WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact
Picture

Monday Night Raw Review - December 30, 2013

12/30/2013

3 Comments

 
PictureBrock Lesnar delivers an F-5 to Mark Henry.
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

CM Punk Called Out The Shield

Punk did a nice job of recapping his 2013 and teasing that he might eventually re-enter the WWE Championship picture. I am glad to see his feud with The Shield continue and him getting in the heads of each of The Shield members, which will ultimately lead to their breakup. The segment also served as a suitable tie-in to Punk's subsequent match with Seth Rollins. This was a good start to the show, but then again, anything not involving The Authority in the opening segment works for me.


CM Punk def. Seth Rollins

As noted on commentary, this was the first time that these two have ever gone one-on-one in a WWE ring, so it was great to see this dream match finally come to fruition. Although the match could have gone on a bit longer, they were given good time and made the most of it by having a great matchup. Punk and Rollins have such good chemistry together that this leaves me wanting to see a rematch between the two. More tension was teased among the members of The Shield, but I hope WWE holds off on the breakup until after WrestleMania 30 so they can face The Wyatt Family.


Read More
3 Comments

Tribute to the Troops Review - December 28, 2013

12/28/2013

0 Comments

 
PictureDaniel Bryan lands a hard kick on Bray Wyatt.
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Daniel Bryan def. Bray Wyatt by Disqualification

This match was over before it even started, as the interference from Luke Harper and Erik Rowan caused it to go to a disqualification no more than a minute into the bout. That was probably for the best since it appears WWE is saving Bryan vs. Bray for down the road, and it could be a marquee matchup if built to correctly. Doesn't this count as Bray's first loss in singles competition to date?


Daniel Bryan and CM Punk def. Luke Harper and Erik Rowan by Disqualification

We saw the same match at Survivor Series, so it was much of the same from the two teams. That isn't to say that it wasn't a solid tag team outing while it lasted, though. Bray Wyatt getting banned from ringside only to return and cause the match to go to a DQ was odd, but it help set up the subsequent six-man tag match also involving John Cena. Speaking of such, I found it refreshing that not a single person booed Cena upon his entrance. It is not everyday something like that happens.


Read More
0 Comments

Friday Night SmackDown Review - December 27, 2013

12/27/2013

0 Comments

 
PictureSeth Rollins goes one-on-one with John Cena.
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Shield Interrupted John Cena

Cena can be great on the mic when he is motivated, but this was unfortunately more of the same from his happy-go-lucky persona. It wasn't completely unbearable, but it definitely wasn't one of this better showings on the mic. Thankfully, The Shield cut the promo short from it got to the point of being unbearable and the crowd was hot for the the run-ins from Mark Henry and Big E Langston. It helped set the stage for the rest of the show and was a simple yet effective opening segment.


Luke Harper and Erik Rowan def. The Usos

These two teams have had great matches together in the past, so it was a shame that it lasted no more than 10 seconds. While it gave The Wyatt Family a dominant victory, the quick loss made The Usos look like enhancement talent. The post-match attack on The Usos put more heat on The Wyatt Family, but again, didn't do much for The Usos, who should be in contention for the tag titles right now.


Read More
0 Comments

TNA Impact Wrestling Review - December 26, 2013

12/26/2013

0 Comments

 
PictureJeff Hardy makes a shocking announcement.
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Dixie Carter Was Constantly Interrupted

I think it is common knowledge by this point that Carter can either be hit or miss on the mic, and this certainly wasn't one of her best promos. The crowd popped for every wrestler that interrupted her, but it grew annoying by the time James Storm came out. Promos should never take up a quarter of the show, especially at the start of the program. A tag match was made for the main event and it lead into the subsequent match between Storm and Gunner, so at least it was effective to an extent.


Gunner vs. James Storm for the Feast or Fired Briefcase Ended in a Double Count-out

Does anyone else hate it when people put the briefcases they earned on the line in a match? Granted, it wasn't up to Gunner, but it still devalues the briefcase and the title shot it contains. They worked a good match, but nothing memorable. I wish they would have held off on it until a later date and hyped it in advance, but the non-finish kept the feud alive. I am still unsure which of the two will end up turning heel, but I hope it is Gunner since he is better suited as a heel.


Read More
0 Comments

WWE NXT Rewind Review - December 25, 2013

12/25/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Antonio Cesaro def. William Regal

The build-up to this match has been very well done and it helped make the match mean more in the end. Even the pre-match interviews from both competitors were a nice touch. They were given great time and definitely made the most of it. Cesaro and Regal have such awesome chemistry with each other in the ring that it made for an excellent matchup with a solid story behind it. Regal doing the job for Cesaro was logical since Cesaro is the future and Regal isn't (despite the fact I am a massive Regal fan), but the finish was fantastic in that Regal looked strong in defeat and Cesaro showed a tremendous amount of respect for him afterward. I don't think this was the start of a Cesaro babyface turn, although I would like to see it at point just to see how well it would work out.


Overall Show

Obviously, there isn't much to discuss given how a majority of the show was made up for video packages and only one match in the main event. However, that isn't to say that this show wasn't worth seeing, as I really enjoyed the various vignettes highlighting the best moments in NXT this year. The match between Regal and Cesaro was definitely worth going out of your way to see as well. This was a smart approach by NXT seeing how this episode aired on Christmas and not much storyline progression was done, but the "Best of NXT" format was fun and the special appearances by The Shield and The Wyatt Family were cool. It has been a fantastic year for NXT in 2013, so here's hoping 2014 will be equally amazing if not better.

0 Comments
<<Previous

    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Interviews
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    NXT PLEs
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    Slammy Awards
    SNME
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    The World Is A Vampire
    Tribute To The Troops
    Women's Eliminator
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Draft
    WWE Network Specials
    WWE PLEs
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    July 2025
    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2025 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact