It's been announced one of my favorite female wrestlers is going into the WWE Hall of Fame. "The Glamazon" Beth Phoenix will take her spot with the Class of 2017 on Friday, March 31 in Orlando. She joins Kurt Angle, The Rock 'n Roll Express, Teddy Long and Diamond Dallas Page in this year's ceremony. I'm sure others will be announced soon too.
Champ
Courtesy: WWE
Phoenix emerged in WWE when the Barbie Doll, non-wrestler look was taking over the women's division. In fact, they were called Divas and it's safe to argue most were there to advance their careers in other avenues. Beth stood out and excelled. I enjoyed the work she and Natalya did. I eagerly anticipated a Beth Phoenix-Kharma feud, but it never happened.
Meeting Beth in 2008
Courtesy: My 1-2-3 Cents
It's hard to believe Beth left WWE nearly five years ago. I'd love to see her do a comeback like Mickie James is currently doing. While I liked her better as a villain, I'd love to see her and Charlotte have a match, along with Becky Lynch and even Nia Jax. I had the good fortune to meet Beth at WrestleMania Axxess weekend in Orlando ahead of Mania 24. She was Divas Champion, but that's the year she teamed with Melina in the Playboy BunnyMania lumber jill match against Maria and Ashley.
Beth & Edge at the Hall of Fame
Courtesy: WWE
Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but this ceremony will mark the first married couple inducted into the Hall of Fame. Beth and Edge (inducted in 2012) are married and have two children together. Beth held gold four times in WWE and is one of just three women to have competed in the Royal Rumble match (Chyna and Kharma are the others). Congrats to Beth Phoenix for taking her rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame. Speaking of Chyna, I'm sure some will argue that she should be going in this year. I do believe Chyna is worthy of the HOF and she will be inducted sooner rather than later. But let's celebrate the accomplishments of The Glamazon and one of the best in the business.
One year ago the Divas Revolution officially kicked into high gear. Sasha Banks, Charolette and Becky Lynch all made their main roster debuts. I wrote about it the day after in this post. Some people on social media have been critical of the evolution of the women's division since last year's coup. The change was overdue and the division continues to improve.
The only thing I'll be critical about the women's division is the inability to have more than one angle occurring at a time. That was a huge problem with the Divas. It was almost always a storyline with the champion facing a challenger and then moving on after said feud ended. Or creative would just throw them all in some sort of gimmicked battle royal, just so you could see them all at once. The situation has improved with the Charolette-Sasha rivalry brewing as Becky and Natalya engage in combat.
Women's wrestling will continue to evolve in WWE. Removing the term Diva and giving the women more time and better placement and promotion for pay per views has done wonders. There are plenty of hungry talent on the main roster and several ladies ready to make the jump from NXT. However, there are a few familiar faces and a fresh one I'd like to see added to the division first.
Courtesy: WWE
I've wanted Kharma to come back since the second she left WWE several years ago. She's a huge missed opportunity. The company needs to do whatever it takes to bring her in, but they tend to only go with one "dominate" force in that division at a time and it looks like Nia Jax is filling that role.
Courtesy: WWE
The same could be said for Beth Phoenix. She was the total package of women's wrestling. Motherhood is treating her well and while it's doubtful she'll lace up the boots again, it would be nice to see her back even on a short term basis. The women in both NXT and WWE could learn a lot from her as they have from Natalya.
Courtesy: WWE
Tessa Blanchard is a young, up and coming women's wrestler. She's made a name on the indy scene and has the training of both her famous father Tully Blanchard and step-dad Magnum T.A. Tessa has had a few matches on NXT. With some more seasoning, she will be no doubt be a future WWE Women's Champion. How sweet would a feud against Charolette be?
Don't read too much into this. I'm not discrediting Bailey, Aska or Nia. These women will all eventually be called up to the main roster too. I just wanted to bring in some established talent and a new face to help keep the division viable and growing.
