Dawn

Haven't checked out a Disney+ Marvel series since Falcon and the Winter Soldier which I thought was alright but the ending was mishandled terribly. Out of all possible interesting directions they could have gone with related to US Agent, they chose the most predictable and boring conclusion possible. Also it did not feel like Bucky was a main character half of the time, the stuff they set up with him being a fish out of water returning from the blip goes nowhere and that was probably the best portion of the first few episodes to me. It had good acting which I appreciate as an actor myself who loves learning as he watches media but it didn't make me feel any urgency to continue consuming the MCU in its current state. I really enjoyed WandaVision. It was a promising start to the slate but after now learning how they mishandled Wanda in the aftermath, it sucked all the goodwill out of the series to me and I will probably not rewatch it for a VERY long time. Anyway, after slacking on Loki and skimming through some of the others (including What If which was probably the series I was most excited for before it actually came out) I just don't have the energy. Phase Four in general has declined in quality exponentially after the good, admittedly carried by nostalgia No Way Home which was one of the best movie theatre experiences I have ever had with friends. I have not cared to watch Eternals or the latest Thor. The movies I did watch outside of NWH, I thought were just meh. And that's the worst emotion a movie can get from a person. Apathy. I don't know man. The only movie I'm remotely interested that's coming up is Guardians Volume 3 because I trust James Gunn (Peacemaker was SO much fun) and behind Spider-Man they're my favorite Marvel IP which is largely due to the movies. But that's already a Phase FIVE movie. How the hell does Disney expect me to be invested heading into Secret Wars with this overload of mediocrity in the setup movies? Nothing feels urgent to be watched. Not that every phase one and phase two movie were that way, but at least it was way easier to catch up even with the bad ones because there were not dozens upon dozens of them (and the series, of course.) plus the leadup to the first Avengers was special as that movie was a novelty for the time. Can't comment on Star Wars as I have not watched anything related to it since Solo, which I really enjoyed (seems to be a hot take) but I could be biased as Woody Harrelson is my all-time favorite actor to watch and learn from. I have not even watched The Mandalorian because I have not the slightest clue what order I should watch each series in and which are worth being watched or not. Still, Disney+ is my favorite streaming service simply due to Disney themselves and Pixar because I am just an eternal shill for their cartoons and will rewatch all of them periodically when I'm feeling like it. Literally everything other than Chicken Little because that movie is certified garbage and I am never coming within five feet of it again. The Disney/Pixar series they churn out in there are usually way easier to binge through as the episodes are short. The Cars series was good fun, for instance. Definitely recommend checking the original cartoon series out.

If you haven't yet played Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, I definitely recommend you checking it out.

Goldberg Rapid Fire Steve Blackman Guido & Tony JBL Kurt Angle

ALFA STARDOM Special Guests Vermillion World Oedo Tai Vermillion World wins it all

''World Class Athlete'' WWE Thursday Night SmackDown July 10th, 2014 Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts OC: Josh Mathews, John Bradshaw Layfield and Booker T Rating: B+ The incensed group of The New Day gives chase to Dolph Ziggler in the back following orders from Woods, and it is seen that the four men lay waste to the former world champion, leaving him in a heap to be treated by EMTs! Josh mentions how badly Ziggler has been targeted by members of The New Day this year, having missed months of his career already, could this mean even more misfortune for the Show-Off? Elsewhere, Renee Young is with the one man who benefitted from the previous events in Fandango! Renee asks the Honorable One how does it feel to have made it into the biggest opportunity of his career. Fandango says that hard work pays off, be it mental or physical. He would feed off the energy of the Fandangoers come Money in the Bank, retrieve that contract and serve as an example to all around the globe that his manner of soul searching is the most successful form of personal revival. Backstage, Drew McIntyre meets his previous week's tag team partner in Tyson Kidd, alongside wife Natalya. McIntyre informs Kidd that last week was a mere business formality, and while they were successful, he would not pursue to continue an alliance with him. At Money in the Bank, the Chosen One would fulfill the prophecy that had been foretold the second he came into this company, and if Kidd dared attempt to deny him that, the only fact would be that Kidd would be forced to be cared to by his wife the rest of his life, as he'd be leaving Money in the Bank in a catatonic state. Backstage, Renee Young interviews Rey Mysterio on his chances to win the WWE Championship Ladder Match a week from Sunday. Mysterio simply stares at the mask Sin Cara gave him the past week that is right on his hand, before he is interrupted by the victorious TV Champion in Samoa Joe. Joe denounces Renee, stating he should be the one being interviewed right now, and not a man living in past name recognition such as Rey Mysterio. He says all the Rey Mysterio fans were still living in a fantasy world where their superhero inspiration could defeat any Goliath that stood in his path, but uncle Joe was now around to shunt everyone back down to reality. And reality was: Rey Mysterio was a complete and utter shell of his former self, who had no capability to return to his former glory. And if he wanted a taste of the best around in order to try and prove himself again? He'd gladly put him out of commission in the Coquina Clutch. Chavo Guerrero and Vickie Guerrero are then shown discussing strategy in the back, Vickie noting how Cruiserweight Champion Alex Shelley is at his most vulnerable ever, and Chavo asking her how she can't find him another opportunity. Vickie says even as the main Cruiserweight talent manager on the brand, The Rock still has more power and he has his own idea on the next marquee matchup for the Cruiserweight Championship, so her hands were tied with the matters at hand. However, she does guarantee to Chavo that when it came to giving him a shot on proving his worth in the ring once again, she had that matter covered. Elsewhere in the back, The International Dragons are near catering with Gabriel and Steamboat discussing their loss from the previous week, the veteran Gabriel pointing out the mistakes they committed. The two are interrupted by Randy Orton, who points out how cute this meeting is. He asks what exactly the two men have done in this business to imagine they have any relevancy in order to receive as many opportunities as they do in this brand. He asks Gabriel if anyone even remembers he's a two-time Intercontinental Champion with how irrelevant he's made himself recently, and that his protege should be ashamed of himself, for at his age, Orton was already a multi-time world champion. Pointing out the mistakes they committed does absolutely nothing to cover up the fact that Richie Steamboat is plain and simple not good enough to cut it in the WWE, and he never will be. But he would have a prime time seat a week from Sunday where a real generational talent got to reclaim the WWE Championship to continue tacking onto his legacy while theirs faltered. Backstage, Ryder is seen livid at his latest loss, with Burke having cut corners and gone low at multiple times during the match while Long Island Iced Z chose to stay in the fans side once again. Trent Barreta, Curt Hawkins and Alex Riley are seen reunited and awaiting for his arrival, the latter saying it's about time the Broski chose which pathway to go in the crossroads. Next week on SmackDown: WWE Hall of Famer and first-ever Money in the Bank winner Edge returns to host The Cutting Edge with the eight World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank participants! Ryback then helps Ziggler fend off The New Day, with the injured Show-Off having helped keep three out of five members of the group from competing in the big Money in the Bank Ladder Match! It is then time for the World Heavyweight Championship Match Contract Signing between champion Daniel Bryan and challenger Wade Barrett, alongside the latter's insurance policy in The KoW. Bryan's arguments center on the fact ever since he came into the WWE, he has been doubted as nothing more than an underdog that doesn't belong, and that includes by Barrett as the two were on completely opposite ends of the competition in the first season of NXT. Barrett does acknowledge Bryan has greatly improved as a competitor since then, but he quite simply did not possess the skillset necessary in order to prevent the Barrett Barrage from taking over; at King of the Ring, it had been a mere delay of a formality and Bryan had not succeeded in defeating him. At Money in the Bank, Wade Barrett would finally reach the levels of success his career had been leading to up to that point, such a level only reserved to a world class athlete like himself, that of the franchise player of this company. WWE Sunday Night Heat July 13th, 2014 OC: Josh Mathews, Byron Saxton and ''The Professor'' Matt Striker

Mayu doesn't bother me as much bc she's punched her ticket to the big time already, brother! She is essentially bulletproof at this point and just came out of a huge win over the other two icons. Love me some Mayu, but she can eat a loss or two and come out unscathed. Poi, I just want her to never lose again!

