SmackDown 5/30/14

1. Here come the Shield to open SmackDown. Roman Reigns looks like he's moving rather gingerly. Still selling Monday's beat down? Or still hurting?
2. Good promo to build for Payback. Once again, Evolution v. Shield could steal the show.
3. Kofi's back on the big show! Of course, Cesaro is going to kick his tuchus, but it's good to see him again.
4. Too short a match, but that was a nice showcase. Those uppercuts--especially that last one--looked nasty!
5. Barrett seems to be loving life right now. He should. This is the push he's deserved.
6. Paige!!! With AJ on holiday, Paige is carrying the Divas division. And she's got the talent to do it.
7. Alicia Fox has gone whackadoo. Which is probably as good a gimmick for her as possible.
8. Not a good idea to be distracted with Tamina in the ring. She's likely to break your neck when she's trying to lock up.
9. No more Bo. Please.
10. Woods v. Bo? Wake me when it's done.
11. Dallas hits...BoDog...*sigh*... for the win. I'll never have Stratusfaction again.
12. El Torito v. Jinder Mahal. *sigh* This is...too much.
13. Champion v. Champion match: Sheamus v. Barrett. As long as Sheamus doesn't go all groggy again, this should be a very good matchup.
14. Hey, Paul Heyman--Did your client, Brock Lesnar, conquer the Undertaker's undefeated Wrestlemania Streak?
15. Lived up to expectations. Good physical matchup without being ponderous.
16. You're an advocate, Paul?
17. Yeah, the Sheamus heel turn is going real well, don't you think?
18. Big E with that flag looks like he's about to build a barricade in revolution-era France.
19. Big E v. Titus O'Neil...interesting matchup.
20. Is Lana's accent real? (Just checked Wikipedia. She was raised much of her life in Latvia.) She does it well, though it seems to slip from time to time.
21. Match was too quick, but at least it didn't plod. Big E with a quick victory.
22. Swagger v. Adam Rose. PLEASE hit him so hard that he forgets about Adam Rose and becomes Leo Kruger again.
23. Poor Jimmy, about to be sacrificed on the altar of Sister Abigail.
24. I'll be honest: I didn't expect this much offense from Jimmy. Surprisingly good match. Not surprised to see Bray win it.

Best show in May. Not a lot of build for Payback, but the matches were good.

RAW 5/26/14 (hulu edition)

1. Here come Steffi and Hunter to kick off the show. Ignoring how many times Hubter has been out because of injury--two significant knee surgeries--Steffi and Hunter belittle Daniel Bryan for being out with a neck surgery. Then they fire Brad Maddox after Kane chokeslams and tombstones him.
2. RVD comes out to a decent pop. Cesaro is waiting for him. This should be a good match, but it's going to get ugly.
3. Especially since Bad News Barrett came out with another kick-ass promo.
4. Wow. RVD nearly licked BNB's head off! That looked sick!
5. Cesaro gets the pin off the German suplex after Barrett distracted RVD.
6. And then Sheamus came out to hit Cesaro with the Brogue kick. Yikes. This stuff is looking deadly!
7. Here come the Wyatts. The crowd is quiet, but they've all got their phones out like lighters.
8. Bray called out Lawler. JBL uncharacteristically tried to defend Jerry, and they demolished him. Wow. Bray rationalizes the "necessary evil" he is about to do.
9. Cena and the Usos come to Jerry's rescue. Great storytelling here.
10. Orton & Batista v. Goldust and Cody Rhodes in what turns into an elimination match after Orton RKOs Cody twice and pins him. Then it becomes a No Holds Barred match. RKO and a Batista-bomb puts Goldust out. Good of Goldust to be willing to sell Evolution's brutality before Payback, but what a waste of veteran talent.
11. Can we skip a Bo pro for the sake of an extra minute of a good match? Please?
12. And can we skip Bo's RAW debut match to get a good one? Please? Can he fight anyone but Sin Cara? Still amused that he's using Trish Stratus's finisher.
13. And now we have to listen to him talk again? *sigh*
14. Here comes Steffi to harangue Daniel Bryan. Good to see him up an about, though obviously he's in no condition to take bumps. Steffi wants him to surrender the belt so she doesn't make him a martyr. He refuses for the sake of the WWE Universe, so Steffi blackmails him with Brie's job. Nice.
15. Sheamus v. AdR. The best part of this match as they go to commercial has been the astonishing commentary from JBL and Cole. *snort*
16. Sheamus gets groggy, but he still picks up the pinfall victory. What is that going to set up?
17. Cesaro sneaks in with vicious attacks on Sheamus. Doesn't make sense. Are they so bent on getting Cesaro heel heat that they'll make him appear to try to end someone's career?
18. Contract signing. Shield delivers a promo as they overturn tables and clear the ring before Evolution comes out. Evolution comes out and smacks the Shield around after Hunter brings out the sledge. Here we come, Payback.

