Money in the Bank Predictions

Real quick:


The Dusts (Goldust and Stardust) over AxelBack

Erick Rowan and Luke Harper over The Usos

Paige over Naomi (though a Paige loss wouldn't surprise me for the sake of Total Divas)

Summer Rae over Layla

Rusev over Big E

Contract match: Seth Rollins

WWEWHC match: John Cena

The Swerve: Rollins (or whoever wins the contract) cashes in and takes the straps

SmackDown 6/27/14

1. After a video, SmackDown opens with Hunter, Randy Orton, and Seth Rollins. Hunter talks about the "Authority Era" and how he and his cohorts are making history. (Historical drowsiness, maybe.) he also says an Orton championship and a Rollins contract win is "what's best for business." Orton and Rollins reiterate that point. There's a little dissension when Rollins points out that Randy might not get the job done again. Hunter tries to keep the peace.
2. Hunter then introduces a match between Bad News Barrett and Dean Ambrose. No chance this match ends cleanly, but it should be a good match until Rollins and Swagger interfere.
3. Did not expect a clean win by Ambrose! Very good match.
4. But Swagger and Colter interrupt the celebration. Swagger attacks Barrett and throws him into the barricade twice. The ref is holding up the X over Barrett. Not a good sign. Swagger trows Ambrose over the top rope, but Ambrose comes back in and does the same to Swagger. And then Rollins attacks Ambrose from behind and hits The Curb Stomp.
5. Paige v. Cameron next. They really need to give Paige top-notch opponents, not Cameron. Naomi is a step up, but she needs Natty or Emma or Charlotte...or a surprise return from Michelle McCool (who has no reason to come back). This will be short and not as good as I'd like to see from Paige.
6. Naomi is on commentary. Not a bright, sparkling light there.
7. Much too short, but Paige gets the win with the Paige Turner. Naomi comes in, but Cameron attacks from behind. Cameron then pushes Naomi into Paige to stir the pot.
8. Luke Harper gives a creepy promo. Great stuff. And then Bray comes in and keeps it going. They've got lightning in a mason jar!
9. Sheamus v. Bray. Again I expect interference from the Jr. Wyatts and the Usos, but I was wrong about the Barrett/Ambrose match. If there's a winner, it will be by DQ. But it will be a solid physical match.
10. Sheamus gets Bray in the Cloverleaf and Harper interferes to give Sheamus the DQ win. The Usos take out the Jr. Wyatts, and then Bray flees before Sheamus can deliver the Brogue. Very good, lengthy brawl of a match before that.
11. Goldust interviewed by Byron Saxton. Goldust puts over Stardust, and they go off on AxelBack. This could be Cody's best gimmick yet. The Dusts accept a match with the meatheads at Money in the Bank.
12. RVD and Ziggler v. Cesaro and AdR. This should show that AdR and Cesaro aren't considered real candidates for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. But Heyman on commentary is always worth the price of admission.
13. AdR blocks the frog splash and gets the submission from RVD with the Cross Armbreaker to give his team the win. Good match, though not great. And then Cesaro hits AdR with the Neutralizer!!! Yes!
14. Rusev comes out for a Lana promo. Then Big E comes out and picks a fight. Rusev tries ti fake out Big E, but Big E catches him and knocks him off the apron.
15. The main event is Kane v. Roman Reigns. One last match without a clean winner, but this should be a physical contest for as long as it lasts, and then the brawl begins.
16. Very good match until Orton attacks Reigns. Orton gets hit with a Superman punch, and then Kane hits Reigns with a Chokeslam. Kane sets up a ladder and holds it for Orton. Orton brings down the belts, and Kane goes to chokeslam Reigns again. Orton stops him and goes to pubt Reigns. Reigns spears both of them and holds up the belts himself.

The attacks were predictable, but a good show nonetheless. Good build-up for Money in the Bank.

Look for a MitB prediction post this evening or tomorrow.

RAW 6/23/14 (Hulu edition)

