Superstar Sleeze

WWE Champion Triple H vs Edge - GAB 2008 Chock this one up to the morbid curiosity. There are no two main eventers from the 2000s that I care about less, but this is one of the few matchups that really was not done often. I guess there was also the Rated RKO vs DX feud, but overall this is not one of the more frequent matchups of the 2000s. The year 2008 was Edge at the peak of his career as he had FIVE matches with Undertaker including main eventing both WrestleMania and Summerslam that year. This also featured the last calendar year that HHH spent a significant length of time as the world champion. HHH had been drafted to Smackdown, which was a definite shock and Edge lost the World Championship to RAW to CM Punk on a money in the bank cash in. This was a logical feud given Undertaker was on a vacation and Edge was the number one heel and HHH was the number one face on Smackdown. The feud is a result of a fact that Edge was marrying Vickie Guerrero and HHH introduced a video at their wedding showing Edge kissing ALICIA FOX!!! HOLY SHIT! Alicia Fox has been around for NINE years. What the fuck? Also crazy Zack Ryder has been around that long. We are definitely doing this stream of consciousness style: Mick Foley says this the first singles match for the World Championship with these. Edge lunges and is pissed at HHH. He swarms him and punches him. Hey good start! HHH sends Edge over the top and then knocks him off the apron. HHH whips him into barricade. HHH elbows Edge as it exposed on the apron and then on top rope. HHH as the babyface should get a shine. HHH is working the neck it seems. Kneedrop there. Good selling by Edge. Feels more like heel in peril than face shine. Edge takes the Bret Bump and HHH LEVELS Edge. Good forearm sledge from behind from HHH. Then sends him off the post. HHH is terrible at babyface shines. Edge is actually doing pretty well. Flapjack on the barricade gives Edge a breather. Edge kicks the midsection and then spear into HHH as he is up against the buckles. Edge always kind of looks dazed. Kicks midsection. HHH slugs him twice, but is selling the midsection. Good cutoff by Edge. This is actually pretty good so far. Irish Whip by Edge into the buckles. Don't get me wrong it is very basic. I work one body part, you work one body part. Some basic transitions. Selling is on point. Edge takes it outside and is very focused on the midsection of HHH. HHH is selling well. Body scissors by Edge first hold of the match. Edge is at his best when is throwing his opponent into hard stuff because his offense looks like shit. HHH punches out of the body scissors. Edge dropkick cuts HHH off. HHH is playing it smart constantly trying to roll away to create space. Edge is staying on top of him. Edge takes the first big bump of the match spearing through ropes, but missing. Not a total out of control bump as he clearly grabbed the ropes and was not going for the spear, but thought that counts. HHH does have good slugging rights I will say. Edge with such dainty kick, but at least HHH gets a clothesline. HHH is really motivated. HHH facebuster and Edge ends up outside. HHH sends him into the post, but he is still selling. Good kick by Edge to bad ribs of HHH as he is trying get back in the ring. Edge hits DDT on the outside and they are both down. That's actually pretty good leveling the playing field spot. Edge lifts HHH back into the ring. He gets a two count. First big nearfall and I think that was well-timed. Edge gets catapulted into post, kick wham, DDT for two. You can tell these two came up in the late 90s because they use kicks to midsection to setup their moves. Edge telegraphs back body drop and HHH almost gets Pedigree, but Edge gets out and grabs HHH neck and pulls down to the mat such that the back of his head hits. SPEAR attempt, but misses and HHH gets a schoolboy roll up for two. Edge big boot regains the advantage for Edge. Edge spear, but no HHH SPINEBUSTER does his big flex roar, BUT SELLS THE RIBS!!! Way to go, Trips! HHH goes for the Pedigree, but Edge drives him back into the buckles, which hurts HHH's ribs. Edge heabutts HHH on the top rope and superplex for Edge. I feel like HHH has a wrestled pretty damn good match. Strong, continuous selling and good offense. Edge just has no presence. Alicia Fox tries to give the belt to Edge, but Vickie CLOTHESLINES Alicia! CATFIGHT IN THE RING! Edge speared Vickie! Edge is in shock! HHH Pedigree wins. Lets take the ending first because it is lame and makes no sense. Why is Edge in shock he speared Vickie? Was he trying to spear Alicia? Why would he spear her? Why is he spearing women in general? I get you want Edge to spear Vickie by accident because it further their rift, but you got to put HHH in the mix to make this plausible otherwise it is stupid. Now the match, pleasantly surprised! HHH sold the ribs well and his offense was well-timed and looked impactful. Edge sold well in the beginning, he played to his strengths which is not to do much offense but just throw HHH into hard objects and kick him in the abs every once and while. There is just no heel charisma or really any charisma with Edge. The finish run was fine and was not too overwrought. There was silly stuff like Edge coming off the ropes getting caught in a catapult or Edge taking a DDT and doing the next move, but it was not egregious. I cant believe it, but these two get a thumbs up from me. ***

