The Wrestling Thread

[Shuggie_Murray7]

Again from Lords of Pain:

Former WWE star Colt Cabana was interviewed this week by the Miami Herald and had a lot to say about CM Punk's shoot promo from RAW. Colt says that Punk's rant was almost entirely reality-based and reflected the frustrations Punk has felt in WWE since his first days with the company.

“That whole thing has been building up forever,” Cabana said. “Personally, for almost forever, his whole time there, he is able to say this to me in the comfort of my house or his house.

“From being laughed at by the trainers in Ohio Valley Wrestling to Paul [Heyman] finally bringing him up and everybody treating him like dirt, telling him he has an attitude problem and calling him the ‘King of the Indies.’ Just looking down on him, he just felt shunned his whole time there. It was a complete struggle.”

Many are still under the impression that this angle is a storyline and that Punk will remain with WWE following his contract expiring the day after his title shot at Money In The Bank on 7/17, but Punk has been burnt out for a long time and is at the point where he just wants out.

“The power of him not really caring because he was ready to leave — I always said the power of not giving a s--- is so important,” Cabana said. “He is really at the point where he just wants to get out of there. It’s too frustrating for him. If he said anything that made anybody mad, what are they going to do to him? Not re-sign him? He doesn’t want to be there."

“So I think that idea is so powerful. He is so strong in his beliefs with the straight edge lifestyle. By being how strong headed that he is, he was able to have the power to go out on television and say what probably every other wrestler has wanted to say. He made unbelievable television. He made unbelievable history in wrestling."

Punk may be on his way out of WWE, but Colt thinks his promo from RAW has the potential to change entire industry:

“He almost has the ability to change professional wrestling as we know it. It has been so stagnant and vanilla. It kind of shook up the wrestling world because of his real life frustrations.”

[DA Baracus]

Well CM Punk fits with his gimick. Can you imagine him portraying the character he is while having some generic, indy jobber name that recent FCW guys have been given.....I mean I don't think you could create much more indy names than Evan Bourne and Heath Slater.

Seth Rollins. It's like they're picking names that will fail on purpose.

[Deestruction]

Seth Rollins. It's like they're picking names that will fail on purpose.

Did you know: Evan chose his name with Joey Styles.

[DomDom]

ROH Final Battle 2003

And so the end of the year comes.

Jay Briscoe vs. Bryan Danielson ( *** )

John Walters vs. Xavier - Fight Without Honor ( **** )

Matt Stryker vs. BJ Whitmer - Field of Honor Finals ( ** )

Samoa Joe © vs. Mark Briscoe - ROH World Heavyweight Championship ( **1/2 )

CM Punk and Colt Cabana vs. Kazushi Miyamoto and Tomoaki Honma ( ***3/4 )

AJ Styles vs. Kaz Hayashi ( ***1/2 )

Satoshi Kojima vs. Homicide ( **1/2 )

Christopher Daniels and Dan Maff vs. The Great Muta and Arashi ( *3/4 )