3 straight L's to Natsupoi

''No Money in Hell'' WWE Monday Night Raw July 7th, 2014 Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama OC: Michael Cole, Renee Young and Joey Styles Rating: B+ A quick recap from the backstage area before Raw comes on the air is shown, where the arriving Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are approached by an aprehensive Seth Rollins. Seth says he has a number of qualms doing this due to the terrible miscalculation from their part on who they chose as their figurehead from The Shield to lead the WWE into the future, but he has to protect the image of The Architect as much as he can. He's not unreasonable quite as Dean Ambrose, he says. Seth mentions how he's got his Money in the Bank qualifying match coming up tonight, but he saw what happened last week with Roman Reigns. He says he may have done a miscalculation of his own with the period of time needed for Dean Ambrose to become obsolete, so he offers a moment of truce to the bosses; he wants them to give Ambrose a qualifying match tonight as well. That way, he will get rid of their common threat come Money in the Bank and prove HE was the investment worth spending money on, not that it matters to them any longer. Either way, it's win-win for all sides. They get to tame the savage for a second by giving him a bargaining tool, he gets to keep his eyes on Dean Ambrose instead of potentially being ambushed during the match, Hunter and Stephanie get to run the rest of the show with a clear mind as well with no worries about the loose cannon. Hunter and Stephanie stare at one another in deliberation, but Stephanie ends up conceding, stating it's Seth's funeral; she's got other business to take care of tonight. This leads us right into the Von Braun Center where we are now live for Seth Rollins' qualifying match! Backstage, ''The Professor'' Matt Striker conducts an interview with one of eight men who will be competing for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank, two-time MITB winner CM Punk! Striker asks Punk if his strategy will deviate in any form from his previous victories in the matchup considering the field is certainly the most star studded he's ever encountered in an 8-man Ladder match. Punk says not really; it is true that his opponents had all won world championships in the past or currently apart from Curtis Axel, but no matter what, he'd enter that match still the best wrestler in the ring and the most successful in that type of match. He says it seems everyone has a prior preoccupation heading into Money in the Bank, but his Straight Edge lifestyle hands him perks such as aiding him with heading clearminded into the Forum. From behind appears a disgusted looking Chris Jericho, the former rivals jawing at one another for a moment. Jericho tells Punk that he may as well add a preoccupation of his own in the form of the actual best wrestler in the world who will be winning the Money in the Bank briefcase earlier that night and cashing it in on the winner of the WWE Championship Ladder match that same night. And that will be him, the creator of the match, who's gotten sick and tired of being shoved aside when it comes to naming favorites be it by the parasitic analysts or the moronic fans. He tells Punk that no matter if it is him or anyone else who retrieves the WWE Championship, they will be a paper champion just holding onto HIS championship before he marches down the aisle with a referee to reclaim his spot as the one and only leader of this industry, do you understand what he is saying now? Punk retorts with a smirk at Jericho, telling him no matter what sides of the spectrum the two find themselves into in the last few years, he's always been the one with the upper hand. And right now? That is no different. Slater is met by Matt Striker again backstage, who asks The One Man Band if being the darkhorse will provide him an advantage heading into Money in the Bank. Slater says that the One Man Band is no darkhorse, he is the ONLY horse, the favorite! He suggests that all the Tampa ladies step up to the line for a hot night with the One Man Band, as the drinks will be all on him once he retrieves that briefcase, baybay! Another interruption occurs, this time in the form of Slater's former NXT Pro Christian! The two share an awkward stare for a moment, before Christian gives Slater credit where credit is due. He says that his former rookie has come a long way in four years, and it would be a shame to waste the biggest opportunity of his career a week from Sunday. But he still had a lot to learn, and he knew nowhere near enough in order to hang with the Ladder match veterans. He says he was just like Slater when he was younger, but advises that Slater should worry less about the partying and more about scouting. Then he will not need to depend on others to achieve his major victories, only on his own ingenuity. He will find even more success and maybe even some Peeps will find themselves flocking over to his side. Christian taps Slater on the shoulder, before departing, leaving the latter pensive. Elsewhere, Austin Aries paces himself back and forth as he tries to arrange a meeting with Hunter and Stephanie, citing ''urgent matters''. However, Derrick Bateman, who has been left to guard their office, informs him that they will not be accepting him inside at the moment. Aries questions this insult to the most talented man in the company, but Bateman simply rebuffs that claim. He says Aries' chances to qualify for a Money in the Bank Ladder Match have run dry, and he would be forced to sit on the sidelines for this one. Aries says Bateman is awfully blunt for someone who also lost his match the previous week, but Bateman says he holds full belief in himself that he'll rebound, and so does the McMahon-Helmsley regime; whereas, Aries has shown himself to be on a downward spiral recently, so finding him a place on the card has no longer become a priority. Aries looks very insulted at Bateman's words and stepping up to him, and tells him they will regret not allowing him inside. After another traditional anti-American promo from the Russian power couple, Lana denounces the United States Champion The Miz as weak and a prime representative as to the pathetic Americans in attendance and all over this country. She says that Rusev made quick and easy work of him last week, and next time the two meet, Rusev would like to challenge him for his championship in order to expose each and every single American in his company as puny and insignificant compared to the mighty Rusev. She says a man named Alberto Del Rio brought an excellent idea to the table earlier this year, and that once Rusev got his hands on the United States Championship, he would put that idea to good use. She says Alberto Del Rio was wise, but weak. The Hero of the Russian Federation, Rusev, is not weak. He will CRUSH the competition, no matter how many filthy Americans this company tries to send his way. Rusev now has his