Via WWEDVDNews.com comes the full content listing for the War Games: WCW’s Most Notorious Matches DVD and Blu ray set, which will be released June 25th. The collection includes 14 War Games matches, with the Blu ray set adding an additional two matches from ECW and one from Smoky Mountain Wrestling inspired by the War Games matches.
This collection should be really great and it’s one I’m especially looking forward to. Check out WWEDVDNews for the full listing!
WWE’s YouTube channel has posted a bunch of different Superstar-related music videos and this one below caught my eye and tickled my heart strings. It’s the old school WrestleMania theme song.
I still don’t know why the song begins with, “Are you ready for the Survivor Series?” and also prominently features Mean Gene asking, “Who will survive?”
Last night’s episode of Raw was a perfectly acceptable program, except when compared to the excellent broadcast a week before it and without the benefit of that hot crowd it seemed pretty boring.
It’s unfair to expect what we got in New Jersey every week but Monday’s Raw, which started out great and had a very solid first hour and a half, went downhill fast. Still, though, storylines were advanced and we got a few setups for the Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
• The show started off with a solid 2-on-1 match with Randy Orton and Sheamus – or, the “Celtic Vipers,” as Michael Cole referred to them post-match – taking on Big Show, continuing their WrestleMania fallout. After Mark Henry speared Sheamus in the back, we were set up with a Celtic Vipers v. Mark Henry and Big Show match on Smackdown.
I thought immediately after Cole branded the team of Orton and Sheamus that they might be sticking together to be that new babyface tag team WWE is lacking behind Team Hell No. Or maybe we’re getting this Smackdown tag match as a setup to singles programs of Sheamus-Henry and Orton-Show instead.
• WWE did what they usually do and instead of letting the “Fandangoing craze” just be organic, they tried to force it down our throats. The Greenville crowd had zero interest in the gimmick. Give credit to Fandango for trying to bring them back in, but the audience just wasn’t having it.
It was especially awkward while Fandango was making his entrance and the announcers were explaining what a “viral hit” he had become and the crowd was completely silent. While I’m glad WWE didn’t just throw away everything that happened in New Jersey, they probably should have realized it would be hard to replicate that sort of atmosphere again.
• Dolph Ziggler also got very little reaction, which is scary since Vince McMahon tends to overreact based on one night. It’s also surprising, since Ziggler got a better reaction than that even as he was losing clean to Kofi Kingston for weeks before cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase. I have no problem with Jack Swagger working his way into the Alberto Del Rio – Dolph Ziggler rematch. In fact, it makes sense, since Swagger made the claim on Smackdown that he softened up the champ and made it possible for Ziggler to cash in.
I wouldn’t have a problem with Ziggler losing – a week after winning the title – to Swagger either, since it does set up Swagger’s involvement in the match even more, if WWE didn’t constantly have its champions lose non-title matches on TV. There are plenty of other ways to get people involved in the title picture. Oh, how I miss the plain old Number One Contenders match.
• Speaking of which: Wade Barrett also lost a non-title match to R-Truth and Kaitlyn was pinned by one of the Bellas in a non-title contest. One champion lost his belt on the show and three other champions lost non-title matches.
• Antonio Cesaro dropping the United States Championship to Kofi Kingston was a questionable move, although it really shouldn’t be based on the way Cesaro has been booked lately. The match itself was great, though. Hopefully for Cesaro he’s onto something more meaningful now. That may be wishful thinking.
I wouldn’t be shocked if we see a Big E. Langston v. Kofi Kingston US Title match at some point with Langston winning the gold.
• CM Punk pulled a Shawn Michaels and “lost his smile.” Punk’s brief promo before walking out made sense, and perhaps he takes some time off to rehab his myriad injuries and comes back as a face again.
• I loved that Heath Slater called The Shield a “three-man cover band” during his promo. Brock Lesnar got a nice pop and roughed up 3MB, which brought out Paul Heyman to lay down the challenge to Triple H. Lesnar v. Trips at Extreme Rules in a steel cage match.
While the majority of the internet hates this, and it’s hard to argue that view, at least it will be the final chapter in the Triple H – Lesnar saga and hopefully will then allow Lesnar to move on to another program.
• The long Ryback pre-taped promo was a well done, old school segment but it definitely took the air out of the live crowd. The show didn’t really recover after that. All of Ryback’s talking points made sense, though, explaining that he was there to save John Cena when he needed it, but Cena was never there to help Ryback against The Shield.
It planted seeds that Cena might be aligned with The Shield, as far-fetched as that may be, until later in the show when The Shield attacked Cena and Ryback stood by without helping. It might be a reach to assume Ryback is aligned with The Shield and more likely that this was just done to build more tension between Cena and Ryback.
