WWE Wrestler of the Week is back as we make the transition from April to May and are just a few weeks away from the Extreme Rules pay-per-view. This week’s winner is a previous recipient of the award and is making a great case for his match on May 19th. He will be involved in the triple threat ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship. This week’s winner is the “Real American” Jack Swagger.

Swagger began his successful week with a victory over former World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio on the April 26th edition of Smackdown. This was a no disqualification match that saw a ladder get involved, but this was prior to the announced stipulation for Extreme Rules. This was a very important win for Swagger as he now holds recent victories over both of his Extreme Rules opponents. Swagger defeated Ziggler on the April 15th edition of Raw and now was victorious over Del Rio.

Swagger’s win on the April 29th edition of Raw came at the expense of Zack Ryder. The Woo Woo Woo kid entered with his new long haired look and reminded Swagger and his manager Zeb Colter how Ricardo Rodriguez won the manager match earlier in the night. Regardless, the outcome was never in doubt as Ryder hasn’t won a match in ages.

Most WWE fans, including myself, are surprised to see Swagger gaining so much momentum heading into Extreme Rules 2013. After Swagger’s DUI arrest, it was expected for him to be fired or punished in some way. However, Swagger’s WrestleMania match still went on, even though Swagger was on the losing end. Then, after Ziggler cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Del Rio, many probably expected Swagger to leave the title picture again.

I believe the Extreme Rules match will be the end for Swagger’s time in the title picture. One big reason why he hasn’t been punished yet is because of the success of his character alongside manager Zeb Colter. Swagger is also the least likely to win the title at Extreme Rules so WWE had to give him momentum this week. Del Rio is the former champion and will most likely continue a one on one feud with Ziggler following the pay-per-view. Ziggler needs to win this match though. He held the Money in the Bank briefcase for nine months. WWE would be making a huge mistake if he only held the title for a month or two.

It remains to be seen what WWE chooses to do with Swagger following the pay-per-view this month. His time challenging for the World Heavyweight title may be over, but he could take the United States title from Kofi Kingston. It would work well with his “Real American” gimmick. It doesn’t appear as though Swagger will be suspended or fired at this point. WWE would also be wise to keep Colter around to help Swagger’s relevancy.

Do you agree with this week’s WWE Wrestler of the Week winner? Why or why not? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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

Seth M. Guttenplan is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and host of OH YOU DIDN’T KNOW!? PWPRadio’s weekly radio show covering all wrestling news and rumors. To read more from Seth follow him on twitter (@sethgutt) and check out guttwrenchpowerblog.com. You can also like GWP on Facebook here.

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: The Best of in Your House

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We are not getting closer to a full WWE Extreme Rules 2013 card but we at least have the main-events lined up. The WWE finally confirmed the WWE championship match we all expected, now making the top three matches official for the big May event.

The WWE announced that John Cena vs. Ryback for the WWE championship is now official for Extreme Rules. The company made the announcement on their website. This certainly isn’t a shocker but it is a little surprising that they held off the official announcement for so long. A new article on WWE.com has all of the details.

This is Extreme Rules which means that all of the matches are expected to have some kind of gimmick match attached to it. No stipulation was announced for the match, nor did they even hint that there would be one. They are doing Tables Matches on the European tour right now so my hunch is that will be the stipulation for their match. They could always go the No Holds Barred route as well. I wouldn’t expect anything else at this point in the feud.

I love the Ryback turn but I think they shot the angle too soon here. I think this one should have simmered a little more. I always preferred the old school turns where a guy turned and wrestled a top babyface or heel in his first big match before getting to the title bout. I think they should have had Ryback wrestle someone like Kofi Kingston or even The Miz and destroy them before going immediately to Cena. The match doesn’t have the anticipation you’d expect going in like a match with this storyline should.

The other factor at play here is that nobody expects Cena to lose the WWE championship in his first match. Quite frankly I think he should. What better way to get Ryback over as a monster heel than by defeating Cena in his first crack at the title? Unfortunately I just don’t see that in the plans and I have to think that nobody else does as well. That predictability on the outcome is also hurting the hype here in my opinion.

Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H in an old school Steel Cage Match is also official for the big event. I wrote extensively on this match before so I won’t spend too much time on it. My gripe here is that they are coming off of a match with a retirement stipulation. It doesn’t get any bigger than that. Unless they add in something else, the match won’t top the same kind of intensity of a career at stake. Additionally while they haven’t had bad matches, I never sensed a ground swell of demand for a third match here. At the same time I don’t know what else you’d do with Brock at this point other than a third match with Hunter.

Dolph Ziggler will make his first WWE world heavyweight championship defense on pay per view at Extreme Rules. Ziggler will defend against Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio in a Triple Threat Match. This isn’t exactly the kind of match I’d use to showcase the new champion but it isn’t a terrible match either. I’d like to think that the seeds are planted for an eventual babyface turn out of Ziggler.

Compared to last year this is a much stronger lineup. Sure you had the marquee match with Brock Lesnar returning to wrestle John Cena in an Extreme Rules Match but the rest of the card was pretty shallow. The top three matches already make this a deeper card and whether you like him or not, Triple H boosts the star power here. I’d expect the majority of the card to be rounded out by the end of next week.

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: The Best of in Your House

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This week’s WWE SmackDown! opens with Fandango and Anonymous Broad heading down to the ring. Lilian Garcia enters the ring, and Fandango begins fondling her. He tells her she’s looking excellent tonight, then asks if she’s ever been dipped before. Have you ever made moves on anyone before? Lilian, have you ever Fandangoed before? It feels good. Real good. Fandango then spins her and goes to kiss her, but instead dips her before telling her that was terrible. Fandango then drops Lilian in the middle of the ring. He tells her she’s beautiful, but there’s nothing beautiful about the way she dances. You’re just like each and every one of these people who butcher his name and mock his dance. Can you at least pronounce his name correctly? Pay attention: It’s FAN…

Santino Marella comes out on the stage and calls him “Fandingo”. Fandango is a very rude person, the way he talks to the WWE Universe and the way he just treated Lilian. Hi, Lilian. It pains Santino to admit it, though: Fandango has some good moves. That dance looks like so much fun. In fact, he really hopes if the WWE Universe doesn’t mind if Santino does his version. But first, he’d like to introduce his dance partner…it’s the Cobra. Together, they are going to do a 2-step all over Fandango’s face. Santino begins dancing to Fandango’s entrance theme, getting in Fandango’s face in the process. Fandango eventually charges at Santino, but Santino low-bridges him to the outside.