Jay Briscoe vs. Bryan Danielson

A big night for the tag team champions. They lockup and Danielson is forced back into the corner and then we have a clean break from there. Overhead Wristlock from Danielson and then a Cobra Clutch and then he turns Jay into a shoulder. Overhead Wristlock again from Danielson and Jay finds the ropes. He then pulls himself away from Danielson. Danielson takes down Jay and then goes to the Arm Bar. Danielson then has the arms and he looks to stretch Jay here. Danielson then goes for Cattle Mutilation and Jay reaches the ropes before the move can be applied. Lockup and a Headlock from Jay and he manages to hold onto the move. Headlock from Jay and then Danielson looks to take Jay over. Headlock from Jay puts an end to them ambitions. Danielson picks Jay up but gets dumped and Jay lands a Leg Drop and then goes back to a Chinlock. Danielson then takes down Jay and goes to the Lion Tamer and Jay gets into the ropes quickly. The fans are behind Danielson for the most part here. Danielson now goes to the Wristlock and then he takes Jay over and he's doing some damage here. Jay tries to grind the forearm into the face and then both men have the same idea and they break things. Danielson wants to kick the arm, but Jay is having none of that, so Danielson rolls back to gain the leverage. Jay flips Danielson over and then runs into a Dropkick and that gets a two count. Arm Bar from Danielson. Jay manages to escape and go to the Cravat. Against the ropes they go and Jay with a cheap shot and the fans don't care. Headlock from Jay. Back Drop Suplex from Danielson but Jay holds onto the move. Danielson takes Jay over and that doesn't work either. Danielson goes to the arm and then twists at it and that works. He smashes the arm into the canvas now. Danielson takes over Jay and goes to the Head Scissors. Side Headlock from Jay as he escapes the Head Scissors. Danielson then manages to escape and then lands a European Uppercut. More of the same. Snap Suplex from Jay and then he clubs on the back. BRUTAL LARIAT FROM JAY !!! ONE ! TWO ! KICKOUT !!! Jay now with stomps and then he lands a chop. That just makes Danielson angry and then he comes back with hard chops of his own. European Uppercut and a beast from Danielson and then he sends Jay into the ropes and then Jay comes back into the match with a Neckbreaker. Forearm from Jay and then more of the same. Danielson gets under Jay and then lands an Enziguri and then more European Uppercuts. One big final European Uppercut and Jay goes down like a ton of bricks. AIRPLANE SPIN FROM DANIELSON !!! He then lands a Rolling Samoan Drop. FLYING HEADBUTT FROM DANIELSON !!! ONE ! TWO ! KICKOUT !!! ROARING FOREARM ... blocked. Jay and Danielson now exchange slaps. Danielson with a spit and then a slap so Jay then goes to the eyes. FALCON ARROW DROPS DANIELSON ON HIS HEAD !!! ONE ! TWO ! KICKOUT !!! Jay wants the veteran on his feet. YAKUZA KICK FROM BRISCOE !!! ONE ! TWO ! KICKOUT !!! JAY DRILLER ... countered with a Suplex. Big Boot again from Jay. DRAGON SUPLEX FROM DANIELSON !!! ONE ! TWO ! THR ... KICKOUT !!! CATTLE MUTILATION AND JAY TAPS !!!

Good back and forth action. Jay Briscoe is probably a weak link in singles competition. This match felt like a Danielson showcase as he laid a real beating on Jay and also stretched him quite a bit. Jay Briscoe looked decent by standing up to him. ***

John Walters vs. Xavier - Fight Without Honor

Walters jumps Xavier on the aisle and then sends him into the ringpost and then back into the ring they go. Knees and kicks to the face from Xavier when they get in the ring. Chops from Xavier. Clothesline out of the corner from Walters and then forearms. Both men look for finishing moves and then Walters with a Powerslam. Into the corner and Walters with right hands. Xavier and Walters then exchange chops. Walters catapults Xavier over the top rope. Walters wants a bunch of fans to move and then he sends Xavier into the railing. Into another railing goes Xavier and the fans are enjoying this. Back into the ring now and Walters is looking for a weapon to use. He gets a chair and brings it in. Running chair shot misses and Xavier with knees and right hands and then he gets the chair. Prince Nana is at ringside. SWINGING KNEE SENDS THE CHAIR INTO THE FACE OF WALTERS !!! Walters to the feet and now Xavier with some right hands. Chair over the back of the head and then a knee drop on the chair and then he heads for the floor and then brings out a ladder and that finally wakes the crowd up. Forearms from Xavier and then some chops. IED in the corner and that looked absolutely brutal there. Ladder over Walters. WALTERS THROWS THE LADDER INTO THE FACE OF XAVIER !!! Ladder is now propped on the second rope. ALABAMA SLAM SENDS XAVIER THROUGH THE LADDER !!! Xavier heads for the floor and then Walters throws the ladder down on top of him. He bridges the apron and the railing with the ladder. Xavier now into the ring and he sends Walters to the floor on the ladder. Xavier then goes under the ring and he brings out a table and then gets the ladder bridge and then heads for the top rope. LEAPING ARABIAN PRESS SENDS WALTERS THROUGH THE LADDER BRIDGE !!! Back into the ring and then the chops in the ring from Xavier and then a Butterfly Suplex into a Butterfly Lock. Xavier lets go. ARGH!!! Right hands from Xavier and then Walters comes back. DOUBLE KNEES TO THE FACE FROM WALTERS !!! The fight winds up heading fto the floor. Walters gets the table ready and then back into the ring they go. Xavier now has the chair in the seated position. HURRICANE DDT ON THE CHAIR !!! BRUTAL CHAIR SHOT TO THE HEAD FROM WALTERS !!! Xavier is now busted open. We are seeing a real effort here from both men. The fans see the blood and are a little taken back. CHAIR ASSISTED DRAGON SLEEPER FROM WALTERS !!! Xavier and Walters are now doing battle at the apron. Xavier kicks Walters onto the table. SPRINGBOARD 450 SPLASH SENDS WALTERS THROUGH THE TABLE !!! Back into the ring they go now. Right hands from Walters and Xavier now. Kick to the head from Xavier. Chair shot to Walters and then Xavier goes back under the ring and brings out another ladder and he has Prince Nana out there helping him. Walters and Xavier up the ladder. LUNGBLOWER OFF OF THE FUCKING LADDER FROM WALTERS !!! ONE ! TWO ! THRE ... NANA PULLS THE REFEREE OUT OF THE RING !!! Nana gets pushed down by the referee as he is taking none of that shit. Walters now brings another ladder into the ring. X-BREAKER FROM XAVIER !!! ONE ! TWO ! THR ... KICKOUT !!! Walters and Xavier now on the top rope. SUPER KISS YOUR X GOODBYE !!! Xavier gets a ladder ready in the corner. Xavier decides he's gonna set Walters up. SUNSET BOMB OFF OF THE LADDER INTO THE CHAIR AND LADDER !!! ONE ! TWO ! THREE !!!

