Not looking forward to this week’s episode of Impact. It reportedly got the lowest rating since TNA’s failed “Monday Night Wars, Part 2”, and those were some of the worst episodes ever.

Tupelo, MS again this week for the location. And, shock of shocks, Hulk Hogan is opening the show. He claims he is shocked that Hulkamania is this crazy in Tupelo. He’s also shocked at the way AJ Styles walked away from Sting and Kurt Angle, brothers. But, when he walked away, Angle took the fight to him, brother. So AJ, go ahead and join Aces and Eights if you want, because who cares? Angle is going to keep chasing you to Slammiversary, brother. From his mouth to the fans, it’s official: Angle/AJ at Slammiversary. Speaking of that event, we’re going to have the contract signing for Bully Ray/Sting for the World title. Oh, joy. TNA has been under the microscope as of late, and a man who came and saved the day last week was Abyss. Now, Hulk would like to call Abyss out and shake his hand. Abyss, come on out, brother.

Abyss’ music hits, but he isn’t coming out. How many times is TNA going to do this stupid trick? I swear it happens every couple of weeks. Hulk calls him out once more, and the music once again hits. Instead of Abyss, it’s…well, it’s still Abyss. Just in the Joseph Park gear. Park says he sat at home last week and watched in shock as his “brother” returned to TNA. All this time he’s been looking for Abyss. He can’t believe that Abyss was here. Hulk says he’s not playing, brother. They need Abyss more than ever, and if anyone knows where he is, it’s going to be his brother…

Devon and D’Lo Brown come out through the crowd. Devon says he’s not after Hulk; they want Abyss as well. He stuck his nose in club business. He wasn’t even the legal guy in the match last week. Abyss needs to get out here right now, not this piece of trash (Park). Devon promises that he’s going to take a chunk out of Abyss’ ass. Park asks who Devon thinks he is, talking to Hulk like that. Devon talks about interfering in family business. If it wasn’t for A and E, Park would never have to be looking for his brother. Devon and D’Lo are starting to piss him off. He’s had it with A and E, so let’s do this right now: Devon vs. Park in a match right now. Devon tells him to shut up. He’s the TV Champion. Who did Park ever beat? If he wants a piece, he needs to prove himself first. D’Lo volunteers to kick Park’s ass tonight. Hulk makes the match official, and I die a little more inside. Devon says that’s fine, as he’s got all the belief in the world in D’Lo. But make it clear to Abyss that Devon promises to take a chunk of his ass. Hulk tells him after Park beats D’Lo, he’s going to give Park the green light to tear Devon apart. Testify to that, brother.

AI sees James Storm in the back and asks about last week. Storm silently stares at the floor as we see what happened last week. He simply says, “Watch. Just watch.”

Video for Christian York. He talks about winning Gut Check and possibly getting in the BFG Series.

MATCH 1: Bobby Roode vs. World Tag Team Co-Champion Chavo Guerrero
Roode starts with a headlock into an abdominal stretch. Chavo hip tosses out. Another headlock by Roode, and Chavo fights out before getting shouldered off the ropes. Crisscross ends in a Chavo hip toss. Chavo with a drop toe-hold into a side headlock. Roode sends him into the corner, and Chavo counters with a headscissors that sends Roode to the floor. Roode avoids a plancha, then yanks Chavo to the floor before sending him into the guardrail. Roode breaks the count, then goes back on offense on Chavo before throwing him into the ring. Bodyslam by Roode, followed by a jumping kneedrop for 2. Roode chokes Chavo over the middle rope, then thumbs him in the eye in the corner. Roode hits a snapmare and follows up with a rolling neck snap. They tread punches until Roode knees him. He telegraphs a back body drop, then sends Chavo outside. Chavo lands on his feet on the apron, shoulders Roode and hits a tope con hilo. Spinning headscissors by Chavo, and he looks for a monkey flip in the corner. Roode counters and sets him on the top rope. Chavo boots him and goes for a tornado DDT. Roode throws him off, but runs right into the 3 Amigos. Chavo calls for the frog splash and goes up top, but Roode gets to his feet and sends Chavo to the floor. James Storm walks out at this point, gets in the ring with a mouthful of beer and spits it in Roode’s face.

WINNER VIA DISQUALIFICATION: Bobby Roode. Storm turns the beer bottle around and looks to crack it over Roode’s head, but Roode escapes to the floor before that can happen.

Kurt Angle is on his way out to the ring. He is apparently calling out AJ Styles yet again tonight.

Angle makes his way out and says the A and E thing has been going on for about a year now, and it’s gotten to the point where you can’t trust anyone. Even AJ walked out. Angle never backs down from a fight. When he confronted AJ, AJ walked away so Angle took the fight to him. Hulk granted a match at Slammiversary, and it’s Angle/AJ one more time. But Angle doesn’t want to wait until Slammiversary to kick his ass; he wants to do it right now, so bring it on. Instead of AJ, Mr. Anderson makes his way through the crowd. Anderson says Angle sounds like a woman. He needs to get it through his thick skull that AJ is not his boy, and he’s very proud to tell Angle and all of these idiots here that next Thursday, live from Tampa, FL, everyone will witness the patching in of AJ Styles. And he dares Angle to show up. He’s going to get destroyed. Angle says he doesn’t want to wait to next week to fight, so he sucker-punches Anderson and beats him down. AJ enters the ring through the crowd and nails Angle with a Ghetto Blaster. Instead of leaving with Anderson through the crowd, though, he leaves by going up the ramp.

Video for Jay Bradley now.

