R-Truth vs. Brodus Clay

 

This was random but was done well to end the Fat Guys team. I don't know about this being on PPV though.

Miz vs. Kofi (No DQ) -

 

This was perfectly fine. Yeah, the crowd hated it but no one gives a shit about this match. It was fine though. Both guys took a couple of nutty bumps, there was some good, stiff offense, and I liked some of the ways Miz worked on Kofi's leg. It was amusing that they ended it pretty quickly after the boring chants started though.

Fuck I'm tired of the Wyatts already and this feud isn't helping. They should just be smashing people and having Bray direct their rage in a totally unpredictable and chaotic manner rather than these weird fixations on random dudes like Kane and Bryan leading to boring feuds and awkward soliloquies.

Brodus threw a fucking heart punch in the match.

 

The Miz is officially a heat suck at this point.

Miz is a guy who needs an extended break from the company at this point. Not sure a heel turn and a feud with the interchangeable midcard babyfaces is going to do anything for him.

I'm hoping for some BS finish where they switch belts. I love the World Title. It doesn't mean much anymore, but I doubt Bryan gets elevated without it. Mark Henry sure as hell doesn't get a "world" title run without it, likewise Christian, and those are three of my favorite wrestlers right there. If there's only one world title it's going to be held by just a handful of guys over the next few years. I'd be curious to have Chris do an analysis of who was in main events before and after the titles split and the level of variety. On one level it'd be okay if they could use this to really make the IC/US titles meaningful, but you know that's unlikely.

Yeah, but also boring as fuck considering who will likely have it (and I like Cena as much as the next guy and would think that he'd be the right choice). I was a bit cooler with the idea when there were territories.

Bryan vs. Wyatts -

 

This was good but not as good as the other handicap match. Bray did his spider walk again which worked better this time around. Bryan had a nice comeback and Harper and Rowan bumped big for him. The finish was definitive with Bray getting the pin. I didn't expect Bryan to win this though.

I'm trying to figure out why that was so definitive from a booking standpoint, but It was a great match from a work standpoint. Bray is figuring it out a bit.

Just got home to find out the tag was tremendous. Fucking pissed I missed it. I need to find it ASAP

Has WWE ever done so many great promo videos for a PPV so few people will end up buying than this one? At least the production people earned their keep on this show.

Liked the Bryan match far more than I thought I would.

I do find it funny that Punk supposedly winning so that he's not as pissed off at the booking happened against a group that supposedly has the company's next golden boy. Meanwhile, Bryan jobs clean as a sheet.

Cena vs. Orton (TLC Unified Title) -

 

This was boring as fuck. I liked the first climb tease and Cena loosening the turnbuckle was neat but this was a snoozefest and felt like a time killer. It was totally bizarre. The finish was just as strange. Although, Cena's bump was insane.

John Cena vs Randy Orton

 

Thought this was largely unremarkable. Cena is an expert at figuring out crazy spots that fit perfectly with corporate WWE main events. WWE fucking up the caption and making it say "WWE World Heavyweigh Champion" is kind of perfect. Oh, here's Vince

Shitty main event apart from the nutty header Cena took, probably was a botch but still, good grief.

Oddly I loved Orton v. Cena...

The best part about the whole thing was no screwjob and a total clean ending

Awful, awful, awful boring ending that leaves absolutely no interest for WWE going forward.

 

I liked parts of Orton/Cena. Cena unscrewing the rope to catch up to Orton on the ladder was cool and there were a couple other neat things. But overall I thought it was more boring than not, though that might have just been my mood about the match. But yeah, was an awful ending in all respects.

It's not a boring ending. It's that the guy holding the belts at the end is boring.

I will say this for Orton....he was working his ass off in the match

Dylan, why was the match good? I didn't think it was awful, I just found it largely boring. The pacing was far too slow, most of the spots felt like filler to me, and there's wasn't much energy at all. I'm just interested in why you liked it so much.

I liked the match in a lot of ways. I thought it was built right, they hinted at things from previous matches, Cena's escape was actually smart as opposed to him just breaking the cuffs. Orton did bring it a bit and everything was clean, but there wasn't anything about the match that screamed memorable. It reminded me of the Flair/Sting Clash match to unify the titles, where it was treated like a big deal, but there wasn't much to distinguish it as above their previous matches because of the stakes.

Also, Will, I think the gas money saved was a good move.

Read all of your thoughts. If it came off as no energy then there is a severe problem with the WWE sound system because I have been to some loud arenas in my time and that main event match had as much heat and was as loud as any match I have ever been to live except for MAYBE the end of the 2007 Rumble with Taker-HBK.

 

I will post my live thoughts on my way home from Houston. I am stuck in the parking garage and the wifi is spotty at best.

 

I will say the is the best live experience I have ever had and best live show I have been to. Well worth the gas money and lack of teaching that will happen tomorrow.