WWE Champion CM Punk vs Mark Henry - RAW 4/2/12 When I decided to go to WrestleMania in 2012 with my Dad & brother for my graduation from my master's program I saw it as the ultimate gift to myself. In a lot of ways, I was actually in nadir of my wrestling watching. I didn't watch Smackdown at all. I was totally clueless to the whole Yes Movement and I was wondering why everyone was chanting Yes in the parking lot. Honestly, a lot of the storylines headed into RAW did not pique my interest. The pipebomb promo of 2011 renewed my interest in pro wrestling, but I still was not as into it. WrestleMania XVIII was an incredible experience. It was very important in rejuvenating my love for wrestling, but I would say the night after was all the more reason. I have told the story many times that it was Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XIX that made me a lifelong fan again after I completely stopped watching in September of 2001. Well his return in 2012, spurred on a resurgence in my desire to plunge deep into pro wrestling like I never had before. It was in the summer of 2012, I discovered this message board and my life has never been the same. Thank you, Brock! The other thing I remember from that night was how fucking awesome CM Punk vs Mark Henry was. I was already back in my apartment in Michigan and my brother was back home in Boston. We were texting together just marking out about how amazing this match was. Context, the night before CM Punk defended his championship against Chris Jericho and injured his back. Mark Henry was rewarded with a title shot because CM Punk called John Lauranitis a toolbox at the top of the show. This is without a doubt in my mind the greatest in-ring verbal trash talk I have ever heard. You have your old stand-bys like "That all you got." "I own you.", but then you got some really clever ones "Oh, you wanna count? Count this" then Mark Henry counting along to each stomp. The pinnacle of this and it was burnt in my mind from this match is "Did I tell you to move? You only move when I tell you to move". It is ***** trash talk that is for sure. Incredible performances from both men, just a perfect David vs Goliath match. CM Punk is trying valiant but keeps getting manhandled and his back just isn't holding up. The number one reason he is staying in this match is that he keeps moving out of the way of things. Mark Henry is beating the tar out of him though. CM Punk is laying in his shots. I loved his elbow flurry before the bearhug could be cinched in. There is one flurry of kicks and then Kenta Kobashi like chops that is just electric. Mark Henry sold all this like a million bucks so when it was time to go down it felt like a huge deal. CM Punk's selling and fighting through the pain is some of the best I have ever seen. Mark Henry played the monster role flawlessly. He gave CM Punk openings but he also knew when to cutoff him. It really made you question how CM Punk could win this match? Guess what ultimately he loses! How about that for a curveball! It has been so long since I had seen the match I totally forgot. CM Punk hits two fabulous running knees in the corner. I got to emphasize this CM Punk's strikes looked fantastic in this match. He goes for his standard bulldog out of the corner but Mark Henry throws him over the top rope on the floor. CM Punk goes splat, but Mark has been knocked so loopy he does not capitalize so CM Punk gets counted out. To me it was a strange finish because Mark Henry was on his way down the card and they never followed up on it. God, I wish they had a program together. I think they could have put together something really special. I wouldn't bat an eye if someone said this was the best Mark Henry match ever, I like the Orton Night of Champions match better for the definitive finish, but this was a joy to watch. Definitely check it out if you haven't. ****1/4

Chris Jericho vs Evan Bourne - Fatal 4-Way 2010 A very selfless performance from Jericho, it was truly a good faith effort to make this kid look good. I liked Jericho's promo a lot before the match saying if you are under 25, he is the reason you watch and if you are over 25 he is the reason you continue to watch. He also noticed a change in his career. For the first time, he doesn't feel like the underdog or the young upstart, he is the veteran and he is at the top. It was a nice self-realization promo. He still had another WrestleMania title match in him and the stuff with Kevin Owens was incredible, you cant write Jericho off just yet as a main event act. In Jericho's mind, the way to get a kid over is to give him moments to shine. We see that with Bourne big dive to the outside, the incredible Frankensteiner while Bourne was on the mat and Jericho was on the top rope, letting him get rope breaks on the Walls of Jericho & Codebreaker and then of course the coup d'grace hitting his finish and winning the match. In my opinion, this is a very superficial way of getting someone over. Letting him get in key spots, escape your finishes and win the match are crucial and 100% agree with Jericho's call on that as a means to the accomplishing the objective. I just think there are more lasting ways to present this match. It is interesting to me that Jericho is incredible at creating an overarching narrative week-to-week outside the ring (maybe the best at in this millennium) is so poor at creating narratives within a match. This just felt like a workrate match from the 90s. Jericho didn't feel like a veteran or a heel. He was Bourne's peer. Jericho was enjoyable to watch. Seeing him hit German Suplex bridges and double underhook backbreakers was great. They were trading moves and Bourne felt his equal. It has a lot to do how Jericho was brought up. In his mind, this is how Benoit, Eddy and himself made each other. I do think he has a much weaker grasp on psychology either of those two had, but one key difference is they were coming up together. Here the story is difference and I think a lot more mileage could have been gained if it was played up as veteran vs young lion. I say this as a product of the 90s. I didn't start watching wrestling until 1997. My favorites were Benoit, Eddy and Jericho growing up, no doubt. To me they were what pro wrestling inside that squared circle ought to be. It took me a long, long time to stop viewing wrestling through the prism of 90s workrate. I enjoyed this match. I am going to rate the match they had not the match they should have had. This was a very good 90s workrate match where unlike today's workrate there weren't too many modified slams, no gymnastics floor exercise routines, nor the dreaded stagger for 2 minutes while my opponent gets in position. 90s workrate >>> Modern workrate, don't get me wrong. It just lacked that narrative I can sink my teeth into. But as a pro wrestling match where spots were both cool and made sense this was very good. ***1/2