Not on hulu:
1. No Eva Marie v. Summer Rae. Summer Rae isn't bad in the ring, but Eva Marie? Ugh.
2. No Drew McIntyre v. El Torito. Thanks be to God.
3. No Zack Ryder v. Rusev. I miss the Ryder Revolution.
4. No Alicia Fox v. Emma. Isn't Alicia the #1 contender for a match at Payback? Might have been nice to see that.
5. No Sandow v. Adam Rose. Which is good in that Adam Rose is a joke--bring back LEO KRUGER!!!--but bad in that Sandow can't catch a break.

Best show this month so far with just Smackdown to come. Good setup for Payback.

Smackdown 5/23/14

1. I always mark out when Hogan's music hits, even when he's just coming out to sell something.
2. Time for Ziggler's beat down. I really think Ziggler needs to team up with Sandow and...Drew McIntyre, who needs to leave 3MB like three years ago. Face or heel, I don't care. That would be a badass stable, and maybe they could get the respect together that they can't seem to get on their own.
3. A no-DQ match between Batista and Ziggler? How long before the minions of the Authority interfere?
4. No interference. Color me surprised. Just a very good match. Ziggler steals the show every night, even in defeat.
5. Not ready for a Bo debut. *sigh* Can we get his brother Bray to destroy him?
6. Diva tag match between the Funkadactyls and Eva Marie with Nikki Bella with Summer Rae as the guest ref? Sounds like a Total Divas botchfest.
7. Quick count pinfall. At least it was short.
8. I am not a Bo-liever. Poor Hunico--er, Sin Cara, that is--to have to put Bo over.
9. Stratusfaction, Bo? Really? That's your finisher? *sigh*
10. Keep talking Bray. That stuff is gold.
11. Sheamus v. AdR with Cesaro and Heyman at ringside. Should be a solid match, if predictable, as I fully expect Cesaro to interfere.
12. There it is. I was really hoping Cesaro would be a babyface. Oh well.
13. And Vicki brings out Adam Rose for his Smacdow debut? *sigh* My kingdom for Leo Kruger.
14. It *was* funny to see Vicki carried around by the freakshow.
15. Both Usos have gotten much better on the mic. Good to hear.
16. Cena? What...was that? I guess you made your point, but...geez.
17. The Usos v. The Wyatts Jr. Both teams have come a long way since their debuts, but it's amazing how quickly Harper and Rowan have progressed.
18. Excellent match until Bray brought on the DQ for his team. Hate to see it end that way. I'd rather, as JR suggests, see time limits brought back. Oh well.

Three decent matches, only one of which ended with a pinfall/submission victor. Not a great show, but much better than RAW was.

RAW 5/19/14 (Hulu edition):

