WWE TLC 2013 Preview

It's WWE Pay-Per-View Sunday! I'm going to try to make this quick and preview every match on the card.

WWE Survivor Series 2013 Preview

Tonight is the WWE Survivor Series Pay-Per-View and like I usually do on PPV Sunday, I'm posting my predictions for each match.

WWE Hell in a Cell 2013 Preview

This Sunday is WWE Hell in a Cell 2013. I'm previewing every match on the card and giving my predictions.

WWE Battleground Preview

The first ever WWE Battleground Pay-Per-View is this Sunday and I'm going to try to do a short preview of it. I'm giving predictions for all advertised matches.

Video: Triple H vs. Big Show vs. The Rock for the WWF Championship (RAW IS WAR - March 20, 2000)

Tomorrow, RAW is in Chicago and for the time in years, there will not be a WWE Champion on the show. Oh wait, I forgot about earlier this year when Dwayne missed almost every RAW when he was the champion. What I meant to say was that this will be the first time in years that the WWE Championship is vacant. The last time that happened was when CM Punk left Money in the Bank 2011 (ironically also in Chicago) with the WWE Championship and since his contract expired that night, WWE was without a champion when RAW started the next night.

WWE Night of Champions 2013 Preview

Welcome to another WWE Pay-Per-View preview. I can't believe PPV Sunday is almost here. SummerSlam didn't feel that long ago. In this preview, I'm giving my predictions for each match.

Most Bizarre Similarity Between the CM Punk Pipebomb and AJ Lee Pipebombshell Promos

On Monday Night RAW on August 26, AJ Lee did a promo that is now known as the "Pipebombshell" promo. I had the TV on while she was cutting that promo, but I wasn't listening carefully to it so I went back later and watched the entire promo because it got compared to the famous CM Punk Pipebomb promo in 2011. While I was watching the promo, I was shocked to see AJ do something just like Punk did two years ago.

2013 WWE Predictions Update

On the day before 2013, I posted my 2013 WWE Predictions. The year is not over yet, but there are only four months left. This is a good time to see how I'm doing so far.

The Wrestling Match Review: CM Punk vs. JBL (WWE SummerSlam – August 17, 2008)

[This review was originally posted at Wrestling Rambles on August 14, 2013]

SummerSlam is this Sunday so this week’s review is a SummerSlam match. I’m not reviewing a SummerSlam classic because I don’t review classic matches that people have talked about a million times. I’m reviewing a match from CM Punk’s first World Championship reign. Punk is currently my favorite WWE superstar and I will admit that his first World Championship reign was bad. I was going to compare it to Jack Swagger’s World Championship reign, but it’s likely most people don’t remember it. A good comparison is the World Championship reign Dolph Ziggler had this year. I think Ziggler’s short reign might have been slightly better. At least Ziggler lost his championship in a match. Punk was told that the Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels feud that was happening at that time needed the World Heavyweight Championship. WWE felt that the best way to take the World Heavyweight Championship away from Punk was by having Randy Orton punt Punk in the head during a backstage segment at the 2008 Unforgiven Pay-Per-View. Punk was unable to defend his championship so Punk was replaced by Jericho in the World Heavyweight Championship Scramble match and Jericho won the championship. Punk got an opportunity to win back his championship a week later and lost to Jericho on RAW in a steel cage match. Punk’s reign lasted only two months and he defended the title on PPV only two times. There weren’t many good things that happened during Punk’s first reign. I could only think of two. The first was the Orton punt only because when Orton and Punk needed a reason to fight at WrestleMania 27 almost three years later, Punk talked about wanting to get revenge for getting punted by Orton at Unforgiven. They were able to take one of Punk’s worst WWE moments and turn it into an entertaining WrestleMania storyline. The second thing was Punk’s match against JBL at SummerSlam 2008.

WWE SummerSlam 2013 Preview

I'm going to try to do a quick preview of this Sunday's SummerSlam from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. I will preview the advertised eight matches including the pre-show. I won't be previewing matches that haven't been announced so even though I expect Big Show and Mark Henry will have a match during the Pay-Per-View, they will not be in my preview.

WWE Money in the Bank 2013 Preview

It's PPV Sunday again! Tonight is the WWE Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View from Philly. I will preview all of the matches on the card and pre-show.

Photos from WWE Payback

I was at WWE Payback last week and I got some exclusive photos that I want to share (photos get bigger when you click on them).  

WWE Payback Preview

It's Pay-Per-View Sunday and WWE Payback happens tonight at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. I am previewing all 8 matches here including the Kickoff to Payback (or is it "Payback Kickoff" now) match.

WWE Payback: Ranking the 8 matches on the PPV

The WWE Payback Pay-Per-View has 8 matches right now (I don't expect any surprise matches) and I'm going to rank them here. They will be ranked in the order of how much I think I will enjoy the match and not how good I expect the match to be. This ranking is based of my opinion and I don't expect everyone to agree with my ranking. This is not a predictions/preview column. I will post that on Sunday most likely.