World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs Mark Henry vs Big Show - Royal Rumble 2012 Steel Cage Match Three months of excellent booking all culminates here. If a triple threat is actually booked in such a way that warrants a triple threat match I will watch it. How can Daniel Bryan survive with these two gargantuan humans in there? Well one way to solve that is not be in there with them. He tries to make a run for it and Mark Henry yanks him down into a BIG SHOW SPEAR! Big Show then unloads with red hot strikes and splashes Mark Henry up against the cage three times. At this point, Bryan is back up and trying to escape again. Having finished off Mark Henry, Big Show can turn his attention in kicking that little pipsqueek's ass. Big overhand chops and cage shots. I love when an annoying jerk gets his ass handed to him. Big Show's KO punch meets nothing, but steel. Ow! Bryan dropkicks Big Show's knee when he charges. Bryan hits a nasty dropkick to Mark Henry's head. Then hits another dropkick on Big Show. Bryan wants out via door now it is Mark Henry's turn to whup this boy. Mark Henry gets his licks in including the great slingshot spot until Big Show hits him with a superkick. Bryan smacks the hell out of Big Show. Dumb move. Big Show with big sledgehammer blows to Daniel Bryan. Great selling and feeding by Bryan. Big Show hurls Bryan into the cage. Some really great bumps into the cage by Bryan. Colossal bodyslam by Big Show on Bryan. Looked fucking great. Mark Henry is back up and takes Big Show off his feet with a clothesline. Now he can turn his attention to Daniel Bryan then stands on the little man. They working the triple threat formula instead the cage well and it is giving the giants time to rest. Mark Henry goes for the splash into the cage, but eats cage. SPEAR BY BIG SHOW! Daniel Bryan covers! Mark Henry kicks out. Big Show back to chucking Daniel Bryan all around the cage. Bryan gets a tornado DDT and then the LeBell Lock. Henry breaks it up. Henry goes for the Worlds Strongest Slam. KO PUNCH! Big Show covers and Daniel Bryan shoves him off. Daniel Bryan races up the cage and Big Show has him with one hand but Daniel Bryan falls to floor to win. It is pretty telling that Mark Henry didn't get one major nearfall in this match. After this match, Mark Henry would be shunted down the card with one brief bright spot in 2013 when he faked his retirement against Cena. Another great angle was Mark Henry showing off his American and Olympic Pride against Rusev in 2014. This pretty much is the end of the road for the Hall of Pain. It was an amazing run that caught me off guard while it was happening when I was reading about it (didn't have time for Smackdown in college on Friday nights), but finally getting to see it was a true treat. Mark Henry was in the zone. As for this match, I thought it was a brisk fun beat the shit out of Bryan match where Bryan was great bumping for these giants and Big Show was really motivated. Very fun match. ***3/4

World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs Mark Henry - Smackdown 1/20/12 Lumberjack Match I hate heel vs heel matches. Face vs face matches are implicitly intriguing. You can get really good technical wrestling out of it. Or the tempers flare halfway through the match narrative. Or the subtle heel narrative. Heel vs heel matches inevitably are heat vacuums because you don't want to see either of these assholes make a comeback. In the monster heel vs the annoying prick heel matchup, I think most people enjoy watching the annoying prick get his ass handed to him, which for the most part is what they go for here. Daniel Bryan is manhandled throughout the match. Being tossed around like a ragdoll. I don't know how I didn't see it coming, but I too like Josh Matthews was wondering why Bryan was going out of his way to antagonize the lumberjacks. Eventually Bryan does make a comeback and see this is what I am talking about. I no longer want to see this and Bryan is still making a babyface comeback. It would be more tolerable if he was heelish about it. It is the usual chop the tree down, dropkicks and Yes kicks (not yet Yes kicks, also he has not been Yesing as much since the first Yesing). Mark obliterates him with a clothesline only gets two. Press slams him over the top onto the lumberjacks. Mark Henry ends up on the outside and it is bedlam. The Lumberjacks attack Bryan and Henry. Henry tries to restore order by picking the lumberjacks off of Bryan but they swarm him. Again, Bryan escapes with the championship in a No Contest. Teddy Long makes Daniel Bryan vs Big Show vs Mark Henry in a Steel Cage for the Rumble! Now that's gonna be awesome!

World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs Goldust - WWE Superstars 3/4/10 Goldust is awesome and is criminally underutilized. His punch drunk selling followed by how he sells his throat against the ropes with the choking and falling out the ring was great. Jericho also looked really damn good on top. Goldust shows good fire in his comeback. Great clothesline and powerslam. Nice dropkick by Jericho as Goldust is coming off the top. Goldust goes for the Curtain Call...Jericho counters into Walls of Jericho. Goldust crushed it in this match. ***1/4

World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs The Big Show - Smackdown 1/13/13 No DQ As a result of Daniel Bryan intentionally drawing a DQ last week, this match is no DQ. Daniel Bryan is disgusted that a world championship match would end that way and thinks Mark Henry should be suspended for tarnishing such a prestigious match. Mark Henry informs Daniel Bryan he aint suspended and he is facing the World Champion next week on Smackdown. In other news, AJ tells Daniel Bryan, she loves him. Then she tries to reason with the Big Show this gives Daniel Bryan a chance to puff out his chest that he wont let Big Show take his title and his girl. I forgot how much I enjoyed this Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan asks AJ how much she loves him. Does he have a plan? Well it seems the plan is to simply to have her come out with him. Awesome match. Big Show is a joy to watch. Such mobile big man and everything he does looks impressive. Daniel Bryan wants a handshake and Big Show obliges by sending Bryan up into a Gorilla Press and then just dropping him. Big Show manhandles Bryan and big chops. Bryan tries coming off the top rope and SPEAR! DAMN BRYAN LOOKED HE WAS BROKEN IN HALF! Great spot. Bryan is too close to the ropes. Bryan does about the only thing he can: get an equalizer. He starts wailing on Big Show with the chair. Big Show is able to knock it out of his hands a couple times, but Bryan keeps coming back to it. DDT on the chair that's how he won the title but it was Mark Henry that did DDT that time, this time it is just a two count. Big Show KO Punches the chair. Always love that spot. Big Show wants to put Daniel Bryan through the table. Bryan keeps with the chair strategy. He tries a running knee off the apron which has proven effective in the past but gets chopped out in mid-air. Bryan runs away and Big Show steamrolls AJ. This stops the match because everyone tends to AJ and Big Show is completely broken up about it. I can keep waiting for Bryan to tear into Big Show. It finally happens. All of it is gold: pointing out the weight discrepancy, how could he be so reckless, you want the title so bad you have it and then to top it all off he calls him a BASTARD! Love it. Big Show looks so pathetic trying to cry but Daniel Bryan rules. This whole angle is money. Loved the match Bryan gets his ass kicked resorts to a steel chair and it becomes Big Show vs the steel chair wielding Daniel Bryan. Great stuff all around. What trick does Bryan have up his sleeve against the World's Strongest Man next week??? ***3/4

