Raw Thoughts - November 9, 2009

Thanks to the new laptop, tonight's Raw review will be written as it happens! Yeah, I finally made the jump to a laptop, maybe someday I'll get one of those newfangled car phones!

Tonight's Raw is on tape delay from Sheffield, England and England's own Ricky Hatton is our guest host. Ricky's happy to be here, but before he can even get started, the Unified Tag Team Champions - and professional guest host hecklers - Chris Jericho & Big Show interrupt. I hope Big Show knows better than to pick on another professional boxer that's considerably smaller than him. Hatton brings up the Mayweather battle, but Show is not amused and offers Hatton a free shot... don't do it, Show! Your nose looked gross last time! Hatton backs up for the punch, but Jericho saves the day! Jericho tells Show he needs to worry about the Triple Threat match at Survivor Series, especially since he is on the "roll of his career" and "single-handedly won at Bragging Rights." Easy Napoleon, indeed! Hatton gets in between this squabble and makes a match for tonight, JeriShow vs. D-Generation X! Loving Jericho's rant on all the "plebeians" in England and the "ultimate hypocrite," Queen Elizabeth and her Royal Family! This is the cue for DX, who enter to an INSANE reaction from the English crowd. You probably know where this one is going by now, DX throws out some insults, hype the match for tonight, but HBK doesn't want to wait and he knocks Jericho right out of the ring! Big Show teases taking on DX and Hatton by himself, but leaves the ring... hey, he's not dressed to compete yet, leave him alone you hooligans!

Divas action to kick things off in the ring, Kelly Kelly w/ Gail Kim vs. Alicia Fox w/ Jillian Hall... this could get ugly. Raw's back home next week in Madison Square Garden and that is where Melina will defend the Diva's Title against Fox, but she has to get through this match first. Is it just me or is the in-ring action really quiet in this match? Cole and Lawler seem really loud in comparison? And in the time it took me to type that sentence, the match is over. Oh well, at least it was short.

Ricky Hatton is backstage with John Cena! Cena's bummed out for not being in the main event tonight, but I'm sure he'll find something to do.

Clips from last week's brutal beating of Jamie Noble is shown, who is reportedly contemplating retirement. I assume that means he'll be back in a couple weeks to try to get revenge? Sheamus vs. Local (British) Competitor is up next and much like our opening contest, it's kept short. Sheamus utterly decimates this guy and introduces a new finisher - the Crucifix Powerbomb... known by some as the Razor's Edge. Thanks Sheamus!

The Bella Twins are backstage with Ricky Hatton, chatting it up. Santino strolls by in a fat suit and boxing robe, he's Ricky Fatton. Get it!? Chavo Guerrero is grumpy and wants a match with Ricky Fatton; he gets a match with Ricky... but with the real one. Boxer vs. Wrestler, and I assume Hattonswoggle will be nearby.

Josh Matthews is backstage with The Miz! Team Miz vs. Team Morrison in a traditional elimination match will be happening at Survivor Series, and I'm liking the looks of this one: Miz, Jack Swagger, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler vs. John Morrison, Evan Bourne, Matt Hardy, Finlay & Shelton Benjamin. Yeah, that has serious awesome potential. Miz's teammate, Jack Swagger, interrupts and tells him that his "undefeated" streak will continue next when he takes on Evan Bourne!

Evan Bourne vs. Jack Swagger starts off with Swagger absolutely dominating. Ever notice that any time Evan Bourne is in the ring, someone locks him in a double arm submission where his arms bend back so far that you wonder if he's actually Gumby in disguise? He's like the male version of Melina. Nice burst of offense for Evan, but Swagger quickly gets the advantage back with a big boot... wait a minute, here comes THE MIZ! Swagger tries to show off, but Bourne gets out of a suplex with a knee to the face and hits the Shooting Star Press... BOURNE WINS! Sorry about your streak, Swagger! Evan Bourne getting a win is always going to make me a very happy Razor, would love to see these three lock it up at TLC in a TLC Match, but I won't hold my breath.

MVP and Mark Henry are in the ring for the VIP Lounge, but before it gets started, they officially announce Team Kofi vs. Team Orton at Survivor Series and this match is looking even more awesome than the other one: Kofi Kingston, Christian, MVP, Mark Henry & R-Truth vs. Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, William Regal & CM Punk! Sold! MVP shaved off his facial hair... he looks weird. Kofi Kingston is the guest in the VIP Lounge this evening and the red-hot Sheffield crowd is going nutzo! Considering what Kofi has done to Orton over the last couple weeks, and the fact that Legacy was crushed in a six-man tag last week, I think these three guys might be my favorite wrestlers in WWE right now. Mark Henry has Randy Orton in one-on-one action tonight... let's get a replay of when The World's Strongest Man returned to Raw.

And speak of the devil, Team Buzzkill are heading to the ring. Did Randy Orton just say "y'all"? Orton does some of his famous whining, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase brag about their bank accounts and insult Kofi & co. Orton tells them the only place they belong is "the hood," and this segment has taken a turn for the awkward. A bunch of rich, spoiled white guys talking down to the black guys that they see as lower class? I think the only thing Randy's missing is "a hood." Kofi Kingston rightfully slaps Orton across the face (lucky guy, I've wanted to do that for six years!) and we go to commercial.

Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry is in progress once we return from break, and MVP, Kofi Kingston, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase remain at ringside. I heard some rumors that Mark Henry injured his knee at the start of this European tour, but he seems to be getting around just fine in this match. Perhaps just another dirtsheet rumor? Decent enough match, but just when it looks like Mark Henry has Orton where he wants him, The Viper nails an RKO out of nowhere! After the match, Kofi checks on Henry, but Orton grabs him and returns the slap to the face, but Kofi's having none of that and clocks Orton in the jaw! Loving this feud. Team Kofi lost tonight, but MVP will have a chance to make up for it this Thursday on Superstars when he takes on Ted DiBiase.

Nickelback provides the new Raw theme beginning next week... looks like my mute button will be getting a nice workout every Monday night at 9pm.

Boxer vs. Wrestler matches are deliciously old school, with Chavo Guerrero vs. Ricky Hatton bringing it back tonight. Typical boxer vs. wrestler match to start things out, slow and kinda boring, but Hatton nails a NASTY punch to the side of Chavo's head to end this one quickly. I don't know how padded Hatton's gloves were or if he pulled back, but that looked pretty painful.

Survivor Series is looking pretty awesome.

Even more ridiculous than Orton saying "y'all," I'm pretty sure I just heard Triple H say "hand over that lilliputian." DX is backstage with John Cena looking for Hornswoggle. This segment is ridiculous, and showcases the dangers of letting WWE Superstars do improv.

Okay, this isn't wrestling related, but out of concern for your safety, I have to use this space for a very important public service announcement. If you're thinking about eating crawfish from Popeye's... please don't.

Next week's guest host is... "ROWDY" RODDY PIPER! Roddy Piper hosting Raw in MSG? Hell yeah.

John Cena is on guest commentary for our main event, D-Generation X vs. JeriShow! Unified Tag Team Titles are not on the line in this one, but you have to think it's just a matter of time before we see it happen. TLC in December? Before the match begins, Cena makes a great point on commentary, that Shawn Michaels is the x-factor at Survivor Series - if DX works as a unit in the triple threat match, then the odds aren't in his favor, but if we get HBK at Survivor Series, the guy that retired Ric Flair, DX will break down and Cena's odds will improve. Little touches like that are great at selling matches, and I hope that's something they explore in the next two weeks. Match is underway and... we go to commercial.

Aaaand we're back on cable television's most watched show, the longest-running weekly episodic show in history, this is Monday Night Raw! [/Cole] JeriShow is dominating, not unlike the end of Raw last week, which ended with DX and Cena out cold. Jericho is now at the commentary booth, ordering Cole, King and Cena to let the viewers at home know that Big Show is a "destroyer." Hilarious... this is why Jericho should be Superstar of the Year once again. Speaking of commentary, this is one of the best guest spots I've ever listened to, they're really adding legitimacy to the WWE Championship match at Survivor Series. Back in the ring, Jericho and HBK are mixed up in the corner, Big Show goes for the knockout punch, HBK ducks and nails Chris Jericho! That punch was sick, nailing Jericho right on the top of the head, I think it may have even split him open. HBK takes advantage, goes for the cover and picks up the win!

