JT & SEÁNY MCPOWER HOUR SEASON 4: Night of Champions 2010

James: You know how they say everybody wants to rule the world? Well, there’s one way to instantly rocket yourself to the top of the wrestling world, and that is by winning a Championship. Not all Championships are created equally, but neither are all Champions, and it can take just one win to launch a career overnight. Very little in wrestling lasts, but banners fly forever and winning a title means you’ll be in the record books forever. Of course, it’s easier said than done, as some work their whole careers just for a taste, just to come up short. That’s what separates the food from the great.

Seán: It’s what separates the Tiger Woodses from the James Woodses of the world, the Michael Jordans from the Simon Jordans, and the John Cenas from The Prototypes. This show has all the belts on the line, a battle between a wrestler and a superstar. A pairing which we have definitely not seen before, like ever, not at all, Kofi and Dolph? Nahhhhh. Oh anyways, two titles will be unified into one. Two brothers of a dysfunctional, maniacal family come to blows for a big gold accolade. For some reason we have two lads fighting for no title on a title themed show, and six of Raw’s top names battle it out for the top prize in WWE in an elimination themed tussle.

JT: That’s right, it’s time for Night of Champions 2010, and it starts, right now!!

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Booting Up

JT: Welcome back everyone to a more regular, as advertised episode of the Power Hour!! It was fun to swirl in a little cinema to our regular Power Hour blend, but now is time for us to get back into the swing of things. Summerslam 2010 is in the books, The Nexus main event, their first PPV, and came up short! Time to see the repercussions of that, as well as the other big story developments from Summerslam! The fingerprints of the biggest party of the summer are all over this show, dare I say that show was our “nexus event” for the season.

S: Yeah for sure, SummerSlam was definitely “The Nexus based show” and felt like such. This go around, I won’t get into it as much here as I will later on but they definitely feel like they’re just part of the show, rather than they’re a separate entity from Raw and SmackDown. Am I the only one who thinks that?

JT: As you said, we can further elaborate about this as relevant details come out, but they feel very much just part of the Raw roster rather than the outlaw rogues they were earlier on. It’s not a case of “And oh my god, The Nexus could show up at any minute and ruin everything” it’s more like “Wade Barrett is here folks! He is the leader of The Nexus, and they might show up too! Will they be here? We’ll see as Raw rolls on!”

S: Now that is the most damning thing about the drop off in momentum of The Nexus since SummerSlam, and my god we’re just at the end of the first half. Strap yourselves in, the steep decline is upon us. Aside from that James, are you happy to get back into the swing of things with this PPV offering in September of 2010?

JT: Do I expect great matches? No! After the first 4 shows, I’ve not got high expectations for our matches, but hey! I know there is gold in them hills, but it’s more so golden discussion rather than golden WWE content.

S: That’s what our show is all about! Golden discussion during not so golden times (for the most part), but James, have you got high expectations for the world of pop culture at this time?

JT: Well after our last little bonus episode, I actually am! Aside from enjoying the movie itself, it was fun to just take a look at who and what were big deals at the time! Lord knows Michael Cera isn’t gonna be the face of an action movie in 2022. So yeah, I’m pumped for your pop culture staples! Give us a taste of what’s going on in September 2010!!

S: With pleasure! What was going on at this stage in 2010? We’ll start off with films, as we all know, Irish number one movies were not established until 2011 so we’ll kick off with the UK. The number one film as of September 19th 2010 was the Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell buddy-cop movie, The Other Guys! Which surprised me because for some reason I always associate this movie with 2009, I’ve no idea why. Have you seen this one, James?

JT: No I haven’t, though I’ve seen a bit between them while in the office. Something about tuna. Though it was funny, I just haven’t gotten around to it, considering Will Ferrell tends not to be my cup of tea. Also, I’ve definitely confused this one with The Nice Guys, with Russel Crowe and Ryan Gosling.

S: I didn’t know you weren’t much of a Will Ferrell guy, now that surprises me. I know he’s not to everyone’s taste but I thought you’d be all about Anchorman or Old School, or even Blades of Glory.

JT: Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the guy. Elf is probably my favorite of all his stuff, I think the sort of silly guy act he usually puts on works the best as Buddy. It’s just got the Christmas spirit I love around late December. And Anchorman, it’s pretty funny. Never loved it as much as other people I know, but I think that’s a byproduct of all its lines becoming memes. By the time I saw it, I’d seen all the material already! Megamind is great too! I think his general catalog is what leads me to be uninterested in him. I’ve seen some but just a vast majority of it, I have no interest in. Semi-Pro, Wedding Crashers, Eurovision, Blades of Glory, it all feels too similar for me to really be interested. Plus he’s got some real stinkers, looking at you Holmes & Watson. Any movie with Braun Strowman in it is a red flag.

S: God I forgot about that movie’s existence in all honesty. I wasn’t too hot on Semi-Pro, it’s very much just another movie with him in it and at least with Wedding Crashers, he’s used in a very small role in comparison to the other characters. I’ve fond memories of that movie to be honest. Also, quick mention to Step Brothers because that movie is the right level of stupid comedy and chaos, and memorable lines. Would you like to hear what was top of the box-office in your old country?

JT: I would! I’m interested to see, considering last time it was The Expendables, but the English leader this month is a comedy. Rarely that a comedy rules the roost nowadays, huh?

S: Oh absolutely, we’ve discussed this before off the record when doing this, comedies feel like they’re more popular in series format rather than movies these days if you ask me. Anyways, as for the US, also a bit of Bostonian connection with the number one film as it was The Town! Starring Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner, a fucking brilliant movie in my opinion, and a favourite in the McLoughlin family. Like this movie is usually a go-to watch in my house whenever all of my brothers or sisters would be over to watch a movie.

JT: Haven’t heard of The Town before but hey, Ben Affleck is a pretty cool guy in my books. Not every project he’s been in is a winner, but he himself does a good job in all his stuff. And I think he made a good Superman, he did a great job in Gone Girl, he did a great job as writer & actor in Good Will Hunting, and a good job as an actor & director in Argo. I’ll put The Town on the list!

S: For sure! Hate to be that guy, but I believe he was Batman rather than Superman. I’ve come in for the save here, James.

JT: Hello, my name is James T, and you’re watching Botchamania!! 

S: There’s your next botchamania intro, Maffew. I’m sure that’s gotta be somewhere near the top of your next 300 future intros. As for number one singles in the music charts, in Ireland, it was our very own band, The Script with “For The First Time” which was in its second week at top of the charts. I’m not the biggest fan of the band, personally but I will say, I don’t think they’re an offensive band, they’re very easy on the ears. You may know them from “Chibba Chibba Hall of Fame” with Will.i.am

JT: They seem like pretty inoffensive 2010s Pop. Not my ideal listen, but hey, we’ve seen worse. Generic, of the time pop music by a local band, on top of the local chart? Yeah sounds about right.

S: They had a few fairly big hits around this time, obviously “Hall of Fame” is their biggest song by a good stretch but yeah, The Script. Our answer to Coldplay, but definitely not sellouts. In the UK, it was former X-Factor Winner, Alexandra Burke and Laza Morgan with “Start Without You”. I’ve no recollection of this song at all. Finally, in the States, it’s good old Katy Perry with “Teenage Dream”. Katy Perry sure did have a lot of memorable songs from around this time period, huh?

JT: For sure. She’s really an artist I closely associated with “the sound of my childhood”. I mean: I Kissed a Girl, Hot n Cold, California Gurls, Teenage Dream, Firework, E.T., Last Friday Night, The One That Got Away, Part Of Me, Wide Awake, Roar, Unconditionally, Dark Horse. Not saying I love all of these, and I left 2-3 of her less well performing singles off the list, but still!! There are 9 Top hits on the American pop charts, with another 3 peaking in the top 3. She had a streak of 5 straight #1 hit. She had a license to print money, what can I say?

S: Oh definitely, like she was probably the most marketable female artist, or artists in the world for about a solid five or six years. Like all of those songs you just mentioned were all crazy smash hits and probably made her enough money to last her two lifetimes. Speaking of money, how about we chat a little bit about those video games, eh?

JT: Oh definitely, what sort of stuff was coming out in August 2010?

S: In video games, it’s the middle of September so what the notable game releases from looking at this list would be Halo: Reach for the Xbox 360 on the 14th of September, as well as UFC 2010, for the PSP, with Brock Lesnar on the cover! Professor Layton and the Unwound Future for the DS and in Japan, Pokémon Black and White for the DS. North America and Europe wouldn’t even get it until next March in 2011. Three days after this show, we’d get F1 2010 for the Xbox 360, Windows and PS3. So a mixed selection of games really.

JT: Halo: Reach huh? Only a few months from now in our timeline, I’d be getting my Xbox 360!! I really wanted it for Call of Duty: Black Ops, but hey, I guess my local GameStop had a deal for the Reach edition 360, because that’s the one I have! Funny, I was never a huge Halo guy, but it’s a cool Xbox and Reach was pretty fun. The Forge mode (level editor) was always a bit of fun, and I remember enjoying quite a few weekends playing the Firefight mode (like a zombies wave mode) split screen with my brother.

S: Now my brothers would have played a bit of Halo and a fair bit of Call of Duty, I’ve always been pretty casual when it comes to video games in all honesty. Like I’m interested in them, don’t get me wrong, massive Nintendo guy but I think I’ve too many interests at this stage to squeeze video games all the time, if that makes sense. I love to play them when I can but I don’t know if I’ll ever be a proper gamer.

JT: Oh same. At this point, I think I average beating about 1 game a year, if that. I’ve just prioritized different stuff. In my ideal world where I can be perfectly efficient, I’d play more games. But since in reality I suck at video games, thus a steeper learning curve, it’s easier for me to do something like watch a movie or TV show. Still love games, but I ain’t no gamer.

S: For sure, I still like them but I’ve other priorities for me personally at this moment in time. In notable events, well it’s September in 2010 and that means it’s film festival season and that’s why we got two very notable films of 2010 getting spotlight during that week. At the Toronto IFF, The King’s Speech won People’s Choice Award on the 19th of September, five days later at the New York Film Festival, The Social Network premiered! Finally, in sports, sorry James but your New York Mets just lost the third in a straight sweep series against the Braves. Here’s a little win for you though, your team Manchester United beat my team Liverpool 3-2 where Dimitar Berbatov scored, what I can say was a pretty classy hat-trick. Berbatov was the epitome of a football player who worked smarter, not harder and boy did it benefit him. That’s not a diss to the guy, he’s said before that he didn’t need to run as much because he knew where to be when the ball would come near him. So there you have it! Another Pop Culture Flashback in the books.

JT: As per usual, you reminded me of some good, some bad, some in between. Lovely as always. And with that said, would that mean it’s time for some facts and figures about our show du jour?

S: Facts and figures time! Night of Champions 2010, coming to us live from the Allstate Arena in Chicag- oh wait, Rosemont, Illinois on the 19th of September, with an actual sellout attendance of 12,500, with 11,000 of those actually paying for their ticket. PPV buys wise though, massive drop off from SummerSlam and the previous year’s event. It brought in 165,000 buys, with 99,000 of those being in the US. That is a drop off of 102,000 from 2009’s offering and down 184,000 buys from SummerSlam. I know it’s a usual dead period for wrestling interest but still, not great at all. In terms of the live gate, it snagged 782,000 buckaroos. Commentary team is our usual trio of King, Cole and Stryker. They’re certainly shite tonight, huh?

JT: First of all, the drop off in sales is both surprising and not surprising. I mean that Night of Champions had a WrestleMania 24 rematch in Cena vs Triple H vs Orton, alongside Jeff Hardy defeating CM Punk to finally become World Champion again. Those are some big business matches (for the time anyways). But hey, tonight we’ve got Kane vs Undertaker, No Holds Barred, World Title on the line! On the other hand, a 6 Pack Challenge isn’t exactly a dream match, and on top of that, The Nexus suddenly ain’t the huge draw it was last month. As for commentary, we’re in some dark territory. Suffice to say, it’s not exactly a banner night for King, Cole and Stryker. Worst than that though, based on some little details we see tonight, I’m gonna make the bold claim that we’ve already seen the best this team has to offer, and it’s only downhill from here. Downhill, from this?!?

S: Oh I absolutely agree, we saw their best chemistry together and I know the downward trajectory you and I are in for. God help us, is all I can say.

JT: Alright so now, let’s get to our big introductory video package! Tonight is unlike any other, the only night of the year where every title is on the line. 7 Championships, 1 Historic Night…Defense of a championship takes on many different forms, but the mind of a true champion only has one focus, triumph. Sheamus holds WWE’s most prized possession but that makes him a target to 5 of WWE’s most dominant superstars. How far will they go to become champion? Sometimes the desire for a championship pushes one to do the unthinkable. And the appetite for destruction that brought these two brothers together has turned inward, turning them against each other. Let’s see if blood is thicker than gold. Dramatic but generic music plays us on, as Cole says “it truly is a night of champions”, and asks “Who will leave Chicago champion?”. First off, that’s some “What are we, some kind of Suicide Squad” type of talk. Like we said, we’re in for a bad night when this is the level of material they have to work with. As for the video packages, not gonna lie, I thought this was pretty not great.

S: Yeah they weren’t much to this video package not gonna lie. It felt very short too, and it only really sold two of the World Title matches and that was it. I can see why this show didn’t get many buys the more I think about it. Blood is thicker than gold, I’d like to hope my blood isn’t thicker than gold now! That would be alarming.

JT: If your blood is thicker than gold, I hate to say it but I don’t think Simon Dean’s Simon System is enough to fix your health problems. You might be fucked.

S: Seek your local GP immediately. Speaking of immediacy, we’re thrown right into our first match of the evening!

JT: That’s right, that’s enough screwing around, let’s get into the action! 

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Second Verse, Same as the First 

JT: For the second show in a row, the opening contest will be for the Intercontinental Championship!! Once again Kofi Kingston will face off with Dolph Ziggler with the IC Title on the line. Their match got cut short last time by The Nexus, so this time hopefully they’ll get a fair shake of things. Plus, we’ve got some new wrinkles to the story, don’t we?

S: We sure do because remember that little story of Dolph being an business associate of Vickie Guerrero? Well we’ve had some developments since then because not only is their association business, but its now a full on relationship. Dolph is the new squeeze of Vickie Guerrero. He’s got the title around his waist and the lady on his arm.

JT: Well he may have a new girlfriend, but he’s got two ladies with him tonight! Who is the other lady? Well it’s Vickie’s NXT Season 3 protege, Kaitlyn! And Vickie, she’s already getting defensive of her boo. Kaitlyn and Vickie, their relationship isn’t off to a great start only two weeks in.

S: And it will probably never improve either! Now I was going to ask you if you remember why Kaitlyn was paired with Vickie for Season 3 of NXT, but I feel like that could make for a good Recharge question if you don’t know already.

JT: For sure, save that. And on top of the Dolph/Vickie/Kaitlyn drama, we’ve got some consequences for our match! Because Vickie has been getting involved in Dolph’s matches so often, he’s had his Champion’s advantage taken away. A DQ or Countout loss, and Kofi is the new IC Champ. For an example of how bad commentary is tonight, it legitimately takes Jerry like 2 minutes to explain why that’s a bad thing for Dolph. Like he just fumbled with his words and got sidetracked and interrupted all over such a simple story.

S: You mention the commentary, when Dolph comes out, we hear that Stryker called Vickie a BBW. Did you catch this? Because I know I mentioned it to you when I started watching this show.

JT: Oh I heard that, and I tried to repress it, like when you try swatting at a fly that has gotten too close to you. We’re one match in and we’ve already got on each individual commentator for something already. Joy.

S: But wait, did you catch that bit where Jerry Lawler said that Vickie is far too old for her?! She’s only 42 here, and she’s 18, yes 18 years younger than King?!

JT: It made my skin crawl. Oh and just on Heel Michael Cole watch, Cole says very early on that Stryker is rubbing off on him, because he’s finding Vickie quite attractive lately. Real heel movie by Cole, only heels get turned on by portly women.

S: Especially in 2010, it’s like Bobby Heenan with the oinkettes or maybe Harvey Wippleman with Bertha Faye. Anyways, enough jabbering about the three stooges at the desk. How about we chat about this wrestling match instead?

JT: One last thing first. You see the weird choker-esque collar that Dolph wore to the ring? Borderline Basham Brother type material there. Like the least subtle attempt at being subtle.

S: I did notice that actually! I thought it was kinda Billy Gunn in 1999 when he was Mr. Ass and properly hamming up the gimmick but definitely Basham like.

JT: Just all around odd stuff in our opening contest. Let’s normalize it with some wrestling! So Kofi goes for Trouble In Paradise very early on but Dolph barely avoids it. Dolph throws Kofi against the ropes, but Kofi bounced off the ropes and clotheslines Dolph out. Kaitlyn goes over checks on Dolph and this does not please Vickie, who checks on Dolph herself and sends her to the back for the rest of the show. Thanks for showing up, Kaitlyn! Dolph comes to and argues with Vickie about that for a moment, before realizing that if he doesn’t make it back in by 10, he’ll lose his title. So he sprints and just barely beats the count. Nice little bit of psychology.

S: A nice little wrinkle to the match, makes Dolph seem smart for beating the count but also he seems a bit flustered by the situation given the nature of the stipulation and having a bit of a distraction with Vickie and Kaitlyn arguing.