World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs Big Show - Smackdown 1/6/12 The Yes Movement Begins! There was a hilarious backstage segment the previous week where Daniel Bryan was just so proud of saving the Big Show from Mark Henry twice and Big Show was getting annoyed. Daniel Bryan says "You are annoyed. You have not even thanked me once." The way he said it and his facial expression made me laugh out loud. Big Show is nearly giddy at prospect of this World Championship match with Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan mocks him for losing the title in 45 seconds and then tells Big Show to get his hand off his shoulder. Big Show gets all pissy. Sorry brutha but if you are gonna dish it, you gotta be prepared to take it. Got no sympathy for Big Show. Awesome match. Bryan is very cocky on his way down to the ring. Oh yeah I would be remiss not to mention Mark Henry standing up to Michael Cole is the best thing ever. Michael Cole says something about who would win Bryan vs Hornswoggle. Mark Henry just rips into him. Definitely check out. Show uses his size early throwing Bryan around at will and hitting those massive chops. Bryan gets some hope spots like the dropkick to the outside, but that's what they are just hope spots. Some great Big Show presses when Daniel Bryan tries to cover. Mark Henry cheering for both to lose is great. Bryan tries some aerial stuff from the top and Big Show swats him out of the sky with that massive chop. Bryan tries to build momentum using the ropes and Big Show hits a massive spear. I like how Bryan trying everything but has no answer for the size of the Big Show. Big Show is just crushing it. That is until Bryan gets a guillotine choke and transitions into a LeBell Lock. When Big Show winds up for the KO Punch, Bryan realizes he is fucked and retreats fearfully to the outside. He realizes those submissions were his best chance and so he has to get out of this match a different way. Bryan gets up in Mark Henry's face and Mark gives him a wicked shove. The ref reluctantly calls for a DQ. Bryan celebrates like he won the World Championship at the Main Event of WrestleMania complete with YES CHANTS! That is their birth. Well-structured match with Bryan trying everything he can think of until he gets himself disqualified to retain the championship. Big Show was great on offense for this. Really using his size well. ***1/2

World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs Dolph Ziggler - Smackdown 12/23/11 Good idea for Daniel Bryan's first match since winning the World Championship at TLC. Give him an opponent where they can show off some workrate. Pretty straightforward workrate style match. Bryan gets in his shine, a dropkick out of some chaining, upside down surfboard and a couple European uppercuts that look good. Ziggler is able to show off on a missed Bryan dropkick and by sending Bryan into the buckles, doing some situps and his inverted bodyslam. Ziggler takes a good bump to the outside and then Bryan hits a dive. At some point, Swagger interferes and Big Show comes out. Byran gets a top rope Frankensteiner, but Ziggler rolls through for two. Then Bryan hits a super back suplex gets two. Things break down and Teddy Long makes a Holla Holla Tag Team match. Just two wrestlers running through their movesets, but Bryan has good energy. *** Daniel Bryan & Big Show vs Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger - Smackdown 12/23/11 Great tag match from these four! A little context, Ziggler & Swagger were both being managed by Vickie Guerrero at this point so it is not totally random. Big Show came in waistlock takedown on Swagger, side headlock takedown. Look at the big man go! Ziggler comes in and he just SWATS him twice. Show asks if Daniel Bryan is ready. He is ready. Comes out red hot, but is a little overzealous missing a dropkick into the buckles. Swagger comes in immediately hits a great Swaggerbomb for two. Loved Swagger throwing Ziggler onto the top turnbuckle hard. They work the leg. Bryan is selling well. Love how Bryan is clawing towards Big Show for the tag in the single leg crab and Ziggler quashes that with an elbow. Ziggler goes into the buckles hard. HERE COMES THE BIG SHOW! FULL STEAM AHEAD! Great big shouldertackle from Show. Swagger clips the knee. Bryan tags in. Swagger goes for the anklelock, but Bryan counters into the LeBell Lock! Show had a ton of energy, great hot tag. FIP was well worked and good finish to put over the new champ. Thumbs up! ***1/2

World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry vs Big Show - TLC 2011 Chair Match All good things must come to an end. Given how both men have injured one another with steel chairs, it is fitting that steel chairs come into play. However, calling something a chairs match is very silly as I think we all realize. Sub-5 minute match where the first two minutes or so are stalling so definitely their weakest effort. Mark Henry slams Big Show's hand into the stairs. Big Show cant grip for the chokeslam (exhibited twice) and has nothing behind his punches. Mark is just wailing on him with a chair and stomps on a chair to the hand. Mark winds up and Big Show catches him with the KO punch. 1-2-3! New World Champion! Big Show's first world championship in nine years. Mark Henry attacks after the bell and hits a DDT on a pile of chairs. Big Show is out! Daniel Bryan cashes in. Thus would begin the saga of the Yes Movement! A good little match that on the surface is just that, but it would turn out to have massive ramifications on the landscape of the WWE. ***

WWE I-C Champion Cody Rhodes vs Daniel Bryan - Smackdown 12/9/11 I have not been talking about Michael Cole during these matches, but I feel the need to break my silence. He has been brilliant! He should be a heel manager. He is an average play by play announcer. But, he is great at spewing venom with conviction. So many heel announcers sound like they are winking. Cole sounds legitimately pissed. Daniel Bryan was giving a promo but his loss last week in a steel cage. Cole rips into Bryan to the point it is almost uncomfortable how angry he looks and sounds. Kudos to Daniel Bryan for also getting revved up and looking convincing. Cody Rhodes, I guess was feuding with Booker T and had taken him out at the top of the show. He was the one to protect Michael Cole as Daniel Bryan was about to beat the shit out of him. Cole is great at commentary during this match. Talking about how angry Daniel Bryan is and that it was reprehensible conduct. Again and again, the problem is the lack of a strong babyface announcer. Josh Matthews needs to call out Michael Cole on his anger issues! Strong TV match from these two. I think this is Cody's best run even better than the babyface tag with Dustin. Stardust was the drizzling shits. It is too bad they went that way with him. Cody does tend to overact, but hey it is pro wrestling. Daniel Bryan has taped up ribs from the steel cage match. I am not going to go into great detail. It is an excellent built around that injury. Cody is working with a variety of strikes, slams and holds. When Bryan mounts any offense, Rhodes cuts him off there. It is pro wrestling 101 and it is always entertaining. Bryan finally really works his way back with a dropkick in the corner. He goes for the flying headbutt, but misses. Booker T comes out to lay smackdown on Cody Rhodes. Good TV match.***

