WWE Hell in a Cell Head 2 Head!

Tom and I had a great conversation on the phone a couple of days ago, to do this Head 2 Head, as Tom is out of town here at the end of the week.  Honestly, we really should have made the call through Talkshoe because we had some great conversation that would have made for a great podcast we felt!  So, consider this the podcast that never was!  I'll be posting some of our thoughts on each match and of course our picks!  As a reminder, I currently hold a 10 match lead on Tom in our 2013 Head 2 Head, so Tom really has his work cut out for him.  But, as you'll see, he's got a shot to make up some room here!

Kickoff Show - Intercontinental Title Match
Curtis Axel (c) vs. Big E. Langston

Langston is apparently a face now.  Would have been nice to have WWE craft a short quick story, or even a scene where that actually happened (such as instead of having Punk save him on Raw, have Punk get beat down and have Langston make the save, see, it's not that hard WWE creative!).  Tom and I both feel that Axel will walk out with the Intercontinental Title, however, we do differ on our winners and the method by which Axel will retain!
Tom's Pick: Big E. Langston (by DQ)
Jim's Pick: Curtis Axel (likely by some shenanigans)

Los Matadores vs. The Real Americans

This match gets made officially on Smackdown tonight, but it's been clear they've been headed in this direction for some time now.  Gotta go with who they seem more behind right now, and that's Los Matadores and especially El Torito getting in a good spot or two. 
Tom's Pick: Los Matadores
Jim's Pick: Los Matadores

WWE Tag Team Title Triple Threat Match
Cody Rhodes & Goldust (c) vs. Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns vs. The Usos

The Usos getting added into this seems very interesting to both Tom and I.  Why else would you do it except to move the titles to them?  The Rhodes Boys and The Shield are an important part of the top storyline with Triple H, so at this point, the tag titles really don't need to be there (thus freeing up the titles to bring more meaning to other matches as well).  With the tag division they've put together now (Tons of Funk, Real Americans, Los Matadores, Usos, Shield, Rhodes, Prime Time Players, Santino/Khali, etc.) they actually could do something with the tag titles for the first time in forever.  To do that, get them on an established team that deserves the shot. 
Tom's Pick: The Usos
Jim's Pick: The Usos

Divas Title Match
AJ Lee (c) vs. Brie Bella

We differ on this match as well.  We both feel that Brie Bella will be the one to dethrone AJ Lee eventually and Tom is of the belief that her time is now!  While I could see that, with Bella getting 2 pinfall victories over AJ recently, I can't help but think it's so they can setup the "you beat me when the title wasn't on the line, but when it came time to win the title, you couldn't get the job done" type story with Bella and Lee, so I see AJ keeping it, likely with help from Tamina, who has been great in her "Diesel-like" role!
Tom's Pick: Brie Bella
Jim's Pick: AJ Lee

Handicap Hell in a Cell Match
CM Punk vs. Ryback & Paul Heyman

Well, we both thought Ryback would win the match earlier this month on Battleground, so, what do we know about this feud!  It seems like while Hell in a Cell could be the blowoff, neither of us really feels that it will be.  This can easily go on at least to Survivor Series, if not further, so, to get there, you've got to have Ryback and Paul Heyman win this one again...perhaps with Heyman even getting the pin again on Punk.  Can you imagine the promo on Monday if Heyman can say he's pinned Punk TWICE?  Crazy!
Tom's Pick: Ryback & Paul Heyman
Jim's Pick: Ryback & Paul Heyman

World Heavyweight Title Match
Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. John Cena

Well, Super Cena has healed and is back!  Strange to see him thrust into the World Heavyweight Title picture here, and both Tom and I feel that you don't bring Cena back early just to lose to Del Rio, so, yep, Cena wins the World Title here.  Now, will he leave as champion...
Tom's Pick: John Cena
Jim's Pick: John Cena

Will Damien Sandow cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase?

