|Date: May 20, 2012
|Venue: PNC Arena |City: Raleigh, North Carolina
|Attendance: 8,000 |Buys: 167,000

|tweet me: @BastionBlogger

Over The Limit returns tonight and has five big matches announced. The WWE Championship will be on the line when CM Punk defends against Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan won a beat the clock challenge and had a slight advantage as his opponent was Jerry “The King” Lawler. Bryan won though and as a result we get a dream match between two of the best wrestlers on the roster. The wildcard in this match is AJ Lee, Daniel Bryan’s ex girlfriend, who has taken a shine to CM Punk as of late. Will she show up tonight? The World Heavyweight Championship will also be on the line as Sheamus defends against Alberto Del Rio, Randy Orton and Chris Jericho in a fatal four way match. This was originally a singles match between Sheamus and Del Rio but Orton and Jericho were added to the match.

A big storyline on Raw has been John Cena mocking John Laurinaitis which has pushed the Raw & Smackdown General Manager over the limit and when Laurinaitis said he had a mystery opponent for Cena at Over The Limit, it turned out to be John Laurinaitis himself. This match is not only a no disqualification match but if anyone interferes then they will be fired. And if John Laurinaitis loses he himself will be fired. So the stakes couldn’t be higher. Laurinaitis has been on a tirade as of late, even humiliating and firing The Big Show. Also tonight Kofi Kingston and R-Truth will be defending the WWE Tag Team Championships against Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger and Beth Phoenix gets her match for the WWE Divas Championship against Layla.

In a dark match prior to the event Kane beat Zack Ryder.

Well we cut straight to the action and it seems as though we have a battle royal on our hands!

The Great Khali vs. William Regal vs. Darren Young vs. Titus O’Neil vs. Curt Hawkins vs. Tyler Reks vs. The Miz vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Jimmy Uso vs. Jey Uso vs. Heath Slater vs. vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Yoshi Tatsu vs. JTG vs. David Otunga vs. Alex Riley vs. Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Michael Mcgillicutty – People Power Battle Royal, winner receives a shot at either the United States or Intercontinental Championship

Well this was an unexpected match. We are right into it. The Great Khali eliminates Heath Slater early. Khali then eliminates Michael Mcgillicutty. You’ve got to fancy The Miz or maybe Christian who has returned to action tonight. JTG is eliminated by The Usos. Drew McIntyre eliminates Yoshi Tatsu. Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins eliminate Ezekiel Jackson. The Great Khali lays into The Miz. The Prime Time Players eliminate Jey Uso. It’s a PPV debut for Titus O’Neil. Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks eliminate Drew McIntyre. That’s a big elimination. The Great Khali eliminates Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks before eliminating Jinder Mahal. Khali has been the star of this match so far. Darren Young and The Miz go after The Great Khali. William Regal tries to eliminate Tyson Kidd. David Otunga tries to eliminate Jimmy Uso. The Miz, Darren Young and Titus O’Neil eliminate The Great Khali!

There’s nine men left in this match. The Miz lays into Christian. Jimmy Uso eliminates Titus O’Neil. Darren Young then goes after Jimmy Uso. Jimmy looking for his first PPV victory tonight. Cody Rhodes and Santino are at ringside watching on. The winner gets to choose which title they go after. Darren Young eliminates Jimmy Uso. Seven men left. Regal and Christian go at it. Alex Riley and Tyson Kidd double team David Otunga. Christian eliminates William Regal which gets a lot of boo’s. Darren Young and Alex Riley go at it. Alex Riley eliminates Darren Young. The Miz goes after his old buddy Alex Riley. Riley hits a big spinebuster on Miz. Riley tries to go to the top but Miz knocks him off! Alex Riley is eliminated.

