RAW 7/21/14 (Hulu edition)

1. Hunter comes out to bitch and moan about Cena retaining the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and then he takes a mocking shot at the fans who complain online and threaten to stop watching if they don't get what they want. He then begins to talk about what his next move is to bring the belt back to the Authority. He says Cena won't leave Summer Slam with the title. Orton comes out to make his case to face Cena, blaming Kane for not watching his back. Kane comes out to put his name in the hat. Reigns comes out and says no one wants to see Kane or Orton face Cena again, and he asserts that everyone wants to see Reigns v. Cena. Hunter decides to make Kane and Orton v. Reigns today, and he will make the decision some time during the show.
2. Orton & Kane v. Reigns. My prediction: Orton plays the spoiled brat and refuses to work with Kane. Reigns wins.
3. The match is pretty slow, but it's vicious. Superman punches, Somoan drops, throwing people into the steps, haymakers...
4. Reigns is taking it to Kane. Orton tries to intervene, and Reigns knocks him off the apron. Kane momentarily gets the upper hand and tries to tag Orton, but Orton refuses the tag. Kane goes to chokeslam Orton, but Reigns hits the Superman punch on Kane, hits him with a Spear, and pins him for the win. Orton is walking away while Reigns celebrates in the ring. Orton fakes a return to the ring, but he backs off again. I don't like how Kane gets made to look like the whipping boy, but it was a good match.
5. Alicia Fox, Cameron, Rosa Mendes, and Eva Marie v. Nikki Bella. Brie is in the crowd as a paying customer. Steffi comes out to make fun of Brie for "quitting" WWE for the sake of her husband. Brie steals the mic and calls her a bitch. Steffi takes the mic back and slaps Brie and has security take her out. (That's going to come back to bite her in the tuchus, I'm sure.)
6. The mob beats on Nikki and Alicia pins her for the quick win. Steffi stands over her and tells her that Nikki will quit like Brie did..
7. The Wyatts come out to host Jericho's Highlight Reel. Bray was supposed to be the guest, but the Wyatts assaulted Jericho during a backstage interview. Bray delivers more spoken gold, asserting that Chris Jericho isn't there for the WWE Universe, but Bray is. "Society is my plaything." Nice!
8. I'm glad the feud isn't over between Jericho and Bray. I didn't think they'd leave it at that, but one never knows with the WWE these days.
9. Great. Flo Rida is coming. *sigh* Do we have to see that?
10. Intercontinental Champion Miz v. Dolph Zigger in a non-title match. I'd like to think Ziggler wins, setting up a match at Summer Slam.
11. Hey Miz? Any blow to your face is an improvement.
12. Nice back and forth, decent pace to the match to start with. Miz goes after Ziggler's legs to prep for the Figure Four.
13. Miz locks in the Figure Four, but Ziggler reaches the ropes. Miz tries to get it again, but Ziggler hits the Famouser! Miz kicks out at 2.
14. Miz blocks the Zig Zag. Dolph blocks the Skull Crusing Finale. Miz worries about his "moneymaker" when ZIGGLER HITS ZIG ZAG FOR THE WIN!
15. And CESARO PUTS HIS NAME IN THE HAT!!! Oh, that would be awesome. He and Cena had one of the matches of the year. Cesaro is no longer a Heyman guy; he wants to be Hunter's guy. Hunter makes Cesaro v. Ambrose to give Cesaro a chance to impress him.
16. Paige and AJ v. Natty and Emma! The four most talented Divas on the roster in one match! It will probably be only two minutes before Paige and AJ get the win, and Paige is going to turn on AJ after, but for two minutes, it should be a good match.
17. Nice back and forth between AJ and Emma. Paige and Emma get a turn. Emma locks in her rope hold, and tags Natty when she's forced to break. Natty and Paige, and Natty throws Paige and then locks in the Sharpshooter. Paige is about to reach the ropes when AJ tags herself in and hits Natty with the Shining Wizard and locks in the Black Widow for the submission win. Nice match, way too quick.
18. AJ goes skipping outside to celebrate. When she comes back in, AJ and Paige hug, only for Paige to pull her down by her hair and headbutt the heck out of AJ. She throws AJ out of the ring and into a barricade and then the steel ring post. She throws AJ over the announce table! HEEL TURN!!! W00t! And the frenemies are just enemies now! ANd Paige skips out! GREAT STUFF!!!
19. Steffi comes into announce Flo Rida. Ugh. I guess we do have to see this. But that's what the mute button is for!
20. Steffi sends Flo off with more applause. But here come the cops! HA! I KNEW IT!!! Steffi's in trouble for assaulting Brie. Will they take her out in cuffs? And where's Hunter?
21. There's the cuffs! HA! And Brie's there to rub it in. (Those cuffs are awful loose.) Steffi threatens the officers. Hunter stops the cops, but he backs off when he sees the badge. They go to drive off, and Hunter says he'll be right behind her. Now *that* was funny!
22. "Family always comes first...but I have a little time, so..." And Hunter decides to wait until he announces his decision.
23. Cesaro v. Ambrose. Ambrose will win somehow, because they have to be building for Cena/Lesnar at Summer Slam, but it should be a fun match to watch.
24. Cesaro throws Ambrose into a ring post. And, wow, a back suplex off the ring and onto the floor. He's so convincingly brutal. Is he going to DQ himself?
25. No! Ambrose DQs himself! Steel chair!
26. Hunter comes out to announce the Number One contender. Orton's music hits. He comes out, but Reigns ambushes him. Hunter stands there confused when Heyman comes out and tells him he needs Plan C. And out comes Lesnar. And they shake hands on it, and Hunter runs off to get Steffi out of jail. Heyman proceeds to deliver a fantastic promo. (I mean it. Go back and watch it.)

Not on hulu:
1. No Bo(gus) Dallas v. Damien Sandow. Good. I'm tired of seeing Sandow job to idiots.
2. No Fandango v. Zack Ryder. I hear Zack even won! Would have been nice to see that. Oh well.
3. No Axelback v. Kofi Kingston and Big E. We didn't get to see the birth of the new Nation of Domination.
4. No Rusev v. Khali. Good. That ship has sailed, and I wish it would take Khali with it.

Overall this was a good show. The diva tag match could have been longer, and I could have done without Flo Rida. Otherwise, I enjoyed the matches, and even the diva beatdown was worth it to see Steffi arrested. Yeah, it was that funny!

Battleground 7/20/14

Apparently I missed Adam Rose v. Fandango in a pre-show match. Thanks be to God. (Rose won. Surprise, surprise.)

