Hi everyone, Brooks here. I normally run the Tough Enough blog (and the NXT results, if you’re one of the 6 people that still follows NXT) and Kendra takes care of the Raw blog, but she had some family obligations, so I’m doing the blogs for both shows this week. Considering the shows blended together this week, the timing couldn’t have been any better.
Without further ado, let’s get to it!
Tough Enough #10: May The Best Man Win
Intro
This entire episode is full of recap, and the intro is no exception. Nearly every elimination, injury, and major event is covered. Some random shots of Andy and Luke in a field end the recap. We get an inside look at Andy’s family, his very pregnant wife and his little toddler daughter. We go straight from cute to tough as Andy does a bunch of training, from jump roping to pushing a truck. As I’m sure you can imagine, Luke’s taking the Ric Flair approach to life, working hard and playing harder. There are some clips of him training back in his hometown and then he says that people mistake his intensity for arrogance. I think people mistake his arrogance for arrogance. I’m just thinking this because I can’t stand Luke, but he cries while thanking his mother, and I don’t think he would’ve been crying if there weren’t cameras in that room.
Enter The Dragon
It’s still weird to see FCW even mentioned on WWE TV, since it “doesn’t” “exist”. Luke and Andy’s trainer will be none other than Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat. After Randy Savage passed away, I watched their match at WrestleMania III, and it’s still one of the best matches ever. As expected, Steamboat seems to really know how what he’s doing. There’s a solid 2 or 3 minutes of Luke and Andy talking about how excited they are about their FCW debuts (although Andy already had an FCW contract), and soon enough, it’s time for their matches against Bill DeMott. We’ve been waiting for this all season! Finally, we get to see…a video package of a few highlights of their matches. Talk about anticlimax. Anyways, after their matches, which both look good from the little we get to see, Booker and Bill congratulate the contestants, and it’s time for the winner reveal live on Raw!
And The Winner Is…
Booker T, Trish, and Bill all make their way to the ring. The eliminated contestants (sans Rima, which is devastating) all make their way out next to the…Superstars music? Luke and Andy come out, followed by none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin. Right out of the gate, Austin’s swearing up a storm, which is great, especially since it’s not even 9 yet. Equally hilarious is Bill, who is the only one not dressed up. Someone in the crowd yells “Thanks for dressing up tonight!” which is met with a “YOU’RE WELCOME!” in the middle of his speech. Trish and Bill would pick Andy to win, and if you’ve been keeping up with my Tough Enough blogs, so would I. The focus is back on the two remaining contestants as they cut a short promo about why they should win. They’ve come a long way since receiving a “Stun Them All!” chant from the crowd at the start of the season, with Andy getting good pops and Luke getting good heat. Right before Austin can announce the winner, a limousine pulls up with the chairman, Vince McMahon! Vince asks the rookies why they belong to stand in the same ring that Shawn Michaels, Andre The Giant, and Sgt. Slaughter once stood (You know he wanted to say Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair). Andy’s looking nervous, and McMahon calls him out on it. Vince informs the crowd that it’s 9:00, and we’re now on Monday Night Raw, and as such, I’ll be switching too!
Raw Is Blogged: Special Guest Referee (And Writer) Edition
I never rated anything on my Tough Enough blogs, since there’s not much to really rate aside from “I liked this!” or “This was dumb!” but I’ll be switching over to Kendra’s format for the Raw section.
And The Winner Is… (For Real This Time)
A- – Andy wins! After much deliberation from Austin, after he hilariously interrupted Vince before he could announce the winner himself, Andy was announced the winner, which was absolutely the right move. Luke had a lot of things that make a WWE Superstar, but he was arrogant, which is the worst thing a young guy can be. Plus, it’s good to have a Cinderella story of sorts for the first season of Tough Enough, so people will be more interested in the second season, if it happens. Vince welcomes Andy to the WWE by slapping him (?) and Austin gives Andy a stunner, which Andy sells in the most awkward way I’ve ever seen. I’m sure a lot of you were upset at the end of this segment, so I dropped it to an A-. It didn’t “bury” Andy like a lot of people were thinking, but it was silly and unnecessary. Austin needs to stun someone every time he’s out there, but it could’ve been Vince. All in all, great segment, great result.
R-Truth Makes A Fool Of Himself Yet Again
B+ – What? I was watching this with my brother who hasn’t followed wrestling in a while, and it was nearly impossible to explain what is going on with R-Truth. I like crazy heel Truth a lot more than boring, rapping Truth, but dressing up in a Confederate soldier’s uniform and marching to the ring? Sure, why not? R-Truth apologizes to Jimmies of every size as well as the soda he spilled (If you’re keeping score, this is the second storyline with John Cena in 2011 that has involved spilling soda). It then turns into a rather generic “Let’s have everyone that wants the title come out” opening promo, with The Miz, Alex Riley, and John Cena all meeting in the ring. Cena says some wacky poop jokes until the anonymous general manager interrupts. Vince still has it, as he delivers a pitch perfect “Michael Cole….SHUT UP” which gets a huge pop from the crowd and myself. Vince makes the main event a tag team match with Stone Cold as the special guest referee to end an above average segment.
