Raw 6-13

I sit here a humble writer tonight. I'm suppose to write about Raw and why this 3 hour Raw is going to be sweet. Austin will be awesome to see in a role he once had. Do you remember the 4 wheeler? I can't stop thinking about the Mavs since I hate them. I'm sorry and I will do my best to move on. This blog is for wrestling and I will do my best to stick with that topic. I will say Sunday night was good for one reason, Misterrrrrrr Anderson....Anderson is the new TNA Impact Wrestling Champion. WWE should focus on building some under card, oh crap I forgot Cena is the champion so that sells a WWE pay per view. Well at least WWE thought it did (more in a minute). The 3 hour Raw might have some All-Star wrestlers showing up and some STUNNERS!! OH HELL YEAH!

The WWE found out some not so good news earlier last week when the numbers for Over the Limit buys were released. Over the Limit featured Cena and Miz for the WWE title and Christian attempting to regain the World Title against Orton. In fact, I heard the Showstoppers had walked out on the show at Wings. Hell they were in for free. Over the Limit had 65,000 buys for $40 a person. The grand total is $2.6 million and that doesn't include the tickets sold at the arena. To say the WWE failed would be a failure on my part. Anyone getting over $3 million for one show is doing well. However this is the lowest buy rate for any WWE pay per view since ECW December to Dismember. I'm no rocket scientist but that show was pretty damn terrible. TNA had even worse news as their Sacrifice show got 7,000 buys. Wow throw a party. Holy crap this is bad news for the wrestling companies but good news for fans. Whoa what? Yes this is great news for fans. You see people make a difference and are tired of watching the same crap over and over and over again. Wrestling promotions focus much more on television than pay per views. The marketing for TV and ads give them much more money weekly then any pay per view aside from Wrestlemania, which did over a million buys. If the pay per view buys continue to plummet, the two companies may turn to an alternative. Eric Bischoff actually said at one time no company should create 12 pay per views.

I've written about this before and the solution is simple especially for TNA. WWE does enough buys to cut down on pay per views. TNA could pitch to Spike TV about the possibility of returning Clash of the Champions. Now it could be called something else, perhaps Wrestling Matters. Hell that's creative enough for Bischoff. TNA could eliminate 4 shows and do major shows on 4 Sundays in the year. Few wrestling, booked as big as a pay per view and will further story lines. TNA could really benefit from something like this. They will always receive criticism no matter what they do. You can't fault a company for trying something different. This is a great alternative and be fan friendly. If they leave the Impact Zone each of those 4 shows, the crowds get bigger, more revenue from the gate and a possibility of gaining more fans. WWE will never do this because their pay per views still get okay buy rates. If it keeps going down, maybe they will do something. I keep the hope they are actually listening to you, the wrestling fan, keep up the good work. I don't want to be one of those guys that say back in the attitude era or my generation was better. All I'm saying is if the product is crappy to you, you're not alone. Speak up, don't buy bad shows and maybe soon the WWE and TNA will listen.

An awesome opening to Raw. Austin owned the promo with Miz. It's a true shame Miz didn't get to talk back and have some fun with Austin. Instead he was owned and didn't receive a stunner. I can't have everything. I wasn't disappointed though because Alberto Del Rio got a rub on Austin too. Del Rio finally got a match. I kind of figured out who his opponent was way before the fire lite up the entrance ramp. Del Rio is in a really crappy story right now. I would prefer to see him face anyone else right now. I never would have seen a Big Show return. I guess I can be excited about that. As long as Del Rio goes over and gains some momentum back that was lost from his push on Smackdown, I'm good with it.

The only way Dibiase ever made it to Raw, get drafted to Smackdown. I've really enjoyed Cody Rhodes and Dibiase on Smackdown. They've been a must see tandem again. Daniel Bryan is getting his chance to shine inside the ring on Friday nights. It's been a treat for a man who can wrestle with anyone, be able to showcase his talents. Raw focuses to little on the inside the ring talent and Smackdown is letting Bryan do his thing. He needs some character to development but for the most part he will speak the most inside the ropes. All 6 of those men in the match are getting an opportunity and aren't wasting it. Smackdown has been the better show aside from the guest stars showing up only on Raw. Good match to further all those stories. So far, so good on Raw.

What makes R-Truth great? Let me count the ways: He's an old school character, larger than life and is much more unique than over three-quarters of the roster. Truth doesn't have entrance music which is sweetness. His character is nuts and that makes him memorable. Everything he is doing right now is greatness. I've become a big fan of Truth and his turn. It's been great. Larry Stanley got his JoMo boner on since Morrison made his return. I'm sure Austin introducing him made him pop as much as his little Mavs winning the ring Sunday night. It's nice to have him back but wouldn't it have made more since to save the surprise return and screw Truth out of his shot. Truth would have a field day with that.

The Irish Ghost must be getting pointers from Dean Malenko. I love the fact Sheamus found a new finisher. There aren't many wrestlers using submission moves so the Cloverleaf returns. I popped big for that. Sheamus is really under used right now. He and Del Rio are in the same boat. Christian officially turning heel on Friday, pushes Sheamus down the poll a little. Maybe after Zeke takes the belt from Barrett, he can wrestle Zeke for the strap. A triple threat at Summerslam would be fine too for the World Title.

I questioned whether Christian was a heel last week, alas Smackdown proved he is now. His promo on Friday was fantastic and I'm enjoying the complete turn. Orton was great at the low blow on the Edge remark. Other than that, I cheered and will continue to cheer for Christian. He was correct on his promo of hard work and busting his ass. Christian has done everything except get his long title reign. WWE reached on the concussion angle. I mean TNA ran that same crap with Mister Anderson a few months back. Concussions are a serious business in the professional sports world. They shouldn't be a fake story in wrestling. It's not hard to come up with something else. One thing Christian has going for him is wrestling skills. He has to work on the heel character and develop into something more than a generic heel. For now, he's getting cheap heat. He doesn't need to work on his wrestling skills. Christian and (Insert Opponent except Great Kahli) is a good match. The ending sucked. I don't like dq's and 2 in 1 night is never good. Nexus could have easily cost Rey the match and it wouldn't hurt his chances for Sunday. Nexus would have gained heat, Christian gains momentum and Rey gains sympathy and support.

Morrison wasn't ready to come back obviously. I thought his neck injury was suppose to leave him out until August. Summerslam it will be Truth and Morrison. Meanwhile the entire segment R-Truth was playing Zach Morris talking into the camera while everything else was frozen. Take that Little Jimmy may have been the best line of the night. Truth is absolutely insane and I love every minute of it.

Sweetness Dolph Ziggler got a video package and got to wrestle on Raw. The video package was great. The package for Kofi and Ziggler is an easy way to push their match Sunday without the 2 of them interacting. Plus Kevin Dunn and the staff do such a great job at those packages. I would love to see Ziggler take the belt off Kofi on Sunday. Bourne and Ziggler would be fun to watch. Drew McIntyre could come in as well. Bourne would turn into the under dog champion defending off all bigger competitors for the title. This would be a fantastic way to boost Bourne and use everyone else on the Raw roster.

The Hot Rod Rowdy Roddy Piper back on Raw was very cool. Piper will never get tired of taking shots at Mr. T. Miz really got a chance to battle two of the best talkers in wrestling history, Piper and Austin. Miz held his own with both men, Cena can't say that. I didn't need to see Piper wrestle though. The money challenge sounds like a Dusty Rhodes booking story. Rhodes was the booker for the old NWA and that's what this felt like to me. Riley has been getting the better of Miz for 3 straight weeks. Miz is putting over Riley but Sunday may be another story. Miz character doesn't really depend on wins and losses. He's a pompous jerk no matter what. Riley needs a big win to get his push kick started. I think it continues no matter who wins after Capitol Punishment.

I thought Eve was a heel. I wanted to see Natalya and Beth Phoenix in the ring wrestling. Raw failed at that. Until they use Phoenix or Natalya, I won't be writing to much on the Diva division.
The WWE went from pure crap to pure entertainment. Punk and Austin were absolute money together. Punk using the what was funny and Austin being Austin. No reason to start the whole this match will happen rumors. Let's be happy they were on television together and that's all. I whip ass backwards is the line of the evening. Austin gave the power to the people next week. I'm in favor of that but it won't work out as well as the concept should. Steve was solid as the GM. I wouldn't want him to be the GM each week though because then it wouldn't be special.

Main event with Cena and Punk was familiar as these two have gone at it several times. The boos and We Want Ryder chants from the live crowd was fantastic. The New York crowds are always very vocal and it makes the broadcasts that much better. CM Punk really had to carry Cena in a close to 15 minute match. It reminded me of Hogan being carried by Macho Man. Punk getting the victory was super sweet. Truth has no shot to win on Sunday. I hate to tell you that. I really hope WWE can keep Punk. Truth and Punk are making Raw watchable. I hope it continues.

Well I hate to end on a sad note but I have too. I am going on vacation next week and won't be able to provide a solid Raw blog. I believe John or Larry from Showstoppers will step up and try and fill the void on BBSD. They will fail but give them a break they can't beat the best damn WWE blogger on the planet. You can still follow me on twitter @mccall316 or email me at jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com. Thanks for the hits and keep them coming. Stunners for everyone.

