OO Column: Online Onslaught by Rick Scaia (Pro Wrestling News, Analysis, and Commentary... WWE, WWF, WCW, ECW, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, Rob Van Dam, Hulk Hogan, Undertaker, Trish Stratus, Lita, Stacy Keibler, Divas, RAW, SmackDown, WrestleMania

OO RAW RECAP
Intentional Boos?
April 25, 2016

by Rick Scaia
Exclusive to OOWrestling.com

Just 4 nights ago, I sat helplessly and watched my beloved Cincinnati Reds get no-hit by the once-lowly Cubs. Now, the Cubs are once again out from under that "loveable loser" label that has defined them for vast swaths of the last century, their "fans" emerging like so many drunken, unknowledgeable cicadas, now that the team is good again... but still, there is no shame in getting no hit by Jake Arrieta. Dude is a hoss. But it still hurt.

I thought maybe the cosmos was going to even the ledger tonight... as I was watching RAW, I noticed that Nate Eovaldi of the Yankees had a no hitter going. That'd be a nice way to make up for Thursday's pain!

Alas, it was not to be. If you notice that my recap gets slightly more and more abbreviated, before returning to full verbosity right at the end.... well, that's when Eovaldi lost the no-no in the 7th inning.

But that's not why you called. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called RAW. OOh nOO Let's Go:

In Memory Of: Joanie "Chyna" Laurer, 1969-2016. Just a little 10 second splash screen, and that's it.

Opening Theme/Pyro/Etc., and we're live from Hartford, CT, essentially WWE's "home court," less than an hour from Titan Tower. Cole & the Gang inform us that tonight, we'll see #1 Contender AJ Styles vs. Sheamus, as well as the Usos vs. Gallows/Anderson match that was announced back on SmackDown.... but before we can get any more details, we have to shoot it on down to the ring.

DIDN'T WE ALREADY DECIDE THIS AT WM32?

Shane McMahon's music hits, and he shuffles his way to the ring, where he thanks the fans for one more week in control of RAW. Apparently, he's enjoying bringing us all these new faces, new match-ups, and fresh content, and he'll keep on delivering as long as he's given the ch.....

And then Stephanie's music hits. BOOOOOOO~! She gets to the ring and sarcastically tries to give Shane a sisterly kiss. Shane no-sells it. She mocks Shane for pandering to the fans, saying he just wants to give them what they want.... but they see through him, and know he's just another lying politician. He's just like her, and ergo, there's no way the fans should like him more than her.

And yet, we do, Steph.

Then, after an odd bit of Hartford-specific references that served no real purposes (since the live Hartford crowd didn't give her the cheap pops, and the rest of us don't give a shit), she gets to the point of her visit: this might be Shane's last night in charge of RAW.

On Sunday, at Payback, Vince McMahon himself is gonna show up, and he's gonna reveal his long term plans for control of RAW. Shane just sort of shrugs; he's known this day was coming, with people like Vince and Steph and Triple H, it's always just a matter of time before they rear they self-absorbed little heads and try to remake things in their image, instead of just going with the flow and listening to the fans.

That nets Shane a sizeable pop, and he plays off it by doing a little game of "YAY"/"BOO" with Steph. Except, instead of the usual way (when wrestlers trade punches in the middle of a match), he just gesutres to himself (YAY) and then to his sister (BOO), and the point is made abudently clear that, regardless of Steph's little thesis, fans do not view the two of them as the same thing.

Steph's retort: and that's why these idiots aren't deciding who's in charge, their father is. And on Sunday, she can't imagine things going Shane's way.

Shane once again just shrugs and says, fine, but that's Sunday, and until then, he's in charge tonight.... so he wants Steph out of his ring. Steph refuses, so Shane summons security, and we do another overlong milking-the-he-goat edition of Steph's Law Enforcement Humiliation that might be fun, if only it didn't happen roughly every 4 months.

Once she's gone, Shane says it's time to get down to business, so he tells us that our opening match is gonna be the aforementioned AJ Styles vs. Sheamus match. And it's coming up, right after these....