1. Pre-show match: Cameron v. Naomi. I chose Naomi, since the idea of Cameron winning any matches in WWE is beyond all reasonable thought, and doing so against Naomi, who is one of the four most talented divas on the roster, is utter idiocy.
2. Cameron gets the roll-up win? *sigh* I know they're building for Total Divas, but that's just preposterous. I almost don't want to watch the rest of the show. Ugh.
3. The opening match is Luke Rowan and Eric Harper challenging the Usos in a best two-falls out of three match for the WWE Tag Team Championship. I'm picking the Junior Wyatts to win in three, though I won't be disappointed if I'm wrong.. This should be an excellent match. They've been setting the night on fire almost every time they've had matches together, and this should be no different.
4. The Junior Wyatts take the first fall. Impressive showing. Jey looks like he's really out. (The Usos have always been good at selling what their opponents do.
5. The Usos tie things up with a surprise roll-up pin!
6. Despite that, the Junior Wyatts have been brutalizing the Usos. This is ugly!
7. And a big turn-around! The Usos are suddenly blazing trails! I really like this. The crowd is right: THIS IS AWESOME!!!
8. THE USOS GET DOUBLE-SUPLEXED!!!!! HOLY...WOW!!! And Jimmy kicks out!!!
9. DOUBLE SPLASH!!! THE USOS RETAIN!!!!! GREAT MATCH!!! AND YES, I'M SHOUTING!!! I was wrong, but I'm happy to be wrong in this case. This was an awesome match, one of the best of the year!
10. Ambrose attacks Rollins backstage! Hunter is in a tizzy! Neener neener neener! Hunter kicks Ambrose out of the building. So much for their match. More Authority crap. *snore*
11. Apparently the next match will be Paige v. AJ Lee for the Diva's Championship. I picked AJ, and I hope that, regardless of the result, they get some time to showcase what they can do. This is the two best divas on the roster right now, and this could light up the night...or steal the stars from the sky. Some people are thinking there will be a Paige heel turn after this match, regardless of the result. Either performer has the chops to be a solid heel. We've already seen it from AJ, and we've seen flashes of it from Paige.
12. AJ with a nice tilt-a-whirl DDT. And Paige seems to be using some heel tactics, such as throwing AJ into the barrier and talking trash.
13. AJ LOCKS IN THE BLACK WIDOW! PAIGE ESCAPES! PAIGE TURNER! AND AJ KICKS OUT!!!!
14. SHINING WIZARD!!! AJ retians! Not as long a match as I'd have liked, but it was a very good match. AJ celebrates, and Paige claps as she walks up the ramp.
15. Kane: "Being the Devil's Favorite Demon means never having to say 'sorry.'" AWESOME!!!
16. Wow. That's some promo by Lana. I didn't think Vince would let her run with this gimmick tonight.
17. Rusev v. Swagger in an international grudge match! I picked Rusev, but I'd like to see Swagger pick up this win. Maybe at Summer Slam...
18. Physical match so far. Nice to see someone making Rusev work for it.
19. PATRIOT LOCK!!! Rusev eventually makes it to the rope. Rusev knocks Swagger out with the ringpost, and Rusev barely beats the 10-count. Rusev wins. At least he looked mortal for once. Then Rusev puts Swagger in the Accolade. *sigh* Oh well. And it would have been nice if Rusev had been consistent in selling the damage from the Patriot Lock.
20. Bizarre promo from Stardust and Goldust! So much fun!
21. Rollins comes out for a non-match, since apparently Ambrose isn't allowed back in the building. Is there going to be some sort of cheesy 10-count? Or is this just a promo?
22. Rollins wants his forfeit victory announced. That was a waste of bandwidth.
23. And then Ambrose attacks Rollins as he's on his way to the back. Security eventualy pulls him off and takes him away. Again. And he breaks away and attacks again! Hunter comes out to personally yell Ambrose out of the building. Rollins attacks a restrained Ambrose, and they have to be pulled apart. Honestly, I now think this is more convincing than a match would have been.
24. Bray Wyatt v. Chris Jericho is next. I picked Bray Wyatt, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Jericho win one and then lose the rematch at Summer Slam. This should be a great match.
25. It still feel odd to me to see Jericho back again. I'm glad, as he always works a good program, but it's still too new for me to grasp. And he'll be gone just as quick.
26. Jericho takes out the whole Wyatt Family over the top rope! And the ref kicks the Junior Wyatts out of the arena after Harper grabs Jericho! And then Bray takes it out on Jericho outside of the ring.
27. Wyatt shoulder-blocks the ringpost! Jericho on the warpath! Or not. Wyatt with a couple Knee-Drop Gutbusters.
28. Bray hits Jericho with some sort of neck-breaker while Jericho's feet are on the top turnbuckle. Jericho kicks out. That was ugly.
29. Jericho tries the lionsault, only to land on Bray's knees. And Bray does the creepy spider-walk! CREEPY BRAY IS CREEPY!!!
30. Bray goes for Sister Abigail! Jericho sneaks out and goes for Walls of Jericho! Bray counters! Nice back and forth. JERICHO HITS THE CODEBREAKER FOR THE PINFALL VICTORY!!! Wow. THAT was unexpected.
31. Ambrose ambushes Rollins from a car trunk! Rollins escapes and drives off! (Now I'm *sure* he cashes in and wins Money in the Bank tonight. Either that, or Brock Lesnar comes back and Hunter gives him a championship match after the Fatal Four-Way tonight.)
32. Battle Royal for the Vacant Intercontinental Championship. I picked Cesaro--wishful thinking mostly, since I have a sinking feeling that Bo(ring) Dallas is going to win.
33. Zack Ryder! WOO WOO WOO! YOU KNOW IT!!! Nice to see him, even if he'll be gone in twenty seconds.
34. BAD NEWS BARRETT HAS SOME BAD NEWS!!! I hope they don't hold him back when he returns from injury.
35. I was right about Ryder. *sigh* And there's Miz sneaking on the floor. Dammit, he's gonna win, isn't he? *sigh*
36. Cesaro gives Kofi his awesome moment!!!
37. Ziggler ZIG ZAGS AdR OUT!!! AWESOME!!!
38. AND ANOTHER AWESOME KOFI/CESARO MOMENT!!!!! AND ANOTHER!!! And then Cesaro eliminates him! And then Slater eliminates Cesaro! DARNITALL!!!
39. The last two seem to be Sheamus and Ziggler (unless Miz wasn't actually eliminated--I don't remember, too much going on)!!! AWESOME!!! LET IT BE ZIGGLER!!! PLEASE!!!
40. That was an ugly bump. Ooh, and another. I hope Sheamus is okay.
41. ZIGGLER ELIMINATES SHEAMUS!!! IS IT--NO!!! MIZ ELIMINATES ZIGGLER. I KNEW IT. (Where's my JR voice? "He stole it! He stole it! You bastard!") As soon as I saw him on the floor in the first few minutes, I knew Miz would win again. *sigh* Miz is the new Intercontinental Champion. Ugh. I would have liked this with Face Miz--the underdog face makes good--but Heel Miz isn't strong enough to be favored.
42. Fatal Four-Way for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Orton v. Reigns v. Kane v. Cena. I picked Kane to win, only for Rollins to cash in. I also think there might be a swerve. Brock Lesnar returns, Hunter gives him an immediate match against the winner, and Lesnar becomes the Champion.
43. Orton and Kane seem to be playing nice early, with Kane deferring to Orton.
44. Cena has already used his five moves. What will he do now?
45. Kane went for a pin! Randy ain't happy! Business is about to pick up! Kane and Orton are going at it! GO KANE!!!
46. Kane broke up an Orton pinfall! HA!
47. Orton with a half-crab? And then Reigns counters and does the same? And then Cena does the STF while Reigns has the half-crab? And Kane breaks it all up.
48. Another STF, this time solo on Orton. Reigns won't let Orton tap!
49. Cena and Reigns have faced off before, but now they're getting their chance to go at it! Reigns eventually gets the upper hand. Misses Superman! Cena goes for five-knuckle, only to get hit with Superman! SPEAR!!! Kane breaks up the pinfall predicament!
50. Superman on Kane! High kicks on Cena, Orton, and Kane! And then Reigns spears Orton through the barricade!
51. Kane is being used as cannon fodder.
52. Kane with chokeslams on Cena and Reigns! Reigns rolls out at 2.
53. Reigns spears Kane! Orton RKO's Kane! Cena with the AA to Orton on Kane! Cena pins Kane to retain. Darn. I *really* wanted Kane to win.