WWE Payback News: The full match card for the PPV

Copied from 411mania.com,

Kick-off to Payback: Sheamus vs. Damien Sandow
Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk 
Divas Title Match: Kaitlyn © vs. AJ 
US Title Match: Dean Ambrose © vs. Kane 
Tag Team Title Match: Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns © vs. Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton 
WWE IC Title Match: Wade Barrett © vs. The Miz vs. Curtis Axel 
World Title Match: Dolph Ziggler © vs. Alberto Del Rio
Three Stages of Hell WWE Title Match: John Cena © vs. Ryback

For more information, go to http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwe-payback. 

More news:

• Watch the first Punk vs. Jericho Chicago match (not Extreme Rules...before that) at http://www.wwe.com/videos/cm-punk-vs-chris-jericho-raw-aug-18-2008-full-length-match-26121413.
• I will post two columns at the end of the week. The first one will rank each match on the card and the second is my official preview of Payback.

WWE Payback News: Pre-show match is announced

According to WWE.com,

"This Sunday, June 16, The Celtic Warrior battles “The Duke of Decency” in a collision of medieval nicknames worthy of “Game of Thrones.” Tune in to the free Kickoff to Payback when it streams live at 7:30 ET/4:30 PT to see heated rivals Sheamus and Damien Sandow settle their differences inside the squared circle!"

WWE.com says that the pre-show match streams live on WWE.com, the WWE App, YouTube, Yahoo!, Facebook, Twitter, Samsung SMART TVs, Google+, Pinterest, Pheed and Xbox 360. WWE is calling the show "Kickoff to Payback".

I think this is a great pre-show match. It might have been a good Pay-Per-View match, but I wasn't expecting it to be a great PPV match. This is a match people will probably want to watch for free and it might convince some viewers to buy the PPV. 

WWE Payback News: Randy Orton and Michael Cole comment about Punk-Jericho and Chicago

Here are some quotes I found from Randy Orton and Michael Cole.

Orton:

"One thing’s for sure, [Payback's] in Chicago and that Allstate Arena is one of the best places to have a fight in. That crowd is awesome. CM Punk being a Chicago native, he’s going against (Chris) Jericho. That should be interesting. That’s a rematch from a few Wrestlemanias ago. They had a good one then. So, that should probably be the marque match. But Payback will definitely be a good production you won’t want to miss."

Cole:

"I am getting excited for our brand new Pay per View known as "Payback" in the great wresting town of Chicago on Sunday Night June 16th. The All State Arena is one of the best venues we play. The WWE Championship match of John Cena versus Ryback in a 3 stages of Hell match will be intriguing, especially the way Ryback is coming around as a performer. My personal favorite however will be Chris Jericho versus CM Punk and I expect it to be the match of the night. Two of the all-time greats with such an awesome story to tell. Punk returning to the ring in his hometown for his first match since the incredible bout with the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Jericho with a score to settle with Punk after last year's great rivalry. This is going to be so great and I have the absolute honor and privilege to sit at ringside and call all the action. It is the opportunity to call bouts like these that we bust our rear ends all year!"

Sources:
http://xfinity.comcast.net/blogs/tv/2013/06/05/wwes-randy-orton-on-12-rounds-reloaded-and-wwe-payback/
http://www.layfieldreport.com/Michael-Cole-on-live-radio-show.news

Fans have been making predictions that Punk vs. Jericho won't happen, but after reading what Orton and Cole said, I think the match is going to happen. Many people are expecting it to be the best match of the night and it makes no sense why WWE would not have that match at Payback.

WWE Payback News: A fourth main event may be added to Payback and other news

Payback has two main event matches right now. Cena vs. Ryback is one and the other is Punk vs. Jericho. The third main event match will mostly likely be Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship. Most "B" Pay-Per-Views have three main event matches, but I'm reading that there could be another big match.

Main event match #4 could be.....

WWE Payback News: Ziggler cleared

According to The Wrestling Observer,

"Dolph Ziggler passed his imPact testing yesterday and has been cleared going forward. This will likely add Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio for the world title to the 6/16 Payback PPV show."

And other news:

WWE has officially announced The Miz vs. Fandango vs. Wade Barrett for the Intercontinental Championship will happen at Payback.

WWE Payback News: The official theme song is announced

The official theme song of WWE Payback is Hollywood Undead's "Another Way Out".

WWE Payback News: Dolph Ziggler returns

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler made an appearance at a WWE house show in Bethlehem, PA. Ziggler is not cleared to compete yet, but returning to a WWE event is good and I think it means he is close to an in-ring return.

WWE Payback News: Which WWE Superstars will not compete at the PPV due to injury?

A few WWE Superstars may miss Payback because of injuries. Kofi Kingston will have elbow surgery on Thursday and he is expected to miss 4-8 weeks. Big Show has a torn labrum and didn't wrestle on RAW this week. Dolph Ziggler (concussion) has not been cleared to compete yet and I haven't read anywhere that Ziggler will or won't be ready for Payback.