MATCH 2-Bound For Glory Series qualifier semi-final round match: Jay Bradley vs. Christian York
Whoever wins this match faces the winner of Alex Silva/Sam Shaw at Slammiversary, and the winner of that gets entered in the BFG Series. Bradley backs York into the corner, then shoves him. York shoves back and rolls him up for 1. Arm wringer by York into an armbar. He goes for a roll-up, but Bradley decks him. They trade punches until Bradley pancakes York and follows up with a big boot for 2. Bradley hits some forearms to the back, followed by elbows to the chin. York fights back before getting hit with a kneelift. Bradley applies a rear chinlock now, but York armdrags out of it. He ducks a clothesline and hits a springboard back elbow. Bradley comes back with a bodyslam and calls for the Boom Stick. York moves out of the way and goes to the corner, where he hits a kick to the head and some chops. Bradley reverses a corner whip, but York counters the counters into a headscissors into the turnbuckles. York hits the Dreamscape and goes for the Mood Swing. Bradley escapes, and now they trade punches. York dominates, ducks a clothesline, hits a spinning back kick and goes for a monkey flip in the corner. Bradley counters and sets him on the top rope, avoids a dive and lands the Boom Stick for 3.

WINNER: Jay Bradley. Christy Hemme congratulates Bradley on the win and asks what it would mean to move onto the BFG Series. He says he’s one step closer to the series, and that means one step closer to being your World Champion.

AI stops James Storm as he’s coming out of Hulk’s office. Apparently, Hulk laid into him and he’s pissed. He then tells AI to just keep watching.

We see A and E celebrating in the back. Anderson says if there’s any question as to where AJ’s loyalties lie, the questioning is over. He can’t wait until next week. Speaking of patching in, he tells D’Lo he’s in a bad way. D’Lo needs to kick Park’s ass tonight to get his vest back.

Before the next match starts, we see Brooke Hogan talking to Mickie James. She congratulates James on her new album. James says she appreciates that, and she’d also appreciate more spotlight at Slammiversary. Brooke says she knows how bad James wants to dominate the KO division. Next week, she’s giving James a title match against Velvet Sky. Bully Ray walks in, which scares James off. He corners Brooke and tells her to tell dad that when he gets in the ring with Sting tonight, it won’t be a contract signing; it’ll be a negotiation. He says he’ll never divorce her after she asks about it.

MATCH 3: Gail Kim vs. Knockouts Champion Velvet Sky (non-title)
Sky avoids a kick, blocks a second and trips Kim. Armdrag by Sky, followed by another one and a snap suplex. Forearm shots to the face, followed by a running facebuster. Sky stomps Kim in the corner, ducks a clotheslines and hits a spinning headscissors. Corner clothesline connects. Kim blocks an axe kick and drops Sky’s leg across her shoulder. Kim begins attacking the leg, applying a legbar and hitting some elbows to the knee. She drags the leg to the apron, slamming it across. Kim gets back in, and Sky tries to fight her off. Kim trips and hits a leg DDT. In the corner, Kim ties the leg up, then drops across the back of the knee. More kicks to the leg before hotshotting it across the middle rope. Kim applies a modified scorpion deathlock, but Sky gets a rope break. Kim then goes for a stretch muffler, which is an awesome submission that isn’t seen often enough. Sky gets another rope break, so Kim backs her into the corner and foot-chokes her. Sky reverses a corner whip, but Kim blocks the charge. Kim goes up top, and Sky pulls her down with a modified iconoclasm. Both are back up now, and Sky hits a pair of jumping clotheslines, followed by a couple of kicks. Her knee gives out on her, but she gets back up and goes for the In Yo Face. Kim escapes and chopblocks her. Sky boots her into the corner and schoolgirls her for 3.

WINNER: Velvet Sky. I’m glad Kim is staring to break out the awesome submission holds again. Anyway, she drags Sky to the corner after the match and applies the corner figure-4. ODB eventually manages to get the hold broken.

Chris Sabin is talking about Kenny King, saying he’s the king of nothing. He’s not the best wrestler either, as that’s Chris Sabin. Cut to King, and he disagrees because he’s the champion. He doesn’t call himself King just because he has lips; he does it because he’s royalty around here. This segues to Petey Williams, and he calls King a thief, stealing victories in the three-way matches lately. Petey thinks he has a solution to the King problem.

Another video for Suicide. He returns next week.

MATCH 4-3-Way Match for the World X-Division Championship: Petey Williams vs. Chris Sabin vs. Kenny King (Champion)
Not one guy in this match got an entrance. Nice. King immediately slides to the floor to let Petey and Sabin duke it out. Sabin applies a side headlock. Petey counters into his own. They trade several holds and armdrag variations. Petey trips Sabin into the middle rope, but gets tripped by King and dragged to the outside, where King rams him into the guardrail. Have I mentioned how much I hate recapping 3-way matches? King gets in, where Sabin blocks a kick and trips him. Sabin fires off some knife-edge chops before getting hit with a back elbow. King ducks a clothesline and hits a Ghetto Blaster. Petey shoulders King and hits a slingshot lung blower before nailing Sabin with a dropkick for 1. Sabin rolls to the floor, and King attacks Petey from behind, choking him over the tope rope before snapping him backwards for 1. King nails Petey in the corner, then baseball slides Sabin. Corner whip for Petey, and Petey crashes to the mat. Bodyslam by King, followed by a springboard legdrop for 2. King applies a grounded abdominal stretch, but Petey fights out. King knees him and hotshots him over the top rope. Petey ducks a springboard, and Sabin comes in with some clotheslines and a forearm on King. Back suplex into a bridge gets 2. Petey goes after Sabin, but gets hit with a chop. Petey backdrops him over the top rope in the corner, but Sabin lands on his feet on the apron. Petey nails a forearm to the face, then hits a suicide dive. Back in, Petey hits a spinning headscissors into a side-Russian legsweep into a crucifix on King for 2. Petey hits a cradled complete shot for 2, then calls for the Canadian Destroyer. Sabin comes in and clotheslines him. King reverses a corner whip by Sabin, but Sabin blocks the charge and goes for a tornado DDT. King counters and hits a kick to the head before nailing a roundhouse on Petey for 2. Petey goes to the middle rope for a cross-body, but King catches him and hits a sidewinder into a backbreaker for 2. Royal Flush time, but Sabin pulls Petey down and hits a spinning back kick on King. Sabin lands a step-up enziguri on King, then puts him in the tree of woe. Petey is back up, goes for the Destroyer, but Sabin does a weird counter into a fireman’s carry. He then hits a running DVD on Petey into King, who is still tied up in the corner. Sabin hits a powerbomb, followed by a running seated dropkick. King drops him with a dropkick, then hits the Royal Flush on Petey for 3.