[ads]

AJ STYLES vs. SHEAMUS ( w/ No One)

Sheamus running solo is odd.... rumors are that Bray Wyatt's injured calf will only keep him out of action for another month or so, and I figure he could re-appear in a non-wrestling role to keep that Wyatts/League of Nations feud simmering in the interim. But if the LoN is just quietly evaporating, that means the Wyatts will need something else impactful to do, to solidify their face turn, when they get back to business on or around June 1.

As AJ gets off to a hot start, the announcers never once reference the LoN, either. But they spend plenty of time talking about AJ and his maybe-partnership with Gallows/Anderson.

As they tend to do, things broke in favor of Sheamus quickly enough, and he dominated the next few minutes. AJ briefly fired up when Sheamus failed to hit the Ten of Clubs, but when AJ went for a plancha dive, Sheamus moved, and Styles was rudely introduced the steel ringsteps. AJ's down, Sheamus is taunting, so we break for....

[ads]

Back, and guess what? CHINLOCK~! Quickly enough, AJ fights out of that, but can't follow-up. Double-clutch backbreaker by Sheamus, and he's back to the methodical offense, leading up to the never-thrilling bearhug. Styles punches out of that, and then dodges a corner charge, so that Sheamus eats the ring post.

Finally, AJ is able to begin a for-real comeback. He goes up top. Sheamus appears to catch him, but AJ flips over and turns it into a sunset flip powerbomb. Both men down, both men up. They trade punches. AJ gets the better of it. And then, he's off to the races.

Stinger Splash. Series of kicks. Sheamus reverses a whip, and sneaks in an Irish Curse. Sheamus tries for the Cloverleaf, but AJ slides out the backdoor, and gets to his feet. Pele kick hits for a near fall. AJ calls for the Styles Clash, but Sheamus powers out and hits a clothesline. Back to the Cloverleaf. This time, it gets cinched.

Styles fights the good fight, and gets the rope break. The ref shoves Sheamus back, and AJ gets to his feet. Sheamus charges with a Brogue Kick... but Styles ducks, and Sheamus crotches himself on the top rope.

AJ lines up, hits the springboard forearm, and that's all she wrote.

Your Winner: AJ Styles, via pinfall, in about 12 minutes. Good match. Nothing remarkable, but in the context of AJ winning a match against a bigger power wrestler, just days before facing Reigns, it certainly served a purpose.

After the Match: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson came out on the stage and applauded AJ's win. For his part, AJ acted confused and not entirely pleased that they were once again insinuating a partnership where AJ insists none exists. In a counterpoint, we cut backstage to see Roman Reigns watching all this on a monitor, when the Usos approach him, and opening offer to take his back. But Reigns declines.

So the vibe is: Neither AJ nor Reigns wants help, but both Gallows/Anderson and the Usos are pressing the issue. Hmmmm.

[ads]

DON'T YOU DARE BE SOUR...

The New Day head to the ring, reminding us that they ARE our world-famous two-time DOUBLEyouDOUBLEyouEEE TAG. TEAM. CHAMPIONS... but they also remind us that they proudly sponsored a #1 Contender's tournament, and now, we're down to the finals, which take place at Sunday's Payback.

Whether it's Enzo and Big Cass, or the Vaudevillains, somebody's gonna win a chance to fight for the tag titles, and they'll party like it's 1999.

Enter said Vaudevillains, and the first thing out of their mouths is the obvious joke about prefering to party like it's 1899. But then, they switch back over to the style of earnest-yet-evil patter that they delivered last Thursday, in a shockingly even/tit-for-tat promo with Enzo & Cass. They stand for values and standards of bygone manliness. And then, Aiden English reminds us that he IS a legit opera-caliber singy-guy, by potentially previewing his own operatic version of "DOUBLEyou DOUBLEyou EEE TAG. TEAM. CHAMPIONS."

But not so fast, chumly! Enzo Amore and Colin Cassaday come on down to put their two cents worth in. He recognizes that the Vaudevillains want to be #1 Contenders; but he also recognizes that he'd love to run down the beach and jump into his own arms. But some things are just impossible. How you doin'? S-A-W-F-T.