sights set on that particular championship, and once he won it, he would effectively retire it by throwing it in the garbage where it belongs. After that, Rusev would make the great Russian Federation proud by bringing back the once prestigious European Championship. A team of soldiers with Russian military outfits brings by the covered title, the proud duo of Rusev and Lana staring at it with cocky smiles on their faces. However, they are interrupted by Miz's partner in John Morrison! Morrison attempts to charge at Rusev, and is able to ground him for a moment, but as he sets up Starship Pain, Lana pulls her man to the outside and saves him. JoMo says that they messed with the wrong guy when they targeted Miz, and he may not be here tonight due to his injuries, but next week, they would get his answer firsthand as The Dirt Sheet will unleash hell on their sorry asses! Serena comes to the ring and issues an open challenge next, still trying to ''find her new place in the world''. AJ Lee answers, free from the pursuit of Dr. Cortex's orderlies at least for now, as Cole is notified they are still busy dealing with Solomon Crowe. AJ picks up a mic after the match, saying she has no idea why Solomon Crowe decided to help her last week, but that it didn't matter. She says freedom never felt so good, after months on the shelf due to being backstabbed by her former best friend and the bitch daughter of the boss who has greatly overstayed her welcome as a figure of prominence in this company. She says it's about time someone remodeled Stephanie's face, and she would gladly volunteer to be the one to do it; it was a long time coming, after all. The Billion Dollar Princess herself in Stephanie McMahon makes her way to the ring after that, looking irate that AJ is allowed to waltz around in her shows. She says it seems as if getting rid of AJ was much easier said than done after all. She had left the Solomon Crowe affair to be dealt entirely by Dr. Cortex, but this still left AJ a free woman, and this was something she was not fond of in the slightest. Stephanie says her father couldn't do it, Kaitlyn couldn't do it, Dr. Cortex couldn't do it. It was time she took matters into her own hands with AJ Lee. After a tense staredown between the two, they are interrupted by the theme song of Becky Lynch, who claims AJ hasn't been the only woman screwed by Stephanie in recent memory; she hadn't forgot about being walloped by Kharma at Over the Limit, nor had she given up on her quest to be the woman to do what AJ couldn't and put the championship back in the waist of a woman with some balls. Becky says before that, though, she would like the big bad bitch to come out from the dollhouse and meet her upfront so the two could arrange for a jumbo sized lass kicking. Stephanie turns to insulting Becky and demanding she turn back to the locker room, bringing the defiant Irishwoman to instead close in on Steph, finding herself circled by Becky and AJ; the two proceed to put the fists to the boss, before the Divas Champion Kaitlyn comes to her rescue! BUT, she inadvertedly hits Stephanie with the Spear instead! A shocked Kaitlyn rises, only to be met by a douple Bexploder from her two rivals! The two then stare in trepidation at one another, not letting their guard down, but for now, they've gained the upper hand on the two women that have terrorized the division for so long. Bo Dallas heads to the ring, all smiles as usual. He cuts a promo on how he BOlieves he's the odds-on favorite to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match after his qualifying match next; the rest of the field would come just short, but there's always next year. All they had to do, was BOlieve! Dean Ambrose's new theme song then plays, and the lunatic sprints to the ring, having apparently been given the hesitant ok from the higher-ups for a qualifying match. Ambrose charges at Bo with a flurry of punches, starting their matchup in an impromptu manner! Ambrose then cuts a promo on how sweet his moment's retaliation was the previous week, but he was nowhere near done with his ultimate goal. Roman Reigns would need to wait until when he'd decide to show his wounded carcass back into the hunting grounds again; as for the other traitor in Seth Rollins, he had exactly 13 days before he would become the big game he'd hunt down until extinction. He says that Rollins committed the worst mistake of his career suggesting that the two being in the same match would be any sort of advantage for his former brother; if anything, he would enjoy it even more to crack Rollins' nose on each and every Ladder rung available at his disposal, before climbing the stairway bathed with Rollins' blood to the briefcase and glory. ''13 days, brother.'' The Wyatt Family then circles The Usos in the ring, but a cackling Bray Wyatt, in his rocking chair, guarantees to them that no harm will come their way tonight. However, he can't provide such a guarantee for 13 days from tonight. He says that his brothers had at last gotten sick of the fun and mind games; ruin would befall The Usos on their terms, on a night where the world will receive the message he has held in his heart for centuries. It would be fitting for his brothers to share similar success as he does on the very same night as the first arrangement for their reclamation of control in this poisoned world takes place. Bray advises The Usos to do one thing and one thing only...RUN. Renee Young interviews seven of the eight in the WWE Championship Ladder Match inside the ring, including late addition Curtis Axel and missing only Kane. All of them bring forth points as to why they should be considered the favorite headed into the match, but the major theme is that of Axel being overshadowed and underestimated by his decorated opposition, be it friend or foe. John Cena admires the way in which Axel entered the match, stating that it required guts and he had done similar to find such opportunities when he came into this company. But it would be all for naught, as no quest heading into the event was stronger than his to reclaim the WWE Championship, cementing his departure from the worst stretch of his career as he planned on bringing the gold with him to his clash with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 31. The red flames and pyro then boom at the arena, with Kane appearing at the titantron in a boiler room of sorts, cackling uncontrollably. Kane says John Cena will not be the man to end The Streak in his current state, and he would not succeed at the Ladder Match either. Kane says that at Money in the Bank, he will personally ensure that Cena be dragged right down to hell with him where he would finally...embrace the hate. And if anyone dared stand on his way, the flames of hell would too engulf them and send them to live in eternal damnation. NXT July 9th, 2014 Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida OC: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton and Eric Bischoff Rating: C