WINNER AND STILL CHAMPION: Kenny King.

We see Bad Influence in the dressing room. Christopher Daniels is worried about James Storm, and both members agree he’s a jerk. Daniels wants Kazarian in his corner for his match against Hernandez tonight. Kaz says Storm is afraid of both them.

We see D’Lo Brown and Mr. Anderson talking about tonight’s match. D’Lo says everything has been spiraling out of control, and Anderson blames it on D’Lo burying Wes Brisco and Garett Bischoff. D’Lo says he messed up and is going to try to fix it. Anderson says he’s pulling for D’Lo.

MATCH 5: Christopher Daniels (w/Kazarian) vs. World Tag Team Co-Champion Hernandez
Hernandez backs Daniels into a corner out of a lock-up. Daniels thumbs him in the eye off the clean break, then stomps him in the corner before choking him. Daniels goes for a bodyslam, but can’t lift Hernandez. Hernandez counters into a delayed vertical suplex. Hernandez boots him, then hits an over-the-shoulder backbreaker drop. Hernandez goes to the ramp on the outside and nails an outside-in Air Mexico. Kaz trips Hernandez from behind, and Daniels lands a clothesline to the back of the head. Stomps by Daniels, and he follows up with a Nightmare on Helms Street for 2 before throwing Hernandez to the floor. Outside, Kaz stomps Hernandez down while Daniels distracts the referee. Hernandez recovers as Daniels taunts the crowd, hitting a slingshot shoulderblock. He follows up with a clothesline and a Polish Hammer before hip tossing Daniels out of the corner. He misses an avalanche in the opposite corner, and Daniels calls for Angel’s Wings. Hernandez escapes as James Storm makes his way out, beer in hand once again. Kaz bails to the floor from the ramp, and as Daniels is distracted, Hernandez hits a Pounce for 3.

WINNER: Hernandez. James Storm takes a mic and says that Hulk told him there would be repercussions for his actions before telling him to make an announcement. That announcement is that Chavo & Hernandez will defend the titles against Aries & Roode as well as Bad Influence…and Storm with a partner of his choice. Insert stupid catchphrase.

MATCH 6: D’Lo Brown vs. Joseph Park
So much for the Park gimmick being dead. D’Lo goes on the attack with a kneelift and a forearm to the back. D’Lo hits some forearms to the face and follows up with a bodyslam. Park ducks a clothesline and hits some punches before running into a back elbow that knocks him to the floor. D’Lo follows, slamming him face-first into the apron before rolling him back in the ring. Park fights back from his knees before getting dropkicked in the knee. D’Lo hits a shining enziguri in super slo-mo, then lands a low clothesline. Park makes it to his feet in the corner, where D’Lo corner whips him. Park dodges a charge and schoolboys him for 2. D’Lo gets back up and hits a jumping side kick before hitting a corner clothesline. D’Lo hits some rights to the head before arguing with the referee. He goes back to the rights, and busts Park open in the process. Park gets up and looks at the blood, which causes him to snap. He nails a pair of clotheslines, follows up with an avalanche, and the Black Hole Slam gets 3.

WINNER: Joseph Park. Park snaps out of his daze and begins asking the ref what happened.

The main event contract signing is up next.

JB is in the ring with a podium. No table, though. What the hell kind of wrestling contract signing is this? Bully Ray comes out first, then knocks JB on his ass and gets him out of the ring. Okay, I like that. Ray then ruins things by asking if we know who he is. He is Bully Ray, from “God’s country” in Hell’s Kitchen. He’s the president of Aces and Eights, and the World Champion. He’s the guy that defeated Jeff Hardy. He’s the guy that took Hardy out at his own game-Full Metal Mayhem. He’s also the guy who will defeat Sting at Slammiversary. Sting, he knows you’re listening and all of his fans can’t wait for him to get out here, but like he told Brooke earlier, this will be more of a negotiation than a signing. Sting probably has some “stips” (stipulations) he wants to lay out, so Ray is all ears. Sting comes out, and Ray tells him to stop on the ramp. He wants this to be official, with no discrepancies. Hulk, you may want to come out and listen to this. Come out, dad. Hulk comes out and stops on the stage as Sting is allowed to enter the ring. Ray says this is the first time he and Sting have been face-to-face since Ray screwed him over. Since he screwed Hulk over. And everyone knows how bad he was screwing Brooke over. If Sting is looking for an apology, he isn’t getting one. Sting says he doesn’t care. When Ray gets to Boston, he should take Sting’s arm and snap it in two. He should pull Sting’s kneecap off. Dislocate his elbow. Rip his throat right out. Take his finger, and gouge Sting’s eye out. Make him bleed. Ray asks why Sting is telling him to do this. Sting says if Ray doesn’t do it to him, he’s going to do it to Ray. He doesn’t care if it’s in the ring, out of the ring, in the concession stands, in the rafters, in the crowd…he’s going to make Ray bleed in Boston. He doesn’t have any demands, but since Ray is asking, he’s come up with one: he wants a No Holds Barred match. Ray says he bets everyone would love to see him bleed at Sting’s hands. Sting has got his match, on one condition: Sting agrees that, when Ray beats him, he never wrestles for the World title ever again. Hulk starts to interrupt, but Ray cuts him off and screams at him. He’s not saying Sting has to retire. He doesn’t want Sting to retire. He wants Sting to wrestle until the day he dies, knowing he can never wear the World title again. Hulk tells Sting he doesn’t have to do this. Ray says Hulk is running his mouth, making decisions for Sting again. Man up. Will you agree to the match, yes or no? Sting says yes, and Ray shoves him. Sting comes back with rights, and now they’re trading blows.