After the match, Justin Roberts is on the mic and announces a MASSIVE main event for next weeks Raw, a Triple Threat Tag Match - Chris Jericho & Big Show vs. Shawn Michaels & Triple H vs. John Cena & THE UNDERTAKER! Show ends with The Deadman atop the ramp and the crowd going bonkers! That's going to be awesome, and definitely a main event worthy of a show at Madison Square Garden.

I liked this show. The in-ring action wasn't all that special outside of the main event, but the crowd was electric and the hype for Survivor Series was about as perfect as you can get. Survivor Series has kinda been the forgotten PPV when it comes to the "Big 4," but this year's might be the best-built show of the year if they keep this up. Great stuff.

Raw Thoughts - November 9, 2009

Kick-Out!! has been plagiarized

It's no secret why I started Kick-Out!! Wrestling in April of this year. As a fan of pro wrestling, I was fed up with the wrestling media - the constant negativity, the yellow journalism, and most infuriating of all, the plagiarism. Well it comes as no surprise that one of the hacks that pollutes the internet wrestling community, with apparently no talent of their own, has stolen my material. This isn't just a couple lines here and there, they didn't even bother changing words around, this was copy and pasted from beginning to end. The culprit? Sharon Menor-Delfosse of WU Online. I've found at least four examples thus far:

Smackdown, November 6, 2009
My review (posted November 7)
Their review (posted November 8)

Smackdown, October 30, 2009
My review (posted October 31)
Their review (posted November 1)

Superstars, October 22, 2009
My review (posted October 23)
Their review (posted October 25)

Smackdown, October 9, 2009
My review (posted October 10)
Their review (posted October 11)

It would appear the October 9 Smackdown review was the first one that was stolen. What makes that one special is that Delfosse felt the need to add the line "I am sorry but I felt opinionated this week, but please enjoy the review" right under the byline. I suppose since it was her first stolen review of mine, she had to explain the sudden change in writing style and still pass it off as her own.

Make no mistake about it, this is illegal. I have never given my permission to ANY site to redistribute my work and I certainly would never allow someone to give off the impression that it was their own work. From day one of this site, there's been a notice at the bottom of the page that clearly states "© 2009 - Hey, please don't steal my stuff and post it elsewhere as your own." and that's exactly what Ms. Delfosse has done with my writings on at least four separate occasions. I have contacted WU Online (wuonline@gmail.com) to get the plagiarized materials removed from their site, but have yet to receive a response. Considering the fact that WU Online is ad-supported and thus, profiting from my work, I will continue to take action until the matter is resolved.

For those of you who have joined the cause for a better wrestling media, I ask for you to please assist me with this issue. Please spread the word to all the wrestling fans you know via Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, message boards, etc. and let them know that WU Online profits from stolen material. Thank you for your continued support of Kick-Out!! Wrestling, your dedication and enthusiasm is what has made this site such a success in just a short period of time.

***UPDATE*** - 6:30pm

Earlier this afternoon, the situation had been addressed by the owner of WU Online. I would like to thank Mr. Weaver for responding the situation quickly and taking the appropriate action. I sincerely believe these were the actions of one individual and that Mr. Weaver was not aware of the fact that the writings had been stolen. It's unfortunate that one person has damaged the reputation of an entire site, but I hope WU Online will utilize a stronger editorial process in the future so that this does not happen to anyone else. The situation now appears to be resolved and I hope this is the first and only time this happens to me or any of the other sites who are working to create a better wrestling media.

Kick-Out!! has been plagiarized

Smackdown Thoughts - November 6, 2009

The Undertaker is always a good way to start off a show! The World Heavyweight Champion does a rare in-ring promo, loved the reference to him making his debut at Survivor Series... almost twenty years now! I watched that live on PPV, damn I'm old. The Undertaker is disappointed that Kane did not win his match last week to get into the triple threat at Survivor Series, and this cues Chris Jericho, who will be in that match. Chris Jericho and The Undertaker have rarely encountered each other since Jericho came to WWE ten years ago and now it's finally happening. Jericho makes it clear that he doesn't fear The Phenom, but gets a giant hand wrapped around his throat. Jericho gets a few good licks in, but eats a big boot and hightails it before the fight can really escalate. Please don't let this end at Survivor Series - Chris Jericho vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania would be amazing, especially if Edge isn't fully healed by then.

YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY FRIEND!!!

Dolph Ziggler & The Hart Dynasty vs. John Morrison & Cryme Tyme is our opening contest, and even though we've seen a combination of these six guys ion numerous occasions, I'm always a fan of the six-man tag. Solid match, Ziggler and Morrison both looking particularly impressive - Morrison's slingshot corkscrew plancha is gorgeous and Ziggler's ring presence was that of a seasoned veteran. Ziggy & The Harts pick up the win after Ziggler gets a blind tag and nails the Zig-Zag on Shad Gaspard.

WrestleMania tickets went on sale this morning, anyone going?

Backstage, Rey Mysterio is really sad. Josh Matthews confirms that Mysterio will take on Batista at Survivor Series, and I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it. Pretty soon for a match that big, I was kinda hoping for Team Mysterio vs. Team Batista, but that won't be happening.

Beth Phoenix vs. Local Competitor, another Diva squash? That's two on the last two Smackdowns, and possibly the only two I've seen in WWE in the last 15 years or so. Loving the fact that the crowd is cheering The Glamazon while she demolishes the competition, that tells me the WWE Universe is ready for a REAL women's divsion.

Drew McIntyre vs. Jimmy Wang Yang next... poor Jimmy Wang Yang. McIntyre once again doesn't wait for the match to start and attacks Yang from behind. He claims he wants competition, and Jimmy Wang Yang wants to give it to him! The match actually starts! Yang gets some nice shots in, but McIntyre quickly gets the advantage and nails his double-underhook DDT. What an a-hole.

Batista is backstage with Josh Matthews, who asks The Animal what was up with attacking Matt Hardy last week. Davetista says he's not here to make friends, but then complains about Mysterio, who as you know, was supposed to be his friend! Sounds like Big Dave has some conflicted emotions.

Rey Mysterio vs. Mike Knox made sense. Rey's preparing for the monstrous Batista, and Knox serves as a good tune-up for that match. Knox took control early with that brutal crossbody of his, except this time he hit it outside the ring! They did a good job getting over the idea that it only takes one hard hit to stop Mysterio, but once Rey gets a head of steam, his quickness is hard to overcome. Mysterio emerges victorious after hitting the 619 and the springboard splash in a match that was pretty enjoyable. The crowd was really into this one, which helps, and not something you can always say about a Mike Knox match.

Next week, Intercontinental Title is on the line when Dolph Ziggler challenges John Morrison!

IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME! Former World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk enters the arena to a chorus of boos and an unhappy Scott Armstrong, who oddly enough is officiating this match. Punk's opponent is R-Truth, and this will be the first time they've ever battled (lot of that going around in WWE this week), so I'm excited for this one. Great action here, with R-Truth getting short bursts of offense, but Punk usually in control and even busting out a bow and arrow submission! Punk hits a big kick to Truth's face and goes for a cover, but only gets a two. He takes issue with Scott Armstrong's "slow count" (I think we've all noticed that before), and while distracted, R-Truth rolls up Punk and Armstrong gives him a fast count, R-Truth wins! Definitely the biggest win of R-Truth's WWE career and that dastardly Scott Armstrong strikes again! No one is safe from his shenanigans! Now while Armstrong screwing over Punk was a fun little moment, where are they going with this?

Main Event time! Matt Hardy vs. Batista, another match that I think may be a first, and Batista enters the ring without his signature pyro - HEEL! And what a difference a heel turn makes, Batista's work in this one was a breath of fresh air. I wasn't a fan of the random submission holds he seemed to be trying out, but when he had Hardy in the corner and told the ref to get out of his face, I saw a newly-motivated Animal. As for Matt Hardy, he looked great here, and it's great to see him working with main event talent, but obviously he didn't have a prayer in this one. Oh sure, he got the win after being clocked with a monitor and thrown into the steel stairs, but this match was all about Batista. A very angry Batista.