Tom and I both believe that Sunday night is Damien Sandow's night to finally cash in his briefcase and win the World Heavyweight Title, and he'll be able to say he beat John Cena for the title as well, which will only add to the promos he'll be able to cut.  I hate how they have booked Sandow since winning the briefcase and have very low expectations for his title reign, but as far as both Tom and I are concerned, Sandow does cash in (and win) on Sunday night
Tom's Pick: Yes
Jim's Pick: Yes

WWE Title Match - Hell In a Cell - Shawn Michaels is the Special Guest Ref
Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton

This is one where I think things can go either way.  Both Tom and I believe we will have a WWE Champion after this match and that we'll move forward with things from there.  Tom believes that Randy Orton will be winning the title, with Shawn Michaels having to count down the shoulders of the man he trained, and him showing angst in having to do that.  I like that idea, and almost went with Orton thinking something along the same lines, but Bryan simply has to win here in my eyes (which probably means Tom is right).  And both Tom and I agree that if this entire storyline doesn't end with Bryan tapping out Triple H, than it has been a complete waste of time.  I hope I'm right and that we get a WWE Title reign for Bryan that at least lasts more than 24 hours...but we shall see on Sunday night!
Tom's Pick: Randy Orton
Jim's Pick: Daniel Bryan

What do you think of our picks?  Are we crazy?  Do you agree?  Let us know!

Interview with Cedric Alexander & Glory By Honor Preview!

Check out our latest podcast as Jim & Tom get a chance to chat with ROH star, Cedric Alexander!  Also, stay tuned after the interview as Tom and Jim run down the card for ROH's Glory By Honor XII and give you their thoughts on the card coming up this Saturday night!  You can find it on iTunes, or click on the player located to the right here on the blog.  Also, it is available through TalkShoe, by checking out our page there by clicking HERE!  Let us know what you think of our picks and our cards!

As always, be sure to "Like" us on Facebook, and also follow us on Twitter by following @twospotmonkeys!

Battleground React & Head 2 Head Update!

Neither Tom nor Jim were able to watch Battleground live, so just some quick observations from reports and the highlights shown.  Before that though a quick Head 2 Head update! Jim went 7-2, while Tom went 6-3 at Battleground, so that brings the year to date competition to a strong 10 match lead for Jim, with a 52-16 record to Tom's 42-26 record!  With only three shows to go, Tom needs to obliterate Jim in each of these shows to come back!  What strategy will Tom employ to try and do that?  Be sure to tune into our Hell in a Cell Head 2 Head in a few weeks to find out!  Now, on to the observations!

After a PPV that had it's finish nullified the next night on Raw, and having fans so upset that the result they paid to see was overturned that they asked for (and some even got!) refunds from their cable company, did WWE really just do a non-finish on the next PPV?  Wow, are they clueless?  I get that they want to set up the big controversy so that there is a definitive winner at Hell in a Cell, but man, glad I didn't pay $45+ for a show that ended the way many episodes of Raw end.

Love that the Rhodes are back!  Cody has been great in this storyline and Goldust has had his working boots on no doubt.  Lots of rumors of an eventual Cody vs. Goldust feud, which would have to be very cool for each of them.  I think Cody vs. Goldust makes a perfect match for Wrestlemania 30!

Punk wins (which neither of us thought would happen), but cheats to do so, allowing for another follow up match.  Ok, that works I guess!  Ryback just can't get a win against Punk in his life can he??

Antonio Cesaro is stupid strong...that is all.

We're hoping to line up some exciting things here at Two Spot Monkeys in the weeks ahead, stay tuned here on the blog, as well as on our Facebook Page and on Twitter (@twospotmonkeys) to see what they are!  Thanks for reading!

Battleground Head 2 Head!

With WWE’s “Battleground” Pay-Per-View right around the corner, Jim and Tom come together back in the print format here on Two Spot Monkeys for Head 2 Head ahead of this weekend’s event.

To catch readers up, be you regulars or first timers, this is a pick’em competition where we pick against one another in an effort to have the most success in the outcomes of WWE PPV matches.  And what is on the line, you might ask?  Well, this year it has been recently decided that the loser of this competition will be shaved bald and bear that baldness at a wrestling show we enjoy together as friends at some point in 2014!  Of course, embarrassing photos will be likely tweeted out (@twospotmonkeys) FOLLOW US! & posted here on the blog.

Jim has a strong lead over Tom with 4 events left in the PPV year for WWE, 45-14 to 36-23.  The time is now for Tom to make up any ground over Jim – let’s see how the picks play out!

 

Kickoff Show

Dolph Ziggler vs. Damien Sandow

TOM: Interesting match on paper.  Two guys that seemed to be in really high places on the card at this point from where they seemed to be headed earlier this year.  This one can be considered a pick’em simply because neither has really been given a lot of shine on TV as of late.  I still think that WWE doesn’t mind Sandow losing because it is going to give him a load of opponents when he eventually cashes in.  Dolph Ziggler gets the win.                   

JIM:  Wow, do both guys deserve better than being on the pre-show of this “B” level pay per view?  You’re darn right they do.  Of course, they are better off than US Champion, Dean Ambrose, who can’t even get a match on this card.  Anyways, they continue to book Sandow to lose and hope it will “create challengers” for when he eventually wins the World Title with his Money in the Bank briefcase.  As we’ve mentioned before, we both feel this is terrible booking, but WWE falls back on it far too often with Money in the Bank holders.  Dolph on the other hand has apparently been in the dog house lately and has not been anywhere close to the World Title scene.  He’s a bit player in the ongoing feud with Triple H and Randy Orton, but certainly not featured there either.  Hard to pick this one as I think both can use the win, but since Sandow keeps losing to set up challengers, maybe Dolph can get the win here and become one of those challengers down the road.

Kofi Kingston vs. Bray Wyatt

TOM: There is no stopping the Wyatt train!  He beats Kofi here on his continued strong push.  I am excited for what should be a really, really good match.

JIM:  I think this will be a fun match, and really wish they’d push Kingston alot more than they do, but this is another of those wins to continue to get Bray Wyatt and his family over, so Wyatt wins here without question!  

Intercontinental Title Match

Curtis Axel (c) vs. R-Truth                 

TOM: I think it is really interesting that instead of putting Axel in a program with CM Punk, which would have done more for Axel than these one-off title defenses, he is being paired with babyfaces fans get behind and want to see win, while he continues his I-C title reign.  That trend continues here.  Axel retains.

JIM:  Truth gets this shot by virtue of beating Axel on Monday night in a Non-Title match after Axel was distracted by CM Punk’s music.  Axel is obviously behind Ryback when it comes to the pecking order of Heyman’s Guys, so I wouldn’t be totally shocked to see a title change come soon, but honestly, with the way R-Truth has been used lately, I think it would be a mistake to put it on him, I’d rather see them go back to Kofi Kingston, or The Miz who could quickly get it to Fandango or someone else.  So, Axel gets the win here.  

World Heavyweight Title – Battleground Hardcore Rules Match

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Rob Van Dam

TOM: This match really plays into the “Hardcore History” of RVD and I imagine it will make a for good spectacle of a match, even though these two could get along just fine in a match with any gimmicks.  I’ve learned my Del Rio lesson far too many times before, but seemed to be cursed by the matches I pick with him involved.  Here is hoping that ends here: Del Rio wins and retains.

JIM:  Hardcore rules means this will be a fun plunder match, but honestly, if RVD is leaving after Battleground, which has been the rumor, no chance he wins here.  He could win and then immediately drop it to Sandow, but again, if he’s leaving, what’s the point?  Del Rio keeps it and moves on.  Wouldn’t be shocked to see Ricardo Rodriguez turn on RVD here either, unless he is going to be teamed up with Rey Mysterio or something.  

Damien Sandow’s Money in the Bank Briefcase Cash-In:

TOM: I think it could be a good time as ever to do it, but just don’t see it happening.  No cash-in at Battleground.

JIM:  No, I don’t see him cashing in here, I don’t see what it would do at this point for him, so he holds onto the briefcase for a while longer!