MATCH 1: Fandango (w/Anonymous Broad) vs. Santino Marella
Fandango immediately attacks Santino and throws him to the corner. Santino counters a corner whip and mocks Fandango, so Fandango kicks him. Boot to the head by Fandango, and now some mounted punches. Santino fails at a kip-up, so Fandango stomps him some more. The “You can’t wrestle!” chants have already started. Forearm shots in the corner by Fandango, and then he slams Santino face-first into the mat. Santino once again fails at a kip-up, and Fandango goes for more mounted punches before applying a cravat. Fandango snaps him back to the mat, then rubs himself. Santino succeeds at the kip-up this time, hits some rights, does the splits and hits a hip toss and a saluting headbutt. He goes for the Cobra, but Fandango blocks it and hits a variation of the Flatliner to get the 3.

WINNER: Fandango.

We see Booker T and Teddy Long in Book’s office. Book tells Teddy things are different now. Teddy didn’t consult him when making a match Monday night between Swagger and Ziggler. The Big Show walks in and thanks Teddy for giving him a tag team partner against Sheamus and Orton. Unlike some who put him in a handicap match, Teddy had the foresight to make sure he’s in a situation where he won’t get injured. Book then stares at Teddy as Teddy leaves.

MATCH 2-Champion vs. Champion: WWE United States Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett (non-title)
Lock-up to start, and Wade backs Kofi into the corner. Kofi ducks a right and hits some kicks. Wade counters an arm wringers with a right hand, then begins hitting some elbows to the back of the head. Kofi flips out of an arm wringer and snaps off a hurricanrana for 2. Wade shoulders Kofi off the ropes, and a crisscross ends with a dropkick by Kofi for 2. Kofi applies a top wristlock, and Wade fights out before hitting some straight left jabs. Kofi ducks one and hits a side-Russian legsweep before hitting a kick to the chest. Kofi hits a springboard splash from the middle rope for 2. Wade begins to fight back, but runs into a Pendulum by Kofi. Kofi goes up top, but Wade boots him in the face, sending him to the floor. Wade follows outside, where he continues striking Kofi before slamming him into the announce desk. Back in the ring, Wade rolls Kofi over for the pin, getting 2. Wade sets Kofi horizontally across the top rope, hitting a running kneelift to the gut. Wade goes for the pin again, getting another 2 before applying a rear chinlock. Kofi fights out of the hold with lefts and rights until Wade hits a kneelift and sends Kofi to the corner. Kofi blocks the charge and mounts the middle rope, but Wade whips him back to the mat for 2. Wade drops an elbow off the ropes before going back to the chinlock. Kofi fights out once more, ducks a clothesline, ducks another and gets caught with the Winds of Change. He tries to counter the move into a crucifix, but Wade drops backward into a modified Samoan drop for 2. Kofi holds on and counters the pin into a crucifix and gets the 3.

WINNER: Kofi Kingsotn. Not the best outing for these two, but still a solid match. These two are pretty much always guaranteed to deliver when they face each other.

Renee Young stops Mark Henry in the back to ask why he’s been attacking Sheamus. He says it’s because he can, and that’s just what he does. Sheamus then runs in and tackles Henry through a table and tells him that’s what he does, fella. These two feuded once before, and it was surprisingly entertaining, so I’m okay with WWE renewing this feud.

MATCH 3: Alberto Del Rio (w/Ricardo Rodriguez) vs. Jack Swagger (w/Zeb Colter)
ADR starts with a side headlock, and Swagger immediately goes to the injured left leg. ADR attacks Swagger’s injured shoulder, causing a clean break. ADR goes into a waistlock, and Swagger counters. ADR counters into an armbar, but Swagger fights him off. Swagger hits a kneelift and a hip throw. ADR shoves him off, and Swagger hits a shoulderblock. They go for a crisscross, but ADR lands badly on his injured leg. Swagger capitalizes and kicks him in the knee before dragging him to the ring post from the outside. ADR fights him off, kicking him into the barricade. ADR heads outside and nails Swagger with a kick to the chest before slamming the bad arm into the steps. Back in the ring, ADR goes for the pin and gets 2. ADR kicks Swagger between the shoulders for another 2. Swagger blocks a suplex and hits his own. Back up, ADR counters a corner whip. Swagger back drops him coming in. ADR lands on the apron, but his leg gets caught on the top rope. Swagger hotshots the leg, then knocks ADR to the floor. Commercials.

Back from the break, Swagger has a step-over toehold applied on ADR. ADR kicks him off, then hits a big kick to the bad arm. He jumps off the middle rope, and Swagger shoulders him in the bad leg on the way down for 2. Swagger drags ADR to the middle where he applies a legbar. ADR punches his way out of the hold. Back up, he ducks a clothesline and counters into a crucifix for 2. Swagger gets back up and hits a shoulderblock. Foot choke by Swagger now, but ADR begins to fight back. Swagger backs ADR into the corner and hits a series of kneelifts before working over the bad leg through the ropes. Swagger hits a short-arm clothesline, getting 2. Swagger begins ripping the bandage off of ADR’s knee and strikes it before going for the step-over toe hold again. ADR punches Swagger off and goes for the step-up enziguri, but Swagger ducks and hits an elevated belly-to-belly suplex for 2. ADR rolls to the apron, and he applies a jujigatame on the bad arm over the top rope. Back in, they trade strikes until Swagger kicks the bad knee. ADR ducks a running boot and hits a pair of clotheslines and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. However, ADR does it over his bad knee, putting himself down in the process. Swagger rolls to the apron, and ADR pulls him through the middle rope, hitting some forearm shots to the back and a Backstabber for 2. ADR calls for the rolling jujigatame, but Swagger counters and picks him up. ADR counters into a sunset flip for 2, then locks Swagger into the jujigatame. Swagger counters into the Patriot Lock. ADR manages to get a rope break, so Swagger breaks it and hits a Swagger Bomb to the back for 2. ADR tries to counter the Swagger Bomb the second time, but Swagger grabs the feet. He goes for the Patriot Lock again, but ADR kicks him in the bad arm and hits a double-knee armbreaker. ADR picks Swagger and goes for the rolling jujigatame, but Swagger shoves him off to the floor on the outside. ADR makes in before the count and hits a thrust kick to the face, getting 2 as Swagger grabs the ropes. Swagger trips ADR and gets the Patriot Lock on, but ADR rolls through and applies the jujigatame. Swagger gets back to his feet and tries to pin ADR, but ADR rolls through and rolls him into a pin for 3.