A bit on the sloppy side at times, but the effort here is phenomenal. Xavier in particular was bumping like an absolute maniac from start to finish and was also willing to bleed for the cause. ****

Matt Stryker vs. BJ Whitmer - Field of Honor Finals

Both men work on the arms. Matt with a roll through and then he gets the advantage from that. Whitmer with a cartwheel and then he takes Matt over. Gabe puts over the injuries that both men have. Lockup and Matt goes back to the arm. Overhead Wristlock from Matt and Whitmer goes to the Headlock. Whitmer into the ropes and he charges down Matt. Matt with an Arm Drag and then another and then he goes to the Arm Bar. Knee Drop to the arm and Matt keeps the pressure on. Matt takes over Whitmer and then he goes to the Kimura. Whitmer finds the bottom rope. European Uppercut from Matt. Whitmer comes back with forearms and then he gets sent to the floor. Matt then hits the ropes. SOMERSAULT PLANCHA OVER THE TOP ROPE FROM STRYKER !!! Head first into the apron goes Whitmer and then Matt gets sent into the ringpost. Whitmer then goes to the shoulder and then sends Matt into the ringpost shoulder first. Sent into another ringpost shoulder first now. Whitmer gets in the face of the referee and then sends him back into the ring. Arm Bar from Whitmer. Matt kicks the leg and takes down Whitmer and slams the knee into the canvas. Matt sweeps down Whitmer and works on the leg. THE STRYKER LOCK !!! Whitmer reaches the bottom rope. Matt goes back to work on the leg of Whitmer. Kicks to the leg now from Matt and then he goes back to just stretching it. Matt takes the knee brace off. Matt then sweeps down Whitmer and goes to the Horse Collar. Whitmer finds his way to the bottom rope and then he heads for the floor and Matt heads out to meet him. Matt then drops Whitmer's knee on the ringside table. Chair to the knee now from Matt and his aggression is going up. Matt then slams the knee into the railing and then he sends Whitmer into the railing. Back into the ring they go. Figure Four Leglock from Matt. Gabe: "You hit a german! It knocked you both out!" Punk: "I've never even been to Germany." Anyways, back to the match and Whitmer turns the move over and Matt finds the bottom rope. Into the corner they now go. RINGPOST FIGURE FOUR LEGLOCK FROM STRYKER !!! Stryker is really toying with disqualification here. Back into the ring they go now. Knee Breaker and then the Dragon Screw and then back to the Horse Collar. Whitmer finds his way to the bottom rope again. The fans boo that. Are they Stryker fans or do they just want this match to end? Matt is now twisting on the leg of Whitmer. Kicks to the back and arm from Whitmer to get away from that. GOLDEN GATE SWING FROM WHITMER !!! That landed Matt right on his head. Russian Legsweep from Whitmer and then he stretches on Matt. Elbows to the back of the head from Whitmer and then he kicks the back. That was a SOLID kick right there. He then turns over Matt and locks in the Camel Clutch. Exploder Suplex is blocked. Matt with a Dropkick to the knee of Whitmer. European Uppercuts and then some chops. Back Drop Suplex from Matt and that gets a two count. Knee to the gut from Whitmer and then a Powerslam from Matt and that gets a two count. THE STRYKER LOCK !!! The fans are going mental. They want to see the tap out. BJ WHITMER TAPS !!!