The New Day put a little tag on it, by reminding us that whoever wins the match on Sunday, that's only half the battle, since they're the New Day are still the champs, and they're gonna stay that way, because NEW. DAYROCKS.

Nice little three-way staredown to close out an effective and succinct segment.

[ads]

THE USOS vs. LUKE GALLOWS & KARL ANDERSON

Jey Uso still has his left shoulder taped up, so that continues to be an exploitable weakness (last week, the Vaudevillains used it to score a surprisingly quick upset win over the Usos).

Standard flashy start by the Usos, mostly at the expense of Anderson, but once Gallows tags in, it's only a matter of time before he imposes his will. Jey ends up as the Face in Peril, and Gallows/Anderson cut the ring in half. Frequent tags, and an emphasis on Jey's shoulder keep them firly in control for several minutes.

Notably, a vocal minority tries to get a "Bullet Club" chant going. It flops. Same goes for an "OOO.Sossuck" chant. But if WWE's even vaguely thinking about a heel Samoan Stable, they probably appreciate that at least part of the crowd is already on board. The WM32 crowd also seemed to favor the Dudleys over the Usos, too.

Things build up to Gallows setting Jey up for a belly-to-back superplex... Jey initially fights out, and Gallows falls back. But as Jey tries to reposition himself, Gallows just flat-out shoves him off the top rope to the floor. Jey's shoulder hits the ringside barricade.

Break in the action means we break for...

[ads]

Back, and Gallows is still dominating Jey Uso. But before too long, Jey counters a corner charge by getting a boot up. Ultra quick second-rope dropkick creates separation. Hot tag to Jimmy, and Anderson in on the corresponding move.

Jimmy decimates Anderson, but is briefly distracted by Gallows. Anderson capitalizes by blindsiding Jimmy, and after Gallows makes sure Jey is fully dispatched (by tossing him into the third row), the heels isolate on Jimmy, and are able to hit their double-team neckbreaker finisher.

Your Winners: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, via pinfall, in about 10 minutes. Unspectacular, but a very effective and convincing debut for Gallows and Anderson. Usos really didn't get much of anything in, and it really is increasingly feeling like WWE is "using them up" (which is standard WWE booking practice if they're getting ready to turn you).

After the Match: Gallows and Anderson tried to continue the beatdown after the bell, but Roman Reigns ran out for the save. The crowd booed him savagely, but he got in a few shots, and the heels decided to bail out.

[ads]

Backstage: Gallows and Anderson approach AJ Styles. Did he see what just happened? Of course he did; nice win, boys! No, not that, did he see Roman Reigns come out and attack them? Gallows and Anderson say this just proves those three are thick as thieves. Nothing against AJ, because he could take Reigns in a fair fight. But this isn't looking like a fair fight, so maybe he should just keep them (Gallows and Anderson) in mind.

AJ sort of sees the wisdom of their words, and says he's grateful to have them watching his back. He hopes he doesn't need them, but he's glad for their friendship. At that point, Gallows closes with a REALLY sketchy and overly fake-sincere "You know it. Our friendship is FOREVER." Hmmmmm....

[ads]

SAMI ZAYN vs. RUSEV (w/ Lana)

Lana's back in Rusev's corner, and once again, no sign of the LoN. She is immediately the fan favorite in this match, even ahead of Zayn. Rusev clobbers Zayn for the opening minutes as the fans chant "WE WANT LAH NAH."

Zayn's attempts to use technique and constantly thwarted by Rusev, including Rusev just catching Zayn out of mid-air on an attempted plancha dive. Later, one of Zayn's flurries ends with Zayn going up top.... but Rusev catches him, and just delivers an impressive step-up enzuigiri.

Zayn tumbles to the floor, and you know what that means....

[ads]

Back, and Rusev is working a front facelock. Zayn fires up, and shoots Rusev into the ropes. A clothesline by Zayn. But he can't follow up. Rusev foils Zayn's comeback with a fallaway slam, and a thrust kick for a near fall.

Rusev calls for the Camel Clultch, but spends too much time taunting... when he goes to reach down, Zayn reaches up and hooks him into a small package. FIN.

Your Winner: Sami Zayn, via pinfall, in about 10 minutes. Fairly dominant outing for Rusev, with one final clever move by Zayn. Given that Zayn will once again be undersized on Sunday, in his match against Kevin Owens, it's a worthwhile story to tell. But after they already told it in the Styles/Sheamus match, it didn't have quite the same impact.

Backstage: Renee Young is standing by with Apollo Crews, who only gets a few words into a generic spiel... then Stardust interrupts. Apparently, they are having a match later tonight. Apollo says it's all cool, he's glad for a chance to talk to "Cody" and just let him know how much he appreciated learning from his dad, Dusty Rhodes. This, of course, just pisses the hell out of Stardust, who does not know these Rhodes he speaks of. Stardust promises to beat that lesson into Apollo later tonight.

[ads]

APOLLO CREWS vs. STARDUST

We're all adults here, so let's not pretend this is something it isn't.

Your Winner: Apollo Crews, via pinfall, in 3 minutes flat. Done, done, onto the next one.

[ads]

NOT THE AMBROSE ASYLUM

Dean Ambrose is here to talk, but there's no poster board! No potted plant! What the hell?

Ambrose says he was asked to host another edition of the Ambrose Asylum this week, but he decided not to. He doesn't feel like interviewing somebody else. Next week, he'll go back to making the jokey jokes. But tonight -- right here, on Asylum St. (my family originally came from Torrington, CT, about 20 minutes from Hartford, and I can confirm that Asylum St. really is one of the main drags through downtown Hartford!) -- he feels like getting something off his chest.

In short, Ambrose details the many ways Chris Jericho is a fraud, and why Ambrose wants to personally beat some respect into him. Jericho TALKS about being the best in the world, but Ambrose shows up every night to SHOW that he's pretty good at his job, too. Jericho waits to attack people from behind, but Ambrose is happy to just jump you straight to your face. Jericho bitches and complains whenever he has the slightest problem, Ambrose just attacks any problem head-on.

The two men just could not take any more opposite approaches to dealing with things, and Ambrose can't wait to give Jericho an up-close-and-personal lesson on Sunday. That is, unless he wants a sneak peak, right here, right now!

Jericho takes the bait, and comes own down to the ring. Jericho dismissively calls Ambrose a stupid idiot, and calls Hartford a dump. Jericho says that if anybody needs to have respect beaten into him, it's Ambrose, for not believing that Jericho really is the best in the world at what he does. Jericho is on a whole other level, and Ambrose should feel honored that Jericho is stepping down to his (Ambrose's) level to let him feel what it's like to be in the ring with true greatness. Sunday will be the highlight of Ambrose's career; sure, he's going to lose, but he can forever say that he was once in the ring with the Great Chris Jericho. BOO~!

So, with all that said, Jericho demands an apology for Ambrose's earlier comments. He briefly flirts with the idea of making Ambrose kiss his "$1500" boots, but eventually settles on a straight-up "I'm sorry." The crowd chants "NO NO NO," but Ambrose gets a funny look on his face, like he's considering it.

And finally, he does this: "OK, Chris. You're right. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you paid $1500 for those ugly ass shoes! I'm sorry that you're apparently so cold that you walk around with a silly scarf all the time. I'm sorry about that haircut. But I'll tell you what. I'm not at all sorry THIS!"

And all of a sudden, Ambrose tosses the mic and cold cocks Jericho.

The brawl all around ringside, with Ambrose mostly in control, until they get to the announce desk. Ambrose clears it, and calls for Dirty Deeds on the table... but Jericho is able to trip him up, and Ambrose's head smacks the last remaining monitor (ouch!).

Jericho mounts and punches Ambrose until he's completely out of it, and then follows up by locking in the Walls of Jericho on top of the table. He does not release until a phalanx of officials run out to restore order.

Very good segment. Maybe it's just that they're two of my favorites, but this is shaping up as a much bigger fight feel than anything Jericho's done in a long time, and as a result, Ambrose's victory will be all the more satisfying. It's the strongest Jericho's been booked since 2010, so he actually has some credibility, while all this adds up to making everybody forget whatever it was that happened to Ambrose at WM32. Good deal.