J Call

Raw 6-6

I must have been in the minority or at least the minority on BBSD because I liked last week's episode of Raw. The WWE focused on a little more wrestling and I will take that anytime. The big news seems to be everyone leaving TNA that shouldn't. Foley has announced he requested and granted his release. Tommy Dreamer, who is in the middle of a giant story, is leaving in another week. Now I am all for certain guys leaving the company. For example, Flair, Hogan, Bischoff and Russo. However, Foley and Dreamer have a place. Foley is a mastermind and the people behind the curtain should have listened and used Foley's ideas. Dreamer isn't the biggest character on television or the most charismatic individual. Dreamer is more of a trainer and could have helped in that way. Hopefully, TNA bounces back and uses the young men they have in place. Raw needs to do the same and tonight gets us one week closer to Capitol Punishment. I'm not into the pay per view yet, maybe tonight changes my opinion.

The other somewhat big news is the recent uh heel turn if you will. I don't think you can really call this a heel turn.

I don't see how Christian is now a heel. I get that he hit Orton in the head with the title. Absolutely blindsided him actually. In reality, most of the Internet Wrestling Community should be applauding the move. Christian has been a push over for several weeks. He got a great reaction from the live crowd, even if the WWE filtered in some boos. Jim Ross blogged about how this moves Christian into the top heel status in WWE. I disagree. I think Christian will still be cheered soundly as he is so well respected. The only people who are going to boo him are kids. As I've said before, they are stupid. If kids boo him and older folks cheer Captain Charisma, I'll have a new name for him, the anti-Cena.

I didn't like the finish to Tough Enough. Andy was a better story to win as he has a family. Luke will end up being a bigger star. Andy got bitch slapped and stunned in a matter of 30 seconds. Way to bury new talent right away. Truth has a stolen the Confederate Warrior from Cena. He one upped him wearing the Confederate uniform. Truth is a show stealer right now. No matter what he does, he is remembered. Riley's music is solid and definable. I like it a lot. To bad the whole segment was messed up by the real Confederate Warrior John Cena. Main event announcement was greatness. Vince and Austin in the same ring is a reunion and fond memories of yesteryear. It can never be that good again. The main event was a great way to progress Riley and Miz and finally start Truth and Cena.

I really don't have to much to say about Santino, Kozlov and the Nexus tag team titles. I would rather see a tag match for the titles. I enjoy Santino and his mini push seems to be going over well. I just don't see much point unless we see either more tag teams or they get the titles back. Otherwise it's just going to be pretty boring.

I was very happy to see Beth Phoenix on Raw. I believe she hasn't been on Monday night for about 6 months. With Kharma out of action, Beth and Natalya are the only dominate females in the WWE right now. The WWE always wonders why the Divas don't matter. I got an idea, focus on those two I just mentioned and let them oh I don't know wrestle. That's a hell of a concept. Beth needs to be the focus for Raw for the next several months. She can at least make the Bellas matter in a story.

CM Punk and Rey could wrestle every week. One thing that amazes me is WWE memory. They can't remember half the stuff that happened a week ago. Yet there's Michael Cole recapping the entire history of Punk and Rey. WWE should recall the history of many stories, then again nothing would feel fresh ever. They've done about everything you can do with everyone on the roster. Another great match between two of the best performers on the WWE roster. If Punk leaves, I may not have a reason to watch Raw. He's the best persona in the WWE period.

I haven't read much about the Best of Nitro DVD. I don't need to read much as it is a must own for anyone older than 20. We lived through the best wrestling era of all time. I'm sure the moments on the DVD will make us feel like we are back in our youth. I look forward to checking it out. The only gripe I will probably have is Diamond Dallas Page. Not a big fan.

I have no idea how it happened but Del Rio went from being one of the brightest star on Friday Night to being completely underutilized on Raw. The fake Show was a giant failure. Del Rio is talented enough to be in the upper card fighting for the title. The WWE did a great job elevating R-Truth but in return, Del Rio fell. I'm a big Del Rio fan but you already knew that. Kane and him will battle next week and every little kid can go crazy for a return of The Big Show. I want it over as quickly as possible.

Zack Ryder and Dolph Ziggler in the same segment is a dream come true. Ryder has been on Superstars for quite a few weeks and got about a minute of air time last week on Raw. The match might not have been the longest or best, it wasn't about that. Cole got to mention the Ryder YouTube videos and that's what it was all about. WWE.com is likely getting those videos so better to expose them on television then on Superstars.

I will never complain about a Booker T wrestling match. I'd rather watch him wrestle than commentate. I worried Evan Bourne wouldn't get used. Luckily Raw did it right with air bourne and a double spinarooni. It was also a fantastic way for Bourne to get a nice rub.

I mentioned early I liked the main event. Both these feuds needed something and Austin in the mix is always a good rub for anyone. I tweeted (follow me @mccall316) before Raw that the biggest pop of the night won't even be on Raw. I was half right as Austin received a great reaction on the live Tough Enough Finale but also on Raw. If Austin would have stunned Cena at the end of the show, this would have been the greatest Raw in the history of Raw. The opposite happened. Miz took a horribly looking briefcase shot. I enjoy stunners as much as the next guy. I just wanted that to happen to Cena. The ending was a little confusing. I get the GM being pissed that Austin didn't call it down the middle. So why on earth would he appoint him special GM the following week? That made zero sense.

I will say I'm looking forward to a 3 hour special next week. More Austin is a good thing and maybe that will get Jim Ross at the broadcast table. Overall, this week was a solid effort. We got some nostalgic moments and some progression in stories. With all the stars next week, it will probably be a complete cluster. WWE needs to stay focused. You can find more wrestling opinions on Showstoppers on BBSD. You can follow me on Twitter @mccall316 or email me jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com. I'll see you next week. Oh Hell Yeah. Stunners for everyone.

J Call

Raw 5-30

This was a nice quiet week in the wrestling world. I think we could all use it after the last few weeks. WWE needs to push ahead with a new number 1 contender for the WWE championship since I don't foresee Rey Mysterio sticking. The biggest interest I have is Riley and Miz. Riley really got over on his face turn last Monday night. I'm not sure where it is heading and that's what is exciting. I won't go so far as to say Riley is a future star but these next few weeks might shed light on his potential. Raw has plenty of potential with Ziggler, Ryder and a few others not being used. Maybe tonight will change the direction as Raw comes from my backyard in Omaha Nebraska.

First off I want to say thank you to anyone who has ever served or is currently serving this great country. Freedom isn't free and the price is young men and women dying for what we sometimes take for granted. I may not always agree with the war or why we fight over there. That part is your own judgement. I think we can all agree to support the troops. As a News director for a local radio station in my area, I've read the horrors of death overseas. It saddens me to think of all the men and women who sacrificed their lives. I am a proud citizen of the United States of America and damn proud I have a right to speak my mind.



Raw got off to an auspicious start with a ton of technical problems. We missed half the Truth promo while he was out trying to sell Legendary to some little Jimmy. The Raw GM is all about unprotected sex apparently. He banned jimmies from ringside. In all seriousness, this was the worst way Raw could start. The technical problems, Truth maybe cutting a good promo and then Super Confederate Warrior Cena ruining everything. This was not the way to satisfy my wrestling taste buds.

Dolph Ziggler being used on Raw helped savor my appetite. Ziggler is very underutilized and it's good to see he is back to his blond ways. Even better, Kofi and Dolph were given time to develop a story and show off why they should be used each week. Kofi does get exposure usually in small doses. They did have a few minor problems in the match, nothing more than hiccups. I would expect that when Ziggler hasn't wrestled in weeks. The match was fantastic and entertaining. Kofi and Dolph are great workers inside the ring and deserved a long match on Raw. Great showing by them and Dolph should get a shot to run with the U.S. title on Raw.

Del Rio got the opportunity to finally have a program with someone on Raw. He's done nothing since coming over from Friday Night. He should wrestle Kane down the line with Show returning. This gives him some sort of direction. I would prefer Del Rio to face someone a little higher on the totem pole. The reports were Del Rio taking on Cena at Summerslam for the WWE title. If that is true, then Del Rio should be facing a top tier Raw star. Oh crap, I forgot that Cena is the only high face on the roster. Raw is really missing John Morrison at this moment. Morrison would fill in nicely with Del Rio until August. I'm not downplaying Kane or Show, just wish new faces were established on Raw.

The Divas are getting quite a bit of worthy time on WWE programming. They aren't ever going to be the highlight of the show as Michael Cole graciously called them. With Kharma going off television for the next 9 months to give birth to a monster, the live crowds are going to be disappointed in the diva matches. There won't be anything to look forward to except hot chicks. Oh darn. I know Kharma leaving sucks and hurts everything she was building. However, let's not say it's the worst thing ever. I don't mind watching hot chicks toss each other around each week on Raw. They aren't the most talented but they are the best looking on Raw. Once Kharma returns, she will destroy again. I feel your letdown right now. In a few weeks after you don't see her for a while, it will fade into the night. Let me ask you a question, are you dreaming of Edge every Friday night? Be honest. I miss him but don't think about him each week. It's a lot like Macho Man, may he rest in peace. I love Macho man and even went back to watch some of his greatest moments. Think about it though. Nobody would even mention Macho if he hadn't died last week. It will fade is all I'm saying.