The thing I don't get is that Matt Stryker seemed to be completely in control. Towards the end of the match it even felt like a squash match. Considering that BJ Whitmer was moving onto big things in the near future, this makes no sense to me. **

Samoa Joe © vs. Mark Briscoe - ROH World Heavyweight Championship

Joe goes mental right from the word go with chops and then he knocks down Mark with a kick. OLE KICK FROM JOE ... Mark gets into the ring. Joe into the ring and Mark beats on him when they get in there. Snapmare and a Chinlock from Mark and then Joe goes to the arm. Slap to the back of the head from Joe and then Mark with a big chop. Hammerlock from Mark and then Joe with the Fireman's Carry. Mark gets into the ropes to break an Arm Bar. Lockup and Mark went behind, and then Joe goes to the Arm Ringer. Mark with the escape and he goes to the Front Facelock. Joe with an escape and then he lands some Crossface Forearms and locks in a Camel Clutch. Arm Bar then from Joe. Mark with the takedown and he gets an Arm Bar of his own. Joe gets back to his feet and he takes down Mark. Elbows to the back of the head from Joe and then he gets sent into the ropes and a big forearm from Mark. Chops now from Mark. Back Elbows from Mark. Clothesline in the corner from Mark and then some more chops. Another Clothesline in the corner. Into another corner and this crowd seems to be dead. A third big Clothesline knocks the big man down and that gets a one count. Mark then slaps Joe and that can't be a good idea. MARK WITH THE BOOTSCRAPES ... HE RUNS INTO A VICIOUS CHOP !!! Mark heads for the floor and Joe has him in trouble out there. THE OLE KICK FROM JOE ... Jay pulls his brother out of the chair and the fans want Joe to do something about that. Into the ring we go again and Joe with a big headbutt. S-T-JOE !!! Snapmare from Joe and he lands the chop, kick, Knee Drop combo for a two count and the fans seem to be getting into this match a bit more now. Headbutt from Joe and then some chops. Snapmare from Joe and then a pair of kicks to the back. Joe then slams down Mark hard and that gets another two count. Mark is fighting back. Joe forearms him into the corner. Headbutt from Joe and Mark just falls down in the corner. Backbreaker from Joe gets a two count. Boston Crab now from Samoa Joe and then he changes to the Samoan Crab. EXPLODER DROPS SAMOA JOE RIGHT ON HIS HEAD !!! ONE ! TWO ! KICKOUT !!! Back to the feet now and Mark with some forearms. Spinning Back Elbow from Mark. Mark with a Suplex on Joe and that gets a two count. Mark with a chop and then a Powerslam from Joe and that gets him back into it. Kick to the chest sends Mark to the floor. ELBOW SUICIDA ON JAY BRISCOE !!! He now has Mark on the chair and he finally has it. OLE KICK FROM JOE !!! Samoa Joe then grabs a cell phone and calls someone. Back into the ring they now go and that gets a two count. We go back to the chops. Rolling Cradle from Joe and that gets a two count. POWERBOMB FROM JOE INTO THE STF !!! Mark reaches the bottom rope. Mark and Joe now exchanging strikes. Flurry from Mark. Joe comes back with a flurry of his own. BRUTAL KICK TO THE FACE FROM JOE !!! ONE ! TWO ! THR ... KICKOUT !!! Release German Suplex from Mark and that gets a two count. BACK DROP DRIVER FROM MARK !!! ONE ! TWO ! KICKOUT !!! Joe with knees to the head. Kick to the chest sends down Mark and that gets a two count. DRAGON SUPLEX FROM JOE !!! ONE ! TWO ! THR ... KICKOUT !!! Joe comes back with slaps. BRUTAL KNEES TO THE HEAD FROM SAMOA JOE AND THE CHOKE !!! IT'S OVER !!!

They did a great job of making Mark Briscoe into a legit threat thanks to the fight that he showed. It was still very disjointed stuff from them though. They don't seem to have the chemistry that Joe and Jay have. **1/2