1. Steffi comes out to open the Money in the Bank go-home RAW, the 1100th episode. She calls out Vicki Guerrero, who gave Steffi the coffee Roman Reigns spiked last week. She makes Vicki beg for her job. Steff gives her an option of being fired or facing her in a match tonight to try to save her job. Vicki invokes Eddie in accepting the match. "There is one name in this industry that people respect more than McMahon, and that is Guerrero! And if there's one thing Eddie taught me, it was how to lie, cheat, and steal!" I don't always like Vicki's gimmick, but she's always been good for heels.
2. The Junior Wyatts come out to a creepy accordion version of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."
3. Jimmy Uso v. Luke Harper. The Harpers and the Usos have had great matches over the past few months, and this could be another good one. Prediction: Harper wins a physical match.
4. Way too quick a win for Harper off a massive clothesline.
5. Jey challenges Eric Rowan. I hope this is a longer match. I'm guessing Jey will win, though it won't aurprise me if they want the  Junior Wyatts to look strong for MitB.
6. Jey hits the splash to win another short match. Jimmy cut Harper off when they tried interfere.
7. The Wyatts throw a beatdown after the match and take the straps to pose with in the ring.
8. Bray appears on the tron with another golden promo, saying the kids will win the Tag belts an he'll win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
9. Daniel Bryan will appear this Sunday on the MitB kickoff show.
10. A vignette with Rusev and Lana exploring Washington DC. Hard to argue with anything they said about the center of US corrupternment.
11. Here comes Hunter to announce the entrants to a second MitB ladder match for a Championship contract briefcase. Rollins is already in, and Hunter adds Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, Rob Van Dam, and Bad News Barrett. Hunter says Rollins is the favorite.
12. Rollins comes out--great music!--and takes responsibility for the success of Ambrose and Reigns. He says he will be Mr. Money in the Bank.
13. RVD comes out and says no one takes him seriously. This is the most he's talked since his return. He challenges Rollins to a match immediately.
14. RVD v. Rollins in a MitB tune-up. Prediction: Rollins wins a top notch match with a lot of air beneath it. No chance that RVD wins.
15. Seth hits the Three Amigos on RVD. Great offense going on here, wonderful counters.
16. Rollins hits Curb Stomp, but Ambrose interferes and drive Rollins out, and attacks even more. Rollins runs out while Dean stands tall in the rings. Ambrose tells Rollins he's going to be at MitB no matter what and will walk out with the briefcase whether or not he's in the match.
17. Sheamus and Reigns backstage. Nice interplay.
18. Rollins demands that Ambrose be in the MitB briefcase match so he can have him where he can see him. I still think there's more to this story, that Rollins is playing Hunter.
19. Ziggler v. Bad News Barrett in an Intercontinental Title match. I'd love to see Ziggler win it, but he won't. Barrett wins a quality match.
20. By the way, Mick Foley wrote a great piece about Ziggler on Facebook. Read it here.
21. Barrett pulled out Foley's guns before dropping an elbow on Ziggler!
22. The fans are chanting "This is awesome!" And it is! This is the best match we've seen in some time.
23. Ziggler hits the Famouser! But Barrett kicks out! Ugh!
24. Barrett hits the Bullhammer off a Ziggler leap! He retains the belt in a great match. I could have watched that for a week.
25. Steffi v. Vicki with Vicki's job on the line. Vicki's been ready to leave for a while now, so this is probably her last hurrah. Steffi wins ugly.
26. Vicki comes out to Eddie's music! Great stuff! Latino Heat!
27. Steffi makes a sludge match where the first person to go in the sludge loses. Steffi brings the heel Divas out to do her...dirty work. They go to carry her in, but Vicki fights out. Rosa Mendes goes in first, then Layla, and finally Alicia Fox. While Vicki celebrates, Steffi pushes her in. Steffi fires Vicki.
28. Vicki throws her in the sludge! Thank you, Vicki. Goodbye, Mrs. Guerrero!
29. Sandow comes out in a Lincoln outfit. Poor guy. At least he's making the best of a bad gimmick.
30. "Abraham" Sandow v. Big E. Big E wins in a quick match.
31. I barely had time to type that before the match was over. Big E hit the Big Ending. All this did was make Sandow look worse.
32. Big E delivered a preacher-style promo on Rusev, who attacks Big E from behind while Lana distracts him. Rusev puts big E in the Camel Clutch--er, the Accolade.
33. Main Event is another 4-on-3 handicap match with the MitB Championship Ladder Match participants. Prediction: the faces win again. The only question: will Cena or Reigns get the pin?
34. Sheamus gets the pin(!) in a pretty good match.
35. Kane comes out immediately and starts cleaning house. I suspected this was coming. Kane will be the 8th entrant in the MitB championship ladder match.
36. And Reigns hits Kane with a spear put of nowhere to close out the show.

Not on hulu:
1. Alicia Fox v. Naomi with Paige on commentary. Would have liked to have heard Paige.
2. No Titus O'Neil v. Bo(ring) Dallas. Thank you. Didn't need to see that. Again.
3. No Swagger v. Kingston. I hear Swagger got a broken nose in this one. I hope they give him a babyface turn soon.

Overall this was a pretty good show for a go-home show. The Barrett v. Ziggler match was 5-star, and the build-up for Money in the Bank was adequate.

SmackDown 6/20/14

1. John Cena opens the show with a humorous recap of the past few months with a lead-up to the men in the Money in the Bank ladder match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and then he proclaims his intention to line up the other competitors and punch them.
2. AdR comes out with his stale self to say that he's going to win.
3. Out comes Sheamus, telling AdR that no one cares what he says...which is true. He also worries about how he's going to get three belts through airport security.
4. And here's Cesaro, with Heyman proclaiming Cesaro's upcoming victory.
5. Reigns comes through the crowd to a nice pop, and he gets in Cena's face to say that no one can stop him.
6. They're about to throw down when Orton comes out and says the titles are coming home.
7. Reigns goes out and attacks Orton; Cena and AdR go at it; Cesaro and Sheamus brawl. The faces come out ahead. No appearance by Bray Wyatt.
8. They speak briefly about the second ladder match at MitB for the briefcase. Seth Rollins is already in.
9. Rollins v. Kofi Kingston. Two excellent ring workers, and Rollins will come out ahead in a fairly long exciting match.Rollins comes out in leather, it appears, or latex. Good look for him.
10. Rollins hits the Curb Stomp for the win. Not as long as I thought it would be, but it was a quality match. Rollins guarantees a victory, but he's interrupted by Dean Ambrose who attempts to get in Seth's head. Nice back and forth between the two.
11. Bad News Barrett v. Dolph Ziggler. I hope this match is longer than the Rollins/Kingston match. This should be an excellent match if they're given the time. I'm predicting a BNB victory, as the WWE seems down on Ziggler after his concussion issues.
12.  SHOCKER!!! Ziggler gets a surprise non-title win over the Intercontinental Champion BnB with a roll-up after dodging the Bullhammer. His joy is short-lived, though, when BnB hits the Bullhammer as Ziggler gets off the turnbuckle. Who would thought a victory would lead to bad news? Barrett gets more heel heat, and he looks good doing it.
13. Titus O'Neil v. Adam Rose. Ugh. Why can't this be on RAW and get cut from the Hulu edition? Prediction: Rose gets the (hopefully quick) win, and O'Neil gets to look like a loser all on his own.
14. Rose rolls up O'Neil. At least it was quick. NO, O'Neil, don't prolong this! He demands Rose get back in the ring. Rose gets another quick pin. Ugh. Two matches in a total of about 90 seconds.
15. Kane v. Dean Ambrose with Rollins on commentary. Yeah, that won't come into play later. As much as I love Kane, there's no chance he gets a clean win here. Ambrose will pick up the win when Rollins accidentally attacks Kane. Should be a good match until then.
16. Rollins is good on the mic. He's ready to be on his own, as much as I'll miss the Shield.
17. Liking Ambrose's new music. Suits his peculiarities. But with that wifebeater shirt, he reminds me of Deuce and Domino.
18. After Rollins goads him, Ambrose attacks Rollins and pays the price when Kane catches him with an uppercut. Chokeslam by Kane, and Kane gets the win. Can't blame Rollins for that. Clean win for Kane, and then Rollins comes in to deliver a Curb Stomp to Ambrose.
19. Swagger v. Big E. Zeb Coulter calls out Rusev about his relationship with Lana. No appearance from Rusev. Predicting a victory for Big E, though both of these guys have been on downward spirals lately. Should be a good physical match.
20. Way too short. Big E picks up a quick win off the Big Ending. Worthless match for both of them.
21. Backstage interaction between Fandango and Summer Rae. Summer Rae butters him up and then kisses him. Is she going for the break-up? Layla sees it and disappears, upset.
22. Ugh. Bo(ring) Dallas v. Fandango. No Layla with him. Another short match. Bo(jangles) picks up the win in another quick match. Summer Rae comes out to dance with Fandango, and he sends her out. Layla attacks from behind. They end up in the ring. Layla clocks Fandango twice before the girls run off. Bo helps Fandango to his feet, then hits Stratusfaction for the win. UGH. Then he hugs Fandango and tells him he'll get the right one. He is so awful to watch.
23. Bray does a promo. "I am the designer of chaos." Wonderful line! PLEASE, if Cesaro doesn't win MitB for the straps, let Bray be the winner.
24. Reigns is the first face out, followed by Sheamus and then Cena. The heels come out mostly during commercial. These are all heavyweights. Not expecting a lot of flying. Prediction: The faces win with Reigns picking up the pin. Hopefully this match makes up for the rest of them.
25. Looks like Reigns will get the hot tag. Cena and Sheamus are playing keep-away. Ooh, odd Irish Curse off the ropes. Was that a botch or intentional?
26. Back from commercial, Sheamus is in bad shape. Makes the tag to Cena, does his shoulder block shtick. Orton blocks the AA, ends up outside. Big brawl on the outside, and Cena/Orton come back in the ring as the legal men with Orton in control. Orton eyes Reigns while Cena contemplates the mat.
27. Orton keeps eying Reigns while Cena keeps getting beat down.
28. HUGE throw/European Uppercut from Cesaro to Cena! That man is *always* impressive.
29. Reigns catches the hot tag from Cena! Reigns takes them all out one by one. Reigns hits AdR with the spear for the win.

