WWE Summerslam 2012

Youtube Preshow:  Antonio Cesaro vs Santino Marella (c), United States Championship
Wimner:  Antonio Cesaro via pinfall, new United States Champion

After a distraction from Aksana, Cesaro hits the Neutralizer to capture his first WWE gold.

I didn't get to actually watch this match, but aside from the outcome, it wasn't much to miss.  As a champion, Cesaro will have to wrestle longer matches than he has since his debut.

Match 1:  Chris Jericho vs Dolph Ziggler
Winner:  Chris Jericho via submission

Y2J is back in full force in 2012, even down to the tights.  Jericho's ribs are taped, continuing to sell the injury from Smackdown and potentially giving him an "out" should Ziggler win.  Ziggler being the show opener could indicate a cash-in attempt tonight as well.  Jericho kicks out of a Zigzag after Ziggler gets the knees up for the Lionsault.  As Ziggler readies the next attack, Jericho hits a surprise Codebreaker, but Ziggler rolls to the floor.  Back in, Vickie grabs Jericho's leg and Ziggler hits a small package from the apron, but Jericho out at a very close two, then over into the Walls of Jericho, Liontamer style for the victory.

Jericho wins the big one against Mr. Money in the Bank, who we may very well see later in the night.  I expected some kind of beat down or injury to excuse Jericho for the Fozzy tour, but a top notch match, regardless.

Lesnar and Heyman are in the back, to be interviewed.  The referee has been asked to use his discretion; this will be a fight to the finish, not a wrestling match.  Lesnar says this is a fight HHH cannot win.  Heyman says if he's not down with that, they have two words for him:  Tap out.

Match 2:  Daniel Bryan vs Kane
Winner:  Daniel Bryan via pinfall

Bryan has a YES/NO argument with the crowd and is startled by Kane's pyro.  Bryan opens with kicks to the leg of Kane, but Kane takes over with power after Bryan backflips over him in the corner.  Bryan tries to vault over Kane but gets caught then booted after an okana roll attempt.  Off the ropes, Bryan hits a low dropkick and goes to work on the leg of Kane.  Kane responds by grabbing Bryan and launching him to the floor.  Bryan quickly gets back in and kicks Kane, then lands a suicide dive back to the floor.  Bryan climbs to the top as Kane gets back in and lands a missile dropkick for one.  Bryan shakes his head as he becomes unhinged from the YES chants, then lays into the chest of Kane with shin kicks.  Like I said last night, it's now the standard for Bryan to whiff the headshot and he does, allowing Kane to take back over, bouncing him from corner to corner and hitting a side slam for two.  Kane goes to the top rope and dives, hitting a clothesline from the top, then heads to the corner, ready to call for the Chokeslam.  Bryan escapes and bails to the apron, then drapes Kane across the top.  Back in, Bryan takes a big right hand, but slaps Kane in response.  Kane goes ballistic on Bryan in the corner and stops just shy of a DQ.  Bryan drop toe holds Kane into the middle turnbuckle and then kicks the rope into his face.  Bryan wants the Nolock but Kane resists.  Now Bryan hits the headshot kick.  Bryan ascends the top rope and wants a diving headbutt but lands in Kane's hands for a Chokeslam which Kane is slow to capitalize on.  Kane calls for the Tombstone and wants Bryan to get to his feet.  Bryan goes up, but slides down and gets the win with a surprise small package.

Bryan via a clean pin over Kane at Summerlam?  WWE is getting concretely behind the smaller guys on the roster, finally.  At least Bryan, and they'd be stupid not to.  Kane makes a beeline for the back, livid.  I don't think we've seen the end of this rivalry as it's Bryan's first win over Kane 1 on 1 and it was a roll up.

Kane is going ballistic in the back and is looking for Bryan.  Josh Matthews makes the mistake of asking Kane a question and gets jettisoned for his efforts, after telling Kane Bryan left.  Kane knocks more stuff over and leaves.  Definitely not the end.

Match 3:  Rey Mysterio vs The Miz (c), Intercontinental Championship
Winner:  The Miz via pinfall

Mysterio comes out in a Batman styled set of ring gear, complete with cape.  Rey Mysterio absolutely does not need an IC title win here tonight, whereas it would do Miz a world of good to beat Rey cleanly tonight.  Here's hoping for no shenanigans.  Miz gets the PPV blow up lawn ornament AWESOME and his PPV jacket.  You can't lose with an inflatable entrance.

Miz, being the bigger man, takes Rey down with an early shoulder block.  Rey with a go behind and flipping Miz ass over tea kettle for a quick bridging pin attempt.  Miz slides to the floor and then back in.  Miz answers with big strikes and a clothesline, but Rey ducks.  Rey dodges another clothesline and gets slid out under the ring, but rolls through to avoid getting hurt.  Miz gives chase but ends up getting dropkicked.  Rey wants a lucha bulldog, but Miz catches him in the wheelbarrow position and puts him in the barricade.  Miz tosses him back in the ring and covers for a one count.  Miz into a chinlock to slow things down.  Rey gets up to his feet and tries to fight out; Miz tries a belly to back suplex, but Rey lands on top and kicks at Miz.  Rey rushes Miz, but gets caught in a modified rack and dropped across Miz's shoulders for a backbreaker.  Miz jaws at Mysterio and punches him right in the face, then boots him and pins, but only gets a two.

Miz with a cravat now and Rey rights out again, but runs into a clothesline, which Miz capitalizes on for a two count.  Miz plays to the crowd as Mysterio recovers in the corner, then readies for his corner clotheslines; he connects.  Miz to the top, but Rey crotches him, then heads to the top himself.  Rey with a diving senton from the top; Rey follows by rolling up to a hurricanrana position, but Miz hits a sitout powerbomb for two.  Rey ducks another boot attempt and rolls Miz up, who kicks out but gets kicked in the head for another two.  Miz takes Rey up for a powerslam, but Mysterio spins back down for a DDT, but still only gets a two count.  Rey heads to the top again, but Miz meets him with a right hand.  Miz follows to the top and wants a superplex, but Rey fights off and puts Miz in place for the 619.  Rey up for the splash, but Miz sits up to avoid.  Miz with the Skull Crushing Finale attempt, but Rey rolls him up for a very close near fall.  Rey tries to follow up but this time gets caught by Skull Crushing Finale for the win.

Clean win over a future hall of famer - Good night for The Miz.  He beat him by out maneuvering him and landing his finisher.  More matches need to end this way, not just in WWE but around the wrestling world now a days.  Miz is still your IC Champion and for good reason.  He looks better than ever since returning.

Eve and Teddy Long leave a meeting with AJ and Long things she's doing a great job.  Eve sarcastically agrees.  CM Punk shows up in front of the GM's door and heads in.  Punk questions the look on AJ's face and she ignores him.  Punk protests the triple threat as he can lose his title without losing; he suspects this is because he rebuked AJ's proposal.  AJ is staring into space and Punk says she's disrespecting him, just like his opponents.  Punk says he'll win tonight and he'll get respect tomorrow night.  AJ continues staring blankly as he leaves.  Weird.

Match 4:  Alberto del Rio vs Sheamus (c), World Heavweight Championship
Winner:  Sheamus via pinfall

Sheamus goes into this one selling a hurt left arm, which will likely serve to be the focus of Alberto's offense.  I still think ADR needs the gold rain pyro on his entrance.  After showing up on Smackdown with his elbow taped up heavily, Sheamus enters tonight with no tape at all.  Odd choice.  Physical tie up into the corner to open but ADR makes some space.  Into another corner and Sheamus swings wildly.  Both men take a tumble to the floor and this one is going to be a donnybrook.  Heading back into the ring, ADR lands kicks to the head of Sheamus and works him in the corner.  Sheamus answers with a boot and a swinging neckbreaker then clubs away, but Alberto fights back.  ADR wants an early Cross Armbreaker, but Sheamus scoops him up for a rolling fireman's carry.  Sheamus wants the Celtic Cross and ADR grabs the top rope to escape, but Sheamus clubs away and puts him in the electric chair.  As he's pulled away, he pulls the top turnbuckle off.  Before he can get dropped, Alberto gets down and dodges a Brough Kick, leaving Sheamus on the apron.  ADR follows with a low dropkick which sends Sheamus to the floor.  Del Rio follows to the floor and throws the champ into the steel steps.  Alberto heads to the top and hits a flying elbow/forearm to a standing Sheamus for a two count then locks in around the chin of Sheamus.  Sheamus fights out and wants another neckbreaker, but ADR avoids and boots Sheamus in the face for two.  Alberto with a jumping stomp to the head of Sheamus.  Another chinlock keeps Sheamus on the mat, but he begins to fight to his feet again then headbutts his way out.  Sheamus suffers a knee and another jumping stomp for two.  ADR mocks Sheamus' call for the Brough Kick and heads to the corner - He ends up running into an axe handle, but dodges Sheamus in the corner, sending him into the ringpost.  Sheamus fights off and heads to the top, but ADR puts a stop to it, then meets him at the top and hits a top rope version of his double knees to the arm for a close two.

Sheamus counters the Cross Armbreaker, but ADR lands and rolls into it in the middle of the ring on the injured arm.  Sheamus rolls over and deadlifts ADR for a sideways powerbomb to break it.  Back to their feet, Alberto runs into White Noise but kicks out at two.  Sheamus heads to a corner and calls for the Brough Kick, but Alberto avoids; he ends up on the apron and takes forearms to the chest.  Now up to the corner for punches, but ADR drops Sheamus onto the turnbuckle and hits a running enzuigiri for a very close two.  ADR blames Rodriguez and drags him into the ring.  Sheamus stirs as Rodriguez tosses a shoe to ADR; Sheamus intercepts and clocks ADR then delivers the Irish Curse.  Sheamus gets the win as ADR reaches for the rope with his foot.  He makes contact and after the three count, Sheamus knocks his foot off the rope.  The good guy stole one, what a hooligan!

Alberto and Rodriguez argue with the ref, so that should continue the program, at least until Smackdown if not beyond.  Good back and forth match with some interesting offense and a tainted finish to allow the program to continue in a relatively organic fashion.

Match 5:  Primetime Players vs Kofi Kingston and R-truth (c), Tag Team Championship
Winners:  Kingston and Truth via pinfall

The tag champs are the third champion(s) to be announced as holding their strap for over 100 days tonight; big change from a year or two ago.  Truth pounces right on Young,  who takes a big hip toss and Truth's dancing leg drop for an early two count.  Young boots his way out and carries Truth to his corner, tagging O'Neal in who boots Truth to the mat for a one count.  O'Neal with a front headlock and Truth fights out but gets clubbed for his efforts.  Titus hits the ropes but runs into a leg lariat, leaving both men on the mat.  Kofi tags in and springboards into Titus, then goes into his usual routine, readying for the Boomdrop and landing it.  Off to a neutral corner to call for the Trouble in Paradise; Young runs interference and the fight ends up on the floor with Kofi taking a big Titus clothesline.  Truth tries to help, but O'Neal is able to roll Kofi back in for a two count.  Titus with a pump handle front slam and another two count.  Young tags back in and Titus delivers him onto Kofi via a gourdbuster for two.  Young locks in a body scissors but Kofi is able to roll over and fight out.  Kofi with a quick two count, but he runs into a powerslam from Young for a pin on his side.

Titus tags back in and locks in an abdominal stretch on Kofi near the PTP corner  Titus wants a swinging slam, but Kofi counters into a big DDT, causing a hot tag on both sides.  Truth runs wild on Young, hitting the Lie Detector and a sit out front suplex.  Titus breaks the pin and tosses Kofi out; he skins the cat and dumps Titus out, then hits a huge springboard cross body to the outside.  Young with a rollup on Truth for two then he wants his gut buster; Truth slips out and hits the Little Jimmy for the pin and win.

Good match; I sincerely hope this result isn't some kind of reflection on the AW situation.  PTP are primed to be the strong young up and comer champions; not sure why they didn't go that way tonight.  Some interesting back and forth, but a "send the kids home happy" type of finish on this one.

Match 6:  Big Show vs John Cena vs CM Punk (c), WWE Championship
Winner:  CM Punk via pinfall

So after all the rhetoric about Cena always being the main event and the WWE Champion being overshadowed, they both get shoved into the second hour because of HHH and Brock Lesnar?  Huge opportunity missed and incredibly obnoxious.  I don't care what ludicrous contact they blew on Lesnar - They've screwed up the entire overshadow/disrespect thing just to put Lesnar in the main event spot.  The WWE Championship should always headline:  Not because CM Punk said so, but because this title should mean more than anything else to keep that facade of realism up.  They always say no one man is bigger than the WWE or the Title.  Nobody but HHH, apparently.  At least Cena didn't enter before the WWE Champion...

Michael Cole mentions that December of last year was the last time CM Punk main evented a PPV.  I guess as long as it continues to be part of the storyline, we'll let it go.  Show takes over early with tons of power offense.  Punk sells like a normal wrestler and Cena looks like he's been in a car wreck already.  Basics, seriously.  Frying pan chops for both men.  Punk and Cena unload on Show with strikes and want a double team suplex, but Show suplexes both men into the corner.  Show whips Cena to a corner and hits a running ass, leaving Cena on the floor.  Show gives one to Punk as well, but takes a dropkick to the knee off the ropes.  Punk kicks away at Show and calls for GTS, but Show chops him away.  Cena sneaks up and wants the AA, but Punk shoves Show down, leaving everyone down and winded.  Punk covers Cena, but Show shoves him off.  Show with body shots on Punk then stands on his back.  Now whipped into the corner, the WWE Champion is in trouble; another frying pan chop to Punk's chest and Cena gets shoved off the apron into the barricade.  All Big Show so far.

Show whips Punk to a corner but misses the follow up and Punk tries to springboard into him; Show catches him and delivers the Final Cut which we haven't seen in quite some time.  Show wants the WMD but Cena hits the ring on fire, ending up getting speared; Cena kicks out in two.  Show piles the opponents in the corner and wants a tandem Vader Bomb; Punk moves, Cena doesn't.  Punk breaks up the pin with a springboard double stomp.  Show drives Punk over the top by his neck, continuing to stand strong.  Show chases after Cena on the floor and delivers a headbutt.  Punk tries to fight back now but gets launched into the ropes from the floor, leaving him out of the picture temporarily.  Cena strikes at Big Show but runs into a side slam.  Show grabs Punk from the floor and ends up neck first across the rope; Cena hits a belly to back on Show and wants the Five Knuckle Shuffle.  Punk clotheslines Cena as he hits the ropes and climbs to the top, hitting the Macho elbow for two on Big Show.  Punk with a kick to the head and a low reverse STO into the Koji Clutch, but Show fights his way out.  Cena hits a shoulder out of nowhere and puts Show in the STF.  Show powers out of this as well with Cena on his back then rams him into a corner.  Cena hops to the second rope and dives at Show, but gets caught and slammed.  Punk with a surprise springboard clothesline to put Show down, then hits the knee in the corner.  Punk hits a second running knee.  Punk makes it a trio but gets shoved away before he can hit the bulldog.  Cena comes off the top and hits the legdrop across the back of the Big Show.  Punk locks the Koji Clutch back on and Cena locks in the STF and Big Show taps out.  Cole calls the Koji Clutch the Vice, but we don't expect anything
better from him.

The ref is baffled as to what call he's made; AJ skips down to the ring to make a ruling and grabs a mic.  AJ takes her time speaking then says to restart the match.  Show grabs them both and lands a double Chokeslam.  Cena kicks out in two, as does Punk.  It makes no sense for Show to still be involved; he lost to both men!  Show cocks the WMD and Cena dodges, then hits the Attitude Adjustment.  Punk dumps Cena over the top and covers Show to get a singular win.

Fun match with Show being a monster and an interesting pair of finishes.  For the end to work, Show had to still be involved but after tapping out to both opponents, he really had no right to still be part of the match, from a logical point of view.  CM Punk remains WWE Champion at Summerslam; has he earned the respect he so desperately covets?

Kevin Rudolph performs the theme song of Summerslam - The cameramen fight to find people who are enjoying the performance, but they're few and far between.  As it always goes with live music performances, the vast majority of the crowd doesn't care at all.  The divas are trotted out to dance along.  Know what would be a better use of Natalya, Layla and Beth Phoenix?  A friggin match.  No crowd reaction.  No benefit to the show.  No purpose.  This is a waste of time and doesn't give anyone any additional reason to buy a future PPV.  After Kid Rock was booed out of the arena when he performed, they should have stopped this completely.  After he finishes performing, they just play the song again as Cole talks.  What's the point?


Match 7:  Brock Lesnar vs Triple H
Winner: Brock Lesnar via submission

A recap video!  Joy oh joy!  If it wasn't for the fact that the WWE production team turns garbage material into absolutely golden video packages, I'd be annoyed.  Ever since Miz's "Hate me now" video package, they have gotten better and better at using footage and appropriate music to hype matches and storylines.  Triple H elects to come out last on the PPV.  I'd sincerely like to know how much of that is his ego and how much of it is proper discussion.

Michael Cole makes a rare mention of UFC by name, saying Lesnar won the heavyweight title there.  The lights are dimmed for the ring announcement, to match a "fight" aesthetic, which just makes WWE seem like they're reaching.  Triple H told the ref earlier tonight; no DQ, no countout.

Lesnar opens strong in the corner and HHH tries to back him up, but Lesnar has the strength advantage.  Lesnar tries a standing Kimura but HHH fights out.  Lesnar tries another Kimura and wraps his legs around HHH but he fights out.  Hunter clothelsines Lesnar over the top to the floor.  Lesnar is livid and hits the ring again, ramming Triple H over and over into the corner.  HHH hits the high knee and clotheslines Lesnar to the floor again.  Lesnar is less than pleased and Heyman calms him, trying to make him mentally regroup.  Lesnar circles the ring and reenters via the steps.  Lesnar pulls his gloves off and hits a double leg takedown then punches HHH right in the back of the head.  Hunter bails to the floor to make some space.  Lesnar gives chase and they go back and forth again.  Lesnar with a hammerlock front slam on the announce table, leaving HHH in pain outside.