CM Punk and Colt Cabana vs. Kazushi Miyamoto and Tomoaki Honma

Miyamoto and Cabana are now in the ring to open this match. Honma has loads of scars on his back. Cabana is now pumping up. Lockup and a Waistlock from Miyamoto and then Cabana goes behind and we have a clean break from them. Miyamoto isn't happy with something. Both guys seem to be cautious and Miyamoto then wrestles rings around Cabana for a bit. Headlock Takedown from Miyamoto and Cabana with the quick escape. Kick to the gut and then a chop from Miyamoto and then more of the same. Into the corner and then Cabana with chops of his own. Dropkick from Miyamoto and in comes Honma and Punk. They get in each other's face. Honma goes to work on the arm of Punk with some elbows. Punk sweeps Honma down and goes to the Wristlock. Honma with the escape now and a kick to the gut and then he lands some more of the kicks in the corner. Honma then heads for the floor and lands shots on the leg of Punk and then right hands. Honma then gets sent into the railing. The brawl continues around ringside. Honma picks up a chair and Punk decides to back away from that. Into the ring now with Miyamoto and Punk. Punk sweeps him down and then in comes Cabana. Cabana now stretches the leg of Miyamoto. Right hands from both Cabana and Miyamoto. Rake to the eyes from Cabana. Miyamoto tries to roll through, and then Cabana with the Billy Goat's Curse and then Punk adds a Camel Clutch. Honma breaks that with a Dropkick. Punk now with stomps Miyamoto into the ground. Mule Kick from Punk and then back into the ring comes Cabana. Double Back Elbow from the Saints and then Punk is livid with the comedy elbow drop. More right hands from Cabana. Snapmare and then the Neck Snap. Punk then comes into the ring and then a knee to the gut. A big right hand and then chops from Punk. High Knee in the corner from Punk and then knees from Cabana and that gets a two count for Punk. Chinlock from Punk. Jawbreaker from Miyamoto and he wants the tag but Punk drags him back into the corner where Cabana lands some right hands and kicks. Miyamoto comes back with chops and Cabana then with a thumb to the eye and in comes Punk again. Punk: "BRAINBUSTER!!!" Commentator: "What's he going for?" f**k sake. Anyways back to the feet they go, and they're looking for tags and we have em. Running Forearm and a Bulldog from Honma. Cabana comes back into the ring now and a DDT/Complete Shot combo from Honma and the fans liked that. He then heads for the top rope. Punk slams Honma back into the middle of the ring. Cabana into the ring now. Powerslam from Honma to Cabana. Kick to the chest from Cabana. AIR RAID CRASH OVER THE KNEE FROM CABANA !!! ONE ! TWO ! KICKOUT !!! Honma now with forearms. Cabana with forearms of his own. Honma with the DDT and then we have another tag. Rana from Cabana and that gets a two count. Flurry from Miyamoto. Clothesline in the corner from Miyamoto and then a Front Slam and he heads for the top rope. SWANTON BOMB FROM MIYAMOTO !!! ONE ! TWO ! THR ... KICKOUT !!! Both men land Clotheslines. Running knee and then an Enziguri from Miyamoto. Punk now back into the ring and he and Honma exchange chops. Forearms from Punk. MICHINOKU DRIVER FROM PUNK !!! SPEAR FROM MIYAMOTO !!! BRUTAL LARIAT FROM CABANA AND ALL FOUR MEN ARE NOW DOWN !!! Into the corner they go and Punk runs into a boot. Honma heads for the top rope. BLOCKBUSTER FROM HONMA !!! ONE ! TWO ! THR ... KICKOUT !!! STACKED SUPERPLEX FROM THE AJPW TEAM !!! ONE ! TWO ! THR ... CABANA SAVES !!! Cabana gets dumped to the floor. ASAI MOONSAULT FROM CABANA ONTO MIYAMOTO !!! Honma with the Running Forearm. BACK DROP DRIVER FROM PUNK !!! THE DEVIL LOCK DDT FROM PUNK !!! ONE ! TWO ! THRE ... KICKOUT !!! Hammerlock Takedown gets two as Miyamoto makes the save. Cabana now has Miyamoto and gives him to Punk. PEPSI PLUNGE !!! ONE ! TWO ! THREE !!!

Real fun tag team action here. The four men didn't seem to have much chemistry but they made up for it with pure effort. The fans were right into the AJPW guys. ***3/4