WWE Divas Title

AJ Lee (c) vs. Brie Bella

TOM: This seems to be a really emotional invested issue and I like those types of storylines.  I do think it is interesting too, that the WWE is really playing off of the reality elements from Total Divas and going another level in blurring the lines.  Seems like they’ve really been making fans wait and wait for the pay-offs of issues of late, but Sunday seems like a really good place to cash-in on that pay-off.  Brie Bella wins the Divas title.                       

JIM:  I can go either way with this matchup.  Both Tom and I have been feeling for a while that Brie Bella would eventually be the one to unseat AJ Lee as the Divas Champion, and I certainly still think that is likely the direction they’ll go.  This could be the time they go there, but they have just added Tamina to the AJ Lee act (as almost the Diesel to AJ Lee’s Shawn Michaels), so with that development, I think it’s too soon now to take the title off of Lee.  Not to mention, I am a huge AJ Lee fan and think they should leave it on her long term until they bring up Paige, but, that’s just me!  AJ Lee retains here!  

CM Punk vs. Ryback

TOM: A year ago or close to it, you had Ryback as the babyface chasing Punk for the WWE Title.  A year later, the roles are reversed in terms of character and there is no title on the line, however there is a lot of good storyline here as well.  WWE has done their best to me in getting Ryback to be a really jerk and bully, plus it doesn’t hurt to be aligned as a Paul Heyman henchman as well.  I think Punk is so over that he could lose plenty of times in this feud and it would not hurt him.  With that thinking and knowing there is a lot left to this feud beyond Sunday, my pick is that Ryback wins and I expect Paul Heyman involved down the stretch.

JIM:  Another match I can go a number of ways with.  Punk got to hit the GTS on Axel to accomplish phase one of his plan.  Beating Ryback is stage 2, but I think that might be too quick for it to happen here at Battleground.  I see this ending at Survivor Series as well, so you still have Hell in a Cell before then, and I could definitely see Punk vs. Ryback in the Cell in a rematch from last year, this time with Heyman in Ryback’s corner.  So, to get there, we’ve got to have Ryback somehow defeat Punk, which I think he will do.  Remember that he had Punk’s number a year ago too, and Punk always escaped because of Heyman’s help.  I can see Heyman bringing that up on Monday as well if Ryback wins!

Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Goldust - Rhodes wins, they get their jobs back, if they lose, Dusty Rhodes is fired

TOM: Of all of the matches on this card, this one has me really excited.  WWE has just done a really great job (sense a theme here?) with this angle and match.  The emotional ties created are very real and can really draw people in.  It has done so with me, for sure.  I feel like there is a lot left to occur with these teams and the other players involved…possibly culminating at Survivor Series as I suggested in the last REACT post.  My pick is for Cody & Goldust to win and get back into WWE.

JIM:  This should be ALOT of fun, and a match that easily could be the match of the night if given some time.  It certainly has enough storyline backing to it to add to the drama.  I’m glad to see Goldust back for a short run here, and hope he sticks around as he was great against Orton a few weeks back.  I also wouldn’t mind seeing a Goldust vs. Cody feud down the road too (have Goldust get jealous of Cody’s success or something).  Anyways, I’m getting ahead of myself here.  I think the fact that the tag titles aren’t on the line here telegraphs the ending, which is the right one, the Rhodes boys get the win and re-join WWE.  I see a Survivor Series Elimination Tag in November of Bryan, Goldust, Cody & Big Show against Orton and the Shield, so this helps get us there.  

WWE Title – Decision Match

Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton

TOM: The forces of Triple H, Stephanie and The Shield are all in favor of Randy Orton and against Daniel Bryan.  He is the ultimate babyface and the odds never seem to be for him.  His last month after being stripped of the title has only seen him get more over (which is amazing because people are buying the whole story and not turning on it!) and they want the ultimate pay-off and Bryan to get his comeuppance once and for all.  Unfortunately I do not see that happening in this chapter of the story on Sunday.  Randy Orton to win and get the WWE Title again, keeping Bryan chasing and fans hungering for it and hoping for a Hell in a Cell payoff!