Overall, not the best Smackdown of the year, but not a bad show by any stretch of the means. Next week's show featuring Morrison vs. Ziggler and for the first time EVER, Chris Jericho vs. The Undertaker, looks pretty huge, but I sense shenanigans in the main event. I can't imagine they're going to just give away Jericho and Undertaker on a random Smackdown without some kind of screwy finish. But I suppose we'll just have to find out next Friday night!

Smackdown Thoughts - November 6, 2009

WWE Superstars Thoughts - November 5, 2009

Santino Marella vs. Chavo Guerrero is your opening contest on WGN America, and I feel like these two got quite a bit of time despite mostly being comedy wrestlers at this point. I admittedly didn't catch all of this match because I'm busy nerding out over my new laptop right now. My intention was to blog while watching the match, but I got wrapped up in all the bells and whistles and kinda forgot there was a match going on. My bad! But hey, at least I'm honest. From what I paid attention to, this seemed like a fun Superstars match, but nothing we haven't seen from these two in the past. WWE.com mentioned both guys paying tribute to Ozzy on Monday night, but this match was missing that segment's true star - Chris Masters' pecs.

Jack Swagger vs. Primo next, another contribution from Raw? Looks like we're getting the rare four-match episode of Superstars this week. I was glad to see both of these guys lock up here, since they were pretty much the only Raw Superstars that didn't get much exposure Monday night. Well, Carlito was MIA again, but I assume we're in the middle of Carlito sabbatical #32. Good match though, Swagger got to continue his "undefeated" streak (I love that he gets to just pick the start and end point for it) and Primo continued to prove that he's one of the most underrated wrestlers on Raw.

Paul Burchill vs. Tyler Reks can be summed up with one word: nasty. Burchill busted Reks open with a headbutt (OMG blood! Alert the dirtsheets!), Reks goes for a reverse suplex and almost drops Burchill on his neck, then Burchill responds by almost dropping Reks on his neck with the Jackhammer. We haven't seen Reks in awhile, and after this cringe-inducing match, maybe it should've stayed that way.

Chris Jericho vs. Finlay is the main event of the evening, and oddly enough, I think this may be the first time these two have ever competed against each other in a WWE ring. Always a blast to see two veterans go at it, but when you have two guys that are as good as Finlay and Jericho, you know you're in for a treat. A very competitive and exciting contest that I think really reestablished Finlay as a major player on Smackdown, even though Jericho emerged victorious thanks to the Codebreaker. Striker described it perfectly, a "grueling" match, but also a great one.

WWE Superstars Thoughts - November 5, 2009

Kick-Out!! Radio - Episode 22

Linda McMahon and WWE under fire in Connecticut, WWE's youth movement, who needs the ECW treatment, indy shows, Kick-Out's SvR2010 created story, and more!


Subscribe to Kick-Out!! Radio via iTunes! (This link will open your iTunes)

MP3 version - just scroll down to "Recent Episodes" and click the MP3 icon.

Theme song: "Believe" by Grasp Infinity

Kick-Out!! Radio - Episode 22

ECW Thoughts - November 3, 2009

We begin with the ECW Champion, Christian, making his way to the ring and he's not happy. Christian's understandably angry about being assaulted last week at the close of ECW, he invites William Regal to the ring, but when he gets no response, he starts heading to the back to find his adversary. General Manager Tiffany (and her horrible theme music) doesn't like where this is going and tries to convince Christian to let her handle it. "You're just giving Regal what he wants" is exactly right, because William Regal finally makes an appearance and tells Christian if he wants him that bad, he's going to have to put the ECW Title on the line. Christian agrees and it looks like we have a match set for this evening, but Regal shoots it down, he wants the match on his terms - next week in Sheffield, England! Oh that match is going to be awesome for the crowd reaction alone. Tiffany informs Regal that The Ruthless Roundtable will be banned from ringside next week and that he's in action next, as Regal heads to the ring, Christian nails him with a baseball slide! Just for fun, I suppose. Great opening segment.

William Regal vs. Goldust is our opening contest, and this one was just a great old-school style match between two veterans. Regal and Goldust have never been top guys in any promotion, but they've always been tremendous utility players who can be put in any situation and deliver the desired results. This match was no exception, and proof that ECW doesn't have to just be about the younger guys, it's a place for under-appreciated veterans to get a chance to shine. Regal picks up the win in a hard-fought match after hitting the Knee Trembler, giving him momentum heading into next week's title match.

Did WWE really just do a Wayne's World "Dream Weaver" moment with Zack Ryder & Rosa Mendes? Wow. If there's one thing I could stop WWE from ever doing again, it's stuff like this, it's completely distracting and just looks lame.

Luckily, Zack Ryder vs. Shelton Benjamin was not lame, and was a fairly enjoyable match. Probably not the best these two could deliver, but hopefully there's more to come from this feud. Shelton Benjamin picks up the win after hitting Paydirt on a distracted Ryder, who was too busy looking at Rosa Mendes while she applied lip gloss. Speaking of Rosa, are they going for a Kelly Kapoor from The Office motormouth gimmick for her? If so, she'd make a great manager for Ryder, the two most annoying people in ECW teaming up to be the most infuriating couple since Edge & Vickie? I like it.

Looks like next week is the final confrontation between Paul Burchill & The Hurricane. If Burchill wins, Hurricane must unmask and put an end to his shenanigans, but if Hurricane wins, the Burchills will leave ECW. I'm assuming (and hoping) Burchill loses and heads to another show, preferably Smackdown. The Ripper's been amazing since heading down to ECW and I'd love to see him mix it up with John Morrison for the Intercontinental Title, who is pretty light on challengers at the moment.

That backstage walk with Abraham Washington & Tony Atlas was the funniest they've ever been. I'm sorry, I can't help but laugh when someone makes a Rent-a-Center joke. Abe goes to Tiffany's office to demand a new set after Regal destroyed the old one, but this freakishly huge man steps out of the office instead... wait a minute, that's former TNA wrestler Lance Hoyt! Hoyt looks strange with a haircut, and is now going by the goofy name, Vance Archer. He's in action next.

Vance Archer vs. Local Athlete is your typical ECW debut squash. It looks like Vance will be taking Sheamus' place as ECW's resident badass, but he's not exactly as intimidating and unique as The Celtic Warrior. Hoyt was always a guilty pleasure of mine in TNA, but I didn't see much here to get excited about. And when you're 6'8", 270 lbs., you need something a little cooler than a reverse DDT for a finisher.

Main Event Time! Christian & Yoshi Tatsu vs. Vladimir Kozlov & Ezekiel Jackson was a good tag main event. Dragged a little bit when it was just Kozlov & Zeke isolating Yoshi and beating on him, but once Christian got the hot tag, the match was a blast. Christian picked up the win for his team after hitting Kozlov with The Killswitch, which made me wonder, has Big Zeke been pinned at all since coming to ECW? Unsurprisingly, after the match, William Regal strikes and absolutely mauls Christian, finishing off his mugging with the Regal Stretch on the floor. Regal has a tendency to win titles when WWE goes to England, but after two weeks of destruction, I can't see Christian losing this match. I see Christian holding the ECW Title for awhile still, probably not until they're ready to move him off ECW. And hopefully soon after that, he'll win Money in the Bank, but that's just the fanboy in me talking. Anyway, good show tonight, but next week's ECW with Burchill vs. Hurricane and Regal vs. Christian looks to be a big one, so don't miss it.

ECW Thoughts - November 3, 2009

Match of the Month - October

October was actually a really good month for great wrestling matches. The month started out rocky with the worst PPV of the year - Hell in a Cell - but once the hype for Bragging Rights started, things really turned around. First, the runner-ups:

DX vs. Legacy - Hell in a Cell
For a PPV that was terrible, it did have two great matches, the first one being the main event. DX & Legacy had a hell of a feud and turned it into a hell of a blowoff inside the confines of the Cell. Not so much a match as it was a mugging, I have to give credit to all four of these guys for the great psychology and ability to keep the viewers interested when the match was basically Shawn Michaels being tortured. This is the kind of match that defines what WWE is all about, storytelling.