AJ Styles vs. Kaz Hayashi

This should be spectacular at least. Lockup and both guys jockey for position. Styles with the Wristlock. Kaz with the Drop Toe Hold and then Styles goes back to the Hammerlock. Front Facelock from Styles and then Kaz with an Arm Bar and then he sweeps down Styles and that gets a two count. Stalemate. They lock hands and then Kaz kicks the arm. Headlock from Kaz and then a Headlock Takedown and Side Headlock. He traps the arm and keeps the Headlock. Kaz with a Headlock. Right hands from Styles and then he gets charged down. Side Headlock again from Kaz after he gets the Headlock Takedown. Styles with lefts and then Kaz hits the ropes and puts the breaks on. Rebound Dropkick from Styles but then Kaz with a Dropkick of his own and Styles heads for the floor. Kaz goes out there. Styles jumps over the rail and then just keeps on running. Kaz is looking for him. Styles then comes back through the crowd. They now go face to face in the ring and we have chops from both men and there is some right fire coming from this match here. Kaz looks at Styles as if he just farted and then we see more chops. Forearms from both men now. Spin Kick from Styles and down goes Kaz. Spin Kick from Kaz as well. BRAINBUSTER FROM KAZ !!! Back to the Side Headlock he goes. Chinlock from Kaz. Kick to the gut from Kaz and then Styles into the ropes. STYLES CLASH ... Kaz breaks that with a kick to the head and then he lands a Running Dropkick. Cobra Clutch with a body scissors from Kaz. Styles finds the bottom rope. Kaz clubs on the back of the head. PILEDRIVER FROM KAZ !!! ONE ! TWO ! KICKOUT !!! Chinlock again from Kaz. Styles with the escape and Kaz takes him now. Back Body Drop from Styles. REVOLUTION ACROSS HIS OWN BACK FROM STYLES !!! Chops from Styles and then a Backbreaker. Body Slam from Styles and a Knee Drop and that gets a two count. Miyamoto is at ringside. Bow and Arrow Hold from Styles. Kaz rolls through but takes a kick to the chest. Forearms from Styles and then into the corner they go. Forearms from Styles and then a kick to the back. Kaz to the apron. Slingshot DDT from Kaz gets a two count. Pump Handle Gutbuster and then an STO Backbreaker from Styles. Right hands from Kaz and then into the ropes. Handspring Back Kick from Kaz. DISCUS LARIAT FROM STYLES AND KAZ AT THE SAME TIME !!! Styles sends Kaz into the ropes. STYLES CLASH ... COUNTERED TO THE RANA !!! ONE ! TWO ! THRE ... KICKOUT !!! CRUCIFIX INTO THE CROSSFACE FROM KAZ !!! DRAGON SUPLEX FROM KAZ !!! ONE ! TWO ! THRE ... KICKOUT !!! THE CROSSFACE FROM KAZ !!! STYLES REACHES THE BOTTOM ROPE !!! Body Slam from Kaz and then he heads for the top rope but Styles stops him up there. THE STYLES CLASH !!! ONE ! TWO ! THREE !!!

The action was good at times. They seemed to land a big move and then the match would die a death for a bit longer. Kaz Hayashi in particular was guilty of relying on the Chinlock a bit too much. Good match though. ***1/2

Satoshi Kojima vs. Homicide

Kojima has a pretty nifty set of manboobs. Lockup and into the corner and we have a slap to the face from Kojima. Into the corner and a chop from Homicide. Headlock from Homicide and then Kojima into the ropes and then they collide. A second time again. Homicide then charges down Kojima and then a Dropkick. Tope Con Hilo but he hits the breaks. Kojima decides to pray a bit on the floor. Back into the ring they go now and we've got a lot of stalling going on. Kojima now goes to the arm of Homicide. Drop Toe Hold from Homicide. Kick to the back from Homicide and then he goes back to the arm. Kojima finds the bottom rope and we have a break. Kojima and Smokes are now having an arguement and Kojima gives him the crotch. They now lock hands and a kick to the gut and right hands and then chops. Homicide now with chops and he comes back hard. Poke to the eyes from Kojima. Kojima then sticks his foot into the face of Homicide and then tells the referee that he "doesn't understand". Kojima then rips at the face again. "I'm Japanese god dammit!". Homicide now with chops. He doesn't half hit hard. He then jabs Kojima. Jabs from Kojima and then a poke to the eye from Homicide. Snapmare and a kick to the back from Homicide gets a two count. Kojima misses a German Suplex and gets sent to the floor. THE TOPE CON HILO FROM HOMICIDE !!! Homicide runs into a boot. BELLY 2 BELLY SUPLEX FROM KOJIMA ON THE FLOOR AND HOMICIDE IS OUT !!! Kojima then takes a picture and then back into the ring they are going to go. Kojima then picks up Homicide. Clothesline in the corner from Homicide but then he hits the ropes. RUNNING KNEE IN THE CORNER FROM HOMICIDE !!! Homicide is still shaken up in there. Into the corner and Homicide with a chop and then he chokes Kojima. Kojima leaps into the boot of Homicide and that gets a two count. Chops from Kojima. Running Forearm from Kojima and then he heads for the top rope. FLYING ELBOW DROP FROM KOJIMA !!! ONE ! TWO ! KICKOUT !!! Kojima runs into the boot again. LEAPING DDT FROM HOMICIDE !!! ONE ! TWO ! KICKOUT !!! Sitdown Spinebuster from Kojima and that gets a two count. Kojima is now waiting for Homicide to get up. DDT from Homicide. Ace Crusher from Homicide and that gets a two count. KOJI CUTTER FROM KOJIMA !!! ONE ! TWO ! THR ... KICKOUT !!! LARIAT FROM KOJIMA !!! ONE ! TWO ! THRE ... KICKOUT !!! ANOTHER LARIAT FROM KOJIMA !!! ONE ! TWO ! THREE !!!

