The Grade Book #4
March 20, 2012
Written by: Anthony J. Valvo and Jason Namako of Wrestleview.com
Introduction
Welcome to “The Grade Book”, a new weekly look into the matches (and some segments) in professional wrestling. I am “Mr. V” Anthony J. Valvo and I will be alongside WWE Superstars/ROH on Sinclair/FCW Recapper and Co-Host of “The Wrestleview Independent Roundtable” Jason Namako to provide our “grades” for each match that was aired on television for the past week. World Wrestling Entertainment, TNA Impact Wrestling, and Ring of Honor will be highlighted weekly in this feature. We may also include matches from Florida Championship Wrestling, TNA Xplosion, and the ever-popular Ring Ka King in India.
Jason and I watched every match from the WWE, TNA, and ROH from March 10 – March 16, 2012. We will provide a couple of sentences as thoughts and give the readers a Grade Point Average or GPA. If you are not familiar with a GPA, it is based on a point system from 0.0 to 4.0. We then will give it a letter grade based on the quality of the match.
The contents are as follows:
Mr. V and Jason Namako provided a grade for ROH on Sinclair, WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE NXT, WWE Superstars TNA Impact Wrestling, and WWE Friday Night Smackdown. Those shows are part of the weekly rankings.
Jason Namako provided a grade for Florida Championship Wrestling, TNA Xplosion, and Ring Ka King.
Mr. V and Mr. Namako’s GPA Scale
4.0 – 3.6 – A
3.5 – 2.6 – B
2.5 – 1.6 – C
1.5 – 0.7 – D
0.6 – 0.0 – F or INC
After our Grade Book is opened, we will then offer what we thought was the Show of the Week. We will award two points for the show of the week and one point to the runner-up, similar to what the “Mr. V” columns were in months past.
Now remember readers, this is completely subjective. There is a difference between the words “objective” and “subjective”. If you don’t know what that means, look it up on dictionary.com.
So, let’s begin.
Ring of Honor on Sinclair (aired March 10th)
Best Segment: Once again, the best segment was the “Inside Ring of Honor”, as it did a good job of hyping up the “Showdown in the Sun” Internet PPVs for Wrestlemania weekend.
1. Blind Destiny Challenge, with the winner facing Roderick Strong on the 3/31 “Showdown in the Sun” Internet PPV: Ring of Honor Television Champion Jay Lethal defeated “The Pretty Boy Pitbull” Kenny King w/Rhett Titus by pinfall after reversing a Backlund Bridge into a bridge of his own.
Mr. V: The match had lots of move for move chemistry, however I felt that they match could have been more fast paced to match their styles. The only positive was that they both are great athletes, but it flowed poorly. Grade: 1.9
Jason N.: The match was solid, albeit it somewhat disappointing. Lethal did not bring a lot of fire with him and it seemed that he was going through the motions in this. King, however, was very good here. Decent on the sell, but very nice babyface fire on the comeback. Solid match, but it was just a tad underwhelming. Grade: 1.8
Overall Grade: 1.85
2. Blind Destiny Challenge, with the winner facing Eddie Edwards on the 3/31 “Showdown in the Sun” Internet PPV: “Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare” Kevin Steen defeated Adam Cole by pinfall with the F-Cinq.
Mr. V: The match had a lot of no-selling, but the chemistry and flow to this match was great. Cole in the beginning knew he was not going to brawl, so he used timely quick spots in this match. Steen’s brawling and underrated quickness added great elements to this match. Oh, and Steen did a Moonsault. Enough Said. Grade: 2.4
Jason N.: Match was pretty good. Cole is a damn good FIP and to me, is a real throwback of an 80s to early 90s white meat babyface that a crowd can get behind. Crazy to say that in 2012, but it has been successful for him, especially in recent months. Steen continues to do great in his role as the anti-hero that people cheer and I thought he and Cole had a pretty good back and forth match with some believable nearfalls towards the end for Cole. Good match. Grade: 2.2
Overall Grade: 2.3
3. Blind Destiny Challenge, with the winner facing Davey Richards on the 3/31 “Showdown in the Sun” Internet PPV: “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin w/Truth Martini defeated Kyle O’Reilly by pinfall with the 360* Powerbomb.