JIM:  This is billed as the Decision match.  Yeah, I don’t buy it.  I think this match will again be marred in some sort of controversy leading to a final match at Hell in a Cell (again, likely in the Cell) between the two.  To keep up with their last few months of booking though, I think Bryan will win the title and then again be stripped of it on Monday night.  They just seem to be on that kick lately, and I think it continues here.  So, while I expect it to be another 1 day reign, I see Bryan winning the title here, perhaps after some interference from The Big Show.

Night of Champions REACT!

Well, the Head 2 Head competition rolls on after Night of Champions, and thanks to a screwy DQ finish in the World Title bout, Jim accomplished a 7-1 record for Night of Champions, while Tom came in at 4-4.  That extends Jim’s lead to a whopping 9 matches, with Jim having a 45-14 record to Tom’s 36-23.  We still have four shows left this year with Battleground, Hell in a Cell, Survivor Series and TLC, so Tom isn’t out of it yet, but he needs to go on a big hot streak, and soon!  Remember, we announced on the Night of Champions Head 2 Head podcast that this year’s Head 2 Head competition is a Hair vs. Hair competition!  So, whoever loses will shave their head completely bald before Tom and Jim attend their first wrestling show together in 2014!  Let’s get to our reactions to what took place at Night of Champions.   

Jim’s React

Night of Champions came off as a rather forgettable show, made even more so by what happened on Monday night, but more on that in a minute. 

No shock that the Prime Time Players won the Tag Team Turmoil, as both Tom and I said, it was the only thing that made any sense, so glad to see they went that direction. 

Adding Curtis Axel vs. Kofi Kingston made sense, as the gimmick for Night of Champions is that every title is defended, so I liked that, and Axel and Kingston have pretty good chemistry in the ring.  If they let him (and they seem hell bent on not letting him), Axel could help bring some prestige back to the IC Title in that he can have good athletic matches, and it could get back to having that be what the IC Title is all about.  Kingston would be a great opponent to continue to do that with.  We’ll see what they do now though.

I actually liked having AJ make Natalya tap in the Divas match, as Natalya had been getting a bunch of wins lately, so having AJ make her tap made AJ look that much stronger as a character and as a competitor, which she should in the current storyline.  I love having AJ as Divas Champ, and she can keep the belt as long as she wants in my opinion.  There were pictures of her recently with the old Women’s Championship, which I think would make a TON of sense if she brought back that belt, saying she didn’t want to be a “Diva”, she is a “Real Woman”.  Good stuff.  Maybe a way to bring Paige up to the main roster too...but, we can talk about that more another time.  She’d fit the “anti-diva” thing to a T!

The World Heavyweight Title match ended so weakly.  I don’t know why they didn’t just have Del Rio make RVD tap, other than they want to keep it going and obviously didn’t want to put the World Title on RVD.  Dumb finish, although lucky for me, as I get the “W” for our Head 2 Head event though RVD didn’t win the title.  Honestly, I was sure I’d be wrong after I made that pick, so it was total luck in my favor. 

The Miz vs. Fandango in a feud no one cares about.  Yawn.  Man, did Fandango lose all his steam fast or what?

The Axel/Heyman vs. Punk match was exactly what I thought it would be.  Ryback coming in as the new Heyman guy works, as Ryback’s weakness is his promos by far, so having Heyman with him can only help.  It will be interesting to see how they go forward with Axel after this as well.  I loved the promo from Heyman on Monday, as it fit his almost mafia boss like character perfectly.  I love everything Heyman is doing right now, so this all works for me.  And some day, Punk will get his final revenge, and it will be awesome to watch.  Heyman also deserves credit for taking the beating he did before Ryback’s interference as well!

Ambrose/Ziggler was good, and these guys could have a great feud if it’s allowed to continue.  While I think Ziggler should be in the main event picture, if he ever gets back there, Ambrose hanging with him in this feud (and beating him) would do a lot to easily elevate Ambrose as well. 