JT: Back in the ring, Kofi gets a roll up nearfall, big chops and a Dropkick. Kofi hops up to the top rope but loses his balance and falls to the mat. Dolph covers by hitting a low Dropkick and a Neckbreaker to take over the match. The crowd tries to rally Kofi, as Cole notes how Kofi had a big win over Jack Swagger on SmackDown. That just shows how far he’s fallen in just a few months. We get more Vickie & Kaitlyn talk on commentary, frankly all they’ve talked about is Vickie & Kaitlyn. Kofi’s comeback is cut off by a big boot, as Cole mentions Dolph won WWE Magazine’s Jerk of the Month. I miss the WWE Magazine man. It wasn’t high brow reading, but I miss having that physical extension of kayfabe.  

S: I used to love the WWE magazine when I was a kid, the magazines were always really nice looking and it being in kayfabe is something which is lost in wrestling. I know magazines aren’t exactly too profitable anymore. There is a reason that FSM, Power Slam and WWE magazine aren’t about anymore but they were a great piece of kayfabe media.

JT: Yeah there’s something about a physical piece of media that just doesn’t feel the same as say, seeing a kayfabe moment happen on Twitter or an in character thing on the YouTube page.

S: Those kids and their APPS these days, amirite?

JT: Don’t let King and Cole hear you, or else King might say something creepy and weird, and Cole might try to shill the app at you. Speaking of those two, Cole and King still seem cordial even Cole is more heel than in past episodes. Just to give you an idea of where we’re at right now. So Dolph hits the Famouser but it’s not  enough even with a deep, shoot style pin by Dolph. He keeps Kofi grounded with some elbows, more Vickie talk as Kofi is trying to make his comeback. Kingston avoids him in the corner and gets the Pendulum Kick and then a big Crossbody. He gets the chops, a Dropkick, misses the jumping clothesline but gets out of the Neckbreaker and gets a Thesz Press while raining down on Dolph. The Boom Drop connects and Kofi is closing in on a victory. Stryker says “This is when Kofi starts to get the Boom Squad behind him”, to which Cole says: “The Boom Squad?”. Yeah that never took off did it? Anyways, Trouble in Paradise misses again, Dolph goes for the Sleeper but Kofi drops down and hits the SOS!! Will it win him the title again? No, Dolph gets his foot on the ropes! Dolph has always been good at that hasn’t he? 

S: Yeah he’s always been able to pull off that movement effortlessly. He always seems to do it without having to look at the ropes either, which makes it even more impressive than it already is.

JT: Though it saves the match for Dolph, he’s still on the defense. Kofi with a Crossbody off the apron on Dolph on the floor. He Body Slams Ziggler on the floor, but rolls him back in and gets the pin, but Dolph kicks out and Cole lays into him for going for the pin rather than get the countout win. He goes for the SOS again, Dolph reverses and gets him with the Sleeper!! The crowd tries to rally Kofi, and he gets back up to his feet but starts to fade again, and Dolph brings him to the mat. But to my surprise, again he manages to fight back up again and starts to break the grip, getting a Sleeper of his own in! Dolph reverses, throwing Kofi into the ropes, where he’s hung up. Vickie looks to slap Kofi, Dolph stops her because if he gets DQ’d that’s it for his title! Little do they know though, Kofi got back up while they argued, and he goes for the Trouble in Paradise again but again Ziggler ducks it, with Kofi hitting the ropes!! This allows Dolph to stalk him and hit the Zig Zag to win!! Gotta say, though this wasn’t a barn burner, this was a pretty solid opener in my eyes!! We got some of the best psychology we’ve had in this whole arc during this match.

S: Yeah I’d have to agree with you there, I’ve always said this about Kofi and Dolph, they’re a pairing who know each other like the back of their hands but it seems like they’ve never had that one barn burner of a match. They’re two safe hands who can get a crowd perked up for the rest of a show and that’s what they did. Some really good psychology with the added stipulation, Dolph was brilliant in this match, the constant desperation of going for the Sleeper hold is something I miss from Dolph. This submission finisher was put over whenever they felt like doing so. It wasn’t spectacular by any means but it was a solid opener, the extra psychology really helped it out. Fair play to both of them!

JT: Yeah I think I may have said this before, but the Sleeper was put over better with Ziggler than any other modern guy who has gotten the move (which is fair few). His status as a midcarder meant he could actually win matches against people with some prestige, and his actual collegiate skills meant he could lock it in with some real conviction.

S: And also, Dolph moves about the ring with real pace and energy around this time so whenever he’d go for it, it’s as if he’s properly going in for the kill or he’s in a proper fight. Like he’s absolutely scrambling to lock it in. So a mutual thumbs up from us then?

JT: Yeah not the greatest opener in the world, but definitely a nice start to the show, and certainly better than their match last month. Hey as someone who has been relatively Anti-Ziggler over the years, he’s done pretty decently this arc hasn’t he?

S: Yeah I’ve definitely liked what I’ve seen from Ziggler over the years. I’ve been quite Anti-Ziggler at times and in spells since like 2018 or thereabouts but to be honest, I feel like he’s just suffered from being around too long and creative or maybe even himself not finding new ways to reinvent himself and give him a new lease like what Kofi did with The New Day. Like The New Day collectively and individually are forever over as hell now.

JT: Well I’ll say this, it’s nice to see him at this point, and if I’m remembering correctly who he’s matching up with next, I’m well excited for that.

S: That’s right folks, we’re on our way to seeing Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger squaring off!

JT: Can’t wait to see the Mega Powers EXPLODE!!

S: The college boys go to war at Hell in a Cell, in two weeks. Maybe, I’ve not looked at the card yet.

JT: Funny how Hell in a Cell is in two week huh? Surely that will lead to no rushed matches!

S: Only two weeks to build towards Hell in a Cell matches is so funny to me. We thought the spaces between PPVs was close in 2016 but man they were just as close together in the mid to late 2000s

JT: Well Dolph shouldn’t be too affected but we’ll see about everyone else as the show moves on.

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Windy City Blowout

S: So James, what have we got next?

JT: Well up next, we’ve got our lone non-title match of the evening. It’s unfinished business from Summerslam!! It’s the World’s Largest Athlete Big Show facing off against Chicago’s own CM Punk!! He gets a big pop, uber smark Stryker mentions “Two of CM Punk’s childhood friends Scott & Chris are here in attendance tonight” aka Colt Cabana & Ace Steel. Cole immediately brushes that off by saying he doesn’t care if Tom & Jerry were in the crowd, zing! Now Punk, suffice to say he had a tough go of things at Summerslam. He went 3 on 1 against the Giant, who had questions about the health of his big right hand, and Punk still got totally and utterly defeated. His Straight Edge Society splintered in the process! So coming into this one, I was hoping things would be a bit more favorable for Punk, at least with a devoted crowd behind him.

S: Yeah the crowd were certainly behind Punk here and obviously so because it’s Chicago, but clearly that doesn’t make sense to Lawler who says he cannot understand why Chicago likes CM Punk so much. Maybe it’s because he’s from there, YOU BUM? Fucking hell, how was this ding dong being wheeled out for commentary for as long past his ability? It’s baffling to me, it really is.

JT: Well to King’s credit, even though Punk is the hometown hero, he still runs down the fans before the match. It all boils down to “I love this city but I hate the people who live here”, and specifically calling out Chicago White Soxs fans as scum. Chicago should be burned to the ground again, and Punk will build a Straight Edge Society of his own. He also calls Show fat and says that nobody likes him. He’s not running from anyone because this is his house, it’s David vs Goliath, and his slingshot is the power of almighty straight edge.

S: What a fucking promo this was from Punk, and you just know he probably had to fight tooth and nail with those writers to get what he wanted in. There’s a certain aspect which I think makes a wrestler’s mic work so much easier for them, and that’s the voice. A voice which completely stands out among others, Punk has that voice, Arn Anderson has that voice, Mick Foley, Austin, Rock, 2.0 to name a few. If you have a voice which is slightly louder than the others in the world and you are clear with it, you’re golden. This promo was excellent.

JT: And what does he get in response? Well, it’s only Big Headband Paul Weight. As Cole eloquently said,  “This man is truly a giant”. I mean, yeah? Also, before we get into the match, gotta ask, is it backwards booking to have Punk lose 3 on 1 and then do the 1 on 1? Because part of me says you build off a 1 on 1 to add more of a challenge, but the other part of me says you build to the big singles match, especially since Punk ran away at Summerslam. 

S: I think the latter to be honest, I think it’s right that they build to the 1 on 1 after the handicap match last month given Punk ran away. However, I do think it could’ve been more effective if the initial handicap was a 2 on 1 rather than a 3 on 1.

JT: I had a big revelation! They should’ve milked Punk’s injury, so he accompanied Mercury & Gallows to the Handicap match, and then had him come back and hurt Show’s hand for this one! That way you get the 2 on 1 that Show can win, and still have an uphill battle for Night of Champions!

S: Oh yeah absolutely! It’s totally what they should’ve done, they really missed the boat on having Punk milking the injury for all its worth and ducking Big Show.

JT: Anyways, on with the match! Who will win the battle of the KO Punch vs Hometown advantage? Punk opens up with spin kicks that do very little, and a Headbutt immediately knocks down Punk. A dropkick staggers Show but Show immediately cuts him off and chokes him in the corner with his boot. Chop knocks Punk up and over the top rope, and as Show tries to get back in, a boot to the face knocks him off, then Pepsi Man hits a knee to the face to knock him down. Then we get a crazy one as Punk hits a Hilo, over the top rope down to the floor!! Hilo’s are already pretty cool but fuck me he had a bit more of a drop than those usually get.

S: Yeah that was a drop which I think Punk realized was a lot steeper than he anticipated after he pulled it off. It’s like when you jump off a tall wall but when you land, you come to a realization that the drop was much bigger where it almost shocks you. The Hilo looked really unique and cool though, gotta admit it.

JT: It added to the idea that Show is a fucking obstacle because normally Punk would never do something so reckless, but he’s got to now because he’s gotta hit Show while he’s down.

S: Psychology! Ya love to see it. Punk going out of his way to make Big Show look like a big giant who needs to be chopped down and capitalized on whenever he’s down. It’s really good stuff.

JT: So Tall Paul manages to make his way back in but Punk tries to keep him on the mat with a load of Elbow drops. Punk tries to kick him to keep him down, Show nails a big shot to back him off, only for a Headkick to slump Show again. Since the GTS is pretty much a no go, so Stryker theorizes it might be the Anaconda Vice for the win tonight. Punk however opts for a different method, as he goes up top and leaps off, only to get caught in mid air by a Brian Urlacher (see here: Linebacker,  4X All Pro, 8x Pro Bowler, 2000 All Decade Team, former Defensive Player of the Year, Chicago Bear all time leader in Tackles) level Spear!! And just like that, Show loads up the big right, and he’s knocked out at Night of Champions like he was knocked out last SmackDown. 1–2–3!! The Big Show wins, again!! The psychology was all well and logical, but I’d be lying if I told you I found this entertaining.

S: I think I might have liked this, James. I think these two actually have quite good chemistry and Big Show is someone I’ve been impressed with this season. I think he’s so good at being the wounded babyface giant, his selling of the right hand was very convincing. I personally would’ve liked to have seen these guys open the show and for them to get ten minutes. I was really shocked by how short this was, firmly a stamp of putting the Straight Edge Society era of CM Punk to rest.

JT: The length of the match is honestly why I disliked it. It was all Punk getting the heat on Show. Aside from the Hilo, he was in full “heel slow down the match” mode. If Punk had gotten to weather Show’s comeback and had gotten a chance to strut his stuff a bit more, there’s a chance this would’ve been more enjoyable, for me anyways. 

S: I may be wrong in guessing this but is there any chance that Punk is injured here? Because I know that he’s close to taking a break off wrestling and going towards trying something different on screen.

JT: You’re right that he does take a break from wrestling later this year, but we’ve still got one more appearance from CM Punk the wrestler left this season. I’m not gonna say which show, but this isn’t the end of his story yet. And of course, we have plenty more of The Showster this season. Has he been my favorite part of this season? Not exactly. But I tell you what, he’s at least been a nice point of consistency this season. He’s gonna show up, have a fine little match, do a good job, and not bog us down with too much nonsense.

S: No crying from him either, or matches with Kane! He’s being used to his strengths in a way. New Year’s Baby, Mr. 2010 in my opinion.

JT: Be careful what you wish for! A match with Kane might not be off the books yet! After all, he’s been on the World’s Largest Roll, and Kane is World Champion. If he can get past his brother on this show, maybe a Dream Match is in store!!

S: A match which has NEVER EVER been seen before, in any era, in any year. Never before have these two giants crossed paths!

————————————

Revenge of the Nerd

JT: Up next, even more Summerslam fallout! And our first Nexus related occurrence of the night! Team WWE needed a 7th member and The Miz seemed happy to join on, but he joined too late and Daniel Bryan took his spot!! That pissed Miz off enough to interfere against Bryan!! And now, the tensions that built up over the course of NXT S1 have come to a head!! Daniel Bryan has his chance at WWE gold, going against his former mentor and United States Champion The Miz!!

S: Ohhhh baby now this one had me dead excited going into it, they had a really good build going all the way back to a few weeks before WrestleMania 26 when NXT S1 was happening. This was a really good video package too, really getting across that Miz never had faith in Bryan at all and now Bryan is going to show Miz who the real master is.

JT: Definitely one of the best built up matches we’ve had all arc. It got plenty of play on NXT, they’ve put effort into it on Raw now that Bryan’s back, it’s just one of those simple yet effective stories. Like it’s actually amazing how well their history lines up. Douchebag reality TV star heel, who has proven himself in WWE big time and won’t just up about it, going against the hard working Indy wrestler who has all the street cred in the world but nothing “real” in the eyes of the WWE. I also wonder how this would’ve played out had Bryan stayed with The Nexus. Because given how Bryan/Miz was like THE story on NXT (aside from the actual NXT Competition), it feels like this match was always gonna happen at some point, but I wonder how Bryan would’ve gone from Nexus to babyface. Bryan getting fired might actually have been a blessing in disguise!

S: The Bryan firing has been called that on numerous occasions because I think for his standing in WWE long term, it was probably for the best that when he got rehired, he wasn’t part of The Nexus because who knows what would’ve happened if he had stayed with them.

JT: The video package for this one replays a lot of lines we’d end up hearing in a much more famous package 4 years later at WrestleMania 30, including the “where’s your personality?” line by Miz. From the moment Daniel Bryan arrived as Miz’s rookie, the WWE Universe said Bryan should be Miz’s pro, and Miz resented that and delighted in Bryan’s struggles in NXT, including going 0-10 in matches and failing to win a single rookie competition win. But nevertheless, he was chosen at Summerslam and helped Team WWE to victory, only to be attacked during the closing stages of the match by Miz. Naturally on Raw, Team Captain John Cena didn’t take kindly to that and faced Miz in 1 on 1 action, only for Bryan to turn the tables and give Miz a taste of his own medicine. Bryan might not be the superstar Miz is, but he can beat him, because he’s got the LaBelle Lock. He confronted Miz face to face on Raw, Miz took a cheap shot but Bryan saw right through it and got the LaBelle Lock in!! Even when Miz’s new NXT Rookie Alex Riley came out to interfere, Bryan threw Miz out and got Riley in the LaBelle Lock too!! Bryan knows he can beat him, and he vows will make him tap out and he will become US Champion. All in all, great story, and with an interesting new wrinkle with the addition of Alex Riley. Fair play to WWE, in selecting Miz’s new protege, they really picked the Anti-Bryan didn’t they? 

S: I always liked the pairing. He really is the polar opposite to Bryan, and very much feels like a Miz protégé. Obviously Alex Riley was the man which the term “push” forgot but he’s a perfect underling for The Miz during this era. Miz is always someone who I think has benefitted from having someone by his side, he’s just that type of character.

JT: Yeah I think it just works because his characters’ shot an ego, so whoever he is with reflects that. Bryan worked because it just showed how much Miz thinks of himself, to constantly put down Bryan because he sees him as lesser in a variety of ways. Meanwhile, Riley does the opposite, he’s there to play a sycophant who props up Miz’s ego. He’s the sort of “long, tan and handsome” type of guy (with his letterman jacket and everything), so him being devoted to Miz just boosts Miz’s ego. For another pair of examples, Damien Mizdow/Sandow undercut Miz’s ego by making him seem sillier and taking attention away from him, while the Miztourage boosted his ego. It’s all about how they make Miz’s character feel, and that’s why he’s always worked well with others.

S: Definitely, Miz is an example of someone who usually does really well when he has somebody to okay off of. Mizdow, Miztourage, Maryse, Riley, even the weird pairing with Tommaso Ciampa is kind working for him as well. Miz + whoever = usually good stuff.

JT: So Miz comes out, and boy it’s just an occasion. He gets great heat, he’s got the MITB briefcase, he’s got the US Title, he’s got Riley with him. On top of that, Miz is this month’s cover boy for WWE Magazine. As if it wasn’t clear he was getting the rocket. But what really makes this a big deal for us, is Michael Cole. He touts (not the app) Miz as the future face of Raw and of the WWE, says that he’s a hard worker, he’s charismatic, he’s smart. Cole says Miz is about to take on a Paper Opponent in his estimation. This is total, unabashedly heel Michael Cole, meaning that now Stryker has to take up being a face commentator, defending the Indy guy in Bryan. We talked about their lack of consistency on commentary before, but at least these make sense for their characters (as they’ve been established). But oh man, as soon as the setup for this match started, I was bracing for impact.