1. Creepy Bray Wyatt is creepy even in England. And that's an amazing promo with the whole crowd in his hands.
2. Cena with a cheap shot AA on Bray from behind.
3. Ryback is an interesting character. That box promo... He's so odd.
4. Big E defeats Ryback in a pretty solid beat-the-clock challenge--except for when Big E fell when he slipped out of...powerbomb? Whatever. Time to beat is 5:02.
5. Fandango v. R-Truth doesn't happen because Summer Rae takes out Layla. Umm...yeah.
6. Steffie with some "bad news!" *Laugh* Yeah, you strip Daniel Bryan of the title belts, and stick will go down a lot more than 50%.
7. RVD beats the clock by 47 seconds (!) and AdR in a o match. Blah. Time to beat is now 4:15.
8. Nice shiner, Roman. I think it's gonna take more than that to put Roman out of commission. (It's nice that he's getting better on the microphone.)
9. Once again Cena announces that he needs the help of others on the roster. Poor guy. I know people are tired of his schtick, but it's going to take a lot more than boos to get rid of him when he's still selling the most merchandise of anyone on the roster.
10. Triple H as guest ring announcer? Orton as guest timekeeper?
11. One good turn deserves another. Dean and Roman as guest commentators? Oh, please let Dean talk crazy!
12. It's funny listening to someone out-JBL Layfield, but Dean Ambrose can do it.
13. It's always a slow match when Batista is in control, but Rollins has been injecting just enough excitement to make the match bearable.
14. Is it just me, or does Batista look a more than a bit like Eugene with the start of that beard?
15. It's a melee. Oh, I'm overwhelmed with shock. Rollins get the DQ win and the Shield comes out on top. With Batista due to take time off, is this feud going to continue after Payback?
16. Ziggler v. Mark Henry in a beat-the-clock match? Almost have to be a squash match to beat this clock. And if anyone is going to get squashed, you can be sure it will be Dolph getting squashed.
17. How on earth did Dolph hit the Famouser on Mark Henry? That's insane!
18. ZIG ZAG! But it's too late! RVD wins the beat-the-clock challenge. That means Barrett will win at Payback. Hope it's a good match.
19. Barrett with BAD NEWS for RVD: a blindsided Bullhammer! Love the hometown crowd getting behind the heel!
20. Don't sully that sweet blossom Renee Young with that Russel Brand wannabe. Ugh! BRING BACK LEO KRUGER!!!
21. WE...THE PEOPLE!!! Love how the crowd is singing Swagger's music too. Zeb Coulter, PLEASE SAVE US FROM ADAM ROSE!!!!!!
22. Ugh. That's five minutes of my life I'll never get back.
23. From Adam Rose to a Bo Dallas promo vid. Strike two.
24. Time for Cena v. Harper. This will be a nice quiet match, no interference, no shenanigans. Right? of course right.
25. I love watching Cena get faceplanted by Harper. It's so...primal. And what's with Harper doing real wrestling moves like a hurricanrana? And a dropkick? Geez!
26. It would be nice Cena were to really sell someone's moves. Really. Not even Hogan could survive everything.
27. Both Usos meet Sister Abigail!
28. If they would just let one of these Cena v. Wyatt family matches reach a natural conclusion... *Sigh* Maybe at Payback? Please?
29. And who knew Luke Harper could count that high?!?

Average show. Nothing to get too excited about as the push toward Payback continues.


 Not on hulu:
1. No Cesaro v. Sheamus, but they wasted time on Adam Rose?
2. No Heath Slater v. Rusev is no skin off my nose.
3. No Alicia Fox v. Paige, which I would like to have seen over Summer Rae's return.

SmackDown 5/16/14

1. John Cena really needs to stop with the testicular jokes about his opponents. That's a bully tactic.
2. It's funny how Bray can give a compelling promo without talking about his opponent's man-parts. I remember when John could do that.
3. A Tag-Team match between Jimmy & Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes and Goldust. That's quite an unexpected and delightful surprise, even if it's another sign of the impending dissolution of the Brotherhood.
4. Still impressed at how good Goldust looks. He moves better that guys about half his age. I hope he doesn't disappear after he and Cody split and have their feud.
5. Cody with some heel tactics. I liked him as a heel before, and I won't mind terribly if he goes back to it.
6. Great match! One of the best four-man tag matches of the year! Those four left it all in the ring.
7. Heath Slater v. El Torito? Really? *sigh*
8. Nikki Bella v. Natalya with Eva Marie as the ref? This should be a trainwreck.
9. Umm...botchfest? Yes, I believe it was. Eva can't wrestle, and she can't ref either.
10. Dolph? You're great, man, but you might not want to rattle Batista's cage when he's already upset.
11. Looking at Batista, I have to say that I think the WWE cut Mason Ryan because Batista was looking too much like him. Maybe you should go back to the shaved head, Dave.
12. Good match until Batista went all crybaby.
13. No one sells taking a beating like Ziggler.
14. Sheamus v. Titus O'Neil. Wow. Ballsy promo from Titus followed by a squash from Sheamus on the Brogue kick. Wow. That was quick. And ugly. And awesome!
15. That Adam Rose segment was...disturbing.
16. I wish Sandow was getting better opposition. On the bright side, at least Santino isn't facing Fandango.
17. Another squash? This time Santino with the win? That's just wrong.
18. I don't understand this thing with Sandow. I hope something comes of this. He's too good a talent, too good on the mic, to be wasted.
19. Paul Heyman, did your client Brock Lesnar do something significant?
20. Cena v. Eric Rowan. This seems...familiar.
21. Usos at ringside to keep the Wyatts in line. Not a surprise. Cena's been needing help a lot lately.
22. Cena "Hulks up" on Rowan, but Rowan hits the side slam. Not a bad match so far. Rowan has gotten better and better.
23. Usos make the save when Harper tries to intervene, then keep Bray out of the ring as Cena hits the AA on Rowan for the pinfall. I smell consequences coming.