The tag title match was about what we could expect.  PTP get some hope, but in the end, it’s the Shield reigning supreme as they have for most of their run! 

The WWE Title match was good and I like that there wasn’t a ton of gaga (they saved that for Monday).  Was surprised to see Bryan win the belt but the minute the fast count happened I knew he’d be stripped of it on Monday, saw that coming a mile away.  I am glad they didn’t just hand it back to Orton though.  Obviously Scott Armstrong was doing the bidding of either Triple H or Vince McMahon and his “they caught us Daniel” was orchestrated by them as well.  So, eventually Bryan will win it back and get the big moment.  I hope they haven’t cut the legs out from under him too much before that though.  

Tom’s React

Man, man, man…I can just hear the clippers now and feel the razor dragging across my head, watching my hair fall to the floor!

I am a competitor through and through, so I won’t give up and I think if you’ve followed and listened to Jim and I do our Head 2 Head podcasts it will be really interesting to see the way our picks play out with the final four pay-per-view events this year as I do what I can to break even or surpass Jim.

I did not attend this show as I thought I might and boy, am I glad.  Reading the results, I would have been SUPER angry for buying a ticket to this show or purchasing the pay-per-view (and I will admit that I was tempted with an impulse buy last minute!) with what went down and then what transpired on Monday night.

On one hand, I absolutely love the angle and the heat they are putting on The McMahon’s and Randy Orton and of course, the way that it continues to just get Daniel Bryan over more and more and more.  When the “real” pay-off occurs here, it should be good and should be special.

On the opposite side, you have to wonder how WWE feels about the good will with fans (or do they care at all?) when they give them a great moment that Bryan wins, only to make it nullified the next night on Raw?  I know how I felt and I did not invest financially.  The ending of Raw was still special and made for a great visual moment, but WWE needs to be careful about the goodwill of fans when it comes to those scenarios.

Taking this scenario and the other overlays with the McMahon angles, I would really love to see a Survivor Series match of Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, Goldust/Dustin Rhodes and The Primetime Players vs. Randy Orton, The Shield of Ambrose, Reigns & Rollins and a reluctant Big Show.  I imagine that would be really, really good and an effective progression in the storyline.  We will see if anything close to that happens.

Other than those comments, I have little else to React to regarding the show.  I do think that the RVD finish was bad and screwy (more than just the fact that it helped Jim increase his lead!) and the fact it occurred in Detroit, MI and RVD being a “hometown” guy is just bad.  Everything else made sense in terms of how it played out, even if my picks did not align.

I cannot wait to get back on the “horse” and pick against Jim for Battleground!

Thanks for reading!  Be sure to like Two Spot Monkeys on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @twospotmonkeys  - There are big shows this weekend with ROH crowning their next World Champion and EVOLVE having a NYC area doubleshot, highlighted by what likely will be the feud blow-offs of the AR Fox vs. Ricochet and Johnny Gargano-Rich Swann feuds.

Jim and I will be back in some capacity next week to chime in on those things – Have a great weekend!

Night of Champions Head 2 Head!

Check out our latest podcast as Jim & Tom go Head 2 Head about Night of Champions this weekend on PPV!  You can find it on iTunes, or click on the player located to the right here on the blog.  Also, it is available through TalkShoe, by checking out our page there by clicking HERE!  Let us know what you think of our picks!

As always, be sure to "Like" us on Facebook, and also follow us on Twitter by following @twospotmonkeys!

Two Spot Monkeys First Annual Fantasy Wrestler Draft!

Check out our latest podcast as Jim & Tom enter a fantasy world where they get to draft 15 wrestlers each and create their own national company with TV and all!  Not only will they draft their initial rosters, but they will also lay out their first "dream card" for their "new promotions"!  You can find it on iTunes, or click on the player located to the right here on the blog.  Also, it is available through TalkShoe, by checking out our page there by clicking HERE!  Let us know what you think of our picks and our cards!

As always, be sure to "Like" us on Facebook, and also follow us on Twitter by following @twospotmonkeys!