S: Definitely, it did feel like with commentary, we were going in for black tar heroin Heel Michael Cole. We will get there eventually but once this match was set up, I was bracing for the worst on commentary.

JT: And to be fair, I’ll do a bit of Cole defense in this one. I think calling Bryan a “paper opponent” at this point isn’t too bad. Like, he’s writing Bryan off, but at this point, why wouldn’t he? Bryan struggled in NXT against fellow rookies despite all his experience on the Indy scene. Now he’s facing someone on the biggest roll of their career. You add in the fact this is Bryan’s first PPV singles match, and all the pressure that comes with that, and in kayfabe it’s clear to see why Cole is dismissive. Shit talking Bryan in this case isn’t totally detrimental, but there’s a clear thought and direction for why Cole is badmouthing him.

S: Yeah it’s totally obnoxious on Cole’s part but in kayfabe, he for sure does have a point in what he’s saying. Like he does make sense and he’s not talking out of his arse.

JT: And to be fair, I’ll do a bit of Cole defense in this one. I think calling Bryan a “paper opponent” at this point isn’t too bad. Like, he’s writing Bryan off, but at this point, why wouldn’t he? Bryan struggled in NXT against fellow rookies despite all his experience on the Indy scene. Now he’s facing someone on the biggest roll of their career. You add in the fact this is Bryan’s first PPV singles match, and all the pressure that comes with that, and in kayfabe it’s clear to see why Cole is dismissive. Shit talking Bryan in this case isn’t totally detrimental, but there’s a clear thought and direction for why Cole is badmouthing him.

S: Yeah it’s totally obnoxious on Cole’s part but in kayfabe, he for sure does have a point in what he’s saying. Like he does make sense and he’s not talking out of his arse.

JT: Now we’ve got all the stakes set, let’s get into the match! The bell rings and after a little grappling, Bryan goes for the LaBelle Lock right away and Miz bails to the floor. Right away, it’s been established as a dangerous hold. Miz comes back in and they do more chain wrestling, Miz gets sent across and goes for a Leapfrog, but Bryan reads it all the way and nails him with a Dropkick to the chest. Again, he is sent to the floor. Bryan goes to follow up but Miz yanks Bryan’s arm across the top rope to take control. He throws him into the turnbuckle arm first, slams him back with a back Suplex, attacking the arm. Miz with a Bow & Arrow submission too, as Cole says Bryan has no personality and no charisma. Bryan manages to get out of the hold with a backslider but Miz kicks out and gets a big boot to the shoulder to cut him off. On top of that, Miz distracts the ref, allowing A-Ry to yank on the arm of Bryan. With Miz in control though, Cole starts to get real annoying. The two quotes I have written down are “Who wants to be like Daniel Bryan” and “The guy doesn’t eat meat for God’s sake”. Before we mentioned him calling Bryan a “paper challenger”, which actually built the story. But this? This is just like, burial material. Clearly Vince (or someone close to him) thinks vegetarianism and veganity are stupid and something that should be mocked. As for the other quote, Cole is just blatantly calling Bryan a loser. No other substance other than “This guy isn’t the model WWE star”. It doesn’t add to the story between Miz & Bryan, it’s just Cole being a dick because he’s a heel. 

S: As you said, it’s just attempted burial material on their part in all honesty. I mean we did Scott Pilgrim just there where veganism was put across as being all powerful but here, apparently you’re just a lamewad and not fit for WWE if you don’t eat meat. Cheers Cole. It’s not even heel heat material for a commentator because he’s not even getting some zingers in, he’s just going off on one as if he’s in an AEW media scrum. This man cannot be stopped.

JT: Heyo!! So back to the match, which has been pretty scientific so far, with Miz’s continued work on the arm and shoulder. It’s been to the Awesome One’s pace so far, with the fans trying to rally Bryan. Bryan sends Miz through the ropes and gets the Suicide Dive, but bumps the the announce desk hard, clutching his shoulder. He still controls as he sends Miz in and hits the Big Missile Dropkick, withcKickout at 2. He scored with a Penalty Kick, but it’s another Kickout. Bryan goes for a hold, Miz with a boot to knock him away, but Bryan with a boot up in the corner and a running Single Leg Dropkick/Buzuku Knee type thing. They start doing the Yay/Boo spot, with Bryan holding his left arm limply by his side. Bryan shows off why he’s great right here, as he continues selling during his comeback.

S: Yeah Bryan’s so good here, shocker guys, the best wrestler of the last twenty years is amazing at selling. At this stage of the match, you can already tell it’s different to anything you were getting on the main roster and that Bryan, within a matter of weeks of being brought back, is a wrestler on the roster who totally stands out and adds a layer of excitement to his matches.

JT: Despite his injured arm, Bryan still has his powerful kicks to keep him going. He hits big kicks to the chest in the corner, then the Running Corner Dropkick. He nails a kneeling High Kick to Miz, but it’s still not enough to put Miz away. He may be a douche but he’s a successful one. They end up going to the top rope, and Miz crotches Bryan up top rope itself and turns him inside out with a Flying Clothesline!! Really unexpected stuff from Miz, but it looked great! 

S: Miz is always one of those guys who really is of that WWE approved, safest hand style. He isn’t the most spectacular wrestler by any means but ye has his signature moves and he does them well. He’s a guy who does the “basic moves” sweetly and makes them look good. Also helps that he’s got Dan The Man there to help him look great.

JT: At this stage, these two definitely had match of the night In this case he literally threw himself heels over head to make Miz look good. Off that, Mike is back to working the arm/shoulder. After softening him up enough, he decides it’s time to put the match away, going for the Skull Crushing Finale, but Bryan rolls through only for Miz to kick out. Miz charges in, Bryan tries to catch him for the LaBelle Lock but Riley on the apron! Bryan lets go and confronts A-Ry. Miz is up, and runs in for a cheap shot, but Bryan moves out of the way and Miz hits Riley off!! Bryan gets a big roll up!! 1—2—Kickout!! Miz sends Bryan outside, Bryan dodges Riley, who hits into the post. Bryan comes back in while clutching his arm, Miz with a Small Package!! 1—2—Kickout!! Miz hammers on Bryan, the ref starts to pull him away, Miz runs back in and Bryan catches him!! LaBelle Lock in!! Miz taps!! Bryan wins!! Bryan proves all the haters wrong, as he’s become a Champion in WWE!!

S: At this stage, these two definitely had the match of the night for me. These two had very good chemistry in this one, the crowd were up for it and I thought they had a brilliant match together. Bryan proved he is better than Miz by tapping him out clean and overcoming the numbers game. Really making Bryan out to be a smart babyface who can overcome the odds early into his run, what a guy. Shows that they do have faith in him taking up this mid-card title spot very early into his singles run too. There aren’t many other guys to be fair but it shows they’re trying someone new. Also, Alex Riley. The get up on him, are we sure he wasn’t the original choice to be Robbie E with the garb he had on him tonight?

JT: A-Ry was quite the doofus tonight. But yeah, Bryan looked great, not just in the ring but presentation wise. Him beating Miz for the US Title in the midst of this big push really legitimized Bryan for me as a kid. Miz had already been on a good run but then he won MITB!! Miz is almost guaranteed to become World Champion, and Bryan just beat him. No, he didn’t just beat him, he made him tap out and did so while Riley tried to run interference. Really, Bryan’s early WWE career is so intriguing to me. Because there’s clearly some level of “I don’t get it” about him, considering how they have Cole run him down as a nerd and a loser. Yet, they chose him to beat a guy who they were giving a serious push to. Someone must have seen something in him. Maybe Vince didn’t get him, maybe Vince was the one who saw big things in him, maybe he both did and didn’t! It’s interesting stuff, and now we’ve got a title reign to look forward to!

S: The moment I knew I got it with Bryan was when I saw the way he was presented at SummerSlam in the 7 on 7 tag. The way he was booked in that match I just knew he was something different to what I’d seen. His theme song, obviously we don’t have Flight of the Valkyries yet so what do you make of his real SmackDown 2006 rookie theme song? Very Gunner Scott sounding.

JT: Very generic honestly. But to give them some credit, they’re still figuring out what they’ve got with Bryan. They’re still trying to figure out how they want to present him.

S: True and to be honest, I have a real soft spot for proper rookie themes. Like we’re talking about a wrestler who never got anywhere with a rookie theme or we’re talking about a wrestler who had a proper rookie theme, who would then go on to have an even better theme. This Bryan theme, Cody Rhodes’ first theme song, Randy Orton and John Cena’s themes from 2002. David Flair’s WWE theme obviously, Gunner Scott you’d have to say too. I could probably do a top twenty on the best worst “rookie” theme songs in WWE history.

JT: You know, there really is something to that uber-generic music that can really lull you into thinking “this guy’s got no chance”. Unfortunately, so much of WWE’s music has no character so I doubt you’d really do as well with that today.

S: Especially with the music label they have these days, amirite? Honestly, it’s not even that the songs are generic, it’s just there’s no substance to them. Like they don’t get across the character. They pull out the odd gem but for the most part, pull out the checkbook and get a better music label, WWE.

JT: So this pretty much goes without saying considering it’s a Daniel Bryan match, but thumbs up to this one Seán?

S: Absolutely. Good stuff from the pair of these lads. It’s what we’ve been looking for during this arc, and they delivered.

————————————

Not Lay-Cool Anymore

JT: Alright, up next, clear out the entire locker room!! All the ladies, come on out here!! It’s time to unify the Women’s and Diva’s Championships!! It’s Women’s Champion Michelle McCool facing off against Diva’s Champion Melina!! We got the tease for this at Summerslam, now it’s time for the blowoff!!

S: The tried and tested SmackDown Women’s feud from 2009, carries into this PPV, like 15 months later. To quote very easy to impress fans, or whatever underpaid intern is running BT Sport’s WWE accounts; Long. Term. Storytelling. I use that term very sarcastically by the way. Isn’t it very weird to think that during the Divas Era, we had two Women’s Championships for two and a bit years in WWE?

JT: Yeah funny to think that by 2015, people were clamoring for more Women’s representation on TV, we had 2 titles for 2 full years. And speaking of long term booking, this is a rematch from 2009 Night of Champions! Melina lost her Women’s Titles to Michelle when they faced off at this event last. How do I know this? I owned the DVD for Night of Champions because Jeffrey Nero Hardy won the World Heavyweight Championship that show. Their match was pretty cool too, if I remember right. One of the few women’s matches I saw at the time and went “Hey this is pretty good!”.

S: To be fair to Michelle and Melina for a second, they were both always really capable. Melina became really popular through MNM from 2005-2007, and her pairing with Johnny Nitro so she always would get a reaction when she came out. Also, she’s a decent wrestler too and Michelle was always a good athlete so you’d figure the two athletic women in the division would make for a good pairing.

JT: I suppose these two are two of the biggest stars in the Women’s Division, so it’s not bad that they are the ones in this unification match. Of course, this begs the question though, why is Michelle in this match and not Layla? After all, they’re Co-Champions! Instead, Layla is just mixed in with the other Lumberjills like Jillian (to quote Stryker “Jillian’s still here?). And in fact, she seems quite unhappy to be there. Seems like maybe there’s trouble in paradise? Do you know why/how they determined who would face Melina? Because I don’t think the commentary ever directly said what happened.

S: Awh man, you’re asking the wrong guy because this commentary team usually causes my mind to just watch and not listen. Did they mention anything about a coin toss between the two of them? Maybe something like that?

JT: Well from what I could tell, they never specified. So I went digging! And I found exactly what happened, on the go home SmackDown. Michelle & Layla decided it was fair to draw names from a hat, with their unbiased NXT Rookie Kaval doing the draw! He dug into the hat and chose Michelle, who promptly freaked out and hugged a quite unhappy Layla before leaving to continue packing her bags for the night. In her big celebration though, she knocked the hat from Kaval’s hands, and he had to tell Layla that all the names, they all said Michelle. He asked Layla if she was surprised and she said “No, but Michelle will be when she’s standing alone on Sunday!”. Not exactly how I expected our first Kaval name drop to come, but he’s here!

S: He’s here and he’s the protégé of LayCool, you just know deep down that Kaval (Low Ki) is looking towards the exit door already. I do think we’ll get to see him on PPV, but I’m not sure when.

JT: Oh I know when. But that’s later down the road! Until then, we’ve got this to get done. So Michelle gets some pretty decent heat coming out, and the visual of the titles over her shoulder is pretty good in my opinion. Meanwhile Melina gets the same big entrance as usual, except McCool tries to attack her mid-entrance!! But Melina dodged out of the way!! All of us real Diva Heads recognize this as a callback to Night of Champions 09, when McCool drop kicked Melina as she did her split on the apron (which is a pretty awesome spot honestly). This time though, Melina knew what to expect and avoided it. And now, Michelle is getting attacked on the floor with absolutely 0 help from the Lumberjills. She’s got no friends on the outside tonight.

S: LayCool have become uber heels, they’re heel². So heel that the heels don’t want any part of her or them. Really liked the splits dodge which Melina did though, I thought that was super cool.

JT: To further show she’s terrible, Michelle slaps Kelly and runs back in to beat the countout. Melina catches her with a Headscissor into a Kick, then she goes for the Sasha Banks knees to the gut, but Michelle grabs her by the hair and dumps her to the floor. The Lumberjills don’t throw her back in, they’re fine to let her take her time. Still she gets caught with a Flipping Blockbuster by Michelle as she comes back in. Meanwhile on commentary“Just show Kelly Kelly”. Thanks for your input King. The Lumberjills actively trying to rally the crowd for Melina, and Melina turns the Faithbreaker into the Billy Kidman special (Facebuster out of a Powerbomb)! It’s not enough to really get a rally going as Belly to Belly by Michelle stops her in her tracks. Despite all the odds, McCool is in full control as she taunts Natalya, which draws the referee in, and prevents him from seeing Melina get a roll up on Michelle. Michelle kicks out, knocks down Melina then goes out after Natalya. And now, she’s finally bitten off more than she can chew, as the faces beat her up and Layla just stands and watches. Gotta say, though I’m not in love with this match, I think they’re making good use of the stipulation.

S: Yeah they really are to be fair to them, the booking for this match has worked if we’re to critique it a bit. Alright so is this the big scrap where they all gang up on Michelle (and possibly Layla) or is there another one after this? Because I’ve got a funny botch to talk about with you.

JT: I think I know exactly the botch you’re talking about! As they gang up on McCool, Rosa Mendes and Jillian are very close to the camera. And in direct view of the whole world, Rosa looks like she’s gonna punch Jillian, Jillian blocks and gives her a “that’s not the spot” look. Looks like Rosa didn’t realize what spot they were doing! Save that for the next time everyone is together outside! 

S: Well like you say that but I’m pretty sure that spot doesn’t even come to happen. What I think happened was that somehow, Rosa Mendes may have thought that Jillian was Michelle McCool for whatever reason because she pulls her punch as if to go “oh shit, wrong person”. This is the botch I messaged you about as soon as I saw it. I wasn’t even mad but I did pause the show for a good two or three minutes out of sheer disbelief for what I just saw, I laughed but I was also stunned.

JT: To be fair, the spot where everyone fights each other does happen in a bit, but the fact it happens directly in front of the camera just makes it so much worse. Like all those ladies out there, and you still can’t hide it. 

S: Oh yeah of course, if it wasn’t that particular camera on her when it happened, it would never have been mentioned. It would just have been an easter egg on this PPV.

JT: So Michelle gets rolled back into a Flapjack then a very iffy Spinning Heel Kick by Melina. The Divas Champs follows up with double knees to the back, then she Matrix dodges a boot, but Michelle baits her and takes her down with a stomp. This leads to an attempted Superplex or something but they fall off the top and to the floor and Natalya hits McCool again. Gail looks to throw Melina back in, Michelle uses this as a chance to cheap shot Melina, and this pisses off Gail! She after Michelle and it all breaks down, Rosa can get her spot now. With all this chaos going on, Layla sneaks back in the ring and tries to cheap shot Melina but gets thrown out of the ring. Did the LayCool ruse fail? Not completely, because this distraction allows McCool to catch Melina with a Big Boot out of nowhere! 1–2—3!! LayCool are now Unified Women’s and Divas Champions! LayCool celebrates like giddy schoolgirls and clink the belts together as double champs as the locker room looks on in disbelief. What did you think of this one? 

S: Eh. It was a match which was simply there on the card if you ask me. Nothing about it was particularly bad, that botch from Rosa was just left me with questions and I had a laugh but it wasn’t infuriating to be fair. LayCool at this stage between them had a real stranglehold on the Women’s Titles around this time so why would you bother persisting with them at the top? The wine moms win again. Also, no Faithbreaker from McCool, 4/10.

JT: I’m pretty much in the same boat. Most of the stuff I described in the match recap was the good stuff, but that’s not really true to what the match was. What we described took a while between those spots, and we cut out most of the less interesting, slow, hair pull type offense. This was fine. Not good, not all that bad, just fine. And yeah, I feel like the Big Boot was her primary finisher at this point. She threw a pretty decent one, but the Faithbreaker was always much cooler.

