wrestling / Columns
Wrestling’s 4R’s 4.20.12: WWE Raw, WWE NXT & ROH on Sinclair
How the 4R’s of wRestling Work!
Here is a quick explanation of the 4R’s. The column will run TWO times a week. We will group our feelings on the shows in various categories: The Right, the wRong and the Ridiculous. The Right is stuff that worked very well: a great promo, a great match and so on. PuRgatoRy is a section between the right and wrong. It shows equal traits from both sides that cannot be ignored and need discussed. It is not a bad place per say, as things can get remedied or go the wrong way the very next week. The wRong is what it sounds like: bad matches, bad or boring promos and so on. The Ridiculous is stuff that had no right on TV: Stupid angles and so on. And there is always a possibility of a 5th R, which is as bad as they come. This column is supposed to be analytical, and at the right time very critical of the shows, it was the whole reason it was created. This is not a “mark” column, nor a “smark” column, our goal is to analyze the show from many different fronts, reward the good and call out the bad. We will not apologize for our opinions, they are as they are, whether positive or negative.
Let’s rock…
By: Shawn S. Lealos
ROH Television 04.14.12:
QUICK RESULTS:
– Mike Bennett def. Lance Storm
– Briscoe Brothers def. TMDK
– Kevin Steen def. El Generico
These matches are all from Ring of Honor iPPV Showdown in the Sun. Next week will be part two.
Mike Bennett vs. Lance Storm – I mentioned in the last couple of weeks about how Mike Bennett doesn’t really suck anymore. Well, I blame Lance Storm. I assumed these two worked together quite a bit for this match and there is no way you can work with Storm and not end up a better wrestler. Mike Bennett and Lance Storm put on one hell of a great match here. This was easily Bennett’s best match since ROH TV started and Storm looked great as well. The two used ring psychology and there were a lot of near falls that made it exciting. Great match and I’m glad I finally got to see it. I also have to add points for Mike Bennett shaking Storm’s hand after the match and then laying out Storm with the box office smash.
Briscoes vs. TMDK – This was a Proving Ground match and I want TMDK (The Mighty Don’t Kneel) in Ring of Honor now. Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls are one hell of a great tag team and had some really solid moves in the ring. They are former Australian tag tram champions, wrestled for Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan and for NWA Hollywood earlier this year. They didn’t show much of the match but what they did show proved that these two could keep up with the Briscoe Brothers and deserve a shot in ROH, despite the loss.
Fit Finley – They announced that at the next iPPV, Fit Finley will wrestle Roddy Strong. How freaking cool is that?
Last Man Standing: Kevin Steen vs. El Generico – Kevin Steen is the greatest bad guy in wrestling today. The fans love him, he loves the fans and then he does whatever he wants, beating up all the good guys. I don’t know if I have ever seen anything like it. He isn’t fake cool like the nWo, the fans just genuinely like him as a bad guy and love the fact that he accepts their cheers. And it makes his matches really entertaining. El Generico started this match off on fire and these two just beat the living hell out of each other. It was a great brawl between two guys who know each other very well.
Jimmy Jacobs turns bad: When Jimmy Jacobs pulled out the spike and stabbed Generico in the head with it, I only thought of one thing. Welcome back you glorious bastard.
Lance Storm wants a rematch – This promo by Lance Storm was better than any leading up to the match but do we really need the rematch? I figured this match was to help push Mike Bennett up the ladder but now Storm wants a second match and I can’t help but think it will let him get his win back. It was a great promo though.
Jim Cornette – Cornette is coming across as kind of a douche for a good guy administrator. He says he is not protecting Davey Richards from Kevin Steen but he is protecting Steen from getting snapped in half by Richards. He then said Ring of Honor is putting their trust in Davey Richards. He really sounds like a little weasel, which fits his old persona well but is a bit out of place as a good guy. Maybe he and Davey can both turn bad and he can manage Richards.
Showing iPPV Matches for Free – Look, I love seeing these matches since I did not get the iPPV when it happened. For me, selfishly, this could be a Right. For the company, it is a Wrong. For one thing, why buy the iPPV when you can just wait a few weeks and see them for free on TV. As they like to say, NO BUYS.
