Dec. 25, 2013 - The Year That Was

This week in WWE, it was holiday season as various Christmas-themed matches took place on Raw.  The Divas all wore their Xmas attire for a Jingle Belles match.  Somewhere, Vince Russo got his Christmas wish as there was a Present-on-a-Pole Match won by Faaan...daaan...gooo.  And the fate of Christmas itself was on the line as the World's Strongest Santa took on Krampus Sandow, while the commentators completely failed to make a 'Singapore candy cane' pun the entire night.

There were also two excellent six-man tag-team matches, as Daniel Bryan and the Brothers Rhodes took on the Wyatt Family, and the super-team of Cena, Punk, and Big E Langston took on The Shield.

Down in NXT Land, it was NXT Rewind, as we looked back at the year that was and all the events that happened in NXT.  And Santa got my letter, as tonight, we get to see WILLIAM REGAL vs ANTONIO CESARO!!

Dec. 18, 2013 - NXT 200

This week in WWE, Randy Orton is now the WWE World Heavyweight Champion because calling him the 'Unified Champion' isn't pompous enough and calling him the 'Undisputed Champion' is insulting to Chris Jericho. The tag team division continues to heat up, while CM Punk called out the Authority for trying to sweep him under the rug and make him go away, getting on the bad side of HB-Shizzle while doing so.

And Daniel Bryan once again set the world on fire in an excellent main event match, proving he's capable of going toe-to-toe with anyone in the business, and Orton was only able to escape losing by uppercutting him in the ballbag.

Down in NXT Land, it was the 200th Episode of NXT!  Well, the 200th episode of the current, superior format. Challenges were issued! Championships were defended! And some doofus called Triple H dropped by.

Dec. 11, 2013 - Sami Zayn Will Not Go Away

This week in WWE, the Slammys were awarded, and there were many grievous oversights and snubs involved, as CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar wasn't nominated, as the Bellas were voted Diva of the Year over AJ Lee, and as the infamous "PAULCANO" rant from Paul Heyman rant was snubbed in favor of Dusty Rhodes' "huckleberry" quote.

The road to the Unified Championship heated up as both Randy Orton and John Cena gave great stump speeches, but all the WWE Universe cared about was one man: Daniel Bryan.  And all that The Authority cared about was making sure everyone knew that Triple H is "better" than everyone else.

Down in NXT Land, the Ascension continues its dominance of the tag team scene, Alexander Rusev brutalizes Kassius (oh, no!), the BFFs continue to make Bayley's life difficult, Mojo Rawley stays hyped, and Sami Zayn had to try to make it past the South African Nightmare, Leo Kruger.

Dec. 4, 2013 - Bo Gets Jumped By A Geordie

This week in WWE, the Authority punished the outspoken, as Daniel Bryan and CM Punk found themselves on collision courses with every member of the Wyatt Family and the Shield, respectively. Damien Sandow and Dolph Ziggler continued their interminable feud for mid-card king status. The tag-team scene continues to develop as "RybAxel" started picking up actual victories. And fans decided to call the man who wins at the main event of TLC the "Unified Champion."  Because f**k you, Chris Jericho did it first and did it better.

Mistico apparently also left and someone else is wearing the Sin Cara mask, but no one really cares.

Down in NXT Land, Aiden English continues his magnum opus against one of These Guys, Antonio Cesaro and Leo Kruger are Up To Something, and Adrian Neville challenges Bo Dallas for the NXT Championship.

Nov. 27, 2013 - Who's Next to Face Bo?

This week in WWE, Randy Orton whined again because Mummy and Daddy weren't paying enough attention to him anymore. But then, with the Almighty Cena back on the strength, why should the Authority care about Glass Jaw Randy? Meanwhile, the midcard kept heating up, as the Shield continued to dominate, as Roman "reigns" supreme at Survivor Series, and Rey Mysterio returned after duct-taping his knees back together.

Oh, and CM Punk & Daniel Bryan formed the Greatest Of All Teams (G.O.A.T.s), only to run afoul of the Wyatt Family as they dragged D-Bry off for some time in Room 101.