S: Definitely, I do remember her using the Big Boot more often as a finisher than the Faithbreaker at this stage. Maybe she was carrying an injury at this stage, I know the numerous mounting injuries is part of the reason as to why she left WWE so maybe that’s why she’s not doing the finisher which involves the lifting of an opponent. Her Big Boot though, she was always the tallest in the division by some margin so her using that as a taller woman made sense.

JT: Well now she’s the tallest woman, and the biggest one! She’s Undisputed Champion, all thanks to the work of her and her accomplice Layla.

S: But which belt will stay on to see the light of day? Spoilers, it’s the butterfly belt.

JT: Well the Butterfly Belt may live on, but I say it’s time for us to move on! And what to do? Well only my favorite segment of ours, one I totally didn’t forget and need a reminder of. Seán, how about we go for a bit of a Recharge?

S: Well with all that’s going in the world of wrestling at the moment in this current age, I think it’s about time we get to recharging and get some strong coffees into us for sure. To the Recharge!

————————————

The Recharge

JT: Alright so we’re here for the Recharge, where Seán and I not only play a bit of trivia as a treat, but we talk about non-timeline related stuff! And sorry if this is a bit abridged, but I say we rush into things. We only picked the craziest potential time to not have a regularly scheduled Recharge! We did Scott Pilgrim last month, which means we only missed talking about the fucking retirement of Vincent Fucking McMahon!!

S: Oh fucking hell! We haven’t even discussed THIS bombshell yet?! Alright folks, get yourself a tea or coffee because we’ve a boatload to discuss on the wrestling front today. Alright so Vin Man, finally being forced to being old and retired and now the day to day operations are being run by Nick Khan and Stephanie “Girl Boss 💅” McMahon with Triple H being in charge of creative and like five other massive jobs, it feels like. Oh and that bum, Johnny Ace is gone too, don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out, funk man!

JT: Yeah we mentioned the NDAs on the Summerslam Power Hour, so we had hopes that this would be coming but, in my heart of hearts, I didn’t think we’d actually see it happen. And already with the Head Honcho and his stooges on the way, stuff is changing! Gargano, Kross, Hit Row, Braun all back in the company! Austin Theory, Matthew Riddle getting their first names back! Bayley has gotten her faction, with Iyo Sky/Io Shirai and Dakota Kai alongside her. And maybe it’s rose tinted glasses, but things just feel better now don’t they? At least to a degree?

S: They feel better for sure, like it feels like a company trying to rehab from years of mismanagement so far. I think what will bring people back into watching WWE again fully is a multitude of things, I think once Kevin Dunn is gone, we can have a more visually pleasing viewing experience and it will take some solid creativity too. I’m not expecting peak NXT or late 2017-2019 NXT by any means and I think that Triple H knows that what worked in NXT won’t necessarily always work on main. I think Gargano going back to WWE feels right for him and his career because I don’t think AEW would’ve been his sort of move after being Mr. NXT for about five years. Seeing him on the main roster now is a nice thing to see and I’ve faith in him being successful there. He’s always been someone I’ve really liked as a wrestler and he’s probably one of the best faces WWE has had in the last few years. Karrion Kross and Hit Row without Swerve though? Ehhhhhhh, I could do without them to be honest. Braun? Hey look, I get why he’s brought back so I’ll leave it at that. Bayely being back with Dakota Kai and IYO makes for a dope faction too so that’s good! Things feel better, but there is still a way to go yet.

JT: Oh and how can I forget, Dexter Lumis is back as well!! And he’s terrorizing The Miz!! Again, I’m sure a lot of it feels “better” just by essence of assuming things are different without Vince. But still, I can’t help but feel like things just feel fresher and better without Vince. The vibes are just good!! Also as far as Kevin Dunn goes, I feel like the only reason he hasn’t just gotten the boot is because they need someone to take over for him. Unlike the clear successors for Vince & Johnny Ace, there feels like no real known name to take over. So my hope is that the spend like 6-8 months (maybe a year max) having someone watch Buckey Beaver over his shoulder, so they can keep chugging along once he gets the boot.

S: Yeah with old KD, he just needs someone there to watch his every move and basically learn from his mistakes. Basically from his directing techniques, that should be their case study on how NOT to direct/produce a wrestling show.

JT: So under Triple H and Co, so far, so good! But of course, it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. We’ve seen on occasion that everyone has their moments. Russo, Cornette, Paul E, Vince, etc. they all have their strengths that can feel exciting when they’re first implemented. For the new generation of WWE management, this is a long term project. Will the product still feel fresh/different/better in 6 months, a year, 5 years? That’s what’s gonna be a big signifier. And frankly, figuring out whether they achieve that, it’ll be a while before we should make any serious judgments. So for now, I’m just gonna enjoy making those “Booker of the Year: Triple H” memes.

S: “MemeMaker” James T, that’s what they call him. It’s certainly got a bite to it, and speaking of BITING, I think that’s the perfect segway to move on to the absolute insanity of what’s happening with AEW right now.

JT: Oh yeah, as if Clash at the Castle and All Out happening on the same weekend wasn’t enough, both were totally overshadowed by Colt’s Mom Punk himself going absolutely scorched earth, again! But this time, he’s not doing it from the safety of a podcast, he did it on a live media scrum, minutes after the PPV ended, with Tony Khan sitting right next to him!!

S: Eating a big muffin, sounding tired and gassed saying he works with fucking children and he’s old. I mean, there’s just much to unpack here James so where do you wanna start off? Should we start off with the media scrum?

JT: Oh man, where do we start? Well apparently if you’re CM Punk, you start weeks ago. The news coming out only in the past day or so is that this was premeditated by Punk. Reports go that he was telling folks the post show stuff was “going to be interesting”, and apparently even TK knew about it. So it seems like Punk was ready to put the Colt Cabana stuff to bed. Seems like TK would’ve given the okay to address the rumors that Punk got Colt demoted to Ring Of Honor. But man, that is not what we got. First off, am I off base to say that Punk came off like a total dick when talking about the Colt stuff? Like don’t get me wrong, I’d be pissed off too if I thought people were accusing me of getting someone, who I already had a storied and complicated history with, fired. But man, Punk just came off like a total dickhead when he was bringing up Colt’s bank accounts and Colt’s mother.

S: Okay so I don’t think he’s responsible for Colt being demoted to ROH, personally. Pretty sure Colt wasn’t cool with working with Punk in AEW anyways so I’d imagine the ROH move was Colt’s choice, which sucks because I think Colt still has a lot to give to wrestling. I genuinely think he should’ve been a solid mid card or lower card guy for AEW during his run. I feel bad for Colt. With him bringing up the stuff with his bank account, I think that’s too much information to be giving. However, I totally understand Punk’s frustration coming to a head with constantly being reminded of it, he has every right to be frustrated there because I’d imagine he wanted this stuff to be left behind. He wouldn’t say this stuff for no reason, you know? I think he was right to put the raised questions to bed, BUT, leave the accounts out of it. The response was right, but that nugget of information is unfair on Colt, and its very mean.

JT: Yeah that’s a big issue I have with this whole thing. Intentions be damned, the fact of the matter is, he ended up dragging Colt through the mud. Whether he just wanted to put rumors to bed or otherwise, it’s hard to shake the feeling that this was a grand exercise to humiliate Colt. Especially when it came to the bank account stuff. Sorry Phil, sorry not all of us were main event stars in WWE, with 6 digit contracts and huge merchandise royalties.

S: And he should’ve known better too because Colt is someone who has ALWAYS, for about 14 plus years with his wrestling road diaries documentaries, been open about some of the financial struggles which indie wrestlers go through, especially him, and he’s an indie wrestling icon. Like if there’s ever an indie wrestling Hall of Fame, Colt is the first name on there because all he has given to so many companies. I get he wanted to put the rumors to bed, but leave the accounts out of it. I’m still fans of both guys but Colt, if I ever see ya, you’ll get a hearty handshake and maybe a hug off me, friend.

JT: But of course, if that was it, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. After all, the Colt/Punk rumors have been going really ever since Punk was rumored for AEW. No, this goes further than that. Because Punk has bigger fish to fry. Part of bringing up the Colt rumors had to do with bringing up Hangman Page. If y’all will remember, in their build to their Double or Nothing, Page pretty much pushed his end as being about defending AEW from Punk, with the dig “You talk a big game about worker’s rights, but you’ve shown the exact opposite when you came here”. This led to Punk lamenting having to deal with an “empty-headed, fucking dumb fuck” like Page, who could have sabotaged a “million dollar gate” for AEW. Now I will say, if that line was Page’s idea and he didn’t talk it over with Punk, that’s pretty stupid. Although it doesn’t reflect great on Punk either, his initial response to that was to make a reportedly unapproved call out of Page, and then calling him a coward for not coming out. I see this as a difficult situation to on both sides, considering Punk had ample reason to be pissed off about Page’s comments, but Page’s comments very well can be seen as potentially expressing the discontent with Punk’s position either by Page, or maybe the other EVPs/the general locker room with Page as a mouthpiece. What do you make of all this?

S: As you said, I think it’s a very tricky situation to break down and figure out. Punk has always been volatile, it’s who he is, he swears more than I do in real life. This is a situation which could’ve been avoided completely if all is to be believed with Page not consulting Punk about that line he delivered. With the way Punk described it, it does give off the impression that he didn’t consult Punk beforehand. I think of all the stories, this one seems like the bit of a rift which can definitely be mended the easiest.

JT: I feel like even then, it would’ve been easier to mend if Punk hadn’t immediately gone and went guns blazing by calling him a coward on national TV. Both are cases where if cooler heads had prevailed and they had gone to each other rather than vented it on TV, things could’ve gone done better. But that’s not the world we live in. And it only gets worse from here! Because who did Punk think was at least partially to blame for Page saying what he said? Well, certain EVPs who should’ve known better, that’s who! Or to quote Punk directly “irresponsible people who call themselves EVPs yet they couldn’t fucking manage a Target and they spread lies and bullshit and put into the media that I got somebody fired when I have fuck all to do with him”. It doesn’t take a genius to know who this is referring to, and the fact this issue about Colt so quickly turned around into shit talking of the EVPs leads me to believe that there’s been some tension simmering in the background for at least some time now.

S: Oh yeah, definitely. This shit has been brewing for a while, you can tell and if they (Omega and The Bucks) were telling people that he got Colt fired then lads ye better get ready for him to clap back because you’re never gonna get away with saying something about Punk. He is like Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, he will find a way and track you down. You’re asking for trouble when you chat negatively about Punk.

JT: 100% agreed. I feel like part of the problem here is that AEW was more or less a bubble for The Elite. For the first couple years, The Elite were running a company where the people they worked with either were their buddies/coworkers from the ROH/NJPW/Independent Scene or were guys who looked up to them because of their work on Indies. They’ve made big additions, but none of them had as big a scope as Punk, he was someone they had to get because of stature rather than as someone who they wanted to work with. All wrestlers have egos, but Punk is someone who has always been outspoken and dedicated to his beliefs, and he’s someone they really had no choice but to take on regardless of his philosophies. He’s always been a squeaky wheel and by virtue of his star power, he was always going to have more stroke than the average Joe. Jericho is a similar type of guy, but when he joined AEW, he clearly came aboard while being in line with The Elite and excited to be alongside them. And I’m not about to go all “Dave Meltzer is a paid shill for AEW/The Elite”, but when you share philosophies and sensibilities with folks, you tend to get along with them. He has been critical of them before, but when the talent in your company and the media that covers your company are all willing to play ball at your level, it’s going to be troublesome when the first person who doesn’t play that way comes along.

S: Definitely, AEW for the first two and a half years, prior to Punk joining, has very much been a shared space for wrestlers outside of WWE to elevate themselves. As you said, Punk has always been dedicated to his beliefs and always been outspoken. If The Elite are really going out and saying to certain media outlets that Punk got someone fired, why the fuck are they doing that? Those guys are EVPs for fuck’s sake, surely it’s within their job description to not be giving out stories regarding their fellow colleagues which don’t seem to be true. Pretty sure that sort of alleged carry on from them is against the qualities of what makes an EVP.

JT: That would definitely paint them in a cowardly light, that’s for sure. For guys in a position of power to still be passive aggressive and talk behind his back rather than actually talk it out would be a bad look. At this stage though, it’s all he said she said. And that goes for the big blowoff of it all!! Because we’re still somehow not done! So after the show, by now we all know a fight broke out between Punk & Ace Steel against The Elite, with one Jackson getting a chair to the face, and Kenny getting bitten. First of all, if this wasn’t already total high school drama shit, biting? Now we’re onto middle school or even primary school levels of drama!!

S: He’s gone full Malcolm in the Middle levels of fighting like, proper Dewey biting the leg of that one clown in the park on Lois’ birthday (GOD I LOVE THAT SHOW). I think the story of the fight is fucking amazing, like it’s so mental to read it and chat about it with you. We both tweeted about the biting, you with your Ed, Edd and Eddy still with me using a trusty Tom and Jerry clip. It’s an incident which hopefully was documented and the aftermath of it has been insane. The suspensions, the relinquishing of the titles, ANOTHER injury to Punk. It’s insane, but I think a moment like this may lead to a bit of a peaceful time for AEW. Go full Shaun of the Dead, head to a safe place and allow for all of it to blow over.

JT: There’s so many funny layers to this. I about died laughing seeing people go “Punk got in a fight and won? Now we know it’s a work!” followed by people saying that “If anyone could lose to Punk, it’d be the dudes whose fights are just gymnastics!”. Also there’s Meltzer report that essentially boiled down to “The Elite peacefully came into Punk’s room and Kenny tried to save the dog but they got brutally blindsided” which was like, fanfiction levels of bullshit. Even if they did come in peace, I don’t know how you can be surprised if you go to someone who says “You know where to find me!” and then be surprised when he fights you when you find him.

S: When you mention there being a dog, I’m assuming you mean Larry? As in CM Punk’s dog? Because if so, that is the weirdest backdrop to a fight ever. They came in peace, they protected the dog and BAM! Socked in the face and the fight breaks out.

JT: Oh yeah that’s the report, that Kenny tried to get Larry out of there. I just think that’s such a funny odd little detail. Like I can see (if that’s true) why he’d do that, but also if I’m pissed off CM Punk, I don’t want anymore touching my fucking dog!! And I finally just want to circle around to your last point, about AEW being peaceful. Maybe it will, but I think we’ve got a lot more drama to go. Yeah, Punk & The Elite have been stripped of their titles, removed from TV, and taken out of the intro. But TK still has to pick a side by my reckon. Punk has always had the tendency to hold onto grudges, I don’t think he’s just gonna blow over. And if I’m the EVPs, I’m not gonna be happy if someone is just allowed to shit talk and fight you without consequences. Tony’s gonna have to pick a side eventually, either with The Elite or with Punk. And that will have a blowback of its own. It might take time for this next downpour of drama, but that cloud is looming overhead.

S: Thing is, I think if they sack Punk while he’s injured, that could lead to a whole other can of worms being opened so tread carefully for now. Wait for the final decision until down the line, when both parties are clearly of a cooler head. Also, Kenny trying to get a dog out of there, is something I can relate to. You don’t want the dog to be scared, or if there’s a really awkward moment at home, just let the dog out because you don’t want them to be embarrassed. Such a funny little detail, honestly.

JT: What a weekend for wrestling, huh? All that plus the actual details of All Out (MJF is back in a big way isn’t he?), plus all the actual details of Clash at the Castle! Shoutout to Sheamus vs Gunther! Great piece of business that was! Also, it looks like Cody is gonna be the one to beat Roman. If Drew couldn’t do it, he’s really the only one left! 

S: Ahhhhhh! Cody getting that big moment and being the first Rhodes to be a WWE World Champion, its gonna be fucking emotional if it does happen, let me tell ya. Genuinely hyped for Cody once he’s back because the matches he had with Rollins (he’s doing fairly well too, isn’t he?) were brilliant, if you ask me.

JT: I thought they were pretty good and I think their general feud gets an extra point in my book for how they handled Cody’s injury. Gnarly but special stuff!! Anyways, do you think we’ve had our fill for present-day-wrestle-talk? Anything else on the docket you think we should address, or do you want to get into our Recharge Recall?

S: Oh let’s fucking do this, I’m rearing to go on this one. I’ve got a question in the can and ready to go. Mine is a two parter, but if you don’t get the first part, I will allow for you to answer the second half. I’m a lenient guy with these things.

JT: Well since you’re so excited, why do you ask that of your questions for me? What have you got for me in our game of trivia today?

S: Okay! So my question, as I mentioned right at the start of match one where we saw Kaitlyn! My question relates to her and her general involvement in NXT Season 3 because James! Part one of this question, commences now. I’m not gonna implement the three guesses thing here because that’s not the real juice of the question. So here we go, do you know the actual reason why Kaitlyn was paired with Vickie Guerrero for NXT Season 3?

JT: Okay, so my first guess is going to be sort of blind association. LayCool were just involved with Season 2 of NXT, in fact their protege Kaval won the whole thing (Genesis of McGuilicutty be damned!). So my guess is that she was supposed to mentor their Season 3 Rookie with her girls Chelle & Lay, but since they won last season, they were no longer eligible for the season, and so Vickie got her all on her own. Is that in any way right?

S: That could be a reason but it’s not the one I’m looking for. All I’ll say is, Vickie was always pegged to be a pro for this season all along. Make of that what you will.

JT: Alright, now would I be able to use my hint here? And since I’ve got 2 questions coming my way, will I have a hint for each or one overall hint?