Roddy Strong Promo – Truth Martini is bringing Rhino into ROH at the next iPPV to fight Eddie Edwards. Eddie talked about it this week and finished by saying he is going on a safari and will be killing some rhinoceros and then gave a little slow throat slash. I really have to wonder if they practice those lines ahead of time and actually think they sound like anything but giant mounds of cheese.
Nothing
Wow. The Kevin Steen vs. El Generico match was amazing with both men pulling out all the stops. Steen is the best character in Ring of Honor and Jimmy Jacobs turning bad was brilliant. The Mike Bennett vs. Lance Storm match was a perfect technically fought match and the best of Bennett’s career. The short Briscoe Brothers match was also a lot of fun. I had some nitpicks but a real wrestling fan can’t ask for much more than what this episode of ROH gave. SHOW RATING: 8.0 |
By: LARRY CSONKA
Raw 4.16.12:
QUICK RESULTS:
– WWE TITLE MATCH: CM Punk © defeated Mark Henry @ 13:00 via pin [**¾]
– US TITLE MATCH: Santino defeated David Otunga @ 2:00 via pin [NR]
– Kane Killed Zack Ryder; The Match Never Officially Started
– Daniel Bryan defeated Kofi Kingston @ 10:34 via submission [***]
– Brodus Clay defeated Dolph Ziggler @ 0:03 via DQ [NR]
– NON-TITLE MATCH: Big Show and Great Khali defeated Epico and Primo © @ 1:55 via pin [NR]
– EXTREME RULES MATCH: Lord Tensai defeated John Cena @ 6:59 via pin [**]
REMINDER: I do not rate matches under three minutes long
PUNK BEATS HENRY; JERICHO TRIES AN INTERNATIONAL MIND FUCK: First of all, the thing I really liked about this match was the fact that it was set up after the past few weeks, and the stipulation actually made sense. It is basic episodic TV booking and you wouldn’t think it is something that needs to be pointed out, but in 2012, while wrestling says it is ratings driven, they don’t exactly build the best episodic TV. So when I see a good example of it, I like to point it out. Anyway, the match, again, was a good one. I never thought about it, but I have to say, Mark Henry and CM Punk actually have really good chemistry. It boils down to Punk doing what he does well, letting Henry doing what he does well, and constantly working to those strengths. Again, it is something that seems so simple, but it isn’t always done. They worked hard, they put on en entertaining match, Henry took Punk to the limit, and the champion needed a chair drop from the top rope to slay the monster. The loss keeps Punk a strong champion, and also doesn’t hurt Henry, who was kept strong with the match layout and finish.
BUT WAIT…there’s more! As has become usual for Punk matches, Chris Jericho made an appearance, on the big screen. Jericho joked that Punk still smelt of beer from the previous week’s beer bash, and then dropped the bomb that he was awarded a WWE Title match at Extreme Rules, but also revealed that he had to agree to a Chicago Street Fight to get it. Jericho then asked that Punk show up sober to the event, as he then proceeded to show footage of Punk entering and leaving a pub. While this didn’t work as well as I think they wanted, because Punk’s excuse was valid, and also because a pub is generally looked on as different from the run of the mill bar in the US. But it worked out fine as the match was set, and Jericho tried again to play mind games with the champion.
WWE PRIMETIME: BROCK LESNAR: I for one loved the “WWE PRIMETIME” presentation of Brock Lesnar. It was very similar in presentation to the “UFC PRIMETIME” shows, which perfectly fits with the persona that they are trying to establish with Lesnar. While last week I wasn’t the biggest fan of his booking, this is the kind of thing that they need to do with him. They need to keep presenting him as a legit bad ass, as a tough guy, as a guy that is a star. This segment did that, and did that well. I loved his tone, I loved what he had to say, and I loved how he came across like he did not give a shit about Cena, or anyone really. When I see things like this, I again have to praise the WWE production crew. When they do things like this, they are almost unbeatable. As Jim Ross would say, this was a good piece of business.