End of show.

-Dustin

Dustin Nichols is a freelance writer, and you can keep track of all of his work on his Facebook page, which can be found at www.facebook.com/DustinNicholsWriter. Oh, and if you like bodybuilding, check out his mom’s official site by clicking the banner below:

WWE.com recently posted a story on the possibility of Paul Heyman perhaps “scouting” for new talent. Heyman is of course Brock Lesnar’s advocate, as well as former WWE Champion CM Punk, who is currently on sabbatical from the company. It seems that perhaps WWE is finally seeing how important Heyman is to them and is choosing to recognize it with this story.

Who said Vince McMahon is not listening?

From the moment that Paul Heyman returned to WWE, fans have been singing his praises. This is nothing unusual, as Paul has always had a strong connection to the people.

There is something very profound in that statement, by the way. Maybe Paul should seek political office when he decides he’s done putting other guys over.

“Take your vote to the extreme this November. Vote for Paul Heyman, the real people’s champion.”

The fact is that there is something about Paul that just draws you to him. He has an air of importance about him, a presence that cannot be denied. Whenever he appears on the screen, you cannot help but stop. And when he speaks, you cannot help but listen.

And you’re usually very glad you did.

Paul is genuine. He can be over the top at times, but at his core, he is a very believable figure. In a world full of fictional characters speaking rehearsed lines to other fictional characters in the midst of one unrealistic situation after another, Paul Heyman is one of the few guys who actually feel like a real person.

The truth is, we’re all in the Matrix and Paul Heyman is the only one who knows it.

When he was first paired with CM Punk during Punk’s record breaking WWE Title run, I along with many fans out there likely said the same thing.

I love Heyman, but Punk doesn’t need him.

Punk is a master orator, a man who makes you think every time he speaks. He has the ability to cut straight to the heart of the matter and make your mind go places you had not anticipated. He is a genius on the mic.

If CM Punk had delivered the prosecution’s closing statement, OJ Simpson would have been convicted of double murder.

But Paul Heyman only added to Punk’s character, he did not weaken it at all. He enhanced Punk’s verbal delivery by being concise while also being as entertaining as possible. Heyman knew what his role was and he played it perfectly.

The Punk/Heyman combo never failed to impress. They were perfect together.

When Paul was placed back with Brock Lesnar as The Anomaly was ravaging his way through WWE and headed for a collision with Triple H, I again said what many fans out there were likely saying.

I love Heyman; Brock is just awful without him.

Paul stepped up and did what he does best. He became the mouthpiece, the guide. He took one look at the Superstar in front of him and knew just what he had to do in order to help the guy get where he needed to be. And when he stood at ringside with both Brock and Punk, he was not the attraction. He never got in the way. He only reinforced the talent that was working in the ring.

Just what a great manager is supposed to do.

But when he began representing both Brock Lesnar and CM Punk, fans began to wonder when all three men would be seen on screen together. A new partnership, with Heyman at the helm. The evil genius takes over and we bear witness to a new day in WWE.

Only it never happened.

When Punk decided to take a much deserved leave of the business in order to heal up for a few months, fans began to use their imaginations once again. This time, it was to wonder if the company would give Heyman a new talent, another Superstar to work with and perhaps take to the next level.

So, is it happening?

Is Vince McMahon listening? WWE is a big company with a lot of employees, some of whom are surely reading the dirt sheets, rumor sites and breaking news blogs. Did the story posted on WWE.com come as a result of one of those sites?

Or did it perhaps come from Paul Heyman himself? Is he working behind the scenes, maybe pitching a creative idea or two about taking a new Superstar under his wing? Is he pulling some strings, putting key elements in place for another Superstar?

Come to think of it, maybe Heyman built the Matrix. That would explain a lot.

Truth be told, I was a little disappointed to read the story of Paul Heyman scouting for new talent. Not because I don’t want to see it happen, but because I like to be surprised by this kind of thing. And now that WWE has put the idea out there, the novelty of it will surely wear off soon if it hasn’t already.

Who knows, maybe the piece was just a big bunch of nothing, put out purely for the sake of thumbing their nose at guys like me who love writing about this stuff.

But I hope not, because the more Paul Heyman I can get on my TV, the happier I am. The guy is so good at what he does and is such a pro that the programming and indeed the product is so much better because of him. The fans want Heyman. He has that connection and there can be no denying that.

Power to the people.

Follow Tom on Twitter @tomclarkbr

Tom Clark is a WWE Featured Columnist & Consultant for Bleacher Report and a Contributor for JBL’s Layfield Report
http://bleacherreport.com/users/316723-tom-clark & http://www.layfieldreport.com/Tom-Clark_Mark-Henry-vs-Sheamus-Determine.blog

WWE: Extreme Rules 2013 DVD

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com

On Sunday, May 19, 2013, WWE presents the 2013 edition of Extreme Rules. The PPV emanates from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. The build up to this PPV has been just average. The building of the main matches, Cena vs Ryback, HHH vs Lesnar, and the continued push of the Shield have been good. The under card matches could have been pushed better. The only thing that was pushed hard was the overdone push of Fandango.

There are a couple of interesting items to note about this PPV, which on paper, looks to be a pretty decent card. World Champion Dolph Ziggler has unfortunately been pulled from the PPV due to a severe concussion that he suffered at a show. Therefore, the PPV features this #1 contenders match between the two men who would have been in the three way match.