[ads]

NATALYA vs. EMMA

Charlotte, with Ric Flair, sits in on guest commentary. Her main trick this week is to mock Nattie for "parading around" with her uncle, apparently completely unaware that she started it, with her dad.

Nattie and the vastly improved Emma do their damnedest to make this mean something, but ultimately, this one's a foregone conclusion.

Your Winner: Nattie, via submission, in 2 minutes. I can state, with authority, that this is a thing that happened.

In Memory Of: this time, Chyna gets a nice little montage of still photos and tweets from her peers from Attitude Era WWF, who remember her as a trailblazing performer and a fun and funny person.

[ads]

DAMIEN SANDOW vs. BARON CORBIN

Before I can even embark on a soliliquy about how sad it is that Sandow is a jobber (in general) and even sadder that he's about to job to freaking Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler attacks Corbin before the bell.

Corbin runs away. There is no match.

Sandow wins by forfeit? Yeah that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Your Winner: Damien Sandow, via forfeit, in 0 minutes. Suck it, Corbin!

[ads]

NOT MIZTV

In keeping with the theme of the night, Miz is in the ring to talk, but he's not doing MizTV. He just wants to talk. Well, first, Maryse gives him a big introduction, but then, he's ready to talk.

In short, he can't believe it. What's wrong with us? [By which I mean, Miz can't believe what's wrong with us, the fans.] He's heard through the grapevine that some fans actually think Cesaro might beat him for the IC Title on Sunday. Fool. He can't believe that we view Cesaro as a possible champion. He can't believe that we don't see the benefit of having a true A-list celebrity as the IC Champ, and that we might even root against Miz.

But then again, what should he expect. We are the kind of people who think buying poster board and markers to make "Cesaro Section" signs is a good use of time. We actually think we are accomplishing something, but we're not. "I'm looking at all of you, and the Cesaro Section is apparently nothing but a bunch of ugly, lonely, internet trolls. But guess what? I have a Miz Section, and she looks like THIS."

A visual once-over confirms that Maryse is, in fact, a very attractive woman.

That was Miz's punchline, as Cesaro's music hits, and he comes out on stage, now with the full Bond-style walks-across/bullseye effect on the screen behind him. Noticeably, he's actually wearing a real suit, and not the fake-pull-apart one.

Cesaro opines that Miz's attempts to get the fans to like him are doomed to fail, because the WWE universe just isn't that stupid. Miz's response is an innocuous, "You can't possibly be talking to me like that." But Maryse tells him to do it like he does at home... so Miz breaks out his DeNiro, and asks, "You talkin' to me?" Cesaro says yep, and on Sunday, the credits will roll on Miz's IC reign. Miz is incredulous, and goes all Goodfellas, "What am I a clown? Do I amuse you?" Cesaro says yeah, maybe, because the IC Title is legendary, and has been held by the very best in the industry; ergo, it makes him sick to see Miz holding it.

Miz says he doesn't sweat Cesaro, and he's ready for a fight on Sunday. Just one last thing: Do you feel lucky, punk?

Not missing a beat, Cesaro responds in kind: Go ahead, make my day. And he invites Miz to a little preview of Sunday. Miz begs off, so Cesaro decides to leave the ring... only to have Miz attempt a pearl harbor attack. Bzzzzt, wrong answer. Cesaro fights Miz off, and hit sthe Elevation Uppercut.

Now, Cesaro wants to take Miz swinging... but Maryse lays down across Miz's body to prevent it. Cesaro just shakes his head, and briefly poses with the IC belt, before riding off into the sunset.

You know: in addition to Maryse being a big time value-add for Miz, I think I'm coming to like this thing where he's the douche who thinks he's awesome for having all these movie quotes at his disposal, too. Nobody likes that guy, especially when he starts going for deep cuts and acts like YOU'RE the stupid one for not "getting it."