World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry vs Daniel Bryan - Smackdown 11/29/11 Steel Cage Match Daniel Bryan's little hunny, AJ, kisses him on the lips before the match. Daniel gives a pretty good promo to Matt Striker before the match. He is confident that he can get the job done tonight given the fact that Mark Henry's ankle was broken by Big Show at Survivor Series. This is one of the best cage matches of the all time, a good mix of cage use early and escape attempts. Mark Henry is like a wounded bear injured, but still very dangerous. Daniel Bryan tries to take advantage of his limited mobility by trying to escape the cage. Henry catches him both times. Bryan tries to chop the big redwood down with kicks, but Henry just flings Bryan into the cage and then splashes him into the cage. The best is when Goliath uses the slingshot on David. Henry pulls Bryan back on the ropes and then lets go sending Bryan into the cage. Henry's ankle is really bothering him. He keeps trying to leave via the door, but Daniel Bryan desperately holds onto the injured ankle. Mark Henry hits two of his BIGGEST clotheslines. These were just awesome. Bryan did a great job selling, Mark Henry is selling the ankle really well. Eventually Daniel Bryan gets Mark Henry down and applies the LeBell Lock. Henry powers out, but Bryan wriggles free and it is the ankle lock. HUGE POP! Henry uses his power to whip him off. Bryan goes for the escape. I thought they did a great job building Bryan's escape teases. The crowd was wicked into this. Henry ultimately hits the Worlds Strongest Slam from the top rope to win the match. Mark Henry's knees must hate him. Excellent David vs Goliath match with the wrinkles of the injured ankle and the steel cage. ****

World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry vs Big Show - Survivor Series 2011 Big Show took down Mark Henry via a waistlock and then armdragged him. He armdragged Mark Henry. That was something else. Just basic spots are eye-popping when these two do it. The body of the match is very similar to Vengeance. I don't feel like they really broke new ground with Henry targeting the leg. It felt a lot more sluggish too. Henry hits his slam and a pair of splashes. The match gets better once Henry drives Big Show through the barricade. Again this pales in comparison to the Sheamus spot. Big Show makes it back to the ring and delivers a superkick. Without a doubt, the spot of the match is Big Show hitting a TOP ROPE ELBOW DROP!!! WOW! Mark Henry kicks out at two but is clearly rattled and punts Big Show in the nuts to trigger a DQ. Mark Henry wants to eliminate the Big Show so he gets a chair and wraps it around Big Show's leg. Big Show moves and Henry hits nothing but canvas. KO PUNCH! Big Show gives Mark Henry his receipt by legdropping a chair and shattering his ankle. The match itself is the least of all their matches, but check out the top rope elbow drop from the Big Show and the post-match angle is awesome as Big Show gets a measure of revenge. ***1/2

World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry vs Daniel Bryan - Smackdown 11/11/11 Daniel Bryan has a couple "hunnies" (AJ & Kaitlyn as Booker T would say) fawning over him. Booker T also insinuates that Daniel Bryan does not look like he has ever had a girlfriend. What!??! Michael Cole was still doing the heel gimmick this late, which I don't remember. Bryan bows up to Mark and slaps his hand out of his face. He even gives him some backsass. Mark Henry says he has guts just a shame he is going to spill all those guts over the ring tonight. Oh Hell Yeah! Michael Cole says Daniel Bryan is a hypocrite for almost cashing in last week since Bryan stated he was waiting for Mania. Not as good as last weeks, but still entertaining. This time Daniel Bryan gets a missile dropkick to knock Henry down to one knee. Kicks and head kick lead to LeBell Lock. Henry powers out and it is on! He squashes Bryan in the corner. Bryan does ask for more before Mark puts him out of his misery with the World's Strongest Slam. I am sure the internet was abuzz at the time that Bryan got his ass handed to him here by Mark Henry. Goes to show you to be patient.

World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry vs Daniel Bryan - Smackdown 11/4/11 Daniel Bryan is the current holder of the Money In The Bank Contract. To my knowledge this is the first real interaction he has had with a world champion since winning that match. Big Show wants a rematch with Mark Henry because he was not beaten the ring just exploded. Mark is saying no. One way to retaliate is to help Daniel Bryan win the World Championship and that's what Big Show sets out to do. The beginning of the match is fun with Daniel Bryan trying the best he can to bring the big man down but is just flung all around the ring. Henry is squeezing Bryan's head up against the post and Big Show scares off the Worlds Strongest Man to establish his presence. The finish stretch is electric. Daniel Bryan hits a dropkick to the knee and brings Mark Henry to one knee. When he is doing his patented kicks, you feel the rumble from the crowd. He blasts Mark Henry in the head with a kick and the place comes UNGLUED! I think they go something with this Daniel Bryan kid. ;) Mark Henry presses him off with authority! Bryan goes up top, Henry catches him, Guillotine Choke. Mark Henry chucks him off. Mark Henry is PISSED! Great facial expression from him. I'd be pissed to if some pissant try to choke my ass out. Mark Henry repeatedly splashes Daniel Bryan in the corner. It is clear he is no longer trying to win a match but injure Bryan. So Big Show Knock His Ass Out. Big Show gets some water to revive Daniel Bryan to try to have him cash in his MITB contract. By the time Bryan, comes to it is too late and Henry hits the Worlds Strongest Slam on Bryan and then blasts Show with the briefcase. Teddy Long comes out and we are going to have a Holla Holla Rematch at Survivor Series. Holla! Once Daniel Bryan gets Mark Henry off his feet, this is just pure awesome pro wrestling theatre. ***1/4

