SummerSlam 2009

The following is taken from my blog over on GameTrailers.

Last night, I attended WWE’s second biggest pay-per-view event of the year, SummerSlam. I’ve attended a house show and a televised event in the past, but this was my first time going to a pay-per-view, and it was awesome! The huge pay-per-view atmosphere surrounded the Staples Center, and everyone was into it. This annoying group of people sat behind me, but I eventually phased them out. I really enjoyed myself, and I only have a few complaints, but I’ll get to those in a bit. I stopped by the merchandise stand before the event started, and since I didn’t see any T-shirts that I liked, I got myself the official program. It’s pretty cool; it contains images of every Superstar, Diva, commentator, and announcer, and it has a blurb on all 21 SummerSlam events that took place prior to this one. Cool indeed.

Dark match: 15-Diva Battle Royal
Before the show got started, there was a Battle Royal featuring the WWE Divas. When I saw Natalya Neidhart and Beth Phoenix face off, I got super stoked. Two of the most dominant-looking women in the company face to face. It was great. Beth went on the win the Battle Royal, and then Chavo Guerrero, the special referee for this match, got jumped by all the other Divas. I was pretty jealous.

Intercontinental Championship: Rey Mysterio (c) def. Dolph Ziggler
What better way to start the show off than with the Intercontinental Title match? These two put on a great showing. Rey looked good doing what he does best, which is delivering that lucha libra style, and Dolph Ziggler proved just why he’s climbing the ranks so fast. Considering California is Mysterio’s home state, people were backing him from the beginning. Both men delivered a great match and set the bar pretty high for the rest of the evening.

Ex-Con vs. Spoiled Rich Kid: MVP def. Jack Swagger
Before their match, these two were interviewed backstage. MVP made no attempt to hide his past, and he stated that he made mistakes, paid for them, and was now trying to make up for all the time he lost. He went on to tell Swagger that when the All-American American was winning championships in college, he was fighting to stay alive in the slammer. I went in rooting for Swagger, but after that speech, MVP got my sentimental vote.

Unfortunately, these guys were only given a little over five minutes. These two are currently my favorite Superstars on the Raw brand, and seeing them get such little time in the ring was disappointing. The crowd reaction sucked too. I honestly believe these guys did a hell of a job with the little time they were given.

Unified Tag Team Championship: Jericho and Big Show (c) def. Cryme Tyme
One of my favorite matches of the night. Jericho and Big Show proved just why they’re the most dominant tag team today, and Cryme Tyme looked better than ever. Honestly, Cryme Tyme looked like champions to me in this match. Jericho scored the pinfall after Big Show hit his knock-out punch on JTG when the ref wasn’t looking. Shad and JTG will hold those titles, but not yet.

Battle of the Giants: Kane def. The Great Khali
I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. I should have gone to the concessions stand during this match. Honestly, I think Kane is decent. A former shell of himself, but still decent. Khali is…Khali. He’s also a decent big man, but not at the level of Big Show, who I consider one of the best big men in the company, if not the best. This match lasted six minutes, but it honestly felt like it lasted about 15. The crowd didn’t care about this match at all. I really liked both of these guys at one point, but I’m not too into them anymore.

D-Generation X vs. Legacy: Triple H and Shawn Michaels def. Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
DX’s entrance was freaking awesome. ”Are you ready?” The moment everyone heard that, we all cheered. An impressive pyrotechnics show got everyone excited, and then DX showed up on a tank. It was awesome! I was surprised that they put the guns on the tank in between their legs before firing even more pyros (phallic symbols, anyone?), what with WWE going PG and all. But seriously, my words don’t do the entrance justice. Check out their actual entrance if you want to see just what I’m talking about. One of the best entrances I’ve ever seen.

Oh, and the match was good too. =P It was nice to see Shawn Michaels back in action after nearly five months. Rhodes and DiBiase looked great too. DX looked like stars, and Legacy looked like future stars. I was equally impressed by everyone in this match.

ECW Championship: Christian (c) def. William Regal
What…the…hell?! This match lasted 10 seconds. 10 seconds! Considering the fact that the ECW Title is my favorite championship in the WWE, I was very upset that this match was so short. It was hardly even a match. Christian and Regal could have put on a great match, but they weren’t given any time. The bell rang, Regal turned around and started taking off his robe, and Christian capitalized by hitting the Unprettier and covering the Englishman for the three-count. What a letdown.

WWE Championship: Randy Orton (c) def. John Cena
I’ve heard some negativity in regards to this match, but I really enjoyed it. Probably my third favorite match of the night. I like both of these guys, but I went into this thing cheering for Orton. Honestly, TV doesn’t do Orton’s mannerisms justice. They call him the viper, and he really moves around the ring like a snake. It’s eerie, really. At one point, Orton was on the mat push-up style, preparing to deliver his finisher on Cena. He started pounding his fists, and it reminded me of a snake shifting from side to side. Then he pulled back to get on his knees, and I swear it looked like a snake getting ready to attack.

Orton got himself disqualified, and then ring announcer Lillian Garcia made a huge mistake. She announced Cena as the winner and new champion (titles don’t change via DQ), then she said she got word that the match was to restart, and if Orton got DQed, he’d lose the title. This pretty much gave away that Cena was supposed to win this thing. Orton went on to get counted out. The match was restarted again, and if Orton got counted out, he’d lose the title. Then, Orton used the ropes for leverage and won the match. That’s when a second referee came out and told the in-ring ref to restart the match. At this point, a ”fan” ran into the ring, disrupting everything. I think this is when they planned out the new finish for the match. Orton rolled out of the ring, Cena went after him, only to received an RKO in between the ropes, and then another RKO in the ring. Orton retained, but was that the original plan?

Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk def. Jeff Hadry (c)
My favorite match of the night. The Straight Edge Superstar was going up against the Charismatic Enigma. After months and months of feuding, these two were ready to deliver the final chapter in the Hardy/Punk storyline. I’ve seen TLC matches where weapons are wasted, but these two put everything to good use. Wrestling may be scripted, but I’m willing to bet that these guys were hurting after this match. Countless chair shots echoed around the arena. Hell, Jeff tossed the chair at Punk’s face at one point! Tables were broken too, but the biggest spot of the night was when Jeff climbed to the very top of a 16-foot ladder, and delivered the Swanton Bomb to Punk who was lying on the commentators’ table. It was insane, and I genuinely feared for Jeff when he stood at the top of the ladder, his legs wobbling and the ladder moving ever so slightly.

Punk climbed into the ring first and Jeff followed. I began my chant of ”Hardy sucks!” and no one followed, as I expected. Then I really got to it with”’Let’s go Straight Edge!” Probably not the smartest thing to do when you’re surrounded by people holding plastic cups full of beer, but I did it anyway, dammit! Jeff and Punk battled at the top of the ladder, Punk dropped Hardy, reached for the gold, and became the new World Heavyweight Champion. A great finish to a great match.

And then my prediction came true…

As Punk stood over Jeff’s body, raising his new title belt, the lights went off and a gong sounded. Everyone cheered, and I had just turned on CM Punk. The gong sounded one more time, the lights came on, and the Undertaker was lying where Jeff had been. Taker sat up and grabbed Punk by the throat, then delivered a an intense Chokeslam that was heard throughout the Staples Center. Taker walked up the ramp, threw ladders and tables out of the way, looked back at the ring, then turned around and lifted his right arm. Fire shot out from either side of him, and he walked out. The Deadman returned at the second biggest WWE pay-per-view of the year, and he claimed Punk as his victim.

The Verdict
Overall, I was very pleased with the event. Aside from the lame match-up between Kane and Khali, the 10-second ECW Title match, and Lillian Garcia’s mistake, SummerSlam was everything that I could have hoped for and more. The Undertaker returning at the very end was the icing on the cake for me, and I look forward to the feud between the Phenom and the Straight Edge Superstar. SummerSlam 2009 was a solid 8.5 for me.