Lesnar waits patiently in the ring and then drags HHH in under the bottom rope.  Triple H fights back with punches, but Lesnar keeps control with a hammerlock scoop slam this time.  Lesnar with a standing Kimura again and now wrapping his arm around the rope and pulling.  Lesnar stomps away at HHH's arm.  HHH tries to fight back and ends up in the Kimura once again; would it kill Lesnar to try a fujiwara or any other arm bar or lock to 'wear him down'?  HHH is thrown to the cornre and Lesnar stalks his prey.  Lesnar wants the F5 but HHH drops down, only to take a release German suplex.  Lesnar is bleeding from the nose.  Lesnar stands on the hand of Triple H and stomps at the elbow joint.  HHH out to the apron and drapes Lesnar across the top rope.  HHH follows with right hands and a DDT.  Both men to their feet and the Kimura is locked in once more.  Another hammerlock slam to keep the arm in jeopardy.  Now knees delivered to the midsection of the WWE's CCO.  Back to the floor, Triple H is throw into the steel steps.  Triple H is drive back first into the Spanish announce table and one of the commentators hops the barricade to escape.  Lesnar up ends the table and stands atop it, then jumps off to drop a right hand across HHH's head.

Lesnar rolls HHH in and follows.  Lesnar rolls HHH up with a small package for some reason, forcing him to kick out.  HHH takes a big clothesline to the face off the ropes and Lesnar looks like he's enjoying himself.  HHH blocks a suplex attempt and hits one of his own.  Lesnar rushes him in the corner but misses.  HHH wants the Pedigree, but Lesnar sends him to the corner and clear over the top rope to the floor once more.  Lesnar slowly gives chase, but HHH sends him gut first into the corner of the announce table which winds him.  Lesnar sells this like a gunshot wound; possibly an internal injury angle.  Lesnar audibly says "Oh my stomach" repeated by Cole; definitely the route they're taking.  HHH follows Lesnar into the ring and ends up in the Kimura; he's able to knee his way out.  Triple H hits a running knee to the gut and continues to focus on the now injured midsection of Lesnar.  Repeated knees puts Lesnar on the mat and a spinebuster keeps him there.  HHH wants the Pedigree again; Lesnar counters into an F5 attempt, which HHH counters into a Pedigree for a near fall.  Heyman screams at Brock from ringside and Lesnar hits a blatant low blow.  Lesnar stalks HHH and hits the F5 but Triple H kicks out at the last moment.

Another Kimura but HHH tries to fight out.  This time Lesnar hits the mat and scissors around the body for a full Kimura.  HHH grabs the ropes, but as per himself, there are no rope breaks.  HHH hammers away at the midsection of Lesnar to break out.  HHH wants the Pedigree again and hits it.  Lesnar wakes up quick and locks in the Kimura on the mat.  Triple H taps out as Lesnar may have broken his arm again.  As Triple H lays on the mat, the arm seems to be hanging limp next to him.  HHH waves the doctors off and wants to leave on his own power.  A "you tapped out" chant starts up as he gets to his feet.  A very mixed reaction from the crowd as HHH surveys the WWE Universe and says "I'm sorry".  The selling point is if this will "be the end" of Triple H - Smart money is not until he gets his win back.  Even in loss and having his arm broken, he makes himself the star of the show.

All in all, a solid show.  Not spectacular, but if you paid your money, not a disappointment.  The right people won the right matches (with the exception of the Tag Titles, but that's just my opinion).  CM Punk can continue his quest for respect, since he was slotted once again outside of the main event.  In fact, Punk could point out that the boss booked himself above the WWE Champion.   The Lesnar/HHH match wasn't as brutal as the Lesnar/Cena match - Far too many attempts at the Kimura makes Brock look like a goofy fighter.  Why not try one of the many other arm bars you know?  Brock's surprise wake up from the second Pedigree to finish up the match was a welcome surprise.  As an aside, tonight's endings were bookmarked by submission finishes; bet that hasn't happened in a long time. 

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Playstation All Stars Battle Royale: Developer Beta Analysis

Playstation All Stars Battle Royale is heading our way in November of this year, but the developers have elected to release a limited beta to test their server load and give us a first taste of the action coming our way this fall.  There's many a fan eager to get their hands on the software, as it's Sony's answer to Nintendo's hugely successful Super Smash Bros series.  The similarities can't be ignored, but it will be up to Sony to try and capture the same charm that Nintendo did over a decade ago.  The focus of this beta is expressly for network testing, so we'll be working under the assumption that changes can and will be made.  I've discussed the Super Smash Bros Brawl mod Project M extensively here, so that will be a point of reference for many aspects of the gameplay I've experienced.

The bulk of the interest for the game is of course in how the gameplay feels.  It follows a similar attack input system to Jump Super/Ultimate Stars, the import-only Battle Stadium D.O.N. and of course, the Super Smash series, but with the addition of a jump button.  X will send your characters skyward and allow the game-type standard of an air jump.  Square, Triangle and O are attack 1, 2 and 3 respectively.  Each attack button can be used with the dpad/analog in a neutral state, as well as a forward, down and up variant which significantly change your attack.  For instance, Sweet Tooth will plant a land mine with Down+O, but neutral O is a molotov cocktail to be tossed as a projectile and Up+O will result in him crashing two molotovs above his head for a fiery burst.  For the most part, your Up+ attacks will aim either straight up or an upward angle, even occasionally giving a boost from the ground or in the air.  Down+ attacks often place something on the ground or aim at a downward angle.  With some exceptions, it's relatively intuitive, again like Smash Bros.  Some moves naturally combo into each other, like Kratos' square attacks with the Blades of Athena, but there isn't a lot of natural comboing via switching from square to triangle.  If you're coming from something like Marvel Vs Capcom 3 and expecting magic combos, you'll be in for quite the surprise.

Those attacks pale in comparison to your Supers.  Supers are 100% the name of the game with PSASBR.  With the version of the beta available to test, the only way to score points is to land a hit with your Super moves.  As you strike with your normal moves, a meter at the bottom of your screen will build, indicating if your level 1, 2 or 3 Supers are available.  Level 1s have a tendency to be short range melee attacks; Level 2s are usually controllable, whether it be Sweet Tooth's remote missile, Fat Princess' riding chicken or Parappa's skateboard; Level 3s are enormous area effects or transformations, like Kratos donning the Ares Armor, holding the Blade of Olympus and growing to god size for huge sweeping attacks.  Level 3s are the endgame for a lot of characters, since with some good timing and skill, you can rack up 4-6 kills in one go, as opposed to one or two with a level 1 or level 2.  There are of course exceptions, like with Sly Cooper's level 2 which should net you a few kills across the screen as you jetpack around freely.

Land hits, build those supers and strike!  Or lose.

Movement on the ground feels solid enough.  When you push a direction, you go that direction.  A key facet that's lacking is the ability to dash.  Your walk speed is your only speed and it feels very limiting; most games that let you move about on the ground allot some kind of dash, whether it be a quick boost forward or an all out run.  A handful of moves give boosts in the air and the ground, but that's not a fitting replacement.  Speaking of aerial movement, it feels a bit stunted since air recovery is moderately automatic.  When you're sent flying, you'll eventually come out of the free fall state and be able to act again, but there's no way to act on this manually.  If you hit a wall or are "spiked" into the floor, you're at the mercy of the game, since there's no way to tech cancel off of a wall or floor (I hate to keep going back to that "like in Smash Bros" comparison, but it does make the game feel much faster).  If spiked onto the floor, you have the option to roll as you get up, but there's essentially no On The Ground (OTG) angle in this game.  If your opponent hits the ground or is knocked down by your attack, you'll have to wait until they get up to continue any combo.  This leads to a lot of prowling to time an attack on someone just as they get to their feet, which can be annoying.  For aerial combat, keep in mind that you can't air-block.  You can dodge, but blocking is a no-go.  Also, you can't activate Supers in mid-air which is puzzling, as the entire crux of this game is tagging opponents with Supers.  Even transformation Supers must be done from the ground.  You also won't be naturally cancelling any kind of attack into Supers, so learn those hitboxes...when the more public beta comes this fall.

So come all ye Sony faithful and see the six characters that we have been given to try out.  When you go into the beta, you'll be greeted by the face of Kratos, the God of War.  Kratos has all the weapons you love to use on hand amongst his various attacks, including Medusa's head to stun enemies with a blinding light and a long distance, chargeable bow.  Parappa the Rapper makes his return and brings with him a skateboard, a boombox and kicks and punches of fury.  His level 1 Super is a flash kick style move as he recites the iconic "Kick, Punch, It's all in the mind" lyric.  Fat Princess, who I admittedly know nothing about as far as her original game, is available with an army of minions who will drop bombs, use flamethrowers, as well as being a melee force to be reckoned with.  Sweet Tooth shows up with brutal attacks using chainsaws, molotov cocktails and land mines, not to mention a level 3 that has him transforming (or equipping) the Mecha Tooth.  If you can activate this from an isolated corner, you're guaranteed some effective killing.  Radec brings a Killzone arsenal befitting any fan.  His ability to disappear as he drops mines, shoot foes from clear across the stage and attach explosives from afar makes him a force to be reckoned with, but he's less than stellar up close.  If you can keep your distance (and stay above) from your opponents, he can be annoying in the best way, littering the field with explosives.  Last but not least is Sly Cooper, who becomes invisible when blocking.  This can be a detriment with everything going on, as it's easy to lose yourself in the chaos.  Sly has all the sneakiness you'd expect, leaving traps all over, throwing stun grenades and zipping around with respectable speed, leaving paralyzing electricity in his wake.  I do have a sincere gripe with Sly's level 3 Super:  When activated, it brings up a viewfinder that causes some players to not be able to see themselves.  It's bad enough that a simple point and click means a kill, but not being able to see yourself because someone activated an attack is a terrible mechanic in any video game.  If one thing needs a sincere tweak, it's this.  Many more characters are in store come the official release and it stands to be seen who will be present in the fall's public beta.  If you have a favorite, be sure to let us know!  Personally, I'm surprised that we didn't see either Jak or Ratchet in the beta.