54. Still 10 minutes left. Is it Rollins or Lesnar?
55. Apparently it's neither. They're ending 8 minutes early--the only twist I didn't expect.

A very good PPV. The match of the night was really the Tag Team Championship match between the Junior Wyatts and the Usos. No doubt. But the Jericho/Wyatt match, the IC Battle Royal, the WWEWHC match, and even Paige/AJ delivered. And Rusev/Swagger was solid. Definitely worth the price of admission. Disappointing endings to the IC Battle Royal and the WHC match, but the matches were good nonetheless. Good job, Vince et al. That being said, my predictions were absolutely horrific. 

Battleground Predictions

1. Kickoff Pre-show Match--Cameron vs. Naomi: Naomi (If Cameron wins, I might not watch the rest of the show.)

2. Fatal 4 Way for the WWE World Heavyweight Title--Kane v. Orton v. Reigns v. Cena: Kane gets his last title run, a VERY short one

3. Battle Royal for the Vacant WWE Intercontinental Title: Cesaro (If Bo[nehead] Dallas wins, I riot!)

4. 2 of 3 Falls Match for the WWE Tag Team Titles--Rowan & Harper v. the Usos: Erick Rowan and Luke Harper in 3 (though I'd be happy to see otherwise)

5. WWE Divas Title Match--Paige v. AJ Lee: AJ Lee (I hope the program continues between these two)

6. Chris Jericho vs. Bray Wyatt: Bray Wyatt (I'd like to see a twist: Jericho wins and the feud continues for a little while)

7. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose: Dean Ambrose (which sets up a surprise later)

8. Rusev vs. Jack Swagger: Rusev (sadly--and I hear this angle may end prematurely after the latest developments in the Ukraine)

SURPRISE MATCH: Rollins challenges the winner of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match and WINS.

SmackDown 7/18/14

1. Dean Ambrose don't look happy. And he doesn't sound happy with Seth Rollins. He calls out Rollins, but Rollins appears on the tron to call Ambrose a lunatic and that he'd stomp Ambrose if he hadn't tweaked his knee. He announces that Dean has a match against Kane. Good mic work from both.
2. Fandango & Miz v. Sheamus & Dolph Ziggler. I'm picking Sheamus and Ziggler. Will this set up something in the IC Battle Royal at Battleground? Final four?
3. Come on. As if people didn't already want to punch Miz in the face.
4. This crowd seems pretty quiet.
5. Zig Zag on Miz! Sheamus and Ziggler win! Pretty good match, but I'd like to see Ziggler get more time against Fandango and other better technical wrestlers.
6. Nikki Bella is the special guest ref for Eva Marie v. Alicia Fox. Yeah, this won't get ugly for her.
7. I wonder if it ever bothers JBL to sound so stupid as a commentator when he's quite an intelligent man.
8. The match doesn't get very far when Eva and Alicia start the beat down. And it seems they're no longer letting Alicia sound like a lunatic. I guess that's solely an Ambrose gimmick now.
9. Stardust is pure gimmick gold!
10. Jericho v. Luke Harper should be an excellent match. Prediction: Jericho wins to set up a loss to Bray on Sunday.
11. Is that makeup on Jericho or a real contusion?
12. Another great promo from Bray. Will they finally let him shine on Sunday? Or will that wait for Summer Slam?
13. Harper is a buzz saw, and it seems like he can do everything. I wonder if he's getting the props he deserves.
14. Harper's shirt got ripped. How many back-ups do you think they've dirtied up for him?
15. A lot of near-falls, a lot of back and forth, counters.
16. Walls of Jericho! Rowan tries to attack, and Jericho stops him! Missed clothesline, and Jericho rolls him up for the win! Rowan immediately attacks, and Bray comes in. And the Usos make the save! Excellent match. I like the build for Sunday.
17. Zeb Colter sounded much better on the mic than he did on RAW. A little build with Rusev and Lana.
18. AdR v. Kofi Kingston. Two good ring workers. I assume AdR wins, since Kofi apparently isn't allowed to win anything lately. (I'm still waiting for that stable of disgruntled employees. Or maybe a new Nation of Domination with Big E. But would he have to be a heel for that?)
19. AdR tried to throw Kofi into the apron, but Kofi jumps into the ring, hits the ropes, and jumps through the ropes to hit AdR! Nice!
20. AdR stops on Kofi in the ropes, pulls him to the center, and gets the pinfall victory. Good match, disappointing result.
21. Summer Rae and Layla dis Fandango backstage. Bo Dallas tries to comfort him. The whole segment reeked of ugh.
22. AJ and Paige v. Layla and Summer. I expect the frenemies to get the win over the jilted dancers.
23. Tension between the frenemies when AJ tags herself in and picks up the win over Summer. Paige backs off and hugs AJ, but the heel turn is building.
24. Usos with product placement for Sonic. And Hornswoggle gets brain freeze! Nice!
25. Ambrose v. Kane. Prediction: Ambroae gets the win by DQ.
26. Unsurprisingly brutal thus far. Fun to watch.
27. Until Rollins attacks Ambrose from behind with the briefcase. And Kane chokeslams Ambrose. Rollins hits Curbstomp on the steel steps in the ring. Plenty of heat for Rollins as the show ends.