We’re down to the final four. The Miz, Christian, David Otunga and Tyson Kidd. Kidd kicks away at Otunga and Miz. Kidd hits a big springboard dropkick on both Mix and Otunga. David Otunga eliminates Tyson Kidd. Three men left. Miz and Otunga look to double team Christian. Christian was a heel last time we saw it but it seems as though he’s face now. Otunga and Miz double team Christian. Otunga locks on a full nelson and Miz takes some shots. Christian fights back and Miz misses with his trademark clothesline. Christian then eliminates David Otunga. Miz looks to capitalise but Christian hangs on. The two final men counter each others finishers and Miz comes very close to eliminating Christian. Christian hits some kicks and then both men are on the apron. Christian hits a shoulder charge, eliminating Miz and winning the match! Christian motions at Santino. Is that the match we’ll get later?

Rating: 5/10

Michael Cole then officially welcomes us to Over The Limit. He’s joined by Booker T and Jerry Lawler.

There’s an opening video package, mostly showing the recent history between John Cena and John Laurinaitis.

Vickie Guerrero is out next. She is keen to be the new General Manager if John Laurinaitis is terminated tonight and then welcomes her team.

Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger – WWE Tag Team Championship match

This is a first meeting between these two teams. R-Truth is actually 2-0 at Over The Limit events, Kofi is 1-0, Swagger is 0-1 and Dolph makes his Over The Limit debut tonight. Swagger and Ziggler looking for their first PPV victory as a team tonight. Kingston and Truth are too but it’s their first PPV outing as a team. Swagger and Kingston start the match and Jack hits a takedown in the early going. Kingston locks on a headlock but Swagger counters with a wristlock. Lots of reversals and holds in the early going. Swagger hits a shoulder charge and then looks for a second but Kingston hits an elbow for a one count. Kingston tags in R-Truth and they hit a double hiptoss. Truth hits a legdrop for a one count. Truth applies an armbar but Ziggler manages to tag himself in. Truth tags in Kofi who hits a dropkick for the first near fall of the night.

Ziggler hits a suplex for a two count and then tags in Swagger. Swagger chokes Kofi on the ropes and Ziggler hits a cheap shot. Swagger hits an armdrag and then applies an armbar. Kofi avoids a legdrop and tags in R-Truth. Truth hits some clotheslines, right hands and a corkscrew elbow. Truth hits a sit-out face-first suplex. Vickie Gets up on the apron and Dolph looks to get in the ring but Truth kicks him off. That allows Swagger to take control, throwing Truth into the ringpost and then hitting a Vader bomb for a two count. Swagger tags in Ziggler who hits an elbow drop for a two count. Ziggler tags Swagger who hits forearm shots to the back of R-Truth before tagging in Ziggler. Ziggler hits a neckbreaker ala Ric Rude for a near fall. Ziggler applies a modified STF and then looks for another neckbreaker but Truth counters with a backslide for a two count. Ziggler is first up and hits a dropkick before tagging out to Swagger.

Swagger applies a modified surfboard stretch but Truth fights out of it and hits both opponents with right hands. Swagger tags in Ziggler and they hit a double team facebuster for a near fall. Ziggler applies a headlock, doing a headstand at the same time. Truth fights out of it and rolls Ziggler up for a two count. Dolph goes right back on the attack, taking Truth down and tags in Jack Swagger. Swagger pops Truth on the top but Truth hits him with a tornado DDT. Both men make tags! Kofi hits clotheslines and chops on Dolph and then the boom drop. Kingston motions for trouble in paradise but Ziggler ducks. Kofi hits a springboard cross body for a near fall. Swagger saved the match there but Kofi disposes of him. Ziggler hits a fame-asser for a two count. Truth’s turn to save the match. Truth dives out at Swagger. Ziggler looks for another fame-asser but Kofi hits trouble in paradise and that’s enough for the three! Kofi and Truth retain their WWE Tag Team Championships! A good match but the beat down of R-Truth went on a little too long.

Rating: 6.75/10

Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks are backstage with Eve. Reks and Hawkins agree to confiscate any signs that say anything negative about John Laurinaitis. David Otunga says that there are no legal issues there.