Alex Riley got new music and titan tron video after a week of being a face. Truth has been a heel for month and can't get any intro music. I guess there really is a conspiracy going on. Joking aside, Riley got a great reaction from the crowd and I liked the music and video. The whole story actually feels personal. I dig that a lot. WWE hasn't had a personal story that actually feels like it in a long time. I have to give props to both men. I hope this leads to several matches between the two. Riley needs to win but not right away. The fans will give him more sympathy if he loses the first match with Miz cheating to win. I never thought the fans would get behind Riley so quickly.

Rey and Punk had one of the best under card matches I've seen back at Armageddon 2008. I remember Rey got a bloody nose from the GTS that night. They also had a long feud with a Wrestlemania match included in the story. The chemistry between the two is outstanding. Punk must not be getting the WWE title shot against Cena as predicted by the dirt sheets. I'm just happy Punk is getting used and winning matches. As much as he is used, he could really be the best guy on the entire WWE roster. I've always liked Punk and the tribute to Macho last week made me respect the man more.

The pregnancy of Kharma does really hurt her character. We don't need to see a human side of her. I want her to destroy. She did give a great promo. A year sounds a long ways away and I look forward to Kharma's return and kill the Bellas and the rest of the Divas. I still wish we could have had Beth Phoenix take on Kharma before she left us.

I must be dreaming. Swagger and Dolph got used on Raw. I was hoping for McIntyre but he will be on Superstars taking on Chris Masters for the 3rd time in 4 weeks. Bourne got the upset win and I loved it. This little mini feud needs to continue. Now if only the WWE could find more than 2 seconds for Zach Ryder. WWWYKI Broski.

I was hoping to hear a lets go Jimmy chant during Truth's match. I think that would be hilarious. I was also waiting for the Trojan plug during the main event featuring no Jimmies. Raw was a giant letdown in the main event. I'm certain a drugged up er tired Jeff Hardy and Sting gave more in their TNA main event a few months back.

Raw featured a lot of talent in the ring which was a nice change. The ending was just a complete cluster. I like what they are doing with Truth just not that type of ending. I can't complain to much though. Dolph, Bourne and Swagger were used along with a 3 second Zach Ryder sighting. If you need more wrestling opinions, stay with BBSD for our other blogger Justin and you can hear the Showstoppers host bitch about my perfection picks at the Over the Limit pay per view. You can follow me on Twitter @mccall316 or email me jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com. Stunners for everyone.

J Call

Raw 5-23

I am perfection....perfection. Oh my bad I was just listening to Dolph Ziggler's music. The song fits me as I was perfect in my Over the Limit picks. Yeah I'm really excited I got the perfect score in the worst pay per view in years. I didn't watch one minute of Over the Limit. Luckily I didn't miss much as predicted. Randy and Christian had a match of the year candidate from the fans I heard from. I'm happy they did well and figured they would be the only thing worth the purchase. I will make sure to watch that when OTL is on DVD...or on the internet. WWE works towards Capitol Punishment on June 19th. Raw should show us some direction WWE is thinking for the show.



We lost a great wrestler, entertainer and person 12 years ago when Owen Hart passed away. I remember the night Owen's accident happened. I was at a farm house outside my home town with a bunch of friends. We had ordered the ppv as it was the height of the Austin era. Most of them weren't a big wrestling fan so they didn't pay much attention. I was sitting there watching the entire show and well you know the rest. Jim Ross comes on the air and makes the announcement. WWE got a lot of flack for going on with the show. It was never released on VHS or DVD. I was in shock. I couldn't believe it was real (We always have to guess). The nightly news showed it was real. The next night, Raw may have been the most emotional episode in history. Owen is still missed to this day. He left us way to soon and so has a lot of other men and women.

I was kind of mad at first about Jerry Lawler opening the show but then Bret came out and I felt a whole lot better. Truth got a great rub from Bret as well. A great way to further Truth's heel character, put him in the ring with a beloved legend. Super Cena had to ruin the great moment. A Rooster from Brooster told me Truth is entertaining in a nonsensical way. The opener was entertaining even if it went long. Truth delivered a solid promo. Bret gets to be used and Super Cena didn't piss me off to much.

The tag team division seems to be getting quite a bit of air time on WWE TV. I'm sure having Kane and Show helps quite a bit. They are a tower of power and are guys fans want to see every week. They even got a pay per view match which is a rarity for tag teams. The WWE could have done this a long time ago. Nexus probably should have won but if Punk is in the title hunt then it makes sense. I just wish Ryder and Hawkins would get a chance to shine against Show and Kane. I can't believe David Otunga is a WWE champion. If this would have happened before Saturday, the world would have ended. I take it Big Show and Kane are going to be feuding with Del Rio until Summerslam. I just want Kane to go med evil on Del Rio. For example, hang him from the stage and strap battery cables to his nuts with jumper cables from Del Rio's luxury car.

Evan Bourne continues to be wasted. WWE has no clue what to do with him. He's so small the WWE will never push him. And he still gets big pops from the crowd every time he comes out. Swagger should be getting over but you can make it competitive. Evan's attack will lead to one or two more bouts. I'll take it if they are longer than 3 minutes.

So after Cole crapped on everything in the WWE for the past however long this crap went on, he comes out apologizes and all is forgiven. That's some weak ass sauce WWE. Cole shouldn't even be on WWE TV for several months so we can forget about him for a while. I understand they did a bunch of stuff to him at Over the Limit and it wasn't enough. Then Miz gets buried my a face turn for Alex Riley. Actually, I was okay with that. Riley can move on to Smackdown and hopefully the face turn sticks. Smackdown needs another face. I thought Dibiase would be used as a face. Instead, again good move, WWE paired him back up with Rhodes. It will be interesting to see what Riley does on his own. As far as Miz goes, I have no idea. He's a guy who won't look that bad even by losing to Cena and then beat down by Riley. Miz is a good enough character just to bounce right back and not lose anything.

The WWE was doing such an excellent job with Kharma. She was coming out and destroying every Diva in sight. Well leave it to the WWE to screw up such a good thing. Kharma crying in the middle of all the Divas is about the dumbest thing I could see them doing it. I take that back. It was dumb enough to where I wouldn't think of it. Kharma isn't suppose to cry, she's suppose to DESTROY!

The little things seem to matter to me. Drew McIntyre getting pyro is brilliant. I already enjoy his music and entrance. The pyro is icing on the cake. Bret Hart was complaining about WWE use of Drew and look what happens, Drew gets on TV while Bret was around. I don't really care how it happened, Drew deserves to be on Raw. He also deserved to win the match. I was happy to see Dolph is back in blonde and maybe will take on Kofi soon. Drew still needs to be shown each week on Raw. WWE has about 20 minutes free every week now that Cole isn't going to be in a story. Dolph, Kofi and Drew can all have their chance.

WWE did the right thing by showing a tribute to Macho Man Randy Savage. He is a true ICON. The real shame is WWE waited until he passed away to recognize his greatness. The petty bull crap was certainly worth it for Vince. To their credit, the video was amazing and heart warming. King even mentioned Randy as a Hall of Famer. I dig that. OOOOOOOH YEEEAH!

I also dug CM Punk rocking the Macho Man vintage trunks. Punk did that for two straight nights. He must have been a huge Macho Man fan back in the day and still admires him obviously. The main event made me wish I could see a CM Punk Bret Hart match. They would have been magic together. The finish wasn't the best. I'm all for the sharpshooter on Punk. I'm not for Cena and Rey. I'm hoping the WWE changes this to Punk in another week or so. I doubt they stick to Cena Rey sugar to the sweet main event for Capitol Punishment.

Raw was very watchable. The opening segment had me worried with Lawler and Cena. I wasn't a big fan of the treatment Kharma and Drew McIntyre. The nostalgia of Bret kept me entertained overall. However, I shouldn't knee jerk react to everything. I think WWE will change the main event and Drew being on Raw gives hope. Kharma is a head scratchier. No idea what WWE will do with her. Perhaps the ShowStoppers will know and you can check them out every Wednesday on BBSD. You can follow me on Twitter @mccall316. Big top rope elbow drops for everyone.

J Call

Over My Limit Picks

I said during the Raw blog I was going to make my predictions for this show on Wednesday evening. Well I didn't get around to it and to be honest I really don't care. This pay per view sucks! WWE is putting on a filler show and the card shows. Unless you are going to Wings in Euless Texas (Cheap Plug) and watch with the ShowStoppers host, I say by pass this pay per view. I know I will be. For the sake of keeping my crappy prediction streak continuing, I am forced to make my picks. Actually I did well at Extreme Rules, not bragging or anything. Before the picks, I have to speak about the unexpected death of one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.

I'm truly sadden over the news of Macho Man passing away from a car accident related to having a heart attack. Macho was one of those guys I always hated growing up but that's because he was so damn good at being a bad guy. As I got older, I realized how great Macho was at his craft and appreciated it. His promos were outrageous or as he coined them, madness. The match he's best known for is Wrestlemania III with Ricky the Dragon Steamboat. Randy was an amazing in ring performer and that's what I will remember. His believability, high flying skills and technical ability all added up to being one of the best ever. Vincent Kennedy McMahon is the one to blame for not getting Macho in the Hall of Fame when he was alive. Randy deserved to be in the Hall while he was here with us. Hopefully Vince will swallow his pride and put Randy in the Hall this coming year. A very sad day for the wrestling world. My condolences to his family and friends. Macho Man Randy Savage will forever be remembered.