Pretty good show with some good building for Battleground. Some really lame moments too, but that's Creative lately.

RAW 7/14/14 (Hulu edition)

1. Cena opens RAW and blabs about how he may not be champ after Battleground on Sunday even without being pinned. Roman Reigns comes out. Cena keeps talking until Reigns tells him to get to the point. Looks like trouble is brewing...
2. Until Dean Ambrose appears on the tron to keep them focused on destroying the Authority...
3. Until he's beaten by Kane, Orton, and Seth Rollins, the three who were supposed to face Cena, Orton, and Ambrose. Looks like it will be a handicap match when Rollins hits Curb Stomp.
4. Sheamus v. Miz. Miz has been beaten pretty bad since his return. They may give him the victory tonight. His new "moneymaker" gimmick is annoying, but he's okay in the ring. I still think he makes a better underdog babyface, though.
5. They really showed a full-screen graphic of the Battleground IC Battle Royal for nearly a minute during this match. Certainly an indicator of how exciting the match has been.
6. Sheamus misses a Brogue, and Miz rolls him up for the non-title win. Okay match. Not very exciting.
7. Backstage segment with Kane and Orton both saying they'll be WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Hunter interrupts them to remind them not to look past tonight. And then Steffi comes in and they have an Edge/Lita moment.
8. The Usos come out, but the Junior Wyatts blindside them before they can even finish their war chant. Harper and Rowan leave devastation behind them.
9. Rusev and Lana invite Zeb and Swagger out for a "detente." Someone bought a dictionary. Lana insults the US in two languages. Zeb delivers a surprisingly even-handed promo worthy of a babyface. The crowd is chanting "We the People!" Rusev declares war and accepts the Battleground match with Swagger. Lana slaps the heck out of Zeb. Rusev moves to attack and gets the upper hand on Swagger until he goes for the superkick. Swagger locks in the Patriot Lock an only lets go when Rusev is nearly out of the ring. #WeThePeople!!!
10. Goldust and Stardust give another creepy promo. Bizarre Dusts are bizarre.
11. Nikki Bella with an apparently phantom Brie in a tag match v. Alicia Fox and Cameron. Steffi comes out to talk smack. For some reason, Steffi thinks it's logical that a departed wrestler shouldn't be replaced in a tag match. Of course, this is WWE, so logic isn't an expected ingredient, but still... Of course the whackjob sisters will win.
12. Nikki has been steadily improving in the ring. Despite having an obvious result, this match has been as good as the Sheamus/Miz match earlier.
13. Alicia drags Nikki off the ropes and hits some form of facebuster for the win.
14. Great Jericho promo about how he's seen everything in the WWE but nothing like Bray. He has always been able to deliver. Brat responds with his usual quality mic work. The crowd is chanting "boring," but it's not. The lights go out, and they come back on with Harper and Rowan in the ring. Jericho slides out of the ring. Bray ambushes him from behind and then hits Sister Abigail on the stage. Highlight of the show so far.
15. AJ v. Eva Marie with Paige on commentary. AJ wins or we riot!
16. Paige was fairly solid on commentary. They've got to keep giving her opportunities on the mic. She was able to show so much more on NXT. She definitely held her own against JBL.
17. The match was longer than expected, but AJ got her into the Black Widow for the submission win. After, AJ takes JBL's headset and the ladies have a nice back and forth. JBL just looked forlorn.
18. Heyman offers Plan C to Hunter and Steffi. Is this the build to Lesnar at SummerSlam?
19. Flair!!! WOoOoOoOoOoOoO! Renee Young is in the ring with him. They both look like they're having fun. She asks for a prediction for Battleground, and he picks Cena. Reigns comes out while Flair is still in the ring. They shake hands, and Flair walks out.
20. Before he's out, Cena comes out. He hands the old World Heavyweight Championship belt to Flair and runs to the ring. (Did they just retire the belt?)
21. Main Event: Cena and Reigns v. Kane, Orton, and Rollins. Prediction: no contest. Just hoping no one gets hurt before Sunday in what is sure to be a physical match.
22. Good to see Kane still delivering in a convincing fashion. I'd love to see him win one last championship on Sunday, even if I know it won't happen.
23. It's devolved into a brawl. Did Rollins just tweak his knee? The ref threw up a weak X.
24. The ref calls for the bell when Kane won't leave the ring. Kane decks Orton when Cena ducks. Reigns misses a spear on Orton and spears Cena. Orton RKOs Kane. And then Reigns comes in to spear Orton as he celebrates.

Not on hulu:
1. No Ziggler v. Fandango. *sigh* Not that I expect it was a great match, what with Layla and Summer Rae being involved, but Ziggler is fun to watch.
2. No Sandow as a Sonic carhop. His next job, perhaps?
3. No AdR v. RVD. It was probably a decent match, but AdR has all the charisma of an empty coffee cup.
4. NO STING 2K15 ANNOUNCEMENT! FAIL! UTTER AND EPIC FAIL!
5. No Cesaro v. Big E. Would have been nice to see that. Surprising that Cesaro was without Heyman. Another sign that Brock is returning?
6. No Bo(bblehead) Dallas v. Great Khali. Did anyone stay awake for that?

Four televised matches in 90 minutes? The promos weren't *that* good. Some decent building for Battleground, but overall the show underwhelmed. And it's inexcusable not to have the Sting announcement shown. That's huge news.