WINNER: Alberto Del Rio. Match was so-so, but had a nice finish.

We get a video for the Ryback/Cena feud. I don’t know if they’re planning on turning Ryback full heel right now, but it might not be a bad idea.

The announcers are talking about The Shield when the group interrupts. They talk about beating down John Cena this past Monday night, as well as Ryback watching on as Cena got beat down without helping out. Ryback knows how justice feels. He doesn’t want any more of their justice, and the look on Ryback’s face on Monday night was the same as the face on the Undertaker two weeks ago. They saw fear in ‘Taker’s eyes. He was terrified, and has never been so relieved to see Kane and Daniel Bryan. ‘Taker may be undefeated at Wrestlemania, but The Shield are undefeated, period. ‘Taker has run the company for 20 years, but all legends eventually get pushed aside, and ‘Taker’s time is up. Believe in The Shield.

MATCH 4-6-Person Tag Team Match: The Great Khali, Hornswoggle and Natalya vs. Epico, Primo and Rosa Mendes
I am still standing by my policy that matches involving Hornswoggle as a legal competitor will not be recapped. I apologize to his fans out there, but I’m sure both parents understand. Rosa looks good at least. This match apparently came about after an altercation in the parking lot between the two teams. Khali pins Epico after a Punjabi Plunge.

WINNERS: The Great Khali Hornswoggle and Natalya.

“From the Vault” segment featuring Berserker vs. “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka from 1991. Did anyone else find it strange when Snuka inexplicably started wearing boots to wrestle in when he spent so many years doing it barefoot? And speaking of footwear, I remember when Berserker joined WCW and started wrestling as John Nord. Despite no longer doing the Viking-type gimmick, Nord continued to wear the big furry boots for his matches, which was really weird.

MATCH 5: Mark Henry and The Big Show vs. Randy Orton and Sheamus
Sheamus and Henry start the match and begin yelling at each other. Henry decides to immediately tag in Show instead of fight. Show comes in, and the two immediately trade punches with Show getting the best of it. He drops Sheamus over the top rope onto the apron, then hits several open-hand chops to the chest, knocking Sheamus to the floor. Back in the ring, Sheamus cuts Show off on the apron with a hotshot, then nails Show with several forearms to the chest. Show shoves Sheamus into the corner, and Sheamus boots him in the knee before going up top. Show sees the Battering Ram coming, and Sheamus lands on his feet. He turns around into a kick from Show. Show goes for an elbow drop, but misses. Orton tags in and fires off some rights until Show throws him to the corner. Orton fights out, but gets hit with a sidewalk slam off the ropes. Headbutt by Show, and now Henry tags in. He chokes Orton over the middle rope. Orton fights back with rights before getting caught in a bearhug. Orton fights his way out, but Henry picks him up and rams him into the corner by Show. Show tags in and hits a body blow on Orton, knocking him down. Show hits another one in the middle of the ring. Orton begins to fight back, but runs into a goozle. However, he counters the chokeslam into a DDT. Sheamus tags in, ducks a clothesline and hits a pair of flying forearms. He rams Show into the corner, hits a running kneelift and follows up with a Battering Ram. White Noise connects, and now Sheamus calls for the Brogue Kick. He sees Henry run towards Show on the apron, so Sheamus knocks him down before getting hit with a spear by Show. Commercials.

Back from the break, Show knees Sheamus in the head. Sheamus tries to fight back from his knees, but winds up running into a clothesline. Show hits the Final Cut for 2. Bodyslam by Show, and now he tags in Henry. Henry applies a trapezius claw. Sheamus fights out before running into a big boot by Henry, which gets 2 as Orton breaks up the pin. Show tags in and hits a running body blow on Sheamus as Henry holds him up. Sheamus falls into the corner, where Show hits another body blow. He stumbles across the ring to another corner, and Show hits an open-hand chop. Sheamus starts hitting some rights until Show hits a kneelift and applies a trapezius claw of his own. Show picks Sheamus up and hits a forearm across the back before going back to the claw. Show throws Sheamus to the corner and hits a running hip bump. He goes to the ropes, and Sheamus comes out of the corner with a chopblock. Orton and Henry tag in. Orton ducks a clothesline, hits some kicks and punches, ducks a clothesline and finally knocks Henry down with one of his own. Orton hits a DDT on Henry from Henry’s knees, getting 2. Henry rolls to the apron, and Orton goes for the suspended DDT. Show comes in and hits Orton across the back. Henry tags Show in, and as Show is climbing in over the top rope, Orton catches him with the suspended DDT. Orton calls for the RKO, but Henry comes in and clotheslines him. Sheamus tackles Henry through the ropes, sending them both to the floor. Show gets up and hits the chokeslam on Orton, getting 3.

WINNERS: The Big Show and Mark Henry.

End of show.

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WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: Bret Hitman Hart – The Dungeon Collection

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This week on WWE Friday Night SmackDown, Triple H will appear for the first time in a long time. Also, the NEW World Champion Dolph Ziggler will be making an appearance. I cannot tell you how excited I am to finally see him wearing the gold (yes, I know he was champ for 15 minutes once, but even Ziggler himself doesn’t count that reign).

