The Wrestling Framework 04.14.11: Post-Mania Week!

WORST MATCH

Jerry Lawler vs. Jack Swagger – WINNER: Jerry Lawler @ 3:55 via DQ

PSY: 1
WRK: 0.5
CRW: 1
SPT: 0
FIN: 1.2
OVR: 3.7

Psychology: This was a pure garbage match to continue the Lawler/Cole match. I got the part that it’s yet another time that Lawler and Swagger have to meet. And the odds are in favor of the younger Swagger. But this was just painful. It was too much of the fresh, young guy beating up the old, has-been wrestler. I will say they had great psychology in selling this story, but the fact that I’m tired of seeing the same damn thing brings it down.

Workrate: Forget about it. There just wasn’t any place for really good workrate here. Sure, what they did was fine and dandy, but it was basic. And boring.

Crowd: The crowd was pretty in to this considering that it was the first match of the night. A lot of heat for Cole and Swagger and Jerry got some love from the crowd. Not an overall exciting crowd reaction at the end, but that’s okay, it was only the opener.

Spots: Nothing really of note.

Finish: Well, it was one of those screwy endings where the decision is reversed. That’s a pretty nice little thing to happen for Jerry seeing as what happened a night before. A real fitting ending here to continue the feud between the announcers.

Final Match Thoughts: It was a feud progression match. That’s about it. I’m just getting sick and tired of Michael Cole hiding behind Jack Swagger and having to watch Swagger pick apart The King. Get’s repetitive.

BEST MATCH

Randy Orton & Rey Mysterio, Jr. vs. CM Punk & Cody Rhodes – WINNER: Randstyrio @ 16:32 via pinfall

PSY: 1.7
WRK: 1.3
CRW: 1
SPT: 0.7
FIN: 1.7
OVR: 6.4

Psychology: All four of these guys had great chemistry in the ring and it really added to the match. It was another post-WrestleMania match up that was there to show us that the men involved still really hated each other. All four of these men’s paths have crossed the other’s at some time. Save for Cody/CM Punk, unless I’m mistaken.

Workrate: Not too shabby. You can tell they were all still feeling the effects of last night as they seemed a little sluggish. But for what it’s worth these guys came out and really had a solidly built wrestling match to back the story they were trying to tell.

Crowd: The crowd was in and out of this one. But there was some really good reactions on some of the spots.

Spots: There was nothing too outstanding. A few nice little spots that got the crowd hot like the 619 to RKO was good.

Finish: STRONG face finish at the end there. As I said previously, I really liked that 619 to RKO. Faces came out with a strong victory here and it helped elevate what they just did in the ring.

Final Match Thoughts: Considering that it was the night after Mania, three out of four of these guys could have easily been hung over from the after party, they came out and put on a pretty decent little tag match. Nothing great, but it was the wrestling highlight of the night for RAW.

WORST MATCH

Knockout Tag Titles: Beautiful People vs. Rosita/Sarita – WINNER: Rosita/Sarita @ 2:00 via pinfall

PSY: 0.1
WRK: 0.3
CRW: 0
SPT: 0.2
FIN: 0.2
OVR: 0.8

Psychology: There was none to speak of really besides the Angelina/Winter/Velvet stuff.

Workrate: Velvet actually looked decent for a woman wrestler. I’m not sexist or saying women can’t wrestle but she looked better than what you see on the ‘E. I don’t watch much of TNA’s knockout matches because WWE has really made me loath women’s wrestling, but I might pay more attention now.

Crowd: I’m in the a predicament where it sounded like the crowd was hot but they didn’t look like it. But either way, the crowd looked bored. And I think I saw some people get up and leave. And even if they did impose crowd noises, it still didn’t sound like the crowd was hot for this match.

Spots: Angelina attacking Velvet at the command of Winter will give this some merit because I thought that was a bit of a surprise.

Finish: Weak. Really weak. Rosita just pinned Velvet after Angelina beat her down. She could have at least picked her up and hit some kind of finisher or something. But, I’ll let this be saved by the Angelina beat-down of Velvet too.

Final Match Thoughts: TNA has SO MUCH potential to steal the show with their knockouts, it’s scary. But it seems that this match was a WWE Divas match clone. They could do so much better. And instead of wasting what could be a good match for angle progression, wait until at least 5-6 minutes in to the match to do it.

BEST MATCH

Bully Ray vs. Christopher Daniels – WINNER: Bully Ray @ 6:25 via pinfall

PSY: 1.4
WRK: 2
CRW: 2
SPT: 0.6
FIN: 0.1
OVR: 6.1

Psychology: Yeah, they had it. These guys were good together in letting everyone know they hate each other and wanted to beat the living hell out of one another. Only thing I don’t like is that Ray doesn’t sell. He gets hit, he rolls over and reaches to the sky. I don’t know, maybe it fits the character of being a badass, but it makes Daniels seem like a weak hitter.

Workrate: For two guys with different work styles, they gelled very nicely here. They really had some chemistry going on in the ring and it added to the match. Both men worked to their styles, but not so much that it overshadowed the other guys style. Overall I’m impressed with Bully Ray these days in the ring. He’s a veteran and he knows how to make himself and his opponent(s) look good. And as always Daniels is a workhorse too.