JeriShow vs. Batista & Rey Mysterio - Hell in a Cell
The second - and only other - match that I really enjoyed from the Hell in a Cell PPV. Things started off bad thanks to the absolutely horrendous crowd that plagued this event, but once these guys started doing what they do best, the crowd finally stopped trying to be cool and actually had some fun. Any time Rey Mysterio & Chris Jericho are in the ring together, you can expect magic, and while Batista and Big Show can't make that claim, they added just enough to the match to make the whole thing an enjoyable ride.

Chris Jericho vs. Kofi Kingston - Raw, October 26
A PPV-quality match the night after the awesome Bragging Rights PPV, you'll get no complaints from me about that. Jericho is undoubtedly the best in the business today, Kofi Kingston is the next big thing, and this may have been the match that solidified that status for the ex-Jamaican sensation. What a difference a couple weeks can make, two weeks before this, Kofi dropped the United States Title to The Miz. Now, he beats Chris Jericho clean and is attacked by the former WWE Champion afterward, setting up his biggest feud to date. Big things are brewing for Kofi Kingston, late October was just the beginning.

John Cena vs. Triple H - Raw, October 19
Two of the biggest stars in the industry today, only their fourth encounter in history and WWE just gives it away on Raw? Not sure if that's the greatest idea, but the match certainly didn't suffer for it. As I said in my review of the bout, "This match had it all, Cena kicking out of TWO Pedigrees (can anyone else make that claim? HBK at Bad Blood 2004, maybe?), Triple H kicking out an Attitude Adjustment and withstanding the STF, back and forth action, excited crowd, and the drama of this possibly being the end of an era." Of course we now know Cena is staying on Raw, but if it means more matches like this, that's fine with me.

John Cena vs. Randy Orton - Bragging Rights
And just six nights later, John Cena goes out and puts on another great match, and this one happens to go for an entire hour! The Iron Man Match would've been my pick for Match of the Month had Randy Orton not spent a good portion of it stalling and wandering around like a goofball, but when Cena was in control or the action was back and forth, it was a really fun main event. Once again, Cena silences his critics who say he "can't work," by going out there for an hour and keeping the crowd interested despite this being ANOTHER match with Randy Orton for the WWE Title. Much like the main event at Hell in a Cell, this match - and John Cena himself - defines WWE.

But there can only be one Match of the Month!

Christian vs. Chris Jericho - ECW, October 20
It's been way too long since we've seen these two lock up, but it was well worth the wait. Whenever someone tells me that Christian is being "wasted" on ECW or that ECW "sucks," I know they don't actually watch the show. For the so-called "C-Brand," you're guaranteed at least one great match on a weekly basis, and often it's the best match of the week. In this case, it's the best match of October; these two guys tore the house down on SyFy, just days before the Bragging Rights PPV and managed to outshine any match on that card. And that's coming from someone who loved the event! Chris Jericho should go back-to-back for the Superstar of the Year Slammy, but if anyone deserves to be runner-up, it's Christian. Returning in February, Christian hasn't had a single bad performance since his return and more often than not, he's outshining the entire roster. He may "just" be on ECW, but he's quietly become one of the most consistent and greatest performers in the industry today. Watching these two compete is a thing of beauty, and if you missed it, watch it now, you owe it to yourself as a wrestling fan.

So did I get it right? You tell me in the latest Kick-Out!! Poll, what's your pick for Match of the Month? Poll closes Sunday morning, so get your votes in early! And if your choice isn't on the list, let me know what it is in the comments section.

Match of the Month - October

Raw Thoughts - November 2, 2009

How long until the first "SHAARROON!!" joke?

Thankfully, we're spared from the rumored new Nickelback intro and go straight to our guest hosts, Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne! Speaking of which, why not just use an Ozzy song for the Raw theme? Anyway, I liked the Ozzy/WWE montage, even if he's only had a couple appearances in the past, it's nice to see classic stuff like that. The Miz, however, is not amused and he wants his loss to Evan Bourne last week stricken from the record. Miz and Sharon have a fun war of words to see who the most annoying person in the ring is, but then Legacy come out and automatically win. They're upset with Kofi Kingston vandalizing Orton's car last week and want him in a handicap match, which brings out Big Show, who's upset about being in what was essentially a 20-on-1 handicap match last week. Just when you thought this segment couldn't have been anymore like a late 90s, twenty minute opening segment with half the roster coming out, D-Generation X hits the ring to shill both their new book and Ozzy's new book, which will be available in fine bookstores everywhere this January! DX gets in Ozzy's ear to set up matches for tonight: Evan Bourne vs. The Miz for the US Title, Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton and Big Show vs. John Cena vs. Chris Jericho! Oh and I'm sure some people will complain about Ozzy flubbing Evan Bourne's name, but I'm sure Ozzy has trouble saying his own name sometimes, so in his case, maybe we can let this one slide?

Evan Bourne vs. The Miz is our first match, and Evan is FINALLY getting his United States Title shot after beating TWO reigning US Champions. Good match here, Evan blows my mind every time he's in the ring, always coming up with something new that defies the laws of physics. I certainly don't want The Miz to lose the US Title so soon, but I have to admit, I was hoping Bourne would pull this one out for the sheer shock factor. Sadly (but fortunately), Bourne missed the Shooting Star Press and was caught with the Skullcrushing Finale, Miz retains and remains AWESOME! Hopefully this isn't the end of Evan Bourne's title hopes though.

Hopefully, Evan Bourne never finds himself in the ring with Sheamus, who pretty much murdered Jamie Noble tonight. Wow. You know, I wasn't sold on this whole Sheamus on Raw thing, but after something like that, the guy can pretty much go anywhere on the Red Brand. When you can get major heat like that for beating up a guy that hasn't been on television in months, you've definitely struck a nerve. The powerbomb on the floor may have actually been a bit too much, I cringed every time they replayed it, and Jamie Noble deserves a raise for having the guts to take it. It wasn't even like Sheamus picked him up and dropped him on the floor, he THREW him on the floor. Nasty.

Did Michael Cole just pronounce the word "buffet" (as in "dinner buffet") like "Jimmy Buffet"? OH MY!! One too many trips to Margaritaville, I suppose.

Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton is your Hour 1 main event, and I'm wondering why they're giving away this match already. I'm expecting Legacy shenanigans. Sure enough, the cabana boys hit the ring, and while I was expecting a lame DQ finish, Ozzy & Sharon appear on the TitanTron and make it a six-man tag! Who are Kofi's partners...

Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry & MVP vs. Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase was a lot of fun thanks to a red hot crowd (who REALLY liked Mark Henry) and Kofi Kingston being the hottest new thing in WWE today. While I think Miz is a shoe-in for Breakout Superstar of the Year, 2010 will be the year of Kofi Kingston. Good stuff here and ends with the best possible outcome, Cody Rhodes being flattened with The World's Strongest Slam! That's what you get when you're 175 lbs. soaking wet with a brick in your pocket and you try to hit Mark Henry with a crossbody! Also, with these six guys, I'm sensing a Survivor Series match in the works. I'm not sure if they're going to do interbrand matches this year, but if they do, I could definitely see something like Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, MVP, Matt Hardy & R-Truth vs. Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Eric Escobar & Drew McIntyre.

Raw's Got Talent hosted by Jerry Lawler with judges Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne & The Great Khali had potential to be awesomely bad and it certainly lived up to it. Yes, it was ridiculous and stupid, but it was a lot of fun too. I'm sure we all expected Santino to be a dork and Jillian to sing terribly, but who expected Chris Masters bouncing his pecs to the tune of "Crazy Train"?! If you didn't laugh at that, you have no soul. And then Chavo & Jillian getting beat up by Khali & Sharon, followed by Hornswoggle running to the ring dressed as Jack Osbourne and hit Chavo with the Tadpole Splash? Comedy gold.