Lousy booking. Too many of the matches were way too short--three of them (four if you count both O'Neil matches) were less than a minute. The main event was good, but I don't think it made up for an otherwise weak show

RAW 6/16/14 (Hulu edition)

1. RAW opens with Hunter and Steffi haranguing the entire locker room. The crowd is still chanting for Daniel Bryan while the Authority runs him down. They also run down John Cena, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns for refusing to evolve, and Hunter says they won't be in the MitB qualifying battle royal match. For Cena to qualify for the MitB championship ladder match, he has to beat Kane in a Stretcher match.
2. Seth Rollins v. Dolph Ziggler (again). Easy prediction: Rollins wins. (I've heard the WWE isn't doing anything with Ziggler because of his injury history. How odd, considering 13-time World Champion Triple H blew out his knees every time he turned around too fast.) Ziggler steals the show *every night.* Expect him to do the same tonight in a high-quality loss.
3. Ambrose interferes after a lengthy match that delivered everything but a satisfying conclusion. Rollins wins by DQ. Hunter immediately appears on the tron to make Ambrose v. Bad News Barrett.
4. No Shield attire for Ambrose. Expecting another physical encounter here, and Barrett will win off a Rollins distraction. Unless Ambrose gets the DQ win on a Rollins attack.
5. Is the Shield officially dead? Different music, different wrestling gear. Seems odd to split Ambrose and Reigns when their animosity toward Rollins should be further uniting them.
6. Ambrose is selling a shoulder injury, but he's still using some unique offense. (Johnny Moxley fans should be pleased.)
7. And here's Rollins. Ambrose takes both men out with a leap through the ropes. Ambrose goes after Rollins as the ref counts. BNB gets the count-out win. Then he gets taken out from behind by Ambrose. Another unsatisfying ending.
8. Backstage segment with Reigns buttering up Vicki, trying to sneak into the Battle Royal. While Vicki is away, Reigns does something to the drinks V is bringing to Hunter and Steffi.
9. Bray Wyatt is in Cleveland. No one there would notice how strange he is. He gives a promo about power and how he really will have the whole world in his hands when he wins MitB.
10. Out comes Sheamus to offer to shove his whole boot down Bray's throat.
11. Bray v. Sheamus should be another solid physical match. Prediction: interference from the Junior Wyatts. Maybe some from the Usos as well. Has anyone but Cena gotten a victory over Bray?
12. Really enjoying how far Wyatt has come since his Husky Harris days. This is what people behind the scenes saw as potential, and it's paying out in spades.
13. And here's the chaos. Sheamus hits Bray with Rolling Thunder and then holds a ladder so the Usos can run up it to leap onto the Junior Wyatts. While I do like to have a decisive winner once in a while, this all worked.
14. Hunter spills his drink and Steffi drinks hers. Trouble is brewing. Ugh. Sorry.
15. Kevin Hart? Who's that?
16. Ugh. Adam Rose.
17. Steffi is sick. Vomit hits Vicki. *Really* didn't need to see that.
18. Reigns convinces Vicki she's about to be fired and gets her to put him in the battle royal as payback before it happens.
19. Fandango and Layla v. Adam Rose and Summer Rae. Of course Rose and Summer Rae pick up the win. Here comes the freak show. *sigh*
20. Wow. That was quick. Poor Fandango. Rose hits the Party Foul after about 45 seconds.
21. Roman is still in shield gear as he heads to the battle royal. Easy prediction: Reigns wins.
22. Battle Royal: Sandow wears a Lebron James jersey in Cleveland. Of course he's the first out. So what's their excuse for killing his career?
23. Bo Dallas is looking much too strong.
24. Kofi always has a moment in these matches. This time it looks like it will be his elimination of Swagger. Nothing as big as at the Royal Rumble, but at least he gets one or two moments a year where he's not jobbing.
25. Reigns and Rusev are the last two. Big brawl, and Reigns wins with a Superman punch to knock Rusev off the apron.
26. Main Event: Cena v. Kane in a stretcher match. Not so bold prediction: Cena wins. I imagine we'll have plenty of interference.
27. Rollins and Orton come out to attack Cena. Orton hits the RKO. Rollins goes for a chair but gets attacked by Ambrose. Kane chokeslams Ambrose. Cena hits Kane with steel steps. He gets Kane almost over the line. Kane sits up, tries to chokeslam Cena. Cena reverses into an AA onto the stretcher. Cena pushes Kane over the line to win the match and punch his MitB ticket.