Sin Cara vs. Chavo Guerrero

This match will be announced either on Smackdown or on Sunday. If they give these two men time, this could be a helluva match. I love the lucha dor action and this will have plenty of that. Sin Cara and Chavo should be the opening match on Sunday. The crowd will be hot from the start. Sin Cara wins.

Rey Mysterio vs. R-Truth

This match was rumored to be scheduled for Summerslam. With Morrison out, Rey steps in. Truth is now a lunatic. Well I'm guess because I can't understand half of what he says. Truth seems to be getting all the opportunity in the world to prove he is more than just a mid card wrestler. Sunday may prove how far WWE really can push him. I think of this match a lot like Ziggler and Rey a few years ago. WWE puts a veteran in the ring with a young gun to see if he can handle the pressure. Ziggler excelled yet is floundering. Truth will hold his own and get the victory.

Kiss My Foot Ring on the line and Hall of Fame Speech Match

Jerry the King Lawler vs. Michael Cole

This has to be it. This is going to be it. The final match between these two guys. Seriously, they can't push this any longer.....right! Right!?! We can only hope, pray and scream until our throats hurt that this is the last match in this feud. Cole has done about everything possible except make out with Lawler's dead mother (May she rest in peace). The King wins and this finally ends.

IC Title

Wade Barrett (c) vs. Ezekiel Jackson

Wade and Big Zeke could actually put on a quality contest. The Corre isn't much of anything if it ever was anything. Zeke seems to have the momentum with his face turn. I like Zeke and he has potential to be a headliner on Smackdown within the year. Wade also has a World title belt f0recasted for his future. I don't know the chemistry between the two so I'm interested in hearing how this match goes. In the end, Corre get involved and Wade keeps the title by any means necessary.

World Heavyweight Championship

Randy Orton (c) vs. Christian

This match will forever been known as the dream destroyer. I said plenty in the Raw blog about Orton getting the title so quickly. It's not his fault though. It's WWE fault. I'm still bitter about the whole thing. Orton wins and Christian turns heel.

WWE Title- I Quit Match

John Cena (c) vs. Miz

What can I say here that will make you even think for a milli-second that Miz will actually win? They could pull off what The Rock did on Mick Foley and dub over Cena's voice over the loud speaker. Too obvious. Super Cena wins.

J Call

Raw 5-16

The wrestling world had a pretty darn good week. Raw wasn't fantastic or anything. Smackdown and Impact Wrestling/TNA whatever they want to be called was solid episodes. Smackdown focused on bringing some good in ring action. Daniel Bryan and Sin Cara was the best match on television and I would love to see them wrestle, er entertain in a pay per view rematch for about 40 minutes. I did mention TNA and they did a nice job Thursday and at Sacrifice. Raw must serve a purpose for the under card as the main event has been announced for Over the Limit.

Before heading down the WWE trail and write about Raw, I need to focus on TNA. I actually liked what they are doing right now. Yes, me the so called "WWE Homer" is praising TNA. I'm not a big fan of certain things. I would like to kick Flair and Hogan off television and take Bischoff with them. Foley is back but that's not important either. The changing of TNA to Impact Wrestling on Thursday is a decent move. My only problem is if you are going to switch your brand name, you better be certain you are well prepared. They weren't. I love the slogan 'where wrestling matters.' Others are going to piss all over since it was TNA that came up with it. However, I am the one who yells and screams in this blog about wanting more wrestling. If TNA is for real and focuses a lot more on wrestling, I will be happy to tune in every Thursday evening to Spike TV. Over the past few months, the Jeff Jarrett Kurt Angle saga has taken several turns. Most of them coming in losses for Angle. Thursday, Chyna returning to wrestling and getting involved was dare I say brilliant. I'm not joking. WWE has Kharma who is making the biggest push a Diva has ever had. TNA responds with a woman who has not been seen on pro wrestling television in years. Angle finally got over at Sacrifice with the help of Chyna. The story should end now and Angle can move on to bigger fish. I sure hope Chyna sticks around as well.
The other guy I stay interested in with TNA is Misterrrrr Anderson....Anderson. TNA did a wonderful job pissing me off by keeping Anderson down. I text my buddy Larry from ShowStoppers (heard every Wednesday on BBSD) during the battle royal and I said Bubba Ray will win. He said Anderson and I'm glad I was wrong. Anderson has the most breakout star potential in TNA. His character is fantastic, although asshole is probably not the best word for merchandise. Ken has gotten better in ring ability too. He may never got the shot at WWE for many reasons, injuries, drug policy and politics. Anderson has a chance to win the title again and TNA should pull the trigger on a long title run. Let's see Mr. Potential run with the ball for a while.

The opening promo was way to long and pretty pointless. Super Cena with the same crap about fear I've heard 7500 times before. I give credit to Riley for giving a decent promo and working the crowd with cheap heat. I'm just sick of Raw being all about Super Cena and Miz for the WWE title. We've seen it too long. At least on Smackdown, Orton and Christian is new and fresh. They will have a better wrestling match at Over the Limit too. Raw should focus on some new talent. I liked what Bret Hart tweeted last week about McIntyre being thrown on Superstars was a mistake. I couldn't agree more. Drew is solid all the way around and being drafted to Raw might have been a mistake when he can't make it on the damn show. He was used every week on Smackdown.

I couldn't believe Punk dismantled the U.S. champion so quickly. I would love to see a long feud with those two. Well hell I would be happy with any feud for the U.S. title. Kofi hasn't done squat since heading to Raw. WWE might know how to push a WWE title match but they've forgotten all about the important under card matches. In the 90's, the intercontinental matches were better than most of the WWE title matches. Mr. Perfect, Bret Hart, Jake the Snake, Piper and many more sold shows because of their matches not the main event. WCW was a prime example when they had their Cruiserweight division. Now the WWE focuses on one story and can't figure out how to put anything else together. It is such a waste. Then they wonder around scratching their ass when they say they don't have new stars.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the way the WWE has used Kharma. The live crowds are even giving a huge pop every time she comes down. She feels like an event every moment she is on television. I have no clue where it goes with Kelly Kelly and I don't give a crap. I just want to see more Kharma. She doesn't need to be a heel or face just DESTROY!

Rey is much better on the stick then people give him credit for. He's really not that bad. I've sure heard a lot worse. I don't like him speaking in Spanish because I don't understand it. I understand why he does it for obvious reasons. I think I've whined about showcasing new talent and keeping things fresh. As I typed that, Del Rio and Rey were talking. We've seen this as well. WWE needs to book Del Rio, Rey and Truth for the number 1 contender to Super Cena's WWE title. That way Raw won't open with a 20 minute promo about who deserves a shot. I shouldn't complain to much since Del Rio and Rey was a solid effort in the ring. R-Truth looked a lot like The Pope from TNA with the do-rag on. Truth is getting a bigger response than ever before so at least something positive is coming out of his heel turn. I just can't understand half the stuff Rey or Truth says. The poor people typing the closed caption with ???? during that entire segment.

Cole and Lawler are going to battle in a kiss my foot match is not a bad idea. Michael Cole made the impossible happen, Texans rooting for a Sooner. People wanted to see Swagger turn on Cole. I'm all for Swagger face turn. He's got nothing else going on and Raw seems to be full of heels. You could easily turn Swagger and have him face Del Rio, Miz, McIntyre or Punk. Instead, the WWE probably teased us to hose us over at Over the Limit. I'm already passed my limit on Cole and Lawler matches. This needs to end on Sunday!

Speaking of Sunday's Over the Limit, I will be blogging my ppv picks Thursday morning for the entire wrestling world to see. They usually suck but I'll continue to bring them to you. The entire card seems pretty damn boring. Randy Orton and Christian will be the best match but we know the finish. Orton will win and Christian will turn heel. Raw announced an actual tag team championship match for OTL like it matters. McGillicuty needs to be repackaged so he can look like his dad Mr. Perfect. He's a solid in ring promo but his look and finisher is weak. A running neckbreaker is not a finisher. WWE neglects his past which is mistake.

Once again Zach Ryder gets shown on WWE TV for less than 15 seconds. Yet another missed opportunity as Ryder continues to gain more momentum on Twitter and Youtube. I figured Miz would choose a gauntlet match. I was wrong. Swagger went from a potential face turn to facing the most over man in WWE. I guess it does help Swagger get passed the sidekick role. Swagger had a sweet bump into the chair. That was about the only thing I enjoyed out of their match. Cena hit a record 7 shoulder tackles so that's something to gloat about. Actually Swagger wasn't bad at all. If that were a lead pipe, it sure bounced like it was rubber on the mat. Raw ends with Super Cena on top, no surprise there.

Raw was boring. The overall show didn't bring anything to the table. Over the Limit is a filler pay per view. Cena and Miz in the main event is not getting me to purchase the show. I love Orton and Christian but Christian has about as much chance as I have of winning the lottery. WWE is on cruise control and not giving us anything special during these summer months. They won't for several months. SAVE US Y2J! I know you need more wrestling and you can find that on BBSD with Showstoppers and our other blogger Justin. I'll come back for my Over the Limit picks which might be my shortest blog in history. Stunners for everyone.