Big E. Langston makes his way onto the stage to formally introduce the new champ. Ziggler, AJ Lee and Langston make their way down to the ring. Ever since he debuted, he’s been the most physically gift athlete in wrestling, and that’s an understatement. People would look at him and just knew that he was the future of the company, and this World title proves the future is now. Each and everyone of you feels like you’re a part of this. You chanted for him at Wrestlemania despite not being in the match. Then, the next night at RAW, when he made history…the WWE Universe would love to join in on this celebration. But the fact is that the title and that moment belong to only one person, and that’s Dolph Ziggler. He didn’t win the belt because of the fans; he did it in spite of us. All of his life, people have ridden his coattails for whatever reason, but no matter what, you will never be him when you look in the mirror…

Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter appear on stage, and Zeb has a mic in-hand. Ziggler isn’t happy and wants to know what they’re doing out here. Zeb formally introduces himself to Ziggler, and he congratulates Ziggler for what happened on Monday night. Beyond that, as far as the title is concerned, everyone in the WWE Universe knows who to thank for Ziggler’s success, and that’s Jack Swagger. Ziggler says this is his interview time and celebration. Jack, you had your chance at Wrestlemania and you blew it, so go to the back of the line. This is Ziggler’s time. Swagger starts to get in the ring, but then backs down when he realizes he’s outnumbered. Zeb tells Ziggler he should be grateful and give Swagger what he wants and deserves. The feed I have scrambles here, so I’m not sure what was said next by Zeb or Swagger. Ziggler tells them to stop playing Swagger’s music, then says that you can watch what happened on Monday night on DVR, but no one will ever be…

Alberto Del Rio now interrupts. Ziggler asks if ADR is here to steal the spotlight, or if he’s just bummed out because he’s no longer champion. Or, is he out here to get his rematch? If that’s the case, hobble on down and he can have the rematch right now. ADR says he didn’t come out to complain or anything; he came out here to say congratulations. He knows how it feels to cash in the MITB contract. That’s how he won the WWE title, and it feels great. But, when his ankle heals and he gets his rematch, Ziggler will be the one crying and complaining, perro. Until then, hasta la vista, baby.

Ziggler then asks for ADR’s music to be cut off. This is HIS night and HIS celebration. He’s sick of being interrupted. The next person that feels like they need to interrupt him will see why he is the real World Heavyweight Champion. No one comes out for a moment, and as Ziggler starts to talk again, Chris Jericho interrupts. Jericho asks him to please shut the hell up. Congratulations on winning the title, but you’re babbling about everything, including your crazy girlfriend AJ. AJ covers her ears and begins to scream as the fans chant “Crazy!” at her. Ziggler talks about being a show-off; Y2J is the original show-off, baby. It’s time to stop talking and start rocking. Jericho just came from Booker T’s office, and he had some very interesting information for everyone, including Ziggler. He refers to Ziggler’s fans as “Dolphins”. The news is that his very first match as champion is going to be Jericho himself, and it will be later tonight. And when you’re finished with the match, Ziggy Stardust, you will never, ever, EVER be the same again.

You know, JBL is a decent color commentator, but hearing him say “We fight on Friday night” all the damn time is really obnoxious.

MATCH 1: The Prime-Time Players (Titus O’Neil and Darren Young) vs. WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No! (Daniel Bryan and Kane; non-title)
I am amazed Kane and Bryan are still champions. I was certain Ziggler and Langston were going to win on Sunday. Oh, well. Ziggler’s WHC now, so it’s all good. Titus starts off with strikes on Kane. Kane counters into a pair of corner clotheslines. Up top, Kane hits a flying clothesline and calls for the chokeslam. Young tags himself in and runs into an uppercut. Bryan in now, and Kane sends him into Young with a corner whip into a corner dropkick. Bryan fires off some No! Kicks, but telegraphs a back body drop. Titus back in and Bryan ducks a double clothesline. Kane comes back in and chokeslams Young. Bryan applies the No! Lock on Titus, and Titus taps out.

WINNERS: Team Hell No! Man, that was short. The Shield appear on the TitanTron after the match and Dean Ambrose talks about the Brothers of Destruction reuniting, and hopes they don’t think The Shield is afraid. Gotta have a brain to survive, and that’s knowing where and when to strike. They don’t back down or ever run from a fight. Believe that. Believe in The Shield.

MATCH 2: Santino Marella vs. Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett (non-title)
Barrett starts with a side headlock before shouldering Santino down. Santino shoves him and ducks a clothesline, but Barrett nails a mule kick to the gut and hits an elbow to the back of the head for 1. Santino tries to kip up, but can’t do it. Barrett goes into a mount and hits some punches for 2 before going to a rear chinlock. Santino fights out, but gets hit with a knee to the gut. He avoids being sent into the corner before running into the Winds of Change for 2. Barrett signals for the Bull Hammer as Santino finally does the kip-up correctly. He ducks a clothesline, hits a few punches, a hip toss and a saluting headbutt for 2. Santino goes for the Cobra, but Barrett kicks the arm away and absolutely levels Santino with the Bull Hammer for 3.

WINNER: Wade Barrett.

Teddy Long and Booker T are in Book’s office talking when Sheamus interrupts. He wants to know why Book overruled him on Monday night, then booked a match against Randy Orton later on. Randy Orton steps in and is basically complaining about the same thing. Book starts to explain when Teddy interrupts. He says this is Book’s mistake, not his. Book says that Big Show was wrong, and he’s going to right that wrong. Both Sheamus and Orton want Show, and they’ve got it in a 2-on-1 Handicap match tonight. After they leave, Book then stares at Teddy.

MATCH 3: The Bella Twins (Brie & Nikki) and Tamina Snuka vs. The Funkadactyls (Cameron & Naomi) and WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn and Snuka start the match, and Snuka immediately goes on the attack, knocking Kaitlyn down. Kaitlyn quickly recovers with a spear and goes for the pin. One of the Bellas breaks it, so Kaitlyn spears her. The other Bella tags in, and Naomi tags in, hitting a springboard cross-body and a flying headscissors. Rear View connects, and Naomi mounts the middle rope, but the other Bella yanks her to the floor. Cameron takes her out on the floor, and in the ring, one of the Bellas whips Naomi down by the hair and gets the 3.

WINNERS: The Bella Twins and Tamina Snuka. A hair whip ends the match? For f*ck’s sake.