Only four stages are present in this beta and each is a combination of two Sony franchises.  You have combos of Jak and Daxter plus Hot Shots Golf; God of War and Patapon, Little Big Planet plus Buzz; and finally Ratchet and Clank mixed with a God of War Hydra situation.  There is a ton of stuff going on in these stages.  I'm ok with levels giving you a bit of push back, but it is a tad annoying to have to answer quiz questions by standing on a particular platform when an angry evil ice cream man is trying to malatov cocktail you off of it.  The Hades level is probably the best balanced, as you can easily tell what's coming and dodge it if you pay attention.  While on the subject of game changers, let's talk items.  For the beta, there were only a handful - Spear of Destiny from God of War, as well as the Hermes Boots.  The rocket launcher can be aimed in directions and fired rapidly, as long as you have ammo.  The Hedgehog Grenade, unfortunately, can't be directed.  Up or down options on that one would have been a big help and there's no logical reason why you can't.  The items are interesting enough and a kind of necessity in a game like this to keep it from being too stale.  Yes, someone who wrote about Project:M's character balance is saying "items are a good thing" - I like fun too.

Hot Shots Golf is a stretch...

The network load was the focus of the beta on the backend, so let's touch on that.  Once connected to a match, I had few troubles staying connected and keeping up with the action.  Once in a while, I would get an "Opponents found, connecting" message and end up back at the character select screen, but that's to be expected at this point.  Less often than the above issue, I would get matches that would see my character teleporting all over the place, getting hit by attacks that were nowhere near me.  Again, this is a case of the network acting funny and not something to criticize yet, just something to be aware of.  Things I do have to complain about as far as the network goes have to do with characters, namely some of the level 3 Supers.  For Sly, when you activate the level 3 Super, you aim at enemies through a view finder, and if you can just "click" on the enemy, you get a kill.  Once this ends, you should normally be back to fighting; sometimes the viewfinder stays up and you're stuck with a crosshair moving the focus of the screen about, leaving people out of view to hope for the best.  Sweet Tooth's transformation would occasionally not work.  You would see the transformation animation, but not be in the Mecha Tooth, which essentially leaves you unable to gain points via kills.  Parappa's just seems to kill everyone on the screen, but I'm quite honestly not entirely sure what the mechanic behind this was.

So yes, a public beta will be coming in the fall and hopefully a huge cross section of players will have access to play this and give feedback.  The game does come out in November, so I can't imagine a ton of changes will be present in any kind of day-one patch.  When the public beta goes live, we'll aim to be involved and give an update of things that may have changed (or on things that should have but didn't).  Join us moving forward as we celebrate Sony's character heritage.  If you played the beta, please let us know what you think.  If you have a question, post it here or contact me @sbfantom on Twitter and I'll answer to the best of my ability.  Thoughts?  Complaints?  Did I miss something?  Let us know here in the comment section.

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WWE Smackdown Lowdown 8/17/2012

Two nights until Summerslam - Will we have a World Heavyweight Title match on Sunday?  That will be up to new General Manager Booker T to determine, among the other action tonight.

To open, Alberto del Rio approaches the ring in street clothes to address the WWE Universe.  Del Rio demands his title match back.  ADR calls out Sheamus for "whining" to the GM and says Booker T isn't doing his job by cancelling the match.  On cue, Booker T heads out to address his disgruntled employee...er, independent contractor.  ADR says that he made Sheamus pay for messing his property up, just like a man should.  Booker T says a man wouldn't hire five guys dressed as cops to beat up one guy.  Apparently that's where Booker T draws the line.  Alberto says he's spoken with his lawyers...and Chris Jericho interrupts.  Y2J tells ADR to please shut...the hell...up!  Jericho runs down ADR's entire existence and calls him a chihuahua.  Time for Spanish lessons with Jericho.  Jericho says that since ADR isn't getting a title shot, maybe after he beats Dolph Ziggler, Jericho should take the World Heavyweight Title shot.  Booker interjects and says Sheamus is not competing at Summerslam and sets tonight's main event as Chris Jericho vs Alberto del Rio.

Match 1:  Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara vs Cody Rhodes and The Miz (Intercontinental Champion)
Winners:  Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara via pinfall

Rhodes continues his campaign for proving that Sin Cara is ugly underneath his mask, by telling small children and those with heart conditions to avert their eyes, then shows a silly caricature.  Michael Cole pipes in with "haha thats what he really looks like.  I've seen it."  Awful as usual.  Early on, Miz and Rhodes get dumped to the floor and take a tandem senton and suicide dive, but just a one on Rhodes in the ring.  Cara runs to the top and hits a spiraling arm drag, but gets distracted by Miz and takes a clothesline from Rhodes.  Now the Miz tags in and punches away at Sin Cara.  Rhodes back in and tearing at the mask of Cara; he delivers a gourdbuster and tags Miz back in.  Cara tries to fight back with leg kicks, but Miz puts a stop to it and settles on a chin lock.  Rhodes takes a tag back in and delivers a snapmare, then goes after the mask again.  Cara hits an elevated snapmare and tags in Mysterio who runs in with a headscissors, then counters a sunset flip with a kick to the head and a jackknife pin.  Off the ropes, Mysterio hits a kick and a lucha-style bulldog - Miz breaks up the pinfall, but takes a hurricanrana from Sin Cara.  Rhodes tries to remove the mask again while he's in the ropes, but takes the 619 and a top rope splash for the loss.

Fun opening match for the kids seeing their masked heroes get the best of the bad guys, and Miz takes a 619 after trying a cheap shot, leading to some tension for the Mysterio/Miz IC Title match at Summerslam.  No sloppiness from anyone, but too short a match to showcase four relatively high profile roster members.

Match 2:  Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins vs Two Unnamed Goofs
Winners:  Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins via pinfall

Reks and Hawkins come out in suits to no music; they're apparently now male strippers and the crowd doesn't at all approve.  Hawkins with a snapmare and a kick to the spine, then tags in Reks.  Reks boots the little fella in the ribs, then lands a jumping elbow drop.  Reks beils the opponent across the ring and he tags in his partner.  The new guy gets tossed into the corner and then takes a lariat from Hawkins.  Hawkins his his swinging scoop slam and gyrates, then kicks the guy across the ring.  Reks back in and they hit their tandem powerslam/neckbreaker for the win.

The crowd seems to hate the bit, but you can't trust crowd sounds on Smackdown since WWE fights so fervently to tell us how to feel about members of the roster.  Regardless, Cole plays up Booker T telling Reks and Hawkins to "get themselves noticed", which is why they're doing this.  Still  a pointless change, at least as of now.

Recap of Punk winning the WWE Title at Survivor Series last year and why he'll be facing Cena and Big Show in a triple threat at Summerslam.  Cena shows him disrespect by not shaking his hand at the end of Raw.

William Regal catches Eve in the back and wishes her luck tonight.  Regal remembers being in charge of Raw, but is no longer the powerful man he was.  Someone on the backstage crew hands him two bags of trash to take out.  "Work is work".

Video package for Wade Barrett's return plays again.  Barrett feels he fell into a civilized, easy life.  He has returned to his roots...just to return back to the easy life again?

Match 3:  Eve Torres vs Kaitlyn, winner is Booker T's assistant
Winner: Eve via pinfall

Teddy Long, senior adviser to the GM, is out on commentary.  Shouldn't the women rather be wrestlers than a GM's assistant?  Odd thing to wrestle for.  Eve backs Kaitlyn into the ropes then takes her down.  Eve moves from a chancery into a fujiwara armbar and lets go after putting her own foot on the rope.  Kaitlyn fights back to her feet and delivers a back body drop and a Cena-style shoulder block.  Kaitlyn with a roll up, but Eve out at two.  Eve drops Kaitlyn across the middle rope and wants a suplex, but Kaitlyn ties her up with a small package for two.  Eve kicks her way out of the corner and clubs away at Kaitlyn.  Kaitlyn ends up on the apron and climbs to the top, but Eve drags her off by her arm.  Eve brings Kaitlyn to her feet and delivers a spinning neckbreaker to pin Kaitlyn.

Long isn't happy with the result and Eve exits the ring to gloat.  Eve is happy with herself earning the privilege of being Booker's assistant.  It'd be more worth it to win a match for a title match, but to each their own, I guess.  After a commercial, Eve meets her new boss and Booker congratulates her.  Booker asks if Eve will be able to get along with Teddy Long and she says yes.  Eve says she's at Booker's disposal, and he gets a wild look in his eye.

Match 4:  Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton
Winner:  Randy Orton via pinfall

The crowd opens right up with YES chants.  Orton right into a headlock and a shoulder block.  Once again on both counts.  Bryan comes back with a kick and strikes to the head, but gets whipped to the corner and flips over Orton, but gets a dropkick to the beard.  Bryan bails to the outside and has a YES/NO war with a fan.  Back to the ring, Orton hits a back body drop and a set of stomps, then stomps the midsection of Bryan.  Bryan avoids the knee drop and then dropkicks Orton in the knee to take a bit of control back.  Bryan goes right to work on the knee, but Orton kicks his way out of the corner, only to take a European uppercut and end up in a leg lock on the mat.  Bryan releases and stomps the leg.  Orton starts to fight back with rights, but Bryan back to the leg and hits a head and arm suplex, then up to the top rope.  Orton with a right fist and a headbutt to stop Bryan's progress.  Orton meets Bryan up top and hits a superplex, leaving both men on the mat. 

