Alucard

On the sexual assault topic, WWE have edited out Flair kissing Becky on the Network.

I wish there were more legends instead of half the guys in and would prefer no one already in other matches being in. A bunch of legends coming back for one last shot at the gold would up the prestige of the match imo. I think whatever injury Rusev had was a minor one, he wrestled on Raw and SD this week.

I feel like 2009-2011 had a ton of really memorable stuff that sticks out to me as being a real fun period. Compared to the last few years which kind of all runs together for me and feels really 'same' week to week.

Good to see a double update, always enjoy these reviews

Jeff's currently testing out wrestling a few light matches with a big knee brace before undergoing another leg surgery that will keep him out for most of the year. Both Hardys contracts come up next month. Jeff said recently that he's very open to an eventual WWE return and would like to end his career there as the two things he never got to do but still wants to are headline Mania and work a Hell in a Cell match. I absolutely loved Jeff's last WWE run from 06-09 and thought he became a massive star by the time he left. Lots of great matches with various opponents and his WWE title win felt like a real star moment.

I think every year Cyndi Lauper should get the celebrity induction, but I could see this year it being Lemmy.

In their match at TLC, Charlotte taunted the crowd mocking a "we want paige" chant while she had her in a hold. Not that anyone was chanting that, but an obvious heel move if that's not supposed to be the dynamic.

Edge over RVD & Cena in 2006 but that had outside circumstances too so before that I think it goes all the way back to Austin over Angle in 2001.

The 'hook' for this week could've been who would join Dreamer & The Dudleyz and they quickly had that reveal in the open. After Bubba was tweeting out Enter Sandman lyrics earlier in the day.. As for cliffhangers, it's something Lucha Underground has done really well. In the aforementioned Summer of Punk, the night Punk came back with Cult of Personality was one of the last times I remember Raw ending with a ton of buzz, super cool moment at the time. Agreed, especially considering that's a word he just used towards Wyatt a few months ago and has used in the past against Kane/Rollins.

I thought Charlotte/Paige was a decent rivalry that turned out a couple pretty good matches but now turning Charlotte heel was horrible timing. After building her up as a sympathetic figure fighting back against Paige, rather than a double turn they've made both of them unlikable. I hope they insert Becky in the title picture now.

I'm thinking about doing something like this for U.S. indy women too. Just how much of a gap (if there even is one) is there between Sasha and the likes of Sara Del Ray, Cheerleader Melissa, MsChif, Serena Deeb, Madison Eagles, Mercedes Martinez, etc? Is Sasha just getting hyped due to more exposure? I think Sasha ranks right up there with Eagles and Deeb as complete packages, in-ring wrestling, promo, character work, etc. Excellent all the way around.

Laughed out loud at this having never heard of the story, hysterical.

As a huge Sasha fan and not a bayley fan, I had gone in to that thinking Sasha would retain and then she lost but the match was so good I couldn't even be mad at the result. I was totally sucked in to the drama of the match and invested all the way through so it's got my vote. Thought the finish was absolutely spectacular and definitely one to remember. I liked Lesnar/Reigns a lot but wouldn't call it the best WM match ever, it didn't strike me as all that much different from some of Lesnar's other matches overall. Both top matches of the year for sure.

I'd go with Sunny as I liked her as a manager of tag teams in the mid 90s. Actually liked Sable more in her '03 return than her prime.

@ Failed Factions, I feel like they could've done so much more with 3MB. Their early vignettes were great but they never really got to do much after that.

I always defend Luger as one of my all time favorites. I never thought he lacked charisma as a babyface and thought he was great in the role in both his biggest WCW pushes as such, 88 vs Flair and 97 vs the nWo. IMO Lex had a superstar vibe from the entrance on, especially in the late 80s. Also a big Sid fan. Never thought much about Mero, but enjoyed the "Wildman" character as an exciting addition to the WWE at the time.

Agreed, he'd be my pick for best WWE in-ring worker that year. Great matches with a wide variety of opponents on a consistent basis.

Same age too. Interesting point, as they originally chose Naomi over Athena back in 09

I enjoyed the second half more, but the first half of Punk's last reign was pretty awful to me, at least the booking was atrocious all the way around. I think that's where Miz's main event run died too. From Alberto cashing in on Punk at SummerSlam, Punk went on to 1. Lose to Triple H @ Night of Champions 2. Takes the fall to Alberto in the triple threat with Cena @ HIAC 3. Takes the fall in tag w/ HHH vs Miz & Truth @ Vengeance then the next night, demands a title shot, the following week is told beat Mark Henry and you get the shot. He loses by DQ, comes back later and just beats up Alberto til he gives him the shot and goes on to win the title. Punk vs Miz vs Alberto at TLC being the first PPV title match, where in the build Punk completely buried both guys with these "you guys are so boring" promos and making them look like fools at every turn up to and during the match itself to the point where neither guy was any sort of threat. Alberto went away with injury after but I don't think Miz ever recovered. After that the Rumble match with Dolph, where he was also made to look like a complete joke with Punk getting multiple visual falls before finally just finishing him off. Then there was the Jericho feud which always felt so forced to me. The matches were good but I hated all of the segments/angles of the feud. After that, the Bryan feud that put the focus on AJ Lee and nothing else which sucked. Things got a lot better/more interesting with the heel turn and Cena rejoining the title picture. On the subject of Miz's reign, I loved that one. Thought his cash in was one of the better ones and of course the mentioned Lawler feud producing classics. Also had that badass falls count anywhere match vs Morrison at the beginning of 2011. Enjoyed his whole rise from tag guy to US Champ to WWE Champ. I also liked the JBL reign and HHH's. Always enjoyed those heel runs where the champ finds unique ways to retain each time.

Indeed. He's won 2 televised matches since the beginning of September, beating Sting at Night of Champions after losing to Cena and beating Ryback on Smackdown after losing to Ryback on Raw.

First to come to my mind as well, not even *two* minutes but super memorable. Wish both got to be top guys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgiDwvE6ey4 And another under 5 I always loved:

Austin Aries wins the TNA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. Felt like a true star making moment at the time. His rise from his 2011 return, absolutely ruling the X Division, then transitioning to winning the World Title with a consistent string of great matches with everyone. I loved Roode's heel reign as well with many fun clever retaining of the title endings. The build to Roode/Aries, the match, and the rematch all just came together perfectly.

Looks like the Rusev/Lana engagement is going to blend into the storyline now. " As first reported by TMZ, former U.S. Champion Rusev and Lana are reportedly engaged. The Ravishing Russian had been romantically linked to Dolph Ziggler in recent months and Rusev fielded a proposal from Summer Rae just last week, but it would appear that any lingering problems between the power couple have been resolved. Why did Lana have a change of heart? Tune in to Raw live at 8/7 C on USA Network for more, and stay with WWE.com as this story develops. "

Asuka was so perfect. Wonderful debut. Main event was another great one. I still struggle with the idea of Bayley doing anything near Cena level merch numbers, seems like a ridiculous reach but that's just me. I do think Finn Balor still has superstar potential on the main roster, good showing here.

I liked the show. Gauntlet for the Gold was a lot of fun. Good matches all the way through