SmackDown 7/11/14

1. SmackDown opens with...Rusev and Lana? They really did leave half the talents behind to get ready for Tokyo. And he's challenged by...Roman Reigns? And that will be the main event? That's...odd.
2. Cameron is channeling her inner Tyler Breeze.
3. Cameron v. AJ in a non-title match. AJ will destroy Cameron quickly.
4. This match bugs me. A lot. AJ has had almost no offense for about five minutes. Why are they making all the Divas champs look weak?
5. AJ hits the Shining Wizard for the win after Naomi throws Cameron back in the ring.
6. Fandango (with Layla) v. Adam Rose (with Layla). Ugh. *This* is what's replacing Santino? *sigh* and Rose will win quickly. Will Summer Rae and Layla interfere?
7. Of course they will. Ugh. As if this matchup isn't obnoxious enough.
8. Fandango gets counted out trying to separate Layla and Fandango. Fandango comes in and tries to punch out Rose, but Fandango takes him down and joins his rosebuds to celebrate.
9. Usos v. Titus O'Neil and Heath Slater. Really? The barrel is that empty? Look for the Usos to kick some misfits.
10. A splash on Slater for the win. Surprise, surprise. Saxton interviews the Usos about their best 2-of-3 falls v. the Junior Wyatts. The Usos do a Cole/JBL imitation as they mimic beating up the Wyatts. Not their best mic work.
11. Jericho v. Orton. Will the Legend get Killed? Orton will win, but there won't be a punt. This should be a quality match.
12. Nothing we haven't seen before, but a good match nonetheless...until the Wyatt light trick happens and Orton hits a distracted Jericho with an RKO.
13. Summer Rae v. Layla with Fandango as guest ref. Again. Will this match even happen?
14. Layla and Summer beat up Fandango. The ladies have a spur-of-the-moment dance-off and apparently decide to be dance partners. Umm...
15. Axel (with Ryback) v. Goldust (with Stardust). Expecting a Goldust victory in a decent-to-good match.
16. Stardust is mugging for the crowd. I didn't expect this to be as good a gimmick as it's turned out to be.
17. Goldust hits whatever-it's-called for the win.
Ryback goes for shell-shocked, but Stardust blows glitter in his face. The Dusts have a pose-off after.
18. Diego and Torito v. Bo(foon) Dallas in a Handicap Match. Ugh. And I thought Titus and Heath teaming up was rock-bottom for tonight. *sigh* of course Bo will win.
19. Bo hits the BoDog on Diego for the win and then attacks the bull. What a Bolly.
20. Main Event: Rusev (with Lana) v. Roman Reigns. This is so not a main event-quality matchup. Reigns will win...if there's a decision. Who attacks Reigns?
21. Rusev has demonstrated a minimal move set. I know he has the body type Vince likes, but the last thing we need is another meathead.
22. Reigns hulks up! Superman punch, lines up for the Spear...
23. And Orton attacks for the DQ. Rusev takes advantage, superkicking Reigns. Lana orders Rusev out of the ring, and Randy begins to stalk Reigns. RKO. Randy smiles us into oblivion.

Average show at best. Not impressed overall. Little held my interest, not really any good build for Battleground.

RAW 7/7/14 (Hulu edition)

1. I hate when they show videos of previous weeks on the 90-minute Hulu edition of RAW. They wasted three minutes to open the show, which is certainly long enough to show a Sandow match.
2. Roman Reigns opens RAW on his own. Wow. Quite a feather in his cap. Will his promo deliver? Is he ready for this? Whatever the case, at least we'll be spared the vacationing Hunter and Steffi.
3. Not bad for his first step into the very top tier. And he sounded even better when Kane came out, calling Kane "Triple H's lapdog" and "Randy's bitch."
4. Kane walks toward ringside, and Reigns comes out to meet him. Kane throws Reigns into a ring post as the crowd chants "Randy's bitch!" Refs and backstage agents come out to separate the two. Reigns throws Jamie Noble aside, spears Fit Finlay, and then hits Kane with the Superman Punch. Good physical confrontation.
5. Harper and Rowan v. the Usos. I like the rivalry and the physicality this matchup always brings, but they need to have these teams fight other teams or this will go stale before it needs to. Predicting a Junior Wyatt win tonight to set up another PPV match for the titles at Battleground.
6. Another good match between these teams, much deserving of the "This is awesome" chants. Harper hits one of the twins with a massive clothesline for the pinfall victory, but there's some question about whether or not the right Uso got pinned. And I'll be honest: I don't know the difference at a glance either.
7. Backstage with Kane and Orton, and Orton says he has Kane's back. Rollins comes in and says he'll think twice about cashing in if either of them wins. Orton says he hates Rollins, and Kane says, "Not as much as I'm starting to hate you." Nice. That's what Kane continues to bring to the WWE.
8. Rusev v. RVD. RVD is here to have good matches and put over the kids, and that's what he'll do again tonight. Rusev will win a quality match. (People complain about Cena's "Five moves of doom," but Rusev ain't much better.)
9. Nice quick box promo against Rusev and Lana from Zeb Coulter during the match. I like this babyface turn.
10. Rusev dodges Rolling Thunder an then gets RVD to tap to the Accolade.
11. Orton v. Dean Ambrose. This will be an exciting match with more brawling than wrestling, an Orton wins tonight. He's not contractually allowed to lose too many consecutive matches.
12. JBL said Ambrose used the Figure Four to honor Bret Hart? Umm...wouldn't he have used the Sharpshooter instead?
13. Ambrose certainly is doing his best to appear to be a lunatic. It's a good look for him.
14. Orton hits the RKO for a clean victory. But it was much more a brawl than wrestling, and it was fun to watch. I honestly expected sone sort of DQ with an interruption from Kane or Rollins.
15. Cena gives a backstage promo about handling business, and Reigns interrupts to wish Cena luck in his match with Rollins. Cena says he doesn't need luck, and Reigns says he will at Battleground. Nice interaction.
16. Lawler is in the ring to introduce "the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be," Bret "the Hit Man" Hart. Bret looks ancient. Still awesome though.
17. And then Sandow comes out dressed as Bret Sandhart! Awesome!!! He calls Canada a third-world country. Hart hits him with a straight right and knocks him out of the ring! Good stuff!
18. Renee tries to interview the Miz, but the Miz interrupts her to read a letter "from a fan." Miz vows to give Jericho a close-up with his fist. I liked Miz better as a face. As a face he's an underdog, and his losing is understandable. He's just not good enough to succeed as a heel.
19. Y2J v. the Miz. Y2J should win, of course. I don't expect him to have to put the Miz over.
20. Two Figure Fours in one night? Miz uses it on Y2J, but Jericho reaches the ropes.
21. Jericho gets the submission wins with Walls of Jericho. Very good match.
22. Wyatt interrupts the celebration with a great promo from the stage. Jericho plans to come up and beat his ass, but the Junior Wyatts appear "from nowhere." This will have a great payoff.
23. Paige and AJ v. the Funkadactyls. Expecting a victory from AJ and Paige. Is tonight going to be the breakup of the Funkadactyls? Are Paige and AJ going to stop playing nice?
24. Cameron refuses a tag from Naomi. (Considering Naomi is the talented one, this conflict between the Funkadactyls is not a good thing for Cameron.)
25. Cameron tags in, and Paige immediately hits the Paige Turner. AJ and Paige play nice on the way out while the Stankadactyls explode in the ring. Not a great match, but it was worth it to see the end of this team.
26. Quality confrontation between Rollins and Cena in the locker room. Cena's right: it's obvious what everyone sees in Rollins. Cena may not always be the best at putting over his opponents, but he knows the future when he sees it.
27. The crowd barely gives Cena any love. Cole gives him way too much.
28. Cena v Rollins in a non-title match...for now. I don't see Rollins winning, but he might try to cash in after the match. He won't succeed with that either. But the match will be very good.
29. Rollins is a lot of fun to watch, and I think he's bringing up Cena's level of competition. I can't remember the last time I saw a powerbomb from Cena.
30. Cena has the STF locked in when Kane's pyro hits. Orton attacks from behind and then Kane attacks. They work Cena over until Reigns comes out. Kane charges and gets Superman-ed for his trouble. Orton takes Superman too, and the Rollins hits Reigns with the briefcase. He then hits Cena and tries to cash in, only to get ambushed by Ambrose! They go to the back. Orton stalks Cena, only to take an AA. Kane tries to chokeslam Cena, and he takes a spear from Reigns! Reigns raises Cena's arm, and the crowd boos. Cena raises Reigns's arm, and the crowd cheers. Reigns raises Cena's arm again, and the crowd boos as we go off the air.