DANIEL BRYAN DEFEATED KOFI KINGSTON: YES! YES! YES!: The match of the show, in my opinion, was Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston. This was simply set up backstage as Kofi was talking to AJ, which upset Bryan, even though as he said, he didn’t want her any more. Pure egotistical asshole, and I mean that is the best way possible. Simply put this was a very good TV match, filed with clean work, lots of action and a good back and forth nature that didn’t hurt Kofi. Daniel Bryan got the victory, which he should have, since he is challenging for the world title. He needed the victory, which was a hard fought one, but also a clean submission win, which was also needed. This was not only a good match for the fans watching, but also good for rebuilding Bryan as a strong challenger.
JOHN CENA SPEAKS: So we came to the John Cena interview portion of the show, and while I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it. Going back and watching a few times, the execution of the promo was actually well done. I liked how he approached things, and the general flow of it all. But on the other hand, it seemed like the same old shit to me. “People say I suck and its ok, I will take an ass kicking, I will heal and always be here.” It just seems like the same old Cena promo. Maybe that’s not a bad thing to some, but if a man is coming to destroy me, I think I would be a bit more fired up about things. But hey, that’s just me.
LORD TENSAI DEFEATED JOHN CENA: Big Johnny had booked John Cena in a main event match for Raw, and EXTREME RULES match as a warm up for his confrontation with Lesnar. Cena’s opponent would be Lord Tensai. Overall the match was fine and told the story of throwing everything against Cena to truly stack the odds. On one hand I LOVE that Cena actually lost a match where the odds were against him, because he usually prevails. Also, it was WAY too soon for Tensai to lose a match. But on the other hand, I question the booking of the match at this time. First of all, they could have just a cluster finish where there is no winner, but Cena gets beaten down and destroyed. While the win does help Tensai, I have to actually say I wasn’t the biggest fan of Cena losing, even with the screwy finish. He JUST lost at Wm against the Rock, and now you are putting him into a big program with Lesnar. Cena should appear strong here, as he SHOULD lose to Lesnar at the PPV. I mean, if they have Lesnar lose in his first match back they are idiots. They cannot be that dumb, can they? Again, I love the idea of Cena finally losing and not being Superman,
KANE KILLS ZACK RYDER: Kane is in a feud and Ryder isn’t, so Kane going over here isn’t that bad. I just hated the fact that Ryder continually gets BERRIED for doing what WWE always asks (getting yourself over) and Kane; well, Kane is boring as piss. But he is in a feud and has a PPV match, so isn’t exactly a wrong.
SANTINO DEFEATED DAVID OTUNGA: You know, I am a fan of Santino. He is fun, he gets a reaction and I generally like his segments. But this week, while he did get to retain the US Title, the match was short, and the match was bad. Otunga is growing as a character, and there is no doubt that the guy look phenomenal, but as a wrestler, he is simply not there yet. The match was filled with sloppy ring work, bad positioning, and it simply was not good. I know that a lot of people are fans of Otunga’s and that is cool, but he has along way to go.
BRODUS vs. DOLPH: This came off as a waste of time. I get that they wanted to extend the feud that they had started, but this was really useless. It was rushed, it wasn’t all that well done, and it appeared to be clipped down. It appears that they didn’t have much faith in the segment, which doesn’t speak well for the booking or for the guys involved. I guess we needed the extra time for R Truth and Little Jimmy and their shenanigans backstage. That’s unfortunate.
STUPID SKITS WITH R TRUTH: You know, I get that WWE likes to do wacky skits on these shows, but these things not only did not mean anything, but they were stupid and not funny. Here’s an idea, let’s take the time we spent on this bullshit and add it to matches and or other angles that actually mean something to the product.
OK WWE WE GET IT, YOU DO NOT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THE TAG TEAM TITLES: Ok WWE, we get it, we get it. Tag team wrestling is EVIL and you really want no part of it. You have no respect for tag teams, or the men working gin tag teams. You only keep the titles around because you want to be able to sell replicas of those god-awful ugly tag team title belts. I get it, I am sorry for being a fan of wrestling and specifically tag team wrestling. Small guys suck and big guys rule. I get it. A apologize for wanting something out of the tag team performers that you have on the roster. I guess I will not make that mistake again. My bad.