Triple H makes his way out to the ring now. He says he told us the ass kicker’s back. He told Brock Lesnar they wouldn’t wrestle or fight, but that they were going to war. Well, they went to war, and Paul Heyman can make any excuses…

3MB of all people interrupt Trips’ celebration. Heath Slater tells Trips to shut up and listen up. Apparently, around here, you have to jump one of the big dogs to get noticed, and what bigger dog is there than Triple H? You think that battle with Brock Lesnar was bad? You ain’t seen anything yet, because 3MB is about to rock your face. 3MB surround the ring as Trips throws down the leather jacket. Before they can attack, The Shield’s music hits, and we see them coming down through the crowd. The Shield yank the members of 3MB off the aprons and destroy them on the floor before staring Trips down in the ring. They now jump on the apron, but before they can attack, Team Hell No! hits the ring to even things up. The Shield decides to head for higher ground.

In Booker T’s office, we see Book and Teddy arguing. Big Show enters, so Teddy leaves. He asks about the match tonight, and Book says it’s because he stuck his nose in business that didn’t concern him. Show says this is typical of Book’s bias against him. How about Show messes up his plans and just leaves the building? With his iron-clad contract, he can do what he wants. Book tells him to go ahead, because he’ll do whatever he can to get that contract destroyed in court. If Show wants to stay, though, his match is next.

MATCH 4-2-on-1 Handicap Match: Randy Orton and Sheamus vs. The Big Show
Orton starts for his side and attacks Show with kicks and punches. He corners Show and hits more punches and kicks. Show hits a sidewalk slam off the ropes before walking across Orton’s stomach. Show hits a body blow, then follows up with a bodyslam before mounting the middle rope, missing an elbow drop. Sheamus tags in, tackles Show and hits some punches. Sheamus hits a pair of Irish Hammers and a clothesline before shouldering Show in the corner and hitting a running kneelift. However, Show rebounds and hits Sheamus with a spear before nailing Orton with another body blow. Show grabs Orton, but Orton surprises him with an RKO. Sheamus calls for the Brogue Kick now, nails Show and sends him to the floor. Show manages to get to his feet, but instead of going back to the ring to make the count, he heads up the ramp instead.

WINNERS VIA COUNT-OUT: Randy Orton and Sheamus.

We see Orton and Sheamus heading back to the locker room, and they’re happy about getting some revenge. Orton walks off as Renee Young stops them for an interview. Sheamus tells her it did take two of them to take Show down, but it still felt sweet, and heart is what matters, not how big and strong you are. As Sheamus says this, Mark Henry clobbers Sheamus from behind, sending him through a table.

MATCH 5: WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston (non-title)
Cesaro starts with an armbar. Kofi flips out of it, but gets clobbered. Cesaro hits some mounted forearm shots, then nails a straight right. Kofi comes back with a sunset flip for 2, but Cesaro rolls through and nails Kofi for 2. The deadlift gutwrench suplex hits, and now Cesaro yodels before hitting a running European uppercut in the corner for 2. Cesaro applies a mounted rear chinlock before just whipping Kofi down. He misses the double stomp, and Kofi hits a pair of double chops and a dropkick. He goes for the leaping clothesline, but Cesaro counters with a Very European Uppercut for 2. Cesaro charges into the corner, and Kofi counters with a pendulum kick. Up top, Kofi goes for the pumping cross-body, but Cesaro catches him. He looks for snake eyes, but Kofi slides out and shoves Cesaro into the corner. Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise and gets the 3.

WINNER: Kofi Kingston. I am very disappointed with how WWE has been booking Cesaro lately.

Fandango and his anonymous broad make their way out. It absolutely kills me that fans have latched onto Fandango solely for his entrance music. Granted, the music is insanely catchy (I have it set as both my ringtone and morning alarm), but it’s still hilarious, especially when Fandango still is average-at-best in the ring and still has an awful gimmick. I am interested to see if WWE latches onto this or if they pay attention to it for a couple of weeks before deciding to ignore it, as is the norm. The fans are “Fandangoing” by chanting along with the entrance theme here in Boston similar to Monday, only not quite as loud. Still pretty audible, though. Looks like he’ll be looking on during the main event, which means his feud with Jericho likely isn’t over.

MATCH 6: World Champion Dolph Ziggler (w/Big E. Langston and AJ Lee) vs. Chris Jericho (non-title)
Lock-up to start, and Jericho quickly armdrags Ziggler. Another lock-up, and Jericho applies a side headlock this time. Jericho shoulders Ziggler off the ropes, and a crisscross ends when Jericho chops Ziggler in the chest. Suplex by Jericho, but Ziggler begins to fight back with shots to the gut in the corner and follows up with a jumping avalanche. Ziggler hits a few more shots on Jericho in the adjacent corner before sending Jericho into the opposite corner. Jericho blocks a charge and hits a missile dropkick for 2. Jericho chokes Ziggler over the middle rope. AJ trips him, and that allows Ziggler to hit a rocker dropper for 2. Commercials.

We’re back, and Ziggler mocks Jericho with a posing pin. Jericho begins to fight back with rights before getting caught with a neckbreaker for 2. Ziggler applies a rear chinlock, complete with a headstand. Ziggler lands on his feet, turning the hold into a modified inverted STF before rolling back into a rear chinlock. Jericho gets back to his feet, but Ziggler cuts him off with some punches. Jericho comes back with a running forearm and a couple of shoulder tackles before Ziggler sends him to the outside. Jericho lands on his feet on the apron and goes to the top, connecting with a double axe handle. Jericho goes for a bulldog, but Ziggler shoves him off and hits a leaping DDT for 2. Jericho ducks a clothesline and dropkicks Langston through the ropes before knocking Ziggler down and following up with a top rope cross-body for 2 as Fandango and Jericho lock eyes. Ziggler pops back up with a gorgeous dropkick for 2. Jericho blocks the Zig-Zag and tries to roll Ziggler into the Walls. Ziggler rolls through, but Jericho knocks him down and hits the Lionsault for 2. Fandango jumps on the apron, so Jericho hits him with a springboard dropkick. Ziggler comes from behind and hits another rocker dropper and gets the pin with a handful of tights.