Down in NXT Land, while Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville fought to determine who would be the next in line to vie for the NXT Championship, other wrestlers were picking fights left and right. Bayley stood up to the BFFs and issued a challenge to them. Hunico & Camacho continued to gun for the Ascension, and Antonio Cesaro appears to have a bone to pick with William Regal...

Nov. 20, 2013 - Can Sami Beat The Clock?

This week in WWE, Raw got "Country." Which was basically an excuse to play music that the rest of the nation and, indeed, the world doesn't really care about.  Well, 3MB continued their recent habit of "rebranding" themselves to try to appeal to the crowd, but using an actual branding iron would probably work better at this point.  Randy Orton continued his whiny entitled bitch champion persona, while WWE tried to make John Cena look vulnerable without actually looking weak. (Something which never works.)

But more importantly than that, NXT guys made good this week on the main roster!  Big E Langston (former NXT Champion) won the Intercontinental Championship from Curtis Axel, and Xavier Woods debuted as the tag partner of R-Truth, prompting dozens of 'Truth and Consequences reunion' jokes on the Twitter machine.

Down in NXT Land, with the "Bo Dallas vs. The World" tour complete, Interim GM JBL announced a 'Beat The Clock' Challenge to determine a number-one contender. While notables like Rusev, Aiden English, Adrian Neville, BIG CASS, and a returning Sami Zayn vied for the coveted spot, Hunico & Camacho turned up and immediately put the Ascension on notice. But the real question on everyone's mind was: Can Sami beat the clock?

Nov. 13, 2013 - The Man That Gravity Forgot

This week in WWE, they celebrated US Veterans' Day by broadcasting Raw from the UK. The Authority took a vacation, leaving Vickie Guerrero, First Citizen Kane, and Brad Mad Ox squabbling over who got to run the shows. John Cena battled the Real Americans again. A rivalry started forming between The Shield and the Wyatt Family over who got to attack Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. Curtis Axel started becoming less relevant.

Oh, and Big Show channeled his Stone Cold as he arrived, raised hell, and left to go get a pint.

Down in NXT Land, the Beautiful Fierce Females gained a new member. The Artiste had a clash of styles with Camacho. The United Kingdom exploded when Wales fought England. And Adrian Neville once again looked for retribution against Corey Graves.

Nov. 6, 2013 - Harper Has a New Plaything, Oh No!

This week in WWE, The Big Show got his job back!  Randy Orton continues to be a douchebag! Alberto Del Rio called people "gringo perros!" John Cena and the Brothers Rhodes fought the Real Americans and Damien Sandow! Big E Langston got to hang with the WWE Champion! CM Punk and Daniel Bryan took the fight to the Wyatt Family!

But none of that matters, because Kane wore a suit! Holy crap, you guys!

Down in NXT Land, the BFFs started looking for a potential new recruit. Leo Kruger returned and started looking to make an impact. Alexander Rusev has a new manager. NXT's These Guys continue to struggle against the Ascension. Mojo Rawley stays hyped!, and in the main event, Luke Harper tried to break his "new plaything" in Kassius Ohno.

Oct. 30, 2013 - CJ Parker shoots the Breeze

First, apologies to the five or six people that read this for the delay in this installment. My grandfather passed away the last weekend, so doing another edition for this blog was low on my priorities.

This week in WWE, Smarkageddon began.  Daniel Bryan lost inside Hell in a Cell, thanks to some last-minute Sweet Chin Music from HB-Shizzle, paving the way for the Authority's hand-picked "Face of the WWE" Randy Orton to claim the title once again.  They teased a potential student-vs-mentor feud when Bryan put Shawn Michaels in the Yes Lock on Raw, but the Wyatt Family sent him to the hospital a local medical facility, suggesting he'll be feuding with them.  Not content with taking one smark darling out of the title hunt, a triumphant CM Punk-- having finally put Paul Heyman to sleep and then decisively beating The Ryback again-- was also left bleeding by the Wyatt Family.  All the smarks' favorites appear to be getting pushed down the card, to make room for the Big Show in his feud against the Authority.

Oh, and Alberto Del Rio lost the World Heavyweight Championship to some guy named John Cena, who also successfully defended it against Money in the Bank holder Damien Sandow. I dunno, I think WWE wants this Cena guy to become a big deal, fairly quick.