Mr. V: This was a very good power vs. quickness battle. O’Reilly was at his best and I felt was booked to be the better wrestler because of the distractions aiding Elgin (Roderick Strong jumped to the ring twice during the match). Elgin is a powerful wrestler on this brand, but if there is one thing I should be critical on his that he stops moving like a lightweight. Not picking on it, but I think Elgin has a bright future. Grade: 3.0
Jason N.: Best thing on the show this week. I thought Richards was actually solid on commentary during this and I liked the involvement of Roderick Strong towards the end. Kyle O’Reilly definitely put a much better performance than usual for him. Great strikes, pretty good on the FIP and also showed some decent fire on the comeback. The real star of the match, however, was Michael Elgin. Just amazing with his power spots, but at the same time, he does a good job of making the nearfalls from his opponents look believable for a man of his size. These two have really good chemistry with one another and put on a very good and entertaining main event. Grade: 2.5
Overall Grade: 2.75
Ring Ka King (aired March 10th)
Note: Mr. V was not able to watch Ring Ka King for March 10, 2012.
Best Segment: Without a shadow of doubt, the cornation of Magnus as the new Ring Ka King Champion and the creation of Jarrett’s stable, now known as RDX. Very entertaining segment.
1. The Bollywood Boys & Pagal Parinda defeated “The Filpino Playboy” Zema Ion, Jimmy Rave & Maxx B by pinfall when Parinda pinned Rave with a top rope moonsault.
Jason N.: Complete spotfest of a match, but I enjoyed it and was never bored. The only person that fell flat once again was Parinda. He is just not ready to be in the ring, much less a pushed commodity. Everyone else was solid in their roles, but Parinda slightly hindered the match to me. Grade: 1.9
Overall Grade: 1.9
2. American Adonis(Chris Masters) defeated Barood by submission with the Adonis Lock.
Jason N.: Squash match for Adonis. Nothing more to it than that. Grade: 1.2
Overall Grade: 1.2
3. Verra defeated Tony Broadway w/Joey Hollywood by pinfall with a one-armed spinebuster.
Jason N.: See the above match for my thoughts on this match. Grade: 1.3
Overall Grade: 1.3
Ring Ka King (aired March 11th)
Note: Mr. V was not able to watch Ring Ka King for March 11, 2012.
Best Segment: The in-ring segment where RDX tried to recruit Jawal into the group was a solid angle as it showed that while Jawal is a heel, he is a loner and doesn;t want to be a part of any faction. Jarrett was good in his role and the segment came off very nicely to me.
1. Romeo Rapata & Maxx B. defeated The Sheiks w/Raisha by pinfall when Rapata pinned Mustafa with a rollup after Angelina Love prevented Raisha from interfering.
Jason N.: Pretty decent contest. Rapata & Maxx B looked much better than in previous efforts and The Sheiks remain a very good tag team attraction as heels. The Raisha/Angelina Love stuff at the end was OK to lead to a match down the line and overall, thought it was a good opener for the show. Grade: 2.1
Overall Grade: 2.1
2. Mumabi Cat #1 w/Mumabi Cat #2 defeated Barood by pinfall with a Jackknife pin.
Jason N.: Not a lot to this match. Barrod got most of the offense in this and then got rolled up like a buffoon. Wasn’t very good to me. Grade: 1.2
Overall Grade: 1.2
3. Ring Ka King Tag Team Titles: Monster Abyss & “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner defeated Bulldog Hart & Chavo Guerrero (c) by pinfall to win the titles when Abyss pinned Guerrero with the Blackhole Slam.
