Oh Yes.. There Will Be Blood

Hello there readers, I'm back again. It's Pay Per View review time. And what an unexpected treat Extreme Rules was. I'll be honest, I ordered this just before I went to bed last night (in Australia we get the PPV's on a monday morning..time differences and what not). But I just had a feeling that the two main events would be worth paying for. And I was not disappointed.

Extreme Rules felt like a WWE pay per view from 2003/2004. I can't quite explain why, maybe the blood, maybe the way the card was set up, but something about it gave it that "ruthless aggression" feel. Brock Lesnar being a big part of the event probably just added to that. To me 2003 was one of the better years in WWE history that I've seen a lot of, so that vibe surrounding the event gave it a really good, solid feeling.

As usual I'm going to break down each of the individual matches, and give my thoughts and opinions.

So let's get down to business.

The show opened with Randy Orton vs Kane, in a Falls Count Anywhere match. This was the first thing that surprised me. I was thinking that Cody and Big Show would start the event off, but once again, I was pleasantly surprised with this.

Randy and Kane put on a solid match at Wrestlemania. Solid, but not great. I wasn't exactly brimming with anticipation for this match, but I think they did a lot better than 'mania. The addition of the Falls Count Anywhere stipulation made it much more of a brawl, which was refreshing. Too often wrestlers get stuck in their patterns and routines, so doing something different, especially the match is taken out of the ring for an extended period of time can be a really good thing. One thing i found quite amusing was the random steel poles just lined up in the same room that the "WWE superstars and personnel are watching Extreme Rules in". Why would there be steel poles standing up in the corner of a room?

Zack Ryder interfering I think was done just so that people would see him on PPV. His push has kind of stalled lately, but hopefully that's just a temporary thing, and we see him in a mid card feud soon.

On a personal note, I've always really enjoyed when wrestlers go backstage and fight. Kane vs Shane McMahon in an Ambulance match from Survivor Series 2003 is a great example of doing that right. As is Big Bossman vs Al Snow in a Hardcore title match from either 1999 or 2000. That match actually ended up in a bar across the street from the arena, with Zakk Wylde making a bit of a cameo.

I think I had picked Kane to win this match, my reason being that he was the monster, and it made more sense. Honestly, I didn't really think that through a lot. Orton winning makes much more sense. Kane won at Wrestlemania, Orton has that crazy side of him, willing to put his body through a lot, and also the smaller guy winning is always fun to see in these types of matches. Unless it's completely unbelievable. Which this wasn't.

My only problem with the finish is the RKO on the chair. Every time I've seen the RKO, Randy's opponent's head is cradled in his arm, and it never looks like he really hits his head on the mat. Using the chair made it even more obvious.

But overall, a really good match, and a great way to start off the pay per view. 7/10.


Brodus Clay vs Dolph Ziggler
The first of two unannounced matches. I really like this match. Brodus has made sure his Funkasaurus character hasn't just become a joke, and Ziggler is the most under-used guy in the WWE, and can work with anyone. My problem is that it feels like Ziggler is kind of stuck in this lower spot, mainly because he's still associated with Swagger and Vickie. I'm not saying they are bad talents or no good, I just mean that Ziggler could be so much greater on his own. Also the crowd was chanting for him like crazy.

There's not really a lot more that I can say about this match. It was entertaining, and the perfect length. My only objection is that Ziggler should win. I feel like Brodus has won a lot, or almost all the time since his debut.

I also don't buy Hornswoggle as a minisaurus. I still remember when he had blonde hair and dirt on his face.

Excellent finish though, and as usual, Dolph's selling was one of the highlights of the night.

7/10


Big Show vs Cody Rhodes (Tables Match)

Now we're getting to one of my favourite parts of the whole event. This match, like the Orton vs Kane match, was another that I wasn't really that excited about. Once I found out the stipulation though, that all changed. Just like Big Show said.. "good luck putting me through a table". I'm really into the psychology of matches, and anything that adds something different to a match makes for a different way to tell essentially the same story. And that is always a good thing.

