1.    United States Championship match: Daniel Bryan(c) vs. Ted DiBiase

As has been the case with the last few WWE PPVs, Daniel Bryan was able to rise to the occasion once again and deliver one of the best performances of the evening. Bryan locks up with DiBiase to start and goes to work the arm, but DiBiase counters out. Bryan hits a dropkick as the arena lights briefly go out. DiBiase is able to put Bryan on the apron and shoulder him in the stomach before suplexing him to the floor. DiBiase hits some elbows back in the ring and hits a double sledge off the top. DiBiase gets a near fall but Bryan comes back with some uppercuts. Bryan lands a kick but Ted puts him down to pound on him. Bryan fights out of a rear chin lock but eats a backbreaker before being caught in a rear chin lock. Bryan fights out and hits a dropkick in the corner followed by some more kicks, and then does the big back flip out of the corner before hitting a sliding lariat. Bryan tosses Ted to the outside and does a suicide dive, but ends up going shoulder first into the barricade because Ted didn’t catch him properly. They return to the ring where Bryan hits a missile dropkick and some more kicks followed by a small package for a near fall. Bryan goes for the LeBell Lock but Ted fights out and hits a huge clothesline. DiBiase tries for Dream Street but Bryan pushes out of the corner into a pin for a two count. DiBiase holds onto the cobra clutch before setting up Bryan on the top rope. Bryan is able to counter a superplex attempt and hit a massive back suplex off the top. Bryan tries for the LeBell Lock and DiBiase catapults him into the corner, but Bryan counters out of a cover into the LeBell Lock, forcing Ted to tap out. Very fun opener, not at the level of Bryan’s match with Ziggler last month but still really good for the time they got. Probably Ted’s best singles match ever. Match Time: 10:02     Star Rating: ***1/4

As Bryan was walking up the ramp, The Miz came out and clocked him with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Miz then came down to the ring with Alex Riley, where the lights again briefly went out, to cut a brief promo where he talks down LeBron James and the Miami Heat. He teases cashing in and says he’s awesome. This would have been enjoyable if Miz didn’t cut the exact same promo on Raw every single week cutting down the local sports teams.

2.    Sheamus vs. John Morrison

This seemed to be going on a bit early, given how everyone is used to Sheamus being up toward the main event. They lock up to start, but Sheamus backs Morrison into the corner and slaps him in the face. Morrison fights back but gets his head slammed into the turnbuckle. Morrison hits a hurricanrana and a dropkick, which sends Sheamus to the outside where Morrison hits a corkscrew plancha. Sheamus is able to send Morrison into the barricade and hits a double sledge before getting a near fall back in the ring. Sheamus hits some knee drops and a clothesline before applying a rear chin lock. Morrison is up but Sheamus puts him down and stomps on him. Sheamus sets Morrison up on the top rope to club at his back until he hits a reverse DDT backbreaker. Sheamus puts on a shoulder-based hold but Morrison fights out and hits some punches. Sheamus hits a knee strike and beats on Morrison’s chest, scoring another near fall. Sheamus lands a punch and puts Morrison up top, but Morrison punches him away. Sheamus comes back with some blows of his own and tries for a superplex, but Morrison holds on and hits a forearm, sending Sheamus to the mat. Morrison dives at Sheamus with a cross body, but Sheamus holds on and rolls through before hitting a huge powerslam. Sheamus goes for the bicycle kick, but Morrison moves and hits a kick of his own. Sheamus comes back with a backbreaker and tries for the High Cross, but Morrison counters with a slingshot into the corner. Sheamus trips Morrison off the second rope and beats down on Morrison. Morrison tries for Starship Pain but gets crotched. Sheamus tries for the bicycle kick but Morrison moves, hits a kick to the head, and a shining wizard for the win. Match wasn’t that well paced but it told a decent little story and was overall enjoyable. Not the best Sheamus match but hopefully this win can help elevate Morrison a bit. Match Time: 11:06     Star Rating: **3/4