World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry vs Big Show - Vengeance 2011 I love these two together. The video package before this is amazing. Great emotional babyface return promo by Big Show. Then Mark Henry doesn't want to give him a match so Big Show chokeslams him through a table and hits with a chair. Fuck yeah! Big Show starts off red hot and has Mark Henry reeling. Henry wants his title to go home. Big Show gets him back in the ring and Mark Henry hits a flying chop block. BIG BODYSLAM BY MARK HENRY! Good leg work. I like that once Big Show gets out he cant hold Mark Henry's weight. They have a great slugfest on their knees which means they are about Rey Mysterio's height. Damn! Big Show gets the best of it. Look at Mark Henry BUMP N FEED for Big Show. Look I love respecting size and all that but you got to be impressed by Mark Henry there. Plus he is the smaller man in the match. That's always mind blowing when Mark Henry is the smaller man. Big Show HUGE BODYSLAM on the Worlds Strongest Man! He is calling for the Chokeslam, Bang, 1-2-NO! Awesome. Mark Henry gets the Worlds Strongest Slam for two. Mark Henry is incredulous. He thinks to himself the only way to top it is go to the top. CHOKESLAM OFF THE TOP! HOLY SHIT! 1-2-NO! What are they going to have do to finish each other off? Big Show now goes to the top...Mark Henry meets him...No...NO...OH MY GOD...THEY BROKE THE GODDAMN RING!!! The crowd lost their fucking shit for that. This was a great super heavyweight slugfest and the finish run was really well done but that finish puts it over the top. Best pure superheavyweight match of all time! ****1/4

World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry vs Randy Orton - Hell In A Cell 2012 Hell In A Cell Not nearly as good their Night of Champions match, but few matches are. Has there been any good Hell In A Cell matches at this PPV? Since there is no bloodletting, it is kinda just a normal match with an occasional cage shot. I will say they do use the cage better than most. Orton comes out the gate home. He shoves Henry into the cage twice. He hits a massive clothesline to knock Mark Henry off his feet. This was a good shine. The big angle development since Night of Champions a scant two weeks prior was that Orton hit the RKO on Smackdown so you know it is possible. What you are saying is that he has a chance. They play tug of war with each other arms by the ring post which was cool. Orton tries to jump on Mark Henry. Bad idea. Mark catches him and drives him into the post and the cage. So they did use the cage to transition to Mark Henry on offense. Save for Vader, Mark Henry is the best super heavyweight at offense. He does it completely differently than the big striking Vader. He is just pure power. Two great powerslams one is outside the ring. He hurls the steel steps at Orton. He friggin chucks it like nothing. Good thing Orton got out of the way. I love the little things like Orton trying to Irish Whip and Mark just whipping into the near buckles and squashing him with a splash. The repeated backbreakers and bearhug was great psychology from the big man. Henry goes for the Worlds Strongest Slam on the steps, but Orton climbs the cage and kicks Mark Henry in the head. Orton unloads, dropkick takes the big man off his feet. Hangmans DDT. RKO~! 1-2-NO! OH SHIT! Orton goes for the punt, caught, WORLDS STRONGEST SLAM! Orton you got your ass kicked. There was more dead space and this felt more routine than Night of Champions, but these two have great chemistry. ****

World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton vs Mark Henry - Night of Champions 2011 "WELCOME TO THE HALL OF PAIN" That post-match promo has to go down as one of the best championship victory promos of all time. It seems that Mark Henry coined the term "Hall of Pain" on the Smackdown before this show. I gotta check out that promo. Amazing match. Best Mark Henry match I have seen thus far. There are a couple different elements at work here. It is not just Mark's power and mass versus Orton's speed and guile. Mark Henry is the "Worlds Strongest Failure" according to Randy Orton. He is a career underachiever. How will he perform in the biggest match of his career. Henry shows off some of that power early but Orton goes for the legs. Orton can be uptempo when he wants to be. Garvin stomp by Orton focused on the legs. Mark ends up on the outside and rips the cover off the announce table. Show his inexperience. Orton has him rattled. Mark hits a big boot on Orton. I cant believe Mark can pick up his leg that high. Orton has one last gasp with the sleeper. Great idea. Mark backs him in he corner. Orton is on the top rope and one swing of that bear paw sends Orton crashing to the floor. Mark Henry in control is a beautiful thing. Mark Henry is just in a zone. One of the best super heavyweight, power heat segments. Stretching Orton's back across the ring post. Big bodyslam and that big ass splash. Orton is trying to fire up and Mark hits these huge headbutts. The entire Hall of Pain run built to this moment and Mark Henry was ready. However, this confidence turns to arrogance. Mark Henry starts to toy with the World Heavyweight Champion. I use that term to remind everyone this is the World Heavyweight Champion he is wrestling, Mark Henry is on the roll of a lifetime, but even he should not take the World Heavyweight Champion lightly. Orton starts to build some momentum. He has a great punch and European Uppercut. Henry stymies him with one of those big headbutts. Orton to the mat. Henry splash, but nobody is home. Here is the Champion's opening. He is rocking. I liked the rapid fire ten count punches in the corner with Henry on one knee. Orton hits some massive clotheslines but Orton cant get him off his feet. Standing dropkick knocks the big man down! We got a fight on our hands now, boys! Now we get to unique part of the match. Henry shoves Orton off when he goes for the Hangsman DDT and hits a heavy clothesline. Mark Henry hits the World Strongest Slam and Orton kicks out?!?! What's unique? This was not an act of finisher trading. This was a spot that was built to. Mark Henry had control let that control slip from his grasp by getting cocky and once he regained control he went for the kill, but Orton kicked out. This actually built to another segment instead of spot trading. By kicking out of the World Strongest Slam in this context, you truly believe Orton will win. In a typical wrestling match with this build, Orton is a 95% chance of winning. I think this one of the most effective red herrings they have ever produced. Having had his finish kicked out of, Mark Henry does the sensible thing and goes for a bigger bomb. The Vaderbomb. He eats feet. You feel that Orton finish stretch that will end up in victory. He kicks Mark Henry down to size. DDT. Hangsman DDT. Yep Orton has this one. He moves in for the kill and with one flick of his tree trunk like leg Mark Henry takes Orton's knee. Orton sells it like he has been shot in the leg. Orton's selljob is incredible. The way he is writhing in pain. Everything he tries to get up, he sort of collapses. He cant put any pressure on his leg. He uses Mark Henry to get up. Mark Henry is all business. Not a single shred of mercy. Orton defiant goes for the RKO and Henry throws him off. World's Strongest Slam. 1-2-3. WELCOME TO THE HALL OF PAIN! Amazing match. Early frustration from Mark Henry before settling into a groove. I loved how he earned that heat segment fighting through a sleeper and knocking Orotn off the top. He ruled that heat segment. I loved how he got cockier and cockier allowing Orton back in. Orton was terrific in this match. Good selling early, awesome fire late and the leg selling at the end was downright awesome. The kickout of the Worlds Strongest Slam is one of the best false finishes they have had in awhile. Like I said 95% of the time when a match is paced like that, the babyface goes over after kicking out of a heel's finish. Awesome curveball. Loved the finish with Mark injuring the leg, Orton's selling, the last ditch RKO attempt and then Mark Henry finishing the job. Badass. ****1/2