And Cody is another one of those guys, like Ziggler, that has so much potential, and he's finally starting to get that "it" factor. He was annoying as all hell in legacy, but unlike Ted DiBiase, he didn't become a Randy Orton clone. I think that helped keep him relevant and helped keep him in his spot.

As usual, Big Show gave us a really good showing, and Cody was phenomenal. I liked the use of the table for Cody to hit his "beautiful disaster" kick as well.

And then, the finish. Having watched the WWE for nearly 10 years, there comes a lot of points where you say to yourself "I've seen it all now". But, time and time again, the WWE continues to surprise us. Who would have ever thought a table match would end by someone stepping through a table? This is one of those polarizing events though, people will either love or hate this finish. I thought it was absolute genius. Big Show played it perfectly as well. That look of "I can't believe I did that" mixed with "I'm gonna kill all of you " .. Really well done.

To me it almost seemed like this could be one of those rare double turn things. Show attacking Rhodes after the match, and especially throwing him through that second table is a very Heel-ish move. And Cody, getting to his feet under his own power, and holding the title up, yet not in an arrogant way, was a very subtle babyface kind of a move. And he got a massive cheer for it as well. In that moment, he reminded me of Shawn Michaels for some reason.

All in all I thought it was a really good match once again, but most importantly, it was unique. For that, it gets an 8/10 from me.

Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus (2 out of 3 Falls)

Yes! If there was one thing we could be certain of with this match, it was that it would last more than 18 seconds. And what we got was probably one of the best wrestling matches from the last 6 months. I've always liked the idea of the 2 out of 3 fall matches, like I said earlier, anything that deviates from the norm, can be a nice change of pace. The dueling chants of "Daniel Bryan" and "18 seconds" were pretty cool honestly. And the Yes chants are a great sign that Bryan is over.

 I really liked the way this match went with Daniel Bryan intentionally getting disqualified in the first fall. it's not often that you see wrestlers lose on purpose. But once again, it's that different kind of psychology that make these matches entertaining. The idea that someone would lose the first fall, knowing they'd done enough damage to hopefully get two quick falls on their opponent, very different.

Sheamus retaining wasn't what I'd hoped to see, but I'm not disappointed with it.

8/10


Ryback vs Jobbers
The second of the unannounced matches. Really once again, not a lot to say about this. Loved the Goldberg chants throughout the match, as there is quite a bit of similarity between Ryback and Goldberg. I mean they're both bald.. they're both muscular.. they both run/ran through their opponents.

Basically everything a squash match should be. Short, and brutal. The negative was that the jobbers got mic time. What was the point of that?

4/10

CM Punk vs Chris Jericho (Chicago Street Fight)
First off, I really liked the idea of coming out in different attire. You can't really call Jericho's "street clothes" because of the light-up jacket. CM Punk was rocking a Misfits/straight edge t-shirt which was awesome in of itself. But sometimes it's the smaller details that really make a match go from good, to great. The different look from the clothing made it feel much more serious, and really helped elevate the feel of the match.

Punk didn't get quite as huge a reaction as the last PPV match he was part of in Chicago, but it was still a huge pop. The Kendo stick got quite a big pop as well. Actually, now that I think about it, that kendo stick was another thing that reminded me of 2003. It's nothing huge, but I remember the Royal Rumble from 2003, Tommy Dreamer bought kendo sticks to the ring and Jericho got nailed in the face by one, and ended up with a huge knot on his head.

Of course the obvious highlight was CM Punk delivering a huge elbow to Jericho from the top rope, through the spanish announce table. Amazingly he was even forgiven for nearly falling off of the top rope!
 But another highlight, and again mainly for it's originality was the use of the, as Michael Cole called it "announce table hood". We never see them used as a weapon, they're always discarded and thrown away. My favourite use though, was Jericho smashing the broken off half over CM Punk's back, because of how it just broke into 5 or 6 pieces, and looked liked it just shattered on Punk's back.

