WHAT I LIKED:
Bryan vs Fandango: How can anyone deny Daniel Bryan's popularity and status when he's getting a pop like that? I know it's a bit skewed because he's in his hometown - or close enough - but it still stands. He's the superstar that most audiences want to see and the one they're most vocal for. I LKE the matchup between Bryan and Fandango, especially given the 'Crowd Participation' Slammy Award they're both nominated for. Between the 'Yes!' chants and 'Fandangoing', they are responsible for the two most popular memes in WWE today.
New Age Outlaws: Oh you didn't know? LOVE the Dumb & Dumber tuxedoes. I'm ashamed that JBL didn't get the reference. Too bad they were only introducing the 'LOL Moment of The Year' full of nominees that were not funny. Okay, maybe Rocky was. But even then it was just that one line 'not the expensive kind.' WWE does not have good comedy writers on their creative team. The NAO may still be my favorite tag team of all time. It's always nice to be reminded of the good 'ol days.
Miz vs Kingston: A lot of people don't LIKE this rivalry, but I do. It's kind of an old school rivalry where the two superstars have a series of matches instead of one big match at a PPV. I used to LOVE when wCw used to do the 'Best of 7' series and that's what this rivalry reminds me of. Of course, it only works if the two are evenly matched. So far, it seems Kofi Kingston is overmatched by The Miz.
8-Man Tag: I know WWE is focusing more on tag team wrestling (and rightly so), but are they focusing on multi-team tag team wrestling too? After Survivor Series the amount of these matches have skyrocketed and I LIKE it. I LIKE it a lot. These matches are always exciting. I credit The Shield for showing WWE just how much fun and competitive tag team wrestling can be. Given the PPV that's coming up this weekend, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the word to have a multi-team match for the Tag Team Titles. I don't know if these teams can match the efforts of The Hardyz, Edge & Christian and The Dudley Boys, but I'd be very interested in watching them try.
Superstar of the Year: Daniel Bryan! Thankfully he didn't get upset the way AJ Lee did. I'm still not sold that it's the 'people' who vote on these things but whichever way it goes down, the right man won. I only wish there was more of a confrontation between Daniel Bryan and Shawn Michaels.
Sin Cara vs Del Rio: I had no idea that WWE future endeavored the original Sin Cara when I wrote this blog last week. I thought it was weird that he had a new tattoo and was visibly heftier than before. For the record, I think the original Sin Cara got a bad rap. Yes, there were a lot of botches and he was injury prone. But that was because he was wrestling a different style than his opponents. In Lucha Libre, it requires skill and timing and pacing. I think it's unfair to demonize him for not being able to degrade his skills, instead of other elevating theirs. If you take any superstar from WWE and put them in Lucha Libre, they'd be just as out of their element as he was. And they'd look just as foolish. I am satisfied that the character is at least staying put and with the superstar formerly known as Hunico under the mask, he should be more durable and have less botched maneuvers. I LIKE the move and the rivalry with Alberto Del Rio, but I still HATE the mood lighting.
Punk vs Ambrose: The majority of this match happened during halftime of the football game, so I didn't miss much of what is probably going to be the match of the night. I LIKE that Punk is really selling his rib injury - unlike a certain World Heavyweight Champion we know - but I wonder if he really aggravated the trouble when he landed awkwardly on Dean Ambrose's knee. Either way, Punk definitely knows how to sell. It makes the match better because it takes the favorite down a peg and makes it an even contest. Of course, with all three members of The Shield at ringside, it's weird to call Punk the favorite. This was an awesome match. The only thing I don't LIKE is the dissension amongst The Shield, nodding towards an impending breakup. I'm not ready for them to breakup. Not yet.
WHAT I HATED:
Slammy Awards: Does WWE think anyone cares enough about who wins these Slammy Awards to actually hold a couple of awards on WWE.com? I'm not checking that website to see who won those awards because it's all meaningless anyway. Aside from maybe the 'Superstar of the Year', I don't remember who won any of the Slammys from years past. Besides, it's not these awards have value outside of the company. I strongly doubt they have any value within the company.