Diva Battle Royal to determine the new #1 contender up next and what a complete mess. This is Raw's Women's Division: Eve, Kelly Kelly, The Bella Twins, Gail Kim & Alicia Fox, with Melina as reigning Diva's Champion. What a difference a trade makes. I knew things were bad when Gail Kim was eliminated first, despite being the only one in this match who could have a great match with Melina, but I was not expecting the horror of Alicia Fox winning! Really WWE? I know you're light on heel Divas with Maryse being injured, but after the last time Alicia Fox wrestled and almost broke her neck, you're going to put her back in a major title match just a few weeks later? I like Melina and all, but she's no Mickie James in the ring, so I can only fear what kind of match she's going to produce with Alicia Fox. Scary stuff.

Ricky Hatton is guest host next week when Raw heads across the pond. Makes sense.

DX hooking Hornswoggle on the wall and lecturing him about gimmick infringement was almost as funny as Chris Masters' performance art. John Cena saves the little guy and reminds DX that it's bad luck to hang a leprechaun on a wall. Funny banter back and forth with Shawn bringing up his "physics degree" to explain how the odds aren't in Cena's favor at Survivor Series. Yep, you read that right.

Main Event Time! Chris Jericho vs. Big Show vs. John Cena in a non-title Triple Threat match with DX at ringside providing hilarious guest commentary. I love how Shawn Michaels was once the coolest, most cutting-edge Superstar in wrestling and has since become an unapologetic dork every time him and Triple H team up. He plays the role so well and it's refreshing to see someone who once had a "rockstar persona" not try to hang onto it when he's well into his 40s. Bret Michaels, take notes. As for the match, pretty enjoyable and did its job of hyping both Survivor Series main events. Shockingly, Chris Jericho picked up the win after Cena got hit with the JeriShow finisher (Big Show punches you on the apron then Jericho goes for the pin), and I think this may be the first time Jericho's ever pinned Cena. Show's upset with Jericho stealing the win at first, but cooler heads prevail and they focus their anger on Cena, applying a Walls of Jericho/Colossal Clutch combo (hey an actual finisher!). DX tries to make the save, but Shawn Michaels is knocked out cold from Big Show's carcinogenic fist (miss ya, JR) and Triple H is nailed with the Codebreaker. That's right kids, Raw ends with Big Show and Chris Jericho standing over the unconscious bodies of John Cena, Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Bet ya didn't see that coming.

Overall, a great Raw. Ozzy & Sharon did a fine job as guest hosts, the crowd was awesome the whole night and every match delivered... minus the Diva Battle Royal, but again, look at the division right now, what do you expect? The only guy being regularly used who didn't get much time tonight was Jack Swagger, who was limited to walking down the ramp during the Divas match, I expect to keep up with his creepy frat boy-esque stalking of Eve, but I have no idea where they're going with that. Hopefully he's back in the Miz/Bourne/US Title mix in the coming weeks. Also tonight, good hype for Survivor Series, as I mentioned, both Triple Threats got hyped, a Team Kofi vs. Team Orton match appears to be in the works, so right now the PPV is looking rock solid.

Can't wait to see what ECW and Smackdown have to offer this week, hopefully we'll start to see their contributions to Survivor Series as well. You know what I miss about Survivor Series? Team names. Back in the day, we used to get stuff like The Visionaries vs. The Vipers or The Rude Brood vs. Roddy's Rowdies. How about The Ruthless Roundtable vs. The Peep Squad? Or Team 619 vs. The Animals? Just throwing it out there!

Raw Thoughts - November 2, 2009

Kick-Out!! invades Smackdown vs. Raw 2010

If you have Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 for the Xbox 360, you can find out what WWE would be like if I ran the show in my first-ever created story Tag Team Specialists.

Inspired by the rumor that WWE was going to place a new emphasis on the tag team division, I created a story centered around Chris Jericho & Big Show taking over WWE. The story's long, beginning with the night after Bragging Rights and ending at WrestleMania 26, so it's probably not something you'll want to play in one sitting. But during any match, you can pause the game, quit and it'll automatically save your progress. When you return, you'll be back at the start of the match you just left.

If you want to download the story, you can find it on the Community Creations section of the game by searching for the following keywords:

kickout (all one word, no hyphen)
tag teams
jerishow

Also, I apologize if any parts of the script seems screwy, I had to do a lot of editing when I uploaded it because of THQ's absurd content filter. I don't know how the words "epitome" or "hypocrisy" are deemed inappropriate, but since it filters out the word "TITLE" in an freakin' wrestling game, nothing surprises me. Ridiculous censoring aside, I hope you'll download the story and enjoy it. Feel free to leave me your feedback if you play it, and let me know if you have any uploaded stories of your own. Thanks for indulging my geekdom.

Kick-Out!! invades Smackdown vs. Raw 2010

Smackdown Thoughts - October 30, 2009

Happy Halloween Kick-Outers!! Was this week's Smackdown a delightful wrestling treat, or did it suffer from ringor mortis? Okay, that will be my one and only Crypt Keeper joke of the evening.

Matt Striker is filling in for JR indefinitely, and considering the great chemistry him and Todd Grisham have, maybe this should be made permanent? When JR returns, maybe put him on Raw with both King and Cole?

T-Lo is in the ring, talking about how awesome Smackdown is (you don't need to tell us, Teddy... if we're watching, we know) and confirms that Big Show will get a World Title match at Survivor Series after helping Team Smackdown. This cues, Chris Jericho, who believes he should be the #1 contender since he "single-handedly" won the match. And naturally, this brings out Team Smackdown's co-captain, Kane, who doesn't take kindly to phrases like "single-handedly," but hey, Jericho did score the deciding pinfall! Teddy Long has a solution, since Raw is having a Triple Threat match for the WWE Title, Smackdown will have one for the World Heavyweight Championship - Big Show vs. Undertaker vs. the winner of tonight's main event, Chris Jericho vs. Kane!

John Morrison vs. Dolph Ziggler starts the in-ring action for the evening, and I have to say, I liked this match much more than their encounter at Hell in a Cell. Striker did a great job putting over Ziggler's amateur background on commentary and made even the most basic holds seem more dangerous - that's the power of a good commentator. Morrison looked impressive as ever, but couldn't recover after getting thrown onto the announce table, resulting in a count-out loss. Been a bad week for the IC Champ, and with a rejuvenated Dolph Ziggler breathing down his neck, that bad luck may continue.

CM Punk is backstage with Vince McMahon & Teddy Long and is FURIOUS that he's not involved in the World Heavyweight Title match at Survivor Series. Vince gives the Straight-Edge Superstar what he REALLY wants - a match tonight with... Scott Armstrong?!

Here's something you don't see everyday, if ever, a Divas squash match! Beth Phoenix vs. Local Athlete was a great showcase for Beth on Smackdown, utterly decimating her opponent to the surprising cheers of the WWE Universe. The beginning of a face turn for Beth? I hope so, she's undoubtedly the greatest female competitor in WWE today, let her carry the division!

Princess Vickie Guerrero & her "Prince Charming," Eric Escobar are out next, and Escobar really owes each and every one of his boos to the greatness of Vickie. Without her, he'd be getting "time to get a beer" reactions. By the way, I love the story of these two, that they met while the former GM was vacationing in Puerto Rico - they might as well come right and call it "How Vickie Got Her Groove Back." Anyway, In a rematch from two weeks ago, Escobar is going up against Matt Hardy, who seems to be getting more and more back to normal with each passing week. A pretty good match, the crowd was going nutzo for Hardy, and he picked up the win with a modified Twist of Fate (more like a Diamond Cutter) out of nowhere! Hopefully a sign of bigger things to come for Hardy in the near future.

The confrontation between Rey Mysterio & Batista was awkward, uncomfortable and oddly intriguing. Aside from Mysterio saying "dawg" every other word, I found this to be a very entertaining segment and one of WWE's most interesting handlings of a major heel turn in awhile. It would've been easy to have Batista come out and say "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY FRIEND!!!" then beat the hell out of Mysterio again, but they didn't go that route. Batista's never gotten a chance to be a heel in WWE as a singles star, his past heel runs amounted to little more than "The Muscle," and it looks like WWE's been holding out on us for the last five years. Batista played his role of "guy who's just pissed off and sick of dealing with everyone else's bullshit" to perfection, and while I'm not looking forward to his eventual destruction of Rey Mysterio, I'm glad they FINALLY decided to change up his character.