Like a lot of the international shows, this one was a mixed bag, but at the end of the show, it came off as an average event. There certainly was some stuff to like on the show, but the stuff that wasn’t was bad, stupid or insulting to wrestling fans. I guess that’s what I get for getting my hopes up recently. SHOW RATING: 6.0 As a reminder, I will be going by the 411 scale.. 0 – 0.9: Torture |
YEAR IN REVIEW (PPV) by Csonka:
TOP PPVs:
* DGUSA Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 iPPV – 8.2
* DGUSA Mercury Rising 2012 iPPV – 8.1
* WWE WrestleMania 28 – 7.9
* ROH 10th Anniversary iPPV – 7.5
* ROH Showdown in the Sun: Night One iPPV – 7.4
* EVOLVE 11 iPPV – 7.0
* TNA Victory Road – 6.5
* TNA Against All Odds – 6.5
* TNA Genesis – 5.0
* WWE Royal Rumble – 5.0
* WWE Eliminating Chamber – 4.0
* TNA Lockdown – 3.0
TOP PPV MATCHES:
* From The ROH Showdown in the Sun: Night Two iPPV –ROH Title Match: Davey Richards vs. Michael Elgin [****¾]
* From WWE WrestleMania 28 – Hell in a Cell: The Undertaker vs. Triple H [****½]
* From DGUSA’s Mercury Rising 2012 – Low Ki, BxB Hulk and Akira Tozawa vs. Riccochet, PAC and Mazaaki Mochizuki [****¼]
* From EVOLVE 11 – Fit Finlay vs. Sami Callihan [****¼]
* From EVOLVE 11 – Low Ki vs. El Generico [****]
* From DGUSA’s Mercury Rising 2012 – Open the Freedom Gate Title Match – Johnny Gargano vs. Masato Yoshino [****]
* From DGUSA’s Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 – Open the United Gate Tag Title Match: Chuck Taylor vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Riccochet and Masato Yoshino [****]
* From DGUSA’s Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 – Akira Tozowa vs. Masaaki Mochizuki [****]
* From WWE WrestleMania 28 – WWE Title Match: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho [****]
* From The ROH Showdown in the Sun: Night One iPPV – Last Man Standing Match – Kevin Steen vs. El Generico [****]
* From TNA Lockdown – Bobby Roode vs. James Storm [***¾]
* From WWE WrestleMania 28 – The Rock vs. John Cena [***¾]
* From The ROH Showdown in the Sun: Night One iPPV – ROH World Title Match: Davey Richards © vs. Roderick Strong vs. Eddie Edwards [***¾]
* From TNA Victory Road – Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy [***¾]
* From TNA Against All Odds – TNA X-Division Title Match: Austin Aries vs. Alex Shelley [***¾]
* From The ROH 10th Anniversary iPPV – Eddie Edwards & Adam Cole vs. Davey Richards & Kyle O’Reilly [***¾]
* From DGUSA’s Mercury Rising 2012 – El Generico vs. Lince Dorado vs. Rich Swann vs. Cima vs. Chuck Taylor vs. Samurai Del Sol [***¾]
* From TNA Lockdown – Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy [***½]
* From EVOLVE 11 – Chuck Taylor vs. Samurai Del Sol vs. Johnny Gargano [***½]
* From DGUSA’s Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 – PAC vs. Low Ki [***½]
* From DGUSA’s Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 – Rich Swann vs. AR Fox [***½]
* From The ROH Showdown in the Sun: Night One iPPV – Lance Storm vs. Mike Bennett [***½]
* From TNA Against All Odds – Kazarian vs. AJ Styles [***½]
* From TNA Genesis – Monster’s Ball Match: Abyss vs. Bully Ray [***½]
* From WWE Elimination Chamber – Raw Elimination Chamber WWE Title Match: CM Punk vs. The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston vs. R Truth vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Chris Jericho [***½]
* From The ROH 10th Anniversary iPPV – TV Title Match – Jay Lethal vs. Tommaso Ciampa went to a 15-minute time limit draw [***½]
* From The ROH 10th Anniversary iPPV – No DQ Match – Kevin Steen vs. Jimmy Jacobs [***½]
By: Tony Acero
WWE NXT 4.18.12:
QUICK RESULTS
– Percy Watson Defeated Johnny Curtis [*1/2]
– Maxine Defeated Kaitlyn [*]
– Tyler Rex Defeated Curt Hawkins [**]
NXT TRIES HARD: Cohesive storytelling is very important, but altogether nearly forgotten in the WWE. There’s almost always a hole in the plot. While I will not say that this particular slice of cheese isn’t provolone, the dedication from all parties is there, and at the very least they deserve praise for that. I know, I know, it’s NXT, but having watched this show since the beginning, and in particular this season, it seems that they are at least vaguely trying to right the wRongs of the show. I won’t say they’re succeeding, exactly, but I see the effort.