Hard to be really happy with a show containing two squashes in a row, but it was decent.

RAW 5/12/14 (hulu edition)

1. The Shield delivered a powerful promo. Roman is the one who has needed the most work on the mic, and he's getting better.
2. AMBUSH!!! The Shield ambushes Evolution as they enter the arena! I really like this feud. Hunter is wasted being only behind the scenes, and he's a better heel when he's competing.
3. WE...THE PEOPLE! Deportation list! YES! PLEASE get rid of Adam Rose!!!
4. Can't we even get the match started before Rose comes out to waste our time? What is being cut from the hulu edition so this can take place on my television? AAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!
5. And RVD takes advantage of the Rose distraction to kick, splash, and pin Swagger. Now I just have to hope Rose leaves ringside quick.
6. Daniel Bryan needs neck surgery. I wonder if they're going to strip him of the title. Probably depends on how long he'll be out. Hard to sell a PPV without the main title being contested.
7. Cena and the Usos v. the Wyatts. This sounds familiar, like we just saw this. Hmm...
8. I wonder if Luke Harper and Eric Rowan do any Civil War reenactment.
9. Very good match. Cena gets the pin on Rowan after the Usos clean house.
10. Evolution is come a-whining. But at least Batista is regrowing hair.
11. Hunter might have let something slip there. Reigns is the one not going to adapt? Does that mean Rollins and Ambrose are?
12. AMBUSH!!! Where did they come from? Under the ring?
13. Batista v. Reigns tonight? Good stuff!
14. "the cast of Total Divas..." Where's the remote? Time to fast-forward.
15. Nikki v. Natalya. *sigh* And how will Nikki get the victory this time?
16. Umm...not impressed. Look like Nikki dropped Natalya on her head.
17. Sheamus v... Curtis Axel after he...loses...the coin toss? Axel taps to the cloverleaf after a fairly quick match. Ryback attacks after the bell...
18. ...which leads to Sheamus v. Ryback in an impromptu match. Maybe it's time they get Ryback a chance at the IC belt. Considering he was in the main event scene 7 months ago and is nowhere now, a title match might have people believing he's still worth watching. Whether he is or not.
19. Well, maybe not. But that was a better match than the one with Axel.
20. What are they doing with Sheamus? I thought they were pulling for a heel turn, but taking out two heels in one night won't do it.
21. Steffi comes out to call out Daniel Bryan. What do you know? It's KANE!!! And he's dragging out the champ! HA!!! Good way to keep the storyline hot for his convalescence. (Here's hoping your surgery goes well, man. Come back healthy.)
22.If Bree really wants to get over, she needs to cold-cock Stephanie. She's just not convincing.
23. Hacksaw Jim Duggan? What's he doing here? (And who is he jobbing to?)
24. And the answer to that question is...Rusev. That makes sense, considering the likely resumption of Cold War hostilities.
25. Big E to the rescue? Wow. Rusev just dropped him. I remember when Big E was a badass. Like...last week. Literally.
26. Wyatt challenges Cena to a last man standing match at Payback. Hmm. How will Cena not lose cleanly this time?
27. MAIN EVENT: Batista v. Reigns. I know Batista is coming out as part of Evolution, but "I Walk Alone" is so much more badass than Motorhead's "Evolution" theme.
28. They didn't leave a lot of time for this match. Is it going to be that crappy of a match? Or is it going to disintegrate into a brawl that fast?
29. Melee it is. And here come the heels from the locker room.
30. Hunter brings in the chair, but Reigns with the SPEAR!!! Rollins and Ambrose clear the ring. You'd think Ryback'd know by now not to mess with the Shield. And the Shield stand tall.
31. Maybe Batista better shave that head again after all.