Not on hulu:
1. No Slater v. Rusev. Don't mind missing that. But no Drew McIntyre with Slater. *sigh*
2. No Cameron v. Paige. If Vince doesn't give her a chance, she can't make the Diva division look good.
3. No AxelBack v. Goldust and...Stardust? Saw a picture of Cody as Stardust, and it was awesome! And after having Cody say on last week's Hulu edition that we'd see this week's partner, this is a real disappointment.

Good show, but what was cut would have made it better.

SmackDown 6/13/14

1. SmackDown opens with a vignette about Daniel Bryan, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and the Rollins turn.
2. Ambrose and Reigns come out. Ambrose gives a good promo. Reigns repeats his "Ass of the WWE comment about Orton. After a "coin toss" to choose between them (where he barely looked at the coin), Hunter gives Ambrose a shot to qualify for MitB against Bray Wyatt, but Reigns is not allowed at ringside. Then he makes a match between Reigns and Bad News Barrett where Ambrose is banned from ringside.
3. Reigns v. Barrett should be a good match. These two solid in-ring performers, given time, should wow the crowd. Prediction: Reigns wins a quality match.
4. 3MB comes out (for the last time, sadly) to attack Reigns. Reigns clears the ring and beats them down. It's a shame. It was a very good match where both competitors looked strong. And an ignoble end to the WWE career of Drew McIntyre. How sad.
5. Eric Rowan v. Jey Uso. The Junior Wyatts v. the Usos has been a good feud. I'd like to see this play out pretty soon, though, maybe at MitB, before it gets too stale. Prediction: Jey Uso in what will probably be a shorter match. Having it at this slot in the show will probably keep it from being too long.
6. Rowan wins too short a match which he dominated throughout. Not their best work, but it doesn't surprise me that they continue to make Rowan (and Harper) look strong.
7. Bo(ring) Dallas comes out. Nope. Still not convinced he belongs on the main roster. But he's sure to go over R-Truth. It will be a short match, and Bo will win, of course.
8. At least Ron got some offense in before Bo hits Stratusfaction for the win. Probably Bo's best match since he came up, but yeah, still not impressed.
9. Hey, Paul! Not sure why the man who speaks five languages needs a translator, but you're always welcome to bring your voice to a WWE event. He says that Cesaro is not here for a grappling match, but for a fight, as evidenced by Cesaro's taped hands.
10. Cesaro v. Sheamus in a rematch. My prediction: Cesaro wins what should be a good match with a small-package. More cheap heel heat for doing what he's mad at Sheamus for doing.
11. I like the taped hands on Cesaro. It makes him look even more intimidating.
12. Cesaro wins a lengthy brawl with an inside cradle off a Heyman distraction. A couple times it looked like Cesaro damaged his knee, but he seems fine. Quality physical match. I'm liking this rivalry.
13. Creepy Bray continues to be creepy. We want more!!!
14. Fandango (with Layla) v. Adam Rose (with Rosebuds). Fandango's downward spiral continues with a lightning-fast loss to the freak show. Summer Rae comes out as the Gobbledygooker to attack Layla. That was the most entertaining part of the match.
15. Big E v. Swagger. Interesting match-up. Apparently Swagger was upset that Big E waved a flag. Quick match? I can't see Swagger picking up a clean win, but Big E has been losing lately.
16. Lana comes out and disrupts the match. Swagger attacks from behind while Big E is distracted. Big E still hits the Big Ending for the win in a quick match.
17. Alicia Fox v. Aksana in Aksana's last match. (Na Na Na Na! Na Na Na Na! Hey Hey Hey! Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out!) Will they let Fox win?
18. Alicia with a quick win. She's still a freakazoid when she wins! I barely had time to type my farewell to Aksana before the match ended.
19. Bray Wyatt v. Dean Ambrose in a MitB qualifier. No way will Ambrose be allowed to win this match. Prediction: Bray picks up the win in a good match, possibly with Rollins interference.
20. A top-notch match between Wyatt and Ambrose is disrupted by Rollins. Ambrose goes to attack Rollins who leads Ambrose back into the ring. Ambrose runs into Sister Abigail. Wyatt picks up the win and punches his MitB ticket. Good match, disappointing (but not surprising) ending.

Decent show. Would have been better with fewer disappointing endings. No Paige. Disappointing departure appearance for McIntyre. I've got Broken Dreams now.

Dear Vince #1

Today I debut a new segment called "Dear Vince," in which I tell Vince McMahon how to run the WWE. I'm sure he'll await these with baited breath. 


Hey Vinnie Mac: 

I hear you're not particularly high on Paige right now. Truth is, with AJ gone, Paige, Natty, and Emma are the only Divas on the roster who can pull off convincing wrestling moves. (Yes, I know you dislike that word, but sometimes you have to dance with the girl you took to the prom.) You've got Natty jobbing to the rest of the Total Divas cast, and you're using Emma for comic relief. Meanwhile, Paige has had to try to make talentless hacks look decent in the ring. That's a lot of responsibility for a 21 year-old, and she's handling it well. Let her talk. Let her wrestle Natty and Emma. Give her a run with AJ when she comes back. Paige is the best thing going for the Divas right now. 

Breathe in. Now exhale. Now shut up and let her do what you pay her to do. She'll make you money. Honest. 

Oh, and letting Drew McIntyre go was a mistake. True story. 

Always a fan,
revalkorn

More WWE Superstars Released

In addition to those I listed earlier, the WWE announced the release of these Superstars:

• Drew McIntyre
• Jinder Mahal
• Curt Hawkins
• Aksana
• Marc Harris (referee)

Honestly, I'm surprised Zack Ryder wasn't on this list.

Only one of these releases really bothered me.