WINNER: Dolph Ziggler. Jericho attacks Ziggler after the match. Langston comes in, so Jericho hits him with a step-up enziguri. He scares Fandango off the apron, and that allows Ziggler to hit the Zig Zag. Langston gets back up and hits the Big Ending. So much for “Sudden Impact” being the name of his finisher. Fandango gets back up and gets in the ring. He dances for a moment, then begins attacking Jericho. Fandango dances some more, then jumps to the top rope. More dancing, and the guillotine legdrop connects. His anonymous broad gets in the ring and Fandango announces his own name as she does the splits. The fans go from booing Fandango mercilessly to chanting along with his theme music in a matter of seconds.

End of show.

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WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

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This past Sunday I was able to live out most every wrestling fan’s dream by attending my very 1^st WrestleMania at MetLife Stadium. The atmosphere & excitement was like no other and I highly recommend it to any wrestling fan that is or has contemplating going to the “Super Bowl of Wrestling.” With that said I thought I’d figure to give some my thoughts on the 29^th installment of WrestleMania:

- The Miz def. Wade Barrett

Not a bad opener to start off WrestleMania and I completely understand the time constraints of it being on the pre-show. Therefore it wasn’t as good as some of their recent RAW matches but it got the crowd on the right foot with a Miz victory. It’s nice to see two stars with a ton of potential, be pushed up and down the hierarchy of the WWE only to make their climb back to the top.

- The Shield def. Sheamus, Randy Orton & The Big Show

The Shield was very over with the NY/NJ crowd which came as a surprise to no one. Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns continue to grow on WWE television and I really hope are given the ball to run with now that ‘Mania is in the books. If the stars align correctly this trio could one of the best groups/stables from this current decade.

As for the “superfriends” trio of Sheamus, Orton and Big Show, I got to admit I was pretty surprised they went back to (or stayed with) The Big Show heel turn. All three stars really have looked weak throughout this whole thing and I am intrigued with how WWE handles these stars heading into Extreme Rules. Currently they don’t reflect the top star “mantra” that they should be receiving in my opinion.

- Mark Henry def. Ryback

This was your typical “brut” match. I thought both stars did a lot with what they had and made it work for the most part. I’m not a fan of these type of matches but Ryback and Henry proved that they are much more athletic then the normal “brut” matches we have been accustomed to.

- Team Hell No def. Ziggler & Langston

I wasn’t a fan of the buildup for this match because while the WWE Tag Team division was a bright spot for the WWE in 2012, a tandem of Ziggler and Langston never materialized as an actual tag team until weeks before WrestleMania. Having Ziggler and Bryan in the ring against one another during WrestleMania was enough for me and I thought the match was good as well. I think had the WWE given more focus to these four superstars we could’ve gotten a lot more emotional attachment to this match from a fan’s perspective.

- Fandango def. Chris Jericho

I was in the majority when I felt this match could ultimately steal the show from an undercard’s perspective and frankly it did not. The finish was sloppy but it was made up for as both stars are heavily over with the WWE fans. Fandango is going to be a major player in the WWE and Chris Jericho continues to prove why he is one of the best in the business as he continues to help build for wrestling’s future.

While the first match didn’t “blow our socks off” like we thought, I do look forward to seeing an eventual rematch on a smaller stage then WrestleMania. I still have high hopes for this feud and the potential it has.

- Alberto Del Rio def. Jack Swagger

The Del Rio/Swagger feud fell way below expectations and rightfully so. If you go back 12 weeks ago one of these stars was a heel and the other wasn’t even on WWE television. Fast forward to post-Elimination Chamber and one of them is being pushed as a major face (Del Rio) while the other is being pushed as a #1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship despite just being back on television (Swagger).

It’s to work a World Heavyweight Championship match like that with those things restricting them from connecting to the audience and it doesn’t help it was for a WrestleMania. Like many matches on the card I feel like if it was given more room to grow and be built the fans would’ve accepted it more. It had a ton of potential but overall I feel like it fell flat out of most, if not all, the WrestleMania matches on the card.

- The Undertaker def. CM Punk

This was the best match from the event hands down. Despite everyone “knowing” what will happen the fans are completely invested with every near fall, reversal or regular move when The Undertaker is performing at WrestleMania. It helps when “The Deadman” is quite possibly facing the first person since Randy Orton at WrestleMania 21 to really give people hope that “the streak” could end.

Huge props to both stars for putting on a show under the type of injuries they had. It was a great story told in the ring and I look forward to watching it again once the show comes out onto DVD.

- Triple H def. Brock Lesnar

Other then Undertaker/CM Punk I felt like this match told a great story inside the ring that led to a compelling finish to the match. Both guys really beat the hell out of one another to give the fans a solid match and that’s exactly what they got. Despite Lesnar losing 2 out of his first 3 matches back in the WWE I still feel like he is as strong as when he debuted.

The Triple H/Lesnar feud in my opinion was highly underrated as well and gave fans one of the better buildups heading into MetLife Stadium. I’d be perfectly fine if the WWE wanted to move forward with some sort of “rubber match” between these two at another Summerslam to really end this thing on the right note and unfortunately for Triple H the right note is by getting Lesnar over again as a monster heel. Once again, great job by both guys at WrestleMania.

- John Cena def. The Rock

Sadly the majority of fans could careless about this match and that’s unfortunate for all the hype it received two years ago as being one of those last “mega-matches” in professional wrestling. The match started off slow but I felt really picked up towards the end and had a lot better flow then their WrestleMania 28 match in Miami. While I would’ve preferred to see some sort of heel turn from John Cena (because who doesn’t at this point) or some sort of finish that left us talking, the WWE decided to let all the talking be done in the ring.

The silver lining in this all is that there are questions surrounding both of these wrestlers in regards to what’s next for both of them. Will The Rock ever wrestle again especially after the injury he suffered? Who will be able to feud with John Cena heading into the summer? Can Ryback be that guy?

Overall I was very impressed with the show as a whole and felt it was really solid. Undertaker/CM Punk went beyond expectations and everything else didn’t make me desire anything more but left me pleasantly pleased with the performances. WWE does a hell of a job with their live shows and I felt WrestleMania lived up to all that they deem it to be.