Not on hulu:
1. No Paige v. Alicia Fox. Yeah, cutting the Diva's champ for sake of the Total Divas storyline is always a good idea. Not.
2. No Ziggler v. Fandango. Would have been nice to see Fandango lose.
3. No Damien Sandow v. Cody Rhodes. Another good pairing that would have been nice to see.

Fairly god show, but I could have done without some of what they kept for the sake of the good matches they cut. Oh well.

SmackDown 5/9/14

1. Very good match between Sheamus and Ambrose for the IC strap. Good back and forth. Sheamus retains after two brogue kicks.
2. If they're trying to make Sheamus a heel, they're going to have to try harder. Right now it just looks like he's taking advantage of opportunities and doing what he has to for the win. Nothing dirty or unsportsmanlike so far, except possibly his "No hard feelings, fella" comment on RAW.
3. I like the team of Barrett and Cesaro. I know it's just a throw-away, but it gives Cesaro a legitimate heel to feed off of.
4. RVD kicks his tag-partner Big E! Oops! Oh, and Barrett thanks him by throwing him into the barrier. Cesaro with the pin on Big E off the neutralizer.
5. Loved having Heyman on commentary.
6. Quick squash on Kofi by Rusev. You'd never know that Kofi's last televised victory was over the then-world champion Orton.
7. Another golden promo by Bray Wyatt.
8. No more Bo!
9. Okay. I know I'm a fan of the #EMMAlution, but if she and Santino don't face someone besides Fandango and his dancer du jour...
10. Impressive performance from Roman Reigns against Mark Henry. He sold Monday's Evolution attack very well.
11. So how does El Torito not get DQed for biting Hornswoggle?
12. El Torito pins Heath Slater. More believable than pinning Drew McIntyre at least.
13. There's the Mr. T tribute for Mother's Day!
14. Very good match between Batista and Seth Rollins. Brutality from Batista, high-flying antics from Rollins. Batista wins by count-out, and then he attacks Rollins. Good storytelling.
15. And again the Wyatts win a four-star match, this time over the Usos and Cena. Will this lead to a tag title match?

Good show overall. Six out of eight matches were above average.

One of the many reasons I'm a WWE fan...

I know some people think I'm silly--and maybe even a damn fool--for being a fan of the WWE. Go ahead. Think what you will. But watch this, and then try to tell me that these people don't touch the lives around them in a positive way. Go ahead. I dare you.

RAW 5/5/14 (Hulu edition)

1. 20-man Battle Royal to apparently strip Dean Ambrose of his United States Championship.

2. I was sort of hoping Rollins and Reigns would catch Ambrose in mid-air when someone would try to eliminate him. Oh well.

3. Sheamus is the new United States Champion! I wonder if this means he’s been relegated back in the mid-card.

4. Hunter, they need to change your title to CNO: Chief Narcissistic Officer. How long is the Authority angle going to last?

5. “No hard feelings, fella”? Is this the start of the next Sheamus heel run? I know that he just took advantage of the opportunity, but that reaction makes me wonder.

6. So is Kane attacking Daniel Bryan right away? Nope, just Stephanie. As if that isn’t bad enough.

7. Did Brock Lesnar do something, Paul? *wink*

8. Nice shiner, RVD. For all the times he’s been in extreme matches, he seems to come through them very well. He’s always had a great stretching regimen, and I imagine that has only increased as he’s gotten older.

9. Is Swagger going to interfere in the Cesaro v. RVD match?

10. Unexpected brutality from Cesaro. I guess they really want him to be a heel. RVD with the DQ win.

11. I like creeped-out John Cena. And I like Bray Wyatt for making it happen.

12. “Breach of contract?” Are Daniel Bryan and the Shield going to team up to put an end to this Authority angle already?

