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.

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WWE: Extreme Rules 2013 DVD

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

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In less than a week Brock Lesnar will wrestle his fourth match in a year for the WWE. Lesnar will complete his trilogy against Triple H at Extreme Rules. The cage was the story but was it really a showcase for the beginning of Brock’s babyface turn against Heyman?

Triple H and Brock along with Paul Heyman closed out RAW Monday with a Steel Cage brawl. The cage of course was the theme as it was a snippet of what fans can expect when they wrestle a full match inside of a cage Sunday at Extreme Rules. But to me, the promo Triple H cut on Lesnar and Heyman was a big story that appears to be flying under the radar.

Brock turning babyface at some point during this WWE run is inevitable. All you have to do is look at the big picture and look at how they have been using Brock to see where this thing is going. Most suspect that the turn won’t be coming until at least next year, although I thought it was possible that it could go down at WrestleMania 29. The more and more I listen to what Triple H had to say, the more and more I think Brock may be turning sooner than most people think.

Triple H planted the seeds just like the old school guys he grew up on used to do in helping set up a turn. Trips created tension and friction between Brock and Heyman by introducing the doubt that Heyman had in Brock. At no point in this Heyman-Brock union has it appeared that Heyman had any doubt in Brock, never teased once. The idea that Triple H would hammer that point home so hard tells me that something could be up.

I don’t think many people expect Triple H to win and go 2-1 on Brock. That would just be insanity. Yet what if this is all a big set up for a Triple H win coming off Heyman costing Brock the match? Looking deeper into this I could envision a scenario where CM Punk comes back, accidentally costs Brock the match, Brock deducts that Heyman had Punk show up because he didn’t think he could beat Triple H, and then turns on Heyman Monday. The timing may be better for this than most of us think.

The big carrot dangling here is a Rock vs. Brock match at WrestleMania 30. Other than that match, there is no reason not to turn Brock now. Brock and Heyman even teased it last week when they broke into Hunter’s office. The only problem here is that nobody is quite sure that The Rock is even wrestling next year. The WWE have a lot of money invested in Brock. Do they throw away a year with Brock in hopes that The Rock will wrestle or do they play it safe and control their own destiny here? It is starting to look to me that they are counting The Rock out.

Let’s say they don’t turn Brock and keep him heel in hopes of that eventual Rock match. What do you do with him after Extreme Rules 2013? What viable opponents are left for Brock? There was talk last year of a Randy Orton vs. Brock match at SummerSlam but I don’t think that will give the WWE enough return on the Brock investment. Sheamus, John Cena 2, or a returning star like a Batista are about the only ones that make even a shred of sense to match up with Brock. You see the problem here. There is nothing left for Brock to do now until Mania if he were staying heel to wait for The Rock.

Brock turning heel opens up the door for a big showdown at SummerSlam against CM Punk which right now is the only available match I see on the table for Brock. They could turn Punk which would be a nice swerve but I don’t see that one coming either. Quite frankly I think you can still go with Brock vs. Rock whether Brock turns on Heyman or not. It doesn’t have the same zest as heel Brock vs. Rock but at the end of the day it is WrestleMania 30 and I think people are going to buy anyway.

Sunday will be very interesting. My gut tells me that by this time next week we will be talking about a hot angle with babyface Brock vs. CM Punk. I could be wrong but I don’t think Triple H’s promo was coincidence at all.

WWE: Extreme Rules 2013 DVD

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

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The Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H trilogy is heating up with just a few weeks to go until their old school Steel Cage Match payoff at Extreme Rules. The latest chapter saw Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman invade WWE headquarters and give an extreme remodeling to Trips office.

Paul Heyman started promoting this angle early in the day Monday on Twitter and I have to admit that I groaned a bit when I first heard about it. Brock Lesnar destroying Triple H’s office isn’t exactly money to me. However, what I didn’t know is that Paul would be offering some of the greatest commentary heard on RAW in the last decade.

The video as shown below shows Brock and Heyman entering WWE headquarters and going to Triple H’s office. Heyman is a slam dunk all-star here with his commentary throughout the entire segment. He was hilarious! One thing I should note is the not so subtle Brock vs. The Rock tease when Lesnar stops and stares at a picture of The Rock and Heyman makes a comment.

I’ll be honest and tell you that I am no more excited about this match after the angle as I was before it. Considering the fact that the purpose of an angle is that, well you may not call it a home run. Yet in terms of entertainment it was some of the best eight minutes I’ve seen on RAW in awhile. Brock is just fantastic but as great as he is in this role, I really wonder how badly that WrestleMania loss will hurt his draw at Extreme Rules. We’ll see soon enough.

