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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Night of Champions!

From WWE
By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

Don't confuse this post with a preview or review of the WWE summertime pay per view by the same name.  Oh no.  Instead, I'm talking about the picture to the left.  All of the WWE champions came together for this shot.

For some reason, this picture just speaks volumes to me.  Is it a sign of things to come in the WWE or is this just a group of transitional champions, holding the place for John Cena, Randy Orton, and Triple H to step back in?  I really hope that's not the case.  After reading the ratings recap of Raw from December 19, it looks like the new formula lost ratings.  But one week with a drop doesn't mean the company should abandon ship on this new idea.

The WWE has long needed new blood and fresh talent in the deep end of the pool.  Now they've got the wrestlers in place, it's important they let them swim.  Daniel Bryan could very easily fall into the same category of world champions like Jack Swagger, Sheamus, and even more recently Alberto Del Rio.  My hope is that the company is firmly behind him on this reign and it's not just a knee jerk reaction.  My hope is that we'll be seeing Bryan defend the world title at Wrestlemania this year.  What an incredible journey he's had so far.

I like the fact that the WWE is working on grooming Epico and Primo in the tag team ranks, but besides them and of course Air Boom, the only other regular team I can think of is the Usos.  I've talked about this since starting this blog more than a year ago, it's time to focus on more tag teams and give Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston some legitimate competition.

The Ryder Revolution finally came through and the Long Island Iced Z has won his first singles title in the WWE.  I'm glad to see that his hard work getting himself over caught the attention of the powers that be.  Zack is a deserving superstar indeed, I just think they could have let this one develop a little more.  He went from virtually only appearing on Superstars to feuding with the U.S. Champion.  And speaking of Dolph Ziggler, I still see big things in his future and will write more about that soon.

Beth Phoenix is the ultimate Diva right now.  She's on top of the world and that's the way I like it.  I am still hoping for some kind of program with Kharma once she returns from maternity leave.  For now though, I'd like to see the Glamazon continue to dominate the women's division and hold onto the title.

Cody Rhodes has impressed me a lot since his debut in the WWE several years ago.  He's breaking out of the shadow of his famous family and is holding his own in the ring.  Cody is a great performer and I think the best has yet to come for him.  His work as a heel has been downright awesome.  I believe he'll be another one to keep an eye on over the next 12 months.

Finally, the CM Punk.  I'd like to think that his influence is behind some of these changes.  He's coined himself the Best Wrestler in the World, and I'll admit I'm a believer.  At the same time, I'll tell you when he first arrived in the WWE, I wasn't impressed with him.  It wasn't his in ring work that bugged me, I just couldn't buy into his character.  But like Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock, and John Cena, I truly believe the WWE is letting Punk be more like the real Punk.  It's refreshing when guys can tweak their own personalities and not be saddled with some preconceived gimmick and be a "character".  Of course that doesn't work for everyone, but guys who have that "it" factor tend not to need some silly gimmick.

So not that anyone from the WWE will actually be reading this, but if by some off chance someone does, please keep this momentum going.  Change is good.  It may take other fans some time to get on board, but I believe in the long run, this "new" era is going to be good for business.

What are your thoughts?  Weigh in here or on Facebook or Twitter.  Thanks for reading.

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