Backstage, Matt Hardy confronts Batista and tells him not to throw away his friendship with Mysterio since they're like brothers. Matt wishes that he could take back some things he did to his brother (like burning down his house and murdering his dog?), and that Batista should bury the hatchet before it's too late. Batista walks off, but comes back and attacks Hardy from behind. Jerkface move of the night, for sure.

Drew McIntyre vs. Finlay was supposed to be next, but in what seems to be a pattern for McIntyre, he attacked Finlay before the match even had a chance to begin. I guess that's what "the party's over" means? Finlay seems to be the first big test that emerging Superstars have to go through, so it's no surprise that McIntyre would enter a feud with him. Plus, it's Scotland vs. Ireland... it could get really ugly.

The Cryme Tyme Diva Halloween Costume Contest was exactly what you'd expect. I'm just glad they didn't waste valuable PPV time on this like they did last year.

The true main event of the evening, CM Punk vs. Scott Armstrong is up next. I love that Armstrong's ring attire is his referee uniform and that the shirt stayed tucked in throughout the entire "match." Though not really a match, this segment was actually well-done and Armstrong got in some nice shots before taking the GTS like a man. Still, I have to be a little concerned when all they had for CM Punk after a PPV title match was a chance to beat up a referee. Smackdown's main event scene is a bit crowded at the moment: Undertaker's busy with Big Show and Jericho or Kane, Batista and Rey Mysterio are bound to lock up and it looks like John Morrison will continue to feud with Dolph Ziggler, so where does that leave Punk? Remember those bigger things I mentioned for Matt Hardy earlier? Now would be a good time for that. Well at least this month is Survivor Series and Punk could get involved in a traditional 5-on-5 match. Maybe him and Batista could take on a team captained by Mysterio and Hardy? Just a thought.

Main event time, Chris Jericho vs. Kane with the winner being inserted into the Big Show/Undertaker match at Survivor Series. I have to say, this was Kane's best match in a long, long time. Honestly, can anyone think of a better Kane match in the last year? Two years? Three years? Chris Jericho's Midas touch strikes again. Great match, decent length, and surprisingly competitive considering the massive size difference. Jericho picks up the clean win after reversing Kane's flying clothesline into the Codebreaker and he'll join his tag team partner against The Undertaker at Survivor Series!

The A-brand delivered big here with a great post-Bragging Rights Smackdown. Survivor Series is already shaping up to be a big night with two HUGE main events, but I can't help but think if WWE should dust off the Three Way Dance instead of Triple Threats? I don't think WWE's ever done an elimination-style Three Way match before, but since Survivor Series was founded on the idea of elimination matches, why not give it a shot?


And once again, Happy Halloween to everyone, I hope you have a fun and safe time this evening. I'll be celebrating the holiday in the best way I can think of, a local indy wrestling show headlined by Al Snow! I've never had a chance to talk about how big of a Snow mark that I am, but I still have my own Head that I made back in 1998 and I'll be in my Al Snow costume - complete with classic J.O.B. Squad shirt! Hopefully the venue allows pictures and I'll have some posted later in the week. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Smackdown Thoughts - October 30, 2009

Kick-Out!! Radio - Episode 21

Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff sign with TNA, WWE has a stellar week, Bragging Rights delivers, Smackdown vs. Raw 2010's Story Designer makes me a bigger dork than I already am and an exclusive "interview" with upcoming Raw guest host, Ozzy Osbourne!

Subscribe to Kick-Out!! Radio via iTunes! (This link will open your iTunes)

MP3 version - just scroll down to "Recent Episodes" and click the MP3 icon.

Theme song: "Believe" by Grasp Infinity

Kick-Out!! Radio - Episode 21

ECW Thoughts - October 27, 2009

I was really excited for tonight's ECW, but starting off with The Abraham Washington Show is always a good way to get me to change my mind. Tonight's guest is ECW General Manager, Tiffany, who has some terrible new theme music. Abe has some issues with her management style, rightfully asking why ECW wasn't represented at Bragging Rights, Tiffany responds with the lame excuse of "well a lot of guys on both teams got their start on ECW," and then goes onto promise a bigger impact next year. Well I would hope so, because ECW literally can't have a lesser impact than they did at this year's Bragging Rights. Sheamus jumping ship to Raw is also brought up, but Tiffany lets us know that he'll have one final match on ECW, against his rival Shelton Benjamin! William Regal interrupts, demanding an ECW Title match and is once again shot down, sending him into an Incredible Hulk-like rage. Would've been a perfect opportunity to get rid of Abraham Washington, just one really good Knee Trembler would've made this the segment of the year!

Matt Striker is not with Josh Matthews this evening - I assume he'll be sitting in for JR on Smackdown for the foreseeable future - and we now have FCW's Byron Saxton as the newest member of the ECW broadcast team. I actually enjoyed Saxton's work tonight, his style might be a little too similar to Josh Matthews, but I think he'll fit in well on ECW.

Sheamus vs. Shelton Benjamin is the first of only two matches tonight, but quality certainly makes up for a lack of quantity. If you missed it, you need to see this match and I'll give you one reason why: Shelton's sit-out springboard moonsault to the outside! Wow. That, along with Shelton hitting a nasty German Suplex made me think he'd pull out the win and send Sheamus packing, but the Celtic Warrior picked up the win with the bicycle kick. Don't tell me he's not going to be using the cool Rock Bottom/Backbreaker combo anymore, that move ruled! Tough break for Shelton though, he needed this win and I'm a bit confused why he didn't get it here, when you leave a show, you should always lose! I guess they didn't want to kill any of Sheamus' momentum heading into Raw, but hopefully Shelton can climb the ladder soon enough. I'd love to see Shelton/Christian in the near future.

ECW Championship on the line next in our main event, Christian vs. Yoshi Tatsu, and this one was just as good as I had hoped for. Christian, aka "The Starmaker," does it again here and solidifies Yoshi Tatsu as a serious contender on ECW. You don't have to win to be put over, and Christian has shown that repeatedly this year with guys like Jack Swagger, Zack Ryder, and now Yoshi Tatsu. Christian picks up the win and retains his title, but Tatsu is a champion in his own right tonight. William Regal & The Ruthless Round Table strike after the match, destroying both champion and challenger. Regal's bound and determined to get another shot at the ECW Title, will Christian be able to refuse after this kind of provocation?

ECW Thoughts - October 27, 2009

Raw Thoughts - October 26, 2009

Fresh off the heels of a fantastic PPV, can Raw ride the wave of momentum and continue its entertaining October?

Well if it's entertainment you want, no better way to start Raw than with the Unified Tag Team Champions, Chris Jericho & The Big Show! After turning on Team Raw last night, Show's got some 'splainin' to do, but not before Jericho fawns over him like a child with his new best friend. Jericho was priceless here, but Big Show had to interrupt and let his partner know that he didn't turn on Team Raw because of the Tag Titles, he actually has bigger things in mind. Big Show struck a deal with Teddy Long and he's now the number one contender for The Undertaker's World Heavyweight Championship!

Jericho's not happy, and while they argue, tonight's guest hosts - Kyle Busch & Joey Logano - drive into the arena! This was actually a pretty cool visual, but that was about the only cool thing these two did. The Bella Twins escort the NASCAR drivers to the ring (do they seriously collect a paycheck for this every week?) and then everything just turns hilariously bad. It's never a good idea to let NASCAR drivers talk, unless all they're going to do is list off their sponsors, but holy crap these two butchered the art of public speaking here. I'd suggest getting them some cue cards, but I'm not even sure if they can read. Both of them were bad, but Busch was exceptionally terrible, meandering through his sentences and stringing words together, but not actually saying anything... it was kinda like listening to a Sarah Palin speech [/politics]. Busch let us know that Big Show would be going one-on-one with Triple H tonight, but Chris Jericho would be in action as well against - KOFI JOHNSON! Oh dear, well there's a smark meme that will get beaten into the ground faster than you can say "Summerfest." The Jericho/KINGSTON match starts now!

Chris Jericho vs. Kofi Kingston was everything you could ask for in a free-TV wrestling match. Fast pace, back and forth action, impressive moves, dramatic near falls, great storytelling, and Chris Jericho, who makes every match better. And you know what, forget the "free-TV" caveat, this match would've been a great addition to any PPV; I know I would've shelled out money to see these guys lock up. Jericho thinks he has the match won after hitting the Codebreaker, but Kofi gets his foot on the rope; while Jericho argues with the official, he turns around to catch Trouble In Paradise! Kofi wins!

After the match, Kofi is celebrating his HUGE win on the ramp, when he's attacked from behind by Randy Orton?! Ugh, always gotta ruin every fun moment on Raw, don't you? Randy's upset about Kingston running off Legacy during the Iron Man Match last night, even going so far to outright blame Kofi for the loss. So you tap out with four seconds left on the clock and you think that makes it okay to throw someone off a stage? Wow, this guy does have issues.

To make matters worse, Legacy is backstage and they've bought Randy Orton a present, a customized RKO stock car. As Randy's looking at his image on the hood of the car, Jerry Lawler sums it up better than I possibly could, "this is weird."

Eve Torres is backstage with Kyle Busch & Joey Logano, talking about their upcoming race, when Jack Swagger interrupts, looking for a WWE Title match against John Cena. The Miz walks by and says what's on everybody's mind, "Really?" and suggests that he should be the next to get a shot. Too bad for Miz that this isn't WCW, since he's the US Champ, that would've automatically made him the #1 contender. The guest hosts promise to name Cena's next opponent later tonight.

Melina & Santino Marella vs. Jillian Hall & Chavo Guerrero is next, and it's a pretty entertaining mixed tag thanks to Santino's antics. Of course, since Chavo's involved, that means Hornswoggle has to make an appearance, still rocking the DX attire. HornswoggleBK provides the distraction and Melina picks up the win for her team. After the match, a man in a suit walks into the ring and hands Hornswoggle a neon green envelope, he's been served! DX has issued a cease and desist for gimmick infringement! By the way, I love that the law offices of D-Generation X have neon green envelopes.

John Cena is scheduled to come to the ring next, but Legacy steals the spotlight and talks about how they should be next in line for a WWE Title match. I actually suggested this a few weeks back seeing as they're the only credible heels on Raw, but Cena comes to the ring and tells them if they want it, earn it. And they've got a big hurdle in their way...

Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase vs. Mark Henry & MVP is Legacy's chance to prove themselves worthy of a WWE Title match... and they blow it! Raw's forgotten Superstars get a big win over the team that just went the distance with DX the last two months, it's about damn time they got some of the recognition they deserve.

Randy Orton makes his way to the ring after the match and he's not pleased (shocking). Orton doesn't care that he agreed to not face John Cena for the WWE Title after the Iron Man Match, he wants his rematch anyway. Yawn. Typical Orton promo, blah blah blah, but business picks up when Kofi Kingston appears on the TitanTron! Kofi's standing on top of Orton's new stock car, and in one of the coolest moments of the year, he keys it, bashes it with a pipe and dumps a bucket of orange paint all over it! If only he would've spraypainted "Orton is poopy," it would've been the segment of the year. Still, Kofi Kingston mixing it up with Randy Orton? Hell yes. Orton's been tied up with Cena and Triple H for the majority of the last two years, so working with someone new and someone as exciting as Kofi Kingston will do nothing but good things for the stale Legend Killer. Great stuff.

Evan Bourne vs. The Miz in a non-title match was a pleasant surprise. Fun match, and Jack Swagger, apparently not happy with Miz's comments earlier, comes to the ring to hit on Eve, the guest ring announcer for the match. Miz confronts Swagger, the two argue, Bourne hits a slingshot plancha to the outside and scores a count-out win! Hey, a win's a win and now Evan Bourne has TWO victories over a United States Champion this year. Can a brother get a title match?!

So inexplicably, Sheamus is now on Raw. Why? I have no idea, because he was in the middle of a feud with Shelton Benjamin. I'm happy to see Sheamus get a promotion like this, but isn't Raw a little crowded right now? When guys like MVP and Mark Henry are struggling for TV time, I worry where Sheamus is going to fit in. Wouldn't Smackdown have made more sense? Especially considering the fact that he has an instant feud waiting for him on the Blue Brand with Finlay? Well, I'm not a fortune teller, so I don't know what Sheamus' future holds on Raw, but he did demolish Jamie Noble tonight. Poor Jamie Noble.

Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne are next week's guest hosts! We're going to need a translator, closed captioning, and a 12-second delay!

Main event time! Big Show w/Chris Jericho vs. Triple H w/Shawn Michaels! Well, there was something the guest hosts forgot to tell Big Show, it's also a Lumberjack Match with the entire Raw roster (minus Legacy... and Carlito, where the hell is Carlito?) as the lumberjacks, and they're not happy about Bragging Rights. Chris Jericho's not happy about this either and he ducks out through the crowd (with Bragging Rights trophy firmly in hand), leaving Big Show to himself. Oh but there's one more thing, John Cena is the special guest referee! And it's no disqualification! The match is exactly what you'd expect, Raw getting their revenge, but I think all this match really accomplished is it made Big Show look like the biggest badass in the history of pro wrestling. It took a double dropkick from Chavo & Primo, Miz's corner clothesline, Jack Swagger's Vader attack, Mark Henry's corner splash, Kofi Kingston's Trouble in Paradise, Evan Bourne's Shooting Star Press, MVP's running big boot, John Cena's Attitude Adjustment, Shawn Michaels' Sweet Chin Music and Triple H's Pedigree to put the World's Largest Athlete down for a three count. Seriously.

After the match, Busch & Logano are on the ramp and have made their decision about John Cena's next opponent... Hornswoggle!? Yeah, Hornswoggle comes out for some reason, I guess because he's still wearing the DX gear, it reminded them about DX, who will face Cena in a Triple Threat match at Survivor Series! John Cena vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels? Awesome. Huge match, and if they're going to do it, they pretty much have to do it now. I don't think we'll be seeing these three go at it in a TLC Match in December, they're definitely not going to waste a title match that huge at the Royal Rumble, and then the Elimination Chamber returns in February. So unless they wanted to do this match at WrestleMania (and it could certainly headline WrestleMania), I can't think of a bigger PPV to do it at than Survivor Series.

Despite the embarrassing guest hosts, Raw was awesome tonight, maybe even better than last week's show, which I thought was one of the best of the year. Huge main event for Survivor Series, Kofi Kingston getting his much-deserved push (Royal Rumble win, please?), Randy Orton out of the WWE Title picture, MVP and Mark Henry picking up some steam, Evan Bourne getting a win (!!!), and a flat-out amazing match between Jericho and Kofi = a great show. Keep it up, Raw!

Raw Thoughts - October 26, 2009

WWE Bragging Rights 2009 Review

Coming off the worst PPV of the year, Bragging Rights didn't have much to live up to, but I was going into the event with cautious optimism... this was either going to be a great event or somehow even worse than Hell in a Cell. Which was it? Let's find out.

Intercontinental Champion John Morrison vs. United States Champion The Miz is our opening contest (good call there), and I was expecting this one to be the sleeper hit of the night. I'm not sure if the match lived up to my lofty expectations, I was expecting Morrison to get crazy out there, but the match did not disappoint. Solid action and a hot crowd mixed together to make this one a lot of fun and the shocking ending helped as well. That's right kids, in the upset of the year, The Miz defeated his former partner, and not only that, he did it without cheating! The Miz solidifies himself as officially AWESOME and not the "Marty Jannetty" of the Dirt Sheet Duo. Morrison won't be hurt by the loss, but this is huge for Miz, who has needed that one big win ever since he came to Raw and this was it.
Predictions: 1 for 1

Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim & Melina vs. Beth Phoenix, Natalya & Michelle McCool was probably the best six-Diva tag I've seen in years, and that's saying something considering WWE usually puts one on Raw every other week. The Smackdown Divas were on fire here, hard-hitting, crisp execution, great work all around, they even made McCool look good! And not to take anything away from the Raw Divas either, they were rock solid, but they just didn't really stack up to their opponents here. Had I known the Bragging Rights concept revolved around which show won 2 out of the 3 interbrand matches, I would've went with the SD Divas here, who won this one decisively.
Predictions: 1 for 2

Undertaker vs. Batista vs. Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk in a Fatal Four Way for the World Heavyweight Title up next, and let me just say that I LOVED this match. Four Ways are usually hit or miss with me, and I'm not usually a fan of the one fall to a finish style, I much prefer eliminations, but this match delivered big. We've got four guys, each with four VERY different styles, but somehow it all meshed here and gave us absolute brilliance. Tons of nail-biting near falls, finishers all over the place, some nasty bumps (like Rey being thrown outside the ring onto Punk), and a very vocal crowd that did not want Batista to win this one. They got their wish when The Undertaker nailed Davetista with the Tombstone to retain the World Championship!
Predictions: 2 for 3

The real story came after the match though, Josh Matthews attempted to interview Rey Mysterio, who was trying to help Batista up, but The Animal was not happy with his tag team partner for breaking up his pinfall attempt earlier in the match. "I'm gonna rip your head off" was the spark for one of the most shocking moments of the year -- Batista heel turn! After working the exact same character for almost five years now, Batista finally turns by utterly destroying his "best friend." We haven't had a good out-of-nowhere heel turn in awhile, and for Batista to go bad for the first time since his Evolution days, I think this will be what his character desperately needs to become interesting again. Great stuff.