By Kevin Hunsperger @kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter Listen to My 1-2-3 Cents the Podcast here Our first Wrestlemania adventure happened in 2006. It was number 22 in Chicago. At that point Axxess was basically a big tent set up outside the Allstate Arena with a variety of memorabilia from the past. Hillbilly Jim hosted a brief event, but there wasn't much to it. The event was free though. I suppose you could argue for the fans with the package deals (like us) you had a meet and greet session with different Divas and Superstars. But you had to have that special ticket for it. From what I remember, the situation was the same at Wrestlemania 24. Then at 25 in Houston we heard about Axxess. We ventured to that venue early that Sunday to check it out prior to Mania, but it was sold out. So when it came time to go to Wrestlemania 26, we bought our tickets early. Before we even got to the event Friday night, we were contacted by WWE about taking part in a focus group. It was a neat experience and we got tickets to come back to Axxess on Sunday because we had spent so much time with the group. Axxess is fun, but because we've gone every year since 2010, a lot of the things remain the same. I've read this year that they've add the Elimination Chamber cage to it. That would be cool to see up close. I'm hoping next year to see it as well as the newly unveiled Ultimate Warrior statue. I decided since we can't be there this year, I'd share some of my favorite pics from years past, so take a look.
I think it's probably way too early for this blog, but I figure what the heck. Even though we don't know exactly what role Tamina Snuka is playing in this Vickie Guerrero-AJ Lee-John Cena feud, personally I'm glad the second generation diva is finally getting some on screen time again.
I think the last big push for Tamina came earlier in the year when she had an unsuccessful run against then Divas champion Beth Phoenix. Since then she's been on again, off again on SmackDown! and Raw, depending on when she was needed. But the WWE tends to do that with the Divas, you see one for about eight weeks, then they disappear again.
Superfly! Survivor Series 2012 Photo by WWE
Now that Beth is gone and rumors of Eve taking time off to get married, the WWE desperately needs a dominate heel female in my opinion. Snuka can clearly wrestle as she has improved vastly in the two or so years she's been on the main roster. I hope her alliance with Vickie Guerrero takes her to the next level and we get to see more of what she's capable of. The skeptic in me fears she'll end up being a victim who will succumb to AJ as she battles Vickie and her clan.
I will remain optimistic that big things are on the way in 2013 for this deserving diva, and her fellow multi generation cohort Natalya Neidhart gets some time in the spotlight too.
Since it's Star Wars Day (May the 4th Be With You), I decided let my inner geek out even more so than usual. So I'm booking wrestling stars from the present against some of my favorite Star Wars characters. Keep in mind though, that most of my knowledge is with episodes four, five, and six.
Here's my Star Wars Wrestling Federation card:
Commentators for the night: Yoda & Jim Ross
Skywalker vs. Cena
Luke Skywalker vs. John Cena: Both seem to use "the force" to battle the odds and come from behind for the victory. Like him or not, Cena is still the company's biggest baby face in my opinion, so it only makes sense to put him in there with the original trilogy's ultimate good guy.
Darth Vader vs. The Undertaker: I was originally going to go with Vader vs. Vader here, but I decided to tweak my own rules and go with today's wrestling stars. Undertaker makes sense here as he's been such a dominate force for two decades. Although he's been a face for the vast majority of his career, when he was Big Evil, he reminded me of Lord Vader, getting into the minds and souls of his followers.
Solo vs. Punk
Han Solo vs. CM Punk: Two smart asses who are on a quest to show they're the best in the world. Both guys could also be "the top dog" if only they could step out of their counterparts shadow in Skywalker and Cena. I wonder how Punk would look in carbonite?
Princess Leia vs. Beth Phoenix: Two strong, independent women who know what they want. They have both kicked butt and taken names along the way. How could you go wrong?