Homicide was knocked for a loop and that took away from what was building to be a cracking wee match. I'm surprised that they allowed the match to go on for as long as it did after the injury. **1/2

Christopher Daniels and Dan Maff vs. The Great Muta and Arashi

He appears to get something of a subdued reaction when he comes out from the back. When he gets into the ring though, the fans go mental. Arashi is a big man. Muta looks like something out of a horror movie. Daniels and Arashi are coming into the match now. Danger gets the fans into things. Shouldn't the AJPW team be the good guys here though? Lockup and Maff gets thrown into the corner. Lockup and down goes Maff a second time. Maff then backs away from Muta. Maff into the ropes and then they collide in the middle of the ring. Arashi then charges down Maff. Chop from Maff and then they exchange. Arashi then with a combo and then he misses a charge and then Maff flips him off. Daniels now comes into the ring again. Daniels wants Muta in the ring with him. Muta then tagged into the ring. Lockup and Muta goes behind and then Daniels with the same. Muta takes Daniels down. Muta tries to escape a move and Daniels goes to the Wristlock. Hammerlock from Daniels and then a Headlock Takedown from Muta and he goes to the arm. Kick to the stomach from Muta and Daniels backs into the corner. Daniels is now playing some mind games with The Great Muta. Muta unleashes some green mist and you don't play mind games with that man. Daniels heads for the floor. Daniels now back into the ring and Muta goes to work. Punch to the face from Muta and then kicks and more punches. Muta runs into a boot and then he gets sent into the corner and Daniels unloads with boots and then a choke and then some forearms. Daniels gets palmed right down to the canvas and in comes Arashi. Arashi takes down Daniels with a shoulder charge and then a Body Slam from Arashi then follows that. Maff comes in and helps Daniels. Maff now with right hands in the corner. Arashi comes back with shots of his own. Maff with a thumb to the eye and then a big chop. Into the corner they go and in comes Daniels. Right hands and chops from Daniels and then he rakes the eyes. Maff then gets in some cheap shots. Clothesline from Arashi and then in comes Muta. Snapmare and then the Power Elbow from Muta and the fans love that. Backbreaker and then he heads up. Danger gets on the apron and then Daniels from behind attacks and now the Prophecy attack. Daniels with kicks to the gut and then Muta fights back but The Prophecy now switch regularly. Forearm to the back now from Maff. Daniels now tags into the ring and he kicks the gut of Muta. Snapmare and then the Arabian Press from Daniels and that gets a two count. More double teaming behind the back of the referee. Complete Shot from Daniels and then the Koji Clutch. Back to the feet and then into the ropes and a Snapmare from Maff and in comes Daniels and they continue to work over the veteran. Chinlock from Daniels. Elbow Drop from Daniels and that gets a two count and then a Chinlock. Muta comes back with elbows and then he hits the ropes and runs into the Back Elbow and then Daniels gets in his face. Into the ring comes Maff. Leg Drop gets a two count. Dropkick from Muta and he tries to get himself back into the match and then in comes Arashi with a Dropkick. Avalanche from Arashi. Belly 2 Belly Suplex from Arashi and that gets a two count. Elbow to the head from Maff and that looked like it hurt. Arashi looks a bit annoyed. In comes Daniels and now an STO gets a two count and it looks like we're heading into extended formula. Powerslam from Arashi. Dropkicks to the knee from Muta and then the Dragon Screw. FIGURE FOUR LEGLOCK FROM MUTA !!! Maff comes in and breaks it up and Arashi comes over and just clubs on Maff. Sunset Flip from Daniels gets a two count. Chair to the back of Muta. RED MIST TO MAFF !!! MORE OF THE SAME !!! Standing Rock Bottom from Daniels. BEST MOONSAULT EVER FROM DANIELS ... MISSES !!! THE SHINING WIZARD FROM MUTA !!! ONE ! TWO ! THREE !!!

Arashi has the mobility of a house. I can't believe he got the honour of teaming with Muta in the main event here. The match was very standard formula stuff with some added shitness. *3/4

A pretty average show and a real chore to sit through.