When it’s all said and done I felt like WrestleMania 29 was a 4-out-of-5 show from my standpoint. Very solid show from top to bottom that will probably be one of, if not the best, WWE pay-per-views of the year.

For more on this topic join us for the Thursday April 11^th 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: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: Bret Hitman Hart – The Dungeon Collection

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The Monday Night RAW after WWE WrestleMania 29 will go down as arguably the most exciting ever. The show was highlighted by Dolph Ziggler finally cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase and winning his second WWE world heavyweight championship.

The atmosphere at RAW was like another universe compared to WrestleMania. The crowd was hot and vocal throughout the night and created one of the most entertaining RAW shows in years. The only other RAW I could compare it to was last year’s the day after Mania 28 in Miami. It was as good as it gets.

Ziggler finally cashed in his MITB briefcase against champion Alberto Del Rio after an injured Del Rio disposed of Jack Swagger and Zeb Coulter. The crowd went nuts for this, almost forcing Dolph to turn babyface. If you read the SmackDown tapings they are already teasing a showdown with Ziggler and Swagger. It makes a lot of sense if you think about it.

The one reminder I had watching RAW Monday is how awesome some of the old WrestleMania atmospheres were that were held in arenas. I doubt WrestleMania will ever go back to an arena. Imagine how hot WrestleMania 29 would have been if it was held indoors? The tradeoff for the big show is losing that kind of rabid fan interaction throughout the night.

Now that Ziggler has the belt I just hope they give him a lengthy title reign. You never know with the WWE, especially on the SmackDown side. Ziggler has been putting everyone over for months. He needs a strong run to solidify him as a top guy going forward. If he remains a heel, feuds with Del Rio, Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Chris Jericho should easily do that.

Check out the video here of what may go down as one of the most exciting title changes in the history of the WWE world heavyweight champion.

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: Bret Hitman Hart – The Dungeon Collection

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It was the old WWE regime that ruled WrestleMania 29. The Rock returned and electrified the crowd, Triple H and Brock Lesnar had an intense fight, but it was  The Undertaker with CM Punk that stole the show in one of the most star studded WrestleMania pay per views ever.

You didn’t buy the WrestleMania 2013 edition expecting surprise  winners. We all knew how it was going to turn out. You watched it expecting to see the most exciting WrestleMania of all-time. While it may not go down as the best ever, it was certainly one of the most memorable top to bottom from the modern era. In regards to the overall show you won’t find much better.

John Cena pinned The Rock to win the WWE championship. The crowd was much more into this match in the open than anything else on the show. It definitely had a main-event vibe to it. Like last year though I found the zest to wear off pretty quickly. It was almost as if the crowd was waiting for something big to happen, yet they kept a pretty lethargic pace. They finally opened up with a bunch of moves after a few minutes with Cena eventually winding up in a Sharpshooter. The crowd hated Cena, booing him every time he went on the offense. The Rock got a great reaction from a spinebuster. Cena kicked out of a People’s Elbow and Rock Bottom. Cena reversed a People’s Elbow attempt into an AA for a close fall. Cena hit a Rock Bottom for another close fall. They played a lot off of last year’s match. Rock countered a sequence where he Cena suckered him with a People’s Elbow attempt into an AA attempt which was countered with a Rock Bottom for a close fall. They both kept going for the AA and Rock Bottom. Cena hit the AA out of a Rock Bottom to pin Rock and win his 11^th WWE championship. I’d definitely call this match better than their last one but at the same time it was nothing special in my opinion. Rock shook Cena’s hand and hugged him after the match to a crowd full of boos. That wasn’t what these people wanted to see.

Triple H as expected defeated Brock Lesnar in a No Holds Barred Match. The match immediately broke into a brawl. They spent the early part of the match outside of the ring. Brock hit a suplex on the floor. Brock even wound up with a mouse under his eye. Brock suplexed Hunter through a table like it was nothing. Brock and Hunter had a real tough time getting the crowd back following Undertaker and Punk. Lesnar dominated the mid part of the match. Lesnar knocked Shawn Michaels off the apron with an elbow at one point. Michaels came back at him and took an F5. Brock kicked out of a Pedigree right after. Hunter brought the sledgehammer in the ring. Lesnar F5’d him and Hunter kicked out. Lesnar had a bloody lip at this point. Brock looked jacked by the way. The match had a similar psychology to The Undertaker vs. Triple H matches with Brock playing the part of Trips. Triple H finally regained the advantage and slammed a chair into Lesnar’s arm twice. Triple H got the kimura. Heyman tried to interfere but got kicked by Michaels. Brock finally powered his way out but wound up taking a DDT into the steel steps. Hunter nailed Brock in the head with the sledgehammer. Trips followed up with a Pedigree onto the steps for the three count. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised here. All of the rumors indicate that next year’s main-event is scheduled to be Brock vs. The Rock. Why put down the guy scheduled to headline next year’s Mania to a part-time guy? The match was good but they were really handicapped by following Undertaker-Punk.

The Undertaker retained The Streak going 21-0 defeating CM Punk. The Undertaker looked better than I expected here. The crowd came alive for this match more than any other at this point. One thing that dawned on me during the match is that the WWE let a golden opportunity slip here. Cena and Rock didn’t need the title. If Punk held on to the title they could have promoted streak vs. streak and the match would have been absolutely huge! Maybe I need to bid on that auction to submit my idea to Stephanie McMahon…or maybe not? Great match, much better than I expected. The big spot here was Punk nailing The Undertaker with an elbow off of the top to Taker who was laying on a table outside of the ring. They had a ton of close falls towards the end, building to the usual high drama of The Undertaker’s WrestleMania matches. The Undertaker reversed a GTS into a Tombstone for the pin. I wouldn’t put this up there with the Shawn Michaels-Undertaker matches, but it was certainly up there with the Triple H matches. It was different but just as good if not better. For a guy that was just hobbling up and down the ramp on Monday night, The Undertaker looked real good and Punk was an all-star here.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Jack Swagger to retain the WWE world heavyweight title. Swagger tapped out to the cross armbreaker. This was probably what you expected. I can’t say a whole lot about it. They had a cool spot in the match where Swagger somehow rolled through an arm breaker to the Patriot Lock teasing a title change. I am guessing this program is over since Del Rio got the win clean. No Dolph Ziggler here. I give up predicting a Ziggler cash in. Logically why a man holding a Money in the Bank briefcase wouldn’t cash in at WrestleMania 29 makes no sense to me.