13. (I don’t blame the WWE for this, but I despise watching Hulu on the Roku box.)

14. Does Kane interfere now? Or does Kane attack later…at the car, perhaps?

15. Solid match between Bryan and AdR. AdR is fine as long as he doesn’t talk.

16. I thought Bryan was going to make AdR tap to an armbreaker.

17. There’s Kane. No, wait…

18. Back at the car…which won’t start. And there he is in the back seat. (The WWE is so predictable. And they’ve done this car shtick before.)

19. Okay, enough Brie screams already.

20. Someone impound the Exotic Express before it can reach Albany!!!

21. Rematch between Big E and IC Champion Bad News Barrett. Hope this is as good as the match at Extreme Rules.

22. Barrett is over with this Albany crowd. Feel bad for Big E. They had him off TV for so long that he lost momentum.

23. Good match. Not as good as Extreme Rules, but good. Barrett retains after a rake to the eyes and a bullhammer. Not a surprise.

24. WE…THE PEOPLE!!! Go for it, Zeb!

25. NO! PLEASE no Adam Rose! What’s being cut so this clown can appear? PLEASE GIVE US LEO KRUGER BACK!!!

26. Main Event: The Shield v. the Wyatts. Expecting an appearance from Evolution. No mystery there.

27. Bit of a brawl to start things off. That will probably mark much of the match.

28. Seth Rollins is the next generation of Jeff Hardy. Without the failed drug tests. Scary agility.

29. WE WANT TABLES!!! WE WANT TABLES!!!

30. Great back and forth! THIS IS AWESOME!!!

31. And there’s Evolution to ruin a great match. Bray pins Reigns after Hunter eats a Superman punch.

32. And there’s the jackals…

Not on hulu:

1. No Ryback v. Cody Rhodes. They’re building toward Cody v. Goldust. Be nice if we’d see it. Cut Afam Rose next time!

2. No Rusev v. Kingston. I can do without it since Kofi is likely getting squashed.

3. NO MR. T SEGMENT! I pity the fool who cut that from Hulu!

Extreme Rules 5/4/14

1. Opening with the triple-threat elimination match: RVD v. Jack Swagger v. Cesaro. This should be an excellent match. I can’t imagine Cesaro losing, considering his (highly deserved) push.

2. “The Eleventh Commandment of Extreme: Thou shalt not boo Paul Heyman!” The man is brilliant!

3. The crowd is popping something fierce for Cesaro as he begins the Cesaro Swing on Swagger.

4. RVD eliminates Swagger off of the Cesaro second-rope suplex and the 5-Star Frog Splash. (Always impressive when Cesaro pulls that suplex off.)

5. RVD has to be made of a Slinky and rubber bands. He took that German suplex from Cesaro, and it looked like he landed on his head. Then he kicked out be extending his body straight into the air.

6. RVD misses the Splash. Neutralizer on a garbage can! Cesaro wins! Excellent match, worthy of the name Extreme.

7. Stephanie, that’s not very ladylike language.

8. Could we just intro Bo so we can get rid of the smarmy Osteen-esque promo vids?

9. Bo’s promo vid was so bad that my video feed reset!

10. Lana dedicates Rusev’s match to Putin! Nice.

11. R-Truth remembers he’s in Jersey. Of course, the smell will tell you that.

12. Ooooh! Xavier Woods took a nasty kick. Something tells me he won’t be a factor in this match. Oh, and the other extra-curricular activities before the bell won’t help!

13. Truth, you should just lay down and let Rusev pin you.

14. Well, that’s just about what it amounted to in the end. Truth got his usual offense in, but the scissor kick won’t put him out. And it didn’t.

15. Rusev has impressive agility for a man his size. That heel kick had him parallel to the ground five feet up. And there’s the Accolade for the submission victory. Now please go beat up Woods some more.

16. Thank you.

17. Evolution has matching t-shirts. How sweet.

18. Triple-H, we already knew you have a massive ego. You didn’t need to tell us that.

19. Intercontinental Title Match: Big E defends against Bad News Barrett. Again, I like Big E, but I don’t think the WWE is going to slow BNB’s push.

