Hiatus

I apologize for not updating the blog like before. I'm focused on schooling, and the semester's going to end this March. So I'll try to update more often if I have free time.

WWE Smackdown spoilers for January 4,2013

WWE RAW results [December 31,2012]

Ryback, Sheamus and Randy Orton brawled with The Shield

PHOTOS | VIDEO

Amid the chaos of Raw, the WWE Universe did get one bright spot as the year wound down to a close: The Shield got a taste of their own medicine. With WWE Champion CM Punk unable to defend his title for Champion’s Choice night, he instead convinced Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero into making a 3-on-1 Handicap Match between The Shield and Ryback. Unfortunately, the contest never even got started as the black-clad threesome swarmed their monstrous opponent before the opening bell could toll.

The trio jumped Ryback before he could make his way down the ramp, eventually trapping him in the ring and using the numbers to their advantage until Sheamus ran down to ringside. The Celtic Warrior’s bid for retribution against The Shield bore no fruit, though, as Ambrose, Rollins & Reigns continued their onslaught and kept the two strongmen down. With the odds of survival dwindling, Ryback and Sheamus needed a miracle. What they got was Randy Orton, recovered from his separated shoulder and looking for some payback of his own. The Viper, fresh and fuming, struck Ambrose with the RKO as Sheamus and Ryback expelled Rollins and Reigns from the ring, forcing The Shield into retreat for the first time. Might the trio’s weakness have been exposed?

WWE Smackdown spoilers for December 14,2012

WWE RAW results [December 3,2012]

PHOTOS |VIDEO
Guess who's back?
Like the proverbial bad penny, Brad Maddox has returned to WWE, cameraman in tow and a must-see proposal for Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero. Having starred in his own acclaimed reality show, "The Brad Maddox Experience" on YouTube, the rogue referee came back to Raw spoiling for a fight and looking to put some butts in the seats. Pitching himself as a must-see Monday night attraction, Maddox convinced Vickie to give him another opportunity at a WWE contract, provided he could defeat whomever Vickie picked out as his opponent.
He should have probably negotiated that last part a bit better.
Randy Orton was Vickie's Superstar of choice to face Maddox, and the upstart's effort bore about as much fruit as his bout against Ryback a couple of weeks ago on Raw. Maddox did get one shot in, but that just served to irritate the already surly Orton. The Viper was relentless in his dismantling of Maddox, striking immediately with the hanging DDT before unleashing the RKO to dash Maddox's hopes for the second time.
It was ultimately The Shield who got the last word in, though, hopping the barricade and swarming The Apex Predator before leaving Orton writhing from the force of their three-pronged attack and disappearing.
Now, for the good news: Maddox didn't end up in an ambulance this time. So he has that going for him, which is nice.

Power 25 [November 24,2012]

6 Randy Orton

WWE’s Apex Predator could not buoy Team Foley to victory at Survivor Series nor himself against Dolph Ziggler on SmackDown, but his 2-out-of-3 Falls Match against Alberto Del Rio on Raw was a sight to see.

WWE Smackdown result [November 23,2012]

Dolph Ziggler def. Randy Orton

(WATCH | PHOTOS)
At Survivor Series, Dolph Ziggler defeated Randy Orton to become the sole survivor of Team Ziggler in the Traditional Tag Team Elimination Match. As a result, the two intense Superstars would face off one-on-one on SmackDown.

In the face of an aggressive offense by The Viper, and the brutal back and forth war waged by both Superstars, in the end it would be The Showoff who would prevail. As Orton went for the RKO, Ziggler turned the tables, rolling up WWE’s Apex Predator for the quick three-count.

With his SmackDown victory, Dolph capped off an incredible week: He was the sole survivor at Survivor Series, took out John Cena on Raw, overcame The Miz on WWE Main Event and reigned supreme over nine-time World Champion Orton.

As the smoke cleared, Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez made their way to the ring. But at the last second, The Mexican Aristocrat backed off, allowing his personal ring announcer the leap into the squared circle alone and get blasted with the RKO.

Then, as Del Rio and Orton stared down, John Cena suddenly emerged, locking the victorious Ziggler into the STF on the ramp, making his bleach-blond adversary writhe in pain.

WWE Smackdown spoilers for November 23,2012

WWE RAW results [November 19,2012]

Randy Orton def. Alberto Del Rio in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match

PHOTOS | VIDEO

How do you solve a problem like Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio? Well, we're not sure these Superstars' issues with each other can ever be put to bed for good, but a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match is a pretty solid start.

In any case, there was certainly an epic air about The Viper's latest clash with his opulent aggressor. A combination of the unusual stipulation combined with the long-standing nature of the rivalry brought out the most vicious side of each Superstar, to the point where even the calm, collected Del Rio lost his composure for a few moments.

The contest opened up in the way one would expect, with Orton striking fast and trying to put Del Rio away quickly, while Del Rio stuck to the side of strategy and calmly worked Orton's left arm, attempting to soften up The Apex Predator for the eventual Cross Armbreaker. Del Rio's temper ultimately got the better of him, though, after he caught Orton in a compromising position and slammed his arm against the ring post despite the referee's demands he stop. The brutal outburst earned Orton the first fall via disqualification, but the damage lingered despite the scales having been tipped in The Viper's favor.