Crowd: Oh yeah, the crowd was REALLY in to this match. That’s not sarcasm either. Maybe it was just me but I noticed that these two really worked the crowd in to a frenzy and got them interested in the match. They got a better response than the 6-man tag.

Spots: This was the standard lumberjack match. Had the lumberjacks get their shots in. The heel lumberjacks beating up the face and the face lumberjacks making the save. Flair pulling the ref out was kind of predictable. And Hogan hitting Daniels with the chain was kind of overkill.

Finish: Eh, another screwy finish. I think this one could have had a legit ending with some outside interference. But this is the third match that someone took a pin. Didn’t earn the pin, but got it from someone else. I just don’t know why they think this is a good way to end almost every match. You can get a heel over by giving him a clean win too.

Final Match Thoughts: Hey! This match wasn’t too bad! I’m liking Bully Ray more and more. I think he could become a big player in TNA. This match had a lot of potential and it came through using a little less than ¾ of that potential.

WORST MATCH

Kelly Kelly & Beth Pheonix vs. LayCool – WINNER: K2Pheonix @ 3:00 via pinfall

PSY: 0.1
WRK: 0.4
CRW: 0.5
SPT: 0.2
FIN: 0.2
OVR: 1.4

Psychology: Eh, I can see that they really didn’t like each other. But it’s all about LayCool here. The story has nothing to do with K2 or Beth Pheonix. Layla does sell like a champ though. The noises add to it.

Workrate: This was like a Beth Pheonix clinic. She had to stay in the majority to keep it together or it would have been sloppy as hell. But, Kelly had some good offense too that wasn’t too bad looking.

Crowd: This crowd really did not like LayCool. And throughout the match I was surprised to hear a lot of the crowd ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ that I heard. Was even a decent reaction when K2 got the pin.

Spots: Layla’s bump off the ring apron looked pretty nasty. That’s about all I can say, really.

Finish: Blah. Michelle drops off the apron and Layla is all pissed off trying to figure out what she’s doing and Kelly swoops in to get the roll up victory. Not a bad ending really, just too over used. And really, it wasn’t even that greatly acted out. And again, to note, it was all about LayCool and their problems.

Final Match Thoughts: Wasn’t as bad as the Knockouts match from iMpact, but it was still pretty bad. If it wasn’t for Beth Pheonix, this would have been horrid. Beth saved it from a wrestle stand point. But we all know these matches are just eye candy and happy fun time material.

Okay, maybe not always.

BEST MATCH

Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian – WINNER: Alberto Del Rio @ 13:00 via pinfall

PSY: 1.8
WRK: 1.3
CRW: 1.6
SPT: 1
FIN: 0.8
OVR: 6.5

Psychology: These guys really put together a match that made you believe everything they were telling you with their actions. A few times, it was a little too slow and a few spots were blown, but they have great chemistry and I it’s sad that I’ll never get to see Edge added to the mix.

Workrate: These guys can really go. They pulled out a lot of great moves. I think there was about three or four times where I really cringed at how bad something must hurt cause they hit it in a way that made it so believable. There were a few times were something didn’t go as it should have, and it really dragged it down because they were rolling so well for something as small as a foot slipping or something like that to break the momentum.

Crowd: The crowd was ALIVE! They were hot for this. This just show that both Christian and Del Rio have the main event mojo. The crowd wasn’t exactly caught on every move and at the will of these two men, but they were paying attention to what they were doing and that’s still better than some can say.

Spots: Eh, it’s hard to rate this one because there was a lot of little things, but nothing really big. I think all the little pieces shifted in to the main picture when Del Rio hit the enziguri and won it.

Finish: The finish wasn’t what it could have been. I didn’t like it. It seemed WAY too abrupt. I just don’t believe that after all that the enziguri was what kept him down for the three. There could have been something better to use to make it more of a decisive win. Something that actually looks like it would end a main event caliber match and not a lower midcard squash match.

Final Match Thoughts: This was a really good match. It was the only match I actually enjoyed on SmackDown!. I really hope this is a precursor to what is to come for Christian and Del Rio because these guys have such great chemistry and talent that if in a program together they could tear the house down night after night and I hope that’s what happens now that Edge is retired.

RECAP
RAW
Jerry Lawler vs. Jack Swagger: 3.7
Randy Orton/Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk/Cody Rhodes: 6.4
iMpact
Beautiful People vs. Rosita/Sarita: 0.8 WORST MATCH
Bully Ray vs. Christopher Daniels: 6.1
SmackDown!
Kelly Kelly/Beth Pheonix vs. LayCool: 1.4
Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian: 6.5 BEST MATCH

Final Thoughts For The Week: Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian was the top match last week. But it was only head by .1 points ahead of Orton/Mysterio vs. Punk/Rhodes and .4 points ahead of Bully Ray vs. Christopher Daniels. Worst match of the week was Beautiful People vs. Rosita/Sarita by a lot.

That does it for the first edition of The Wrestling Framework. Join me next Thursday to see how this week adds up on the Frame-scale.