20. Barrett is over with the crowd. Deservedly so. He’s always had the physical skills, but he’s worked hard to make this gimmick succeed, and his Bad News moment at the HoF ceremony was brilliant.

21. Barrett wins the IC strap with a flying Bullhammer! Very good match. I hope to see a rematch soon.

22. WWE has made fake-Lego sets? That’s just sad. No one tell Molly please!

23. I’d rather suck lemons than watch another Adam Rose promo!

24. Plenty of melee to start the Evolution v. Shield match. My prediction: A Shield victory is what’s best for business.

25. Ambrose with the Figure Four! Talk about shoving Evolution’s nose in…something unappealing.

26. Plenty of brutality. Not really an extreme match per se, but quite vicious enough for most tastes.

27. Loving the “You can’t wrestle” chants for Batista. He can, but I love the heat.

28. Down goes the cameraman!

29. SETH ROLLINS! HOLY CRAP!!! He just jumped out of the crowd to land on Hunter and Orton! NOW we’re extreme!

30. Superman Punch! SPEAR! Shield wins! Poor Batista. Another loss to a young pup. And Reigns stands alone in the ring. Match of the night so far.

31. Part of me wants to watch Legends House…sort of like driving by a wreck.

32. Cena v. Bray Wyatt cage match is next. Can they keep having Cena win somehow? I don’t think so. Looking for Wyatt to finally get the victory.

33. The crowd is definitely pro-Wyatt Family.

34. After the previous matches, this match seems to be…blah.

35. Singing child distracts Cena; Wyatt gets the victory. Worst match of the night.

36. Paige v. Tamina for the Diva’s Championship. I hope Tamina doesn’t hurt Paige with poorly executed moves. Paige should win this match, but I don’t even think Tamina should be in it.

37. This is the best they’ve let Paige look in a match thus far. She actually had two minutes of offense there, which is more than they’ve let her have in any match.

38. Paige counters a probably top-rope suplex with a Powerbomb.

39. Tamina with a spinning side slam.

40. Paige counters the superkick with the Scorpion Crosslock! PAIGE RETAINS! Better match than I expected. Tamina didn't look bad like she usually does.

41. Kane v. Daniel Bryan will be an excellent match. No chance Kane wins, but it will be a brutal match.

42. I was right about that. This match is terrifying! The electricity! The forklift to bring Kane back to the ring! Wow!

43. Kane’s choke slam was scary, especially when Bryan ran into it and his momentum carried him down.

44. The kendo stick Yes Lock! Thought Kane would tap. CHOKE SLAM THROUGH A TABLE!!! Yikes!

45. Kane through a burning table! Bryan with a knee to the face! DANIEL BRYAN RETAINS!!! Very good match. I expected interference and was pleasantly surprised it didn’t happen. I don’t think this is the end of Kane/Bryan.

46. I wish people would give Kane more credit for his versatility and athleticism.

Excellent PPV! Loving the WWE Network and getting to see all these as part of the price of admission.

SmackDown 5/2/14

1. The only problem I have with stables like the Shield and the Wyatts is the artificially constructed six-man tag match. The Usos and Sheamus as a team? I guess. Not the oddest team I've seen, but still...
2. Good match--which doesn't surprise me, considering the quality of the participants--but it felt like they were trying to do too many things: a message to Cena, revenge for Sheamus after Main Event, building for a possible Tag Title match...
3. Adam Rose reminds me of the LCMS--the WWE is trying to piggyback on the popularity of Russell Brand, only about a decade too late.
4. WeeLC match? Is 3MB now 4MB? El Torito speaks? Wow, this really is an intriguing matchup. *sigh*
5. WE...THE PEOPLE!!! RVD v. Swagger with Cesaro at ringside? Yeah, that will end well.
6. RVD gets the win, for all the good it did him. #CesaroIsExtreme. I expected a melee, but the Extreme Rules match didn't need much in the way of build-up after RAW.
7. Rusev v. Truth. *yawwwwwwn* Woods interferes. ZZZ...
8. Like him or not, John Cena has granted over 400 Wishes. That's impressive. That's not something he has to do, but he does it all the time. If for nothing else than that, he should be considered one of the all-time greats.
9. It's great to see how far Daniel Bryan has come on the mic.
10. I know Kane is going to lose on Sunday, but it's nice to see him in a title match. Some moron wrote that Kane is, at best, a midcard talent. In reality, he is the most versatile talent the WWE has seen.
11. Ziggler v. Sandow/Magneto? Is there an imminent nuclear attack, or will one of these jobbers actually get a win?
12. Actually, Sandow was impressive in that he didn't trip over his own cape in all of that. For a joke match, they both sold it well.
13. Titus beats up Big E? Wow, and Big E returned the favor. I thought Titus was going to have a broken neck.
14. Another golden promo from Wyatt.
15. Ambrose to defend the US Title in a Fatal Four-Way. On the bright side, it's good to see AdR firmly in the midcard.
16. If this is the kind of title defense Ambrose faces, maybe it's worth it that he hasn't defended very much.
17. Believe in the Shield. No kidding.