John Cena is dealing with what was announced by WWE.com as an “Achilles injury,” but is now believed to be a very badly bruised heel. Cena suffered the injury during the European Tour, and has yet to miss an appearance. Of course, WWE is playing up the Achilles injury in his match against Ryback.

Well, without further ado, here are my predictions for the PPV.

PRE-SHOW MATCH ON YOUTUBE: – The Miz vs. Cody Rhodes

The Miz has been gone for awhile as he has been filming some Christmas special for WWE. What’s happened to Cody Rhodes and his push? I could not care less who wins.

Prediction: Miz wins.

EXTREME RULES MATCH – Randy Orton vs. Big Show

I know Randy Orton has two strikes against him. I know those strikes are all his fault, but a feud against the Big Show? Seriously? They could have Orton doing something at a higher level than this, in my opinion.

As of this writing, I don’t know what the stipulation is, but it is an Extreme Rules match.

Prediction: I think Big Show takes this one.

EXTREME RULES MATCH – Fandango vs. Chris Jericho

I know Jericho is there to put guys over, and he doesn’t mind doing it. I just can not stand this Fandango. Yeah, with that “smart crowd” after Mania, he got over a bit, but now, he’s back to the same old thing.

However, Fandango does seem to be getting over as a heel, but I don’t know if it is because he is doing it on his own, or if it is because he is working with Jericho. I will reserve judgment till Fandango works with someone else.

I am getting tired of this feud anyway. I hope this is the end of it.

Prediction: Fandango won at Mania. Seems logical that Jericho gets his win back. However, they are pushing this Fandango hard, so I think he sneaks away with another win. Winner: Fandango

STRAP MATCH – Sheamus vs. Mark Henry

This feud has been just average. I don’t think there is anything special here. I admit Mark Henry has been very good since returning from injury. Sheamus is a bit goofy in this feud.

Prediction: Mark Henry

STEEL CAGE MATCH – Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar

This is going to be a pretty good match. Could be a contender for Match of the Night, if both Hunter and Brock perform up to their level. The buildup has been pretty good. Paul Heyman has been gold. It was cool to see HHH and Lesnar go at it in the cage. Honestly, I would not have had the two competitors touch at the go home Raw, but that is just me. I am just a mere fan, so what do I know?

Will Lesnar turn on Heyman? How involved will Heyman be? Those questions will be answered in this match.

Prediction: I think Brock will and should win this match.

TAG TEAM TITLE TORNADO MATCH – Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins vs. Kane (C) and Daniel Bryan (C)

Since they’ve arrived, the Shield have just dominated everyone they’ve faced. They have come from the crowd to attack WWE Superstars. The Undertaker was not even safe from them. Now, two members, Reigns and Rollins want the Tag Titles from current holders, Team Hell No, who have been trying to stand up to the Shield, with no avail.

Prediction: I think that is time for a title change, and I also think it is about time for some sort of end game. I mean, I have seen groups like the Nexus, Evolution, etc. come in and attack people. I felt that those groups were validated when they got a title, and defended them. I mean, any group can come in and attack people. Anyway, I do love the Shield, and I think Reigns and Rollins will be the new Tag Champs.

WWE US TITLE MATCH- Dean Ambrose vs. Kofi Kingston (C)

Kofi Kingston is another star that has been attacked by the Shield. He defends his title against Dean Ambrose, who I think is the star of the Shield. Ambrose is the best talker, and worker of the group, in my opinion. I think he is going to be a huge star once the Shield is inevitably dissolved. This should be a very good match.

Prediction: Ambrose is the new US Title Champion.

I Quit Contenders Match – Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger

This is the match that came about due to World Champion Dolph Ziggler’s injury. Del Rio and Swagger have been feuding with each other. As this is an “I Quit” match, I am sure the side kicks of both Swagger (Zeb Colter) and Del Rio (Ricardo Rodriquez) are going to get involved.

Prediction: As Ziggler (C) is a heel, I would suspect that WWE would go heel vs face, so I think the winner will be Albertooooooooooooooo Del Rioooooooooooooo (Sorry Ricardo.)

LAST MAN STANDING MATCH FOR THE WWE TITLE – Ryback vs. John Cena (C)

Here we go again. Almost every time John Cena faces a 300+ man at Extreme Rules or whatever, he is always placed in a Last Man Standing Match. I guess WWE likes to show him as “Super Cena.” Well, he is going to have to be that and more with that heel injury he has.

I don’t know what is up with Ryback. WWE keeps having him LOSE at PPVs. How are fans supposed to take him seriously as a new star if they keep having the dude lose at PPVs? It is hard to take him seriously at all if fans know he is losing.

Prediction: John Cena, who else?

Well, that is my preview of the Extreme Rules PPV. I hope you enjoyed it.

Terri Bey currently blogs for CamelClutchBlog.com about Wrestling, NFL, and other sports/pop culture related subjects. Her work has appeared in BleacherReport and for F4WOnline.com. Terri can be found here at Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/TerriBey and at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/giopontifan

WWE: Extreme Rules 2013 DVD

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

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WWE Wrestler of the Week returns and although it doesn’t make a difference for this week, there has been a change in determining the winner. For now on, WWE superstars can earn bonus points for exceptional appearances other than winning matches. For example, Mark Henry earned bonus points for breaking a world record when he dragged two trailer tractors. Also, Triple H earned bonus points for convincing Brock Lesnar to get in the steel cage with him and then forced him to retreat with Paul Heyman. However, this week’s winner was 2-0 as United States Champion Kofi Kingston receives the award.

