WWE Tag Team Championship (Pre-show):
Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (c) v. Hunico & Camacho
It was pretty much what I expected: A nice, little energetic match to get the crowd pumped for the PPV, so you know the champs were going to get the win, whether or not the titles were on the line. Nice quickness and surprising power spots by Hunico & Camacho, but the victory for "Boom Truth" was never really in doubt.
Winner(s): Kingston & Truth via pinfall, What's Up (8:24)
Rating: **
World Heavyweight Championship MITB Ladder Match:
Christian v. Santino v. Damien Sandow v. Sin Cara v. Tyson Kidd v. Tensai v. Dolph Ziggler v. Cody Rhodes
Well, two predictions for me didn't come true in this match: My guy to pick didn't win, and Sin Cara didn't go through another ladder. I have to be a stickler for detail, so 0-and-2 for me.Anyway, it's safe to say this was really the only match that could start the PPV and keep the energy rolling from Boom Truth's pre-show tag team match. It was entertainingly high-risk, but there were also a few botches as well, including a particularly dangerous one where Sin Cara botched a top-rope C4 (Backflip Ura-nage Slam) and nearly drove Ziggler's head and neck into the mat. Scary moment there. Tensai looked dominant for some of the match, but the ladder gimmick doesn't really do a whole lot to hide his plodding offense, not to mention nearly drilling Santino the hard way with a powerbomb off the ladder. Santino himself was fine for what he was; his offense was kept to a minimum and only brought out the Cobra for a short while. I did like the (probably) unintentional call back to William Regal and his fear of climbing the ladder when Santino couldn't either.
Christian is a stalwart and cornerstone of ladder matches and it really showed here, even busting out the Spear for a tribute to Edge from Wrestlemania X7, tackling Cody off the top of a ladder. Cody himself put in a remarkable performance as well, but Tyson Kidd shined even brighter, pulling off the spot of the night with a ladder-assisted, springboard sunset flip powerbomb off ANOTHER ladder. That was unbelievable.
At the end of the day, though, Dolph Ziggler takes the win and the briefcase. Although I'm surprised they're pushing him despite his current record against Sheamus, I'm intrigued to see how they plan to have Zig-Zag utilize the MITB brief case
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: ***
Miz's Return: I just like how they did his return and made it seem important that he'd been gone for two months. He comes out, even gets a small "Miz Is Awesome!" chant, is straight with the audience about where he's been, how he's been overlooked since Laurinaitis's reign (implied, but not said), and plans to do something about it for once by entering the Raw MITB and returning to his former glory as the WWE Champion. Short, simple, and to the point.
World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Sheamus (c) v. Alberto Del Rio
First of all, it was a fine match, technically sound on either man's side, Alberto attacked the arm like we expected, and Sheamus fought through it and Ricardo to the best of his ability. It was a good, sound title match.
My problem was this: The match and the championship never really seemed in doubt for Sheamus. Whatever fire, piss & vinegar Del Rio had going into the match seemingly went away for the most part as he wasn't as relentless going for and attacking the arm as I would've liked and didn't utilize Ricardo as much as I thought he would've. Whatever damage he'd done to Sheamus, attacking on the Raw metal stage and slamming a car hood into him, didn't really seem all that evident as Sheamus more or less shrugged off the damage to his arm and body except for a few minor cases where it affected his ability to hit substantial moves. Then all of a sudden, White Noise, Brogue Kick, boom, 1-2-3. Like I said, it wasn't a bad match, but something I would expect to find on SmackDown rather than a PPV. Heck, if WWE had traded this with the match Sheamus had with Jericho last Friday, I probably wouldn't have minded.
Winner: Sheamus via pinfall, Brogue Kick (14:27)
Rating: **3/4
Primo & Epico w/Rosa Mendes vs. The Primetime Players w/AW
A nice bonus match with some continuity from the past couple of weeks on Raw and Superstars, with Epico and Primo both picking up singles wins against Titus and Young. What I can do without, though, is AW's constant commentary. I get it, he's supposed to be a brash, cocky promoter backing big-money stars, but his voice just about killed any buzz the crowd had left over from the last two matches (which is only a step up from his days as a "talk show host", the crowd was dead for that and stayed dead).
A surprisingly crisp match on the Colon's end, giving them a chance to show off some of their high-flying moves and give AW an idea on what he missed out on. The win for Primo & Epico surprises me, but in a good way, as they're a solid tag team that, if inserted into the tag title feud, can help cover up some of the green that Titus and Young have yet to shake off as a tag team.