The Shield defeated The Big Show, Sheamus, and Randy Orton in a hot opener. Orton tug himself in when Sheamus went to tag Show. Orton cleaned house at that point.  Orton hit an RKO but was then speared by Roman Reigns and pinned by Dean Ambrose. The post-match saw Show lay out both Orton and Sheamus. It was a hot opener but The Big Show turning on Orton and Sheamus was way too predictable. I am not sure what the deal was with Orton but it appeared Orton was set up to turn. For a WrestleMania it was a decent opener. I’d like to see what they could have done with more time.

On a side note, last year I ordered the stream off of WWE.com and told you how horrible it was. Out of convenience I was willing to give it another shot. Unfortunately for about five minutes the website either timed out or said stream unavailable. I wound up ordering off of FIOS. I received some tweets from people who said they ordered the online stream and couldn’t get it on WWE.com. Later I saw some say their stream didn’t come back until about the three hour mark. I cannot fathom for the life of me how a company who brags about social media and has as much money as the WWE can’t get these WrestleMania streams right. It really boggles my mind!

Mark Henry defeated Ryback. This reminded me of a lot of the strongman vs. strongman matches I watched in the 1980s like Tony Atlas vs. Jesse Ventura, Ivan Putski vs. Ken Patera where the guys work a slow pace and test each other with power moves, bear hugs, etc. Ryback eventually took Henry off of his feet with a clothesline for his big comeback. Ryback then got Henry up for Shellshock but Henry grabbed the ropes and Ryback collapsed with Henry on his back. Henry wound up rolling over and pinning him. Ryback wound up giving Henry a spinebuster and Shellshock after the match. This was kind of odd considering the guy was “knocked out.” So this tells me one of two things. Either the WWE has totally given up on Ryback or Ryback is turning heel and is en route to a big SummerSlam 2013 clash with John Cena. My hunch is that Ryback is turning heel but it’s just a guess. I wouldn’t call this a bad match but it wasn’t anything special either.

Team Hell No retained the WWE tag team titles over Big E and Dolph Ziggler. Daniel Bryan was red hot in the opening moments of this match. Bryan and Ziggler started off and the fans really seemed to come alive for these two. Fans also got into Big E and Kane going head to head early on. Kane was in for the majority of the match for Team Hell No. Ziggler was fantastic as usual in the match, bumping all over the place. Kane chokeslammed Ziggler, tagged into Bryan, Bryan came off with a diving headbutt off the top rope, and pinned Ziggler for the win. Bryan was by far the most over guy on the show at this point. Bryan and Kane didn’t tease any problems. This was a pretty good match but I am not really sure what the thought was of having Kane work most of the match instead of Bryan. As confused as I was on the WWE’s inability to operate streaming video properly, I am even more confused every time I watch Daniel Bryan as to why he is not pushed harder. Unfortunately these guys only got about six minutes.

On another side note I have to tell you that it got old fast seeing tweets crawling across my television for four hours. I can see throwing the tweets up on Monday Night RAW but when you are charging people $70 to watch WrestleMania, I think you need to limit the tweets or kill them altogether. Not sure what the end game was there. Did they expect you to turn the show off you paid $70 to watch and jump on Twitter? Could you imagine seeing streaming tweets during the Super Bowl across your television? It was ridiculous.

Fandango pinned Chris Jericho. This was a pretty damned good match, probably better than most expected.  I thought a real gutsy angle here would have been for Fandango to walk out telling the fans that Lillian got his name wrong. Talk about the height of arrogance giving up your WrestleMania match! He didn’t.  Jericho was on fire here and was a real one-man show early on, and dominating the match.  Jericho kicked out of Fandango’s top rope leg drop. JBL said Fandango winning would be the biggest upset in sports entertainment history. He needs to search on YouTube for David Sammartino vs. Ron Shaw. The finish saw Jericho tweak his knee going for the Lionsault and while going for the Walls of Jericho was cradled by Fandango. This finish probably came across better on television with the announcers explaining it.  I’ll say this about Chris Jericho. Instead of phoning it in he embraced the challenge and really upped his game here.

Overall I’d say that WrestleMania was pretty good. From top to bottom it was probably the most solid card they have had in a long time. There weren’t any bad matches and you didn’t have the show slowed down by any ridiculous celebrity matches. The Undertaker and Punk easily stole the show and while the others worked hard, these guys just had “it”. Nothing else came close to this one, although the opener was real good for the short amount of time they had. I’d certainly say the spectacle here was bigger than the event.

Unfortunately it was a very predictable show, one of the most predictable in recent memory. It seemed like the WWE were in cruise control going in and through the show, getting by on star power. There is nothing wrong with that but it just felt a little lazy to me. I’d say the biggest surprise to me was Lesnar losing, although everyone predicted it. Why put your money guy down like that? Rumor has it that the WWE are expected to rev up a bunch of new angles over the next two weeks and begin new storylines. Cena is going to need a challenger so I’d expect someone surprisingly to emerge there. Last year Brock Lesnar debuted the night after WrestleMania. I wouldn’t expect anything that shocking this year but stranger things have happened.

I’d give the show a recommendation if you were on the fence. You won’t find many better WrestleMania events from open to close. At the same time I can almost guarantee you that Extreme Rules will probably blow it away.

Full WWE WrestleMania 29 results…
John Cena pinned The Rock to regain the WWE championship
Triple H defeated Brock Lesnar in a No Holds Barred Match
The Undertaker defeated CM Punk
Alberto Del Rio defeated Jack Swagger via submission to retain the WWE WHC
Fandango defeated Chris Jericho
Team Hell No retained the WWE world tag team titles defeating Dolph Ziggler and Big E. Langston
Mark Henry defeated Ryback
The Shield defeated Randy Orton, Sheamus, and The Big Show
The Miz defeated Wade Barrett to win the WWE I-C title

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: Bret Hitman Hart – The Dungeon Collection

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