Actual heat. They've been booked really well since HHH took over. I don't know if the direction he's taken with them is my cup of tea compared to what they first were, but I can't complain about heel stables being well booked after years of Vince fumbling the bag with those.

DDP The Young Pistols Dan Spivey & One Man Gang Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock & Johnny B. Badd Cactus Jack Rick Rude, Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko & Tully Blanchard Jushin Liger Sting

Please do it!

That. was. AWESOME!

I'm guessing the Mauro bridge is burnt. And I definitely hope Barrett sticks around for the long haul even after McAfee returns - he is excellent! Booker isn't the most thorough analyst but he is just hilarious and a name casuals will recognize which is probably a good way to go for colour of a brand introducing so many new characters to fans.

You mean NXT ratings back from when he was there or Raw ratings?

Thank you for the comment, Bigelow Cartwheel! Always nice to see new faces reading. I don't know if by uncomfortable you meant the good kind of uncomfortable (where you're on your toes rooting for the good guy that is) but that is definitely the dynamic I was going for with this feud; AJ Lee is the single reason Vince McMahon was forced to retire in this universe (as he always retires early in TEW), so Stephanie will go to insane lengths to rid her company of the plague in her eyes. She's already succeeded at ensuring she'll never challenge for the Divas Championship as long as Kaitlyn is champion - but now that she's out of the mental asylum and free again, you know this feud is about to reach its apex. Solomon Crowe is Sami Callihan, former Impact World Champion! He had a terrible run in NXT around this time in real life - but I like him well enough that just a short stint in NXT was good before bringing him aboard the main roster! Brian Pillman is my favorite wrestler of all-time so there's never anything as too many lunatics in my roster for me his hacker gimmick is something I can work with as you will see soon

Wait...what?

''The Doctor Is In'' WWE Thursday Night SmackDown July 3rd, 2014 Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee, Florida OC: Josh Mathews, John Bradshaw Layfield and Booker T Rating: B+ The show opens with The New Day in Sheriff Rock's office. The People's Champion denies them any joint World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Qualifying Matches, and that if any member of the group is to interfere in the others' matches, their own match will be null and void and automatically advance their opponent. The Rock says that Mark Henry will have his match tonight, while the other three will compete next week. The New Day are incensed at first, but Xavier Woods calms them down, and says everything will work out as intended. King Joe cuts a promo after the match on how he declined automatic entry into the Money in the Bank match from winning the King of the Ring, an opportunity last year's winner Cody Rhodes had seized to perfection. He says he doesn't need a fancy briefcase to sneak from behind the world champion when the time comes; he will be front and center right to the face of whoever is holding the gold, to put his ass to sleep and finish what he started from the minute he came to the WWE. For now? He'd enjoy prosperous reigns as king and television champion, the latter guaranteeing him competition every single week. Wade Barrett cuts a promo alongside the KoW on how close he came to becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion at the King of the Ring. He says it is fortunate that Triple H did not make the wrong decision, and he would make sure to finish Daniel Bryan this time around at Money in the Bank (he makes sure to again point out he nearly beat Bryan ''on his own'' the previous Sunday). As for Axel, Miz and Morrison? The KoW would gladly school these gentlemen on the fine art of not sticking your nose in others' business this Monday, with or without the cowardly Miz competing as he recovered from injuries all four of them would (theoretically) punch through. Backstage, a victorious and exhausted Sin Cara enters the locker room of Rey Mysterio, who is depressively pensive as has been the norm recently. Cara says if there's still a sliver of the legend deep inside Rey, he knows he'd join him in victory come Money in the Bank. The two would stand tall in honor of Mexico as the two world champions soon enough; all that had to be done was for Rey to rediscover himself. He hands Rey his mask, before nodding at him and leaving the locker room. A shot closes in on Rey's face as he stares at the mask that has defined his legacy. Devlin, Harper and Rowan circle The Usos, but Jimmy and Jey retaliate, sending Devlin flying with a double superkick. Then, they fly in on Harper and Rowan themselves with suicide dives, all the while Bray Wyatt observes what is happening at the top of the stage from his rocking chair. The tag team champions stand tall, raising their titles as they stare at Bray, and his brothers regroup. Vickie and Chavo Guerrero fail to enter the Sheriff's office to discuss with The Rock about what can be done to reward Chavo with another opportunity at the Cruiserweight Championship, before the Red Stardust jumps right at Chavo, staring him down with a creepy smile. He warns Chavo that he will not be the one to help restore the cosmos; and that Alex Shelley was in direct disturbance of those by possessing what was not his. He then leaves while eerily shouting that the cosmic key must be retrieved. Naomi stands incredulously staring at Natalya after the match, claiming that she had come inches away of winning again. Natalya proudly says that ''she had to do something and she finally did it'', before the two come to blows! Naomi forces the younger Neidhart to retreat, but she herself is speared by Kaitlyn as she returns her attention to the champion! Kaitlyn grasps her championship again with all possible force, her reign having been in jeopardy recently way more than she'd like it to be. WWE Champion AJ Styles and World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan converge backstage, discussing the tough tasks ahead of them at Money in the Bank. AJ says he's got a hell of a lot of respect for Daniel, and if the odds are truly too much for him in the Ladder match, he'd like nothing more than to see Bryan on the other side of the ring at SummerSlam. Bryan notes that would be one hell of a dream match, but he does expect AJ to put one hell of a fight, and he's seen crazier things happen. Into the locker room walks Randy Orton, who stares both men down. The Viper says that Daniel Bryan is not a worthy World Heavyweight Champion; he had failed at every single opportunity handed to him before ONE slip from Orton at WrestleMania cost him and made Bryan and the world believe that miracles were true. Just look at how Bryan barely came out a champion from the King of the Ring when he had all the help in the world. Orton says he is the living embodiment of the fact miracles were NOT true. He says that he is reality, and in this case, reality is that his generational pedigree makes him far superior than either one of the two inside the ring. Orton says it doesn't matter if there are one, two, six or a hundred guys standing between him and AJ's WWE Championship, he would ascend to the revival of the Age of Orton come Money in the Bank. At the top of the hour, Stephanie McMahon enters the ring and requests the presence of Dr. Cortex, who has his usual eerie and calm demeanor as he joins the majority owner in the ring. Stephanie kindly asks Dr. Cortex that he have brought in an incapacitated AJ Lee to the ring, and get this over with for good by locking her up in his facility NO MATTER HOW LONG! Dr. Cortex says that the patient took quite long to be subdued, but that his team had finally succeeded in the task at hand. The orderlies, in numbers that seem to be in the teens, come in hoisting a straightjacket-bound AJ above them. Stephanie and Dr. Cortex maniacally cackle to each other, with Stephanie slapping AJ in the face multiple times as she does so. She tells the orderlies to leave the ring as she finally deals with this problem once and for all, and she forcibly retrieves a camera from a cameraman's hands (obviously a plant). She gloats right in front of the camera that revenge is a bitch, but while she's doing so, a short orderly weirdly approaches AJ's dead weight...and throws something at it. Stephanie proudly climbs the ring with the camera, preparing to smack AJ in the head with it as the latter had done to her father... BUT AJ JUMPS STEPHANIE! Somehow, someway, AJ Lee unlocked herself from the straightjacket, and she unleashes hell on earth against the boss, until Dr. Cortex and the orderlies realize that and chase after her! AJ runs away and finally gets a barricade of fans to stand in front of the orderlies for good, making sure she will go home a free woman tonight. The camera pans to her lips being cut from Stephanie's slaps as she smiles, Stephanie throwing a tantrum in the ring! Dr. Cortex calmly turns to the unusual orderly that he fears may have helped AJ by throwing her a key, and removes his facemask to reveal... ...SOLOMON CROWE FROM NXT? Stephanie has no recollection of her own as to who this is, but she is incensed either way and orders Dr. Cortex to do away with him! Crowe fights well, but the band of Cortex orderlies are too much for him, eventually carrying him out on the orders of Stephanie and Dr. Cortex. With that unexpected save from one deranged individual to the other, Stephanie points at AJ on the skyboxes and says that she will pay for everything she's done, and now she's done playing to rules and regulations, it will be done HER WAY! AJ laughs at the face of danger, more questions arising from this blood rivalry that began when the balance of power was entirely disrupted by AJ Lee, as we fade to black! WWE Sunday Night Heat July 6th, 2014 OC: Josh Mathews, Byron Saxton and ''The Professor'' Matt Striker