Diva of the Year: Damn. Eve Torres looks amazing. But don't be tempted into coming back. You're nice to look at, but atrocious to watch in the ring. It's a travesty that AJ Lee didn't win this award. It's even worse that it went to the Bella Twins, of all people. They've done nothing to succeed but date two of the top superstars in the company. But when you look like they do, you can get away with that. Thanks Seattle for letting them know exactly how we all feel about them winning this award.
Match of the Year: I didn't so much mind that Cena vs The Rock was voted as Match of the Year, it' just that it clearly wasn't. It wasn't the best match of the PPV it was held at. Punk vs Undertaker was far better. If anything, this just proves to me that the 'votes' aren't really coming from the fans. If it were, that match would not have won.
Championship Ascension: Mark my words. This will not be the last time you see the WWE & World Heavyweight Titles in the same ring together. I don't believe the two titles will be unified at TLC. And even if they are, WWE is far too nostalgic to just forget about the World Title. Be it a year from now or ten years from now, they will bring that title back eventually. LOVE the Seattle crowd for those 'Daniel Bryan' and 'Yes!' chants. LOVE Daniel Bryan even more for spurring them on. I commend John Cena for using the crowd's obvious bloodlust for Daniel Bryan to his advantage. It was the right move in the moment. But to act as if it's only Randy Orton who has been given everything in WWE is ridiculous. The amount of passion that Cena showed in the ring against Orton is the exact same passion I have against him. At least now I know he understands how the rest of us feels. He gave Dolph Ziggler a chance? He gave CM Punk a championship match? Bitch, please. I did LIKE how the segment ended with Punk going after Triple H, HBK superkicking Punk, Bryan kneeing HBK, Orton trying to RKO Bryan but knocking down Stephanie McMahon and ending with Triple H pedigreeing Randy Orton. What I LIKE about it the most is that Orton ended RAW on his back. That usually signals a win for him at the PPV.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:
"Look pinhead, I sold out a long time ago. That's why I'm still here." - Shawn Michaels
MATCH OF THE NIGHT:
My awards are just as prestigious as the Slammys are. And I would like to award this honor to CM Punk vs Dean Ambrose. CM Punk might've been slighted in the match of the year category tonight, but he can rest easy knowing that somebody recognizes the effort he puts into his matches every night.
BEST IN SHOW:
Call it the home-field advantage if you want, but the most popular superstar on the show tonight and the new & righteously crowned Superstar of the Year also wins Best in Show. Congratulations, Daniel Bryan, but I know it doesn't take the place of the WWE Championship you were screwed out of.
REACTION:
Other than the Diva(s) of the Year award, I don't have any real gripes about who won which award - not that I care that much anyhow. What I did LIKE about the show was how they scheduled the nominees and winners of the matches to bookend the commercial breaks instead of the matches. It helped me as I was switching back and forth to the Cowboys game. I always seem to switch back a little late, so I might miss the announcement of the winner without missing any of the match.
I'm upset that the Cowboys were not only defeated, but blew out. I knew it was going to happen. They cannot defend against big receivers. They can barely defend against small receivers. But that's the way it goes for us Cowboy fans. Gluttons for punishment. I tried not to let the disappointment from the football game bleed over to the KJR. I think I did well. I didn't HATE anything that didn't deserve to be HATED on. John Cena really drew my ire with his soliloquy directed at Randy Orton that should have been directed towards the mirror. But that would've happened even if the game went in my favor.
I'm not excited to watch any match on the Tables, Ladders & Chairs PPV card. Especially not the Title Unification match. This episode of RAW did nothing to change my mind. Yet, I will be watching and recapping come Sunday because as I've already stated, I am a glutton for punishment.
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