Jason N.: Very good main event. I don’t know what got into Bulldog Hart, but he is coming off much better in Ring Ka King than he ever was in WWE. Good hot tag, don’t do too much to be spotty while showing off his power in a nice way. Steiner & Abyss continue to make great monster heels that the fans can be legit afraid of, but also did well in their control section. Chavo was solid on the FIP work, although I would like to see a little bit more from him in that department. But overall, a very good main event and maybe even a nominee in the MOTY Project. Grade: 2.7
Overall Grade: 2.7
Florida Championship Wrestling (aired March 12th)
Note: Mr. V was not able to watch Florida Championship Wrestling for March 12, 2012.
Best Segment: To me, it was a toss-up between the debut promo of Chris Hero & the storyline firing of Maxine as FCW General Manager. If I had to choose one, it would be Hero’s promo as I really liked that he kept many facets of the “Young Knockout Kid” character he portayed in Ring of Honor. Very well done debut promo.
1. CJ Parker & Jason Jordan defeated Big E. Langston & Alexander Rusev by pinfall when Parker pinned Rusev with a La Magistral.
Jason N.: The opening tag match was decent as I thought Parker & Jordan worked very well together as a team. Liked Parker’s babyface fire off the hot tag and Jordan did a decent enough job as a FIP. Langston was solid, however again Rusev didn’t do anything for me and was very mediocre. Grade: 1.5
Overall Grade: 1.5
2. Colin Cassady w/Byron Saxton defeated “The Ascension” Kenneth Cameron by pinfall with a big boot after Saxton interfered.
Jason N.: OK match, but as I have said before, Cassady’s build is not good for someone who is looking to be Byron Saxton’s new charge in FCW. Continue to be impressed by Cameron’s intensity and I did think Cassady somewhat improved in the ring on this occasion, but the lack of build to him is a big detriment to me. Grade: 1.3
Overall Grade: 1.3
3. Audrey Marie defeated Sofia Cortez by pinfall with a spinning side slam.
Jason N.: Was not as bad as the atrocity they had last week, however that doesn’t mean it was any good either. Marie’s selling was horrible and this was another occasion where Cortez drew a blank and got lost in the middle of the match. Not bad, but not good either. Grade: 1.2
Overall Grade: 1.2
4. Florida Heavyweight Title: Leo Kruger defeated Mike Dalton (c) by submission to regain the title with a sleeper.
Jason N.: It told a good story as it the continued the Mike Dalton as a underdog deal and doing almost a Rocky story with Kruger playing Apollo Creed. Dalton was very good on the selling, but lacked a bit on the comeback. Kruger has gotten really good on his control segments and to me, is very much ready for a call-up. Good main event. Grade: 2.3
Overall Grade: 2.3
WWE Monday Night RAW Supershow (aired March 12th)
Best Segment: Without a doubt, it was the John Cena battle rap that kicked off the show. Cena 3, Rock 0.
1. “The Great White” Sheamus defeated “The Show-Off” Dolph Ziggler w/Vickie Guerrero by pinfall with the Brogue Kick.
Mr. V: A well-booked match between two of the best wrestlers in the WWE bar none. Ziggler bumped his behind off and had some good offense as well in the match. Sheamus showcased his power and quickness that led to the finish. From start to finish, I was impressed. One of the best matches in the WWE so far. Grade: 3.2
Jason N.: Way better match than it had any real right to be. Ziggler is just a bumping machine and just continues to show off, no pun intended, why he belongs in that upper echelon of the company. Sheamus is a tough SOB for taking that nasty bump on the table and gutting through it, but also did a good job at making Ziggler a believable threat to him. Grade: 2.6
Overall Grade: 2.9
2. Handicap Match: David “A List” Otunga & “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry defeated WWE United States Champion Santino Marella by pinfall when Henry pinned Santino with the World’s Strongest Slam.