Winner(s): Primo & Epico via pinfall, Roll-up (7:31)
Rating: **1/4
No DQ Match for the WWE Championship:
CM Punk (c) v. Daniel Bryan
(AJ as Special Referee)
I'm a little disappointed this didn't go on last, but considering the results of the Raw MITB match, I can understand the logical fallacy of the winner cashing in on the weakened winner of this match. I say that because it was just BRUTAL.
Punk and Bryan would start off, trading some nice, stiff blows, kicks, and strikes, taking to the outside and back in, where AJ would take a bump off the ropes and onto the floor, which I thought was a good idea, giving Bryan and Punk the chance to really let themselves loose on each other without AJ in the back of their minds. Steel steps, barricades, using a fan's chair for a clotheslines off the barricade, these two found so many different ways just to beat each other down. The kendo stick shots were especially sick, including the multiple ones Bryan delivered to Punk, ala his 24-chairshot salute to Kane on SmackDown. Not to mention how well these two know each other with the reversals, especially Bryan whipping out a hurricanrana to block the GTS, something I honestly didn't expect from him!
I even liked it once AJ returned and even helped with the brutality, laying a chair in the middle of the ring like, "I'm not your woman or his, get your own damn weapon!" She would even get in the way of both when when even she thought they were going too far with the brutality. You could also tell where Punk's and Bryan's mindsets were: Punk would seem more resigned when AJ didn't count a three, and Bryan was more ticked off when AJ wouldn't count a three. That was a little something that I liked. The cane-assisted Yes! Lock and Super Back Suplex through the table were awesome spots too, and another painfully hard-fought victory for Punk and my Match of the Night.
Winner: CM Punk via pinfall, Top Rope Back Superplex through a table (27:53)
Rating: ****1/4
Two-on-One Handicap Match:
Ryback v. Hawkins & Reks
Another minor, unannounced match with some actual continuity from Raw and a nice break from the WWE Title match. Typical plot: Neither member of a team can take down the new monster wrestler solo, so they get the "bright" idea to team up and take him down. Typical result: Slightly longer match, but same level of Ryback ass-whoop. Seriously, feed him more.
Winner: Ryback via pinfall, Shell Shocked (4:20)
Rating: *1/2
6-Diva Tag Team Match:
Layla, Kaitlyn, and Tamina Snuka v. Beth Phoenix, Natalya, and Eve
A surprisingly entertaining Divas bout with some quick, crisp offense between Layla, Beth, Natalya, and Tamina, with Eve and Kaitlyn picking up the catfight slack. Liked the little ending sequence as well, with Tamina's superkick leading into the Lay-Out for the three count on Beth. Might be something to the idea of Divas tag teams if they keep this up and sign more female wrestlers like Sara Del Rey...
Winner(s): Layla, Kaitlyn, and Tamina via pinfall, Lay-Out Neckbreaker (3:02)
Rating: *3/4
WWE Championship MITB Ladder Match:
Big Show v. John Cena v. Chris Jericho v. Kane v. The Miz
As you remember earlier in the night, Miz interjected himself into this match as a former WWE Champion. You figured he would've made more of a difference with the bravado he displayed earlier, but he ended more of a bit player, which I suppose is understandable as well given his sudden insertion into the match. Taking out Big Show at the beginning was the logical, sensible thing to do, and I always did enjoy a feat of strength from Cena, no exception here as he AA'd Show through an announce table and, along with the other competitors who'd been assaulted by Show, buried him in a cacophony of steel ladders, an amusingly brutal spot.
It was a better match than I'd given any of the men credit for. There were some nice spots, especially Kane getting double-suplexed on the ladder, then Cena dropping him on Miz and the ladder with an AA. There were moments where I thought Jericho or Big Show were going to take the briefcase, and my favorite funny moment is when Show recovers, climbs up the huge industrial ladder he set up, only to find Jericho, who has the biggest "Oh Crap!" look as he's frozen reaching for the briefcase. One WMD later, Jericho drops off the ladder like Wile E. Coyote off a cliff. Hilarious stuff.
At the end, it's Show and Cena vying for the case with everyone else knocked out, and Cena, using some savvy, not only blocks Show's WMD with the case, but waylays him with it, even breaking the latch and the case's handle in the process! Regardless, I felt like they went the safe route with Cena winning. I don't mind renewing the Punk-Cena rivalry for SummerSlam, but Jericho might've been a more interesting route to go with as far as what he would do with it and how long he'd wait.
Winner: John Cena (19:55)
Rating: ***3/4
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