I think this was the match of the night, really great action, back and forth, and at times it looked like a certainty that Jericho was about to win the title. 9/10


Nikki Bella vs Layla

I think the worst thing that happened to this match was the rumor that it would be Kharma finally making her return and taking out the Bellas. When Layla (or Michelle McCool)'s music started playing, it was a fairly big let down.
The match wasn't bad, however I did think it was a little strange to have Brie be the one beaten for the title. But I guess it at least leaves the door open for some kind of conflict between the twins on Raw this week.

5/10 and also glad to see Layla back. It's always good when someone returns from a bad injury.


John Cena vs Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules match)

Where do I even begin? Lesnar just looks massive. It was cool to see him in his MMA-style gear, it really shows that he is a different guy than he was in 2003/04, and that he has evolved into something different.

There was a lot of talk in the promos about the need to bring back legitimacy to wrestling, and that Brock would be the guy to do it. And, a lot of people have complained for a long time about the lack of blood in matches. I think the problem is we became so used to seeing guys get "busted open" that it lost it's significance and became part of the norm. Having a few years without blood being a prevalent thing in matches has really been a good thing, when you think about it. It's reconditioned us as fans. Now, if we ever do see it accidentally, it adds something.

And in the main event, we found out that when it happens on purpose, it REALLY adds something. I really hope that Lesnar didn't just lose his mind and revert to MMA mode and stiff the crap out of Cena's head. I'm almost sure that it was all planned though. Which says a lot about Cena, because that could have been really dangerous.

Brock being the first guy to really bust someone open in the last 3 or 4 years basically solidified him as the biggest badass in the WWE. The whole match was brutal. Cena not getting any chances to make a comeback was really a key to making this match as intense as it was. Brutal knees, elbows, suplexes and submissions helped as well.

The referee knock downs were a nice touch as well.

Lesnar is a maniac too. That fall over the top rope should have knocked him out, or at least blown out his knee. It looked so brutal, and was a really bad fall because of the rotation he got from basically spinning over the top rope.

I've been trying to work out, since the show ended, what I think about the finish to the match. On one hand, I think it's cool that the WWE have so much faith in Cena that he continues to win these "impossible situation" matches, but on the other hand, what does it say about Lesnar's condition that he can be beaten with what was essentially two moves?

However, Lesnar did completely dominate Cena for bout 20 minutes, so he really didn't lose any momentum or anything by being beaten. I think I would have liked to see it go the other way, just because it would have really just completely solidified Lesnar's spot as an unbeatable machine.

So with the blood, the brutality, and the really different feel for this match, I think it really capped off the night unbelievably well, and was the epitome of the theme of the night, which was "old school" for me.

8.5/10

Just quickly as well, John Cena's cryptic promo after the end of the match were.. well ... cryptic. The boss was going to get rid of him? What did he say or do that was so bad? Say the word Wrestling? Surely that's not it. Maybe he just knew he was injured and was trying to stay in storyline saying that Laurinitis was going to fire him. Maybe the blood wasn't supposed to happen and he thought Vince would be going crazy backstage. Maybe he was half unconscious and didn't know what he was saying? I think we'll probably find out tomorrow on Raw.


Ok that's about it for now, until tomorrow or wednesday, when my weekly recap will be up. Follow me on @TheOZMouthpiece if you're not already, and leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

I'm the Aussie Mouthpiece, and my business is concluded.. for now...

The calm before the storm: Extreme Rules

Hey guys, it's me, The Aussie Mouthpiece, and i'm back with my Extreme Rules predictions and preview.

So let's get right to it shall we?

Big Show vs Cody Rhodes

I'm not really sure what to say about this one. I would imagine that the WWE isn't done pushing Cody Rhodes, but I'm not really too interested in this feud to be perfectly honest. So I really don't have a lot to say about it. But, considering that Big Show won at Wrestlemania, and he's probably in that position these days of pushing younger talent, I'm going to say that Cody Rhodes is going to win this match.

Randy Orton vs Kane (Falls Count Anywhere)

Once again I'm not really sure what to say. Up until this latest episode of Raw I once again wasn't that interested in this feud. I think the writers really don't know what to do with it, even bringing in Bob Orton Jr, and Paul Bearer hasn't managed to make this rivalry much more interesting. Kane is always great when it comes to promos, but Orton is ... well... Orton. His character to me at least, has become stale and boring, and somewhat routine. I'm not really sure where this is going, but hopefully this is the end of this rivalry.