3.    Intercontinental Championship match: Dolph Ziggler(c) vs. Kaval

I was very excited to see Kaval finally make his WWE PPV debut, and he delivered with one of the better performances on the show. This was a pretty good fast-paced match between two very athletic wrestlers. They trade some offensive bits at the start until Kaval hits a springboard cross body. Kavla beats on Ziggler in the corner, but Ziggler trips him up, sending him face first into the top turnbuckle. Ziggler hits a neckbreaker but Kaval comes back with a kick to the head and some flying forearms. Kaval hits some impressive kicks to put down Dolph before doing a dive into the corner followed up by a moonsault. Kaval hits a chop and a big kick to the face but Dolph catches him in a sleeper up top. Kaval fights him off and tries for a Phoenix splash and misses, but lands on his feet. Dolph hits the Zig Zag for a near fall, but Kaval hits a unique kick off the second rope. Ziggler charges in the corner but gets caught in a roll up for a two count. Kaval comes off the ropes with a roll up, but Ziggler reverses into a sloppy victory roll for the win. The idea was that he was hooking the tights, but it looked like he was grab-assing him. The match seemed to end just as it was hitting its stride, but I’m fine with that if the feud will continue. These guys have a ton of chemistry together and had a really fun match, though it did seem to be cut a bit short. Match Time: 9:38     Star Rating: ***

4.    Survivor Series Elimination match: Team Mysterio (Rey Mysterio, Big Show, Chris Masters, Kofi Kingston, and MVP) vs. Team Del Rio (Alberto Del Rio, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre, and Tyler Reks)

The nice stretch that the PPV opened up with continued with a traditional Survivor Series Elimination match, the show’s signature match over the years. This wasn’t a great match given the talent involved but it was very enjoyable and the second best match on the show. Mysterio and Swagger look to start things off but Del Rio jumps in, only to tag in Rhodes. He trades holds with Mysterio before putting him down with a shoulder block. Mysterio hits a kick to the chest but Rhodes hits a big kick of his own. Del Rio tags in and lands a ton of kicks, but Mysterio hits a hurricanrana and a dropkick to a seated Del Rio in the corner. MVP is in next and hits a single leg drop kick before landing more kicks on Del Rio in the corner. MVP blocks an enzuigiri and hits a yakuza kick in the corner, and then tags in Kofi who hits a double sledge to Del Rio’s arm. Masters and Reks are in next, with Reks beating down Masters in the corner before tagging in McIntyre. McIntyre hits some forearms and clotheslines, but eats a boot when he dives off the top. MVP tags in and hits some dropkicks, and exploder suplex, and the Ballin’ elbow. MVP tries for a suplex, but Drew reverses and gets a cover, successfully eliminating MVP, the most over guy in the entire match, as Del Rio pulls the foot. Del Rio and Masters are in next, with Masters trying for the Master Lock only to be caught in the cross-arm breaker, which he taps out to for another elimination. Big Show enters to square off with Swagger, who hits a chop block before tagging to Del Rio. Del Rio gets scared and forcefully tags in McIntyre, who isn’t happy. Del Rio gloats at Show, who responds with a Knockout Punch. Del Rio then leaves the match, but it was one of those deals where you figured he’d return at the end.

Show beats on Drew, but Drew hits a kick and tries for his finisher. Show fights out and hits a clothesline before slamming Kofi, who just tagged in, onto Drew. Rhodes is in and gets slapped in the face, so he freaks out and starts tearing apart the announce table. He has one of the ringside geeks hold up his jacket, which has a mirror in the back, so he can make sure his face is alright. Rhodes returns only to eat another slap before Show gets a tag. Show hits a slap to the back and a Knockout Punch to eliminate Rhodes. Reks enters and hits a shoulder block to Show and takes turns with Swagger working the big man over. Show tries to chokeslam Swagger but gets caught in the Ankle Lock. Show crawls to the corner to tag in Rey, who hits a seated senton. Swagger comes back with a big boot and cheap shots Kofi, but Kofi drop toeholds him into the ropes. Rey tries for the 619 but gets caught in the Ankle Lock. Mysterio is able to counter and swing Swagger into the ropes, but Reks tags in. Kofi gets a tag as well and hits a kick to the face followed by a diving cross body. Kofi gets caught in the tree of woe but is able to fight out and hit a big kick to eliminate Reks. Swagger tries to catch Kingston in the Ankle Lock and the gutwrench powerbomb, but Kingston fights out of both. Kingston tries for the buzzsaw kick, but gets caught in the Ankle Lock and taps out. Show works over Swagger before tagging in Mysterio, allowing him to climb on his shoulders, but Drew kicks Show’s legs and Mysterio falls. Swagger hits a Vader Bomb for a near fall but gets sent into the ropes and takes the 619. Mysterio eliminates Swagger after a splash off of Show’s shoulders. Drew gets hit with the 619 from Rey and a chokeslam from Show for the finally elimination, so the faces go over. Del Rio never came back, but it was a fun match nonetheless, with nice sequences involving Swagger, Del Rio, Rey, and Kofi. I felt like the young heels could have really used this win a lot more than the established veterans Rey and Big Show. Match Time: 18:18     Star Rating: ***1/4