Santino Marella vs. Michael McGillicutty
C – We go from Vince McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin to the New Nexus. Luckily I have Santino’s antics to keep me interested in this faction that needed to end 6 months ago. Formulaic stuff here, as McGillicutty takes control with some dropkicks and headlocks. Santino starts to take control, Otunga tries to help out McGillicutty, Vladimir takes out Otunga, COOOOBRAAAAAAAA, and Santino wins.
Winner: Santino Marella
Kelly Kelly & Beth Phoenix vs. The Bella Twins
C – I got excited when I heard diva music, but then I remembered that Kharma is preggers and won’t be decimating everything that she sees. Then I got sad. As for the match, Kelly actually channeled her inner Mysterio with a victory roll. Beth gets the hot tag eventually. A slingshot suplex and a glam slam end this one.
Winners: Kelly Kelly & Beth Phoenix
The Trisheroonie
A – Booker T tries to teach Trish how to do her own Spinaroonie backstage, but before we get to see her try, Jack Swagger interrupts and challenges Booker to a match. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! Booker T is stepping back into the ring. He looked excellent at the Royal Rumble, and with a capable opponent like Jack Swagger, the match should be great. Right here. Right now.
CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio
B – Punk comes out with Mason Ryan and sits down to have a little chat with the WWE Universe. He can still play the crowd like a fiddle, and I really, really hope he signs a new contract. I just realized that one year ago today, the Nexus debuted, and even CM Punk is having a hard time making it interesting. Break it up and stop making Punk carry all these lesser performers already! Rey comes out, and it’s time for Round #700 of Punk vs. Mysterio, which I really don’t mind. This was a solid match, but it lacked something that all of their other matches had. It was by no means a bad match, but they’ve had much better. These two guys are just held to a higher standard, and rightfully so. Mason Ryan being incompetent, a tornado DDT, and a splash from the top rope allows Rey to pick up the win.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Yet Another Obama Promo
D – No. Stop it. Stop it right now. I would give this the most bold, italicized F you’ve ever seen, just because these promos have been groan-worthy (and you know they’re going to have a fake Obama, Abraham Washington or someone, at the actual PPV), but R-Truth being crazy saved the segment a bit.
“The Big Show Is Fat And Stupid” by Alberto Del Rio, Illustrated By Ricardo Rodriguez
C – Alberto Del Rio needs something to do, and I don’t like the idea of him feuding with Big Show. I don’t like the idea of any impressive, young wrestler working with the Big Show, but Del Rio needs something. He’s lost steam since WrestleMania, and he’s in danger of losing his spot if he doesn’t pick it back up. This promo has been done a thousand times, but it’s still funny for a minute or two. Ricardo Rodriguez is always a bright spot in these promos, this time dressing up as Big Show himself. Del Rio calls “Big Show” fat and injured, Ricardo yells, and that about does it for this promo.
Kofi Kingston vs. Zack Ryder
C+ – Woo Woo Woo, You Know It, Zack Ryder’s on Raw! He gets the jobber entrance, complete with Dolph Ziggler’s music, who is watching from the announce table. The announcers actually plug Z! True Long Island Story as well as Ziggler’s Twitter. And believe it or not, this match wasn’t a squash. Ryder got in a surprising amount of offense on the US Champion. Not to mention, Ziggler’s improving by leaps and bounds on the mic. Trouble in Paradise ends this after a few minutes as Ziggler and Vickie pout and talk about Twitter.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Booker T vs. Jack Swagger
B – Booker can still go. He still gets almost as high as he used to on his high kicks, too. It’s great to see him back in the ring, even if just for one night. Had he not gone to TNA, we could’ve seen some great matches over the last few years. Eventually, Swagger leaves the ring and gets counted out, only to be blindsided by Evan Bourne. Evan suckers Swagger into following him into the ring, and Swaggers gets a beautiful-looking scissors kick/shooting star press combo. To make up for the lack of a Trisheroonie, we get a…Bourne-aroonie? Or Spin-Air-Oonie?
Winner: Booker T
John Cena & Alex Riley vs. R-Truth & The Miz
B – I still can’t believe I’m typing that as the main event. Special guest referee Stone Cold makes his way to the ring. Riley and R-Truth start out the match and look surprisingly adequate in the ring. Another odd note is the lack of Stone Cold involvement in the match. If you dressed up Stone Cold in the ref stripes, I don’t think a lot of people would notice who the ref was, until the end at least. Both a chair and a briefcase make their way into the match before Austin gets involved. A stunner and an attitude adjustment end The Miz and the match. There was a crowd botch that resulted in Cena getting up when Austin had only counted two, but they rolled with it.
Winners: John Cena & Alex Riley
Michael Cole Is Still Annoying
A – Michael Cole reads an email from the GM in which the match’s decision is reversed. The email punishes Austin for interfering by…making him the GM next week? Sure, why not? Austin then thanks the GM by knocking over the GM podium and throwing the laptop, script and all, to the floor. He then decks Cole and tosses him into the ring. Cole gets a beer bath, a stunner, and an AA for his troubles to end the show. I still can’t stand the Michael Cole character, but if he gets decimated every show, I don’t mind.
Conclusion
I hope me filling in for Kendra didn’t suck too badly for you guys. I’ve always wanted to give a show I could rate a try, and I know I’ve rated everything pretty highly. I couldn’t help it though, it was a really good show. There wasn’t much to complain about. And 6 matches? I thought this wasn’t the show where “Wrestling Matters”. Kendra should be back next week, but it’s been real fun. Thanks for reading, everyone!
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