WWE Friday Night SmackDown: August 24, 2012 (Full Episode)

WWE Friday Night SmackDown: August 10, 2012 (Full Episode)

WWE Friday Night SmackDown: July 27, 2012 (Full Episode)

TNA's "Option C" vs WWE's "Money in the Bank". Which is Better?

by Brian Phelps

http://wrestlersway.blogspot.com

Recently, WrestleZone columnist Josh Isenberg wrote an article discussing his predictions for TNA's Destination X 2012 pay-per-view. In the article, Isenberg made the comment "This is the beginning of X Division champions being a Money in the Bank Winner." (in reference to "Option C" proposed by Austin Aries that allows the X-Division champion heading into Destination X pay-per-view the opportunity to relinquish the X-Division championship in favor of a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship)

I think that was the silliest way Josh could've described "Option C". To compare Option C to Money in the Bank is ridiculous. They're nothing alike. The mere fact that you are comparing a title to a briefcase is insane on the face of it. Option C requires you to be the X-Division title holder going into the Destination X pay-per-view, which empowers the X-Division title and makes it more prestigious while WWE requires you to win a ladder match that guarantees you a shot at a WWE World Title at any time. The way Money in the Bank has been booked typically breeds weak or cowardly champions that are unable to get over even with a world title. Option C is better because it gives a FIGHTING CHAMPION who has already proven his worth in the X-Division a chance to grab the brass ring while simultaneously making the mid-card title more important as well as emphasizing the importance of the X-Division and the Destination X pay-per-view as a whole. Money in the Bank puts a bunch of random "contenders" (most of which were not contenders a week or two before the match) in a ladder match to decide who ends up becoming the next world champion by some sort of fluke 10 second match. Money in the Bank was supposed to be an easy and quick way to get a wrestler over, but has actually backfired. By winning a World Title via MITB cash-in, you are basically guaranteeing that you are going to be a weak champion that still isn't over (ex. Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio, CM Punk). CM Punk won Money in the Bank twice and was never as over from those title wins as he was by doing it the traditional way in 2011 (when he turned "Best in the World"). Option C comes off way better than MITB because the challenger has EVERYTHING to lose while the MITB winner has virtually nothing to lose (the MITB winner is not a champion, thus he has nothing to lose by an actual loss because he will be no worse off after losing his cash-in match than he was before he won MITB). This means that Option C is a more important match than the MITB because it pits the X-Division Champion against the World Heavyweight Champion for all the marbles. I would much rather see two fighting champions headlining a pay-per-view for the world title than a bunch of random guys in a ladder match only to watch the winner gain the World Title by pinning a champion who was already lying in the ring unconscious in a 5-second fluke win lol.

Sorry Josh, but Option C and Money in the Bank are apples and oranges. Option C is better than Money in the Bank. Also, if you know anything about TNA you know that "Feast or Fired" is a rip off of MITB. Option C is actually a moderately original idea. If anything, MITB is more closely related to the Royal Rumble. A bunch of guys competing for a shot at the world title at a later date. It's the same thing, all they did was just change the gimmick match from a battle royal to a ladder match. The basic premise is the exact same though.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown: June 29, 2012 (Full Episode)

Watch WWE Friday Night SmackDown: April 6, 2012

WWE Raw 12-5-11: WWE Title Triple Threat TLC Match contract signing

http://wrestlersway.blogspot.com

CM Punk Defeats Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series, Regains the WWE Championship

by Brian Phelps
http://wrestlersway.blogspot.com

At Survivor Series, CM Punk walked in the challenger and walked out with the WWE Championship. Punk defeated a game Alberto Del Rio, and kept his eye out for Del Rio's ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez. The question now is where does the "Voice of the Voiceless" go from here? Last time Punk won the WWE title, we never really got to see his reign go anywhere because John Cena won that imposter WWE title and they had to have that unification match at Summerslam. Punk defeated Cena, but Del Rio immediately cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase moments later so we never actually got to see CM Punk's character go anywhere as champion. Hopefully, WWE will do him justice this time around and we'll get to see what Punk can really do as the champ.

What gets me is that I still don't know what the overall point to Del Rio winning the title back from Cena was. I mean, Del Rio didn't go anywhere as champion. He actually had less momentum as champion then he did before he originally cashed in the MITB briefcase as a challenger. I'm a firm believer that Del Rio's MITB cash in really hurt CM Punk's momentum a couple of months ago, and it was kind of ironic because Del Rio seemed to lose his momentum after he lost to Edge at Wrestlemania. So what was the point of using one guy with lost momentum to derail another guy's white hot momentum? Either way, the fact remains that WWE righted this injustice by finally putting the strap back on Punk. Let's see where Punk goes with it.

Raw 11-7-2011: CM Punk calls Alberto Del Rio "One-Dimensional". Is it True?

by Brian Phelps

The Summer of Punk may be over, but the best in the world is still dropping pipe bombs where ever he goes. Last night on RAW, CM Punk confronted Alberto Del Rio over their Survivor Series match. Alberto Del Rio was still demanding that CM Punk call off the title match at Survivor Series (I guess because he's afraid). After a moment of thought, CM Punk told him "NO!". That's not the kicker though. CM Punk dropped another verbal explosion as he explained that Alberto Del Rio amidst all the aristocratic bravado... is "one dimensional". It's his destiny to come to the WWE. It was his destiny to become WWE champion... everything is about Del Rio's destiny. However, CM Punk also credited Alberto Del Rio with being a great competitor, but that Del Rio basically talks a lot but doesn't say much.

I do believe that Alberto Del Rio is a good wrestler. I think he should've beaten Edge at Wrestlemania to fulfill his destiny... instead of the senseless MITB cash in at Summerslam. Alberto has been the quietest two-time WWE Champion I've possibly ever seen. I mean, he has won the WWE title twice in couple of months... and yet I still find him no more menacing than I did before he won the title. I think it's honestly because the WWE killed his momentum at Wrestlemania, and then tried to make up for it with a MITB win. Then, the way they used Del Rio's killed momentum to turn around and kill CM Punk's momentum at Summerslam was baffling. Then, he lost the belt to John Cena for no apparent reason... and won it back a couple of weeks later? I just think the WWE has dropped the ball with Del Rio all over the place. I don't even think they know what they're doing with Alberto. Nevertheless, CM Punk vs Del Rio should be a solid match. Expect a CM Punk title win to get the strap off of a snooze of a title reign by Del Rio.

Upon Edge's Retirement... Who Gets His Spot?

What a wild week it's been. Edge has announced his abrupt retirement. A guy we thought could go another 5 years at least. We lost Shawn Michaels to retirement last year, and Edge this year. On the flip side, if there is anything good that can come of this it's that it will force WWE to give other superstars a chance at the big time. Edge's retirement has the strong potential to benefit one man in particular. Christian. Edge's retirement and the subsequent vacancy of the World Heavyweight Championship should plunge Christian into the title picture that he was taken out of last week upon losing to Alberto Del Rio. So, at Extreme Rules it should be Christian vs Alberto Del Rio for the World Title. There couldn't be a more perfect way for Christian to ascend to the top then to honor his best friend of the last 27 years... Edge. Edge could walk away from the business happy knowing that his best friend filled the void that he left. Christian is very worthy and deserving of taking Edge's "spot", having waited patiently for a decade for his shot at WWE glory. Alberto Del Rio on the other hand has his whole career ahead of him. A loss to Christian over the World Title wouldn't derail his career, as he could be the perfect foil to Christian since they have a vicious ongoing feud. Only time will tell, but I got a feeling that it may finally be Christians time.