WWE: Building A Foundation

Cruel Britannia · January 12, 2012

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2011: A mixed year for World Wrestling Entertainment. With the retirement of Edge and the apparent departure of The Undertaker, injuries to Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton and the rapid lack of support for WWE's franchise player, John Cena, it seems a change was sorely needed. In the Summer of 2011, it seemed that change came in the form of CM Punk, who carried the WWE through the summer period, giving the WWE a much needed shot in the arm. However, problems still persist and it seems something needs to be done if WWE has any chance of keeping their dwindling fan base. But with a flurry of new faces and up and comers cementing their place in the WWE, Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes to name but two, and a selection of quality performers in their developmental system, 2012 may just shape up to be one of the most exciting years in recent memory. If they can let go of the past....

Cruel Britannia · January 12, 2012

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THIS MONDAY NIGHT...IT BEGINS.

The New Year kicks off with a bang this Monday Night for Monday Night Raw. And after defeating CM Punk in his home town last week, "The Show-off" Dolph Ziggler has earned a shot at the WWE Champion this Monday Night. CM Punk has a bullseye on his chest, with everybody gunning for his title. But it is WWE's Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinitis who seems to have the biggest interest in "The Second City Saint".

Also, after several weeks of attacks from "The Big Red Monster" Kane, John Cena may very well have the opportunity to get his hands on him as Cena teams up with The Big Show and Zack Ryder to face Kane, Jack Swagger and Mark Henry. Plus, World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan will be in attendance, as will The Miz, who will need eyes in the back of his head after last weeks brutal attack by the returning R-Truth. Plus, after weeks of mysterious videos....it begins. Exactly what "It" is remains to be seen, but all the answers will be revealed this Monday night on Raw.

Confirmed Matches Thus Far:

WWE Championship:

CM Punk © vs Dolph Ziggler

Jack Swagger, Kane & Mark Henry vs. John Cena, The Big Show & Zack Ryder

Cody Rhodes vs. Kofi Kingston

Jaysin · January 12, 2012

WWE Championship:

CM Punk © vs Dolph Ziggler

Jack Swagger, Kane & Mark Henry vs. John Cena, The Big Show & Zack Ryder

Cody Rhodes vs. Kofi Kingston

Cody Rhodes should win everything all the time.

Jingo · January 12, 2012

WWE Championship:

CM Punk © vs Dolph Ziggler

Jack Swagger, Kane & Mark Henry vs. John Cena, The Big Show & Zack Ryder

Cody Rhodes vs. Kofi Kingston

Nithas · January 13, 2012

WWE Championship:

CM Punk © vs Dolph Ziggler

Jack Swagger, Kane & Mark Henry vs. John Cena, The Big Show & Zack Ryder

Cody Rhodes vs. Kofi Kingston

Rickymex · January 13, 2012

WWE Championship:

CM Punk © vs Dolph Ziggler

Jack Swagger, Kane & Mark Henry vs. John Cena, The Big Show & Zack Ryder

Cody Rhodes vs. Kofi Kingston

JayR666 · January 14, 2012

WWE Championship:

CM Punk © vs Dolph Ziggler

Jack Swagger, Kane & Mark Henry vs. John Cena, The Big Show & Zack Ryder

Cody Rhodes vs. Kofi Kingston

Cruel Britannia · January 19, 2012

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Pre-Show:

Alex Riley narrowly defeated Skip Sheffield, and the newly formed team of Curt Hawkins and Trent Baretta, going by the name of High Society, pulled off a surprising upset victory over The Usos.

~~~

The show kicks off with a video package highlighting the events leading up to tonight’s huge main event between Dolph Ziggler and CM Punk for the WWE Championship, particularly Ziggler’s HUGE upset win over Punk in Chicago last week, as well as Punk’s recent troubles with Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinitis. Finally the opening video plays, the pyro explodes and the fans inside The Izod Centre in New Jersey come alive. Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and 5 Time WCW Champion Booker T welcomes us to the show, running down the card for the evening.

~~~

The cameras are forced to cut away to the back where an incident has occurred, and several WWE Road Agents and officials are surrounding two men, trying to split them up. It’s only when the cameras get in closer that it is shown to be R-Truth and The Miz, with Miz taking a huge amount of punishment at the hands of The Truth, rights and lefts hammering down on him before officials finally drag R-Truth away. Miz stumbles onto his feet, demanding that somebody find John Laurinitis before storming away, clearly unnerved by the attack.

~~~

The crowd come unglued, although the reaction is extremely mixed, when “My Time is Now” hits, and out through the curtain comes John Cena, who looks a little more worried than usual, although he still manages to break out a smile for his Cenation. John grabs a microphone and addresses the rabid crowd, once again pointing out the mixed reaction and claiming that no matter what, he will always stay true to his supporters. He then turned his attention to Kane, who has been targeting Cena since his return. Cena says he may be a monster, but underneath the mask, underneath the anger, underneath the hate, there is a living breathing human. And if that human has any balls at all, he will stop with the sneak attacks and fight him like a man, face to face. The crowd were buzzing as they awaited the arrival of The Devil’s Favourite Demon, and after what seemed a lifetime, the fires of hell exploded and out stepped the monster, who stalked towards the ring. But he was cut off half way by Cena, and the two began to trade blows in the aisle, laying into each other. Cena soon got the upper hand, throwing Kane into the security barrier and slamming his skull into the steel steps. But the tables turned when he attempted an Irish whip into the ring steps, but the move was reversed, sending Cena into the steel. That’s when Kane, much like the last few weeks, began to suffocate Cena with his hand, depriving him of oxygen and knocking him out. Kane rolled Cena’s limp body into the ring before searching underneath the ring. After several seconds, the crowd began to erupt as Kane pulled a gas can from the ring before sliding under the ropes and dousing Cena with the liquid. The announcers were going nuts, pleading with the monster to stop. But Kane continued, pulling something from his tights. And in a single swipe, Kane lit a match and looked down at the helpless Cena. The crowd were on the edge of their seats, but he was thankfully saved when Zack Ryder and The Big Show, Cena’s partners for the Six Man Tag match later in the evening, sprinted to the ring and Kane hightailed it out of the ring and through the crowd. The crowd was almost hushed as both men checked on Cena, who was just beginning to come around.

~~~

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Cody Rhodes vs. Kofi Kingston

Both men went all out in this one, looking to gain a victory. Cody looked extremely impressive, proving just why he is seen as a future World Champion. But Kofi was able to keep him on his toes, and at one point looked to gain a shock victory over the Intercontinental Champion. But it all came to a screeching halt for Kofi when he set Rhodes up for Trouble in Paradise. But it wasn’t to be, as he was attacked from behind by Epico and Primo, bringing an end to what was shaping up to be an excellent contest.

Kofi Kingston wins via Disqualification
Rating: C+

The beating in the ring continued, with Epico and Primo laying the boots to one half of the Tag Team Champions. But there was a ray of hope in the form of Evan Bourne, who sprinted to the ring and began trading blows with the two Mexican reprobates, sending them to the mat. But things took a bad turn when Evan was struck with the Intercontinental Championship belt by Cody Rhodes, who began delivering a beating of his own. Cody, Epico and Primo laid waste to the Tag Team Champions. That is until Booker T himself jumped from the announce desk and stormed the ring, sending Cody over the top rope and sending Primo and Epico running for cover. Booker screamed at Cody as the Intercontinental backed his way up the ramp, his title held high in the air as he told Booker that “this is as close as you will ever get to this title”.

~~~

We get a glimpse of Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinitis in his office, along with his assistant David Otunga, when they are joined by WWE Champion CM Punk, bringing the crowd to life. Punk wants to know why he was summoned by Laurinitis, and he explains that he doesn’t want Punk to think he can find a cheap way to retain his title tonight, and so he informs Punk that should he be disqualified tonight, he will LOSE his WWE Championship and Dolph Ziggler will be declared the new champion. This did not go down well with the fans, and it certainly wasn’t something that went down well with Punk, who let Laurinitis know exactly how he felt. As always, Punk managed to get under the skin of Laurinitis with his parting words:

“Enjoy this power whilst you can, Johnny. Enjoy screwing around with me. Because sooner or later, the suits in the office are going to see exactly what I see in you; absolutely nothing. This whole interim General Manager crap, pretty soon it will all be over. And when it is, you STILL won’t be relevant. So revel in it now. Because when it all comes crashing down around you, I’ll be there to stand and laugh. Then it will be ME screwing with YOU. And Johnny....you’re gonna be MY bitch.”

With that, Punk left the room, leaving Otunga to try to console a clearly annoyed John Laurinitis.

