WWE Live Event
Indianapolis, Indiana
Report by Dot Net reader Aaron Grider

I won't go too in depth on the matches themselves but focus more on crowd reactions and so forth. As usual a pretty good turnout in Indy and the crowd was energetic throughout. The entire floor and lower level was sold out and most of the club level seats were filled as well. The balcony was empty and tarped. We got to the arena shortly after the doors opened and got to our seats before hitting the merchandise stand. I picked up a Wyatt Family shirt which is a huge plus. Surprisingly the show started right at 7:30 which may be the first time a house show I attended started on time. Byron Saxton from NXT served as ring announcer.

1. Dolph Ziggler beat Ryback. Dolph Ziggler was out first to a very nice ovation. Probably would have been bigger had WWE not completely bury him over the past several months. His opponent was Ryback who got an ok reaction. The match was pretty good and ended with Ziggler escaping Shellshock and rolling Ryback up for the win. There were scattered Goldberg chants at Ryback but nothing substantial.

2. Natalya beat AJ Lee (w/Tamina) in a non-title match. Next up is one of the highlights for me personally as AJ Lee came out for the Divas match with Tamina in tow. Her opponent was Natalya. Both ladies got good reactions overall. The match was supposed to be for the title but AJ changed it to a non title match as a Christmas present to herself. Good match with good action from both ladies. AJ ran into Tamina and then Natalya hooked in the sharpshooter for the win. AJ is amazingly talented in the ring and the crowd loves reacting to her. If she is ever given a legitimate chance to shine she could make the divas relevant again. Now she also needs a legitimate threat much like Trish and Lita had each other to feed off of. No one on the main roster fits that mold but I think bringing up Paige could provide the foil AJ needs.

Next up was a quick Wade Barrett promo who said the good news is Peyton Manning was having the best season of his career but the bad news is it was with the Broncos and not the Colts. Decent but not great heat. Man, that guy needs something to sink his teeth into. He really could be a legitimate main eventer if given the chance.

Next up was Miz TV with Kofi Kingston. Ok talking segment. Miz needs to go full heel immediately. The crowd wanted to boo him loudly and did for the most part when he insulted Kofi who was pretty over. Vickie Guererro walked out to by far the biggest heat of the night. Not even close. Not a good sign when the biggest heat is for a non wrestler.

3. The Prime Time Players over The Miz and Kofi Kofi Kingston. PTP got a mediocre reaction. Of the four Titus O'Neill was probably the most over other than maybe Kofi but it was closer than you would think. Miz tries for figure four on Titus and takes Trouble in Paradise from Kofi followed by Clash of the Titus for the win.

4. Bad News Barrett beat Tyson Kidd. Decent match but no reaction whatsoever. Barrett won with the Bull Hammer while Tyson was in mid air. Barrett is being wasted and it's a shame because he has loads of talent.

5. The Usos and Daniel Bryan beat The Wyatt Family in a six man tag team steel cage match. The Wyatts (who I really wanted to see) entrance is even creepier in person than on TV. They got a very good heel response from the crowd. As expected Daniel Bryan was insanely over. The powers that be have to realize that the crowds are not giving up on Bryan no matter how much they try to bury him. Heck, while I was in line at intermission waiting to buy a drink a huge Yes chant broke out in the concourse.Thats what I call being over folks. The match was as high energy as you would expect. It came down to Bryan and Harper with Bryan escaping for the win. The crowd led by the faces alternated between chanting Yes and Us-O.

Intermission

6. Big E Langston beat Damien Sandow and R-Truth in a Triple Threat to retain the Intercontinental Title. Sandow was out first and hilariously kicked over the inflatable snowman and Christmas tree that was on the stage. He also cut a typical heel promo by insulting the crowd, which immediately showered him with tons of heat. R-Truth was out next to a very good reaction which surprised me. Big E Langston was out last to an ok reaction. Damien Sandow took a page out of the Bobby Heenan playbook by first running to the back and then running back out to break up pinfalls and then hiding under the ring. That got a good chuckle from the crowd. Sandow was finally pulled into the ring and eventually pinned by Big E after the Big Ending. The big thing after this is that Sandow much like Barrett could be a killer heel if given the right platform to show his talents.

Next up was Fandango vs Mark Henry in a fans choice match. It was voted as a dance off, which was booed loudly, making me think the voting was rigged. One thing for sure is that Summer Rae is gorgeous. Anyway both guys danced including a Mark Henry moonwalk which was fairly amusing. Fandango attacked before Henry fought back and laid him out with the Worlds Strongest Slam.

7. CM Punk beat The Shield in a handicap match. Both got great reactions. The match itself was what you would expect. Punk won with the GTS on Ambrose. On a side note, does Vince even care or remember that Ambrose is U.S. champ? When's the last time he defended that thing? Anyway, Punk much like Bryan, is crazy over and deserves better than what he is being fed. Maybe both with get renewed attention heading into Mania season because its obvious that's what the crowds want.

Notes: Overall, a very good house show, which are always enjoyable since you aren't handicapped with the pressure of TV. No return date was announced.

Biggest Heat:
1. Vickie Guerrero

2. Damien Sandow

3. The Shield

Biggest Pops
1. Daniel Bryan

2. CM Punk

3. R-Truth (Yes I'm serious)

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