S: Oh a hint for each one, but I’m not gonna give you three guesses for this one. This one is a free hit. The three guesses can come in the second part.

JT: Well I appreciate your generosity! Please throw a bone my way, I’m no Vickie Guerrero expert.

S: Alright. So I would say that there were always plans for Vickie to be part of Season 3 of NXT, but maybe not the exact same plans which were announced initially.

JT: Ohhhh, are we talking about there maybe being a trade? Like one rookie for another?

S: You’ve the right idea, but not necessarily a trade. Maybe something along the lines of a change of plans entirely.

JT: I think I’m getting your drift. Was she initially assigned to another rookie, but either one rookie was cut or a pro was cut and so they moved Vickie over to Kaitlyn instead?

S: Exactly! Kaitlyn was in fact, never supposed to be part of Season 3, she was actually a replacement for someone. Vickie had much different plans, a completely different rookie. Which leads me on to the proper part of this question, rules are in effect now. So James, who was the initial rookie for Vickie Guerrero in NXT Season 3?

JT: Ok so I’m going to take a real shot in the dark with my first guess, is it Shaul Guerrero? Daughter of Vickie and Eddie?

S: That’s a good guess actually, it would make sense but no nepotism in play for NXT here. Would you like your hint now? Or your second guess?

JT: I figure I should know who she is, it probably won’t be too obscure considering she was supposed to be on TV. In fact, I can feel some nagging feeling at the back of my mind that I know who her rookie is already, but it’s not coming to mind just yet. So gimme my hint, and maybe it’ll jog my memory.

S: Okay so you say she isn’t too obscure but like, this person is completely obscure. One of the most obscure wrestlers from this time period, like she was signed and was then taken out of it for some pretty tame reason. A bit of a TALL order, if you will.

JT: Fuck!! Now I really feel like I know who this is. I swear, we may have talked about this person before on the Power Hour, but I can’t fucking remember her name! Maybe she was on like AEW Dark or something recently. Maybe she dated someone famous? I just swear I know who you’re talking about. Is it Kamille, of NWA Women’s Championship fame?

S: It is not Kamille, of NWA Women’s Championship fame but I feel like we may have discussed her on the Power Hour before. I will say this though, she is definitely taller than Kamille, and definitely taller than Shaniqua of Basham Brothers/Tough Enough 2 fame.

JT: I’m truly at a loss. I’m gonna kick myself when I find out who it is, but really I’ve got no remaining guesses in the tank. I can’t think of someone who would fit the requirements of being in wrestling in 2010, new enough to be in NXT, and also being tall enough to dwarf Shaniqua and Kamille. Who is this obscure, mystery woman?

S: This mystery woman was the very blink and you miss it, developmental talent, ALOISIA. A legitimate SIX FOOT EIGHT in height, absolutely dwarfing all of the competition and was definitely tipped to win the whole thing. If you search Aloisia NXT, you’ll probably recognise her immediately.

JT: Ah that lady!! I knew I had heard her story before and I think I know why! It probably has to do with Toni Storm and all the drama that came up when she was getting involved with OnlyFans. Aloisia (according to her Wikipedia) got realized for being involved in “Erotic Photos”, so I imagine people were bringing that up when it came to Toni and whether or not WWE/AEW would/wouldn’t allow her to profit off her body online. Or maybe it came up in regard to the films that Lars Sullivan was involved in! I bet you haven’t thought of that guy in a while!

S: You know, I actually thought about him today and that it’s so surprising that he has a five star match to his name. Him, EC3, and Killian Dain. Five star performers apparently. Let’s be honest though, that was the Ricochet and Adam Cole showcase.

JT: Hey don’t talk about that match too much, you’re the one pulling for a Gargano/Ciampa season! We’ll get there when we get there. So, are you ready for my question for you?

S: SPOILERS JAMES! COME ON! The people aren’t supposed to know that! But yes, I do want that question.

JT: Alright! So my question is also related to the ladies, this time to the defunct lineage of the WWE Women’s Championship. I’m sure you already know that leech Fabulous Moolah has the longest Title reign ever, as well as being the oldest Champion. I’d also guess and say that you know that Trish Stratus has the most reigns in history, as well. I bet you even could guess who the youngest ever Women’s Champ is, and that you even know about Harvey Wippleman being the only man to ever win the title! But do you know who has the distinction of having the shortest ever reign with the WWE Women’s Championship?

S: Okay, so my first guess was going to be Jillian Hall, but I believe her short reign was with the Diva’s Champion. Are we talking about the lineage of the WWE Women’s Title up until 2010? Or are we including the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Titles?

JT: We’re including the lineage exclusively under the name “Women’s Championship”. So basically, from 1956 to 2010. And as a bonus hint, I’ll let you know that it’s from the WrestleMania Era. Don’t worry about it being some shit from 1963 or anything like that.

S: Alright so it’s the Mania era. My first guess may be a weird one but I remember reading title histories thoroughly as a young kid, so maybe stick me down for Trish Stratus in 2006 where she won the belt against Lita at Unforgiven that year.

JT: That is a very, very good guess! Extremely good!! She did retire after her win, so technically, the reign was over as soon as it started. But! In the record books, the reign goes down as a 1 day reign, since it was vacated on Raw the next night. The real shortest reign is ever shorter than that, somehow. Do you have another guess in mind or would you like your hint?

S: Do give me my hint, actually. I feel like the reign could be from this era now to be honest.

JT: Well I’ll let you know for your hint that the Champion is someone I’d consider a real crucial figure in the Power Hour. We wouldn’t be able to talk about the Power Hour and the women’s wrestling we’ve watched on this series of ours without her.

S: Well I’ll let you know for your hint that the Champion is someone I’d consider a real crucial figure in the Power Hour. We wouldn’t be able to talk about the Power Hour and the women’s wrestling we’ve watched on this series of ours without her.

JT: That’s right! And do you actually know the circumstances of the shortest title reign ever, or do you want me to give you the juicy details?

S: Was it something to do with a European tour? Or a tour of some kind, and the belt changed hands on one house show, but then the next night? Or was it like a two in one night thing? With a heel authority figure involved? Maybe a botched ending?

JT: It was in fact, a botched finish on a House Show in Paris, France in 2007!! So there was a Triple Threat between Melina, Mickie and other Power Hour Alumni Victoria!! There’s actually footage of the initial change, where Mickie hit a Hurricanrana out of the corner on Victoria, and either Victoria forgot or had her bell rung off the move, but the red counted the 1-2-3 and Mickie won!! But in order to set the ship straight, Melina would invoke her rematch clause on the basis that Mickie didn’t pin the Champ, and she’d win her title back later in the show. A fuck up for sure, but one that’s in the record books. Mickie James, Women’s Champion for all of less than an hour.

S: Yeah, I knew it was a European tour alright but man I had no clue it happened in the same city. I thought it would’ve been like 1 day tops, not one hour. Gwan Mickie by the way, Power Hour legend.

JT: And she would have been an even bigger one if it weren’t for that dastardly McMahon and his little LayCool too!! Anyways, ready to move on back to our main show?

S: Let’s go, we’ve got two brothers ready to destruct right before our eyes!

————————————

Brothers of Drowsiness  

JT: Up next, it’s No Holds Barred for the World Heavyweight Championship!! It’s Undertaker facing off against his brother, his assailant, the Detective in Criminal’s Clothes, Kane. After months of buildup, we finally found out who attacked Undertaker and put him in a Vegetative State. It was Kane, it’s gotta be Kane!! That’s what Undertaker said at Summerslam anyways. But for all his fury and anger, Kane still managed to overpower his brother last episode, standing tall over The Phenom and holding the World Title. Kane’s carefully concocted plan had worked, he got Undertaker out of the picture and became World Champion. But now, can Kane prove he’s the dominant brother? Can Undertaker get revenge against his brother and the Championship he was screwed out of all the way back in February? For the first time since Judgment Day 1998, the Brothers of Destruction will face off with a World Title on the line.

S: Shout out to the promo package for this one because this was a brilliant bit of hype from WWE here. I really loved the element in the story where Taker essentially points out that no matter how much more powerful Kane may be at certain stages of their careers, it’s always him who comes out as the winner. Which is so true because Kane barely, if ever beat Taker by 2010. Like I’d imagine Kane lost or didn’t win at least 90% of their singles matches against each other.

JT: Well fun fact! All time heading into this match, Kane was 1-7-4 against his brother! That’s only 1 win, 7 loses, and 4 separate No Contests against each other. Their most recent match was on the April 4th 2008 episode of SmackDown, which was a No Contest after La Familia ran in and attacked both of them. Before that, the last match with an actual ending was at WrestleMania 20, where obviously Undertaker won. That one Kane victory? It came on June 1st, 1998 Monday Night Raw is War, when a distraction from Mankind (who has been “fired” by Vince McMahon earlier that night) allowed Kane to defeat Undertaker with the Tombstone to become #1 Contender for King of the Ring 1998 against Stone Cold.

S: Wow, so it’s been 12 fucking years since he got one over on Taker? I should be surprised but it sounds about right.

JT: What really surprised me was the sheer number of No Contest. Like one or two times, that happens, especially in the 90s. But 4 different times? That’s hilarious. Especially the circumstances of their one World Title match against each other. Steve Austin was an absolute menace.

S: You mentioned that one of them happened on SmackDown in 2008 too, and I know the shit match they had at SummerSlam 2000 was a no contest as well. What is the missing piece of no contests?

JT: Well that extra one happened in a Casket Match if you’d believe it! September 19th, 1998 Raw, Undertaker DDTs Kane into the Casket and the lid gets shut on both of em, leading to them fighting inside it and breaking it open before breaking up the ramp to end the main event match segment. Of course the actual main event of the show was the infamous segment where Stone Cold used a little prop gun to scare Vince into pissing his pants. Raw in 1998 folks!

S: What a time to be alive that must have been. Anyways! We’ve got a match to break down, haven’t we?

JT: We do! Although I didn’t mention much about the video package (although you did say you liked it). I agree!! It was nice!! We got a big recap of their original 97-98 feud, a recap of 2002 psycho unmasked Kane, Kane says he knows better than anyone that he made Undertaker’s legacy better and now he is nothing more than the brother he destroyed. Kane has relished the thought of being the dominant brother for 13 years, and he’s spent 2010 making that dream a reality. Taker says that he isn’t dead yet, this is still his yard but Kane says he’s a shell of your former self. Taker reasserts that Kane may call himself the Devil’s Favorite Demon but The Undertaker built the house the Devil lives in. Kane is unworthy of being champion and unworthy of being his brother, and when the fight happens, it will go how it has always gone. Or will Kane finally strike his brother down? Gotta say, lovely video package here and a big old reminder that the Taker/Kane feud has always made for better promos than actual programming. Watching any of the post WrestleMania 14 stuff? Ehhh. Seeing a video package recapping all of it? FUCK YES.

S: Oh it’s definitely one of the classic feuds which has been helped by the amount of promo packages which had recapped it over the years. The build to Mania 20 was all pretty good in my opinion, there’s some wobbly stuff in their other feuds for sure but the video packages absolutely give off “fuck yeah” energy.

JT: Speaking of “fuck yeah” Undertaker comes out! Biggest pop of the night so far, classic stuff with big plumes, no hat but he does the big lights/reveal with his cloak. We only got to mention it on the very first Power Hour episode but like, it’s just the best isn’t it? Just perfect stuff. 

S: Yeah it really is a perfect entrance, and we’ve only gotten to see it twice for our Mania 23 and Mania 32 reviews. That and in Season 1, he was Big Evil/American Badass/Booger Red so we only got him coming out on his bike then.

JT: And he might see it even more if Undertaker gets his World Title back from Kane! He fully intends to too, as he runs up the ramp at Kane giving him no time to make his entrance tonight! It’s No Holds Barred, the fight is on! Undertaker hammering at Kane on the ramp. Kane says Taker showing HBK mercy showed he was vulnerable and that’s why he attacked him, but now Taker is battering him against the marble (not really) pillars. We haven’t talked about the stage much, but I think they make for a nice little accessory, and it’s even nicer that they can interact with them, as they do when Taker throws Kane off the ramp into the pillars. 

S: Yeah I think the pillars definitely give off a coliseum type atmosphere, but without WWE having to bust the bank. This is definitely one of the last examples for a B-PPV to have a unique set of its own, maybe they have these pillars again in 2011 but I’m fairly sure that the HD set is used for every show from 2011 for about four years, except for Mania, of course.

JT: So Undertaker has had control so far, but Kane kicks the knee of Mean Mark to turn things around. As they brawl, there’s some mention of their father, both on commentary and in the video package. Just a little fun tidbit. As they continue to brawl, Kane is clearly fighting dirty, as Taker is choking and punching Kane, but Kane gets a poke to the eyes that allows him to kick Undertaker down the ramp. Kane reverses a whip to send Taker into the stairs, he then stomps him on top of the stairs. He throws the former American Badass into the barricade, he grabs the World Title and oddly hits him in the gut. They’re finally coming in the ring now, man this has been really punch/kicky hasn’t it? Total just, 90s WWE/00s TNA levels of walk-and-brawl for what feels like the first 10 minutes. 

S: I’m not gonna lie to you James, but the first ten minutes of this had me going from moderately excited to being bored off my arse in a matter of minutes. This first ten minutes was the most basic walk and brawl you’re likely to get in 2010. Bully Ray taking notes from this showcase.

JT: Yeah, the real issue is that at this stage of their careers, Kane & Undertaker need guys who can make up for their lack of mobility by running around and selling for them, so the fact that both guys can’t move particularly quickly and don’t sell a whole lot does not make for the most exciting start to the match, even if Taker running up the ramp to fight Kane felt fitting for the story.

S: It’s almost as if we had two whomps from Mario fighting each other. Slow moving and slow clubbing.

JT: So things finally get off their feet as Kane connects with the Flying Clothesline, but then he continues beating down Undertaker slowly, with clotheslines in the corner. On commentary, they’re telling rambling anecdotes about old brothers on commentary. They go back to the outside, Kane slams him off the desk and throws the table topper at him, and Undertaker can’t get out the gate. Finally, he manages to counter an Irish Whips Kane into the stairs. He gets the Guillotine Legdrop, he clotheslines Kane up and over the barricade, Taker jumps over the barricade onto him. But just as he’s taking over, Kane with a chair to the gut to take over, and back to the crowd brawling. Kane jumps off the barricade at Taker with a punch, more grounded attacks in the ring. With this sort of slow brawling, at least we can appreciate grunty Kane punches and stomps? 

S: Kane throws some of the best worked punches, kicks, and strikes in general. He’s up there with some of the best in history. Like he’s right up there with Chris Hero, Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Lawler to name a few. Kane is great at strikes.

JT: If they’re gonna be doing all these punches, at least they’re good at it. Undertaker stumbles back to the ropes but still begs Kane on. We get the Yay/Boo punches as Undertaker tries for a comeback. Kane with a knee to the gut but jumping clothesline by Taker to finally turn things around. We get the Corner splash, corner punches, Snake Eyes, Big Boot, Leg Drop. He plants Kane with a Chokeslam!! Undertaker is rolling and looking to put the match away!! He lifts Kane up for the Tombstone, but Kane reverses and hits a Tombstone Piledriver of his own!! 1—2—3!! That’s it!! Kane wins!! He damn near pitched a shutout!! An absolute rout as Kane sticks it to his brother and retains his Championship.

S: I think it started to pick up a little bit towards the end and the finish with the Tombstone reversal into a Kane Tombstone was pretty sick. As an overall match though? It kind of bored the arse off me for the most part, like there were definitely positives, I think you and I definitely look for the positives rather than entirely focus on the negatives as reviewers but this match was a plodding affair. A real sluggish match, I had to keep pausing this one because I was starting to snooze off while watching it at times, man.

JT: Yeah I think this is just another example in the trend of the Kane/Undertaker feud making for better moments and story beats than actual matches and tv. The idea of this story, of Undertaker coming back too soon and being overwhelmed by his hatred and thus losing to his highly motivated brother, it’s a pretty solid story. But as far as actually watching it goes? It’s a boring watch. I mean just compare the crowd at the start to the crowd by the end, they were not here for the constant punching.

S: Yeah they completely lost the crowd here within the middle. The story of Taker being back too soon and being overpowered is great but this crowd, they lost that Chicago crowd quicker than a really boring college professor.

JT: Yeah it seems really like they made this No Holds Barred just as an excuse to be able to brawl, which is far from the big exciting Shawn Michaels match Taker had last left off on. He does a big slow walk off to the back, and we’re done here. Dare I say, thumbs down for this whole affair? 

S: Definitely a thumbs down from me, piss poor stuff from these two.

JT: So after quickly gaining our favor, Kane is very quickly slipping in the Power Hour standings. Thumbs down for the World Title. Thumbs down for the Brothers of Destruction. 

S: For sure, I think we’ve already seen the best of Kane in this arc because I know what’s to come and man, I am not looking forward to what’s in store.

————————————

Broken Harts & Broken Dreams

JT: Up next, we’ve got some turmoil. Tag Team Turmoil, to be specific! Going from left to right, it’s Mark Henry & Evan Bourne vs The Usos vs Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov vs Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre vs the defending Tag Champions, The Hart Dynasty!! State of your tag division!! Not one but two separate thrown together teams, plus an odd couple gimmick!!