[YER SISTERS YER MAW]

From Lords of Pain:

One person close to the situation notes that CM Punk mentioning Colt Cabana, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar during his promo on Monday's RAW has to do with all three of those stars possibly coming back to WWE.

Apparently Punk recently asked for his friend Colt Cabana to be re-hired and put on the main roster, as one of the points in Punk's new deal if he should re-sign. Regarding Punk staying or going, WWE creative has been told that he's finishing up at Money in the Bank and most feel that he is still leaving, despite Monday's promo. WWE still does have an offer on the table to Punk for him to stay.

Heyman and Lesnar have reportedly either made a deal or are at least in very serious negotiations to have a business relationship with WWE. Regarding Lesnar, word is that he won't be wrestling and won't be a TV character, should he have a business relationship with WWE again. Heyman would start working with the company again under a deal similar to Lesnar, according to the report by the Wrestling Observer.

In all honesty, I don't think Punk has the kind of stroke backstage to make demands like that.

Regarding Heyman and Lesner, it'll most likely be to promote a new DVD or something, perhaps even a role in a future WWE film.

[Zizou-5]

I recently watched an Interview with Paul Heyman saying he doesnt ever want to go back into wrestling and instead he wants to really get into MMA. Ill try and dig it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPTSmRU3tkg&feature=related

[SOL]

http://www.wrestlenewz.com/wrestling/wwe-news/spoiler-smackdown-money-in-the-bank-competitors-revealed/ Edited June 30, 2011 by SOL

[ginge123]

Those two weeks where I didn't have the internet really fucked up my wrestling viewing I can't believe I missed Punk's promo.

Also, hoping to get to the WZ show for the Cabana thing, I think I've made it pretty clear how big a fan of his I am. I wish I'd just spent my entire summer there and went back to training with them rather than having to come home

Edited June 30, 2011 by ginge123

[forehead7]

I might get a t-shirt made saying "I'm a Paul Heyman guy". Would be class. Although I'd need his mug on it which I'm not sure I'd want...

[forehead7]

Ginge, is the fantasy league ever going to be completed

[Father Dougal McGuire]

Quick question for you wrestling guys:- What did Punk mean in that speech when he referred to breaking the 4th wall?

[Shuggie_Murray7]

Quick question for you wrestling guys:- What did Punk mean in that speech when he referred to breaking the 4th wall?

He acknowleged the camera.

[forehead7]

I'm weirdly looking forward to watching Impact tonight, I'm really enjoying it recently.

The BFG series is a decent idea and the X Division has been pretty good(didn't really like the rookie's match last week). Having seen the names that are in the matches I'd love them to pick up 3 or 4 of them. If Petey Williams isn't involved in one of them then I'm gonna be pissed off.

[ginge123]

Ginge, is the fantasy league ever going to be completed

Haha, sorry about that. I'll try and get it back up and running at some point. It just became a bitch to do if you missed one episode of any of the shows, Impact being the one I was guilty of missing. It was a good premise poorly executed by myself.

[Deestruction]

He acknowleged the camera.

Ya, funnily enough, it's actually an acting term, not a wrestling term.

Colt's got a new shirt out already, and it's a winner.

[Father Dougal McGuire]

Cheers, i thought it might have been because he called 'The Rock' Dwayne but everyone knows that now which is what confused me lol

[djchapsticks]

A bit random but something that I just read and a cracking stat.

Roddy Piper never lost a match by pinfall in the WWF until he dropped the IC title to Bret Hart at WM8. 1983-92. He lost plenty by DQ and count-out but he wasn't pinned in a full 9 years, yet never held a belt until the IC title at the start of 1992.

[Liam.]

Warning, pedantry commencing in 5.... 4.... 3.... 2.... 1....

He acknowleged the camera.

It's more acknowledging the audience and that the piece of work is fictional. You can break the fourth wall in video games or plays as well as TV shows.

[forehead7]

Warning, pedantry commencing in 5.... 4.... 3.... 2.... 1....

It's more acknowledging the audience and that the piece of work is fictional. You can break the fourth wall in video games or plays as well as TV shows.

glad I'm not the only one who thought about saying this. Yeah it's more the audience. I took it to mean breaking kayfabe in the promo.

[Shuggie_Murray7]

What did Punk mean in that speech when he referred to breaking the 4th wall?

Warning, pedantry commencing in 5.... 4.... 3.... 2.... 1....

It's more acknowledging the audience and that the piece of work is fictional. You can break the fourth wall in video games or plays as well as TV shows.

CM Punk stars i many plays does he?