~~~

We are now joined by Wade Barrett, standing in the centre of the ring, the jeers ringing out. With a smile on his face, he informs the WWE Universe that last Friday on Smackdown, Randy Orton suffered a potentially career ending injury when he FELL down a staircase in the lobby area of the arena. Barrett emphasised that while he will not take the blame for Orton’s fall, he did say that “bad things happen when Randy Orton is in my presence”. Wade then turned his attention to the upcoming Royal Rumble, in which he promised to outlast 29 other men to earn his spot at Wrestlemania and go one to become the first ever British World Champion. “The Barrett Barrage continues tonight. So bring out my opponent so I can show the world what a REAL World Champion looks like”.

~~~

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Santino Marella vs. Wade Barrett

Santino would have been better off staying home tonight, as he was completely and utterly destroyed by the Brit, being thrown from pillar to post. After what must have seemed like a lifetime to Santino, Barrett put him down once and for all, delivering The Winds of Change for the emphatic victory.

Wade Barrett wins via Pinfall
Rating: C+

Santino may have thought his night was over, but Barrett was out to prove a point, lifting Marella off the mat and planting him with the Wasteland. Barrett was smiling broadly as he picked Santino up and again dropped him with the Wasteland. The jeers were ringing out loudly now as the fans urged him to stop. Barrett was about to drop him for the third time when the crowd exploded as Sheamus charged to the ring, forcing Barrett to flee the scene, “Sheamus” chants ringing out. Barrett back his way up the ramp, a huge smile on his face as Sheamus checked on Marella.

~~~

We head backstage, where WWE Diva Eve Torres is talking to Kelly Kelly when they are interrupted by Jack Swagger, who tells Kelly to get out of there. Swagger taunts her, saying he’s noticed her getting nice and cosy with United States Champion Zack Ryder. He lets her know that if she’s attracted to men with gold, she wants to turn her attention to him, because sooner rather than later the U.S Title was going around his waist. Eve was visibly disgusted, but luckily for her she was joined by Zack Ryder, who happened to hear what Swagger was saying. Ryder laughed it off, saying he knows where to find him if he wants a shot at the gold. “Better yet bro, I’ll make you a deal. You pin me in our six way tonight, and I’ll give you a shot next week. See you out there bro”. Ryder fist pumps with Eve before walking out, Swagger left to digest what he has just been told.

~~~

Prior to the Six Man Tag Match, World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan headed to ringside, ready to do Guest Commentary duties and scout his challenger for Friday Night Smackdown, The Big Show. Zack Ryder, The Big Show and John Cena made their way to the ring, closely followed by Mark Henry and Jack Swagger. Cena was itching to get his hands on The Big Red Monster, but instead of Kane, out stepped David Otunga, who informed the WWE Universe that due to what happened earlier in the night, John Laurinitis has taken Kane out of the contest. Therefore they will continue this match as a Handicap 3 on 2 Match. Cena looked angered at this announcement, but there was little he could do as the official called for the bell.

~~~

Handicap Match:
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Jack Swagger & Mark Henry vs. John Cena, The Big Show & Zack Ryder

The numbers game was certainly in the favour of John Cena and company, but that’s not to say Swagger and Henry didn’t put up a fight, almost picking up the upset win when Henry hit a World’s Strongest Slam on The Big Show, but luckily Cena was there to break the count. The end came after a vicious Knockout Punch by The Big Show on Henry, followed by a Rough Ryder by the U.S Champion on Zack Swagger, picking up the hard earned victory.

John Cena, The Big Show and Zack Ryder win Via Pinfall
Rating: C+

The crowd were on their feet as Cena, Big Show and Ryder celebrated, soaking up the cheers (as well as the boos). But the cheers soon stopped when the lights in the arena went out, plunging the building into darkness. The place was stirring and the crowd were buzzing until the lights finally came on, and in the ring stood the monster Kane. Cena turned around and spotted him, but in a shocking moment, Kane shot a fireball from his hand, which Cena narrowly dodged.....sending the flame into the face of The Big Show. The crowd were stunned, and even Kane seemed a little taken aback as he quickly bolted from the ring and through the crowd. There was almost a hushed tone throughout the arena as Big Show writhed around in agony as EMT’s rushed the scene. Even World Heavyweight Champion seemed concerned as he stepped into the ring to check on what was supposed to be his opponent this Friday Night. The EMT’s finally carted Big Show to the back and through the corridors, followed closely by Cena, Ryder and Bryan. The paramedics loaded Show into the ambulance, and Bryan climbed in with him, escorting the giant to the local medical facility.

~~~

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Alicia Fox vs. Beth Phoenix

A routine victory for The Glamazon here, proving exactly why she is Divas Champion, keeping Fox subdued for the majority of the contest before delivering the Glam Slam for the win.

Beth Phoenix wins via Pinfall
Rating: D+