Not on hulu:
1. No Alicia Fox v. Nikki Bella. Thank you, producers!
2. No Dolph Ziggler v. AdR. Would have liked to have seen Ziggler, but I can live without AdR.
3. No Goldust/Stardust promo. CURSE YOU, PRODUCERS!!!
4. No Layla/Fandango/Summer Rae segment. I'm okay with that.
5. No Sheamus v. Sandow. Apparently it was too short to do anything for either wrestler.
6. No Cesaro v. Kingston. I would have loved to have seen that match. I'll have to catch it next month when the show appears on the WWE Network.
7. No Torito v. Bo(ut of Nausea) Dallas. Again, thank you, producers.

Overall, I really liked what I saw tonight. Good mic work from Reigns, good physical encounters throughout the show, above average matches, great promos, and good builds for the Battleground PPV. Good stuff.

(By the way, there was no aired retirement announcement from Santino, but that could be something they didn't want to do in Montreal, since he's not a French Canadian. They'll be in Ottawa for Smackdown, so that might be where we get to see it.)

Santino Marella Retires from In-Ring Action

Reports are coming in that WWE superstar Santino Marella is retiring from in-ring action at a live show in Canada this weekend. Like so many others, he has injured his neck numerous times, the lastest being about three weeks ago. He has decided to retire from competition while he is still able to walk. 

I personally think it's a shame that this became a necessity. Santino was never going to be a WWE World Heavyweight Champion, but he was one of those guys who would do anything the company asked him to do, whether it meant putting over rookies who couldn't tell a ring post from a ringing phone, taking a pie to the face, wearing a stocking on his arm and yelling "COBRA!!!!" or whatever was needed. He could also make pretty much anyone look good in the ring. 

My favorite Santino memory is of the tea party he hosted for Kozlov and "Shay-Moose." Santino is, in my opinion, the funniest man the WWE has seen in many years--maybe ever. This is a man who knows that wrestling is scripted, and sometimes it is meant to be absurd. He made the most of it. For example, his "Honk-a-Meter" during his heel Intercontinental Championship title reign with Beth Phoenix at his side, while an absurdity in comparing his (at the time) 2-week reign with Honky-Tonk Man's 54-week reign, added a measure of legitimacy to a title that too often has been treated like a ping pong ball.

Thank you for the laughs, Santino. I hope you stay around the company as long as they'll let you. We need you to remind us of the inanity so we don't take this business too seriously. 

Smackdown 7/4/14

1. Seth Rollins comes out to open SmackDown to the sound of boos. He claims Cena got lucky, that He will cash in his MitB contract and take Cena's title. He's interrupted by Dean Ambrose, who comes out to tell Rollins that he will be there to keep the belts out of Rollins's hands. Both of these guys are great on the mic and in the ring, and I hope this feud plays out for a good long while.
2. Ambrose attacks Rollins. Orton comes out to save Rollins, and Reigns comes out to save Ambrose. Hunter comes out and makes Ambrose v. Orton with the stipulation that Reigns will lose his spot in the Fatal Four-Way at Battleground if he interferes in the match. This has to be building toward Hunter v. Reigns at SummerSlam, which should be a superb match.
3. Sheamus v. AdR for the United States Championship. These two have had very good matches in the past, and I don't see this being any different. Prediction: Sheamus retains in a solid match. AdR is going nowhere, and he's taking his time doing it.
4. Lots of counters and submission holds. Sheamus hits a Brogue out of nowhere to retain the belt. Very good match.
5. Stardust and Goldust deliver a bizarre promo. I really like this gimmick as a temporary thing.
6. Reigns interview backstage, and I have to say that it was one of his best samples of mic work.
7. Bo(nehead) Dallas says he'll win the Intercontinental Title Battle Royal at Battleground "for Daniel Bryan." Not impressed.
8. Bo(ring) v. Diego (with Torito). Predict an unfortunate Bo victory.
9. Bo hits the BoDog for the win. Nope. Still not impressed. He then gets gored by el Torito (YES!!!) and slams Torito. Apparently he's been received with nowhere near the heat that was expected. He's just not worth the effort of hating. Blah.
10. Chris Jericho comes put to a big pop. He talks about being attacked by "a big, dark, venomous spider and his family." He thanks the Wyatts for reminding him that the WWE is dangerous, and he can be dangerous too. Very good promo...
11. ...which Bray interrupts with his own golden promo. This will be a great feud!
12. Jericho goes to answer, but the Miz interrupts now to huge boos. (I miss the scruffy Miz.) Miz is talking about his moneymaker face when Y2J hits the Codebreaker! That was an enjoyable sequence all around.
13. Big E v. Cesaro. It wouldn't surprise me to see Cesaro lose now, only to win gold at Battleground. Ceaaro looked particularly brutal on RAW this week, and I think the crowd is finally accepting him as a heel.
14. Cesaro attacks Big E right away, and Big E responds equally. The match never even gets started, and the refs and Heyman keep them separated. I like the ire between these two.
15. Eva Marie (ugh) v. AJ (with Paige at ringside) in a non-title bout. If Eva gets any offense, it will be too much. Paige won't interfere. Great to have AJ back.
16. Eva slaps AJ. Why is she even here? AJ has to sell some of the worst moves we've ever seen.
17. AJ counters a side slam with the Black Widow for the submission win. Paige comes in and claps for AJ before heading up the ramp. Sort of a waste of a segment, but the build for Paige v. AJ is nice, because *that* will be a match to see if they're given more than 2 minutes.
18. Sandow comes out as Springsteen. Can he sink any lower? PLEASE find something *good* for him soon!
19. Rusev comes out to squash Sandow, which he does quickly. Lana gives her "America is fat and lazy and dying" promo about how America's birthday celebration is weak.
20. And Swagger and Coulter come out to a big pop(!) to shut them up! Been waiting for this for months! Coulter delivers a great promo. #WeThePeople!!! Lana holds back Rusev, and they leave the ring to the sound of the crowd chanting "WE THE PEOPLE!!! U-S-A!!!"
21. Main event: Ambrose v. Orton (woth Rollins at ringside and Reigns banned). I'd like to see Ambrose win, but I expect Orton to do so. There's a lot of pain Ambrose has to experience before he's allowed to really triumph. Whatever happens, it should be fun to see.
22. Rollins is doing good work on commentary, though he seems more comfortable in promos than answering questions.
23. No one does casual brutality the way Orton does. Not even Kane.
24. The crowd seems surprisingly dead during this match.
25. And then Ambrose attacks Rollins. He brings it back in the ring as the crowd wakes up. Rollins attacks Ambrose with the briefcase to give Ambrose the DQ win. Orton RKOs Ambrose, and the vultures circle until Reigns comes out for the save. He hits Superman on Orton. Rollins pulls Orton out, and Reigns brings Ambrose back into the ring to close out the show.