On the May 10th edition of SmackDown, Kofi Kingston was victorious against the Master of Moustaches Cody Rhodes. It was a match of two of the less successful superstars in recent memory, but it was nice to see Kofi get a win. WWE has booked the midcard champions to look weak way too often recently. This match also showed WWE fans that Team Rhodes Scholars will only wrestle in tag team matches occasionally. While the team should have been tag champions at one point, with Money in the Bank not far away, perhaps Rhodes or Sandow could walk away with a briefcase. Regardless, Kofi needed to win a match while he is still U.S. Champion and he did just that.

Speaking of Team Rhodes Scholars, on the May 13th edition of Raw, Kingston was successful against Rhodes’ partner Damien Sandow. The Intellectual Savior of the Masses did not serenade us with another mockery of entrance music. Once again, Kofi earns a win against another superstar in need of a victory. It was also announced on Raw that Kingston will defend the United States title against Dean Ambrose of the Shield.

When Kingston won the U.S. Championship from Antonio Cesaro a number of weeks ago, the speculation of the next champion already began. Kingston is clearly a transitional champion from one up and coming heel to another. Fandango’s revolution was high at the time and I thought that he was going to be the next United States Champion. Big E Langston was another superstar who could have won the belt since Dolph Ziggler is now World Heavyweight Champion and AJ Lee is likely going to be the next Divas Champion.

However, WWE is being wise by putting the title on Dean Ambrose. His partners, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins will likely become the tag team champions at Extreme Rules. Instead of having Team Ziggler full of gold, it is The Shield that will rule the company’s titles. The Shield is one of the best groups in the WWE today and possibly of all-time. Since the group has already defeated the top names in the company, it is time for Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns to begin winning titles.

This week was one of those times when a superstar looks strong going into a pay-per-view match where he is going to lose. Kofi Kingston was the only superstar to finish the week undefeated in two matches, but at the same time, he is going to lose at Extreme Rules.

Who do you think deserves the WWE Wrester of the Week this time? Will Kofi Kingston lose the U.S. title to Dean Ambrose at Extreme Rules? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

And be sure to check out Camel Clutch Blog each and every Friday for a new WWE Wrestler of the Week!

What do you think of my WWE Extreme Rules 2013 predictions? Do you agree or disagree? Why? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Seth M. Guttenplan is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. To read more from Seth follow him on twitter (@sethgutt) and check out guttwrenchpowerblog.com. You can also like GWP on Facebook here.

WWE: Extreme Rules 2013 DVD

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

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Antonio Cesaro has turned into the new Dolph Ziggler among pro wrestling fans in the social networking community. Recent squashes and reports reveal that WWE Creative find him boring which is ironic because I could say the same thing about WWE Creative.

The crusade for Antonio Cesaro has replaced the “push Dolph Ziggler” campaign and its predecessor “push Daniel Bryan” campaigns among vocal fans on the Internet. A growing community fans have become outraged and disappointed with Cesaro’s push in the WWE. I am one of them. A new report sheds some light on it and also reveals a situation that is much more disappointing than Cesaro’s run.

Dave Meltzer on recent F4Wonline.com podcasts and his Wrestling Observer newsletter revealed that WWE Creative isn’t pushing Cesaro for a reason. They find him boring. Meltzer reports that while Cesaro has plenty of support inside the locker room, the team with the pencils is not enamored with his solid ring work.

“There are those who think he should be in the top mix right now but there are others who find him boring, including some of the most important people, and that’s why he’s in the position he’s in even with his size and in-ring.”

I thought I was being ribbed by Meltzer when I first read that on his site. How can anyone find Cesaro boring? In my opinion, Cesaro is one of the top five workers in the ring today and probably for the last few years. The real issue to worry about here is that you have a team of writers led by Vince McMahon who are not only unable to see talent, but they find it boring. That is scary to me.

I have been a fan personally and professionally of Cesaro’s for years. I first met Cesaro as an announcer for Combat Zone Wrestling. Chris Hero mentored him and brought him into CZW once Cesaro, then Claudio Castagnoli came to the United States. I was immediately enamored by Claudio and always looked forward to calling his matches. Immediately I saw a guy that should be headlining shows in the WWE.

Cesaro traveled a long road since then and after solidifying himself as one of the premiere talents in the sport in ROH, finally landed a WWE deal. I was excited and expected him to climb the ranks quickly. How could he not? The second he steps into the ring he is one of the best in the company. Yet here we are and he is not much further ahead today than he was when he first signed.

I honestly don’t get it. A lot of fans were upset when he was not booked on WrestleMania 29. Even CM Punk wore a Cesaro shirt to a Mania presser as what appeared to be a sign of support. I wasn’t as angry as those fans. I saw it as the company keeping Cesaro off of WrestleMania to preserve him before a headlining run post-Mania. As a matter of a fact I probably would have argued with you at the time that he was gearing up as Cena’s first challenger to headline shows coming out of Mania. I mean that would be the only reason you’d keep him off right? Boy was I wrong.

Cesaro was not only kept off of Mania, but he wasn’t booked consistently at all. Finally he was given time on WWE Main Event and had a fantastic match against Kofi Kingston. The match reportedly opened up some eyes in the WWE. How could they not see the talent in this guy after such a great match? Go ahead and ask them because two weeks later he is getting squashed on RAW.

Look I understand that there will be times that I become a fan of someone who just doesn’t fit the headlining mold in the WWE. But come on! Cesaro is boring and yet I still see guys like The Miz getting booked in bigger spots than Cesaro. Quite frankly I’d say about half of the roster are boring these days. The company’s perception of boring is troubling if they can completely miss the boat on someone as talented as Cesaro.

At the end of the day Cesaro is still employed by the WWE and making a good wage. For that, I am not outraged or sympathetic to him. I just wonder if the right people are writing these shows when they label someone as talented as Cesaro, boring. That to me is the biggest problem here.

What is WWE Creative’s job anyway? Aren’t they supposed to oh I don’t know…create! If Cesaro is as boring as they think he is, whose fault is that? You have a guy with a good look, charisma, and outstanding ring work who you perceive the fans are finding boring and you blame him? What am I missing here because I have to be missing something?