Mr. V: Again just like the other Ace vs. Long stories, this match was to build up the match at Mania. Actually, I think they showed more of the GMs than they did the match. Henry’s finish saved this from failing. Grade: 0.7
Jason N.: Just a way to get Henry back over as a monster heel. Now, if only they had not completely squashed him like a bug the last month and this would have been really good. However, the start-stop with these guys continues and it boggles my mind. Grade: 1.4
Overall Grade: 1.05
3. “The Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay w/Naomi & Cameron defeated Jinder Mahal by pinfall with the Funk It.
Mr. V: I am happy that Clay is back. I am happy that Mahal got squashed. However, I can’t give this a grade. Grade: INC.
Jason N.: Well his momma was called, but I don’t think anyone picked up because Brodus got ZERO reaction during this. Oh and BTW, Jinder Mahal was in this match also if anyone forgot. Complete squash. Grade: INC
Overall Grade: INC
4. WWE Champion CM Punk defeated The Miz by submission with the Anaconda Vice.
Mr. V: This match really focused on The Miz and now I am wondering if a face turn is in the future for him. He can be marketable and since his is in a slump, why not? It was a tune up for Punk and he passed it with his quickness throughout the match. It was a story for The Miz, and it is going to be an interested road to Mania for him. Grade: 2.1
Jason N.: And the beat goes on with the Miz downward spiral. He was off on a lot of spots and it really seems to me that he just doesn’t care anymore, which is a real shame. Punk looked fine here, but Miz dragged it down a ton. Grade: 1.6
Overall Grade: 1.85
5. “The Viper” Randy Orton defeated “The All-American American” Jack Swagger w/Vickie Guerrero by pinfall with the RKO.
Mr. V: I think this match showed that Swagger can wrestle with the main event talents. I just can’t point out why he is not higher on the pecking order because he was very technical at the leg. Orton was actually not the best wrestler in this match. While Orton was spot on and brawled well, he forgot that Swagger worked on his knee those few minutes before he had his Superplex and finish. Grade: 2.3
Jason N.: Decent little match, but more of a showcase for Orton heading into his potential Mania match with Kane. The Swagger comb over is the Ziggler brown hair of this year, it just doesn’t work and looks completely moronic. Grade: 1.8
Overall Grade: 2.05
TNA Xplosion (aired March 14th)
Note: Mr. V was not able to watch TNA Xplosion for March 14, 2012.
Best Segment: As much as the Spin Cycle has become the usual best thing on the Xplosion show, I did enjoy a little bit more the backstage promo with Eric Young. Young’s comedy is just great and it was no different here.
1. Velvet Sky defeated Angelina Love by pinfall with the In Yo Face (Double Underhook Sit-Out Facebuster).
Jason N.: OK knockouts match. Velvet & Angelina worked hard, but there was just something missing to make it into a good match. But, I thought both gave a good effort. Grade: 1.7
Overall Grade: 1.7
WWE NXT (aired March 14th)
Best Segment: The backstage segment between Curti-Max & Bate-lyn was the best segment on the show as it did a nice job at playing humor before the mixed tag main event.
1. The Usos (Jimmy & Jey) defeated “Mr. No Days Off” Darren Young & Titus O’Neil by pinfall when Jey pinned O’Neil with the Superfly Splash.
Mr. V: This was a good tag team match. The flow was on-target. I liked how Jimmy sold and really told a story when Young and O’Neil attacked the neck. The Usos also showed that quickness here that shows to me that when booked in the tag title picture again they can be champs. Also, don’t headbutt an Uso. Grade: 2.4
Jason N.: Pretty good tag team match. Young & O’Neil have created a nice bit of chemistry as a team and The Usos continue to shine in their underutilized role. Why these two aren’t the Tag Team champions is beyond me. Good effort by 4 for a pretty good opening match. Grade: 2.2
Overall Grade: 2.3
2. Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks defeated Alex Riley & “Showtime” Percy Watson when Hawkins pinned Watson with the Heatseeking Elbow.