Backstage: Roman Reigns is WALKING~! His match against Alberto del Rio is next.... but first, he bumps into AJ Styles, who just wants him to know, man to man, that he (Styles) wish Reigns luck tonight, but that luck will run out on Sunday when AJ takes his title.

Reigns response: "The only way that happens is if you already bought Gallows and Anderson front row tickets, little man." Dick. Reigns keeps walking, and AJ looks a bit miffed.

[ads]

ROMAN REIGNS vs. ALBERTO DEL RIO

It's "World Wish Day" for the Make A Wish people, and earlier today, Roman granted a wish to a kid with MS. That kid and his whole family are at ringside, and Roman stops to chat with them. The crowd shows no mercy, making the poor kid witness the spectacle of the entire world hating his favorite wrestler.

D'oh. I'm no more a fan of what WWE has with Reigns than any of you, but even I think that's kind of harsh, people.

Del Rio, continuing the night's trend, is flying solo. Reigns gets off to a quick start, but about 90 seconds in, he attempts a corner charge, and instead, runs into ADR's modified enzuigiri. Reigns tumbles to the floor, and with that break in the action, we break for....

[ads]

Back, and Alberto del Rio knows the S.O.P. CHINLOCK~! And he actually works it for a good minute or two, complete with Reigns fading out enough that the ref thinks about checking the arm. "ROH MAN'S SLEEP PING?", anyone?

Reigns eventually does try to fire up, but Alberto snuffs it out on the first few tries. On the third try, Reigns uses headbutts to create separation, and while ADR hits side slam to quiet things down, the headbutts take their toll, and ALberto cannot follow up in a timely fashion.

When ADR finally steps back and lines up the for the low concussor kick, Reigns ducks it, catches ADR on the rebound with a Spear, and does his Hulk Up. Reigns rattles of a bunch of moves, finally getting set to hit the Superman Punch. But at the last second, del Rio rolls outside the ring to avoid it.

As Alberto loiters outside the ring, Reigns dives outside on the opposite side, gets a running start, and hits a modified version of the Drive By that sends ADR into the ring post. But after Reigns throws del Rio back in the ring, del Rio actually catches him with a version of the cat-and-mouse role reversal.

Del Rio back in command. Low concussor hits this time. Alberto ties Reigns to the Tree of Woe. Reigns is able to escape before the double stomp. ADR attempts the Cross Armbreaker again, but Reigns backflips out of it, and hits a flash Superman Punch.

Reigns steps back and calls for the Spear.... and that's when Gallows and Anderson's music hits! Their presence up on the stage distracts Reigns. Del Rio attempts to capitalize with a small package.

Roman kicks out at 2, and after a quick back and forth grapple, Reigns finishes it quick with a flash spear.

Your Winner: Roman Reigns, via pinfall, in about 10 minutes. Yikes, Reigns hasn't been in the final segment of a show since WM32, and right here, you see why. It's just an incredibly unsatisfying experience to watch a show where there's such a huge disconnect between the intended narrative and reality. The main event should never be the most broken part of the show. And yet: here we are.

After the Match: Reigns' celebration is cut short by Gallows and Anderson. They attack, and they actually make some in-road on keeping Reigns down.... until AJ Styles runs out and gets in between them. He talks his boys into leaving the ring, and it seems peace has been restored....

Which is when Reigns hits Styles from behind with a Superman Punch. BOO~! But hey, at least this time, he did something that's SUPPOSED TO GET BOOED. Baby steps.

G&A use this as all the excuse they need to get back and in the ring to attack Reigns. This time, superman Reigns easily fights off both men after about 30 seconds. But as soon as he does, AJ returns the favor, by hitting a springboard forearm from behind!

Reigns is down, AJ quickly drops to a knee with the starch having been taken out of him, too. Equally spent, the two still manage an exhausted staredown of not-quite-mutual-respect as we fade to black.

And so ends the show... another pretty good one. Not quite on par with the last couple weeks, but it sure didn't do anything to hurt my interest level in Payback.

I think the biggest noticeable difference with this week's show was that they didn't really deliver the above average, youtube-worthy anchor matches. Instead, the in-ring peaked at "solid, but unspectacular." The trick to the best Sustainable Episodic TV is to make up for the fact that every week can't be all kinds of crazy swerves and shocking twists with the part of the show that is essentially in infinite supply: quality matches.