Mark Henry vs Sheamus - Smackdown 8/26/11 Mark Henry won a battle royale to become the number one contender to the World Championship the Smackdown after Summerslam. He has a great interaction with Bret Hart at the beginning of the night talking about disrespect. He is so authoritative when he speaks. Nothing flashy, just to the point. Another good match outta these two. Great lock ups, I like Sheamus going for the knees early learning from Summerslam that just straight ahead firepower wont work. Mark Henry gets a big boot and splash in the corner to take control. Backbreaker, Sheamus takes the Bret Bump. It is all Mark Henry early. Sheamus gets a DDT out of a press slam. Sheamus is a great babyface comeback. Lots of fire and big moves. The barrage of axehandles, I liked the kneelifts to the head on the apron. The Battering Ram to get two was a great climax to this segment. Mark Henry powders. Sheamus tries to reach through the ropes and Mark Henry slings him through the ropes hard to the floor. Mark Henry is thinking Worlds Strongest Slam through the announce table by Sheamus throws him onto the announce table and throws a chair on him. Sheamus wins by countout. Mark Henry aint gonna be embarrassed. He is looking to get him some. Sheamus is always spoilin for a fight. Sheamus grabs the steps and chucks him at Henry but hits the post. Henry clobbers him from behind. WORLDS STRONGEST SLAM ON THE STEPS! The post-match angle was awesome. Another damn good outing from these two. Ill have to check to see if they have any matches while Mark is World Champ. ***1/2

Mark Henry vs Sheamus - Summerslam 2011 This is when I first noticed Mark Henry and Sheamus as something special. I like so many were swept up in the Summer of Punk Part Deux. The pipebomb promo piqued my interest and saved my wrestling fandom. Then I went to the RAW in Boston before Money In The Bank and the interactions among Cena, Punk and Vince led to the best promos I have ever seen live. 2011 was the only year were I bought two PPVs in the same calendar year: Money In The Bank and Summerslam. I was NOT watching Smackdown at the time. My brother and I didn't really care for either guy at the time, but by the end of the match we were sold and both of us were going crazy for the finish. My favorite type of match is two big uglies just going out there and clubberin' and tossin' each other around. This is exactly what this was. Mark Henry was on a roll. Inducting Big Show, Kane and Vladimir Kozlov into the Hall of Pain. Watch this match and notice how judicious Mark Henry is with leaving his feet. It makes those bumps mean something. Watch Sheamus' punches how they lose something in the heat segment. Watch the struggle. Sheamus is punching a brick wall basically. They are both fighting through each other's offense. Sheamus is able to take Mark Henry to one knee, but when he goes for the Irish Curse Backbreaker his reach is exceeding his grasp. Mark Henry just hurls him over the top rope. Mark Henry press slams Sheamus from the floor into the ring. That's power. Huge clothesline and Worlds Strongest Splash gets two. There is this insane spot. Sheamus is on the ropes like he is going to take a 619. Mark Henry comes crashing through with all his weight to the floor. To the floor. Booker gets in the best line ever, he just left a skid mark on that boy. Damn straight. Awesome spot from the big man. There is a "Lets Go Sheamus" chant. They really might have had something with him. Sheamus just does not have much behind the punches. Argentine backbreaker, Sheamus breaks the clasp, but takes the Bret Bump. Mark Henry goes for the Vaderbomb, but misses. See that's how you setup a heroic babyface comeback against a monster: missed moves! Axehandles from Sheamus rock Mark Henry and the flying one takes him off his feet to a big spot. Mark Henry gets how to be a monster. Sheamus is just all over Mark suffocating him with knees and forearms. Battering Ram! He wants the Brogue Kick. Miss. Henry is looking for the World Strongest Slam, but Sheamus evades. BROGUE KICK~! He kicks him straight out of the ring. Great bump by Mark. Sheamus follows him outside. That's unwise. Boy, you bout to get hurt. Worlds Strongest Slam to the post and then World Strongest Slam THROUGH THE BARRICADE! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! My brother and I lost it for that. That's when we knew Mark Henry was for real. Mark Henry wins by countout. Great use of the countout victory. Awesome power match with both exhibiting a strong grasp of babyface and heel psychology and awesome power moves. ****

Im being genuine: who carried who? I can infer because you are a wrestling fan posting a message board that you mean AJ carried Brock because AJ is 5' 9", 200 lbs and Brock being what 6' 3", near 300 lbs means that Brock cant wrestle. But nowhere in your review do you make it sound like Brock was not good. In what world was Brock being carried? Brock was a visceral force of devastation in the beginning. For AJ to have carried Brock in the beginning, that would mean you don't believe in Brock Lesnar's offense. Do you not believe in Brock Lesnar's offense? When AJ is making his comeback, are you telling me that Brock did not sell the leg well, that Brock did not sell disorientation well from the head rocking shots. Are you telling me that Brock Lesnar did not make you believe in AJ Styles? Brock is the best seller in this company by a country mile. No one sells the big moments of a match better than Brock. What will it take for Brock to get the credit he deserves? Oh I know: Shrink 6 inches and lose a 100 lbs. Gimme a break. Brock has a stronger grasp on pro wrestling psychology than any body on this roster besides AJ. Carry? I usually don't get worked up. But to say Brock was carried? CARRIED? You don't carry Brock Fucking Lesnar. Dude, it is nothing personal. I am sick and tired of the stigma super heavyweights face online. I am sick and tired of Brock Lesnar not getting the credit he deserves. You just happen to write that one post that broke the camel's back.