Mr. V: Finally, Hawkins and Reks get built up with a good win over the least experienced team. Watson again showed great babyface work and sold well but Riley when on the hot tag was just flying by his spots. Hawkins and Reks were in control most of the match and the chemistry from both were solid. They were brawlers and did just that to Watson. Overall, it was a good match for NXT. Grade: 2.0
Jason N.: Not as good as the opening match, but still a solid effort. Hawkins & Reks have come into their own as the scumbag heel team and also have impressed with their in-ring work, especially Hawkins. Riley & Watson were fine here and Riley wasn’t as Roadrunner as usual off the hot tag. Watson was decent on the FIP and overall, match was solid. Grade: 2.0
Overall Grade: 2.0
3. Mixed Tag: Derrick Bateman & Kaitlyn defeated Johnny Curtis & Maxine by pinfall when Bateman pinned Curtis with a version of Daizee Haze’s Mind Trip.
Mr. V: This to me was way too short, and the execution could have been better. The divas I don’t think got a minute in this match and the awareness by Curtis and Bateman were subpar. Only highlight wrestling wise was that Curtis worked on Bateman’s leg while “getting weird” to Kaitlyn. Grade: 1.3
Jason N.: Not much of a match here. The girls were only in there for 30 seconds and the rest was Bateman & Curtis. Ending came out of nowhere and it seemed like Bateman & Curtis were going through the motions. Unfortunate. Grade: 1.7
Overall Grade: 1.5
WWE Superstars (aired March 15th)
1. Hunico w/Camacho defeated “The Cape Town Werewolf” Justin Gabriel by pinfall with a 2nd rope Samoan Drop.
Mr. V: Ok, I see why Hunico is still employed by the WWE. And I will admit, I am eating crow. In this match, Hunico showed why he can be an all-around talent if they give him something to work with. Gabriel was a perfect opponent for Hunico, as he can match speed and power. Only bad spot was the high risk Springboard dive by Gabriel, as if Hunico and Camacho did not catch his fall someone would have had a serious injury. Grade: 3.1
Jason N.: IMO, the best thing on the show. Hunico I thought, for the first time in a long while, looked really good in his match with Gabriel, putting together some really unique spots while sticking to a more ground based attack. Gabriel did another good job on the FIP work, but has also really stepped up his game on the intensity department on his comebacks, as that was something he was really lacking in. They gave these two a lot of time and it really delivered in my book. Good match and good effort by both. Grade: 2.4
Overall Grade: 2.25
2. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth defeated Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks by pinfall when Truth pinned Hawkins with the Little Jimmy.
Mr. V: This match was great in the 2nd half, but the Reks and Hawkins control segment was starting to wear down my eyes. Kingston was a great babyface in peril and Truth was great with the hot tag. Kingston did some air moves, however he was timely with them (something that has been lacking the past couple years). Hawkins and Reks were not bad, just a set of hurdles for Kingston and Truth to jump over. Grade: 2.7
Jason N.: It was solid, but Hawkins and Reks started to wane a little bit on their control section. Kingston played a good FIP for them, though, so it didn’t hinder the match to me. Truth was decent off the hot tag, and overall the match was solid, but just lacked a little. Grade: 1.9
Overall Grade: 2.3
3. WWE Divas Champion “The Glamazon” Beth Phoenix defeated Kelly Kelly by pinfall with the Glam Slam.
Mr. V: Phoenix was excellent and I felt she carried the match while Kelly was lazy. Give Phoenix credit, she was technical in the ring and it is a rare sight in the Divas Division. Grade: 1.4
Jason N.: Match was a better effort from Kelly than what we have seen recently from her, as she was decent on the FIP and showed some nice babyface fire, which is a rarity. Liked that Kelly got that 1 hope spot on Beth towards the end with the Glam Slam counter before Beth ate her for lunch on the 2nd try. Continued Beth’s domination, while also showing she has vulnerability if put in a flash pin situation. Good effort by both girls. Grade: 2.1
Overall Grade: 1.75
TNA IMPACT Wrestling (aired March 15th)
Best Segment: The contract signing between Bobby Roode & Sting was the best segment of this week’s IMPACT as did it a good job at building their match at Victory Road as something meaningful, even with the title not on the line.