$30 in Three Weeks

Today marks the first day in three weeks that I actually work.  I doubt it’s going to be a busy night, so I know I’m not going to make any more than $40 tops.  Although I’m looking forward to going back to Avalon, I’m a bit sleep deprived, so I know that’s going to affect me more and more as the night goes on.  Then I’ll be up early tomorrow morning.  I think it’s safe to assume I’ll be feeling craptastic for a large portion of the day.

Tomorrow’s Summerslam, and I’m really looking forward to it.  I know once I’m there my sleep deprivation will be but a feint memory, only to come back to haunt me once the show is over.  I’m looking forward to every match, but CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy is the match I’m most excited about.  Those two will likely put on a great match for the fans.  The second match I’m really stoked about is Chris Jericho and Big Show vs. Cryme Time.  I’m glad that some actual meaning has been brought back to the Tag Team Titles.  I’ve attended a house show and a televised event before (both for Raw), but this will be my first time going to a pay-per-view.  Considering this is WWE’s second most important pay-per-view of the year, it’s certain to be a successful event.

I played Kingdom Hearts today, adding two more hours to my total play time.  The game is fun, but it is by no means perfect.  The camera is a bit bothersome, objectives aren’t always clear, and sometimes battles can get downright monotonous.  Having said that, I’ve still been having a lot of fun with the game.  The music, despite its constant looping, is charming beyond belief and really carries that Disney vibe with it.  Some of the themes remind me of something you’d hear while walking through Downtown Disney.  The level design is also great, and it practically drips with style.  This game was released in 2002, so the graphics aren’t on par with some of today’s finest games, but I really prefer aesthetics over technical graphics, and Kingdom Hearts is artistically sound.  I’ve read that the game is pretty lengthy, and since it’s an RPG, I can pretty much see myself spending at least 40 hours on the entire game.  I will undoubtedly be kept busy for weeks by Square and Disney’s little gem.

Productive Days

Before I mention anything, I’d just like to say that one of my parakeets died today.  The poor little guy looked really healthy, but I guess some insect must have bitten him.  R.I.P. Atticus.

I woke up earlier than usual this morning.  I decided to continue with my fifth playthrough of Starfox Adventures.  How I love that game.  To this day, that game stands as one of my top GameCube games.  The music and graphics are beautiful, and despite garnering some criticism due to its similarities to the Zelda series, I absolutely love the gameplay.  I should be done with that game in a matter of days if I am free of distractions.

Another game I played today was SmackDown: Here Comes the Pain.  Along with No Mercy and Day of Reckoning, HCTP is one of the best wrestling games I’ve ever played.  It helps that that game was released during the start of my favorite era in the WWE too.  (Unlike most people that cherish the Attitude Era, I’m a huge fan of the 2002-2005 years.)  I only played a few matches, and the reason is because I’m going to join an E-Fed on GameTrailers that uses HCTP to sim the matches, and I wanted to collect some information for my custom superstar.  It should be fun, and I’m really looking forward to joining the E-Fed.

While I’m on the subject of wrestling, I should mention that I recently bought the three-volume collection of The Best of CM Punk.  The DVDs chronicle Punk’s best matches from his days in Ring of Honor.  I watched the first DVD today, and I thought it was really good.  It’s insane how far ROH has come in just six short years.  Anyways, the matches in the first volume were definitely something else.  Tomorrow I’ll be watching volume two.

I am currently registering all of my Wii and DS games at Club Nintendo so that I can score myself a free gift.  At first, the DS Lite carrying cases caught my eye, and then I started gaining interest in the Super Mario Hanafuda cards.  I think I’ll be going for the Game & Watch Collection, though, simply because I’d rather add a rare game to my collection than a carrying case or some playing cards.  Then again, it is a Game & Watch set with only three games.  Decisions, decisions…

I read three chapters in Batman: Cataclysm today.  So far, the comic is rich in story.  There’s not a whole lot of action, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. To be honest, the subject matter of this story arc doesn’t seem to need action sequences.  Since this collection chronicles Gotham City in a state of despair due to a natural disaster, intense action sequences would only take away from the plot.  Once I finish this collection, I plan on going to Borders and getting the next storyline in this particluar story arc, No Man’s Land.