~~~

We head back to the General Managers office, where John Laurinitis and David Otunga have summoned R-Truth, who appears to be talking to himself as Laurinitis informs him that what happened between him and The Miz earlier this evening was totally uncalled for, and as a result, next week he will be punished severely when he goes one on one with Kane. The severity of the situation didn’t seem to register with him, however. “Kane? The ginger dude from CSI Miami? Oh I can take him, believe that”. With that, R-Truth bounced out of the room, but not before stroking Otunga’s beard and telling him what an impressive ‘Mug Rug’ he had on his chin.

~~~

WWE Championship:
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CM Punk © vs. Dolph Ziggler

If this match was an indication of where the industry is headed, then we can look forward to some incredible action, as these two men put on the match of the night, the crowd on the edge of their seats the entire match. Ziggler was intent on taking the title from Punk, trying to keep the champ grounded. But Punk is WWE Champion for a reason, and he fought back valiantly. He even overcame an attempted distraction from Vickie Guerrero, allowing Ziggler to hit the Zig Zag. Luckily for Punk though he was close to the ropes, allowing him to break the count. After several minutes of back and forth action, Punk managed to nail Ziggler with a Knee to the face followed by a Bulldog. Punk signalled for the GTS to signal the end, however he was distracted when John Laurinitis headed to ringside, sliding a chair into the ring, obviously urging Punk to get himself disqualified. But Punk was defiant, throwing the chair back to the outside and turning around into Ziggler, who went to hit another Zig Zag, but Punk grabbed the rope to stop himself falling victim to it. Punk delivered a sickening kick to the skull before lifting Ziggler onto his shoulders and, looking Laurinitis dead in the eye, delivered the Go 2 Sleep, knocking Ziggler out and ensuring the victory, retaining his title.

CM Punk retains the WWE Championship via Pinfall
Rating: B

Fans were on their feet, going nuts as Punk was announced the victor. Punk was almost begging Laurinitis to step through the ropes, looking for any excuse to put the boots tothe Interim Raw General Manager. Finally Punk had enough and grabbed a microphone, ready to give him a piece of his mind the only way he knows how.

“Johnny, don’t go anywhere Johnny. You wanna keep up with this crap; you wanna get this title from me? How about you step through these ropes and take it? Come on, Funk Man. You had the nuts to bury me to creative for the past 5 years, you had the nuts to tell Vince that I would never amount to anything, you had the nuts to get friends of mine fired when you know damn well they didn’t deserve it. So grow a set and get in this ring. Come on Johnny, what’s the matter, you forget how to throw down? All those tours of Japan and you still struggle to put a Wristlock on me? Come on, step in here....”

Punk was suddenly cut off when the lights in the arena dimmed and a video began to play...

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The crowd are going nuts as the theme song of Chris Jericho plays out, and the roof blows as the lights return and stood in the ring, wearing a CM Punk “Best in the World” T-Shirt, is Y2J. Punk looks on in confusion as the building shakes, both men staring intently at each other. Jericho then raises his arms and forms an ‘X’, much like CM Punk does to signify his Straightedge beliefs. The show closed with Jericho and Punk circling each other, the fans screaming wildly at what they are witnessing.

Show Rating: B

Cruel Britannia · January 20, 2012

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Cruel Britannia · January 22, 2012

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Results:

Primo & Epico defeated the newly formed team of Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kid (Rating: D)

Natalya defeated Eve (Rating:C)

Evan Bourne defeated Drew McIntyre (Rating:C+)

Notable happenings:

- Ezekiel Jackson and Mason Ryan engaged in some friendly banter, trying to prove to the other who was the stronger man

- Alex Riley cut a promo hyping himself up, saying it was only a matter of time before he was back on Raw and back to winning ways

- The announcers recapped the various feuds taking place within WWE at the moment, including CM Punks confrontations with both Dolph Ziggler AND John Laurinitis, Daniel Bryan's title defence this week on Smackdown, and whether it will even happen after Big Show's horrific injury on Raw, and John Cena's constant battles with The Devil's Favourite Demon, Kane.

Show Rating: C+

Cruel Britannia · January 25, 2012

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BIG SHOW VOWS TO COMPETE THIS FRIDAY NIGHT

This Friday Night on Smackdown, despite his horrific injuries at the hands of Kane this past Monday Night, The Big Show has declared that he WILL compete, despite doctors warnings, to take on Daniel Bryan for the World Heavyweight Championship. This could either be a huge advantage for the champion, to take advantage of The Big Show's injury, or it could be a gigantic challenge, as we have seen in the past an angry giant is a very dangerous man. Will Bryan escape with his title?

Also, the Barrett Barrage looks set to continue after putting Randy Orton on the injured list. But he may have picked a fight with the wrong man in Sheamus. And these two will do battle this Friday Night. Plus, after what took place this past Monday night, Smackdown General Manager Theodore Long has decided that this Friday, Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes will team up with Epico and Primo to face World Tag Team Champions Air Boom and their partner, 5 Time WCW Champion Booker T. And Cody Rhodes has vowedto finally put Booker in his place once and for all. With all of this and so much more, be sure to tune in toFriday Night Smackdown!

Confirmed Matches Thus Far: