Thunder’s Weekly Rundown 08/11/12

Welcome to the rundown! This week we are once again lacking in FCW, but I’ll have complete show coverage as soon as it gets uploaded to the internet. Let’s get to the shows!

WWE Raw 1002 Final Thoughts: Of the three episodes of Raw that have consisted of three hours, this one was absolutely the best. We were given nine awesome matches and a handful of backstage segments that really brought together an impressive show.

NXT 08/08/12

Michael McGillicutty defeats Justin Gabriel in a gold rush tournament match.

Kassius Ohno defeats CJ Parker in a short match.

Tamina and Paige take on Kaitlyn and Caylee Turner(former FCW ring announcer). Paige wins using the small package on Turner for the three count.

Jinder Mahal defeats Bo Dallas using the mic check(Anderson) followed by the camel clutch to advance in the gold rush tournament.

Thoughts: McGillicutty and Gabriel were exciting to watch, and putting McGillicutty over was the right move for this tournament. Ohno needs to be on the main roster; it’s a crime for his talent to be wasted in a match on NXT, especially with how bored he looks. The divas put on a good tag team match, as it was easily better than the divas match we saw on Raw. Mahal beating Bo Dallas shows WWE’s confidence in Mahal and the fact that they want him to move up the roster.

Impact Wrestling 08/09/12

Bully Ray cuts a promo for his match with James Storm tonight and Storm comes out and talks about having nothing to do with Aces and Eights. A video of Aces and Eights is shown and they say we are going to see a whole lot of them.

The Pope cuts a promo saying he will win the 20 point BFGS match this Sunday.

RVD defeats Magnus with the five star frog splash in a BFGS match with Anderson on commentary.

Bobby Roode is interviewed backstage and says there may not be a match this Sunday with AA if the contract wording isn’t changed.

Kazarian and Daniels defeat D-Von and Garett Bischoff to retain their tag team titles. Kazarian uses the belt on D-Von to get the three count.

Sting is shown backstage saying that Brooke Hogan will not be here tonight because it is the best thing for her. He also calls out Aces and Eights once again.

Robbie E cuts a promo on his BFGS match this Sunday and bragging that he recently beat Jeff Hardy by countout. Jeff Hardy comes out and attacks Robbie E and Robbie T. T puts Jeff through a table with a powerbomb.

Kurt Angle defeats AJ Styles using the Angle slam in a BFGS match. Another Aces and Eights video is shown after the match and they say the next target will be made known soon.

Ken Anderson confronts James Storm backstage and tells James Storm that they will have another discussion if he is the leader of Aces and Eights.

AA is backstage and says the match will happen on Sunday and they will get the contract signed tonight.

Miss Tessmacher defeats Gail Kim when she counters a bulldog and slams Kim flat on her face to get the three count. Madison Rayne comes out after the match and kisses Earl Hebner.

Sting hosts the contract signing and gets Roode and Aries to agree to neither getting a rematch for the World Title after Hardcore Justice while the other is the World Champion. Roode splashes a glass of water in Arie’s face before leaving.

They go through the lineup for Hardcore Justice. Make sure to check out the Smark’s Remarks TNA Hardcore Justice predictions early Sunday!

Bully Ray defeats James Storm in the main event using the bubba cutter. Aces and Eights show up on the tron and tell Bully Ray that he’ll be seeing a lot more of them on Sunday.

Thoughts: I liked the RVD/Magnus match; the two appeared to have good chemistry together. The tag team match was also solid, but I wonder when Devon is going to defend the TV Title again(since he was supposed to be defending it every week according to Hogan). Angle and Styles stole the show with another great matchup. The match between Tessmacher and Kim was good,but I’m curious as to how Tessmacher is suddenly superwoman(must be the red, white and blue outfit) that can defeat Kim with such ease after struggling so long to win the title. I’m looking forward to Roode/Aries part two, but I’m really hoping these two are allowed a clean finish to their match on Sunday. The Storm/Ray match was a little slow paced, but the decisive victory for Ray gives him some momentum heading into the four way on Sunday. I’m curious whether or not Aces and Eights will actually go after Ray, and I wonder that because it’s always possible that Bully Ray(or any other guy on the roster) could in fact be the guy responsible for the group.

Superstars 08/09/12

Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel defeat Kurt Hawkins and Tyler Reks. Kidd pins Reks after an off the rope elbow drop while Gabriel holds Reks in place.

Santino defeats Michael McGillicutty using the cobra.

Tensai defeats Zack Ryder in the main event using the senton splash after a falling chokebomb.

Thoughts: The tag team match was the best wrestling of the show. Both tag teams should be featured more on tv. Santino going over McGillicutty would be okay if Santino were actually allowed to look like less than a joke when he appears on Raw and Smackdown. Tensai destroying Ryder is just wrong and I’m afraid Zack Ryder’s time in WWE may not last as long as we all would like it to. Solid show overall and I like the variety of talent, but the overall booking of WWE continues to puzzle me.

Smackdown 08/10/12

Booker T opens Smackdown and asks Sheamus to apologize to Alberto Del Rio for trashing his car. Del Rio threatens pressing charges and Booker instead grants Del Rio a World Title match with Sheamus tonight.

Sin Cara defeats Cody Rhodes using a modified inside cradle when Rhodes tries to pull his mask off.

Christian defeats Antonio Cesaro using the spear.

Randy Orton defeats Jack Swagger using an RKO in a short match.

Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks approach Booker T backstage and get told that they can’t seem to get the job done and Booker wants better talent.

Jinder Mahal defeats two jobbers. Ryback comes out and scares Mahal away. Ryback beats up the two jobbers.

Jericho goes back and forth with Vickie Guerrero on the highlight reel until he is attacked by Dolph Ziggler using his MITB briefcase.

The PTP defeat Primo and Epico by dq thanks to Kofi and R-Truth to become the new number one contenders for the tag titles.

Eve asks Booker T for a job. Booker tells her nothing is available. Kaitlyn comes in and Booker says she will face Eve next week and the winner will be his assistant.

Rey Mysterio defeats the Miz in a short match with the IC Title not on the line.

Kane, AJ, and Daniel Bryan have an in ring segment. AJ wants the two to shake hands, but instead they brawl and AJ loves it.

Police attack Sheamus before the match can start and assist Del Rio in beating down the World Champion.

Thoughts: Booker T feels more like a filler GM than someone who can entertain in the longterm. I hope he transitions back to a final run in the ring to feud with someone young, and I hope the next GM is more entertaining to watch every week. Sin Cara beating Cody Rhodes makes me wonder what the plans are for both of these individuals. I would expect WWE to find a way to heat up their rivalry and make it legit. Christian and Cesaro have the potential to put on some exceptional matches. Has Jack Swagger been released yet? The Mahal/Ryback rivalry is going to become stale fast, and Reks and Hawkins should’ve had a tag match on TV. I’m tired of watching PTP face Primo and Epico. Rey Mysterio and the Miz have nice potential for a good Summerslam IC Title match. I love the AJ, DBry, and Kane storyline! The Sheamus/Del Rio feud doesn’t excite me, but Dolph Ziggler cashing in his MITB contract on one of them gives me something to look forward to! Speaking of Ziggler, his feud with Jericho has been excellent for how little time it gets on TV, and their match at Summerslam is going to be a show stealer. Great show!

No Ring of Honor this week! I don’t have access to the show but I wanted to get the column out on time. I’ll probably cover the show from a week behind from here on out because of my cable situation.

News Items:

AW has been released: I have mixed feelings on the subject, but here is what I posted on my FB page: I agree with anyone who uses the argument of the hypocrisy of what has been approved in the past on WWE TV vs what AW did. I disagree with it because of the pg Era. Yes, it sounds like an excuse, but PG product is PG product and AW knew what he was doing when he did it. If he got caught up in the moment and screwed up, too bad for him. He’s a professional being paid A LOT of money to do his job right, and he did it wrong. We would be fired for saying something inappropriate from any regular job if someone complained, and in AW’s case, a lot more people witnessed this gigantic goof and action needed to be taken. You can argue that people making fun of other people is still a part of WWE today, but a sensitive subject like a rape allegation is a completely different scenario and the joke was in very poor taste. The added news is that AW was fired also because of a supportive tweet for the Linda McMahon Senate campaign. More to come on this story if you check the news site where you’re reading this or check the links on my facebook info page.

NBC WrestleMania show: NBC will feature their annual WrestleMania special. Last year they aired Triple H and the Undertaker from WM27, but this year they are airing the Rock vs John Cena. I think this move is terrible because there were two matches on the card better than the main event. I understand not showing the graphic Hell in a Cell match on tv, but the Chris Jericho/CM Punk match was far more entertaining. Unfortunately for Jericho and Punk, neither is a movie star or the top face of WWE. I hate fame overriding talent; it’s garbage.

Kevin Nash: Nash followed up his first interview insulting smaller wrestlers with a second interview doing some damage control. I feel as though Nash wasted his breath; the man has nothing important to say and yet he continues to draw attention to himself. Good work, Big Sexy.

Damien Sandow: It’s rumored that Sandow will be pushed hard over the next year and it’s expected that he will go one on one with Brodus Clay at Summerslam. I’m hoping WWE is smart enough to book Sandow as the winner of that match and start his climb to the top. Sandow is extremely talented both on the mic and in the ring, and I can’t wait to see what WWE writers have in store for him.

Superstars “upset” with WWE: JTG, Zack Ryder, Santino Marella, Curt Hawkins, Tyler Reks and MANY others including WWE Divas are very upset with the company right now according to multiple sources. They are angry with how they are treated, travel schedules, and lack of payout for big events. I find it intriguing that some of the best talent that I’ve complained about not being used properly are most upset with the company.

That’s all for this edition. Make sure to check out the Smark’s Remarks TNA Hardcore Justice predictions! Until next time, thanks for reading!

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