Back from a commercial, Orton is fighting back as the men exchange strikes.  Bryan with a trip and he runs the knee right into the mat with a variant on a dragon screw.  Bryan ties Orton's leg in the ropes and kicks at it, then hits a running dropkick to it.  Bryan rushes Orton in the corner but ends up shoulder first in the ringpost.  Orton with a rolling schoolboy from the top rope and a pair of clotheslines, followed by a powerslam.  Orton grabs Bryan and puts him on the apron.  Bryan fights out of the DDT attempt and pulls him to the floor.  Orton reverses a whip and sends Bryan into the barricade.  Orton rolls Bryan in the ring, but he rolls all the way out to the other side; Orton gives chase but ends up getting thrown into the steel steps and back into the ring.  Bryan covers and Orton is out at two.  Back to his feet, Bryan kicks Orton in the chest repeatedly but misses the head kick.  Orton hits his backbreaker to even the playing field.  Bryan kicks out in two and Orton is first to his feet.  Bryan kicks out of the corner and hops up top, but Orton punches him in the head repeatedly.  Orton drags Bryan out by his head and hits the spike DDT out of the corner.  Orton coils on the mat, calling for the RKO.  Bryan counters and tries the Nolock, but Orton fights it.  Bryan finally puts Orton down by his leg and locks in the Nolcok mid ring.  Kane's pyro, lights and music hits and Bryan breaks the hold and bails from the ring, selling panic.  The music and lights stop and Bryan gets back in the ring, walking directly into an RKO for the win.

At the least, this is one of those "protecting" endings - Bryan lost, but he had the man locked dead center in his finishing hold which is a visual win.  This continues toward Summerslam's Bryan/Kane match and gives everyone the RKO they came to Smackdown to see.  As Orton celebrates, Kane walks out on the stage smiling and nodding.  No physical contact between the Summerslam combatants, which is a smart choice.  Good match with Bryan in control for the vast majority of it.  Bryan's repertoire continues to be WWE-ified:  His chest kicks to a kneeling opponent always end with an attempted head shot which is now almost always dodged.

Match 5:  Antonio Cesaro vs  Zack Ryder
Winner:  Antonio Cesaro via pinfall

Santino Marella is at the commentary table for this one, as he defends the US Title against Cesaro on Sunday.  Cesaro still has his silly generic music; he really needs a new entrance.  Aksana takes the mic to re-introduce Cesaro and says he will speak in five languages.  Swiss, Italian, German, French and finally English:  "Loser".  Cesaro immediately delivers a knee to the gut and a deadlift gutwrench.  Cesaro delivers a series of headbutts and a chinlock.  Ryder fights out and hits a facebuster and a pair of clotheslines, then a forearm in the corner.  Ryder delivers the Broski Boot, but Cesaro is out at two.  Cesaro with an overhead snake eyes and the Neutralizer for the win.

Cesaro immediately hits the floor and smacks Santino, then tosses him over the announce table.  Santino is livid.  Not much to say, as the match was just another display of Cesaro's strength and basic repertoire.  They should really let him use the UFO, as it's a great visual.  And there's no way WWE could say it's "too silly" when NXT this week had Scotty 2 Hottie return and deliver the Worm chop, not to mention Marella's Cobra.

Recap of Lesnar/HHH and HBK's arm broken from Monday Night Raw.  I still say that HBK's arm being broken would have been far more dramatic if HHH hadn't suffered the exact same fate a couple months ago and returned 100% better.

Match 6:  Alberto del Rio vs Chris Jericho
Winner:  Alberto del Rio via pinfall

Before Jericho can make his entrance, Dolph Ziggler beans Jericho with the MITB briefcase and rams him with a tool rack against the wall.  Ziggler screams not to overlook him and Booker T hits the scene to call in a trainer.  ADR is all smiles after seeing what happened and grabs a mic.  ADR declares himself the winner via forfeit and demands Booker T grant him his Summerslam match.  Jericho's music hits and he enters clutching his midsection.  ADR mocks Jericho and takes a forearm to the face for it.  ADR puts Jericho into the ropes and hits a knee to the gut, then a jumping stomp to the hurt midsection.  Jericho is sent chest first into the turnbuckle, which puts him on his back.  ADR with a double stomp to the midsection for two.  Del Rio chokes Jericho in the ropes, but Jericho starts to fight back with chops.  Off the ropes, ADR hits another knee to the gut and a sliding dropkick to keep the onslaught going.  Del Rio wants the Cross Armbreaker, but Jericho hits an enzuigiri to take a bit of control back.  Jericho gets sent to the apron and takes a kick to the midsection, then gets rammed off the apron rib first into the commentary table, leading to a commercial.

On the return, del Rio has a bodyscissors and chinlock cinched in.  Jericho fights his way out but walks into a tilt a whirl backbreaker for two.  ADR rushes Jericho in the corner for his usual step up enzuigiri, but delivers it to the ribs instead of the head for a two count.  Del Rio climbs to the middle rope but whiffs a double stomp attempt.  Jericho with kicks to the legs of ADR and a pair of shoulder blocks.  On the third try, del Rio hits a back kick to the gut, but Jericho hits a back elbow and Lionsault.  Jericho takes just as much damage on the Lionsault, which leads to a delayed cover and a two count.  Alberto with a trio of headbutts and an attempt at the double knee arm breaker.  Jericho counters it into the Walls of Jericho, but del Rio forces his way out.  ADR kicks Jericho off and Ziggler appears out of nowhere to pull the top rop down, which forces Jericho to fall to the floor.  Ziggler throws Jericho back in and ADR hits a low step up enzuigiri for the win.

Good match with a good story, showing Jericho will fight in any state to win and that del Rio will take any shortcuts necessary.  ADR slaps on the Cross Armbreaker and Dolph hits the mat to talk trash.  Sheamus' music hits and he rushes the ring to take out Alberto.  Sheamus' arm is heavily taped, which will play up the Cross Armbreaker as a factor at Summerslam.  The fight spills outside and del Rio runs into the crowd to escape.  Booker T enters and asks Sheamus why he's here.  Sheamus wants the match with del Rio back on, despite his injuries.  Sheamus is really pulling a Cena on this one - Has to be the hero, has to be the tough guy.  Realistically, he's an idiot for not waiting to heal up, but if we went by realism, pro wrestling would be all kinds of boring.  Sheamus takes on Alberto del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at Summerslam. 

Much better job of leading into a PPV than normal for Smackdown.  The focus of the show is obviously still on Brock/HHH and the WWE Title triple threat, but I don't think anyone expected Sheamus to not be in action at Summerslam.  Bryan/Kane would best be suited to end after Summerslam, as there are better things for Bryan to do.  There's always the possibility of a Ziggler cash-in attempt, as he hasn't done the "try to cash-in but get foiled" bit for a while now.  Things progressed, matches had purpose - That's all we really ask for and it seems like since the move to three hour Raws, WWE is getting back to providing that.  Maybe it's a result of seeing how focused TNA seems to be lately; it surely didn't require a third hour on Mondays to make things focused.  On to Summerslam!

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WWE Raw Wrapup 8/13/2012

A week out from Summerslam and John Cena is the only man in the WWE Title match who hasn't stood tall to end an episode of Raw.  I wonder how tonight will end?

Match 1:  CM Punk (WWE Champion) vs Big Show, non-title
Winner: CM Punk via dq (unannounced)

A match to open Raw?  Nice change of pace.  Of course, the WWE Champion jerks the curtain yet again, but at this point it's more of a storyline ploy than just stupid booking, so it gets a pass.  Show opens with power, but Punk aggressively fights back.  Kicks to the midsection are stopped with a Big Show headbutt and the onslaught continues.  Show chokes Punk in the ropes then delivers a frying pan chop to the chest.  Punk runs into a shoulder block and then Big Show stands on his back.  Now on the head.  Once more to the frying pan chop and the WWE Champion is left helpless on his knees.  Show palms Punk's face, but he stomps at the giant's feet and lands a dropkick.  Show goes right back on the attack with a big scoop slam.  As Punk begins to rise, Big Show attacks his arm, then steps on his back once more.  Off the ropes, Punk kicks Show in the face, then the legs.  Now the WWE Champion tries a trio of clotheslines and a whip to the corner, but Show reverses.  Punk dodges the follow up and lands a knee in the corner, but gets shoved off from the bulldog.  Show follows with a spear, leaving both me on the floor.

Daniel Bryan's music hits and he NOs his way toward the ring.  Bryan demands to be included in the WWE Title match at Summerslam as Big Show hits a sideslam for two.  Big Show heads to the middle rope, but Punk kicks his leg out from under him, then springboards in with a clothesline for two.  Bryan hits the ring and attacks Punk, putting him in the No!lock.  Big Show drops an elbow on the prone WWE Champion and John Cena hits the ring, clotheslining Show over the top, then back dropping Bryan to the floor.  The chaos draws AJ out, and she skips to the ring, which now looks ridiculous, as she's an authority figure.