Is there still time for Cesaro? Of course. He can shoot back to the top with a Money in the Bank win, a reunion with Chris Hero, or maybe something hot with John Cena. We have seen the WWE go hot and cold numerous times on guys for years before they finally give them the confidence they need for a big run. Unfortunately I have less faith in that happening now than ever before.

WWE: Extreme Rules 2013 DVD

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

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This Sunday, WWE presents its most hardcore and yes, extreme, pay-per-view of the year at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. After WrestleMania 29’s disappointing outcome, WWE has to really impress the fans with quality matches and more importantly, smart booking. The results of WrestleMania 29 were incredibly predictable and the only surprising outcome was another Ryback loss, which was not smart booking.

With that said I will break down each scheduled match for Extreme Rules and try my best to predict the outcomes. I hope that WWE surprises me as well as other fans in a smart and logical way.

The Miz vs. Cody Rhodes (Pre-Show)
For the second pre-show in a row, WWE’s Awesome Superstar, The Miz will be in action as he faces the Master of Moustaches Cody Rhodes. Unfortunately, this match is even less meaningful than past pre-show matches.

In the recent past, the Intercontinental, United States of Divas title has been involved during the pre-show. However, this Sunday two irrelevant superstars square off. The Miz just returned after filming a movie for ABC Family, while Cody Rhodes has been jobbing to the stars.

If the Miz challenged Wade Barrett for the Intercontinental title, it would have made a lot more sense. They each have one win against one another so a tiebreaker is needed. Plus, Wade Barrett is not scheduled for a match at Extreme Rules.

Regardless, I see Miz as being just a tad more relevant than Rhodes. Look for the Miz to squeak out a win here and continue down midcard road.

Prediction: The Miz

Chris Jericho vs. Fandango
As expected, the WrestleMania feud between Chris Jericho and Fandango has continued and they will meet again this Sunday at Extreme Rules. This is a match that I predicted right after WrestleMania to see again this month and the outcome should not be any different. Chris Jericho has nothing to gain by defeating Fandango. Although it is not his debut, Fandango is a project that WWE is looking to push.

I would not have been surprised to see Fandango challenging for the U.S. title after Kofi Kingston defeated Ambrose, but I will get to that later. Fandango could be an eventual midcard champion, but WWE decided to finish his feud with Jericho first.

Prediction: Fandango

Sheamus vs. Mark Henry (Strap Match)
In another meaningless match, Sheamus and Mark Henry square off in a strap match. However, I give credit to the Celtic Warrior, World’s Strongest Man and WWE for building this feud quite well. Despite there not being a reason for it, other than they both like to fight, Sheamus and Mark Henry’s attacks on one another have been done quite well.

This match could go either way. Mark Henry can continue his dominance since returning from injury and make a good case as to why he should have been involved in the WWE title scene. If Sheamus wins, he could also make a good case for another run at the World Heavyweight title. We witnessed a number of Sheamus-Ziggler matches when Sheamus was champion, but would it be any different with Ziggler holding the title?

While many WWE fans focus on how Ryback hasn’t won a pay-per-view in months, when was the last time Sheamus did? Survivor Series in November. By disqualification.

Prediction: Mark Henry

Randy Orton vs. Big Show (Extreme Rules Match)
While Sheamus and Mark Henry have been building their meaningless match well, Randy Orton and Big Show have failed in making their feud interesting. Although some blame goes to WWE for repeatedly booking Orton against Antonio Cesaro at least three times a week (or so it seems), Orton and Show are boring. Their characters are boring and they have no direction in WWE today.

Luckily for them, the extreme rules stipulation will at least add something interesting to the match. Both seasoned veterans of wrestling, Orton and Show will hopefully provide an entertaining match. Regardless, I couldn’t care less who wins.

Prediction: Randy Orton

United States Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Dean Ambrose
The first of the more interesting matches of the night, Dean Ambrose will challenge Kofi Kingston for the United States Championship. The outcome is obvious here. Kofi defeated Cesaro in a shocking turn of events, but for a reason. Kofi is a transitional champion. WWE is using him to move the belt from one young up and coming heel, to another.

There is no way WWE would book this match and have Ambrose lose. Kofi is in the midcard for his life, while Ambrose is part of one of the best groups in WWE history. The outcome is also given away since Ambrose’s partners will be challenging for the WWE tag team titles. Expect Extreme Rules to belong to the Shield.

Prediction: NEW United States Champion Dean Ambrose

WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No vs. The Shield’s Reigns and Rollins (Tag Team Tornado Match)
As discussed before, May 19^th will belong to The Shield, as all three members should go home with a championship. While Ambrose wins the United States title, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns will defeat Team Hell No. Kane and Daniel Bryan have dominated the weak tag team division since September, but it seems as though their reign is finally coming to an end. Like with Ambrose and Kingston, there is no way WWE would have Team Hell No win. It would be considered an epic fail.

The question does remain whether Kane and Bryan will break-up or simply just lose the match. I had suggested a scenario where Bryan turns on Kane, but most people probably expect Kane to go all big red monster and attack Bryan after the match.

Regardless of who turns on who, The Shield will continue their dominance and have Rollins and Reigns capture the tag team titles.

Prediction: NEW Tag Team Champions The Shield’s Reigns and Rollins

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar (Steel Cage Match)
Although this match was considered by one we would definitely not see at Extreme Rules, here we are with yet another Triple H and Brock Lesnar match. I am probably the least interested in this feud and match, though I know I am not the only one. At the same time, it is a match that Brock Lesnar needs to win. Triple H, like Chris Jericho, doesn’t gain anything by winning. However, with Brock winning, he could move on to something more meaningful in the coming months. Lesnar could challenge John Cena in the future for the WWE title or sets his sight on the World Heavyweight title.