Layla (c) vs. Beth Phoenix – WWE Divas Championship match

This is a first time PPV meeting between these two girls. Both girls make their Over The Limit debut tonight. Layla starts the match with a headlock but Beth powers out. Beth smashes Layla into the top turnbuckle and then looks for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but Layla counters with an arm drag. Layla hits a cross body for a two count. Layla hits a low dropkick for a two count. Beth runs into an elbow but then hits some sort of kneebuster before smashing Layla’s knee into the ringpost. Beth tries to tie Layla up in the ringpost but makes a big of a mess of it. Beth throws Layla back into the ring and hits a chopblock. Phoenix gets a two count and then smashes Layla’s knee into the mat before pinning her for another two count. Beth applies a half crab but Layla fights out of it. Layla rolls Phoenix up for a two count but Beth immediately takes the advantage.

Beth wraps Layla’s knee around the ropes and then pulls Layla up to her feet. Layla dropkicks Beth off the apron. Beth rolls back in where Layla hits right hands. Beth ducks a kick and then lifts Layla high above her head but Layla counters with a DDT! Layla gets a near fall. Beth rams Layla into the corner and then pops her on the top rope but Layla hits a couple of kicks and looks for a DDT but Beth counters! Phoenix looks for the glam slam but Layla rolls through. Beth reverses the cover and gets a two count. Nice false finishes there. Layla hits a neckbreaker out of nowhere and hooks the leg for the three! Layla wins the match and retains her Divas Championship. Two talented divas but something didn’t quite click in this one. Could have been a lot better.

Rating: 3.75/10

Matt Striker is backstage with Randy Orton. We’re shown some footage from last week on Smackdown with Sheamus pinning Orton. Orton says that nobody in this match like each other. Jericho then shows up and says that he enjoyed Sheamus and Orton beating each other down last week. Jericho says that tonight he will become World Heavyweight Champion again.

Sheamus (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Chris Jericho – Fatal four way match for the World Heavyweight Championship

This is a first time fatal four way match. At Over The Limit Orton has a win and a draw, Jericho is 0-1, both Sheamus and Del Rio make their Over The Limit debut tonight. The bell rings and Alberto Del Rio pairs off with Sheamus whilst Orton and Jericho go at it. sheamus and Orton dispose of Del Rio and Jericho leaving Sheamus and Orton to square up but Jericho and Del Rio get involved. The four men fight to the outside where Sheamus throws Del Rio into one barricade and Orton throws Jericho into another. Orton and Sheamus get back in the ring and go at it, exchanging right hands and kicks. Sheamus hits a knee and then a knee drop for a two count. Sheamus hits two more knee drops before Jericho low-bridges him out of the ring and then throws him into the barricade. Del Rio lays into Orton and Jericho gives Alberto a hand. Jericho and Del Rio hit a double suplex and Jericho slingshots Orton into the bottom rope.

Del Rio goes back after Sheamus, hitting him with a running kick. Del Rio and Jericho then double team Sheamus before throwing him into the announce desk. Orton fires up in the ring, hitting clotheslines on both Del Rio and Jericho and then a suplex on Jericho for a two count. Del Rio takes down Orton and pins him but it’s Jericho who breaks up the cover. Del Rio and Jericho then go at it with Alberto hitting a backbreaker. Orton clotheslines Del Rio out of the ring but turns around into an enzeguri from Jericho for a two count. Jericho hits a baseball slide on Sheamus and then lays into Randy again. Jericho applies a chinlock on Orton which Orton gets out of. Orton pops Jericho on the top rope and looks for a superplex but Del Rio interrupts, looking for a powerbomb. Sheamus shoves both Jericho and Orton down to the mat and then goes up to the top and hits a shoulder charge on Del Rio for a two count. Sheamus hits a rolling senton on Del Rio and then motions for a brogue kick but Ricardo Rodriguez gets up on the apron and distracts the champion, allowing Del Rio to hit an enzeguri for a two count.

Alberto Del Rio applies a hammerlock to Sheamus but Sheamus gets out of it and hits a couple of clotheslines and a shoulder charge. Sheamus hits a powerslam for a near fall and then motions for something. He looks for a crucifix powerbomb but Del Rio counters and kicks Sheamus down to the mat. Sheamus hits ten clubbing blows to Del Rio but Jericho breaks it up, dropkicking both men out of the ring. Orton attacks Jericho, hitting him with a big powerslam and then giving Sheamus a big powerslam too. Orton hits Sheamus with a hangmans DDT and then motions for an RKO but Del Rio locks a cross arm breaker on Orton! Jericho breaks it up and knocks Del Rio down with a reverse elbow. He looks for a lionsault but Del Rio gets his knees up. Orton then takes Jericho down with a backbreaker for a two count. Sheamus hits Del Rio with a backbreaker. Orton then looks for an RKO on Sheamus but sheamus counters, Orton ducks a brogue kick and then looks for another RKO but sheamus rolls him up for a two count.

Orton hits a hangmans DDT on both Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez and then pins Del Rio for a two. Jericho ducks an RKO and hits a codebreaker on Orton, sending him out of the ring. Del Rio then locks the cross arm breaker on Jericho. Jericho counters and locks the walls of Jericho on Del Rio! Sheamus gets in the ring and looks for a brogue kick but Jericho ducks and hits a codebreaker for a near fall. Jericho counters a rolling senton from Sheamus and then locks on the walls of Jericho! Orton gets in the ring and hits an RKO on Jericho for a two count, Del Rio breaks up the cover but Orton hits him with an RKO! Sheamus hits Orton with a brogue kick but Jericho rolls Sheamus up for a two count. Sheamus hits white noise on Jericho and hooks the leg for the three! Sheamus wins the match and retains his World Heavyweight Championship! Good match from these four men.

Rating: 7.25/10

Cody Rhodes is backstage, sucking up to Eve. Cody is glad The Great Khali didn’t win the match. He’s glad Christian won and is going to challenge Santino. Rhodes says that he would have embarrassed Christian. Christian then appears and Rhodes wishes him luck against Santino. Christian then says that Cody is full of crap and that he’s also changed his mind and wants to face Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship.

The Miz is back out, he’s pulling double duty tonight. Miz says that the problem with WWE is Brodus Clay. Miz says the the people don’t know what a dancer is supposed to look like. Miz also claims to be the best dancer in the WWE. Miz then does some dancing, parodying Brodus.

Brodus Clay vs. The Miz

This is a first time meeting between these two men on PPV. Miz is 0-3 at Over The Limit at this point. Clay is undefeated on PPV at this point, beating the likes of Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler. He’s joined by Cameron and Naomi. Clay could go 3-0 on PPV tonight, matching the PPV record of Max Mini. Clay pushes Miz across the ring in the early going and then jiggles. Clay knocks Miz out of the ring. Miz gets back in and slaps Brodus before hitting some right hands. Clay smashes Miz off a top turnbuckle eight times and then back body drops Miz on to the apron. Miz drops Clay on the top rope but then Clay hits some knees and headbutts. Brodus hits a suplex for a two count and then shoves Miz out of the ring. Clay looks to powerslam Miz on the outside but Miz slips down and shoves him into the ringpost. Back in the ring and Miz hits a double axe handle off the top. Miz then hits his trademark clothesline in the corner and then heads to the top and hits another double axe handle and a running boot for a one count.

The Miz applies a chinlock but Brodus gets out of it with a knee. Clay hits a couple of clotheslines and a headbutt but runs into the boot of Miz. Miz heads to the top but Clay crotches him and hits a top rope t-bone suplex. Brodus hits a splash and that’s enough for the three! Brodus Clay goes 3-0 on PPV! Miz loses twice tonight. Not a terrible match, decent pace for a short match. Brodus dances with some kids after the match.

Rating: 4.5/10

Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks are in the crowd confiscating signs that say bad things about John Laurinaitis.

Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Christian – Intercontinental Championship match

This is a first time PPV match between these two men. Christian is 0-1 at Over The Limit, Rhodes makes his Over The Limit debut tonight. Rhodes is on the mic before the match slagging off the Carolinas. Rhodes takes the advantage in the early going, hitting him with right hands and forearms to take him down. Cody hits a face-first suplex but Christian knocks him down and then throws the Intercontinental Champion out of the ring. Christian hits a baseball slide but Rhodes takes the advantage on the outside, shoving him into the stairs. Back in the ring and Rhodes covers Christian for a one count before hitting some knees and a side Russian leg sweep. Rhodes applies an armbar and then dropkicks Christian onto the bottom rope before covering him for a one count. Rhodes lays in some right hands and then hits a superplex but Cody sells it pretty hard himself. No title changes so far tonight, all three championships have been retained. Christian clotheslines Cody, both men falling to the outside.

Cody hits a disaster kick off the ring steps and then rolls Christian back into the ring for a two count. Rhodes goes up to the middle rope but Christian catches him with a right hand and then a pendulum kick. Christian hits a missile dropkick for a two count and then looks for a killswitch but Cody counters. Christian hits a dropkick and then a big right hand. Christian misses with a missile dropkick and Rhodes rolls him up for a two count. Christian looks for a tornado DDT but Rhodes counters and then hits a moonsault for a two count. Rhodes talks some smack but Christian pushes him into the top turnbuckle and then hits a killswitch for the three! Christian wins the match and the Intercontinental Championship! He becomes a four time Intercontinental Champion.

Rating: 6.5/10

Josh Mathews is backstage with CM Punk. We’re shown some footage from Smackdown with Daniel Bryan attacking Kane with a chair and Kane thinking it was CM Punk. Punk is looking forward to seeing John Laurinaitis out of a job tonight. CM Punk then says that he is looking forward to taking on Daniel Bryan tonight and then does an impression of Vince McMahon not knowing who either man is. AJ Lee then shows up and says that the match will be a lot of fun to watch and wishes CM Punk luck.

CM Punk (c) vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Championship match

This is a first time match between these two men on WWE PPV. CM Punk is 0-2 at Over The Limit, Daniel Bryan makes his Over The Limit debut tonight. Both men jockey for position in the early going. Daniel Bryan applies a headlock and then knocks down Punk. Punk hits a hiptoss and both men get a couple of strikes in. Punk ties Bryans leg up in the ropes and kicks away at it. Punk hits a headlock takedown and keeps the headlock cinched in. Bryan counters with a head-scissors which Punk quickly gets out of. Punk goes back to work on the right leg of Bryan but Bryan hits a few uppercuts and kicks. The crowd are split on these two men, both are popular. Punk scoops Bryan up for a go to sleep but Bryan slips down just for Punk to kick him down to the mat for a one count. This is Punks 18th PPV in a row, a longer streak than anyone else currently. Punk applies an Indian deathlock  but Bryan counters and lays in some forearms.

Bryan looks for a dropkick but Punk avoids it and then applies a bow and arrow submission before stomping Bryans face into the mat for a two count. Punk launches Bryan out of the ring and then looks for a baseball slide but Bryan ducks and then rams the WWE Champion into the barricade. Bryan suplexes Punk onto the barricade before rolling him back into the ring and hitting a missile dropkick for a two count. Bryan hits some kicks and a snapmare before applying a seated abdominal stretch. Bryan breaks the hold and then hits a knee to the sternum. Bryan gets a near fall. This is CM Punk’s 6th title defence during this WWE Championship reign. Bryan applies a bow and arrow and then transitions into a dragon sleeper but Punk escapes. Bryan hits two knee drops to the back but Punk avoids a third. Punk hits a fishermans suplex, bridging for a two count. The two men exchange blows resulting in Bryan hitting a double underhook suplex. Daniel then heads to the top and hits a flying headbutt for a near fall.

Daniel Bryan applies an STF but Punk gets out of it and the two men hit simultaneous cross bodies. The two men get to their feet and slug it out, resulting in Punk hitting a dropkick and a neckbreaker. Punk runs into the boot of Bryan but then hits a powerslam for a two count. Punk looks for a suplex but Bryan counters. Punk then back body drops Daniel Bryan out of the ring before hitting a suicide dive. Punk rolls Bryan back into the ring and then looks for a springboard clothesline but Bryan hits him with a dropkick for a two count. Bryan hits multiple kicks but Punk counters one and hits a dragon screw leg whip before applying a figure four! The two men slap each other and Daniel Bryan reaches the bottom rope. The two men exchange near falls and Bryan then hits a big kick and rolls Punk over for another near fall. Bryan tears down his kneepads and then lays in some knees before popping Punk on the top rope. Punk shoves Bryan down, crotching him on the top rope and then hits him with a springboard clothesline.

Punk gets another near fall and the two men slug it out. Punk sets up for the go to sleep but Bryan counters it with a pinfall for a near fall. Punk then rolls Bryan up for a two count but Bryan tries to counter with a yes lock. Punk counters and slingshots Bryan over the top. Bryan skins the cat but Punk kicks him in the head and pins him for a near fall. Punk heads to the top and hits a flying elbow drop but Punk is too injured to pin Daniel Bryan. Bryan goes right to work on Punk, hitting him with knees to the ribs. Bryan looks for a running dropkick but Punk avoids it and hits a running knee. Punk looks for a bulldog but Bryan counters, locking on the yes lock! Punk manages to lay back, putting Bryan on his back and the referee counts the three! Punk was tapping out but it looked like it was after the three was counted! CM Punk retains the WWE Championship tonight! Great match between these two men.

Rating: 8.5/10

Eve and David Otunga are backstage when they bump into a smug looking Teddy Long. Eve tells Teddy that the board of directors won’t be putting Teddy Long in charge if John Laurinaitis loses. Teddy says that if John loses tonight then Eve and Otunga could be put in charge of Raw and Smackdown or they could be fired.

Ryback vs. Camacho

This is a PPV debut for Camacho. Lilian mistakenly says that Hunico is in action tonight. Ryback shoves Camacho into the mat in the early going. Camacho fires back and looks for a suplex but Ryback counters with a suplex of his own. Ryback hits a running boot and then Camacho catches him with a low dropkick. Hunico gets involved too, hitting as kick to the head of Ryback. Camacho hits a clothesline, taking Ryback down. Ryback shoves Camacho to the corner and then knocks Hunico off the apron. Ryback hits a powerbomb and then screams “finish him” Ryback scoops up Camacho, marches around with him on his shoulders and then hits a Samoan drop for the win. Ryback remains undefeated since re-emerging under this gimmick. Essentially a squash.

Rating: N/A

There’s a video package next for John Laurinaitis and John Cena’s main event match.

John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis – If Laurinaitis loses, he’s fired as General Manager of Raw and Smackdown

This is a PPV in-ring debut for John Laurinaitis. Cena is 2-0 at Over The Limit. Laurinaitis is wearing some elaborate ring gear. He darts out of the ring as the bell ring but Cena follows, drags him back into the ring and knocks him down with a clothesline. Cena then puts Laurinaitis’ top over his head and hits him with a chop to the chest and then a chop to the back! Cena sets up for an attitude adjustment but instead hits an aeroplane spin. He sets Laurinaitis down and big Johnny falls out of the ring. Cena grabs the ring bell and rings it right next to his head. Cena smashes Laurinaitis off the announce desk repeatedly and then puts him in one of the Spanish announces chairs. Cena puts a headset on Laurinaitis and a headset on himself. The two men mock Booker T and Michael Cole. Cena then rams Laurinaitis into the ring apron as the commentators laugh.

Laurinaitis offers his hand to Cena but Cena slaps him and then powerslams him before hitting an elbow drop. Cena exits the ring and grabs a microphone, gets back into the ring and tells Laurinaitis that he’s about to put him in the STF. He tells big Johnny that if he taps out he’s fired but if he can last ten seconds then he will break the hold. Cena locks it on and the crowd count to ten. Cena breaks the hold but then tells him that he’s going to do it again. The crowd count to ten again and Cena breaks the hold again. Cena has a water break and then pours some water on Laurinaitis. and then pours some water down his pants as Booker makes reference to shrinkage. Cena grabs a fire extinguisher from under the ring and teases Laurinaitis before spraying him with it. Cena throws Laurinaitis into the barricade and then grabs a trash can and puts it on Laurinaitis’ head. Laurinaitis looks to run through the crowd again, fights off Cena hurting his bad arm and then decides to come back and smash Cena’s arm off the announce desk.

John Laurinaitis throws Cena into the ring steps and then grabs a chair and hits Cena with it before pinning him for a two count. Cena wrestles the chair out of Laurinaitis’ hands and then hits him with an elbow drop with it. Laurinaitis hits a low blow and escapes over the barricade again. He escapes through the crowd and then through a curtain leaving Cena in the ring. Laurinaitis then emerges being dragged by The Big Show! Big Show takes Laurinaitis back into the ring where he looks to chokeslam him but he pushes him into Cena who scoops him up for an attitude adjustment. Before he can hit it Big Show lays Cena out with a right hand! Laurinaitis rolls Cena over and pins him for the three! John Laurinaitis wins the match with a lot of help from The Big Show!

Rating: 7.5/10

And that was Over The Limit 2012. It started off in a fun way with the battle royal which gave a lot of the lower carders such PPV exposure. Christian won the match in his return to action, eliminating The Miz. Christian returns as a babyface and eventually chose to face Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship. Christian and Rhodes had a good match where Christian won the title. Slightly surprising but it’s good for Christian who has been getting a good push over the last year or so. I liked Rhodes as Intercontinental Champion but I hope this leads to better things for him. Kofi and R-Truth beat Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler to retain the Tag Team Championships. Ziggler and Swagger have lost a lot as a team. R-Truth and Kofi are ok as champions but we have some proper tag teams emerging with the likes of Primo & Epico, The Usos and The Prime Time Players so I’d like to see them in the mix.

Layla then defended the Divas Championship against Layla and something didn’t quite click in this match. Both divas are very talented but I don’t think their styles gelled too well. Layla won which was a bit of an upset and I don’t actually mind Layla as champion as she is quite talented. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this feud continue as Beth will always be top of the Divas division. Sheamus retained his World Heavyweight Championship, pinning Chris Jericho in the fatal four way match. I have a feeling this will split into two rivalries going forward, which did look like the plan for this show for a while. Sheamus pairing off with Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton feuding with Chris Jericho. This was a good match. Brodus Clay then beat The Miz in a slightly below average match. This was a Miz burial, much like Dolph Ziggler got last month. Brodus is getting a good push at the moment, it’ll be interesting to see where it goes.

CM Punk then retained the WWE Championship against Daniel Bryan in a great match. Punk didn’t win conclusively, he won with a roll-up which makes me think that this feud might continue. And I’d like to see it continue as they put on great matches. I think AJ will become a bigger part of the feud too. Really good match between these two. Ryback then beat Camacho in a squash. This was the first time we’ve seen Camacho in action but we didn’t get to see much of him. I’d like to see him and Hunico as a tag team. Ryback continues getting a super push. John Laurinaitis then beat John Cena with a lot of help from The Big Show. This was a heel turn I didn’t see coming but it works really well as Big Show can’t be fired for interfering as he was already fired. Very clever. I liked it actually and the match was a lot of fun. Not one for the purists but just a fun main event.

Overall Rating: 62.18/100 (ranked 76th out of 278)

Match Of The Night: CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan
Worst Match Of The Night: Layla vs. Beth Phoenix
Surprise Of The Night: The Big Show turns heel
Worst Booking Of The Night: N/A
Superstar Of The Night: The Big Show
Over The Limit 2012 Will Be Remembered For: The Big Show turning heel and helping John Laurinaitis beat John Cena