Jinder Mahal never really hit his stride in the WWE. He was meant to be a master heel when he debuted, an Indian superstar who could make even the Great Khali, just past the height of his power, tremble in his presence. That never panned out. He turned into a joke, teaming with Heath Slater (who should have been released) and Drew McIntyre (who shouldn't have been released) to form 3MB.

Curt Hawkins only had his highs as part of the Edge/Vicki Guerrero "family" stable. He and Zack Ryder played a pair of fake-Edge bodies who tormented the Undertaker in their debut to guarantee Edge's title victory. He and Zack won tag-team gold under the family's tutelage. Curt was never the same when that angle ended. He tried other teams, but nothing he did amounted to much.

Aksana wasn't a wrestler. She was a fitness model with physical prowess but little in-ring ability. She won't be missed by many.

I don't remember Marc Harris. I guess that's as much an indictment as anything.

But Drew McIntyre's release is a mistake. He had in-ring ability. He had mic skills. He had the look. He had one of the most disturbing theme songs in the history of the WWE. I don't know what happened, but he fell a long way quickly. He went from the "Chosen One" to a 3MB joke in a short time. I will miss Drew McIntyre and his Broken Dreams.

What's next? Dolph Ziggler? Damien Sandow? Kofi Kingston? Obviously I'm just one fan, but some of these decisions confuse me to no end.

Again, we wish them well in their future endeavors.


EDIT TO ADD:

One more release:

• JTG

I liked JTG, but there wasn't a whole lot of alteration to his gimmick over the years. He certainly had in-ring talent, but that's pretty much all he had. Good luck, man. And say hi to the Brawler if you see him around Brooklyn.

WWE Superstars Released

Today the WWE announced the release of the following superstars:

• Teddy Long
• Camacho
• Brodus Clay
• Evan Bourne
• Yoshi Tatsu

I'll be honest: I'm only really sad about Evan Bourne and Yoshi Tatsu. Evan Bourne was a pocket rocket: a little guy who flew every chance he got. Though he had been grounded by injury for quite some time--over a year, maybe even two--his aerial antics stuck in the minds of fans who were hoping for a triumphant return. His tag-team title reign with Kofi was exciting.

Yoshi Tatsu was one of those guys who would do anything he was asked to do, whether it was allowing himself to be "crushed" by Rusev or demolished in a 7-on-1 attack by the Nexus. His music was cute, and you could see the joy he had in performing for the fans.

Both were fun to watch, and I'll miss seeing both of them...even if we didn't get to see much of either of them in recent years. If the WWE would ever resurrect the Cruiserweight Championship title--which they should for a show airing on the WWE Network--these two would be valuable assets. It's a shame to see them go.


As for the rest, Teddy Long has been around for a long time, but his gimmick has been played out for a while. ("Holla holla holla, Playah!") Camacho was just a thug, and his character never had any personality. Brodus Clay...well, I won't make any jokes about extinction, but his Funkasaurus character, while popular with the children, wouldn't work as a heel character. I guess he didn't evolve quickly enough. *sigh* (I tried. Really.)

But, like Johnny Ace, we wish them well in their future endeavors.

RAW 6/9/14 (Hulu edition)

1. Hunter and Steffi come out to announce that Daniel Bryan is unable to compete at Money in the Bank and so they are stripping him of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. They mock Bryan for being injured (much like Hunter and his weak knees). They mock Brie for quitting for nothing.  They also officially announce the MitB ladder match for the vacated title, and they give Randy Orton a free pass into the match. *snore* AdR qualified last week. *snore*
2. They go on to talk about Seth Rollins turning on his Shield compatriots. BOLD PREDICTION: Rollins does a double-turn. He is now the poison in Evolution, and he betrays Hunter and Orton at some point for the sake of the Shield.
3. Sheamus v. Bad News Barrett in another MitB qualifier match. Prediction: though Barrett is more over than Sheamus right now, Barrett's push isn't far enough along for him to be in the main event picture. Sheamus wins a physical match. Just what that MitB match needs: another former champion who the fans aren't very fond of.
4. Sheamus wins a brawl with a Brogue kick out of nowhere. Good match.
5. Wyatt vignette. Luke Harper could stand on his own at this point, I think. The crowd popped when Bray started talking. He's gifted on the mic, but talking about the death of the Shield might be a bit premature.
6. Slater? One member of the Shield could take out all of 3MB, especially since Drew McIntyre has lowered himself to the level of his teammates. Two are going to demolish y'all. Shaddap.
8. PLEASE LET DREW GO SOLO AGAIN!!! We want #BrokenDreams
9. Reigns doesn't have everyone convinced, but he has me convinced.
10. Rollins looks good in a suit.
11. Summer Rae milks her backstage time with Layla for all it's worth. Not a good look for you, Layla.
12. Usos v. Fandango (with a very milky Layla) and Damien Sandow (doing interpretive dance). *sigh* Poor Sandow. Predicting a quick win for the Usos in a comic relief match.
13. The crowd loves Sandow. He deserves better. Really. I hope something comes of this, brcause his old gimmick was so much better.
14. Indeed. Quick match with little to take seriously.
15. HEYMAN!!! Let's celebrate Cesaro!!! Yes!!!
16. Cesaro v. RVD in a MitB qualifier. RVD would be exciting in the ladder match, but they need at least one person in the match who points to the future of the WWE. Prediction: Cesaro wins.
17. Cesaro continues to deliver impressive physical feats, but he also has convincing agility. And he sells everything. All the tools, all the time. And you have to be impressed with a man who keeps his hair clipped close. *wink* But seriously, the European uppercut to counter Rolling Thunder was fun to watch. I love how he counters almost every airborne move his opponents throw at him with some variation of it.
18. Cesaro hits the neutralizer for the win and a punched ticket to MitB! Good match overall. RVD always delivers.
19. Cole to interview Rollins. He insults Ambrose and Reigns and says he was the mastermind of the Shield. An he was. I still think there's another twist coming in the storyline.
20. Rollins calls out Ambrose and Reigns. The Wyatts intervene.
21. And here comes Cena to make the save. Not totally unexpected to fight the Wyatts, but definitely a twist to ally with the Shield.
22. Next week, Cody plans to team Goldust with someone who can "magnify [Goldust's] magnificence." Hmm...
23. Is Vicki on her way out too?
24. Cena teams with the Shield v the Wyatts in a six-man tag match. Prediction: SuperCena and the Shield pick up an ugly win in an ugly fight.
25. I don't see Cena as a nee mastermind for the Shield , but if I'm wrong about Rollins, who would be a good new mastermind? Adrian Neville from NXT perhaps?
26. Seems like Cena is the only one getting booed at all!
27. Another BOLD PREDICTION: Ambrose eventually leaves the Shield to join the Wyatts. He's just crazy enough to do it.
28. Excellent match. Reigns pins Harper off the spear. The crowd was really into that match. Sorry, Hunter. It seems the Shield isn't dead quite yet.