Pro Wrestling Radio returns live tonight Tuesday May 7 at 7:30 PM/EST! You can listen live and join the chat on http://ProWrestlingRadio.com.

WWE: Extreme Rules 2013 DVD

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

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WWE.com is back at it again with a new list. This new list is certainly bound to raise debate among passionate fans from all eras as the website ranks the 50 greatest WWE championship matches in history.

This is a list a fan like me who has watched and followed pro wrestling for over 30 years can talk about. The thing I will say about this and all WWE.com lists is that they should be taken for what they are. In other words, the company is ranking its own matches so you have to expect these lists to be motivated by internal politics. As long as you keep that in mind, it is okay to have a little fun with these as opposed to getting angry over these fantasy lists.

How do you rank the 50 greatest WWE title matches ever? Did someone actually sit down and watch every title defense from television, pay per view, and old house shows? Of course not or at least I would find that highly doubtful.

Now if you wanted to put together a list by era or quantify a certain number of years, it would be much easier to put together a fairly accurate list. However when it comes to 1963-1984 you really are relying purely on folklore and legend at that point. The big championship bouts from that point forward are generally easy to find and all on video.

Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels tops the list, specifically their WrestleMania 12 Iron Man Match. Is it irony that Shawn Michaels tops most of these lists or is the fact that he is really the only top legend on good terms (although Bruno Sammartino is now on that list) with the company? I am sure it’s just irony right?

Look let’s be honest. That is a great match but I don’t know if I would put that in my personal top 10 or even top 20 WWE championship matches. It’s a very good match but I can think of at least 10 off the top of my head that blew it away. Again these lists are subjective so that said, this one isn’t anywhere near the top of my list.

It was also real interesting to see Bret Hart vs. 1-2-3 Kid crack the top ten. It was a great match no doubt but is it the 8th greatest title match in WWE history? I can’t imagine that it is. The Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy was another one that was fantastic but again not a match I’d rank in the top ten. That said I was a little surprised to see Triple H out of the top ten due to the political implications of the list.

The biggest disappointment is the complete lack of respect that Bob Backlund received on this list. Say what you will about Backlund but he held the belt for five years and had a handful of absolute classics during that time. Backlund vs. Ken Patera 1980 Texas Death Match, Backlund vs. Stan Hansen in a Steel Cage 1981, Backlund vs. Greg Valentine March 1979 and the 81 No DQ MSG, his series of matches with Magnificent Muraco in the fall of 1981, a handful of Backlund vs. Adrian Adonis matches, and of course the famous Steel Cage match with Jimmy Snuka. Now do I expect all of these to make the list? No, but I expected to see at least one if not two get proper recognition.

Anyway here is the list via WWE.com. Let the debate begin!

50. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, Survivor Series 1997
49. The Miz vs. John Morrison, Monday Night Raw (Jan. 4, 2011)
48. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Dude Love, Over the Edge 1998
47. Superstar Billy Graham vs. Bob Backlund (Feb. 20, 1978)
46. John Cena vs. Batista, Over the Limit 2010
45. Eddie Guerrero vs. JBL, Great American Bash 2004
44. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan, Over the Limit 2012
43. Bruno Sammartino vs. Ivan Koloff (Jan. 18, 1971)
42. John Cena vs. Triple H, WrestleMania 22
41. Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker, Royal Rumble 1998
40. Mankind vs. The Rock, Royal Rumble 1999
39. CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho, Extreme Rules 2012
38. Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar, SmackDown (Sept. 16, 2003)
37. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Chris Jericho, Vengeance 2001
36. The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar, SummerSlam 2002
35. Superstar Billy Graham vs. Dusty Rhodes (Oct. 24, 1977)
34. John Cena vs. JBL, Judgement Day 2005
33. The Rock vs. Kurt Angle vs. Triple H, SummerSlam 2000