Mark Henry vs Bobby Howard - Smackdown 7/29/11 The second inductee of the Hall of Pain: Kane. As Mark Henry demolished Kane's knee in similar fashion as he did Big Show's at Money In the Bank in the Smackdown after MITB. Now nobody on the Smackdown roster wants to face the World's Strongest Man. Hence this dweeb (perfect word from Michael Cole) comes and gets fed to the lion. Mark Henry is ready to induct this chump into the Hall of Pain when Teddy Long (ex-manager and current GM of SD!) comes out to tell Mark that he cant wrestle anymore because he cant find anyone to fight the big man. Sheamus comes out to a huge pop. WHAT?!?! There is even a Sheamus chant. Wow! He actually had a chance. Damn. Mark Henry says he talks too much. They scuffle and Sheamus sends Mark Henry packing setting up their barnburner of a match at Summerslam 2011.

Mark Henry vs Big Show - Money In The Bank 2011 "You know nobody is going to look at me cross because I will break their face in" - Mark Henry Somebody's gonna get their ass kicked. Somebody's gonna get their wig split. Excellent super heavyweight match. Maybe the greatest super heavyweight clash of the titans match ever. I feel like I am missing something obvious. Apparently, Big Show beat the shit out of Mark Henry when he was venting over Alberto Del Rio. Mark Henry was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Well Mark Henry is nobody's victim. He gave Big Show the World's Strongest Slam through the announce table at the last PPV and put him through the Steel Cage Wall in a different match. Big Show comes out firing. Huge chops, rapid fire. Red hot start. Big Show with the FLYING shouldertackle, the big man leaves his feet! Mark Henry dropkicks the stairs into the Big Show's knee. Great knee work from Mark Henry. It was crazy watching Henry apply a single leg crab to the Big Show. You realize how gargantuan each man is. Big Show gets a flying shouldertackle from the ropes and then goes for the Chokeslam. Mark Henry hits the World's Strongest Slam. WOW! Kick out! Double WOW! Worlds Strongest Slam and then a pair of World Strongest Splashes! Post-match, Mark Henry inducts The Big Show into the Hall of Pain when he gives the Vadebomb to Big Show's injured leg jammed into a steel chair. Somebody gonna get their ass kicked. Both cut an intense pace, great knee work by Henry, awesome finish and just crazy watching two behemoth pick each other and kick ass. Big Show got his ass kicked. ***3/4

Rey Mysterio vs Mark Henry - Smackdown 4/29/11 Let the Hall of Pain BEGIN! The draft was the night previous on RAW and this marks the beginning of Mark Henry's renewed push. He steamrolled John Cena on RAW to make a statement but ultimately cost Smackdown getting John Cena as Cena was drafted back to RAW. This is Rey Rey's last match on Smackdown he gives a really good going away speech. Rey was without a doubt the heart & soul of Smackdown from 2002-2011. We will miss you Rey. Gone, but never forgotten. Mark Henry says the only sad thing is that Rey's farewell is Mark's debut. Rey kicks Mark Henry in the leg and The World's Strongest Man swats him away like a gnat. Rey powders. He get back in and runs into the brick wall known as Mark Henry. Mark stands on Rey. These two rule together. Rey does his belly slide, but he rolls through. He ends up shoving Henry into the stairs and the big man takes quite tumble. Back from break, Henry crotches Rey on the top and then just steamrolls him. Henry misses the big ass splash. Rey dials up 619 then Dashing Cody Rhodes with the MASK~! comes out and attacks Rey for the DQ. OMG I forgot how much I liked "disfigured" Cody gimmick that was his best run ever. I was actually live in Manchester for the Birth of "Dashing" Cody Rhodes. Great debut for Mark because he uses all his size and power, but never goes for any covers so Rey never kicks out. He uses none of his finishes the splash or the slam meaning they are not cheapened. Great restraint from Mark Henry while still showing off his power and Rey was a great ragdoll for the big man. Really good TV match. ***1/4

WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus - WWE RAW 3/14/11 This was during my senior year of college and a total low point of my watching. I don't think watched as infrequently during 2011 since I had completely given up on the product in 2002. I just remember not giving a fuck at all about the build to Mania XXVII. I don't remember Bryan's run on RAW at all. Sheamus won King of the Ring late in 2010, which I vaguely remember. He is in the middle of a losing streak gimmick. Yep that will sure get him over. Gimme a break. Sheamus vows to quit if he doesn't win the US Championship. I thought they had a great, little TV match here. Bryan was a house afire early. Sheamus looked totally overwhelmed with Bryan coming at this speed from all angles. Sheamus slows him down during the break with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker then double axehandle. Some great power shots from Sheamus during the heat segment. They recreate the finish from last week with Sheamus taking a spill to the outside hurting his knee. He lost by countout last week. He goes for the Brogue Kick misses and Bryan applies the LeBell Lock, but Sheamus gets the ropes. Sheamus goes for Celtic Cross, but Bryan evades and gets a rollup. Good heat for that. Bryan chops him down with kicks, YES Kicks and then KICKS HIS HEAD OFF! 1-2-NO! He usually misses that. Great finish stretch. Bryan looks for missile dropkick...BROGUE KICK! HOLY SHIT! HE FUCKING WIPED HIM OUT! Awesome finish. Love these two great power vs speed match. Some great Bryan nearfalls before that awesome finish. Too bad both guys were kinda stalled out at this point. ***3/4