Not on hulu:
1. No Ryder v. Rusev. Disappointing not to see Ryder, but not disappointing that I miss him getting squashed.
2. No AxelBack v. Goldust and R-Truth. Goldust keeps losing; Cody is going to turn on him soon.
3. No Xavier Woods v. Bo(ring) Dallas. Ho hum.
4. No Paige v. Alicia Fox. Disappointing. Paige always puts on a good match. Not sure what I would have cut instead--maybe the comic relief match between the Usos and Fandango w. Sandow.
5. No Swagger v. Santino. WE...THE PEOPLE!!!

Another really good show. I'd like to see another ladder match at MitB to set up a future shot. Maybe Barrett could win that one to set up a Barrett/Cesaro match in the future.

SmackDown 6/6/14

1. SmackDown opens with the story of Evolution v. the Shield, ending with Seth Rollins turning against his Shield compatriots to join Hunter and Orton. And here comes Triple H with Seth playing the role of Hunter's Lapdog instead of Hound of Justice. Hunter is his insufferable Authority heel self with his obnoxious gloating, and Seth plays it close to the...vest. Umm, unintentional pun there. Sorry.
2. And out comes Dolph Ziggler. Wow. Is he really going to beard this lion in its den? You're right, buddy. You're going to go down even further. (When are you going to form your own stable: You, Sandow, and Kofi. Maybe Zack Ryder. It's time.) And Hunter has the temerity to say that Dolph doesn't sell out arenas? Whatever.
3. Hunter books Ziggler v. Rollins. This should be an excellent match, with two of the best workers in the company going head to head. I expect a Rollins win, of course, but the journey there will be fun.
4. Excellent back-and-forth match with Rollins hitting the Curb Stomp for the win. I hope this is the beginning of something between these two--and maybe between Ziggler and a few friends and Evolution. I don't know what the plans are for Ambrose and Reigns, but Ziggler has certainly made no bones about his opposition to the Authority.
5. Renee Young interviews Bad News Barrett. Mic time has only made Barrett look better. We already knew what he could do in the ring.
6. Big Show confronts Seth Rollins. I think he'll be paying a price for that too. In a clean match with Orton, Big Show would win. But of course Hunter's not going to let it be a clean match.
7. Here come the Usos! UCE! OHHHH! Great to see how far they've come.
8. Usos v. AxelBack, the team that's been making Cody and Goldust look bad lately. The push for Axelback has been an interesting thing, but I don't think it will continue tonight.
9. The Usos pick up a pretty quick victory. It could have used a few more minutes to let both teams shine, but it wasn't a bad match.
10. Lana brings out examples of Russia's dominance. Hello, WWE. 1984 wants its storyline back.
11. Rusev v. Xavier Woods? Maybe the USA really does have nothing better to offer. *sigh* This will be ugly. And mercifully quick.
12. Indeed, the match might have lasted 90 seconds. Rusev with the submission victory.
13. "My name is Paul Heyman..." Good to see you keeping things turned up, Paul.
14. Triple-Threat Intercontinental Championship match between Cesaro, RVD, and the current champ, Bad News Barrett.
15. Can we get rid of Cole and JBL and just let Heyman talk full-time?
16. Another excellent match. RVD hits the five-star frog splash on Cesaro, then takes a Bullhammer from BNB. Great stuff after a good-length match.
17. And Bray Wyatt interrupts the celebration with a vignette on the tron. Death apparently doesn't hold him down for very long.
18. Natalya v. the freakazoid Alicia Fox. Not expecting much from this, not with Alicia being batty. Do they have a straightjacket ready?
19. Natty gets the win, and Alicia, predictably, goes berserk. Not a Paige match, but not bad.
20. Bo(ring) Dallas v. Santino w/ Emma at ringside. Santino is about to get squashed. Will he get any offense in? Poor Santino. I know he's comic relief, but he's not funny-sad like Bo.
21. Bo hits Stratusfaction on Santino, then we have to listen to him again. *sigh* Emma could beat Bo Dallas.
22. Renee with Big Show. Show is looking svelte! And Renee looks pretty good too.
23. Poor Big Show is going to be used to put over Evolution in the main event. I guess that's his role at this point of his career, but it's sad to see.
24. Rollins intervenes to save Orton and Triple H after a slow (but not obnoxiously so) match. Hunter handed a weapon to one of his employees to injure another. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen. *wink* Poor Show.

I quite enjoyed this show. We'll see what Monday brings with the return of Ambrose and Reigns, but it should be fun.