Later tonight, Bryan will make up for ruining this match by teaming up with Big Show to take on Cena and Punk.  AJ Lee just Teddy Long'd the bejeezus out of us.

Nice to see a match to open the show, but since it involved people in the WWE Title match at a PPV, we get a non-finish because nobody in WWE is ever allowed to lose clean before they head into any major match.  When this used to happen occasionally, it wasn't so bad, but it's a painful standard at this point.

JTG is in the back with Kaitlyn complaining that even on a 3 hour Raw, he can't get on TV.  He says it's crazy as AJ skips by.  AJ snaps back in and asks if JTG has a problem with the job she's doing.  AJ tells him to head to the ring, as she's about to find him an opponent.  AJ asks Kaitlyn if she thinks she's unstable.  Kaitlyn says no, but there are many other words she could think of to describe her.  AJ puts on her inquisitive puppy face, so I assume some shenanigans are heading Kaitlyn's way.

Match 2:  JTG vs Ryback
Winner:  Ryback via pinfall

This is why you don't cross the boss.  Ryback's music has been remixed to include "Feed me more" on a loop.  Ryback once again has a pink-eye situation.   JTG ties up with Ryback and gets inverted as he pushes him off.  JTG yells "I better not get pinkeye" and kicks at Ryback, then strikes his face, but runs into a huge belly to belly suplex as he yells "My turn!".  JTG runs into the pinning boot to the throat and gets slammed into the mat.  Ryback takes JTG up for an over the shoulder powerbomb.  The crowd is hugely into the "feed me more" chant as Ryback warms up a lariat and connects.  Ryback calls for the finish and lands Shellshocked.

Personally not a fan of the remix of the music; it sounds like an awful fan-mix.  The vocals in the ring from both men were good for a laugh, and are something that's sorely missing from most wrestlers now a days.  The crowd runs the gamut of chanting "Goldberg" at Ryback, but then loves the "Feed me more" bit.  Everyone hates everything.  Fun squash match.

Via Twitter, fans will vote for Rowdy Roddy Piper's guest - The Miz, Chris Jericho or Dolph Ziggler.  This isn't good use of the whole Raw-action thing, but at least it's relatively non-invasive.

Roddy Piper is talking like his typical mad man self and the camera pans over to Shawn Michaels.  Piper says he'd be intimidated if he had to fight Brock Lesnar too; HBK says he's not fighting Lesnar.  Shawn gets a phone call, apparently from HHH, and says he needs to be there, because it's not his fight.  Michaels is visibly distraught.

Heath Slater is in the ring saying that tonight things change.  He's going to turn it all around and...out comes R-Truth, with Little Jimmy in tow.  Didn't Bryan placekick him clear over the ropes a week or two ago?  Kid recovers fast!

Match 3:  Heath Slater vs R-Truth (One half of WWE Tag Team Champions)
Winner:  R-Truth via pinfall

Slater backs Truth into a corner, but Truth slips out and kicks away at the one man band.  Truth delivers a huge hip toss off the ropes and wants his dancing leg drop, but Slater rolls away.  Slater fights out of the corner and hits a neckbreaker for one.  Slater stays on the attack with kicks to the midsection and now the first chinlock of Raw.  Truth fights to his feet immediately and then dodges out of the corner, landing a clothesline.  Now another, and right into the Little Jimmy for the finish.

I still can't fathom them calling his finisher The Little Jimmy.  The Primetime Players, sans the now-released AW hit the ring to attack half of their opponents for Summerslam.  Young and O'Neil strike away at Truth, who gets thrown into the Clash of the Titus.  Good to see that they're sticking with the same gimmick, motions, bravado - No need to ruin a good tag team because the manager they were associated with got 86'd.  Michael Cole runs most of the verbiage that AW would have anyway.  Nothing much lost, but it wouldn't hurt getting them a mouth piece moving forward, especially if they capture the tag titles on Sunday.

Pauly D is the Social Media Ambassador for Raw tonight.  This means absolutely nothing and is an utter waste of everyone's time.

Match 4:  Sin Cara vs Tensai
Winner:  Sin Cara via pinfall

As usual, Tensai shoves Sakamoto out of the way on his way to the ring.  Tensai opens strong and goes right for a powerbomb.  Sin Cara tries a hurricanrana, but Tensai pulls him back up.  Cara goes over for a sunset flip, but Tensai powers through.  Tensai tries a Vader Bomb but misses.  Sin Cara lands a swanton bomb then delivers an enzuigiri to Sakamoto on the apron, then La Mistica to Tensai, who runs into Sakamoto, then gets hit with a tornado DDT from Cara for the win.  Tensai takes it out on Sakamoto with a choke bomb and senton.

Piper's Pit

Piper goes on a nutty tirade about Ziggler, Jericho and Miz's current goings-on.  And the WWE Universe has selected...Chris Jericho.

Piper and Jericho have a back and forth about the last time they saw one another, which Piper claims to not remember.  Jericho says he's excited to be in Piper's Pit.  Piper says they have something in common; the fans cheer them for no reason.  Piper puts over Jericho and Vickie Guerrero comes out shrieking.  Piper asks what the sound is and Ziggler is introduced.  Ziggler runs down Piper and all three men talk all over each other.  Ziggler says Jericho is on his way to being a failed old man like Piper.  Ziggler continues the verbiage that Jericho can't get the job done anymore, and after Sunday, Jericho should hang the lite-brite jacket with Piper's kilt.  Jericho mocks Ziggler's spaghetti hair and Vickie stands up for him, then is promptly told to "Shut...the hell...UP".  Y2J continues and tells all the Jerichoholics that he will beat Ziggler, drawing The Miz out.  Piper is awkwardly chanting "Y2J" during Miz's entrance.  Miz runs the "really?" bit and says that he and Ziggler can win the big ones.  Ziggler won MITB and Miz is the Intercontinental Champion.  Miz says he's taking over the show and would like Ziggler to be his guest; he tells Piper and Jericho to get the hell out of the ring.

Piper yells "no" at Miz a few times and Jericho attacks.  He tosses Miz out and clotheslines Ziggler to the floor.  I think Piper forgot that "No no no" is someone else's catchphrase, aside from the fact that he was all over everyone else on the mic.  He's just not as sharp as he used to be and it's really starting to show everytime they cart Piper out in front of everyone.  Once again, the social media Raw-Action poll meant nothing - All three choices came out, just like they planned from the beginning.  People must be picking up on this already.

Match 5:  Chris Jericho vs The Miz vs Dolph Ziggler
Winner:  Dolph Ziggler via pinfall

AJ set this match up during the commercial.  Miz and Ziggler set their sights on Jericho, who quickly gets overwhelmed.  Jericho fights back and delivers a belly to back suplex to Miz and a dropkick to Ziggler.  AJ has stated that Miz will defend the IC title against Rey Mysterio on Sunday.  Jericho lands a big vertical suplex on Miz but only gets a one.  Miz takes a chop to the chest that levels him.  Jericho hits the ropes and Ziggler sweeps his leg from the floor.  Back into the ring, Ziggler stomps away at Jericho and Miz joins in.  Miz holds Jericho up and Ziggler lands a punch to the gut.  Now Miz's turn to deliver a kick.  Miz chokes Jericho in the ropes and Ziggler distracts the ref, but triple threats are no-dq so it doesn't matter much.  Miz and Ziggler deliver a double suplex to Jericho.  Ziggler lands his jumping elbow twice on Jericho and pins him, but Miz breaks it up.  Jericho fights back in the interim and sends Miz over the top, then backdrops Ziggler right after him.  Jericho lands a plancha on both men then celebrates on top of the commentary table.  Jericho pulls the top of the table off and throws it on both opponents.

Jericho rolls Ziggler back in and kicks Miz on the floor; Ziggler capitalizes and shoulder blocks Jericho off the apron into the commentary table.  With all this action on the floor, it's of course time for a commercial...Back to action, Miz has Jericho in a chinlock and Ziggler is on the floor.  Jericho fights up to his feet and elbows out, but runs into a knee to the midsection.  Miz chokes Jericho with his boot.  Miz stomps Ziggler back out of the ring and goes for a cover on Jericho, but only gets a two count.  Miz jumps on Jericho's back and tells him to get up, then does it again.  Miz settles into a camel clutch and Jericho fights to his feet again; Miz whips him to the corner and misses on his corner clothesline.  Jericho with a pair of shoulder blocks and a triangle dropkick to Ziggler on the apron.  Jericho hits a bulldog on Miz and then lands the Lionsault.  Ziggler is in to interrupt the pin attempt.  Jericho back drops Miz over the top and Miz gets crotched.  Now from the apron, Jericho pulls Miz to the top and Ziggler rushes in for a tower of doom superplex/powerbomb.  Miz rolls to the floor and Ziggler slowly covers Jericho, who counters into a crucifix for two.  Ziggler lands a Fameasser but Jericho kicks out at two.  Ziggler stalks Jericho, but Miz sneaks in and hits the Skull Crushing Finale.  Jericho breaks up the pin and then counters Miz's attack, wanting the Walls of Jericho, but Miz twists out.  Ziggler attacks Miz and Jericho hits a Codebreaker, but all three men are down.  Jericho crawls over for a cover and Vickie reaches in and puts Ziggler's foot on the ropes.  The ref stops counting and Michael Cole reminds us that there are no DQs, so why does it matter.  Jericho counters a pin from Miz and ends up with the Walls of Jericho.  Vickie interferes so that the ref doesn't see Miz tapping and Ziggler hits the Zigzag for the win.

That was a fun triple threat.  Heel shenanigans, the face set up for revenge at the PPV and altogether good action.  Ziggler should hit the ZigZag like this everytime; grabbing the neck first then jumping.  That way it looks like an elevated russian leg sweep each time.

CM Punk is stretching in the back and Eve approaches him, congratulating him on his new attitude..  Punk says he's not wearing a black hat or twirling a mustache.  Eve says nobody believes that, especially Cena.  Punk says he'll go talk to him now.  Eve just randomly gets inserted where convenient, it seems.


Shawn Michaels is tentatively walking around the backstage area.  Cena taps him on the shoulder and he jumps.  Michaels says he's distracted and walks off.  CM Punk approaches John Cena and jaws at him for calling him "that guy" last week.  Being the champion means everything to Punk; he won't stab anyone in the back.  He'll leave Summerslam the WWE Champion and make sure that at the end of the night it's all about him.

A vignette for the return of Wade Barrett plays; Barrett plays up leaving the streets for an easier life.  The Barrett Barrage returns soon.

Match 6:  Layla (Diva's Champion) and Kaitlyn vs Eve and Beth Phoenix
Winners:  Layla and Kaitlyn via pinfall

Beth and Layla start off and Beth gorilla presses the Diva's champ.  Layla tries a sunset flip to counter and almost falls, leading to an awkward pin.  Eve tags in and lays into Layla who tries her new pinning combo, but misses that one too.  Layla hits the double spring cross body, then tries a headlock, which she manages to pull off.  Layla dances and hits Eve in the face with her ass.  Eve gets distracted by Kaitlyn and turns around into a clothesline.  Kaitlyn tags in and hits a backbreaker on Eve.  Kaitlyn hops to the middle rope, but eve pulls her leg out from under her then pounds her on the mat.  Phoenix tags in and keeps the pressure on Kaitlyn.  Kaitlyn is whipped into the enemy corner and Phoenix knocks Layla off the apron, which lets the heels double team Kaitlyn.  Phoenix rushes Kaitlyn, who gets a boot up.  Kaitlyn fights out of a Glamslam attempt and rolls up the Glamzaon for the win.  Layla's music plays.

That was altogether bad.  Layla was way off; she's usually much better than what we saw tonight.  Kaitlyn is at least as good and consistent as any of the "main roster" Divas, if not better; she should be showcased moving forward.

Match 7:  Big Show and Daniel Bryan vs John Cena and CM Punk (WWE Champion)
Winners:  CM Punk and John Cena via pinfall

Punk gets two matches in one show and still doesn't main event; he should definitely have something to say about that.  Bryan's entrance is entirely different with the new NO gimmick, just in time to make WWE 13 look out of date.  Forget not main eventing; Punk doesn't even get to make his entrance last.  Big mixed reaction for Cena tonight.  Punk sarcastically claps with one hand while he holds the WWE Title in the other.

Cena and Bryan open up and Cena grabs a headlock, then runs Bryan over.  Punk tags himself in and Show wants in, but Bryan says he'll stay in, wanting to earn a spot in the WWE Title match on Sunday.  Punk's turn for a headlock and a takeover, but Bryan is quickly to his feet; he takes another shoulder block, then a hip toss.  Cena tags himself back in as Punk nears his own corner.  Show demands a tag, prompting a Yes/No argument between himself and Bryan.  Cena hits a hip toss and a dropkick on Bryan.  Punk tries to tag himself in, but can't reach; Show tags in on the other side and attacks Cena.  Show sends Cena into the corner and Cena has his hands up for the front bump before he hits the turnbuckle.  Cena tries to fight back with a jumping shoulder, but Show deflects him.  That's enough for a commercial for now...

Back in, Big Show is still in charge.  Show hits a running ass to the corner on Cena, who ends up running into a bearhug.  Bryan tags himself in and says this is about him.  Bryan readies for the corner dropkick and misses, bouncing clear off the turnbuckle.  Punk tags himself in as Cena rolls to his corner and lands a springboard clothesline and swinging neckbreaker, but Show breaks up the pin.  Bryan drags Punk to his corner and Show tags in, then picks up the WWE Champ, just to slam him back down.  Show with a big body shot, leaving Punk a crumpled mess on the mat.  Show shushes the crowd then slaps Punk's chest.  Punk fights back and hits the ropes, but runs into a bearhug.  Punk elbows out, but runs into a back body drop.  Show plants a boot in the back of Punk and steps on him.  Punk fights back up but gets scoop slammed.  Show cocks the WMD, but Bryan tags himself in.  Show is done; he hops off the apron and takes a seat.  Bryan kicks away at Punk, but misses the headkick; Punk throws a roundhouse and knocks Bryan to the mat.  Punk sees Cena wanting a tag, after being off the apron earlier.  Punk hits two shoulders and a spin out bomb on Bryan, then calls for the Five Knuckle Shuffle.  Off the ropes, Cena tags himself in and hits a running corner knee and bulldog.  Punk grabs the WWE Title and hits the road.  Bryan rolls up Cena, who kicks out, hits an Attitude Adjustment out of nowhere and wins.

If that were ANY other face on the planet in the wrestling business, he would have been pinned by the heel Daniel Bryan.  But no, John Cena cannot possibly suffer a loss, even via a cheap rollup.  Sickening.  WWE absolutely must let go of this "everyone is protected" garbage they pull.  Show goes after Cena and Punk clobbers him with the WWE Title.  Punk offers a handshake to Cena, who is tentative - Punk says "Maybe you're that guy" and storms out.  The heat between the three men is still there, but Cena wouldn't have lost anything at all suffering a roll up loss to Daniel Bryan.

Punk is interviewed in the back and explains:  John Cena went into business for himself.  Punk says the lack of a handshake is the ultimate sign of disrespect where he comes from.  He plans to teach everyone about respect come Summerslam. 

Brock Lesnar is shown in the back with Paul Heyman.

Match 8:  Damien Sandow vs Christian
Winner:  Damien Sandow via pinfall

Sandow opens aggressively in the corner, then lands a russian leg sweep.  Sandow with his elbow drop for a two count.  Into the corner again, but Christian fights out this time and lands slaps and a forearm.  Christian leapfrogs to the floor for another slap then hits a second rope European uppercut.  Christian calls for the Killswitch early and Sandow bails to the floor, then throws Christian into the steel steps multiple times.  Back into the ring and Brodus Clay's music hits.  Clay halfheartedly dances with his injured leg.  Christian cradles Sandow for two and Sandow hits his Crossarm Neckbreaker out of nowhere for the win.

Winning with his finisher after a distraction meant for him?  That a huge thumbs up for Sandow from the guys in the back.  Gotta say, there are a lot of guys that get away with going toward the ring mid-match with their music playing.  Shouldn't the GMs be upset about this?  And why do the production truck guys play anyone's music who asks?

Shawn Michaels is still in the back and comes face to face with Brock Lesnar.  HBK immediately backs off, which puts a smile on Lesnar's face. 

Back from a commercial and a recap of last week's Raw, Brock Lesnar's music hits, bringing he and Paul Heyman out for the contract signing for the Summerslam match.  Heyman reminds the crowd that he is the advocate for Lesnar.  At Summerslam, WWE's dignity is on the line and in the hands of HHH.  Heyman calls Lesnar a "fighter with ultimate credentials" to skirt around mentioning UFC directly.  HHH has flight delays, keeping him from the contract signing.  Heyman has the contract in hand to indemnify Lesnar from what happens to HHH on Sunday.  Heyman says on Sunday it will be a beating, not a wrestling match.  HHH will suffer.

Last week, Heyman continues, Shawn Michaels disagreed about Lesnar winning at Summerslam.  Heyman calls HBK out to tell Lesnar to his face that he doesn't think he'll win.  Heyman says there's no shame in being frightened of Lesnar, then continues that everyone from Texas has a yellow streak up their spine...This is enough to draw the Heartbreak Kid out.  Heyman insists that Michaels signs the contract on HHH's behalf.  Michaels stares Lesnar down just long enough for HHH's music to hit and The Game makes his entrance, shedding his tie and suit jacket before he even makes it to the ring.  HHH keeps an eye on Lesnar as he signs the contract.  Heyman screams at Lesnar that this is just a contract signing.  Lesnar signs and throws the clipboard at HHH, then immediately bails to the floor.  Lesnar taunts HHH, but heads toward the back.

HBK and HHH are in the back and Michaels tells HHH that Lesnar is unlike anyone they've faced before.  Michaels says that HHH needs to beat Lesnar on his own, even with him in the corner.  Seems like Michaels is outright saying he won't get physically involved at Summerslam.

Big Show is tracked down by Matt Striker - Show says that a cheap shot won't change anything for Summerslam.  Car horns honk and Striker switches his attention in that direction.  Heyman has put his car in the way of HBK's.  Lesnar rushes HBK and pulls him out of the window, knocking the camera man (and the camera) out in the process.  With a black screen, we hear Heyman yell "Tell HHH!  Tell HHH!" and thuds that sound like a pipe or other blunt weapon landing blows to HBK.  Without the picture restoring, we cut to presumably the final commercial of the night.  Back to the show, Michaels is missing and his car's windshield is shattered.  Heyman's car is still against Michaels' and HHH yells for everyone in the area to tell him what happened.  AJ says that Lesnar dragged him away.  Lesnar appears back in the arena and has HBK in a fireman's carry.  He dumps him in the ring and follows.  HBK is selling his back and wobbly legs.  Lesnar lifts him and delivers an F5.  Lesnar stalks around him as the crowd calls for HHH.  Michaels tries to fight to his feet, using Lesnar to pick himself up.  Lesnar locks in the Kimura and HHH heads toward the ring.  Heyman says if HHH gets any closer, Lesnar will break the arm.  HHH is obviously distraught; Lesnar breaks the arm anyway.  Heyman sells disbelief that Lesnar did this; even he seems upset with the actions of his client.  The show ends with Lesnar and HHH jawing at a distance.

This would be FAR more dramatic if Lesnar hadn't done the exact same thing to HHH recently and HHH returned weeks later all better.  We all thought it was ridiculous at the time; now it seems even more so as they ruined their own potential drama.  I guess the excuse is Michaels is "retired" which automatically makes him weak...or something.

On the whole, a good episode of Raw.  They saved the vast majority of the "non-wrestling" stuff for the end of the show, which allowed a rapid fire series of matches that were for the most part entertaining.  Once again the WWE Champion doesn't headline; twice in one night.  Punk's attitude is slowly getting worse and worse, which is entirely sensible in terms of the current storyline.  Cena and Show are both gunning for him, as well as each other, which might let Punk beat the odds and retain through the triple threat at Summerslam.  Ziggler/Jericho has all the potential to be a show stealer just by virtue of the combatants.  The Divas match was less than stellar; we're trained to not expect a five star match from them, but Layla was definitely having an off night.  Normally, the "go home" Raw is hit or miss; for Summerslam, it's far and away a hit.  The last half hour was dedicated to creating a USA network drama to get the ire up against Brock Lesnar, but all things considered it could have been worse.  I just wish they hadn't done the exact same bit with HHH's arm so recently. 

 Smackdown this Friday and Summerslam on Sunday - What are your predictions?

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The Dark Knight Rises Review

Maybe you just got back from seeing the Dark Knight Rises. Maybe you're waiting for sales to go down. Perhaps you're waiting for the DVD release. Whatever the case may be, you know one thing- The Dark Knight Rises is a movie for you.

Like the first two installments, Batman Begins & The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan takes us to the final chapter of the Dark Knight Trilogy, this time for a whopping 165-minute finisher! We're about to take a look at many aspects of the movie, including previous tie-ins, plots, reveals, and some character bios. Naturally, there will be spoilers, so if you want to find out anything on your own, don't continue reading.

Let's start with the basic plot- Batman is no more. Bruce Wayne has given up the cowl, and isolates himself from society while his business crumbles. Bane, a monstrous being, takes over the city's crime from the sewers. After many threats to the city, Batman resurfaces to stop the new threat to Gotham City. Batman enlists the help of a local cat burglar to find Bane, but is tricked into to being cornered by him instead. Batman tries to fight but is severely beaten by Bane and thrown into a prison underground. Bane threatens the city with a nuclear bomb, having trapped the entirety of the police force in the enclosed sewers. Without Batman to stop him the city is overrun by criminals. Batman eventually escapes, climbing out of the prison with a new sense of spirit, and defeats Bane. The bomb is set to go off, and Batman decides to fly the nuclear bomb out into the bay and presumably dies in the process.

There you have it- the entire plot in 165 words.

Next I want to dissect the main characters.

First off, we'll start with Batman. This man, Bruce Wayne, is a god. He is introduced crippled, having leg problems, invents a brace for his leg, and still fights as Batman. When he is beaten by Bane, he trains his body to escape and reface him. In this movie we still have that theme that Alfred gave us in the first movie- "Why do we fall down? So we can learn to pick ourselves up." After watching the first two movies, you know a majority of this character already, and truthfully not much has changed. He is still the same caped crusader who feels that Gotham city needs a hero, a symbol if nothing else, to get Gotham on its feet and where it needs to be.

Alfred Pennyworth, as we know him as Bruce's butler, continues his character development. In the first movie you see a butler fully supportive of Batman, even to a point of ordering the materials necessary to make certain gadgets. In the second movie, you see a slow transition, where Alfred is still supportive of the Batman idea, but is also taken aback by the injuries and begins to nurture the Bruce Wayne side.  In this installment, we see a complete change of Alfred into the 100% Bruce Wayne side of life, trying to get Bruce to hang up the cowl completely.



Lucius Fox is sort of the opposite of Alfred. If you follow his role in the movies, you see the opposite progression. In the first movie he is a mere employee, coincidentally filling a role in a department that Bruce Wayne has taken interest in. His interests lie in Wayne, and it's not until the end of the movie that he makes it clear he has interest in what Bruce has been doing. In the second movie, you see the progression of the Batman favoring, while still conducting business deals for Bruce, he also comes up with ideas for Batman. At the end of the second movie, we see him say that he is resigning from Wayne Enterprises if the Batman contraption is still in the building. In this last installment, we see a Lucius loyal to Batman. Still holding a position at Wayne Enterprises, he still builds the gadgets that Batman uses, including the new "The Bat" hovercraft.

Bane is the new villain to the movie, serving as the main antagonist throughout 95% of it. Bane is a large man with muscles galore, and to top it off he has a contraption fixed to his head that is constantly numbing pain. The man can, and did, take many blows from many sources, including Batman, only to continue fighting as though he was getting attacked by ladybugs. Bane's story comes from a subplot of Ra's Al Ghul, where the child Ra's left in the pit (an underground prison) was left defenseless, and Bane protecting the child. Bane was also the reason the child escapes up the wall, a feat only accomplished by the child, and later Bruce Wayne.

Catwoman/Selina Kyle- Catwoman plays the same role that she does in anything else you've seen her in. She's a cat burglar, making a quick steal for a quick buck. We're introduced to her as she first steals Wayne's fingerprints; a plot tie-in to the take-over of Wayne Enterprises so ultimately Miranda Tate can be in control of the nuclear reactor. She's in this movie as her usual expected anti-hero, ultimately after the goal of a program that will wipe her crime history slate clean. Unfortunately, this incarnation of Selina Kyle doesn't sport her collection and infatuation with felines, but rather just jumps on the moniker of Catwoman with her reflexes and goggles, which form cat-ears on her head when not in use.

Miranda Tate/ Talia Al Ghul- Miranda Tate is a brand new character introduced to this movie, much like Bane, but has a dual identity that reveals into a well-known character. For the first segment of the movie, Miranda is a business woman interested in taking hold of Wayne Enterprises reactor as an energy source. After the reactor gets stolen so Bane can threaten Gotham with the nuclear explosion, Miranda sits on the sidelines, appearing in scenes with Lucius and throwing out hints and minor conversation. It's not until Bane's life is threatened that she surfaces to reveal herself as Talia Al Ghul, the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul (the main villain in Batman Begins) and the child that escaped from the pit the first time. It was Talia's plan to destroy Gotham, not Bane's, as Bane is merely her protector and has been pulling the strings from the get-go, using her business to get close enough to the reactor.

John Blake- John Blake is also a new character to the series that, much like Miranda Tate, assumes one identity and then becomes a well-known symbol towards the end of the movie. Blake is a police officer and an orphan. Being an orphan and understanding the facial expressions and feelings of Bruce, he approaches Bruce with an assumption and deduction that Bruce Wayne is Batman. Blake plays the role of the detective cop in this movie, where he does his own work outside of the main force and is recognized by Gordon early on. This recognition merits conversation with Batman, which by the end of the movie Batman recognizes Blake as a hero. The identity switch happens at the very end of the movie, where not only does Bruce leave Blake with the Batcave, but it is also revealed that Blake's real name is "Robin".

Then of course there's some return characters. There's The Scarecrow in this movie, playing the role of the judge in Bane's twisted rule of the city, determining the fate of Gotham's heroes to choose between death and exile. There's the return of Ra's Al Ghul, and although Liam Neeson doesn't have a ton of screen-time, his only appearance gives Bruce the inspiration necessary to leave the pit. And lastly, of course we have Gordon, who spends most of the movie recovering in the hospital after being shot in the sewer.

My thoughts: I felt the movie was very long. I didn't particularly enjoy an almost 3-hour movie minimal action versus the massive amounts of dramatic threats, but there were some neat scenes. The football stadium sequence was fantastic (When bane takes the football field out from underneath a game; you saw it happen in the trailer!) and the overall effects were done really well. Even outside of my comic knowledge, I felt there was some major cheese moments, and the movie's closing sequences could've been cut out (particularly Robin). Finally, I propose a perspective posed to me recently from a friend, Bill- Did Alfred see what he saw, or saw what he wanted to see?




On behalf of the staff here at Geek Asylum we just want to say we are horribly saddened by the tragedy that befell the community of Aurora, Colorado on the night this movie was released. It pains us to see this type of tragedy and acts of pointless violence committed against any innocent people.  This type of violation of human rights and safety will always stay in our hearts. The families and friends of victims of this tragedy are in our hearts and prayers. Whether you were watching an excellent film, reading an amazing comic, or simply enjoying an epic trilogy, we hope that you can find the time at the beginning, time in the middle, or even a moment at the end to be thoughtful of people who were only looking to find the same enjoyment that you were. Stay strong.

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