S: You saw my tweet, James. It was a brief statement but that doesn’t do it justice. What the fuck is this tag division? Honestly WWE, this is fucking embarrassing like. FIVE TEAMS ACROSS TWO BRANDS?! Three of which are thrown together, two of which with no story as to why they’re a team at all? It’s no wonder Triple H watched this shit from the back, decided to take on NXT as his developmental project and make some proper tag teams and have tag team training classes down at the Performance Center, because THIS is a lack of care and total neglect to one of the key components of wrestling.

JT: That’s for true. Like okay, Santino & Kozlov have some sort of story. They’re not a “real tag team” yet, but they’re working towards something. They’re trying to make a spot for them in the tag division. But Henry & Bourne is just absolutely nothing. The most generic “big strong guy/small quick guy” possible, just throwing together leftover scraps. Then Cody & Drew, that’s actually just a case of “We got nothing else for ya, why don’t you team up?”. Like in kayfabe, is there any reason why these two are teaming up? Is there any reason they should even get along other than “They’re both heels”.

S: That is exactly what Drew and Cod- I’m sorry, The DASHING Ones are. They are literally just two mid card heels with nothing else going on so they might as well team up. At least with Kozlov and Santino, they’re clearly meant to be the oddball team who are trying to make things work. As long as there’s a story, I’m all for those types of teams in wrestling.

JT: Feels like in kayfabe, their connection is tenuous at best too! Like Drew has had a rough time this summer, but he’s the Chosen One! Why is he lowering himself to finding a tag partner instead of demanding more opportunities? For Cody, things make a bit more sense. He buddies up with someone close to Vince and he gets someone to fight battles for him so he doesn’t have to put his Dashing good looks in the way. With actual effort, you can have a story here of Cody using Drew for his own gain and protection, while Drew is all bloodthirsty and trying to prove himself. But instead, they’re just gelled into one amorphous  “Cocky bad guys” blob. Honestly, that’s the biggest issue with WWE thrown together tag teams. It’s one thing if you can’t find everyone a spot, but half the time, these thrown together teams just lose all their individual characteristics and just become “Tag Team Wrestlers”. That or they don’t have any character to begin with so they’re basically the same character copy and pasted. And not in an Usos “they’re literally identical” way.

S: Yeah it’s always been the most annoying thing about WWE’s thrown together tag teams over the years, they just throw them together because there heels or faces. The way you pitched an actual story there just makes so much more sense.

JT: Yeah but doing that story takes effort to do! Speaking of effort, we get the first appearance of the brand new Tag Titles!! Please welcome the shit ass Penny Belt that have plagued WWE for the last 12 years!!

S: The pennies which would then become nickels/quarters in 2016. James, where do these very underwhelming belts rank among the tag titles which WWE have had since the classic titles since 86/87 to now? I’m only including main roster tag titles so NXT is excluded.

JT: This bronze version might honestly rank dead last for me. First, I just think Bronze on a title, just totally makes these seem bush league. They cannot escape being tied to the lowest ranked Olympic Medal. But then otherwise, they’re just so boring. The design on the actual belt isn’t that bad, but you can’t really see the design clearly (you can a bit better with the silver ones), the black strap is totally plain and the perfectly circular nature of the design just makes it feel lazy. Like little thought went into it, it was like the most cost efficient way to get a new title design. I think the Red “World Tag Title” is probably next on my list, followed by the Blue & Gold SmackDown Tag Titles, and finally the classic 90s WWF Tag Titles. Even then, I don’t think I’m in love with any of the tag titles like I am the Winged Eagle or Big Gold Belt.

S: Definitely agree with you there. The World Tag Team and WWE Tag Team Titles from 2002-2010 are more or less not inspired designs but are similar enough with some color changes. I’d say the best tag team title designs are actually outside of WWE. More specifically the ECW and AEW World Tag Titles, they are similar, yes, but they’re such a unique shape and half a sick design.

JT: Yeah those are some classy looking titles. Now, who will win the shitty belts? Well it’s a Tag Team Turmoil, so we’ll have to see who has the luck of the draw! Of course the format is the usual Tag Team Turmoil format: 2 teams start, every time a team is pinned/submitted/dq’d/counted out a new one enters until nobody is left. What do you think of this gimmick as a whole?

S: I like the gimmick, I think it’s a great test of team’s endurance and it also tests the metal of a team so as a stipulation, I am all for it. How about yourself?

JT: I think it’s alright. I’m not a huge fan of it, but I don’t hate it. I’ve got two main problems with it. First is that on PPV, it ends up just being a bunch of short matches. So nothing much really happens. The second issue is that there’s really only 2 types of stories you can tell: The Team that goes the distance, and the team that shows up at the very end to steal the win. Sometimes they both happen, sometimes it’s only one, but it’s pretty much always one of the two. And I just think that, when paired with super short matches doesn’t make for the most interesting gimmick. That said, at least there’s the mystery element that can make the match feel fresh, and since the matches are usually short, it can feel. Like anyone has a chance to win any match. Although like 99% of the time, it’s either one of the first two teams, or the last team.

S: For sure. Those things usually happen, as well as the Champs go out early, or there’s a team that lasts about less than a minute so that team looks like a bunch of goofs.

JT: Hey, don’t you go spoiling this match too much! Let’s get into this before we reveal everything before it happens! Okay so we’ve got 5 teams to work with, which match do we get to start things off with? The Usos vs Hart Dynasty, again. It’s September and they’ve been feuding since June. The 3rd time in 4 months we’re getting Usos vs Harts, come on man. It’s not like this feud has gotten the Usos either, because the crowd is once again, quiet for the Usos. Really it goes to show what pedigree does for you, considering they haven’t gotten over at all but 0 they are still getting TV Time. It was good in the long run but hey, they got a longer leash than I think a lot of people would get. 

S: It was a properly long process for them to get over too, wasn’t it? I mean they had to wait about three years after this before they would start to get the slightest bit of properly over with the fans. 2014 is when they would start to reach that level of being over with the fans, I reckon. They were patient lads, I must say.

JT: Yeah I’d say it was probably about 2013 when they started to hit their stride, because I remember them winning the tag belts before WM30 felt like WWE actually striking the iron when it was hot. And they’ve never really looked back since then. But unfortunately that is then, and in 2010 they’re not nearly that exciting. Shall we get into this Tag Team Turmoil then?

S: Let’s tag together through this turmoil, James!

JT: Usos vs Harts, one more time, with feeling! Arm Drags by Tyson including out of a Casadora to start as of. Both Usos have shorts now, so my chances of correctly knowing which one is in the ring drops significantly. That said, they manage to score with the Demolition Decapitation to take control for a bit. Still, Tyson proves too quick as he avoids a tackle in the corner, allowing DH to tag in. He gets an Overhead Belly to Belly to Jey and sets up the Sharpshooter, but Jimmy drags his brother out of the ring. Even though they’re together, they’re not safe on the floor as Tyson scores with a Moonsault to the floor!! He brings Jey back in and he goes for the Sharpshooter, Jimmy again runs interference. Smith goes after him but Jimmy pulls the ropes down, as Tamina & Natty have the ref distracted. Tyson gets the Sharpshooter in but gets a boot to the face. 1-2-3?? Harts are out?? Thanks for trying with the tag division guys now get the fuck out. Like it wasn’t even a Superkick! After being Champs for nearly 150 days, they get a big boot and are done after what, 3 minutes of match? 

S: Pitiful in all honesty, what a pittance like. I know that line has been made famous again by OSW but I mean, come on, what the fuck was that?! Four or five months as champs and now smell ya later? Such a slap in the face to Kidd and DH Smith, I know the tag division is something which isn’t cared for by management at all but why couldn’t they just get past the first hurdle? They look like such chumps here and it’s only done so commentary can go “We’re guaranteed new Champions now 😮😮😮”. That’s essentially it. Three minutes? Do me a favor…

JT: It’s all real 50/50 shit. Like The Usos have lost to the Harts repeatedly, so this is them finally giving Jimmy & Jey their win. But at what cost? It doesn’t help the Usos, not really. He just drags down the Harts. And if I remember correctly, this is pretty much it for the Hart Dynasty! They fail to regain the tag titles for a couple months, then start teasing turmoil within the family until they’d break up in November when Tyson refused to tag in and attacked Davey during a Tag Title match. From there, Davey would beat Tyson in a singles match, offer a handshake and get slapped by Tyson. This led to another singles match between them, that Tyson would win, and that’s it! Davey would be fonder on Superstars till, mostly doing tag matches with Yoshi Tatsu and Darren Young until going through a few months of inactivity and being released in August 2011. Crazy how despite being booked as the Powerhouse of the team and having  legitimate 2nd Generation pedigree, they just lost interest in him.

S: They really lost interest in Davey Jr as soon as the team broke up, I don’t even remember these lads having a singles match on PPV either. Maybe they will the further we go down the arc, but they did damn all with the team breaking up. I’m pretty sure we won’t see either of them on PPV again. You know what the sad thing with DH Smith is? He went to Japan, had a good run for himself with Lance Archer and was part of Suzuki-Gun. Worked in nearly every place he could just to improve and get signed again, only to have like one dark match and get released again.

JT: Yeah it seems like they really just resigned him so he could do a Hall of Fame speech for his Dad. But I’m sure you’re asking at home, what about Tyson? Well he hung around for longer, although admittedly not in the most exciting of places. He spent 2011-12 as a job guy and as someone on NXT, but not the one in Florida. After all, who can forget the feud he had with Yoshi Tatsu over Yoshi’s action figure? No but like actually, shoutout to whoever was in charge of NXT creative for at least trying to give the people on that show something, anything! Do you remember that whole weird, long feud?

S: Are we talking about a feud he had with Yoshi Tatsu of all people??? I remember both of them being on NXT: Redemption but I don’t remember them having a feud. I’m guessing this all came before he got featured again with Justin Gabriel and his placement in the SmackDown MITB Match in 2012, yeah?

JT: Oh yes, it was a whole ordeal! So, basically he and Yoshi had an argument backstage, I believe with Kidd accidentally breaking the leg off Yoshi’s action figure (of himself, obviously). This leads to some matches between them, with tensions building and Yoshi goes as far as to build a shrine to his figure and a necklace with the broken figure leg on the shrine. Of course, Kidd would steal the necklace, leading to a Necklace on a Pole match, which Yoshi won. A week afterwards, Kidd attacked Yoshi and claimed we’d never see Yoshi in WWE again. Yoshi would return a month later and finally blow it off with a win. This is when Yoshi would return with his new look, face paint, dyed red hair and all that. Wacky times!

S: So that’s where the later Yoshi-Tatsu in WWE look came from? All because of a feud in NXT: Redemption with Tyson Kidd? Was NXT: Redemption the 205 Live/Sunday Night Heat of its day?

JT: Amazing stuff!! So as you alluded to, Kidd didn’t start to regain his footing a bit as he turned face and began teaming with Justin Gabriel on SmackDown. This allowed for that PPV appearance at MITB 2012, and he’d also make an appearance at Survivor Series 2012 in one of their traditional tag matches. But aside from that, he was mostly a low card developmental tag team. In 2013 he’d reunite with his wife Natalya as part of a feud with Fandango & Summer Rae, but again not much came of that. His real turning point came as he returned to NXT in late 2013 and began a winning streak. This allowed him to qualify for a #1 Contender’s Battle Royal that ended in a 3 Way Tie between him, Samo Zayn & Tyler Breeze. Kidd would pin Zayn in a subsequent Triple Threat, facing Adrian Neville in the first ever NXT: Takeover, but failed to win the title. He’d lose another rematch, then turn heel on Sami Zayn, abandoning him to the Ascension. He’d get another NXT Title shot at NXT Takeover: Fatal 4 Way, but would lose that as well. Though he didn’t win when it counted, I cannot overstate how much this run brought him credibility he had been lacking. It reminded everyone that he was a great wrestler, and it showed that he had managed to pick up some character skills too!!

S: I LOVED his NXT run in 2014, I thought he was so great during this period and he properly became my boy because of it. I remember just properly rooting for the guy because I felt he had earned every bit of success he could get at that stage in his career. The whole “Nattie’s Husband” gimmick was such a good tool to gain some heat, him being ringside and cheating on her behalf in her matches. Brilliant stuff.

JT: And of course, that gimmick and that NXT run was the slingshot needed to get him back on the main roster. He racked up wins on Superstars, managing to get back to Raw & SmackDown and even getting a Title shot for the Intercontinental Championship. It was on the November 14th episode of SmackDown, in an elimination match, fighting for Dolph Ziggler’s Title, also featuring….Cesaro!! Though  Ziggler would retain (and the match is genuinely good and underrated!) It brought Cesaro & Kidd together. They began teaming in December, and by February, Kidd & Cesaro won the Tag Team Titles from the Usos at Fastlane 2015. Though they only held the titles for over two months, they not only managed a win at WrestleMania 31 (on the pre-show against New Day, The Usos and Los Matadores) but they had a double turn with New Day as New Day won the titles off them at Extreme Rules 2015. Even though they never won the belts back, this double turn is what more or less made New Day the legendary act they’ve become. Plus, their feud also had a real  underrated New Day gem in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match at Payback 2015. I sighted Henry & Bourne (we’ll get back to the actual match soon!) as a bad “Big Strong + Small Quick” team, but Cesaro & Kidd were that combo down perfectly. Though their run was short, it was fucking excellent. 

S: The Masters of the WWE Universe, as they were called on house shows. Two tag team specialists, some of the most underrated guys WWE ever had, formed a team together and were fucking class because of it. They were my favorite tag team when they teamed, like it was them, The Bucks, Sydal and Ricochet and probably Roppongi Vice too. Basically the entire Jr Tag scene in NOOJ. A really well remembered, yet unfortunately short lived tag team. The Hollywood Blonds of their time.

JT: Yeah because sadly, on a June 1st 2015 Dark Match against Samoa Joe, the Muscle Buster actually busted his muscles. He suffered a serious spinal cord injury taking the move, a freak accident. It took 16 staples, four screws, and a rod inserted in his neck, but luckily Tyson managed to come out on the other side of the injury. No longer as an active wrestler mind your, but as Dave Meltzer said “It is unbelievable that Tyson Kidd came through as well as he did”, and noted that most people who survive the injury end up quadriplegic, comparing it to Christopher Reeve’s injury. He managed to walk away from the injury that crippled Superman himself and is now a producer. The fact he can stand up and hug his wife is a blessing we cannot overlook. I’m just glad he’s okay and that he seems happy in retirement (he tweeted not too long ago that he will never wrestle again and he is okay with that). I just hope time gives him a fair shake of things, because his career is fascinating and full of incredibly underrated matches.

S: He’s someone who I’ve always viewed as being a realist in every sense of the word. He’s humble, he’s selfless, he has a realistic approach to wrestling and it feels like everyone who’s been around him has nothing but great things to say about him. Supposedly he’s a real favorite producer among the wrestlers and almost most of the time when we hear there’s been a noteworthy match in WWE, it’s TJ that put it together. Great guy, great mind.

JT: And to put a bow on this whole thing, it kinda sucks to see how the Hart Dynasty flamed out, right? Like, they clearly tried to put effort into making them a big deal, getting the endorsement from Bret, beating Miz for the titles. But still, I just don’t think they had the personality to really make it work. Like this is day 156 of their reign and they’re still not that over are they?

S: No not really, the only reason they get a semblance of a pop is because the fans assume that the opening to their song is Bret Hart’s theme so they get excited for a moment. You’re right though, they’re a solid tag team but they just didn’t have enough of the personality to make it work in this time period as over champions.

JT: So after all of that said, the Hart Dynasty are out, we will be guaranteed new Tag Team Champions. Who is next? It’s Santino & Kozlov!! And Santino comes in with gusto! He’s like a house on fire with punches, the split hip toss, and even the Diving Headbutt connects! Kozlov runs an Uso out of the ring, and Seán I just gotta bring it up. It’s all I could think of when Kozlov ran at an Uso near the ropes. THAT botch.

S: I’ve just asked James off the record what the botch in question is and oh my god, I feel so bad for Kozlov there. What a spectacular botch that is. Absolutely fabulous, that is, the webs came flying out with that one. Spider Vlad, but the webs completely backfire and he’s gotten caught in his own webs.

JT: Yeah it’s a slow motion car crash. He wants to make it better and fix the spot but things only get worse. It’s only made worse by the fact he gives a big yell before it, and then Cole and Josh Matthews both totally lose it. I don’t blame them for laughing because it’s funny stuff but man, poor Kozlov.

S: It’s the same thing with the Titus slip at the Saudi Rumble, it’s just too funny not to laugh at if you’re a commentator. Like how else are you supposed to react? I actually don’t blame Cole and Josh there, there are just some things which happen in wrestling which are impossible not to laugh at.

JT: So you can understand why I totally lost track of the match when he came charging in. But back on track, commentary informs me that apparently Tamina has something of a crush on Santino and she learned to do The Cobra on Superstars. This of course, serves as a distraction for Santino as she starts to set up her own Cobra as he tries to ready the move. And by the time he is able to regain his focus, he turns around right into a Samoan Drop. 1–2–3. Intentional or not, Tamina helps the Usos get their 2nd elimination. Pretty nothing match but when Santino is involved, I was expecting quick and painless shenanigans to begin with.