Mayu Iwatani AZM ALFA Natsupoi Vermillion World Oedo Tai Oedo Tai Cosmic Angels

''Raising the Stakes'' WWE Monday Night Raw June 30th, 2014 (July Week 1) Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida OC: Michael Cole, Renee Young and Joey Styles Meltzer Rating: B+ The show opens with a major rendezvous of the core of Triple H's regime. The Game, Stephanie McMahon, Paul Heyman, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Wade Barrett (still flanked by The KoW) and now Roman Reigns. Hunter gives center stage for Roman Reigns to explain his actions from the start of the month first of all. ''Dean, Seth...the only thing you two boys need to know is that it was simply business. Nothing personal. I decided to drop any loose ends that had been holding me back from evolving into what I am meant to be. Seth talks a big game on how he was the brains of the operation, which may have been the case. But he's dead wrong if he believes he had any true power on The Shield or over myself. My word was gospel. They could do nothing, achieve nothing without my presence backing them up. I had the final say, the final word, the final action when it came to the execution of any and every action of The Shield...including its demise. The men by my side see my true potential and I envision a partnership as mutually beneficial for all our futures. I pity you for believing you were good enough to be amongst the elite, Seth. That was just shameful. And Dean? Your little rabid dog act doesn't work on me, man. We both know I can kick your ass into next year any second if I ever were to entertain the idea. But I don't work with dead weight any longer. I am the head of the table and my priorities have been set straight. As for what my endgame is? For the two of you, the hundreds in the back and the thousands around the world to acknowledge me as the one and only Roman Reigns.'' With that done, Triple H steps up, shaking Reigns' hand and congratulating him on making the best decision of his young career. Security is seen again circling the ring from all sides to protect him. Hunter says it was a big night in Boston at the King of the Ring, but things were only about to get bigger. He says that in three weeks, it is the last stop before the biggest party of the summer. In three weeks, two men will be earning contracts for world championship opportunities that may be cashed in any time during the span of a year. The two Money in the Bank Ladder Matches would have qualifiers starting in a few moments. He had named the contenders for the two matches, making sure to work with The Rock for the World Heavyweight Championship contract match; because this year, that match specifically would be even more special. The man to win that match would essentially be guaranteed a key chance to win the big gold belt that he held many times in the past that very night. Because at Money in the Bank, there would be a THIRD Ladder Match. He says Daniel Bryan will be defending the World Heavyweight Championship against former world champions. This brings protest out of Wade Barrett, who cuts off Hunter and says that will most definitely not be the way things would go at Money in the Bank. He says he was this close to defeating Daniel Bryan on his own at King of the Ring; he had proved he deserved the next title opportunity and he was not going to allow six other men to stand between himself and his first World title. He had a duty to perform for the regime and the Queen's honor, and the three gentlemen with him endorsed him fully. Three security guards then turn to the ring, circling Barrett's allies and revealing themselves as the KoW! Barrett tells Triple H that neither one of them has to be hasty here tonight, all he has to do is give him one more match with Daniel Bryan. Triple H stares at the KoW for a moment in frustration, before relenting. He warns Barrett though, that he doesn't reward multiple failures, even moreso when forced to bend over backwards to meet his protege's demands. Barrett guarantees that Triple H will not be disappointed. Stephanie and Hunter then get in a huddle, and Steph says the fans are still owed a third Ladder match in three weeks. So instead of Daniel Bryan, it would be AJ Styles defending the WWE Championship against former world champions galore! The field will be comprised of the WWE Champion AJ Styles, CM Punk, John Cena, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Rey Mysterio, Kane and the United States Champion, The Miz! Backstage, ''The Professor'' Matt Striker is with two men who will compete to qualify for the WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match later in the night, young CJ Parker and former World champion Chris Jericho! CJ excitedly raves about his opportunity, listing the different ways he can help save the planet if he wins Money in the Bank. Jericho stands stoic all throughout, before exploding; he says he doesn't know who in the hell made the decision to cut him off of the field of former world champions for the championship Ladder match, but that this certainly reeked of Triple H getting a rise out of him by pairing him with a stupid idiot such as Parker, who wanders around catering with his stupid idiot plaques while food is thrown at him. He says the only true conspiracy is the one that's been created by this company to hold Chris Jericho back as has been the case even when he was the first ever undisputed world champion in the business, but it doesn't matter. For tonight he will carry them both for the win and he is going to win the match he created at Money in the Bank before cashing in the briefcase on the very same night against whoever wins the third ladder match, if you can understand what he is saying, MJ Parker. As Jericho departs, Parker shrugs at his partner Mason Ryan, who Cole notes has his qualifying match next! Backstage, Hunter and Stephanie are approached by Dolph Ziggler and Torrie Wilson. Ziggler questions the decision of not including him in the WWE Championship Ladder Match. Hunter notes how Ziggler failed to win and capture the championship the previous night, and he'd have to earn his way into either one of the contract matches instead. Curtis Axel also runs in, and asks why he isn't included in any of the qualifying matches period. Hunter dismisses is as an ''honest oversight'' while Axel accuses Hunter (making sure to remind the King of Kings that he had defeated him at WrestleMania) of bias. Stephanie forcibly leads both men out of the room. Matt Striker is with Seth Rollins, who's been slated for a qualifying match next week on Raw. Rollins says that it's been a whirlwind in these couple of days, and that Dean and Roman may believe they got the upper hand on him. He says that both of the two had showed to the world their precise full skillset in the last 24 hours; Dean Ambrose with his madman instincts, born to destroy. Roman Reigns with his sheer magnetism and presence. But it was a mere question of the two being overshadowed by HIS moment. The greater competitor and greater mind would always prevail, and now his mind was in business on its own to calculate precisely how that would happen; once he won his qualifier, he'd become the odds on favorite to win the WWE Championship contract, and whoever walked out as champion would have to bear the thoughts of Seth Rollins lurking right behind them no matter where, no matter when. And only then as he held the WWE Championship and proved that he has always been by and large the superior third of The Shield, the Evolution of Seth Rollins would be complete. Austin Aries cuts a promo on the previous week, where ''Stone Cold'' Steve Austin was joined by Hulk Hogan and Sheriff Rock to try and undermine him all the while Stone Cold announced he'd be entering the 2015 Royal Rumble Match next January. Aries accuses the legends of trying to overshadow him, the bygones trying so desperately to clutch their last few straws of relevance left. He says Stone Cold will have a target on his back come Royal Rumble, and should The Greatest Man That Ever Lived also enter that match, he'd make sure to personally eliminate the Rattlesnake after he'd embarass himself by looking out of place against today's competition. Backstage, Morrison celebrates his win with The Miz and Becky Lynch. Miz says the two of them will be dominant after Money in the Bank, where he will once again be the most must-see WWE Champion in history, Morrison will hold the briefcase to the championship and so, if he is ever to lose the title, it will go right back to the hands of The Dirt Sheet. Becky says she is happy for the two, but it'd be better if she went her separate ways for a while again. She says she will be calling out the big bad bitch next week, and she will be looking for a fight. Miz and Morrison wish her luck as she departs. Morrison sits down, exhausted from the past two nights of action, as Miz says he'll make up for it and go find his brother some arm candy for the night. Elsewhere backstage, John Cena is shown with his ribs taped due to the events of the King of the Ring. His Quarter-Finals opponent and on-off rival CM Punk passes by, intently staring at Cena and his injuries. Punk says both of them have history with Samoa Joe, they are familiar to what he can do and that last night doesn't bode well for anyone on the roster who doesn't if Cena is any indication. Cena says Samoa Joe is as good as any other on the business, but it would have been a much more fair fight without the attack by Drew McIntyre beforehand. Punk says that the kid (McIntyre) has got some balls to go right for the golden boy, and the backing he got for the attack it was a sign that Triple H's influence had started to grow far over a level that anyone else could control; not only when it comes to McIntyre, but the other proteges such as Barrett and Roman Reigns. Cena says it doesn't matter as long as they keep the championships in the home team. Punk agrees, and says that is exactly what he intends to do, having won two Money in the Bank Ladder Matches in the past. Cena says he's also got a history as a winner of the match, but Punk teases him by saying these ribs look nowhere near as if they'll be 100% in 3 weeks. The two stare each other down, before we head to a commercial break. As we return from the break, we are supposed to be headed to action, but instead there's another cut backstage, where commotion is in the air as screams are heard! The United States Champion, The Miz is seen down and limp on the concrete as a production box pins him down! The deed is revealed to have been concocted by Rusev and Lana, the Ravishing Russian shouting instructions and encouragement at her man as he locks Miz in The Accolade! Multiple officials are required to remove Rusev from top of The Miz, and the Hero of the Russian Federation is seen forcibly grabbing the U.S. title from Miz's waist, before posing with it! Satisfied, Lana leads Rusev out of the scene, the latter dropping the title back on top of Miz. Triple H finally appears at the scene once the smoke is fully clear, looking rather shocked as officials and EMTs also storm the area. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon enter the ring, with Hunter saying the EMTs have informed him that Miz will be unclear to compete in 3 weeks at Money in the Bank. And so, they've been forced to hastily throw together a battle royal to determine who will replace him in the WWE Championship Ladder Match. And instead of restricting themselves to former champions this time, they would provide opportunity to the young up and comers as it would be a qualifier between 10 men who had never won a world title instead. Nine masked unknowns make their way to the ring, and Hunter introduces them as ''Jacksonville's finest''. The last member of this match will be...ROMAN REIGNS. Outside, the shock of the moment can't even be addressed properly, as Ambrose keeps on the assault by cracking open a monitor on Reigns' face, before absolutely crushing his leg with an elbow drop! By the time security and Triple H's forces have returned to the ring, Ambrose is long gone, having started to make good on his promise to damage his former brother as soon as he proved vulnerable. All the while, the Jacksonville Jingler has been celebrating like a fool in the ring, playing to the crowd as Triple H looks on, apalled. The Jingler then removes his mask to reveal himself as CURTIS AXEL, bringing Hunter's mouth to go agape! Curtis Axel has once again overstepped The COO's authority and he has punched himself a ticket to Money in the Bank where he will have a chance to win the WWE Championship, but even with all this unlikely success, he will still have to overcome six former WWE Champions and the current world champion in AJ Styles! Good night, everybody! NXT July 2nd, 2014 Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida OC: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton and Eric Bischoff Rating: C+

Steven Richards & FTR Steve Blackman Brock Lesnar Triple H Hardcore Holly Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio

I really thought you were building up to Giulia vs. Natsupoi being the final big feud over the white belt, I guess we can't always get what we want

Freddie Datsun JD Morgan BLZ Bubb

Punk doing MMA was a bad idea from the onset - there is a great video from Napoleon Blownapart detailing how screwed his career was from the very beginning. I can't vouch on the Gracies being scumbags point because I never looked into that but mostly for how late he began training, he could have trained with the best of the best for reals every single day from when he first announced he had signed with the UFC until the Gall fight and he would still have been at an inherent disadvantage. Hell, the second fight they gave him was so blatant trying to save face as in ''there's no way he'll also lose to THIS GUY, will he?'' but yeah, it turns out even the worst of the MMA fighters in the UFC have way more experience in shoot fighting (dude had 4 boxing fights to his name) than a dude who first started training for that when he was pushing 40.

I felt the same way initially as I just wasn't very good at doing the complex boxes and formats people are doing in here now but I think the simplistic format I settled with for mine is pretty good visually (it's what I get the most praise for) without demanding too much of an effort from you. You can adapt it for yourself if you'd like, I don't mind. Would suck to have you lose the energy for this so I'm up to help with anything you need.

I disagree about the Orton feud having been a bad thing as that was quite possibly the best version of Randy Orton we had ever seen and any feud involving him during the pandemic era was gold. I agree that everything else after the Reigns feud has felt like a waste though. Even with the Judgment Day having improved exponentially with HHH in charge, glueing Edge to them forever is not how I'd use him on borrowed time. Glad they're finally doing the Bálor match and hoping they'll move on after that.