1. “The Queen Bee” Madison Rayne defeated Velvet Sky by pinfall after reversing a rollup into one of her own and using the tights for the leverage.
Mr. V: The start with Sky’s intensity was good, but Sky was clearly helped by a good talent like Rayne. It was a nice set-up for Victory Road, however the transitions to the match went way too long. Grade: 1.8
Jason N.: Good Knockouts match from these two. Velvet was surprisingly good on the FIP and Madison continues to shine on her control section and stoogy bumping. Hats off to both. Grade: 2.2
Overall Grade: 2.0
2. The undefeated Crimson w/”The Blueprint” Matt Morgan defeated TNA Tag Team Champion “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe w/Magnus by pinfall with the Spear.
Mr. V: The match was OK. But again, it told a story leading to Victory Road. Crimson hyped up how he is a winner, and now Morgan can say “I helped you beat Joe”. Joe looks invigorated and Crimson was solid on his technical work. Grade: 1.7
Jason N.: Solid match, but a little short for my taste, but it also has to be expected when its a Crimson match. Surprised by Morgan’s involvement at the end because it now seems like both Crimson & Morgan are switching heel when it first looked like just Crimson. Liked Crimson’s arrrogance and Joe was good in the match also. Grade: 1.9
Overall Grade: 1.8
3. TNA Knockouts Champion Gail Kim defeated Mickie James by pinfall after hitting her with the title belt.
Mr. V: thought this match had great in-ring presence. When Gail Kim worked on the knee, it was done very well and she just went at it. The grade went down when Mickie did not sell the leg injury at the end of the match. Grade: 2.0
Jason N.: Best match these two have had with one another. Gail did a very good job on her control section and Mickie, like Velvet, was surprisingly good as a FIP. Finish was kind of weak, but it got over that Gail will do anything to keep her title. Knockouts matches really delivered this week and I am glad to see that. Grade: 2.4
Overall Grade: 2.2
4. Mr. Anderson defeated “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels by pinfall with the Mic Check.
Mr. V: The match was very average. The start of it made me worry. However, near the end the chemistry between the two were fine. I gave high marks to Anderson’s power and Daniels’ ability to brawl in this match. Sacrified a bit in the match by telling a good story. Grade: 1.9
Jason N.: Decent match, but it seemed like a Daniels carryjob. However, Anderson did not show any ring rust to me and threw out some unique moves, most notably the miseed roundhouse into another one. But a decent match with a solid effort, especially by Daniels. Grade: 2.0
Overall Grade: 1.95
5. 5-Minute Challenge: Garrett Bischoff defeated “The Olympic Gold Medalist” Kurt Angle by surviving the 5 minute time limit.
Mr. V: Ugh….Angle squashed him well. I just don’t understand why they are doing this right now, especially against an talent like Angle? Grade: 1.1
Jason N.: Angle played around with a green guy, the green guy gets some hope spots in and then survives the time limit. Why? Ugh, Garrett is horrible and this continued put overs of him are a big reason why people have not warmed up to the IMPACT show in recent months. Real shame, but when you have a moron as your father, writing’s on the wall there. Grade: 1.6
Overall Grade: 1.35
6. “Cowboy” James Storm defeated Gunner w/Bully Ray by pinfall with the Last Call.