RAW 6/2/14 (Hulu edition)

1. Evolution opens RAW. Hunter has a black eye. Batista has a suit on. This is supposed to be his last night for a while, so I'm guessing this is a farewell speech, and maybe a "Here's his replacement" intro. Who will it be? Reigns? Cesaro? Ambrose? Sheamus?
2. That's an unhappy Batista. He *can't* have a one-on-one championship match. And Hunter says he'd choke anyway. And Batista quits! Again! *Laugh*
3. Cesaro and Bad News Barrett v. Sheamus and RVD. Expecting a physical match...and a rol-up by Sheamus for the win?
4. Love hearing Heyman mock Sheamus for winning with a small package.
5. Cesaro leaves after ducking a Brogue. After tagging out, Sheamus hits the Brogue on BNB. RVD hits the Splash and pins Barrett for the win.
6. Steffie: How many times have you and Hunter physically abused employees? Maybe *you* should be fired too?
7. Hey, Johnny. Coming to mock Steph? Youbetcha!
8. Very good storytelling there. John was the only one who could get away with saying all that, even kayfabe. As a 14-time Champion, he knows better than most what makes a champion.
9. Steffie makes Cena v. Kane for right now. Never figured Kane for a lapdog, but it will be a good match.
10. Kane gets DQed for not breaking a 5-count. That's okay. Just keep beating him up! Go Kane! Cena escapes a tombstone, throws the steps at Kane. Boo!!! But you can't keep Kane down for long!
11. Luke Harper with an excellent promo. Good work, lots of progress.
12. Usos v. Harper and Rowan. This has been a good rivalry, and I look for that to continue again tonight.
13. Good back and forth match with believable near falls. I didn't expect that much flying from the Junior Wyatts though.
14. Rowan gets the pin at the end of a long match. Good stuff all around. This is what the tag division needs.
15. AdR v. Dolph Ziggler for a spot at Money in the Bank. I will be really angry if Dolph jobs to AdR, but that's exactly what I expect.
16. *sigh* AdR is played out. Is there an upcoming WWE visit to Mexico? I can't understand this booking otherwise. Ziggler deserves better, and he's earned better. I don't know of many on that roster that work harder.
17. A ceremony to honor Rusev? Hero of the Russian Federation? For pinning Big E? Maybe if he'd pinned Rocky Balboa...
18. Yeah, Ambrose still disturbs me.
19. Here comes Orton with Hunter (and Hunter's hammer). Rollins goes for chairs. That's ominous. Is he...?
20. Yep, there it is. Seth Rollins (alone) turns on the Shield and joins Evolution. I think that's the only scenario I didn't consider. Wow. That...was unexpected. And here I was hoping Hunter would get his mouth shut for a while. Oh well.

Great episode...especially the twist at the end.

Not on hulu:
1. No Sandow/Big Show segment. *sigh* Poor Sandow.
2. No Kofi v. Bo, which is good. No desire to see Bo win.
3. No Nikki v. Alicia and Aksana. Steffi taking Brie and John out on Nikki? Of course.
4. No Swagger v. Adam Rose. Swagger still paying for his previous sins?
5. No Axelback v. SinDust. Poor Goldy. Poor Cody.