J Call

Raw 5-2

I am a very happy pro wrestling fan. For my money, Extreme Rules was a better overall pay per view then Wrestlemania 27. I did well on my picks as well. The wrestlers got their opportunity to shine. WWE did a much better job at pacing the show. I loved everything except Michael Cole. I wasn't going to like him no matter what. I really felt Christian and Del Rio should have ended the show. The pop of Christian winning the World Heavyweight Championship was the biggest of the night. Christian's win was one of the last pure moment for me. Edge and Christian celebrating in the ring reminded me of Wrestlemania 20. A wonderful pure moment and I don't care how the hell it happened, it happened. The People's Champ parties like it's 1999 and Raw has an Extreme Rules WWE Championship rematch.

I had an amazing weekend when it comes to wrestling. Before Sunday's Extreme Rules, I ventured to Council Bluffs, IA for a little independent show called PWP or Pro Wrestling Phoenix. I had seen them before but I hadn't gone in for quite a while. I was pleasantly surprised. The show featured a Dragon Gate wrestler named Akira Tozawa. He walked around the building several times so I had a good look at him before he entered the ring. He was in a tag team contest with "Babyface" Tony Cortez. Tony has been their for years and is a solid performer. The man I really came to watch was one of their opponents, Jaysin Strife who partnered with David C.....lark. Please, don't ask about David's name because I have no idea why they write it that way. I've seen Jaysin several times and I am never disappointed. He's one of the best independent wrestlers I've ever seen. They put on a damn good main event tag match. The star of the night that shined brightest was the match between "The Anarchist" Arik Cannon and Zack Sabre Jr. I've never seen Sabre Jr. I have to say I was thoroughly impressed. Zack had a good look, crisp in ring performance and left me hoping he was going to be a regular. Unfortunately, my buddies and I were told he was only in the states for a New York minute. This was the only opportunity to see him. I was glad I was there. Zack and Cannon, who I've seen several times and always has a good match, was by far the best match of the night. Now, if you don't live in or around my area, check around to find an indy show in your area. These independent wrestling shows, such as PWP or MPX, are all over the place and focus on something other companies have forgot about, WRESTLING! You never know who you might see at an Indy show. It might be a big star someday in the WWE or TNA.

A Patriotic Raw started with the best National Anthem of all time with Lillian Garcia. She always does a great job with it. I had chills watching and listening to her sing the Anthem. I couldn't believe the People's Champ was first to arrive on scene. I figured for certain the Champ would be first. The Rock delivered the goods in his promo. The People's Pledge was mentioned on Twitter. I got chills during that as well. The Rock and Cole in the ring was pretty cool. I certainly enjoyed the Rock Bottom and People's Elbow. However, the damn segment was a quarter of the show. I hate the Heat, never heard of Pitbull and didn't need to see the Nitro err Heat dancers. I guess Vince thought there was to much wrestling on Extreme Rules. Raw didn't need any for 30 minutes.

I figured I would give the WWE some credit since Morrison and Truth were announced before the commercial. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Truth and Morrison didn't even get in the ring. No bell ringing except for Morrison's after Truth beat the crap out of him. I will say this segment worked for both men. Even without the match, Morrison gains more sympathy from fans. R-Truth has plenty of heat on him. I guess it was action and not talking. Jim Ross was back at the table too so it wasn't all bad.

Maryse made it back on TV which was great. The bad news was the only reason was to get squashed by Kharma. This is exactly what WWE needed to do with Kharma Kong. She destroyed McCool at Extreme Rules and then Maryse on Raw. I hope this continues. I want her to keep destroying other Divas and then have Gail Kim, Beth Phoenix and Natalya start grouping up to try and defeat her. The one thing I don't want to see is Kharma wrestling dudes. Keep them separate or mix tag matches only.

I did see Zac Ryder in the background at the Rock's party. If you haven't checked out his YouTube videos, you are really missing out. Ryder has more charisma then over half the WWE roster. He's funny and creative. I hope he gets a chance to shine inside the ring soon and not Superstars. Hour number 1 ended without one single complete match.

The Champ didn't even get to speak. Miz and Cena were the semi main event and also the very actually match on Raw. After over an hour, we finally got a match. The cage match with Morrison, Miz and Cena was a damn good match as well. I felt Morrison was a little disappointing though. Miz brought it though. I still think Miz should have kept the WWE title. I figured Cena and Rock would have a face to face with the WWE title in Cena's hand as a future sight of what could be at Wrestlemania 28. When the hell does a ref actually reverse his decision? We hardly ever see it. The ending was weak. I didn't care for the reverse decision. We don't ever see it and it's stupid. We see guys win by cheating constantly. I know I'm suppose to suspend realism watching wrestling. Still, show some consistency.

As I stated in the opening paragraph, I enjoyed to the fullest the Del Rio Christian ladder match. Del Rio will have the WWE title soon. The WWE hasn't pulled the trigger on giving Del Rio a title yet. It will happen before Summerslam. The tag match gives me hope for a few things. Kofi and Drew could easily mix it up for the U.S. title right away. Swagger and Rey doesn't do anything for me though. We saw that last year around the same time when Swagger was the World champion. The only thing I didn't want was Del Rio and Rey again. Smackdown had the longest feud of the year with those two guys. Raw is going to rectify it and I'm super pissed.

I was pretty stoked to see Dolph Ziggler on Raw. Ziggler actually responded to a few tweets I sent him a few nights ago on Twitter. @HeelZiggler is his id. I found out he's a big Archer fan. The reason Twitter is so cool is because guys like Ziggler and Mick Foley respond to tweets. It gives you a feeling that they care about you. By the way, I'm on Twitter @mccall316 (cheap plug). Actually I told Ziggler I would give him a shout out in my next WWE blog.

WWE must be pretty high on Mason Ryan. He over powered Kane and Big Show. Ryan might branch off Nexus and move on to Goldberg like terror through the under card. The WWE needs to step up and make new stars. Ryan might be one of those guys. We all see the resemblance of Batista. Well, Batista didn't do a whole lot of pure wrestling but the looks is all he needed. I kinda like it though. Nexus is stale as is the Corre. Stables only work when the guys in the stables actually win. Ryan and McGillicuty have futures. Ryan's is a little easier since he has a better look and name. McGillicuty needs to be taken off TV for a while, I paused to write that since Raw was the first time I'd seen him in weeks, and have his name and look changed.

Vincent Kennedy McMahon was a special treat. One thing nobody can say is WWE can't produce sweet videos. Their tribute to The Rock was damn good. I'd never heard of Mia but I'd like her pie. I figured some big name was going to come out and interrupt The Rock. I was disappointed. I wanted Jericho, Austin or someone. At least more than Vince. Raw let me down.

The entire show wasn't all that great. I know this birthday celebration was special and gave us a few moments. It didn't give us what I wanted which is wrestling and being entertained. I don't care about the Heat, Hurricanes or Pitbull. You have to cater to the Miami fans but you also have to cater to the audience at home. I don't think the WWE did that at all. You can catch more hot wrestling opinions on BBSD with the boys from Showstoppers. You can follow me on Twitter @mccall316 or our legend Larry @bigbadlarry. If you don't have Twitter, email me at jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com. Stunners for everyone.

J Call

A Night of Extreme PG Rules

The final pay per view before the new rosters go into effect is this Sunday. Extreme Rules use to be one of my favorite shows of the year. I always enjoyed the gimmick matches and the hardcore contests the WWE through out for this one night. However, Extreme Rules isn't much different than any other show. The card for this year is much of the same as Wrestlemania, except no Rocky. I'm not mad about this as Wrestlemania left me hungry for a few rematches and hopefully a few longer matches. We still have questions about the World Heavyweight Championship and WWE title potentially being on the same show as is the U.S. and I.C. titles. Extreme Rules will sort all of that out.

Falls Count Anywhere

Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes

I feel this match will likely start off the show on Sunday. This has been a great story for months. Rhodes has developed into one of the finest heels on Smackdown and frankly I figured Rhodes not Rey would be on Raw. Rhodes seems to be the obvious choice since it doesn't do Rey any good to win this match. Rhodes needs the momentum to keep his character moving forward. BUT, I know I wrote that in caps, somehow someway I think Rey gets the win to end the feud.

Loser Leaves Smackdown

Michelle McCool vs. Layla

The rumors going around is McCool is heading out of the WWE for a while so she can be with her husband, The Undertaker. I understand that especially when no one knows when Taker will return. Layla may have a face feeling after this match. I would hate to see that, she's a much better heel. I was puzzled as to why LayCool would break up but it makes since now. Layla wins and McCool heads home.

Last Man Standing

Randy Orton vs. CM Punk

I've enjoyed the Punk Orton story to the fullest. The story has ran its course and time for both men to move on. Orton has battled Nexus and Punk since the Rumble. The draft split them apart which is a good thing. The dirt sheets have Punk possibly leaving the company which would make this WWE blogger very upset. Punk is a talented individual in and out of the ring. Punk is stands out from the crowd. In today's wrestling world, everyone acts and does the same crap. Not Punk though. If he really is leaving, WWE won't give him a win over their newest big name on Friday Nights. Orton wins.

Country Whipping Match

Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross vs. Michael Cole and Jack Swagger

I have no idea what the hell a country whipping match is. I'm assuming it's like a leather strap match. There is no way to give Michael Cole enough knots from a belt to even the score. To say Cole is annoying is the understatement of the Century. Cole never received a stunner, won't get a piledriver so what else is there? It'd be great to see something vial like the leather belt being shoved up his ass. If this goes any further than Sunday, it won't be in my blog. I will ignore all of it. I don't care if that means I have to mute Raw to avoid Cole. Please end this crap. King and JR get the win.

World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match

Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian

Del Rio is heading to Raw so the choice is Christian right? RIGHT?!? Hold on a second because it may not be that easy. WWE could pull the fast one and give Raw both major titles for a month or so and then get the belt on Randy Orton. I want to be wrong. Seriously, I love Christian. He deserves a chance to hold onto the World Heavyweight title. I wanted Del Rio and Christian to wrestle for several months. I rarely get what I want and I won't get that. Del Rio and Cena are almost a lock for Summerslam. My picks have sucked so I hope the opposite happens. I'm picking Alberto Del Rio.

WWE Championship Triple Threat Cage Match

Miz (c) vs. John Cena vs. John Morrison

I've really grown to like Miz as the WWE champion. He's had a good run and it should continue for the next few months. However, The Rock's return to Raw on Monday may spell the end of Miz title reign. What the hell does The Rock have to do with Miz? Good question. Well, the WWE wants to push hard The Rock and Cena match at Wrestlemania 28. During The Rock's birthday bash, Cena interrupting The Rock with the title on his shoulder would be huge. This image would be plastered all over. On the other hand, say Cena interrupts but without the belt. The Rock can make fun of him for not winning the match. Which one makes a bigger impact? Cena holding the belt. Cena wins the WWE title.

J Call

Raw 4-25

The WWE made a rash decision and decided to do the Draft without much hype. I'm sure most of it has to do Edge's retirement. I said a lot of what I wanted in the Raw preview. I was hoping for some drastic moves and Smackdown gaining some bigger names. The Draft has to help some of the mid card wrestlers especially guys like Dibiase, McIntyre and Daniel Bryan. At the end of Raw, I was pleased with several moves and disappointed in the ending. I have to tell you this is my 2nd draft of the blog. I had one complete but this piece of crap website called Blogger sucks donkey balls and erased nearly everything I wrote.

Before Raw, you have to be watching Tough Enough. The first few weeks, I had my doubts but last week and this with Bret Hart have been superb. I am a little biased since Bret has always been my favorite wrestler of all time. If you're not on twitter, you missed this epic video. The song says 'I'm going to make you cry', well I cried laughing my ass off. There is some talent on Tough Enough and I look forward to seeing what happens with some of these young men and women.

Raw started off nicely with the battle royal. The whole thing was forgettable except for Kofi and Bourne's interaction near the end. I don't remember anything else after this since afterwards John Cena was drafted to Smackdown. This moment was a giant shocker for everyone. The entire Internet Wrestling Community was stunned. I was on twitter and I thought it was going to blow up. Everyone thought this was a good move for WWE and Smackdown. I was on the fence. I didn't want to see Cena move to Smackdown. I felt it would hurt Christian's chances of becoming the face of Friday Night. WWE needs to show they are committed to Captain Charisma. Luckily the disappointment from the main event and final draft pick, lifted my spirits.

R-Truth really stepped his game up with his on stage promo. Truth saying he is finally himself is a good thing. The whole rap gimmick was played out. Truth's little kid voice made me laugh. The crowd responded hot with plenty of boos and WHAT chants. Morrison and Truth can have a hell of a story. Morrison will have to step up his mic skills. One thing was proven tonight, Morrison has the crowd behind him. I don't know whether to credit Morrison or Truth.

All I can say about Cody Rhodes is DAMN! He's completely turned me into a fan.

I was really hoping the Irish Ghost would move over to Smackdown. At the end of the night, Orton and Sin Cara were the big names heading to Smackdown. They didn't add a big heel and lost Del Rio. Sheamus can easily move over and be back into the main event picture. Sheamus has gotten the giant shaft on Raw. The match proved that with Sheamus taking two Trouble in Paradise for the loss. Obviously, Smackdown did gain one big name with Randy Orton. He was one guy I said in my Raw preview would be perfect to go over to Smackdown. I finally got one right.

The Cole and JR segment lasted way too long. Anything with Cole lasts way to long. I did find it very funny Cole received a black eye and bloody lip. Ross may have ended up with a broken hand. Lawler mentioned it later on and I saw some pictures of it on twitter. It didn't look good.

I couldn't even tell who Randy and who Ziggler were in their match. Ziggler's unique look is gone and it sucks. I know I mentioned it last week but I will continue mentioning it because I hate it. I would love to see Ziggler get a long term program with someone, anyone on Raw. He's still dinking around doing nothing.

I would have rather seen Del Rio stay on Smackdown. Friday Night seemed to feel like Del Rio's show anymore. I realize it makes sense because Del Rio's star is rising and everyone sees Raw as the "A" Show. The main event isn't much of a main event with Mark Henry involved. Mark Henry, R-Truth and Big Zeke are all heels, I'm just saying. The 6 man tag was pretty good though. The turn by Henry makes zero sense and I hope it doesn't lead to anything with Christian. He's got bigger things to do. As I mentioned, Cena being drafted back to Raw was pretty lame.

WWE has that supplemental draft coming up on Tuesday. You can expect several under card wrestlers moving in that draft. I hope guys like McIntryre and Dibiase get a chance to show they can become stars on a different show. They need to first be put in front of our eyes. If you need more wrestling be sure to check out Showstoppers on BBSD every Wednesday. You can follow me on Twitter @mccall316 or email me jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com. I will come back later in the week for my Extreme Rules picks. Stunner for everyone!

J Call

Raw 4-18

Raw comes to us on Foreign land and on a delay. The show was actually done about 4 hours prior to hitting my television set. Even on tape, Raw broadcasting from overseas is special. The crowds over there are different but in a really good way. They are sometimes much better than the crowds in the states. They don't see WWE stars as often, so they make the atmosphere special. The pops are a little louder, the boos are louder and they usually stand up for big moments. However, Raw probably won't give the UK fans a shocking big moment. A lot of people are upset R-Truth is in the main event at Extreme Rules, they need to shut up after Raw.

The John Morrison R-Truth promo was a bit awkward. The whole thing started with talking about Truth not being in shape. That is about as week as a feud starting over a cup of coffee being spilled on someone. They were just creepy on the mic together. They are friends but weren't friendly and the crowd was dead. I guess Trish Stratus shoulder wasn't that cold. Morrison was getting all the heat in the backstage and now he's in the main event. I am glad Truth is going to be a heel. The rap gimmick needed to end a while ago. The entire turn took way to long on Raw. I felt the segment should have finished 5 minutes before it did. Still, Truth is a heel and has some relevance. The WWE was very PG with Truth smoking a cigarette live on television. All in all, great heel turn.

Ziggler changed his hair and not for the better. I liked Ziggler with the blond hair. I know it seems irrelevant, hair color doesn't make the man. I don't know, Ziggler is with Vickie and you would have to be pretty stupid to stick with her. He looks similar to everyone else now. Bourne and Ziggler, in limited minutes, had a good match. Dolph is a stud and I continue to sing his praises. I hope Truth heads to Smackdown and Ziggler can be pushed. He was in a match at Wrestlemania and since has taken a backseat. WWE could easily put the U.S. title on him and let Sheamus head to Smackdown. The other problem on both Raw and Smackdown is the lack of faces. The good guys are being over run by bad guys. Raw has Orton, Cena, Sin Cara and Morrison in the spotlight. I like Evan Bourne but he's not a big name face and neither is Daniel Bryan. I guess that is why Morrison is in the main event. They need a big face and Morrison will hopefully fill the role.

As I pointed out in the opening paragraph, UK fans and foreign fans in general do it better than most American crowds. Miz being booed out of the building proved my point. Miz never gets that type of reaction anywhere else. I realize Miz is in a feud with Cena, who gets booed excessively in the States. You can boo them both. Hell, scream your ass off for Morrison, he's due. I just don't understand why you boo Cena and cheer Miz. I just don't give a crap for either of them. I will root for Morrison but we know Miz will win. Extreme Rules is selling me by adding Christian in the main event with Del Rio. I love Christian and want to see him win the big one. However, Del Rio should win at Extreme Rules. I know you're pissed. Calm down because I have a rational concept. Smackdown has been ran by faces with the World Heavyweight Championship since around last summer. Kane held the title until Edge took it at TLC. It's time for Friday night to be run by a heel. Christian is due, hell he has been due for a big title for about 2 years. If you have Christian chase for 4 months, Summerslam could be the big moment all the peeps are waiting for. Edge could return to be a special guest ref, Del Rio flips the hell out and Christian manages to finally win the big one. His World Title moment would be very similar to Jeff Hardy winning his first WHC at Armageddon 2008.

The tag match was fantastic. Sin Cara is amazing to watch. He did botch a few spots a week ago but tonight, he was near perfect. The dirt sheets reported WWE was down on Sin Cara after his match with Primo. Well I think WWE trusts him a bit when he is put in a tag team match with John Cena. He overshot the moonsault and it's going to take time for the wrestlers to adapt to Cara and vice versa. Cara is still showing what he can do. The WWE is putting him in bigger matches but he would better be suited with guys like Evan, Primo and Daniel Bryan. For now, I'm happy he's getting opportunities.

I felt bad for Eve which is why she was my photo at the top of the blog. Bellas are worthless and Eve gets the victory. Meanwhile, Awesome Kong was shown again this time snapping legs off a brunette. I guess no one will be safe. The rumor has it, Kong's WWE name will be Kharma. Kharma is a bitch and she will destroy everyone. I just hope she destroys all the barbie dolls then moves on to real competition like Gail Kim, yes Kim look it up on Youtube if you don't believe me, Natalya and Phoenix. The Diva title has an opportunity to finally becomes important for the first time since Trish Stratus.