- Tommy Dreamer announced on his Facebook and Twitter accounts that he will co-host the upcoming DVD and Blu ray title, ECW Unreleased Volume 2, along with Joey Styles. The collection hits stores July 30th.
- Mike Mooneyham tells the story of Lars Anderson, who helped pave the way for the “Minnesota Wrecking Crew.”
- Arda Ocal reviews his friend and Aftermath co-host Jimmy Korderas’ new book, The Three Count: My Life in Stripes as a WWE Referee.
- The Houston Texans cheerleaders can be found on YouTube “Fandangoing.”
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin has added to his plate of post-wrestling endeavors, launching a podcast as part of the PodcastOne network. His first episode was released last Friday and featured Austin detailing what he expects the podcast to be and ranting on a variety of topics.
Episode 2 dropped this morning and includes an interview with “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels. The two discuss Michaels’ upbringing as a military baby, breaking into pro wrestling, their famous showdown at WrestleMania XIV, and Michaels’ post-WWE career.
To download or stream the podcast, visit The Steve Austin Show page at PodcastOne.com. The podcast is also available through iTunes.
TNA Impact Wrestling airs live tonight from Corpus Christi, Texas, featuring a heavy slate of action.
Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez challenge Bobby Roode and Austin Aries for the Tag Team Championships in a 2-out-of-3 falls match, and if Chavo and Hernandez lose they can never tag team in TNA again. Taryn Terrell will make her in-ring debut against Gail Kim, AJ Styles will pledge his allegiance to either Aces & Eights or TNA, and Jeff Hardy challenges Bully Ray for the TNA Heavyweight Championship in a Full Metal Mayhem match.
The live episodes of Impact from outside the Impact Zone have been great so far. The crowds are much more into the action and it’s created a whole new atmosphere for TNA. Tonight’s episode, at least on paper, looks to be a good one.
WWE completely redeemed itself following a poorly received WrestleMania with an outstanding episode of Monday Night Raw. While I lamented that there was a lack of memorable moments Sunday night at MetLife Stadium, we got plenty of them Monday from the Izod Center.
Dolph Ziggler finally cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase, an Undertaker/Kane/Daniel Bryan v. Shield match was set up, and Ryback shell-shocked John Cena to end the show. And lest we forget the raucous New Jersey crowd that made it all that much better.
• Dolph Ziggler’s cash-in was exquisitely done. I was thinking going into the match that the 2-on-1 Handicap scenario lent itself perfectly to a post-match beatdown and subsequent cash in, but WWE went about it a different way. The story they told was that Jack Swagger had injured Alberto Del Rio’s ankle after several Patriot Locks. When Ziggler’s music hit, the crowd erupted.
I must admit, though, for a moment I thought we’d get a swerve and Ziggler would either not get to cash it in, or he would lose. But the match itself was short and sweet, and well done. Del Rio fought back briefly but wasn’t able to overcome Ziggler.
• I’m surprised to see Undertaker sticking around after WrestleMania but I like the potential of a Taker, Kane and Daniel Bryan v. The Shield matchup. I just wonder how long they can do six-man tags for The Shield before they need to wrestle some singles matches. Although, it’s working, so why change it?
• I was confused why WWE had Miz win the Intercontinental Title on the WrestleMania pre-show and then lose it the following night, but it’s a minor nitpick. This match did more for Wade Barrett than anything in the last few months combined.
• The one time the crowd did get a bit annoying was during the Randy Orton – Sheamus match, when they were clearly more interested in putting themselves over than anything else, as evidenced by the “We Are Awesome” chants. No harm done, though, as the match itself was probably just a step in the setup of a Big Show-Sheamus-Randy Orton triple threat match at Extreme Rules.
• The John Cena – Mark Henry match felt rushed, probably due to time constraints, and the ending of Henry getting counted out so quickly was strange. But the end result was more important, with Ryback coming out, disposing of Henry then putting his hand out to help John Cena up. Then, after Cena joined Ryback in “Feed Me More” chants, he attacked Cena, delivering a hard clothesline and Shell Shock.
I’m not sure if it was meant to turn Ryback heel – which just wasn’t happening with last night’s crowd – or simply an “I don’t need friends, I’m just after the title” situation, but I like it either way. Ryback seems much more acceptable as a championship challenger now than he did against CM Punk, thanks to more TV time and his feud with Mark Henry.
• If WWE put this type of focus into every Raw, we’d have must-see TV each week. I’d like to say they had more time to come up with the program, but apparently they had to re-write a lot of it once The Rock got injured (or just took off and they came up with the injury as an excuse, depending on your theory.)
It’s unreasonable to expect this type of crowd reaction every week, but the better the product, the better the reactions will be.