S: Must say, once he teased the Cobra, the crowd properly perked up. Swear he’s only been using that move for a few months at this stage, so the fact it’s gotten over this quickly is very impressive. That’s Worm level of getting a move over quickly.

JT: Definitely! It’s silly but it’s a unique kind of silly that absolutely would get a huge pop if he ever made a return at a Royal Rumble. Anyways, our next is Mark Henry & Evan Bourne. Evan starts things off with some kicks, a Rana, but he runs into a back elbow. The Usos try to work him over, but Bourne dodges a splash in the corner and gets a tag in to Henry! The World’s Strong Man delivered the World’s Strongest Headbutt to actually injure the Samoan. He throws an Uso off the apron, the other jumps right into his arms! Up and down, World’s Strongest Slam!! He drags him over to the corner, tags in Bourne, Evan goes up top and Air Bourne connects!! 1–2–3!! In and out, just like that we’re down to our last two teams.

S: We’re down to our final two teams in the space of what? Like seven minutes or something like that. I’ll never complain when seeing Evan Bourne to be fair but it’s definitely a far cry from when they were having him team up with Cena, pin Sheamus and beat Jericho clean on PPV, isn’t it?

JT: Oh yeah he’s very much just thrown into this. Which is a shame because I feel like, he’d be a perfect “TNA Frontline” type guy to be facing Nexus’s “Main Event Mafia”, if you catch my drift. Like a nice, up-incoming underdog face who could try to prove his worth by battling The Nexus lower down the card. Instead, he’s here. With Mark, for some reason.

S: Now that you mention it, why couldn’t you just have him in against The Nexus instead of Bret at SummerSlam? Like come on! Surely he would’ve made for a perfect fit in the middle of that match, he can get a few spots in, maybe an elimination and then Gabriel or Slater can eliminate him?

JT: Yeah either replace Bret or he could’ve slotted into R-Truth’s spot, although Truth did perfectly well in his role, and John Morrison fit the sort of “high flier” type role just with more credibility. Just goes to show folks, feels like there were lots of possibilities to have Nexus up and down the card, yet they’re absent tonight. Hell, why do you think Nexus couldn’t have been the last team in this instead of our actual last team?

S: Jesus you’re right, could they not have just had The Nexus in this match as well? WHY AREN’T THEY INVOLVED AT ALL? THROW THEM A BONE FOR FUCK’S SAKE.

JT: Well they’re not here, instead out come Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes, having beaten the Harts on SmackDown. McIntyre starts things off, beating down on Bourne in the corner. Bourne tries to break free and Drew clobbers Bourne with a clothesline. It hits hard yet it doesn’t break Bourne’s spirits, but when he starts to fight back again, Cody runs in and hits a cheap shot on Henry. This draws Henry into the ring, and draws the attention of the referee, allowing the Dashing One to illegally bring Bourne back into the corner. After working him over a bit more, McIntyre goes for a Suplex but Bourne escapes with knees to the head! Drew tries to grab him, Evan scores with a jumping knee to the face. Evan is able to use this space to get to Mark and get the tag! In comes Cody and in comes Henry. Henry knocks down Cody, knocks Drew off the apron, Corner Splash by Henry and a Military Press Slam! He motions for the SSP, and he helps Bourne to his shoulders, but they waste too much time setting things up! Drew manages to come in and attack Mark, causing Henry to fall down and out of the ring, Evan to fall off his shoulder. Bourne quickly recovers with a Spinning Heel Kick to Drew, he swings at Cody, byt Rhodes catches him and hits Cross Rhodes!! 1–2–3!! We’ve got new Tag Team Champions, Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre!! Any final thoughts on this portion of the match and this match as a whole?

S: It was probably the best part of the match, which isn’t saying too much but I did like seeing Bourne work with Cody. I think those two would make for a great PPV singles match. I feel like Bourne would make a great opponent for most of WWE’s mid-card and the fact he’s never really featured among the mid tier title matches on these shows is a bit annoying considering we all know he’s a brilliant wrestler. The match as a whole, it was a big dirty meh really. It was a step up from the previous match, they got it done quickly but that was a quick tag turmoil match, wasn’t it?

JT: 4 matches in a total of 11 minutes and 42 seconds! Ain’t that great? Not really in my opinion, it was just a bunch of superstars tag matches bundled together without any real story. Just one match followed by another unrelated one. Feels to me like they knew Night of Champions was coming up and realized last second that they needed to do something with the tag belts. The solution to that was to pull the plug on the Harts and throw a bone to Cody and Drew. Here’s the tag belts, don’t screw anything up guys!

S: I would have rathered a four way tag than this to be honest. Harts, Usos, Nexus and Cody and Drew. I don’t care that there’s three heel teams instead of one but I think a multi team match without the gauntlet stip would’ve worked better imo. Also that four way stipulation would work better with that match time you just mentioned.

JT: Well I suppose they couldn’t do that though because we’ve got the Six Pack Challenge in the main event! Bit of a tough spot for the bookers. Either way, I’d give this a thumbs down. The individual aspects of this really aren’t bad, but I literally remembered none of this till I came back to my notes to recap it.

S: I barely remembered anything either apart from the elimination spots either. Am I unprofessional? Or am I just old, tired, beat up and I work with fucking mediocre wrestling? I type that while I’m eating a giant muffin by the way.

————————————

Snake Blissken 

JT: Alright ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for our main event!! To close out Night of Champions in Chicago, we’ve got ourselves a 6 Pack Challenge!! That’s 6 Men all fighting each other in elimination style, with the last man standing leaving the Windy City as WWE Champion. It’s Chris Jericho vs Edge vs John Cena vs Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett vs WWE Champ Sheamus. And throughout the show, everyone has had a chance to say their peace about the opportunity at championship immortality!

S: Hold on a minute, playa. We’ve got ourselves a quick vignette compilation to cover. What’s this? A vignette compilation for SmackDown’s newest future top heel. Alberto Del Cunto, sorry Alberto El Dickhead, sorry Alberto Del Rio. He’s just debuted on SmackDown and he’s put Rey Mysterio out of action in his debut match. We get a compilation of him being a rich man in his private estate, being an aristocrat, dressing well. Being condescending and playing a game of pool on his own, seems about right to be honest.

JT: I can’t wait to talk about him when he appears later this season, there’s so much to say. But for now, I’ll hold off. We just gotta remind you that he’s on his way, and the fact he’s getting air time on PPV just shows you, they’re not playing around with ADR. This man will make an impact on this arc, he’s getting a rocket strapped to him. So, promos?

S: Promos time baby! Let’s do it.

JT: First person to speak tonight, right after our opening IC Title match was Edge. He’s asked  what his strategy is in the 6 Pack Challenge, but Edge dodges the question. He says why ask me, ask the other guys how they’re gonna beat him, after all he rises to the occasion on nights like this, he shocks people. He’s the Ultimate Opportunist, and tonight he walks out WWE Champion. After the Punk/Show match, Chris Jericho backstage and in an unusually chipper mood. His interview starts with “You’ve gotta feel lucky to even be in this match” but Jericho brushes off the comment saying The GM (‼️) put him in this for a reason. He beat The Rock & Austin in the same match to be Champion, he beat 4 of the “greatest superstars of all time” in the Scramble match 2 years ago, and he beat 5 in the Elimination Chamber in February. This is his type of match, and he guarantees a win. The reason for that is not luck, it is because he’s the best in the world at what he does. After the US Title match, we hear from Big Match John! He’s asked “what are your chances of leaving as WWE Champion”. He says this whole thing is just percentages. There’s a 0% chance the Rated R Superstar is actually Rated R, it’s TV PG. There’s 35% the crowd might be hostile, followed by booing. He concedes it’s more like 75% chance. He keeps joking that there’s a 2% chance we find out Sheamus is actually made of 2% milk, and then admits that he’s just messing around because there’s no way of being sure who will win in a match like this. You just can’t count him out. I’ll also note, he mentions “The Nexus” literally once. Anything sticks out from our first half of our promos?

S: I think with Edge and Jericho, it’s what we come to expect from them at this stage in their careers. They’re both very comfortable on the mic obviously, and they work the best they can and get across their characters. Edge wants the questions to the others to revolve around him, he’s not nervous and with Jericho, he gloats about how he’s great at winning titles against the greats. Cena’s promo, loved the bit of Cena Maths from him. Thought his promo was the one I was most entertained by.

JT: It’s silly, but he’s a funny guy! It’s not “bologna, fudge and mustard” levels of silly and dumb. He’s just being a little silly to get the point across. It makes him stand out at least. Also, we should mention, Jericho’s guarantee is big because he’s in a lot of danger tonight! A few weeks back on Raw, we hit the culmination of his slump storyline! Jericho said that if he couldn’t win the WWE Title, he’s going to leave WWE!! Month after month of being off his game has finally gotten to him, this could be huge if he wins or if he doesn’t. He’s been a key part of WWE ever since he returned in 2007!

S: And just like when he left in 2005, it could be the WWE Title which leads to his exit for a second time! Jericho mate, you need to stay away from this title. You’re going to turn into Gollum if you keep pursuing it, this is your kryptonite lad.

JT: Now for our next 3!! Wade Barrett speaking after the Women’s Title match, saying he’s heard what his opponents have said and claiming they represent greatness but they represent the status quo as well. Long ago, he said that the winds of change are blowing here and those winds will blow through the Windy City because he’s going to prove he’s the future and the next WWE Champion when he beats 5 of the best. Randy Orton is next, and he gets lots of loud Randy chants as he just stands there. It turns out though, he’s all in on actions over words, because he has nothing to say to the other competitors, he just stares at the camera and walks out. Finally, the last word goes to the WWE Champion Sheamus. He’s told that, as the Champion, he’s at a disadvantage in this one but Sheamus tells them to look him in the face, because does this look like the face of a concerned man? He’s champion because he wins, no matter the stipulation, he wins. An elimination match suits him as he won the Title in a 4 Way. This Six Pack Challenge will end like the way it always does, a Brogue Kick to the skull and Sheamus leaving with a smile and the championship on his shoulder. What did you think?

S: Barrett, stuck in the awkward fourth position. Barrett has always been a well spoken man and the fact he put over the new era is coming is grand, he’d wanna make good on his promise unlike the previous month. Orton said nothing but it was effective. Sheamus, everything he said was right because he’s been put in tricky matches and he’s won so good stuff from auld Shambo here.

JT: I will say with Sheamus here, it’s nice to see him be confident and stand firm. So often we get these weasel champions who talk over the top and then act like cowards, especially in a big match with many other challengers like this. So it’s nice to see a heel who is more than happy to take on everyone because he believes he can pummel them all. Honestly, that’s probably why the Sheamus/Cena Steel Cage and his Summerslam defenses felt lackluster. I know it was in character for him to do anything to keep his title, but I prefer this tougher version of his character to the more cowardly version. It’s just a nicer change of pace, for a guy built like him and with his tough background to not be the same as every heel Champion.

S: Also, it’s exactly what they initially presented Sheamus as before he won the title off Cena. He was a big, tough, pasty Irishman who’s going to clobber the hell out of you and not back down from anyone. It’s such a problem with WWE too, the constant booking of the chicken shit heel World Champion. There are only certain people who can make it work, so don’t give that trope to everyone who becomes a heel champion.

JT: We also get a big video package before our match. It’s got Dramatic flashbacks to old championship wins, saying for every man who enters this battlefield, it’s their desire for her that inspires them. Her seductive siren song for glory for grandeur for gold, but the path for immortality is perilous, for a while her capture is glorious but preservation is precarious Tonight for these men, she beckons. A twisted champion, a brash narcissist, a ravenous zealot, a vicious viper, an ultimate opportunist, a Charismatic Warrior. Who will reach the pinnacle, who will answer her call for glory, for grandeur for immortality, who will be champion? Another promo by the snake lady, what did you think? 

S: The old snake lady did a good job, as with Fatal 4 Way 2010, this promo made the WWE Title match feel like a big deal if you ask me. The snake lady always makes for a good narrator in WWE promos and this was certainly a good one. Didn’t think Wade Barrett gave off zealot vibes but sure look.

JT: Our match begins! Edge & Jericho go for Cena, Barrett & Sheamus go for Orton. Quickly it’s just Jericho & Orton alone in the ring, before Randy gets thrown out. Cena confronts Jericho, nose to nose, before Cena lights him up with punches, then gets the running bulldog, and an RKO OUT OF NOWHERE TO JERICHO!! 1—2—3!! Jericho is out already!! Jericho is stunned in disbelief, does a sad little sit on the apron, and then does a George Michael Bluth/Charlie Brown walk up the ramp to Y2J chant as if he’s gonna retire. Only at least 12 more years till that happens! Damn, Jericho wasn’t being paid by the hour that’s for sure! He really wanted to hit the road with Fozzy. We’ve empty out our whole pitcher of the Drink of Jericho, what did you think of this moment individually and any thoughts on his run as a whole this season?

S: With Jericho, I think we only really got to see him when he was putting others over. Which to be fair to Jericho, he never refrained from putting guys over in this second WWE run. He was always very giving to the newer talents. We never really got to see his true heel peak from 2008-2009, we got heel Jericho, but with less suits and less eloquent promos.

JT: Yeah I think he did an admirable job this season. He wasn’t an MVP candidate but he did a good job, like you said, putting guys over. And I think that’s precisely why it was a good time for him to step away from WWE. Not to say the magic was fading or anything but when you put folks over a lot, you risk hurting your own image as a top guy. Jericho is a big deal among fans, but even then if you lose so much you’re always gonna risk it. So he got to heal up, pursue other interests, and then when he came back, instant serious main event threat again!

S: Exactly! This break did him the world of good for when he came back at the turn of 2012, the other breaks which followed after that? Where he was a do good, do nothing face? Ehhhh maybe not but that 2015 return sure worked out in the long run.

JT: Well it was nice to have ya Chris, but it’s time for us to move on. No need to spell out his whole story, it’s still going on after all. So back to our match! 5 men remain, and they’re all back in the ring. Much to the crowd’s excitement, Orton, Cena, Edge and Sheamus all surround Wade Barrett. The shoe is finally on the other foot as Wade gets a 4 on 1 pummeling and Edge + Sheamus clothesline him over the top rope to the floor but we go back to business. In fact, Edge & Sheamus join him as Orton & Cena throw them out and we get a big reaction for the Cena/Orton face off. Oh and the little solidarity there had been between the veterans dissipates as Barrett, Sheamus and Edge team up on Cena & Orton. Barrett tries to direct traffic but Edge & Sheamus don’t appreciate it and beat him up again. Then of all things, we get a DROPKICK from John Cena to Edge as Orton hits on Sheamus to clear the ring and set up their confrontation again. Unlike at Fatal 4 Way, this Cena/Orton face off has more heat and I think they’re actually doing a good job of building it within the match itself. 

S: They’re actually kind of digging it, yeah, and in Chicago of all places too! Who would’ve thought it? I remember they’d keep teasing Cena and Orton having another match throughout 2010 and 2011 alright, sometimes you’d get a good reaction like this one and then a subdued one like at the Rumble in 2011. Must say about Randy though, he’s been consistently over with the crowds since we’ve started this season.

JT: Yeah he was second only to the Undertaker in terms of the reception he got. Fans are really behind him, even as the “newness” of his face run wears off. Also since I mentioned it before, what did you think of Cena’s dropkick?

S: God I can’t even remember it now that you bring it up. Was this one of his dropkicks he does where it looked kind of awkward and he landed on his elbow? Or was this a better attempt from John?

JT: In my completely unprofessional opinion, it was not good. Quite awkward, he just about hit Edge on the elbow, there was a reason he wasn’t breaking out dropkicks regularly.

S: John just needs to get back to watching his Amazing Red and AR Fox tapes for another few years before he can start busting out the Code Red the and the “didn’t get all of it” Springboard Stunner. Do the moves which don’t require too much of a vertical leap for your beefy frame. Work smart, and work smart he would do.

JT: So now we get our Cena/Orton showdown now, finally!! Randy goes for the RKO but Cena blocks and then takes him down for the STF, but Orton pushes him away. Randy grabs Cena for the DDT through the ropes, but Cena manages to get back to his feet and lift him for the AA, only for Orton to slip to the apron. Edge hops up on the apron now and he and Orton try to Suplex Cena to the floor, only for Barrett yanks both of them down and drops Cena on the top rope in the process. Sheamus clotheslines Barrett then and goes back in to beat down Cena. He’s now controlling the match now, laying hurt on everyone. He goes for a Back Suplex off the top, but Big Match John fights Sheamus off and goes for the Flying Leg Drop, but Edge pushes him off the turnbuckle and onto the ropes. Sheamus & Edge look for a Superplex and they hit it on Cena, and a nice piece of psychology as Sheamus happily watches as Edge pins Cena (but he kicks out). The match slows down to a crawl with these two controlling Orton in the ring, but soon enough Edge attacks Sheamus and hits the Edge O-Matic. Edge goes for the Spear but Sheamus side steps and hits the Irish Curse. Sheamus lines up the Brogue Kick, Edge moves out of the way and hits the Spear!! Before he can cover, Orton slithers in and goes for the RKO, but Edge pushes him into the arms of Cena!! AA? No, Orton slips out and pushes him towards Edge, with Cena moving out of the way of a Spear that hits Orton!! John grabs Edge for the AA, Edge reverses for the Edgecution, but Cena spins out, Edge ducks a clothesline and runs right into Cena’s grasp for an AA!! 1—2—3!! Edge is out, after probably the high point of the PPV to this point. What a nice sequence!! 