Match for Bragging Rights up next... you ready? Take a deep breath: Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, Jack Swagger & Cody Rhodes vs. Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy, Finlay, R-Truth, Tyson Kidd & David Hart Smith was a blast! First off, I gotta say how surprised I was at how much ring time the Hart Dynasty got, I figured they'd be background noise at best, but they got to mix it up with HBK and Triple H, which is pretty huge. I did have to roll my eyes at Jerry Lawler for badmouthing Tyson Kidd like he was out of HBK's league... really Jerry? You're going to complain about Tyson Kidd when Cody Rhodes was a glorified cabana boy when he started feuding with HBK and HHH a few months back? Oh well, Lawler can run his mouth all he wants because TEAM SMACKDOWN WINS! Thanks to the Big Show's "treasonous" ways, Chris Jericho managed to pin Kofi Kingston and bring the Bragging Rights trophy to the Blue Brand... the obviously superior brand! I hope they play this off as Jericho's plan from the beginning, teasing dissension with Show to get Team Raw to take him in, just so he can turn on them when it counts. Jericho is WWE's evil genius and now we know he's not just the best in the world, he's on the best wrestling show in the world!
Predictions: 3 for 4

Iron Man Match - John Cena vs. Randy Orton, WWE Title on the line and if John Cena loses, he must leave Raw forever. I was torn on this one because I thought Cena on Smackdown would make for a good change, but at the same time, I never want to root for Randy Orton. The match itself was pretty awesome, well it would've been if it were a 45-minute Iron Man Match, but Orton had to stall for about 25% of the time in this match. It's one thing when your entrance takes half an hour, but that's no excuse to plod through a match too. Way too much Orton just dancing around looking like a doofus, but when the action was on, it was on! Lots of nastiness in this one - Cena's head getting split open (so much for that "no blood" rule), Cena getting tossed through a set piece, Orton getting thrown through the barricade, Orton getting the Attitude Adjustment off the steel stairs through the announce table, etc. There was a lot of good stuff in this one and the one hour went by surprisingly fast, despite Orton's lulls and thanks to the Falls Count Anywhere/Anything Goes stipulations. Thankfully, with just seconds left, Cena locked in the STF and forced Orton to submit, keeping him on Raw and FINALLY ending this feud! The Champ is here... but who's next?
Predictions: 3 for 5

My only gripe with this PPV is Randy Orton putting the breaks on in the middle of the Iron Man Match, other than that, everything else was absolutely fantastic. The right people went over in every match, the matches themselves exceeded expectations and it's officially confirmed that Smackdown is better than Raw. For a show with a goofy name that had its concept changed multiple times and seemed like a glorified Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 commercial, I think Bragging Rights was one of the best PPVs of 2009. Definitely better than Hell in a Cell and certainly worth my $40. If you missed it make sure you check this one out, if you saw it, let me know your thoughts!

WWE Bragging Rights 2009 Review

WWE Bragging Rights Preview

We're in the middle of WWE's latest stream of PPVs, just three weeks ago a new PPV concept was introduced with Hell in a Cell, and another new PPV will begin in just a few hours, Bragging Rights! The theme for tonight is Smackdown vs. Raw (conveniently timed with the release of the Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 video game), but there are two other huge main events surrounding each brand's top title. Here are Five Things I'm looking for in tonight's PPV:

5. Youth Movement
There are a lot of big names in the Raw vs. Smackdown tag match for Bragging Rights - Chris Jericho, Big Show, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, - and I know they'll bring the goods, but I'm much more interested in the younger Superstars in the match. Guys like Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, and yeah, I guess Cody Rhodes too, this is their chance to shine. And while I'm thinking about it, it's unfair to limit this to just the "young" Superstars, what about guys like Matt Hardy, R-Truth and Mark Henry, who have all been in the business for well over a decade, but are just starting to get their shots at bigger things. Are all of these guys future World Champions? Not sure, but I do know getting a shot to work with JeriShow & DX in a PPV main event is good for anyone's career.

4. John Morrison & The Miz become Superstars
Earlier this month, I had this same wish regarding the Dolph Ziggler/John Morrison match at Hell in a Cell. Unfortunately, it didn't happen, I don't know if they had an off-night or the PPV pacing dragged the match down, but they just didn't really live up to my high expectations. But this is a big match for these former partners tonight, perhaps even the biggest PPV match of their respective careers and I think if they're given enough time, their chemistry will produce something really special.

3. Rey Mysterio, World Heavyweight Champion
Oh I'm sure I'm going to raise some eyebrows on this one. From a storyline standpoint, Rey hasn't done much to earn a World Title shot (but neither does Batista half the time), and from a real life standpoint, he's just coming off a suspension, so why reward him with the World Title? Simple answer, Rey Mysterio is 2009's Wrestler of the Year, he's had more memorable matches than anyone else this year. Rey's worked his ass off in recent years, is one of the most popular wrestlers in the world, moves more merchandise than just about anybody, but still isn't taken seriously as a main eventer. Rey deserves another run with the World Title - a real run this time - and I think tonight would be as good a time as any to pull the trigger. I wouldn't be thrilled about bouncing the World Title around AGAIN, but I won't complain as long as anyone except Batista walks out tonight with Big Gold.

2. Cena & Orton tear the house down
This is it, the final match, these two have to bring it here tonight and it's not going to be easy when it's a 60-minute Iron Man Match. After two major injuries, Cena hasn't had a chance to get back to his year 2007 level of awesome big match situations, and Orton is... well he's Orton, who's always been hit or miss inside the ring, but both men are capable of greatness. That greatness needs to be at the forefront tonight because these guys can't afford for their final match to be considered a disappointment. This is WWE's biggest name taking on WWE's biggest heel and if they don't deliver, it's going to be bad news for all parties involved. I always say something along the lines of "bringing the goods," but Cena and Orton need to bring more than that tonight.

1. Smackdown wins the battle, Raw wins the war
So there are three Smackdown vs. Raw matches tonight - the big 14-man tag, the Divas tag and the IC Champ vs. the US Champ - I want to see Raw win the two lesser matches and Smackdown stop them from sweeping the series in the main event. Everyone knows Raw is the show in WWE, despite its quality being laughably bad compared to Smackdown this year, so why not throw the Blue Brand a bone here? Even if it means Big Show turning on Team Raw, a win is a win, let Smackdown take the main event and have the Bragging Rights.

Finally, my quick predictions, with no changes from this week's Kick-Out!! Radio. Winners in bold, and feel free to make your own predictions in the comments.

14-Man Bragging Rights Tag Match
Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown

WWE Championship - Iron Man Match
Randy Orton © vs. John Cena

World Heavyweight Championship - Fatal Four Way
Undertaker © vs. CM Punk vs. Batista vs. Rey Mysterio

Intercontinental Champion vs. United States Champion
John Morrison vs. The Miz

Six-Diva Bragging Rights Tag Match
Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim & Melina vs. Natalya Neidhart, Beth Phoenix & Michelle McCool


Make sure to come back to Kick-Out!! Wrestling shortly after the show for my full thoughts on WWE Bragging Rights!

WWE Bragging Rights Preview