Mr. V: This match was a bit too quick, but the brawling between the two was nice. The match was to set this up for Bully Ray story on Sunday. Grade: 1.9
Jason N.: Solid match, but it ended way too quickly. I know Storm is heading into the main event of the 2nd biggest show of the year, but to beat Gunner in 4 minutes is a little baffling to me. Good effort by both, but it just ended too fast to me. Grade: 2.0
Overall Grade: 1.95
WWE Friday Night Smackdown (aired March 16th)
Best Segment: The back and forth promo work from Randy Orton & Kane that explained the reason these two are feuding with one another and did a fine job in setting up their Wrestlemania match.
1. Kofi Kingston w/Santino Marella defeated David “A List” Otunga w/Christian by pinfall with the Trouble in Paradise.
Mr. V: I liked the start to the match, with Kofi’s quickness and Otunga worked the upper body very well. However, it all fell apart in the 2nd half as Kingston no-sold what Otunga did and the flow suffered greatly. Another storyline set up, but it could have been loads better. Grade: 1.7
Jason N.: Solid match. Otunga was pretty good here and it may have been one of his best in-ring performances. Kingston was good at the FIP and the comeback, and the finish was nicely done. Grade: 2.0
Overall Grade: 1.85
2. AJ w/WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan defeated Nikki Bella w/Brie by pinfall with a rollup.
Mr. V: The story here is AJ’s love for Daniel Bryan and it showed Bryan being very competitive well. The first half of the match went well with Nikki’s wear down moves and AJ’s quick feet. However, it fell apart in the end when Nikki missed a bump and AJ’s crossbody was off the mark. Grade: 1.3
Jason N.: Not much of a match and more of an angle to get over Bryan as the a**hole boyfriend to AJ and wanting to make everything about him. Angle was well done, match was OK. Grade: 1.7
Overall Grade: 1.5
3. WWE Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes defeated The Great Khali by pinfall with the Beautiful Disaster.
Mr. V: I think this was Cody about 90% of the way. Khali is just too slow for the quick offense by Rhodes. It was pretty bad, but the story is to get Rhodes over as a guy that can beat giants. Mission Accomplished. Grade: 1.2
Jason N.: Actually liked this match more than it had any right to be. Khali was solid in his role and Rhodes’ offense was belivable against the much larger Khali. Good effort by both. Grade: 1.9
Overall Grade: 1.55
4. “The World’s Largest Athlete” The Big Show defeated Drew McIntyre via referee stoppage after hitting the WMD and McIntyre couldn’t continue.
Mr. V: This was a complete squash. Show was great in brawling and his power was good. McIntyre sold well, but that was mainly it. Grade: 0.8
Jason N.: Squash match for Show, nothing more to it than that. But it was highly entertaining. Grade: 1.5
Overall Grade: 1.15
5. “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry defeated Yoshi Tatsu by pinfall with the World’s Strongest Slam.
Mr. V: This match showed the power of Henry. After the first 30 seconds I knew Tatsu did not have a chance. Grade: 0.7
Jason N.: See above comments for this match. Grade: 1.3
Overall Grade: 1.0
6. Chris Jericho defeated “The Great White” Sheamus by count-out after Daniel Bryan interfered.
Mr. V: This match was well booked and featured all four methods of wrestling that makes it a high grade. Sheamus used his power early and brawling late to get some advantage on Jericho, while Jericho bumped well and controlled Sheamus with work to the neck and back. Jericho and Sheamus also had great ring awareness. Sure, they may have had their first TV match this past week but man did they show like they wrestled hundreds of times. Add the countout finish and it was a way to protect everyone involved. Sheamus and Bryan continue their story while Jericho gets more heat for his match with Punk. Easily a Match of the Year Candidate. Grade: 3.4
Jason N.: Very, very good main event and may even have been better than the Ziggler match with Sheamus on RAW. Without a doubt, Jericho’s best match since he has been back and Sheamus has been on a big roll with his performances heading into Wrestlemania. The finish was a little weak, but they had to get some heat on the Bryan-Sheamus match so I didn’t mind it, just thought it was a little weak. But the match was very good. Grade: 2.7
Overall Grade: 3.05
The Honor Roll
Distinguished Honors- Chris Jericho vs. Sheamus, WWE Friday Night Smackdown, March 16th.