I'm going with Kane to win this one.


Nikki Bella vs Beth Phoenix (Diva's Championship)

I get the feeling there won't be much of a match, because the story here is going to be that Beth is injured. Whether it's a work or for real doesn't really matter, I think the general consensus (which i agree with) is that  Kharma is going to make her return and run through the Bellas, as their contract is up. I would be ok with this. It's beyond about time that some legitimate female competition happened in the WWE. For some reason they don't want the Beth vs Natalya match, but at least we'll get the Beth vs Kharma match. Which will be great.

Nikki Bella wins but gets destroyed by Kharma afterwards.


Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan (2 out of 3 falls)

At least we know this will be longer than 18 seconds. Unless it's three 6 second pinfalls. But surely the WWE won't do that. Right?

I have a feeling this will be a decent match. Daniel Bryan is developing somewhat of a cult following, and the Yes chants are, in a strange way, refreshing. I haven't seen a lot of smackdown recently honestly, but I have a feeling that Sheamus is going to keep the belt for a fair while longer.


CM Punk vs Chris Jericho (Chicago Street Fight)

Now we're getting into the interesting matches. Punk in his hometown defending the WWE championship. Jericho doing some really good heel work. It all adds up to what should be a really great match. Punk and Jericho have a really good chemistry in the ring, but with this being a street fight, it gives them a chance to show a different type of match to us.
My only problem will be that this match should be the main event. CM Punk is the WWE champion, and it's also his hometown. But I get the feeling that Lesnar and Cena will be in the top spot.

I'm not sure about who will win this match. Everything points to CM Punk retaining, with Jericho needing to get his come-uppance, and also because he's only there for a couple more months, but I have a seed of doubt, something saying that they might give Jericho the belt.

However, it's CM Punk's hometown, and they obviously have a lot of time and money invested in Punk. So my pick is that CM Punk wins, and retains the WWE Championship.


John Cena vs Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules)

Ok. This match is interesting purely because it is Brock Lesnar's first match (in the WWE) for over 8 years. It's worth watching just to see if he's still got it, how he's changed his style with the MMA stuff, and if he's worth all the effort the WWE have put into him.

The way I see it, this match can go two or three ways. One is that Brock completely dominates Cena, and basically takes him out. Cena is out for a few months, and comes back just before Summerslam with a massive re-invention of his character.
Two: Cena comes out as a re-invented character, maybe new music, a new look, something. The chain was there in his second appearance on Raw, as opposed to the dog tags, but it's not enough. In this situation, I'm really not sure who would win.
Three: Brock wins, but without taking Cena out.

Either way, I can't see Lesnar not winning, and the final shot of the PPV being Lesnar on the turnbuckles, hands raised. Maybe there will be blood. Doubtful. But maybe.
Cena needs a revamp. I know they've just come out with the new colour of the cena shirt, but really, it's time. Edge said it. The Rock said it for a year. CM Punk has said it. Brock even said something about it.

It's time.

What I hope doesn't happen is John Cena winning. Not because I don't like him, or think he sucks, but it would kill Lesnar's momentum. He comes back as a massive animal, destroying everything in his path, and yet he gets beaten in his first actual match back? Why would I want to pay to see him in any other matches after that?

So, my pick is Brock Lesnar winning. and (hopefully) some kind of change for John Cena.


That's about it really. Oh wait, the pre-show match.
Santino vs The Miz (US Title).

The Miz is on the pre-show?? Wow. Last year he was in the main event. Ok then... Anyway, maybe this is the start of a push for him. He made a great US champion, so I guess lighning could strike twice, but I think Santino will retain for now.

That's it then. Hopefully it should be a decent show. I'll be tweeting along with all of you tomorrow live during the pay per view, so if you're not already, follow me @TheOZMouthpiece

That's about it really, my business is concluded.