WATSON AND CURTIS: Last week, these guys put on a good match that actually impressed me – even if only barely. This week there were a few things wrong, and not all of it was Percy or Curtis’ fault. Simply too many cuts towards the announce table for no reason really hurt what little flow the match had. Both guys were wrestling as if they were jet-lagged for some reason. They traded offense like they were going through the motions more than actually trying to put a good match together, so for that I’m placing them here.
MAXINE VS KAITLYN: Another match between these two that is really no different than the rest, and again, they focus too much on what’s going on at the announce booth more so than what’s going on in the ring. I get that the entire show was dedicated to the storyline of Striker’s kidnapping, but still, it was bothersome.
CURTIS AND MAXINE, TOGETHER: For whatever reason, these two suck when playing off each other, so having a storyline that requires them to be handcuffed really doesn’t work for me. At the very least, Regal continues to be awesome when given the chance, but this is just another waste of time that will ultimately lead to nothing important. With that given, at least they’re keeping things moving, and have connected it in someway to the story of Striker…right?
TITUS AND DARREN TO THE BLUE BRAND: I’m not sure where they are going with this, but neither one of these guys are ready for the big leagues. Titus is so clunky in the ring that he needs to get off of television, not given more TV time. Young is finding his footing, but just barely. If the decision truly is for these guys to head over to Smackdown, it’ll only be a matter of time before they’re outshone and outclassed. But, I’d like to give O’Neil 10 cool points for breaking out The Cupid Shuffle.
HAWKINS AND REKS FIRED: This isn’t wRong because I don’t really like either guy, but it’s sure not Right, as I suppose this is all supposed to be closure to the storyline they’ve built up in recent weeks. Striker’s bit of revenge for being kidnapped is to be a special guest referee for a match between Reks and Hawkins that ends in both men getting fired. I suppose it works, but how often do fired wrestlers stay fired? My guess is that they pull a Cena and show up the very next week for no apparent reason.
NOTHING
NOTHING
If wrestling had season finales, this would be one. Not to say that it was a good episode, because it wasn’t, but it did set out to close up a lot of loose ends and did so. I’m not sure what that means for the future, but they did leave enough for the future. I’d say I’m intrigued, but I’d be lying. SHOW RATING: 6.5 |
Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it…TO CSONKA’S TWITTER!
http://www.twitter.com/411wrestling
http://www.twitter.com/411moviestv
http://www.twitter.com/411music
http://www.twitter.com/411games
http://www.twitter.com/411mma
More Trending Stories
- WWE Releases NXT Talents Valentina Feroz, Boa, Trey Bearhill, More
- John Laurinaitis Files Motion Aligning With Vince McMahon in Sex Trafficking Lawsuit, McMahon’s Lawyer Responds
- Two Top Superstars Reportedly in France Ahead of WWE Backlash France (POSSIBLE SPOILERS)
- Hulk Hogan Says He Got A Voice Message From Roddy Piper Two Days After His Death
