, I'll always be known as the guy who won back-to-back Money in the Bank Ladder Matches at WrestleMania. So I think that's the goal to beat. There aren't a lot of things that I have left to do," he said. "There are two titles that I haven't one: One of them is the United States Championship, and the other is the WWE Championship. I'm not one to think that I'm beyond the U.S. Title. I'm kind of a "collect-them-all" type. But I've got three big things left. "I have to win a Royal Rumble; I have to win main-event 'Mania; and I have to win that WWE Title. So I don't think my defining 'Mania moment's happened yet."

WWE Royal Rumble 2011 First 21 Names Revealed

The following 21 WWE Superstars have been announced by WWE.com as competitors in the first-ever 40-Man Royal Rumble Match, which takes place Jan. 30 in Boston.




* Alberto Del Rio

* CM Punk

* Cody Rhodes

* Daniel Bryan

* Darren Young

* David Hart Smith

* David Otunga

* Husky Harris

* John Cena

* John Morrison

* Mark Henry

* Michael McGillicutty

* Primo

* R-Truth

* Rey Mysterio

* Sheamus

* Ted DiBiase

* Tyson Kidd

* William Regal

* Yoshi Tatsu

* Zack Ryder