Michael Cole getting off the headset was great. My ears stopped bleeding as Ross and King were the only ones on the mic. I hated the entire segment. Cole has just gotten to the point of annoyance passed Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan and the Jersey Shore combined. It's time for him to get his ass handed to him at Extreme Rules. I was really hoping for Swagger to turn face. I guess that's not happening for a while. To bad, I wanted to root for a fellow Sooner.

I actually enjoyed the Sheamus Santino match. The Irish Ghost shouldn't miss an episode. He just needs a real story. Daniel Bryan hasn't done anything since 3 weeks prior to Wrestlemania. WWE already hosed us on not getting the match on the Mania card. Now, Daniel Bryan, who is extremely talented, gets to do nothing. You piss me off sometimes WWE. It's not rocket science. It's to damn late for a rematch to be set back up for the next pay per view. They could make it up to us by giving them a 20 minute contest on Raw for free. That's to easy.

I was happy to see Randy Orton and Punk given plenty of time to have their main event. The broadcast on TV made it sound like Orton got the biggest pop of the night. Say what you want about how it was something we saw at Wrestlemania, it was damn good. Randy and Punk helped revive me in the broadcast because I was bored. The only thing I want to see is Orton getting help against Nexus. Once again, I bring up Daniel Bryan. If the WWE wants to build a new star, add Daniel Bryan to this story and have Orton feud with Mason Ryan, Daniel with Punk. I think we can all agree Bryan and Punk would be a blast to see. Punk should have gotten the upper hand tonight with a GTS to end. Other than that, I was pretty happy with how Raw ended.

The overall show wasn't memorable. WWE hasn't done enough build for Extreme Rules. I'm looking forward to Christian and Del Rio over anything else. Morrison in the main event should quiet some of the critics that were super pissed R-Truth got that spot last week. Somehow, the match will probably end up in a fatal four way as you can't turn Truth heal and then not put him on the pay per view. Remember, you can e-mail me jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com and follow me on twitter @mccall316, I tweet live during Raw and TNA Impact. Make sure you tune into my boys John Conner and Larry Stanley on Showstoppers on BBSD. Stunners for everyone.

J Call

Raw 4-11

Raw must shift gears towards Extreme Rules. The card is empty and it's time to set something up. My guess is Cena and Miz will wrestle as will Cena and CM Punk. You know because its fresh and exciting. I hope you felt the sarcasm. WWE seems to play it safe which is why I wrote that preview. The story won't happen and Evan will never make it more than a mid card mechanic. Still, it was something different and I hope you felt it was a good story. We, the fans, scream and let the WWE hear our voices, it's too bad they have headphones on.

WWE needs to pull the trigger on someone new. Whether that person is Morrison, Dibiase, Ziggler, Bryan, Del Rio, Sin Cara or Christian, it's time for someone to get the ball for a while. I'm fine with Miz as the champion. Who is he going to face next pay per view? If it's Cena at Extreme Rules, it has to be someone new soon. Randy Orton has faced Miz and Cena has had several shots. The man with the balls the size of grapefruits might want to use them and trust someone new. That was the whole point of my preview. Listen to us WWE, sometimes we do know what we want. If it has anything to do with The Great Kahli, you aren't listening.

Before we get to Raw, I have neglected fan mail, (Cheap plug, email me at jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com)

I read your Wrestlemania picks and did you suck it up. In all the crapness that was your picks, you forget to mention Chris Jericho as a possibility for Taker at next year's Wrestlemania. What gives?

Brandon, Texas

I regret that right after I posted the blog. Chris Jericho slipped my mind. He will be back with the WWE by the summer and I would love to see a long program between Taker and Y2J. My bad. As far as my picks, moving on.

How will the WWE keep us interested in The Rock Cena match when it's pretty clear Rock won't be around much longer?

Jeff, Oklahoma

I have no idea. My guess is Cena will win the WWE title within 6 months. He can have the spotlight in a different way. We will forget about the match unless WWE keeps making mention of it every week. If Cena has the WWE title, he's important and faces several competitors. By the Rumble, here comes The People's Champ. Cena loses the title back to the Miz and we move onto the real main event of Wrestlemania 28.

Well I thought Raw would open up with the WWE champion, even before Cena, Michael Cole had to open Raw. I had a bad feeling 15 seconds into the broadcast. Cena didn't help that feeling. Once again, Cena talked more about something about a year from now than anything current. Thankfully, Orton erases the feeling. I couldn't believe Ziggler and Morrison got a chance to shine in front of Orton and Cena. Truth didn't deserve to be there. I didn't mind the announcement. I mean it was something new, I didn't really understand it. I'm sure by the time the match hits the ring, I will get it.

Awesome Kong is finally starting to be shown. The vignette was only a few seconds but it worked. I'm pretty excited to see her beat the whole hell out of every Diva. Meanwhile, in the ring a Bella won the Diva title. I heard crickets chirping. Nobody seemed to care. This title hasn't been on Smackdown for months. The Glamazon and the Amazon seem like a good feud. No, forget that.

Sin Cara is simply amazing. This kid is exciting, dazzling and WWE is going to have a hard time keeping him down. The crowd was electric chanting his name. Primo helped by selling Cara. Primo and Cara messed up the finish, recovered nicely and nailed the finish. The only problem is the finish will only work on small guys. He has to come up with something else to work with bigger guys. It's not a knock on him, just true. No matter what, Sin Cara has my interest peaked.

The whole A.P.P.L.E wasn't the worst thing and hell Santino saying it made it fun. Anything to get Daniel Bryan in the wrestling ring is fine. The Corre winning is good in my book. They have been weak for way too long. They need to win some matches and stay together. I may not like Slater, the rest of the crew have chances.

It sure felt like Raw turned into the Jerry Springer show before it went to commercial. The crowd chanting 'Jerry Jerry' with JR trying to beat the crap out of Michael Cole. I did like the tease of Swagger turning face. I would like to see that and freshen up his character. The announcement sucks though. I love Jim Ross on a microphone, not in the ring wrestling. He will most likely be in a limited role. Swagger and Lawler should beat the hell out of Cole and then Jim cover him. That's your match right there.

I thought for sure Edge's announcement was a work until no one came out. If it was a work, normally someone comes out and interrupts. I hope it is a work and Edge returns soon. If it truly is the end of the Rated R Superstar, THANK YOU EDGE! I read later on after the segment on the "dirt sheets", the announcement was a 100% true. I'm sure that is one of the main reasons Edge beat Del Rio at Wrestlemania.

I was pretty happy Nexus returned. I'm not going to lie because the group needed to come back. The young stars need to be able to get on television and in the ring. I know it drags the Punk Orton thing into Cena/Nexus from last year. I still want the feud to continue and bringing Nexus does just that. Plus, Ziggler won and I'm a huge Dolphan. I was pretty pissed off Truth pinned Ziggler. The win kept Ziggler and Morrison from locking it up, which almost guaranteed Cena was going to win the gauntlet match. I was wrong again. They built up the entire gauntlet match and the Raw GM made a triple threat match instead. The WWE did all that and had a computer make the match in the end.

Raw left me in a somber mood. I didn't get anywhere close to what I was hoping for on Raw. Edge retired which in itself deserves a whole other blog. The fact that Cena and Miz are wrestling again is exact opposite of what I wrote in my preview blog. I know they added Truth but he doesn't belong. If you replaced Bourne with Truth and tournament to Gaunlet, you have the same scenario I wrote in the Raw preview. Maybe I shouldn't complain that much since I had it all written out just with the wrong guy. I wanted a new guy so I wont complain any longer.

Time for my cheap plugs and then leave you. You need to be listening to the boys on ShowStoppers on BBSD. You can read more wrestling blogs by Justin as well. Also, check out my blog on blogger.com if you are reading this on BBSD as you will see some pictures not loaded on my regular blog. If you want to contact me it's easy and I'm everywhere. Email me jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com follow me on twitter @mccall316 and its that simple. Stunners for everyone!

J Call

Raw Preview

I know this isn't the norm for me to have a Raw preview. I'm not sure what's come over me but I feel WWE needs a little help. Wrestlemania is over and last week, Raw did more for Wrestlemania 28 then Extreme Rules. WWE has to show focus and work on building up a new star. Sin Cara is the man for it on Smackdown. Raw has someone that they don't use correctly. He's mostly a jobber and it makes me sad. He has the talent, sells well and has gotten the chance once last summer with John Cena. Who in the blue hell am I talking about? Evan Bourne and here's how Raw could start his path passed under card status.

Raw has zero matches made for Extreme Rules and it seems like the show will be close to Wrestlemania part duex. Raw should start with Miz coming down to the ring. He didn't get to a chance to gloat on defeating Cena at Wrestlemania. Miz goes on to talk about beating everyone on Raw from a living legend, The King Jerry Lawler to the megastar John Cena. I have no competition that can match my Awesome-ness. The Raw GM chimes in and as Cole gets booed out of the building, he reads and ugh, I quote, I agree with you Miz. I don't see an official number 1 contender for your WWE championship. That is why I have decided to make a tournament to decide who will face you at Extreme Rules. The tournament is set: Sheamus will take on Evan Bourne, Randy Orton versus CM Punk, John Cena and Alex Riley and Dolph Ziggler faces John Morrison. The crowd goes crazy and sets up something different.