High Honors- Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus, WWE Monday Night RAW, March 12th.
Honors- Kyle O’Reilly vs. Michael Elgin, Ring of Honor on Sinclair, March 10th.
The Grade Book
A+; A; or A-: None.
B+: None.
B: Chris Jericho vs. Sheamus (Smackdown), Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus (RAW)
B-: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Michael Elgin (ROH), Abyss & Scott Steiner vs. Bulldog Hart & Chavo Guerrero (Ring Ka King)
C+: Adam Cole vs. Kevin Steen (ROH), Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks (Superstars), The Usos vs. Darren Young & Titus O’Neil (NXT), Leo Kruger vs. Mike Dalton (FCW), Hunico vs. Justin Gabriel (Superstars)
C: Gail Kim vs. Mickie James (IMPACT Wrestling), Romeo Rapata & Maxx B. vs. The Sheiks (Ring Ka King), Jack Swagger vs. Randy Orton (RAW), Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks vs. Alex Riley & Percy Watson (NXT), Madison Rayne vs. Velvet Sky (IMPACT Wrestling), James Storm vs. Gunner (IMPACT Wrestling), Mr. Anderson vs. Christopher Daniels (IMPACT Wrestling), The Bollywood Boys & Pagal Parinda vs. Zema Ion, Jimmy Rave & Maxx B. (Ring Ka King), Jay Lethal vs. Kenny King (ROH), Kofi Kingston vs. David Otunga (Smackdown), CM Punk vs. The Miz (RAW)
C-: Crimson vs. Samoa Joe (IMPACT Wrestling), Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly (Superstars), Angelina Love vs. Velvet Sky (Xplosion)
D+; D; or D-: Cody Rhodes vs. The Great Khali (Smackdown), CJ Parker & Jason Jordan vs. Big E. Langston & Alexander Rusev (FCW), Derrick Bateman & Kaitlyn vs. Johnny Curtis & Maxine (NXT), AJ vs. Nikki Bella (Smackdown), Garrett Bischoff vs. Kurt Angle (IMPACT Wrestling), Verra vs. Tony Broadway (Ring Ka King), Colin Cassady vs. Kenneth Cameron (FCW), American Adonis vs. Barrod (RIng Ka King), Mumabi Cat #1 vs. Barood (Ring Ka King), Audrey Marie vs. Sofia Cortez (FCW), The Big Show vs. Drew McIntyre (Smackdown), David Otunga & Mark Henry vs. Santino Marella (RAW), Mark Henry vs. Yoshi Tatsu (Smackdown)
F or INC: Brodus Clay vs. Jinder Mahal (RAW)
Our Weekly TV Rankings (Week 4)
1) Ring of Honor on Sinclair – This was our show of the week because of the quick flow and three quality matches to set up their Showdown in the Sun event.
2) TNA IMPACT Wrestling – They did a fine job hyping up Victory Road. However, the match quality was better with ROH than on the program.
3) WWE Monday Night RAW – Storylines for their three top matches have some sizzle, but other than one match they were all average at best.
4) WWE Friday Night Smackdown – The show had some very good moments in segments and a solid main event. If it had a match or two that was not a squash it would have been ranked higher.
5) WWE Superstars – The match quality was great on this show, however the lack of segments is what killed the ranking for Superstars.
6) WWE NXT – Though we liked the match setup by William Regal and though it was successful, the storylines were just average.
Overall Rankings after Week 4
1) TNA IMPACT Wrestling (6 pts.)
2) WWE Superstars, WWE NXT & Ring of Honor on Sinclair (Tie) (2 pts.)
3) WWE Friday Night Smackdown & WWE Monday Night RAW (Tie) (0 pts.)
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