Payback 6/1/14

Pre-Show: Apparently El Torito v. Hornswoggle was the pre-show match. Hair v. Mask match, with El Torito picking up the victory. That's a good thing, actually. Hornswoggle looks much better with shorter hair. I guess we'll see how he looks with none.
1. Payback opens with Sheamus v. Cesaro. I'd like to see Cesaro pick up the victory, but I think they'll leave the strap with Sheamus for at least one more PPV. Right now the WWE is about *not* giving the WWE Universe what it wants on demand, and what they want right now is Cesaro. Maybe at the next PPV. But this should be a top-notch physical match.
2. Heyman! The man can play a crowd like Dave Mustaine plays the axe. No one in the business can work the mic like Paul Heyman. And working with a Chicago crowd which is always hot certainly amplifies that.
3. The crowd is not happy with Sheamus. It seemed like the WWE was trying to turn Sheamus back into a heel a few months ago, but they failed. If they wanted to do it, this would be the perfect night. Turn Sheamus and Cesaro at the same time. Have Heyman screw Cesaro in favor of Sheamus. But that won't happen.
4. Oh, those European Uppercuts on flying opponents look especially deadly. And that Suplex from the middle rope with a flailing opponent? That is extraordinary!
5. Sheamus with the small-package roll-up to retain his belt. Definitely a top-notch match with brutal physicality. The finish wasn't big like I thought it would be, but it was certainly a twist after how physical the match was. Good stuff.
6. Goldust and Cody v. AxelBack is next. Prediction: the Meatheads--er, AxelBack, that is, picks up the win. I really like Cody and Goldust together, but after the loss, the Brotherhood splits. And I also predict that I will never call them RybAxel.
7. I agree with the commentators: Axel and Ryback have come a long way as a team. That being said, Axel still doesn't have enough personality. Fortunately, Ryback seems to be putting out personality in spades, even if it's insanity.
8. Did Cody botch the moonsault? It almost looked intentional.
9. Ryback hits Shellshocked for the win after countering the Beautiful Disaster. Solid match. Disappointed by the result, but not surprised.
10. And there's the split. Cody blames himself and says, "You need a better tag team partner than me." I expected him to blame Goldy for not making the save. Do we see a buildup to the brothers facing each other at one of the next PPVs?
11. Lana enters doing her runway walk. Is it just me, or does it look like she's walking in such a way as to prevent peeing herself?
12. Patriotism match: Rusev (waving Russian flag) v. Big E (waving American flag). Prediction: They've been pushing Rusev hard since his debut, and Big E is his first real opponent. I think Rusev picks up the win, especially since Big E got the best of him before.
13. Rusev's style reminds me of...Vladimir Kozlov.
14. Oh, that's why. JBL just mentioned that Rusev was trained in Sambo.
15. Wow. Big E with the spear through the ropes! I thought this match would be ponderous, but it's been fast and furious.
16. "Rusev, crush!" Big E taps to the accolade. Rusev wins. Much more exciting match than I would have expected from two heavyweights. And Rusev waves the Russian flag.
17. Ad for the Money in the Bank PPV at the end of the month.
18. Kofi v. Bo Dallas. Ugh. Of course Bo will get the win. Ugh. BTW, Bo, they play hockey "games," not "matches." Duh.
19. Or not. Kane comes out and destroys Kofi, presumably at the orders of Stephanie McMahon, whom Kofi criticized earlier. Wow. But it's good to see Kane in ring attire again. Okay, Kofi. Time for you and Dolph and Sandow to form a stable.
20. And to add insult to injury, here's Bo to say something insipid. Ugh.
21. RVD v. Bad News Barrett is next. I can't see RVD winning this match. He's here now to have solid matches and put over the younger guys, and that's exactly what he'll do. BNB will come out of this with a win and looking good.
22. Barrett's entrance music has really grown on me. And so has Barrett.
23. Whiff on the 5-star Frog Splash! Whiff on the Bullhammer!
24. Barrett whiffs on the Bullhammer and hits the ring post! RVD with the flying DVD over the top rope! And Barrett kicks out!
25. Bullhammer! Bad news for RVD! Barrett retains! Another excellent match. That's what RVD is there for, and that's exactly what they delivered.
26. Brie Bella-Bryan quits rather than be fired or have Daniel Bryan give up his title. Unexpected. And a much better slap from Brie than before. Good stuff! Bryan keeps the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
27. Wyatt v. Cena in a Last Man Standing Match. Prediction: I'm picking Wyatt over Cena after interference from Harper, Rowan, and the Usos (since Cena can't lose clean). Then again, it wouldn't surprise me if Super-Cena prevails. Physical match, but it will be slow with all the counts
28. Wyatt went from down on his back into his spider stance! CREEPY WYATT IS CREEPY!!!
29. Usos and Junior Wyatts take each other out.
30. SUPLEX THROUGH THE TABLE!!! Cena uses the table to get back to his feet.
31. Wyatt uses the steps as a battering ram. And the fans are singing for Bray!!!
32. Cena throws the steps at Wyatt and hits him square! Wyatt gets back up.
33. Sister Abigail! Cena pulls himself up on the barricade.
34. Wyatt into the ringpost. Cena goes to follow up and gets flipped onto the steps.
35. Junior Wyatts come back and assault Cena, Usos to the rescue. Rowan is taken out, one of the Usos runs headfirst into a table. Meanwhile, Wyatt is down, and the ref hasn't been counting.
36. Harper puts himself and one of the Usos through a table with a Suplex from the top rope onto the floor. All the interlopers are out again. Fans are chanting "HOLY $#1+!!!"
37. Wyatt counters the AA, puts Cena through the barricade into the timekeepers area. More fan chants. Cena beats the count.
38. Wyatt puts Cena into the pyro. Cena hits the AA onto an equipment box, tips another box onto him. Wyatt can't answer the count. Cena wins! Very good match. I'll be honest, though I seldom think it helps, I think the interference actually enhanced this match. Cena helps the Usos up the ramp and they celebrate together.
39. Alicia "Whackadoo" Fox challenges Paige for the Diva's Championship. My prediction: As much as I distrust Vince and Creative to make the right decision, I think Paige retains the belt in a quick match. My guess is that Fox will submit.
40. PAIGE!!! Love that entrance music. (If Paige and Sheamus were to have children, they'd glow in the dark!)
41. Paige is surprisingly brutal. She's probably the most talented Diva on the roster right now.
42. Oddly enough, this nutjob gimmick seems to fit Alicia pretty well.
43. Fox's shoulders were down while she had Paige in a submission hold, but the ref didn't count. You'd think these refs would pay attention to those things.
44. Paige hit with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, but she kicks out of the pin.
45. Paige with the modified scorpion crosslock--the PTO--for the win to retain! Another surprisingly good Diva's match. But Paige seems to make anyone look good.
46. And Alicia Fox goes freakazoid in the ring and runs off. Night night, crazy girl.
47. Main Event: Shield v. Evolution in a No Hold Barred Six-Man Tag Team Elimination Match. My prediction: Batista is going out early. (I hear the next RAW is his last for a while as he goes off to promote the Marvel "Guardians" movie, so they won't let him look overpowering tonight.) Orton next after a while. And then Hunter Eliminates all three members of the Shield. Not how I'd book it, but I'm not sure Hunter is contractually allowed to lose in three consecutive PPVs. It will be clash, and it may turn out to be the best match of the night.
48. I'll say this: Hunter may be spending time on his ass around the office, but he ain't allowing himself to get flabby. Dayum.
49. This is chaos to begin with. The participants are paired off and they're all over the place. Finally they get into a traditional tag-type match.
50. Ambrose is treating Orton the way Orton usually treats people--the stomping, not giving his opponent any room to breathe.
51. Oh, Dave. The blue doesn't work for you. Stick with black. And shave. Definitely shave.
52. Reigns is treating Hunter like a rag doll.
53. Seth Rollins hit the Three Amigos on Triple H! (Miss you, Eddie! Viva la Raza!)
54. Reigns hits the Superman punch on Batista. Elimination is prevented by Orton. Chaos ensues.
55. Reigns triple-powerbombed through the table. Still no eliminations, though all three members of the Shield are down.
56. Ambrose takes out all three members of Evolution with a flying leap, then Rollins hits Hunter and Orton with a flip out of the ring. Still three-on-two with Reigns recovering on the demolished announce table.
57. Chair shots and a back suplex to Ambrose. Pedigree to Rollins at the top of the ramp.
58. Reigns back in the ring. Batista hits a Spinebuster. Reigns has his vest ripped off. Reigns taking a caning from Orton and Hunter while Batista holds him down over steps in the ring. (Batista has lasted much longer than I though he would.)
59. Reigns hits a Superman punch on Orton out of nowhere! Pays for it though.
60. Ambrose tries to intervene, is put back down. Orton hits the elevated DDT on Reigns.
61. Rollins off the top of the Tron to take out all three members of Evolution! DAYUM!!! Carnage everywhere!
62. Rollins off the top rope, Batista spears him! Batista goes for the Batista Bomb, Reigns hits the spear on Batista! Rollins pins Batista for the elimination!
63. Orton hits Rollins with the RKO, Reigns with the save. Orton tries for another elevated DDT on Rollins, Ambrose hits him with Dirty Deeds on a chair, pins Orton for the elimination! Hunter's on his own!
64. Low blow from Hunter on Ambrose. Superman punch from Reigns! Batista comes back in to spear Reigns before he leaves. Orton is still at ringside, slides a sledge to Triple H.
65. Ambrose hit with the sledge. Rollins knees Hunter in the head! Reigns spears Hunter! Reigns pins Hunter for the victory! Clean sweep! Best match of the night in a night of top-notch matches.

Excellent PPV overall. No weak matches, and the only real disappointment was that Bo got PPV time.