32. Brock Lesnar vs. Eddie Guerrero, No Way Out 2004
31. Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff, Saturday Night’s Main Event (Jan. 3, 1987)
30. The Rock vs. Triple H, Judgement Day 2000
29. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle, Unforgiven 2001
28. CM Punk vs. John Cena, SummerSlam 2011
27. Macho Man Randy Savage vs. Ted DiBiase, WrestleMania 4
26. Randy Orton vs. John Cena, Bragging Rights 2009
25. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock, Backlash 1999
24. Triple H vs. Chris Jericho, Monday Night Raw (April 17, 2000)
23. Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar, WrestleMania 19
22. Bruno Sammartino vs. Killer Kowalski (April 29, 1974)
21. Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle vs. The Rock, Vengeance 2002
20. Rey Mysterio vs. John Cena, Monday Night Raw (July 25, 2011)
19. Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker, No Mercy 2002
18. Iron Sheik vs. Hulk Hogan (Jan. 23, 1984)
17. John Cena vs. Rob Van Dam, One Night Stand 2006
16. Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind, In Your House (Sept. 22, 1996)
15. Ric Flair vs. Macho Man Randy Savage, WrestleMania 8
14. Edge vs. John Cena, Unforgiven 2006
13. Triple H vs. Cactus Jack, Royal Rumble 2000
12. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart, SummerSlam 1994
11. Macho Man Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan, WrestleMania 5
10. The Rock vs. Mankind, Monday Night Raw (Jan. 4, 1999)
9. John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels, WrestleMania 23
8. Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy, Monday Night Raw (July 1, 2002)
7. Bret Hart vs. 1-2-3 Kid, Monday Night Raw (July 11, 1994)
6. Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior, WrestleMania 6
5. Royal Rumble match in 1992
4. John Cena vs. CM Punk, Money in the Bank 2011
3. Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant, WrestleMania 3
2. The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, WrestleMania 17
1. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, WrestleMania 12

The History of the WWE Championship DVD

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

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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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As the old saying goes, there are plenty of us that wish we were a fly on the wall when Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon met together prior to the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. Fortunately for us Bruno is a very honest man and when asked about the meeting was happy to reveal all of the details of their now infamous meeting.

Getting Bruno Sammartino to agree to go into the WWE Hall of Fame is one thing. Having him sit down and have a chat with Vince McMahon is another. As part of the WWE’s attempt to mend broken fences with Bruno, it was important for Vince and Bruno to get together before the live event. Bruno recently gave details of the meeting and his recollection of the sit down was interesting to say the least.

Bruno was asked about the meeting on a recent edition of The NB Show. Here is what the Living Legend and new member of the Hall of Fame told the show.

“The private meeting that took place was at MSG that evening,” Bruno said. “His son-in-law Triple H and Stephanie came to my dressing room, I had my own dressing room, and they asked me, you know, Vince is waiting in his dressing room down the hall and if I minded going over there. I went. Stephanie opened the door and I went in and she shut the door so Vince and I were alone.

“He was standing toward the back of the room. And as I came in I was waiting for him to make the first move to see what he was going to say before I responded. And actually as I walked in he looked at me and he smiled and said ‘Bruno, welcome home’ just like that. And I said ‘Well Vince I’m glad to be home, but we both know the situation and what brought me back home. I have been very critical of you.’ I told him right to his face, ‘You know I have been very critical of you, but I also will recognize the fact that you have made drastic changes and for that I applaud you. But for all these years, I did not like what happened to the business that I spent 25 years in and the turns it took; drugs, nudity, etc.’ Vince said, ‘Well Bruno, I know you were always very outspoken about what you believed, I hope now you are satisfied of the changes. They are in the past, we want to go forward and we want to do a better and better product. And we are very happy that you are back.’

“He did say this to me which I appreciate, ‘When it was the World Wide Wrestling Federation you were the main reason for this organization to become as big as it did. So we want this to happen and we’re thrilled that it has happened.’ And that was it. So I said, ‘Thank you. As long as things stay that way and keep moving forward with improving the product. At this stage of my life there is not much I can do to contribute, but if there is something, especially with young talent, I’d be willing to do that. As long as the product gets better and better.’ And that was it basically.”

It sounded like Vince did the right thing and gave Bruno his proper due. It wasn’t too long ago where Vince had Bruno taken out of a project on the history of pro wrestling. In talking with Bruno over the years I think that is one of the things that has hurt Bruno most. Bruno is a very humble man but I think it really hurt him that his contributions to the company were never acknowledged the way they recognize other legends like Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and The Rock.

I have talked to Bruno numerous times on and off of my radio show and I have to admit that I was stunned to see the hug that ended the Hall of Fame ceremony. Vince’s track record regarding the treatment of his legends tells me that this is not going to end well. Let’s face it. Vince appears to get some kind of enjoyment out of bringing his legends back to humiliate them or portray them as goofy old men. I can guarantee you that Bruno won’t take part in anything like that so if that kind of script gets in Bruno’s hands, this relationship could be trouble.

Bruno isn’t planning to go anywhere. There are plans to bring him into video games as well as use him for sporadic appearances. In other words he has moved back into his old home.

Bruno Sammartino: An Autobiography Of Wrestling’s Living Legend

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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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