In the first match, John Cena comes down since A-Ri was in the ring with Miz. Cena pins Riley clean. They show Sheamus in the back basking in the glory competing against Bourne and mocks him. The camera cuts to Bourne walking towards the ring and Miz starts laughing at Bourne. Back from commercial, Sheamus and Bourne make their entrances. They wrestle for a while and Sheamus gets the upper hand. Bourne looks over matched. Daniel Bryan comes out and distracts Sheamus. Bryan still wants his U.S. title back around his waist. Bourne with a school boy and picks up the victory. Bryan and Bourne have a good laugh as the Irish Ghost is pissed.

Dolph Ziggler and John Morrison have a decent match with Ziggler picking up the victory with a clean win. I know your mad. Hey, if the dirt sheets are correct and Morrison has heat on him, Ziggler winning cleanly is what Vince will want. The final bout of the first round is Randy Orton and CM Punk. This feud has been excellent. They have to extend it until Extreme Rules. Orton and Punk are beating each other up as both men are on the outside. They keep it up until it's a double count out. I know it's lame but it keeps their story going.

Cena is in the back talking with Bourne telling him he just got a bye into the finals. Cena looks Bourne in the eye and tells him don't listen to anyone else, he deserves to be in the tournament. Cena finishes by saying I'll see you in the finals. Cena goes out and beats Ziggler by an AA. The finals take place on the final segment of Raw. Cena and Bourne have a good back and forth match. Cena is helping sell Bourne as a legit competitor. Cena lifts Bourne up for an AA and the ref gets bumped. He's down and here comes Ziggler. He's pissed for losing to Cena. The ref is down, Ziggler connects with the Zig Zag on Cena and Bourne sees none of it. Bourne gets up and lands Air Bourne (see we kept that until the end as a big spot). Ref staggers over to count 1-2-3. Bourne wins the number 1 contender ship to the WWE title. Miz stands out on the ramp way golf clapping and laughing at his new "competition." The fans are excited as the new underdog overcame the odds (with a little help) and won the tournament.

Bourne has new life to his character and Raw has a brand new story. The next few weeks, Miz continues to mock Bourne. Evan beats Riley in a one on one match. The week before Extreme Rules, Miz and Ziggler team up to face Cena and Bourne. The match ends with Cena and Ziggler fighting on the outside, Bourne hits a spin kick on Miz and nails Air Bourne for the 3 count. The go home show has Bourne pinning the WWE champion. Holy crap could the under dog actually do it at the pay per view? No of course he can't, but that win on Raw has people wondering.

Punk and Orton face in a Last Man Standing match, Cena and Ziggler wrestle in a Falls Count Anywhere and Bourne gets his shot at the WWE title match in an Extreme Rules match. Smackdown has the Ladder Match with Del Rio and Edge and probably something crappy with the Corre. Raw sells Extreme Rules. In the end, Miz retains the belt in a competitive match so Bourne still looks strong. If the fans don't buy it, you're out only one pay per view which isn't all bad. This is the time to build someone new and perhaps take it to the Air.

J Call

Raw 4-4

I sit here typing as a humble WWE blogger. My picks sucked. Luckily, I'm happy the way Wrestlemania went. The WWE did some things correctly and some missed. I read a few summaries and opinions. So what if Mania wasn't perfect? It was still a fine show and I will go into more detail in a few. Raw isn't going to change the direction of WWE. The Rock and Stone Cold is still around while HBK is back home. WWE biggest show is over and now it's time to swallow some leftovers.

Wrestlemania was a good show in my opinion. As I said, there were a few mistakes. John Morrison and Ziggler didn't even get a chance in the ring. I guess that's better than Sheamus and Bryan being made into a non-title stupid ass battle royal. Dolph and Morrison are the future of the company. I truly believe they will headline a Mania or two in their wrestling career. They certainly didn't get that chance this year. Cole and Lawler were in deed a bigger letdown than Vince and Bret. That went on way too long. Cena's entrance was ridiculous. I could barely make out what the choir was doing. Then he comes out in a confederate flag look-a-like t-shirt. I guess he wanted to even it out since he had an all black choir. Cena is the master at hypocrisy.

The good definitely out weighed the bad. Triple H and The Undertaker brought out the best of wrestling. They provided a story for the ages. I was on the edge of my seat after the 3rd pedigree and nearly fell off my chair when Trips hit the tombstone. A lot of my friends didn't care for the finish. I liked the surprise tap out finish. HBK lost back to back years with a tombstone. I speculate maybe they wanted to be different. In the end, incredible match. JR and King were incredible at the table. They were wonderful. Del Rio and Edge didn't make a lot of sense to be an opener. Even if it didn't, the match was still solid. I enjoyed it and especially since Christian didn't turn heel. The Rock was also entertaining but I could have done with the long opener if it gave us an actual United States title match. I give the show a B+. We all judge to harshly on Wrestlemania. This may not have been the greatest, but it's one I will remember for years to come.

Raw opened with the Game. I didn't expect that or Ross at the broadcast table. Triple H finally recognized he fought Taker at Wrestlemania before. That was about 2 months to late. They should have added that on the story. Triple H furthered the line of The Undertaker becoming mortal. Triple H's promo was heart felt and nice. The only problem I have is Triple H saying he will be waiting. I hope he's not waiting another year. The Undertaker needs a new opponent. No more tries for anyone old at Wrestlemania.

The entire Michael Cole persona has lasted way to long. I thought for sure Wrestlemania would end it. It should have. Swagger is at least a real wrestler and had an actual wrestling match with Lawler. Deja Vu from Wrestlemania. It wasn't bad. I was hoping for Austin and more stunners. The BBQ thing worked. I just wondered who was going to call Raw afterward.

We found out Cole was back in his play pen. Raw as far as broadcasting, got much worse. No offense to Booker or Josh, it's just we want JR and King. Cole going in and out of character all night doesn't help a broadcast or other wrestlers. Orton and Rey teaming up to further their respective feuds is a good idea. Both men had great matches at Wrestlemania. Rhodes is really working this new character. I like it since he was never going to be 'over' as Dashing Cody Rhodes. Orton and Rhodes need to have a one on one feud sometime this year. The tag match was very well done. No doubt those two stories head all the way until Extreme Rules.

I will be watching Tough Enough directly following Raw. WWE didn't chose the cast and USA did most of the production value. The show will probably feel like the UFC show on Spike. It should be fun. I know a few of them were on the Independent circuit. The segment made me want to see Stone Cold wrestle again. The crowd has been hot. Miz couldn't do anything with Austin when The Rock and Cena are later. It worked for publicizing Tough Enough and anytime Austin is on is good in my book.

Del Rio's destiny is apparently to be built up for months to lose at Wrestlemania. I feel bad for Evan Bourne. He's one talented individual and seems to float around. Bourne should be in a feud with Daniel Bryan for wrestling sake. Del Rio is going off on a mean streak. He's developing an even more vial character. I actually want to see him get the World title soon. I'm not tired of Edge, Del Rio deserves it. Extreme Rules will be some sort of rematch. If I were to bet, I'm not and am terrible at predictions, I'd go with a Ladder match.

I'm all for anything that keeps Ziggler and Morrison in a feud together. I don't care how it's done, these two need to be in some sort of a gimmick match at Extreme Rules. Morrison and Ziggler tripled their in ring minutes from Wrestlemania. I continue to say they are the future. I believe they are. Ziggler is easily the best seller in WWE. Morrison has everything you can ask for in a star. This feud needs to last a while so the fans can finally get a chance to see into their crystal ball.

Finally, Sheamus and Bryan got their opportunity. That should have been the Wrestlemania opener. They proved with little time to have a good match. They could have had another 7 minutes at Wrestlemania and gave us a really good match. Sin Cara is going to be a lot of fun to watch. Daniel Bryan, Sheamus and Sin Cara can have a hell of a triple threat match sometime. Sin Cara did a little and meant a lot. Some times less is more.

The Rock and Cena has felt special these past weeks. One thing I agree with Cena, I want to see Cena and The Rock. I just want to see The Rock win. I guess we will see it in a year. How the hell can this wait another year? Look, I want to see the match. I can't see how it can hold up for an entire year. What happens if Cena gets hurt? It is a match that should be on a Wrestlemania card. I agree with that. The second best thing is Summerslam. Summerslam is big enough for Rock and Cena. The Corre was a good idea to finish if they actually got an upper hand. Instead, they were fodder. I should be pumped, I can't though when I know the match is 364 days away.

Raw was a good show. I liked the in ring battles. Raw provided some good wrestling entertainment. The tag match with Punk/Rhodes and Rey/Orton was damn good. Sheamus and Bryan got what they should have gotten Sunday night. WWE obviously is booking and planning for Wrestlemania XXVIII. How about a little less planning for next year's Mania and a little more planning the here and now.

Be sure to check out ShowStoppers on Wednesday now on BBSD. You can always follow me on twitter @mccall316. By the way, I keep forgetting to mention that if you only read my blog on BBSD, you are always missing out on the pictures, so click the link at the top of my blog page on BBSD. If you don't have twitter, email me at jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com. I appreciate all your hits and feedback. Stunners for everyone!

J Call