Not the best show ever, but there was decent last-minute build for Extreme Rules.

RAW 4/28/14 (Hulu edition)

1. Poor, poor John Cena. He looks so forlorn. Nice for him to get his cheap pops for mentioning the superstars of tomorrow.
2. Ooh, that Wyatt segment was delightfully creepy!
3. I like what they did with AxelBack's entrance music. Don't like AxelBack, but the music is cool.
4. Very good tag team championship match. Probably Ryback's best match since October. Will there be a reprise at Extreme Rules?
5. Dolph Ziggler gets face time! W00t!!!
6. Hugh Jackman! Great to have a real WWE fan out there! Here's hoping he won't jack Ziggler again this time! (Though I wish they'd have brought Zack Ryder out too.)
7. Sandow as Magneto? Oh, how the mighty have fallen. This man has all the tools, and he's being used for this? Granted, it was funny...
8. I'd rather be a lemon than a rose blossom. Ugh.
9. Having heard Cesaro's new theme music, I have to say that it reminds me of Mickey James' entrance music.
10. I've been wondering when someone would actually use Zeb Colter's facial hair for handlebars. Good job, Paul Heyman!
11. Not that the match needed that, though. Cesaro can bring out the best in anybody; he certainly does that for Jack Swagger. Another solid match.
12. The Stephanie McMahon/Daniel Bryan segment reminded me of a child's story.
Stephanie: "Little goat, little goat, let me in, let me in!"
Daniel Bryan: "Not by the hair on my chinny-chin chin."
13. Brie...is getting over? Wow, talk about marrying into power.
14. That was a surprisingly good Diva's championship match until Kane interrupted. Is Daniel tutoring Brie in the ring?
15. Great to have the monster back. Kane is at his best when he is bringing his special chaotic brand of evil to the WWE.
16. Oh, but Brie's acting needs a little work.
17. A donkey, John? Really? Can't wait to see the Cena/Wyatt match on Sunday.
18. Barrett is really making the best of this gimmick. Good to see him in action again. I don't like him...but then again, I'm not supposed to like heels. I fully expect RVD to be here to put BNB over for the IC title match. (Love BNB stealing the RVD thumb-points!) But will Cesaro intervene?
19. Very good match even with the interruptions. BNB is the #1 contender! Good to see him being pushed again.
20. Enjoyed the extra-curricular activities after the match too. That will be a great triple-threat match at Extreme Rules with a lot of bad blood all the way around.
21. Orton v. Reigns. Expecting a no-contest with lots of brawling after, even with Hunter and Batista in suits.
22. Ric Flair? Evolution reunion? And shaking hands with the Shield? All I know is, "To be the man, you have to beat the man." He sounded almost a little tipsy at times, but he's always been able to talk no matter what condition he's in.
23. I haven't seen Hunter sell a spear like that in a long time. I didn't know he remembered how.
24. That is going to be a hell of a match at Extreme Rules. That melee was just a taste of what's going to be an ugly brawl.

Not on hulu:
1. No Sheamus v. Titus O'Neil. Might have been an interesting match to see.
2. No Cody v. AdR. Shame not to see the further dissolution of the Rhodes team.
3. No Rusev v. Woods. Shucks.
4. No Matadors v. 3MB.

Good show overall with good selling for Extreme Rules.