The loss appeared to be a hit Del Rio was willing to take, as The Essence of Excellence continued to work the arm and keep Orton from building steam. The clearly hobbled Viper fought back gamely, but with one arm taken away, he wasn't able to escape when Del Rio finally did lock in the Cross Armbreaker, submitting after a brief struggle to even the playing field and give The Essence of Excellence a fall of his own.

The hold left Orton severely weakened, essentially robbing him of the left arm entirely and giving Del Rio the chance to employ his time-honored mat technique to leave The Apex Predator stumbling. A reeling Orton attempted to counter with a rollup pin, but Del Rio escaped and unleashed a wicked enzuigiri to the injured arm that left Orton literally screaming in pain. Orton rallied with a backbreaker, and caught perhaps his biggest break of the match when Ricardo Rodriguez, who attempted to interfere, was ejected from ringside. That development turned out to be subterfuge, though, as Del Rio caught the distracted Orton with the Backstabber and, sensing victory, attempted an RKO of his very own.

But as the WWE Universe knows, the RKO is often imitated, but never duplicated. Orton ducked out of Del Rio's attempt at the maneuver and planted The Essence of Excellence with a hanging DDT, eventually dodging a last-second enzuigiri attempt by Del Rio to unleash the original RKO on The Mexican Aristocrat, earning himself the third and final fall of the contest. Advantage: Orton. But is it permanent? Only time will tell.

WWE Survivor Series 2012 results [November 18,2012]

INDIANAPOLIS – As the T-shirt says, it’s not showing off if you back it up. And Dolph Ziggler found himself vindicated, validated and ensconced in WWE history when he fulfilled his own prophecy, and stood tall as the sole survivor of his Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match in Indianapolis (PHOTOS).
Backing it up isn’t always the easiest thing to do, however, even if you’re Dolph Ziggler. It didn’t look like things were going to go so great for The Showoff at first, as internal discord threatened to tear his squad apart before the 26th annual Survivor Series even started (WATCH: SURVIVOR SERIES 2012 PRE-SHOW). His fortunes didn't immediately improve after the opening bell, either. Trouble struck for Team Ziggler early on when last-minute addition David Otunga (replacing the injured Cody Rhodes) found himself subject to a multi-pronged onslaught from two of Team Foley’s aces, Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and WWE Tag Team Champion Daniel Bryan.
A last-minute reversal by Otunga left Bryan down, though, and the Harvard Law grad summoned Damien Sandow from Ziggler’s ranks. The tag looked promising initially after Sandow floored Bryan with the Elbow of Disdain, but Bryan’s comeback left The Enlightened One so beaten down he actually attempted to leave the match. Kane was having none of it, though, retrieving Sandow mid-retreat and feeding “The Duke of Decency” to the submission technician. Kane tagged himself in to execute the Chokeslam that drew first blood for Team Foley.
Ziggler caught a break, though, after Team Foley nearly collapsed in on itself following Sandow’s elimination. Team Hell No quickly dissolved into their trademark bickering, with Kane going so far as to toss Bryan from the ring. The Showoff capitalized on The Big Red Monster’s preoccupation, hitting Kane with the Zig Zag to send the demon packing. The Miz and Randy Orton nearly came to blows as well, but The Hardcore Legend’s team eventually closed ranks when Kofi sent Ziggler tumbling through the air with a textbook monkey flip, boosting morale considerably for the mismatched fan favorites.
Bryan and Barrett tagged in next, and although the brawling Englishman softened the “No!” man up nicely, Otunga proved unable to capitalize. He was promptly wrenched into the “No!” Lock, submitting to Bryan’s patented hold and bringing the score to 2-1 in favor of Team Foley. Alberto Del Rio attempted to pick up the pieces, but was quickly tossed over the ropes by Bryan. The submission expert tagged in Kofi, but “The Wildcat” was sent to the showers when Del Rio called up Barrett. The Englishman made quick work of the Intercontinental Champion, felling Kofi with the 1-2 combo of the Winds of Change and the thunderous Bull Hammer elbow. (WATCH: WADE SENDS A MESSAGE)
Next up was Randy Orton, who went toe-to-toe with his former Survivor Series counterpart (the two were team captains at last year’s fall classic). When Orton’s attempt to tag in The Miz was unceremoniously rebuked by The Awesome One, Bryan stepped in to resume the attack. A flurry of offense by the WWE Tag Team Champion was cut short when Barrett booted Bryan from the ring and tagged in Del Rio. Amazingly, The Mexican Aristocrat would escape the “No!” Lock and force Bryan to submit to the Cross Armbreaker, giving Team Ziggler the advantage for the first time in the contest.
Orton gave Del Rio a taste of his own medicine, stomping on The Mexican Aristocrat’s arm with great prejudice in an imitation of Del Rio’s own time-honored strategy. The master soon showed the crowd how it was done, going to town on Orton’s arm and summoning Ziggler to finish The Viper off. The Showoff proved unsuccessful, though, and was forced to call Barrett to finish what he started.
If only Orton hadn’t reached Miz first.