This week tried to get by with more of the story side carry the load. The ending -- with first Reigns, then Styles, showing they would be willing to bend the rules -- was basically the bare minimum to lay the foundation for something interesting in Sunday's main event. Obviously, there is a 0% chance of Reigns losing the title, but now -- with the open hostilities, and with the Usos and G&A both lurking -- at least it's not a foregone conclusion that Reigns fights a valiant babyface fight, and gets booed for winning. I think it much more likely that somebody's walking out as the leader of a 3-man faction, where a heel turn is optional, and the alignments may not be exactly what you'd expect.

So that's a minor victory. So was the Ambrose/Jericho segment. But on the whole, whether matches or promos, you had a real sense of just treading water. "Sustainable Episodic TV" is not a binary consideration, it's a continuum... and while the past two weeks might have represented nearly flawless execution of the SETV concept, this week's falls at the lower end of the spectrum.

I could go fetch that one episode of NewsRadio where Bill invents a bunch of synonyms for "adequate," and pick my favorite... but I'll save us all some time, and just slap a final grade of C-plus on this puppy, and call it a night.

See you Sunday night around 11pm, with the Payback Recap, kids!

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Bonding Exercises

RAW RECAP: The New Guy Blows It

PPV RECAP: WWE Night of Champions 2012

SMACKDOWN RECAP: 18 Seconds? NO! NO! NO!

RAW RECAP: The Show Must Go On

SMACKDOWN RECAP: The Boot Gets the Boot

RAW RECAP: Heyman Lands an Expansion Franchise

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Losing is the new Winning

RAW RECAP: Say My Name

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Deja Vu All Over Again

RAW RECAP: Dignity Before Gold?

PPV RECAP: SummerSlam 2012

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Backfired!

RAW RECAP: Bigger IS Better

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Hitting with Two Strikes

RAW RECAP: Heel, or Tweener?

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Destiny Do-Over

RAW RECAP: CM Punk is Not a Fan of Dwayne

SMACKDOWN RECAP: The Returnening

RAW RECAP: Countdown to 1000

PPV RECAP: WWE Money in the Bank 2012

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Friday Night ZackDown

RAW RECAP: Closure's a Bitch

SMACKDOWN RECAP: In-BRO-pendence Day

RAW RECAP: Crazy Gets What Crazy Wants

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Five Surprising MitB Deposits

RAW RECAP: Weeeellll, It's a Big MitB

SMACKDOWN RECAP: #striketwo

RAW RECAP: Johnny B. Gone

PPV RECAP: WWE No Way Out 2012

RAW RECAP: Crazy Go Nuts

SMACKDOWN RECAP: You're Welcome

RAW RECAP: Be a Star, My Ass

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Needs More Kane?

RAW RECAP: You Can't See Him

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Lady Power

RAW RECAP: Big Johnny Still in Charge

PPV RECAP: WWE Over the Limit 2012

SMACKDOWN RECAP: One Gullible Fella

RAW RECAP: Anvil, or Red Herring?

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Everybody Hates Berto

RAW RECAP: Look Who's Back

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Care to go Best of Five?

RAW RECAP: An Ace Up His Sleeve

PPV RECAP: WWE Extreme Rules 2012

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Sh-Sh-Sheamus and the nOObs

RAW RECAP: Edge, the Motivational Speaker?

SMACKDOWN RECAP: AJ is Angry, Jilted

RAW RECAP: Maybe Cena DOES Suck?

SMACKDOWN RECAP: No! No! No!

RAW RECAP: Brock's a Jerk

SMACKDOWN RECAP: Back with a Bang

RAW RECAP: Yes! Yes! Yes!

PPV RECAP: WWE WrestleMania 28

E-MAIL RICK SCAIA
BROWSE THE OO ARCHIVES

Rick Scaia is a wrestling fan from Dayton, OH. He's been doing this since 1995, but enjoyed it best when the suckers from SportsLine were actually PAYING him to be a fan.