WWE Payback News: New match gimmick announced for Cena-Ryback, Punk Payback match is made and more

It was announced on RAW that the John Cena vs. Ryback match at WWE Payback is now a Three Stages of Hell match.

WWE Payback News: Fatal 4-Way Intercontinental Championship match?

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1649511-wwe-payback-wade-barrett-should-defend-intercontinental-title-in-fatal-4-way 

This is a fantasy booking story and not a rumor, but I think there's a good chance that this match happens. It seems the Chris Jericho-Fandango feud will continue, but another singles match seems unlikely so a fatal 4-way with Wade Barrett and The Miz makes sense.

WWE Payback News: Several sections are sold out at Allstate Arena

According to Ticketmaster, the 100 level is completely sold out for WWE Payback at the Allstate Arena in Chicago. I expect the PPV to be a sell out like it usually is in Chicago.

WWE Payback News: New feud started on Smackdown?

SPOILER ALERT!

WWE Payback News: Is CM Punk returning soon?

According to cagesideseats.com,

"There are some hushed rumors that WWE is beginning to plan for CM Punk's return in the coming weeks but the details have been kept quiet. Despite rumors to the contrary, it is believed that Punk is on board with a return in time to build a feud for June's Payback pay per view from his hometown in Chicago."

Kegger says: Punk did not appear on RAW last night. I think he needs to return next week or in two weeks if he's going to have a feud for Payback. There are three RAWs left before the Pay-Per-View.

WWE Payback News: Ryback will face John Cena for WWE Championship in Ambulance Match

According to WWE.com,

"Just one night after their epic Last Man Standing Match at Extreme Rules ended in a No Contest, the rivalry between WWE Champion John Cena and Ryback took yet another explosive turn. Entering the Raw arena on May 20 behind the wheel of an ambulance, Ryback had plenty to say to the Kansas City crowd. Before he opened his mouth, however, the monstrous Superstar climbed atop the ambulance in a symbolic gesture of dominance. He then launched into a missive delivered to Cena and the WWE Universe, making strong statements about the brutal battle he and the WWE Champion engaged in just one night earlier. Ryback then set the WWE Universe ablaze when he called out the Cenation leader, telling The Champ that the next time they meet will be at WWE Payback on Sunday, June 16, in an Ambulance Match!"

 Kegger says: There is a good chance that this will be the main event match of the night in my opinion.

WWE Payback News: Allstate Arena has changed since WWE's last visit

For the next four weeks until the WWE Payback Pay-Per-View, I will try to post news updates about the event. The road to Payback just started so there's not much news to report right now. I can tell you that the inside of the Allstate Arena in Chicago, where Payback will happen, will look different than it has before.

WWE Extreme Rules 2013 Preview

It's Pay-Per-View Sunday and tonight is WWE Extreme Rules in St. Louis. In this preview, I will discuss all of the PPV matches (not including pre-show or unadvertised matches). Matches in order of when I predict them to happen.

Did WWE steal the Fandango logo from Las Vegas?

That is Not TV-PG: Vader Post-match Promo

Warning: Video is not TV-PG. Viewer discretion is advised.

2013 WWE Predictions Update

2013 is already almost 1/3 over. This is a good time to see how I'm doing with my WWE predictions for 2013.

WrestleMania 29 Preview

WrestleMania 29 is almost here! I'm excited about this year's WrestleMania. The build-up hasn't been very good, but if the main event matches meet expectations and there are a couple good mid-card matches, this will be an awesome WrestleMania. Here is my preview of all the scheduled matches not including the pre-show. I will preview the matches in the order I think they will happen.

Book Review: My Favorite Match

In 2012, WWE released a book called My Favorite Match: WWE Superstars Tell The Stories of Their Most Memorable Matches by Jon Robinson who wrote Rumble Road: Untold Stories from Outside the Ring. I have read other books published by WWE Books and they were fun to read, but they didn't really reveal any information that I thought was very interesting. The books are "PG" and some of them are written in kayfabe. I expected this book to be similar, but I was able to rent it for free from my library so I decided to read it. The book ended up being a lot better than I expected. 26 WWE superstars and legends wrote about their favorite match that they were in and they were allowed to say whatever they wanted to. I expected them to talk in kayfabe, but they talked about the backstage stuff that happened before and after their matches. There were some stuff that I had never seen mentioned anywhere. I will review the most interesting stuff from this book...WARNING: THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS!

2013 WWE Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View Preview

 

This is my Elimination Chamber predictions column. I will preview all of the matches currently on the card. I went 2 for 4 at the Royal Rumble last month. 

2013 WWE Royal Rumble Preview

The Royal Rumble is tonight and here are my predictions. I am only previewing the four announced matches on the actual show so no preview for the pre-show match.

Mick Foley is a WWE Hall of Famer

Congrats to Mick Foley for being the first inductee of the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame. Click HERE to read the full story.