Like Henry and Sheamus though, Lesnar and Triple H do a quality job of building their feud, despite the lack of meaning. It bothers me the most when these two stars are involved in the ending segment on Raw. It makes the whole show much weaker. In any case, WWE would be making a huge mistake by giving Triple H another win against Lesnar.

Prediction: Brock Lesnar

Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger (‘I Quit’ Match)
Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger’s match is an unfortunate situation as Dolph Ziggler was supposed to be in the match and win it. However, after suffering a concussion, WWE made the right choice and removed him to allow him to rest. Now Del Rio and Swagger will square off in a number one contender’s match.

Regardless of the outcome, I expected this to be Swagger’s last time in the World Heavyweight title scene. I figured Del Rio would finally have a one-on-one feud with the superstar who cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase. This I Quit match should still solve that issue and have Del Rio win. Ziggler and Del Rio will then square off at June’s pay-per-view, Payback.

Regardless, Ziggler will be champion for the foreseeable future.

Prediction: Alberto Del Rio

WWE Champion John Cena vs. Ryback (Last Man Standing Match)
The WWE title match between John Cena and Ryback is one that I believe is much more difficult to predict than people think. I wrote an entire article on Bleacher Report about why Ryback should win. I still think it makes more sense. Cena is much better at chasing the title than having the title. Plus, Cena doesn’t have many challengers that he hasn’t feuded with in the past. With Ryback as champion, there are a number of top babyfaces to challenge him. Sheamus, Randy Orton and maybe even Daniel Bryan would make for a fresh new feud.

The one aspect that makes Cena a good choice to win here, is his work outside the ring with Make-A-Wish and whether or not Ryback deserves the title. Ryback may have just been put in this situation due to the lack of other options. It’s the same reason why he challenged CM Punk at the end of 2012. With Cena injured at the time, Ryback was the only reasonable superstar to take his place. I am going to go with my original thinking here and that is to make Ryback finally win the WWE title.

Prediction: NEW WWE Champion Ryback

What do you think of my WWE Extreme Rules 2013 predictions? Do you agree or disagree? Why? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Seth M. Guttenplan is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. To read more from Seth follow him on twitter (@sethgutt) and check out guttwrenchpowerblog.com. You can also like GWP on Facebook here.

WWE: Extreme Rules 2013 DVD

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

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There is a problem growing in the WWE recently that I don’t ever remember being this bad until now and that’s been how every match in the company has been poorly “setup” leading to a PPV match.

On paper the WWE has given us The Rock vs. John Cena II, The Undertaker vs. CM Punk, Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar II (soon-to-be III as well), Chris Jericho vs. Fandango I (soon-to-be II as well), Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger I (soon-to-be II as well), John Cena vs. Ryback and the underrated Kofi Kingston vs. Dean Ambrose match. While on paper those are all very solid matches to be showcasing on WWE television, they haven’t gotten over with the fans as well as one would think. The excitement for these matches hasn’t been that strong at all.

Now I know it’s easy to blame the WWE creative team for all these faults and that’s what I plan on doing right now because more then ever this has been their fault.

I’ve defended the WWE creative team and I’ve bashed the WWE creative team in my history of writing blogs for the CCB. I know it’s trendy to take the side of “negativity” in professional wrestling but when the creative team does something right they should be praised. When they do something wrong, they should be equal parts bashed.

The “setup,” build or whatever you want to call it for WrestleMania 29 just wasn’t there this year. There has been reports out there that creative had a “shake up” in March, weeks out from WrestleMania and that there card was ever-changing but that shouldn’t be an excuse for the company nearing their biggest show of the year. While it was a “solid” WrestleMania this year, I still felt like I was left wanting more and not because of the great in-ring work of the wrestlers, but because the company just didn’t deliver on a creative level.

You would’ve thought these issues would’ve been resolved heading into WWE Extreme Rules this Sunday but they are continuing yet again.

John Cena vs. Ryback has minimal interest right now because I think a good portion of fans are still trying to get a feel for Ryback as a heel. Let’s face it, he really hasn’t been booked well lately as he lost to Mark Henry at WrestleMania and his long standing feud with “The Shield” disappeared after losing to them multiple times. When your not booked strong but are all of a sudden the #1 contender to the WWE Championship AND a heel, it’s hard for fans to get excited or into it.

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar III inside the steel cage will deliver at Sunday’s Extreme Rules PPV; there is no question about that. But the way it’s been built up has me scratching my head in disbelief and really wanting to see more but not given the opportunity by the WWE creative team. They have a “gold mine” on their hands and I feel like they aren’t tapping into this “rubber match’s” highest potential, something they were highly criticized for during The Rock’s recent run.
WWE’s saving grace lately has been “The Shield” and I’m even confused on how they will be used this Sunday at Extreme Rules. Fortunately for the WWE creative team this confusion is also inspired by a bit of intrigue since “The Shield” could go in so many different directions this Sunday. The one direction the WWE creative team can’t do is not having one at all.

I really believe wrestling fans have every right to be upset with the WWE creative team currently. It hasn’t been there best television lately and we right smack in the middle of “WrestleMania hangover season” where the WWE quiets down for a bit heading into SummerSlam.

While the wrestlers are doing their part with the execution, the creative team is not living up to their end of the bargain based on the setup in recent months. This could be a very crucial time for the WWE right now, especially if ratings and PPV buyrates continue to tumble.

For more on this topic join us for the Thursday May 16th edition of “The Still Real to Us Show” and download the show at www.wheelhouseradio.com or www.wrestlechat.net.

You can listen to Jeff on “The Bower Show” every Monday – Friday from 3pm – 7pm ET on 97.9 ESPN in Hartford, CT. You can listen online at www.979espn.com

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WWE: Extreme Rules 2013 DVD

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

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