Enjoyable show overall, with some great microphone work throughout. A lot of building towards Battleground and beyond.

RAW 6/30/14 (Hulu edition)

1. Hunter and Steffi come out to open RAW. They call out Cena. Cena interrupts them and says that he'll give Daniel Bryan a shot even though the Authority won't. Steffi reveals that Cena is the covergirl of the WWE2k15 video game. Cena says they're being too nice after how upset they were when he won and Orton didn't. Hunter demands respect from Cena after making fun of Cena's thug past. He says things can be easy or hard. Cena responds that if easy means being their stooge, he'll do it the hard way. Hunter says that the hard way is defending the titles in a fatal four-way match at Battleground. He'll be facing Orton, Kane, and his teammate for tonight against those two, who is Roman Reigns. And if he survives that at Battleground, there's always a plan B...and that brings out Seth Rollins.
2. Someone eventually will throw down the Authority. But I don't see it being Cena who does it. Maybe there will be stable formed to oppose the Authority.
3. Seth Rollins (Mr. MitB) v. RVD. Rollins will win an exciting match with a good number of high spots.
4. RVD pulls out the abdominal stretch? Wow. The 80s called, and they want their move back.
5. Rollins had RVD up for a powerbomb, and Rollins managed to throw him into the turnbuckle with his legs! And then he jumped off the top rope and hit him on the floor. Mr. Monday Nights strikes again!
6. Rollins catches him in the ropes and then hits RVD with Curb Stomp for the win. And then he calls Renee Young "Toots." Nice.
7. Ambrose is on the tron. He promises that Seth won't ever be able to cash in that briefcase because Ambrose will haunt him. The briefcase is loaded with TNT and it will blow up every time he tries to cash in! Great promo!
8. Sheamus and the Usos face the Wyatts next. Does anyone remember the last time Sheamus defended his title? Anyway, this will be a very physical match, and I believe the Wyatts will win to keep this feud going.
9. Harper hit Sheamus with a brutal kick that resembled a Brogue more than a little. Wow. And then later a superkick! Sheamus is going to be seeing leprechauns!
10. Harper hits a massive clothesline (one even JBL would have to appreciate) on Jey for the win in a brutal, excellent match.
11. Steffi makes Nikki Bella v. the Funkadactyls in a handicap match. Obviously Nikki's going to lose, but I'm guessing there will be conflict.
12. Really? Bo(ring) Dallas does a moment of silence for Bad News Barrett and Daniel Bryan. *sigh* Can we have a moment of silence for him? And have someone knock him out so there's a reason for it? I love that Daniel Bryan called him a Bo...Ner.
13. Did Nikki have even more work done? She put up a good fight, but Naomi (who does a better splash than Tamina) pins her. And then the 'Dactyls fight. Time for a breakup?
14. And now returning...the Miz. *sigh* And he's back as his heel persona. *sigh*
15. But after too much talking, he's interrupted by...Y2J! He hits the Codebreaker! Is he back to feud with and put Miz over? I could see that, I guess. Wow, he looks pretty good, although his face is starting to show his age. Anyway, RAW really *is* Jericho!
16. ...Until the Wyatt family kicks his ass. I don't know how long Jericho is back, but while he's here, he'll do a good job putting someone over with a nice rub. Looks like it will be Bray. Good stuff! Jericho can come back whenever he wants, if I have anything to say about it. And I don't.
17. Fandango v. Dolph Ziggler. If they have time, this should be a really good match. I don't think they'll get much, but they'll make the most of it. Ziggler should win, but they're both jobbers now, so we'll see.
18. Summer Rae walked in and kissed Ziggler. That was unexpected. Wow. And Fandango got upset.
19. Ziggler hits the ZigZag off the distraction for the win. Summer walks away, and Layla looks upset.
20. Paige comes out to celebrate her MitB win. This is sounding like a heel promo.
21. And she's interrupted by the returning AJ! Yes!!! The time off looks like it's been good to her. Paige don't look happy.
22. AJ goads Paige into a title match, and after Paige hits a bunch of offense, AJ rolls her up for a quick victory and becomes the NEW DIVAS CHAMPION!! Oh, I hope this leads to a feud. These two have the goods to light up a show and maybe even eventually main event RAW. I love Paige, but she can't fix the Diva division alone. And neither could AJ.
23. Main event: Orton and Kane v. Cena and Reigns. I expect a good match, and I think...Reigns gets the pin? Or do we see Cena get a DQ win and Rollins come to collect?
24. Reigns and Kane are throwing bombs!
25. Does anyone (except maybe Ziggler) throw a dropkick as pretty as Orton?
26. Orton, the illegal man, hits Cena with an RKO. Reigns sends him out and hits Jane with a Superman punch. Kane hits Cena with steps for the DQ. Hunter at ringside tells Kane to finish Cena. Kane hits the Tombstone. Doctors come to check Cena.
27. Here comes Rollins to cash in!   The ref doesn't want it, but goes to make it happen. But before it's official, Ambrose comes in and drives off Rollins!
28. Kane goes to kill Cena with a chair, but Reigns spears Kane!!! We go off the air with Reigns staring down Hunter and the crowd chanting "This is awesome!" And it was!

Not on hulu:
1. No encounter between the Real Americans and Rusev. Sad. This could be huge!!! Face turn for Swagger?!?
2. No announcement of Royal Rumble for Background.
3. No Cesaro v. Kingston. I hear Kofi won during the commercial.
4. No Khali v. Sandow. Glad I missed a Sandow loss. Even gladder to miss Khali.
5. No Dusts v. AxelBack. *sigh*

I really enjoyed that show. Some great matches, lots if storyline builds for the next few months. Good to have Y2J back! Great to have AJ back!

Money in the Bank 6/29/14

I gave a quick list of predictions on Sunday. Let's see how I do.

1. Money in the Bank from Boston opens with the Junior Wyatts challenging the Usos for the Tag Team belts. That's some crazy new music for Harper and Rowan. Hard to deny the momentum Bray's brothers have, and I see them winning the belts, but this feud can (and should) last for some time.
2. The Usos put together a nice series of doubleteam moves leading to a pinning predicament on Rowan. This is the kind of thing that was missing from the tag division for a long time.
3. By the same token, H&R are just brutal. They've got the heel tag team thing down pat with the distractions, isolations, frequent covers, and cheap shots.
4. Wow!!! Double Superplex followed by beautiful double Superfly Splashes from the Usos on Rowan to retain the belts! That was a great match! Both teams shone. Honestly? Five stars. I don't know how anyone follows that.
5. Dean Ambrose gives a promo on Seth Rollins. He's another shining star in WWE's long-term future. Gotta appreciate his crazy.
6. Naomi challenges Paige for the Diva's Championship. Naomi is a lot better than Cameron, and I can see her getting the belt for the sake of Total Divas, but probably not tonight. Paige retains in a short match I think.
7. A minute in, and I'm already more impressed than I thought I'd be. Lots of flying, lots of real grappling.
8. Paige with a Stump Puller?!? Where did *that* come from?
9. Paige hits a nasty DDT for the win while Cameron pretends to give a hoot about Naomi. That was a good match, much better than I thought it would be allowed to be. The crowd wasn't hot for that match like they were for the tag match, but they were alive for it, which says something for a Diva matchup.
10. I liked Josh Mathews, but Renee Young did a really good job with the MitB panel.
11. Sandow comes out as Paul Revere and gives a great heel promo, warning that the half-wits (the Rosebuds) are coming, and then he (rightly) says that Boston will always live in New York's shadow.
12. Sandow v. Adam Rose. Sad to say, Sandow will lose quickly. I can see Sandow losing to Leo Kruger, but losing to a Russell Brand wannabe is ridiculous.
13. "THE ELBOW IS COMING!!! THE ELBOW IS COMING!!!" Great stuff!
14. Sandow was allowed to look better tonight than he's looked for a long time, but Rose still hit the Party Foul off a missed splash for the win.
15. Barrett is out of the contract ladder match after an injury. I wonder if he's going to have to surrender the Intercontinental Championship. It's a shame. He seems to get injured every time he's about to get a push.
16. The ladder match for the contract briefcase began quickly! My prediction (it's obvious) is that Seth Rollins wins. Kingston will have a high spot, but it will probably knock him out of the match (like it usually does).
17. That was quick! Kofi climbs the ladder, and Ambrose pushes it over. Kofi lands on his feet on the ropes and delivers a cross-body to a group outside the ring! Awesome!
18. Ambrose and Rollins are doing some sick stuff together. I can see why everyone was so high on Johnny Moxley, and why Seth Rollins was golden in ROH. Ambrose is forced to the back with a shoulder injury.
19. Kofi flipped Rollins over the top of the ladder onto another ladder! DAMNATION!!! That was insane! Rollins has taken some crazy bumps!
20. Ziggler ZigZagged Kofi onto a ladder! And he nailed himself in the process, but that was awesome!
21. Swagger had the ankle lock on Ziggler, and Ziggler kept climbing! 
22. Rollins begins climbing the ladder, and Ambrose comes back out and beats him down with the chair. Ambrose is climbing the ladder! And KANE COMES OUT and pulls him down and hits the chokeslam and a tombstone. Not totally unexpected, but this will let Rollins climb the ladder and grab the briefcase for the win. Awesome match!!! And then Hunter and Steffi come out looking like they ate the canary.
23. Axelback v. the Dusts. Two strange teams, but this should be a good match. I'm picking the Dusts to win.
24. Cody is so good. He may very well be the most underrated superstar on the roster. He's got an amazing move set, broad enough that he's not using many of his Cody moves as Stardust. And he's got the charisma to make even the Stardust gimmick work.
25. We may be nearing the end of the Goldust run, but he's really looked great since his return. I hope he gets his match against Cody before this is over.
26. Funny to hear the "Feed Me More" chants for Ryback. That still had gas in it when they turned him heel.
27. Axel accidentally hits Ryback, and Stardust rolls Ryback up for the pin. Axel attacks Stardust after the match, only to take a doubleteam DDT for his efforts. Good match. I wonder how long this gimmick will last.
28. Fandango is wearing a bedazzled referee shirt. How sweet.
29. Rusev v. Big E. Ho hum. Rusev wins in what I expect will be a shorter match. He's got the physical tools, and Lana is a good mouthpiece, but I'm just not sold on him.
30. I wonder what Putin thinks of being used for a WWE gimmick.
31. This is not your 1990s Super-heavyweight match. These two are actually agile. I would like to see more of that in their confrontations. Sadly, they've had meat matches instead.
32. The big spear through the ropes was impressive, though Big E could have broken his own neck with it.
33. Rusev wins with the Accolade. Sadly, just another meat match between these two, but not unimpressive.
34. Summer Rae v. Layla with the bedazzled Fandango as special referee.
35. Layla hits a kick to the head for the win in a yawner. Fandango and Layla close it out with a kiss.
36. Time for the Money in the Bank ladder match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I'd really like to see Kane win, but I suspect Cena is the safest choice as we await Lesnar's return.
37. There haven't been many amazing spots in this ladder match, not like the one before. The heavyweights just don't seem to have the capacity for the big spots in this kind of match. Reigns has moments where he's a machine in and out of the ring, but it's nothing we haven't seen before.
38. Gotta say, though, that I loved seeing Orton getting hit with Sister Abigail.
39. That's a sick wound Orton has on his head.
40. Cena AA's Kane and then Orton! Cena climbs the ladder and takes the belts! 15-time World Champion. Hunter doesn't look happy. Orton looks bloody. Good match, but not great like the briefcase match earlier.

I really enjoyed this show. Honestly, I think the match of the night was the first one, the Tag Title match between the Usos and the Junior Wyatts, though the briefcase ladder match was right there. Definitely worth the price of admission.