First up is CM Punk. His feud with Chris Jericho is fantastic, and getting better all the time. Last week's promo by Jericho was fantastic, and Punk's tonight is great. He puts a lot of emotion into it, and it feels real. Honestly, that's the best you could say for any promo. He essentially rejects Jericho, swearing that he won't allow Jericho to get in his head. “There isn't a person on this planet that should let a past nightmare dictate or cloud their future dreams.” Great line. He then goes on to reveal that his father has beaten his alcoholism.
Jericho then comes on the Titantron via satellite to... apologize? He practically begs for forgiveness at first, and swears to never talk about Punk's father again. And then, like a good heel, brings up his sister's substance abuse problem. Oh man, this is the best feud going into Wrestlemania. Punk looks so angry, and lets loose a whole lot of censored speech. I don't think I've ever seen him look that angry!
Wait, seriously? A new Stooges movie? I.... WHAT?
They come back from commercial with Kane doing his in-ring pyro, set to face the Big Show. Cody Rhodes comes out before the match starts, and seems to be joining the commentary team for this match. We get treated to a great video package of Big Show's Wrestlemania moments. This is a short match – Cody distracts Big Show long enough for Kane to hit a top rope choke slam for the win. Rhodes then hits the Beautiful Disaster on Big Show, then handcuffs Big Show to the ropes. Rhodes puts on boxing gloves and pummels Big Show, who is very unsteady after he's released.
Ha! Otunga has jacket around his shoulders as part of his entrance now. That's great. Santino doesn't get as much of a reaction as I expected him too, but the crowd clearly still likes him. Santino has painted abs, and they proceed to have a pose off. Laurinitis ends up distracting Santino long enough for Otunga to pick up the win. Johnny Ace mocks Santino, prompting Teddy to smack him.
There's a video of someone's head, presumably Lord Tensai? Not sure who that is.
Finally The Rock has come back to Philadelllllphia. We get another history lesson from the Rock, saying that he's wanted to be the greatest since he was a child. He also seems to finally give Cena tiny bit of respect, saying that Cena is the final person he has to beat to be the greatest ever. He gets some nice local applause, then starts saying some of the greatest wrestler's catchphrases, including a surprisingly good Macho Man impression. This is a good promo, though for me it only underscores the fact that he's so much better when he's not live.
Before the commercial, Daniel Bryan enters with AJ, who is looking amazing as always. She's definitely my favorite Diva. Coming back from the break, we get a recap of the end of the Jericho vs. Sheamus match Friday. And then out comes Zack Ryder to face Daniel Bryan! They show a short clip of the Ryder rally earlier in the day, showing that Ryder is trying to get on Team Teddy. This is a solid match – Ryder hits the Broski Boot (which always looks really painful) and goes for the Rough Ryder, but Bryan counters it into the Lebell Lock. Ryder taps out far too quickly – it makes him look weak.
Next up is John Cena and, while the boos are still there, they're not nearly as loud as they were before. Mark Henry comes out, and the camera work for his entrance is as fantastic as always. The close shot from behind really emphasizes his size well. It's damn intimidating. This is a fine match, and Mark Henry gets to show off his strength as he takes control early and just manhandles Cena. I wonder if they changed the story of this match because of the car accident. Cena turns it around, hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle and the Attitude Adjustment for the win. I don't care who you are, but seeing Cena hit Mark Henry with the AA is damn impressive. Moments after the bell, The Rock's music hits and he comes down to the ring. He immediately hits Henry with a Rock Bottom, then leaves. I guess this is supposed to be intimidating? I think Cena was more impressive, though Cole tries to make it seem like the Rock Bottom lifted Henry into the stratosphere.
They show a clip from Extra which leads to the announcement of Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos vs Beth Phoenix and Eve at Wrestlemania. Why should I care about this? And why isn't Beth Phoenix defending her title?
The Miz has a great promo, leading into a match against Sheamus. Miz is aggressive, but it's clear from early on that Sheamus is going to get the win. However, Miz puts up a good fight, making it a very close match. Sheamus ends up winning with a Brogue Kick. They cut to Laurinitis and Otunga watching the match, and Otunga's mug is gaudy!
Orton has a brief but effective promo, but I find myself disappointed that Kane doesn't attack him afterwards. After this they show a clip of Big Show, Stephanie McMahon and David Otunga at a Be A Star event. It's nice, though McMahon has historically been a bitchy bully, and Otunga is currently something of a bully. Vicki Guerrero interrupts Jerry Lawler to announce that Swagger and Ziggler are the newest members of Team Johnny.
This leads into American Perfection vs. Kofi and R-Truth. This is a great match, as both teams work really well together. There's a great moment where Swagger tries to break up a pin and ends up hitting Ziggler instead. American Perfection gets the win because Vickie interferes, pushing Truth's foot off the rope. This leads to a cat fight between Aksana and Vickie afterwards.
I don't know if I can say anything about this next bit. HBK, Undertaker and HHH in the ring at the same time? It's as good as anyone could hope for, and I thoroughly enjoy every second. Triple H draws a lot of similarities between himself and Undertaker, in particular the fact that they've both been in 19 Wrestlemanias, and they're both known for the Hell in a Cell matches. I also love that they won't let each other finish what they're saying. One of the things that strikes me, oddly, is how much shorter Shawn Michaels is than either of them. Looking at them together, you wouldn't believe that he is probably the best wrestler of the three.
Overall, I think this was a great episode. I'm not sure where they'll go next week, but I'm excited for Wrestlemania.
No comments:
Post a Comment