Down in NXT Land, Thanksgiving came early as a couple servings of squash were handed out.  The rivalry between the BFFs and Paige & Emma continued to simmer, especially as Paige and Emma seem poised to erupt into a feud in their own right. In an unlikely main event, 'Moonchild' CJ Parker looks to avenge the loss of two of his dreadlocks against the vain Tyler Breeze.

Oct. 23, 2013 - Graves Aims To Misbehave

This week in WWE, everyone is still going down the highway to Hell... in a Cell.  The Authority continued to desperately try to make it clear that, title or no, Randy Orton is still "The Face" of the WWE, while Shawn "HB-Shizzle" Michaels implied favoritism toward the man he helped train.  Daniel Bryan continued to "Yes!" it up and promised to win against Orton, issuing the warning that caused ten thousand smarks to cream their pants: "You're going to get your head kicked in."  But the Bryan/Orton rivalry was really taking a backseat to the Big Show's "nothing left to lose" rampage, as he knocked out Brad Maddox, revealed he was suing the pants off of Triple H, and crashed the contract signing in a big rig.  Meanwhile, WWE played up John Cena's return as if he were coming back from a year-plus absence (instead of merely three months) and Alberto Del Rio amped up his "foreign heel" schtick to the point where he all but invited the audience to look at his craaazy passport.

Oh, and Paul Heyman cut the craziest promo in the last ten years as he ranted about hot boiling lava and CM Punk, while The Ryback stared vacantly into the middle distance. Curtis Axel, meanwhile, tried not to corpse as he, like everyone watching, waited for Heyman to issue a "skronk" and talk about "Ho Kogan" and cockpit doors.

Down in NXT Land, it seems to be that the bad guys still get to win, as the theme of those-in-authority holding down the fan-favorites continues to trend with Sami Zayn, and Corey Graves starts to reinvent himself as the heel he was always meant to be as he kicks off his feud with Adrian Neville.

Oct. 16, 2013 - Sami Gets His Shot

This week in WWE, the Authority shifted from subtle villainy to outright villainy, as COO Triple H and Stephanie McMahon blasted anyone who derived any pleasure from seeing Captain Trips get knocked the F out.  We saw the Bellas show the depths of their acting range (read: not very much), and The Shield finally get handed a major defeat when the Brothers Rhodes pinned them to claim the WWE Tag Titles, with a timely assist from Big Show's deadly right hand.  Alberto Del Rio tried desperately to wriggle out of having to face the returning John Cena, to no avail, and Paul Heyman once again finds himself facing the prospect of being trapped in the ring with his personal nemesis CM Punk.

Meanwhile, down in NXT Land, rising star Sami Zayn finally got his shot at the gold as he challenged the despised Bo Dallas for the NXT Championship in yet another great match to add to Sami's WWE resumé.

Oct. 9, 2013 - Rob Van Dam Drops By

An interesting week thus far in WWE. Once again, fans are denied a definitive finish in the Daniel Bryan/Randy Orton feud.  (Meaning the title reign of Vacant continues for another few weeks.) Big Show finally snaps and decides he's done letting the Authority push him around. John Cena is returning from his triceps tear well in advance of expectations, making me wonder if he's got a decaying portrait in his attic somewhere.  Smackdown is very light on a lot of WWE's top stars, as they left for the Middle East tour early. 

On NXT, we got a look at how "tweeners" shouldn't wrestle each other, a much "hyped" debut, some women's action, and a visit from the human highlight reel, Rob Van Dam

About NXT & Oct. 2, 2013 - The Bo Dallas Invitational

I'm Jay 2K Winger, and I am a wrestling fan.  I've watched WWE pretty consistently since 2000, I follow what goes on in That Other Company (which shall always remain nameless on this blog), and I am a fan of independent wrestling, having followed and attended Ring of Honor for many years, and am a card-carrying member of the CHIKARMY fan-club of CHIKARA Pro.  

It can become a chore to slog through hours of wrestling programming to get the good stuff.  WWE produces eight hours of televised programming a week (plus three more on PPV weeks), plus countless online-only videos on their website or YouTube channel or other social media spots.  But we're going to address the best hour that WWE consistently puts out, week after week:  NXT.