S: Yeah this was superb stuff from the remaining lads here. Barrett wasn’t involved too much in this sequence apart from getting involved with Cena and then being chucked out again but the other four really pulled out some nice exchanges in this. Reminds me of the four way, not from Fatal 4 Way but almost like the main event of Backlash 2007 with all the counters, multi-man exchanges. Which means that Sheamus is HBK, rightfully so.

JT: Again it goes to show that part of being a main event talent often is the fact you have chemistry with other main event wrestlers. Edge, Orton & Cena have wrestled each other so much that they’re able to go through the motions with ease, which only makes them feel like bigger deals. And that Backlash match is fantastic, good shout.

S: Oh it definitely is, the true mark of a main eventer is not just being able to have great matches in the last match spot on the card. It’s a number of things, including the ability that you’ve got to have good chemistry with the established main eventers before you came along.

JT: So we’re now done to 4, as Barrett comes in and hammers on Cena. He lifts for Wasteland, but Cena counters and goes for the AA, but Barrett reverses and hits a DDT. Cover, Kickout at 2! Cena takes some punches but starts the Five Moves of Doom. We get the first 3 with ease, and lift Barrett up for the AA but Sheamus runs in. Cena puts Barrett down, Sheamus swings and hits Wade instead of him, and then puts in the STF!! Sheamus reaches out for the ropes, but Cena drags him back to the center!! He wrenches the STF in, but still it’s not enough to eliminate Sheamus as the Champ gets the ropes. Genuinely surprised that he managed to get out of that. And now that John’s at an impasse, out comes the cavalry. Gabriel, Tarver, Slater, Otunga run down, and they don’t hit the ring just yet, as they’re providing a distraction for Barrett!! He catches Cena from behind, lifting him up and planting him with Wasteland!! 1—2—3!! Cena is out, The Nexus have got his goat again!! And this time, Wade gets all the glory of beating Cena himself!!

S: And he beat him with the old potato sack toss too! Look at the numbers in the Nexus though, with Darren Young and Skip Sheffield getting the boot, they considerably feel like less of a big deal with them being a group of five for the moment. As far as Wade getting his win back over Cena, I mean he had to get it, if he got eliminated at this stage in the match, his moment would have come and gone for the second time in a month.

JT: It definitely is good that he got the Pinfall over Cena, but you’re right that it’s really not as big a deal as it could’ve been since he lost his invulnerability last month. And we’re not done quite yet! Because Nexus beat down Orton on the floor, since it’s No DQ! Fans rally behind Orton as he’s served up on a silver platter to Barrett. As Nexus surrounds the ring, Cena with a chair to Otunga & Tarver!! RKO to Gabriel!! Barrett slides out, Slater swing, misses and gets an RKO!! Barrett tries to get Orton like he got Cena, but Orton escapes and hits the Backbreaker!! He is all fired up and gets the RKO!! 1—2—3!! Barrett out!! Well, so much for his big Pinfall over Cena!! Cena immediately gets Nexus back and costs Barrett the WWE Title! 

S: Aaaaaaannnnd the moment has passed for Barrett for the second time in his career. Now look, I know at this stage, it might have been too soon for Barrett to win the title so I could understand why he wouldn’t win this match. That’s fine, but the manner in which he was eliminated is probably what damages him, and The Nexus more than anything. Cena loses because of them and IMMEDIATELY gets his heat back, which then leads to Barrett losing clean again. Just a bit damaging to them.

JT: It’s exactly that in my opinion. Consider how the Nexus were looked at during Fatal 4 Way, they were this force that was dangerous to everyone on the roster, not just Cena but the rest of the main eventers and the midcard too! But now? They get one passing mention by Cena during his promo, Wade gets a promo and is in the video package, and then they come out briefly to fuck with Cena before getting beat up and lose. I’m not saying they have to always beat up everyone, and realistically you can’t keep a “whole roster vs The Nexus” storyline going all year like it’s the invasion. But now, the difference is that they’re not some scary threat to everyone, they’re just a Cena-related issue. They’re in the Cena bubble. If you interact with Cena you might get caught up with them, but otherwise they don’t matter much unless Cena is on screen and that’s such a step down. Especially for the likes of Tarver, Slater & Otunga. They went from being smaller parts of a whole to glorified henchman, you can swat most of the Nexus away like flies.

S: Aside from Barrett, the rest are just cannon fodder for Cena to beat up and get his heat back. Barrett at this stage is legitimately the only guy who can get one up on Cena, the rest are just punching bags for John to knock the shit out of.

JT: I will say, to WWE’s credit, the crowd was pumped to see all of them eat RKOs. It’s no wonder Randy is super over when he can cut through the big bad guys with a sick ass finisher in seconds. Like forever and always, you have Randy take down a group of guys with multiple RKOs in succession, I’m gonna jump out of my seat.

S: Oh absolutely, I think Randy has been the best babyface in this arc and is consistently the most over guy on these shows. 2010 and most of 2011, I would say is the best momentum Randy has had as a babyface. He seems like the guy who the fans want to see as their champion, and that was my thought when I was watching at the time. Randy definitely deserves the praise from us if you ask me. I’m not shitting on John by the way, that’s a trope which died out ten years ago. He’s a company guy who’s probably just doing what’s asked of him because a professional. The fault lies on the booking team and creativity when it comes to the super cooling off of The Nexus, which I think has been happening since Money in the Bank.

JT: Yeah John is playing his role as best he can. The Nexus have just been booked with a lack of creativity after a really creative debut. Now, Bryan getting fired, Sheffield getting hurt, there’s nothing they can do about that, external factors interfered.  But already having Darren Young get kicked out? Why? You know they need to look dangerous, right? And it’s one thing that they fell into a holding pattern from June to July while the Summerslam match is being built to, but you gotta stick the landing after that and we’ve discussed last episode how clearly they didn’t do that. Not making Barrett the Champ isn’t necessarily the wrong move but on top of last month’s failure and the group losing 3 members since they debuted, it is really putting a ceiling on a group that seemed unstoppable months earlier.

S: You mention them losing 3 members, I’m pretty sure this is the last we’re gonna see of Michael Tarver on the timeline so we best be making that 4 members who have got the ax in time for Hell in a Cell. It’s only been four months too.

JT: That’s not ideal! Should we have our little “Michael Tarver career breakdown” now then?  Spoilers folks, it’s real brief.

S: Oh let’s go for it. This is gonna be a stacked segment then!

JT: So on the October 4th Raw, Tarver gets attacked by John Cena with a chair, but Barrett says Cena did him a favor because he was going to throw Tarver out anyways. Why did this happen? Tarver suffered a groin injury, so he needed to be written off TV. He’d be off TV until December, when he made a return to FCW, defeating Donny Marlo’s (aka Camacho aka Tanga Loa). His actual return to WWE main programming would come in 2011, when he’d begin appearing backstage, skulking about in the background. But why was he lurking? We never found out, because he’d be released by June 2011. He’d then hit the Independent scene, doing some wrasslin scenes, mostly in Florida. The highlight of this would be two reigns with the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship, a title with a lineage going all the way back to the 30s and including the likes of Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, Bruiser Brody, Superstar Billy Graham, Bob Orton Jr, Jack Brisco, Ernie Ladd, Ron Simmons, Barry Windham and more! Of course by 2013/14, it wasn’t at that level anymore. He started his first reign by defeating Deathrow Jethro, holding it for 210 days before losing to “The Grease”, and then would defeat Mr Mayor Matt Morgan himself to start a 2 week reign that ended at the hands of Wes Brisco.

What else? In 2014, he’d make his NJPW debut on behalf of the NWA Invasion storyline, where he’d actually former IWGP Heavyweight Champ Hiroyoshi Tenzan at New Beginning in Hiroshima, though he’d lose a follow up tag match at New Beginning in Osaka, where he and Big Daddy Yum Yum were defeat by Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima. That’s about it for his NJPW career. He’d wrestle some for Full Impact Pro in 2014, and in 2018 he’d compete in Chikara in the King of Trios tournament. As a part of The Nexus Alliance, he’d team back up with Darren Young (as Fred Rosser) and Justin Gabriel (as PJ Black) once again! They’d defeat The Regime (Juan Francisco de Coronado, Rick Roland, and Sloan Caprice) in Round One but would lose in Round Two to Raiders of the Beyond (Chris Dickson, Cam Zagami, and Brian Milonas). For completion’s sake, the winner of the 2018 King of Trios was The ResistANTce (Fire Ant, Green Ant, and Thief Ant). Tarver’s last match at the time of recording was at VIP DFW (VIP Dallas Federation Wrestling) All-Pro vs. The World, losing to veteran Indy wrestler Lou Gotti. 

S: Okay so what do I know from what you just mentioned? I remember him being booked for King of Trios in 2018, which I believe was the penultimate King of Trios maybe? Also, I do remember hearing something about him having a few backstage bits in 2011 but it was one of those things in wrestling where I kind of flip between thinking if it happened or not. I had no idea he was part of that weird NWA invasion in NJPW though. Him and Rob Conway, probably Jax Dane too. WOOF.

JT: You’re right it was the second to last King of Trios, and yeah that NWA angle was rough, got a whole lot of mediocre undercard guys on the shows. In a better world, that angle doesn’t happen and we don’t have to see Chase Owens plaguing NJPW shows still. But back to our match, as now that Barrett’s out, we’re down to our final two!! It’s Randy Orton and the defending Champion Sheamus, who unbeknownst to Randy, is stalking him from behind!! Sheamus may be a Great White and Randy’s the viper, but right now Sheamus is the snake in the grass, allowing Randy to take out the Nexus all on his own while Sheamus waits to pick the bones of the survivor! Orton turns, and gets a Brogue Kick to the Skull!! He got it flush, center of the ring!! Orton is stalked by Sheamus, who hits the Brogue Kick!! 1—2——KICKOUT!! Crowd pops huge as The Apex Predator stays alive!! Sheamus desperately tries for the High Cross, lifting Orton up high, but Randy breaks free, and catches him coming back with an RKO!! 1——-2—-3!! Orton finally beats Sheamus, he is once again WWE Champion!!

S: A good finish to a solid B-PPV main event in my opinion. I think the right man won with Randy winning the title, he’s been the most over guy in the company since we started reviewing this time frame so it feels right for him to take the win and the title here. I think there’s an argument to be made that maybe he should have won the title at SummerSlam instead. Either that or just have Sheamus cheat to win, rather than the intentional DQ win. Aside from that though, the main event more or less beats everything else on the card in terms of quality, except Bryan and Miz. Thumbs up from me.

JT: Yeah I think this is pretty clearly the best World Title match we’ve had all arc. This one felt big, it had memorable moments, it didn’t rush through things but it also kept a nice pace the whole time. It wasn’t perfect but I think crowning Randy ended the show on a high note. The WWE Universe had been itching for Randy to become Champion, and they exploded when it happened. Thumbs up from me as well.

S: Unlike with many times where Randy won and didn’t feel like it was necessary, especially in recent years. This title win for Randy felt like it was the right time for him to be cemented as their top babyface champion. This win for him here is probably exactly what they wanted for Randy in 2005 at Mania 25, except on a much smaller show. He’s deserving of this win and he’s consistently been the most over guy in the company. That’s something which Randy has always had throughout his career. He’s so good at being either the most despised by fans for good reason for a long period of time, or being universally beloved for a good long spell. It’s something which I think he should be lauded for more, in my opinion.

JT: Considering his alignment as essentially The Devil this time last year in his feud with John Cena, it’s a testament to his abilities as a performer that he’s this over as a face so shortly. He didn’t even really have much of a redemption arc!! He basically just went “Fuck these twerps”, booted Ted & Cody, and then went after baddies instead of goodies!!

S: I think what helped him so much too was that he was so awesome at being a heel for so long at that stage where the fans felt ready to cheer for him and that led us to here! Top face Champion, Randy Orton. The prophecy was fulfilled, five years after when they originally intended it to be.

————————————

Powering Down 

JT: Well I’ll say on that note, that we’ve completed Night of Champions 2010!! We saw Championships retained, Championships change hands, we saw heroes rise and heroes fall!! Now all that’s really left to do is run down our final thoughts on the show and give out our end of show awards? Are you ready to go partner, want to give us your overall thoughts on this show as a whole?

S: Yeah of course! I’ll start off with my overall thoughts. I thought this show was a step up from SummerSlam, I think with that show there was really only one standout match on that card. This had two in my opinion, Bryan vs. Miz and the main event. I still don’t think this was a particularly great show by any means. The diva’s match and the tag team turmoil, both complete afterthoughts. Kane vs. Undertaker was an absolute snoozefest and Big Show vs. CM Punk was pretty short and mostly one sided. I think this show was mostly an easy watch but that portion after Bryan vs. Miz and before the main event, woah man, that was a bit of a struggle. Like I dozed off during Kane and Taker, that’s not a good thing considering I was watching this in the afternoon on an off day from work. Overall, very middle of the road show, proper B-PPV feel, would recommend checking out those two matches I mentioned.

JT: Yeah, a lot that was worth a skip on this show. Not all outright bad, so it doesn’t deserve to really get slandered as some terrible show or anything like that, but really not much to write home about. From what I can tell 2010 really isn’t a time many folks hold in high regard, and I think through what we’ve covered so far this arc, we know why. The only real major matches in contention for my MOTN are (like you said) The US Title match and WWE Championship match. The IC Title match will get a nomination there too, but it’s more so the “throw this person into the Triple Threat to eat the pin” option than it is a real contender.

S: Yeah that contender you just mentioned is like when they wanted to get the United States Title from AJ Styles to Baron Corbin, but they didn’t want AJ to take a fall since he was gonna be WWE Champion again, so they just chuck Tye Dillinger in there to eat the fall.

JT: The Ten Man delivers like only he can. Alright, so let me tell you my pick for MOTY. It’s Daniel Bryan vs The Miz. I’m sorry dear readers, but this might be a trend you’ll have to get used to. Bryan was already one of the best wrestlers in the world before he came to WWE, and he hit the ground running tonight. The US Title match is the one with probably the most story in it aside from Kane/Taker, and it blew that one out of the water as far as action goes. Once again, Bryan came out and performed in a way that was totally different from everyone else. I’m by no means a Miz hater, but it took a while for him to really hit his stride as a worker. So for him early Miz to be wrestling in a way that not only was impactful (I really adore that flying clothesline spot) on top of still having his usual smart knack for story, I gotta give him his due. Funny how this match is honestly better than the matches they ended having after the infamous Talking Smack promo.

S: I’m gonna hop on that trend and say that Bryan vs. Miz is also my match of the night. It just was far and away my favorite match, like every time these lads went at each other, I was visibly cheering for the match. Bryan just has that energy and that ability to get you as a fan to react, and go nuts. Shoutout to the main event too but the US Title was what I enjoyed most. How about your MVP then?

JT: Well, I gave Miz some credit but I still think that the MOTN is a credit owed to Daniel Bryan for being the champion face fighting the odds, selling the injuries, firing up the crowd. So you’d think that Bryan would get my MVP two shows in a row, but swerve!! It’s not him!! I’m actually giving my MVP to The Apex Viper Legend Predator Killer himself, Randall Keith Orton. Or Randy Orton as normal people might say. Even though the WWE Title match didn’t top my list for the show’s matches, Randy stood out more than anyone else. That main event, it was his main event. He got the elimination on Jericho, he got the big square-off with Cena, he took out The Nexus, and he won the title all while the crowd cheered on his every move. I’m still off the camp that heel Randy Orton is best Randy Orton, but I think performances like tonight show why he’s had multiple long stretches of being a face. He isn’t the goodest guy in WWE, but at this time there is nobody in WWE who kicks ass as much as Randy. MVP, out of nowhere.

S: You and I James, we’re destined to do this together, forever. Because I also agree with you on the MVP for this show!!! Seán and James agreeing on The Power Hour. Then. Now. Forever. For more or less the same reasons you said. He was the most over guy on this show, he has been for quite some time and this performance tonight showed why 2010 was more or less his year in WWE. He is definitely better as a killer heel, but he’s also a very good face who knows how to command a crowd, and command it very very well. He’s someone who, when he’s properly motivated, like he was during 2010 and 2011, he makes for a very entertaining watch and a good example of how to control a crowd.

JT: Sheamus’s reign as World Champ is over for now, so it’ll be fun to see what Randy can do as Champion for the next portion of our arc. Speaking of which, only two weeks after NoC was WWE’s next PPV, our next review!! Our main event is a match destined since they first faced off, it’s Undertaker vs Kane, Hell in a Cell!! Plus, a much less potent rivalry gets the Cell too, Sheamus vs Randy Orton!! But on another high note, John Cena will finally get to go one on one with Wade Barrett, with some interesting stipulations to boot. All that plus more, next time on the Power Hour!!

S: That’s right, Hell in a Cell 2010 came two weeks after Night of Champions in the timeline. Will we have this done in two weeks? Hell no, do you know how long this takes James and I to do this? As well as James doing the editing? Anyways, we’re gonna get a show of rematches and first times, and we can’t wait! Sort of!

JT: Well, if we can’t have fun watching the show, we know there will be some fun to have with a collective pointing and laughing on this show. But until then, this is a goodbye from me James!

S: And a see you in HELL from me! Seán!

JT: You’re all our Champions, so never forget about the big train, Rolling Down the Line!!