5.    Handicap match for the Divas Championship: LayCool(c) vs. Natalya

Some matches on this show were rushed, so I question the need for the obligatory Divas match. This didn’t belong on a PPV. Michelle quickly takes down Natalya and hits some right hands followed up by an uppercut. Michelle hits a kick to the back before tagging in Layla, who hits a running clothesline. Layla hits some forearms and a kick before tying up Natalya in the corner. Layla gets pulled back by the ref and then pulled out of the ring by McCool. The heels try for a double suplex but Natalya reverses it. Natalya rolls out and is attacked by McCool, but Natalya is able to send her over the barricade. After a brief awkward sequence, Layla ends up thrown into McCool on the outside. Natalya and McCool return to the ring, where Natalya forces a submission with the Sharpshooter to win the title. Well that was…short. LayCool attacks post-match but Beth Phoenix made her return, attacking the heels and celebrating with Natalya. I didn’t have a huge issue with this but it felt really pointless and there wasn’t much there. Match Time: 3:39     Star Rating: *

6.    World Heavyweight Championship match: Kane(c) vs. Edge

After the bathroom break Divas match, the PPV’s first world title match represented the true low point of the night from which it never recovered. Kane tries for a clothesline but Edge slaps him in the face, hits some punches, and then rolls out to sweep Kane off his feet. Edge rolls around the empty wheelchair to piss off Kane, but Edge lands a baseball slide and sends Kane into the barricade. Edge ducks a big boot back in the ring and puts Kane down where he pounds at him. Edge wraps Kane’s legs around the post and stomps away at the knees before applying a leg lock. Kane fights out and hits some leg drops before kicking Edge to the floor. Edge tries to come back in but Kane drags his head over the apron and punches him. Kane irish whips Edge into the corner and chokes him against the bottom rope while asking where Paul Bearer is, repeatedly. Kane gets a near fall off a kick and applies a chancery, still asking about Bearer. Kane hits a snapmare and a low dropkick before returning to a LONG chancery. Edge hits some shots to the gut, slams Edge into the turnbuckle, and hits a cross body off the top.

Kane reverses a whip and a hits a slam. Kane dives off the top turnbuckle but eats a dropkick on the way down. Edge ducks a clothesline and hits a running forearm before sending Kane into the corner with a drop toehold. Edge gets a two count with a roll-up and hits a big boot, but gets caught with a right hand when he jumps off the second rope. Edge reverses out of a suplex into a neckbreaker, but takes a sidewalk slam. They fight up top, with Edge getting crotched. Kane hits a diving lariat off the top for a near fall and tries for the chokeslam, but Edge counters and hits the Impaler DDT. Kane kicks out of the cover and tries for a Tombstone, but Edge fights out and hits a spear. Both guys are down, each with an arm over the other’s chest, and the ref counts the pin which is followed by Edge’s music playing. It is announced that the match is a draw. The two continue to fight outside the ring, with Edge eventually putting Kane in the wheelchair and rolling it through a gimmicked barricade. I hate endings like this on PPV, especially on a BIG FOUR PPV. This is not a throwaway PPV to build angles; this is the show where big things are supposed to happen. We did not get big things with this match; we got a complete snorefest that was capped by a terrible finish. This match was unbelievably boring and one of the worst world title matches you’ll see this year. Match Time: 12:49     Star Rating: *3/4

7.    WWE Tag Team Championship match: Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater(c) vs. Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov

This was your definition of a nothing match. It was meant to cool down the crowd, but there was nothing to cool down after the sleep-inducing world title match. Santino misses with a clothesline on Slater but hits a throw before Slater tags in Gabriel. Kozlov gets a tag and throws Gabriel around the ring, hitting a chop and a big boot. Kozlov hits a head butt but gets taken off his feet by Gabriel, who tags in Slater. Nexus trade tags as they work Kozlov over in the corner. Kozlov fights out of a Gabriel front chancery, but takes a knee to the chest and gets caught in a headlock. Kozlov tries to push back Gabriel and make a tag but Slater takes out Santino before tagging in to apply a headlock of his own. Kozlov hits a clothesline and makes a tag, and Santino hits some right hands. Santino teases the cobra but Nexus swarm ringside for a distraction, allowing Slater to hit his jumping neckbreaker for the win. Why Nexus needed help to beat Santino Marella is beyond me. After the match, Michael Cole reads an e-mail from the GM, which states that any member of Nexus who interferes in the main event will be suspended indefinitely. I assume that post-match segment was the reason for this being on the card. Short and pointless. Match Time: 5:15     Star Rating: *1/2

8.    WWE Championship match with John Cena as Special Guest Referee: Randy Orton(c) vs. Wade Barrett

As everyone already knows, the pre-match stipulation was that if Barrett won the title, Cena would be free of the Nexus, but if Barrett lost, Cena would be fired from WWE. The match could also end only by pinfall or submission. This was the match the entire PPV was promoted around and it was a huge letdown. Barely a step up from last month’s main event. Orton locks up with Barrett and backs him into the corner where he breaks. Orton applies a headlock and hits a shoulder block after being pushed off. Barrett eats a second shoulder block and they lock up again. Barrett kicks at Orton in the corner but Orton hits a kick and a clothesline. Orton hits a big uppercut and pounds away at Barrett in the corner. Cena pulls off Orton, allowing Barrett to hit a kick to the face. Barrett slams Orton’s head into the turnbuckle and works him over in the corner. Cena pulls off Barrett and Orton capitalizes with a dropkick. Orton hits some mounted punches, a knee drop, and a kick to the shoulder. They go outside where Barrett tosses Orton into the barricade before sending him into the steps. Barrett hits some more punches back in the ring, sends Orton into the corners, and steps on his neck.

Orton fights out of a rear chin lock, but Barrett hits a high knee and a kick for a near fall. Barrett applies another rear chin lock, this one lengthy, but Orton fights out with a back suplex. They trade shots in the middle of the ring but Orton takes the advantage with some clotheslines, a powerslam, and a clothesline to the floor. Barrett sends Orton into the post on the outside and targets his eye for a bit, but Orton hits his signature backbreaker in the ring. Barrett hits a big boot, an elbow drop off the second rope, and the Wasteland, but Orton grabs the bottom rope. Barrett argues with Cena and shoves him, but Cena shoves him back right into an RKO from Orton. Cena hesitates at two but counts the three and Orton retains his title. Huh? Orton and Cena clear the ring of Nexus post match, and Cena awards Orton the title before embracing him. Cena removes all his gear and high fives all the fans around the arena. This was UNBELIEVABLY anticlimactic. They devoted months to this storyline and this was supposed to be the payoff, and it ends with a cliffhanger? We have to wait for Raw to see the fallout that the PPV was hyped around? Bullcrap. The match was just meh, not main event worthy at all. It was a really bad ending to a disappointing show that opened with a strong first half. Match Time: 15:21     Star Rating: **1/4

Overall PPV Rating: 6/10

My name is Jared Silberkleit. I am from Orange, CT and am a huge fan of pro wrestling. I mostly follow WWE and TNA but I also watch the smaller promotions such as ROH and DGUSA. I have been a lifelong WWE fan and have become a TNA fan over the past few years. Aside from wrestling, I also really love baseball and football and follow many other sports such as hockey and MMA. I have written for www.sportsgrumblings.com for over two years.

The War Memorial in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida was robust with plenty of hootin’ and hollerin’ on Saturday afternoon and one can only imagine how loud it is going to get later on. The judge’s panel were very meticulous in getting every available angle and view of all the competitors and asked for the music to be turned down on more than one occasion to concentrate and get the scoring right.

Category after category were marched out and went through their routines as family, friends and fans cheered them on. Getting a good look at the costumes during the ‘theme’ rounds also resulted in rounds of applause and showed just one of the many reasons why attending a FAME show is an entirely different experience than anything else.

Some of the women’s outfits were reminiscent of a Victoria’s Secret modeling show with muscles. And it wasn’t all just for the guys in the audience. The men’s fitness rounds gave the impression of a large bachelorette party.

FRIDAY NIGHT’S FAME SHOWCASE

The weekend began with a public yet intimate evening with a room full of not only the FAME athletes, but their family, friends and support teams. Competitors came from as far as Australia and the United Kingdom and were called up to the stage to tell their personal story.

Inspiring and touching tales accompanied the positive feeling of seeing these special people in person and learning first hand why they decided to become ‘BodyProud.’ In some ways it had the feel of an AA meeting or something along those lines but instead of stating how many days they have been ‘clean,’ these people said what made them decide to make a lifestyle change and dedicate themselves to the gym.

From recovering addicts to accident victims and the physically challenged, these men and women all had their time with the microphone and it was an experience unlike any other that one would expect the night before a bodybuilding show.