Chewbacca vs. The Big Show: Two big guys who spend a lot of time playing second fiddle to the ones they're around. Both are strong and would by no means put on a technical showcase, but I think there would be a lot of fun had in a match between these two behemoths. Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Ric Flair: Two legends go toe to toe. One of these guys knew when to hang it up though... Anakin Skywalker vs. Daniel Bryan: Yes, yes, yes! I'm aware that Anakin and Darth Vader are the same person, but for the sake of this blog they are two separate characters in the movies. Both started off (at least Bryan in the WWE/NXT) as baby faces and have since turned to the dark side.
C3PO vs. Jericho
C3PO vs. Chris Jericho: Stay with me on this one. The Droid who is fluent in over six million forms of communication against the wrestler who once claimed to be the man of 1004 holds. Plus, C3PO has his colorful, flashy droid buddy R2-D2, and Jericho has that awesomely flashy jacket. I smell instant classic. The Emperor vs. Hulk Hogan: Both seem to have a choke hold on their respective industries and refuse to let go. At least someone finally broke the Emperor's amazing grip. Anakin Solo vs. Randy Orton: This is set up to be a battle between two third generation stars. Solo has the Force on his side, Orton has the Cowboy. Padme Amidala vs. Natalya Neidhart: While I feel like Natalya is one of the best Divas on the roster, I think the WWE will finally recognize that too and she'll be a queen of the ring in the company's eyes. Both women have a lineage in their respective fields.
Lando Calrissian vs. Cody Rhodes: Lando was the coolest guy in the galaxy far, far away and in my opinion Cody is the coolest guy on SmackDown. It's the battle of two prima donnas in my view. Boba Fett vs. Dolph Ziggler: Both of these heels seem to be over with fans and have a cult following.
Jabba vs. Hawkins & Hatton
Jabba the Hut vs. Heath (Jay) Hatton & Ace Hawkins (Aaron Relic): Because 2 is greater than 1, duh.
Darth Maul vs. Sheamus: Darth Maul is a badass. So is Sheamus. And they're both red heads. (Sorry, I don't have much more here) Jar-Jar Binks vs. Kharma: Only booking this so we can watch Kharma destroy Jar-Jar and squash him with the Implant Buster.
Bail Organa & Mace Windu vs. Kofi Kingston & RTruth: I'll be honest, I'm not sure what kind of alliance Bail and Mace had, but let's face it, this is a WWE tag team title match, so The Max Rebo Band vs. The Batiri: If you're not a Chikara fan you won't get this reference. I'd suggest looking up them up. This could be an entertaining matchup to say the least.
Three Storm Troopers vs. The Colony: Another Chikara inspired match. The Colony is an army of ants, they'd fight hard to defend the honor of wrestling against Lord Vader's team of stooges. Wicket W. Warrick vs. Hornswoggle: This would be a feature match for the kids. Who doesn't love a cuddly little Ewok in their with a cuddly little Leprechuen?
Who would you put on your Star Wars wrestling card? Post here or on our Facebook wall. Don't forget to like us. May the Force Be with You!
I don't know for sure, but I'm fairly certain that intergender wrestling came into existence in the early 1980's when comedian Andy Kaufman would challenge women to matches during his comedy shows. This blossomed into a wrestling angle in the MidSouth territory and led to more of these man vs. woman matches. Eventually Kaufman would take on Memphis hero, Jerry "the King" Lawler.
Now I'm no expert on the subject, and quite honestly until a few days ago had never seen an intergender match in person. Well, I take that back, I did see "Rosey O'Donnell" vs. "Donald Trump" a few years ago when Raw was in St. Louis. And technically I witnessed first hand Kharma's brief reign of terror in the 2012 Royal Rumble. But I digress...
Keeping it clean
Recently I watched my first ever Chikara Pro show live and in person. My friends and I were on hand for "Hot Off the Griddle" in Chicago Ridge. The main event: Sara Del Rey (the Queen of Wrestling) vs. El Generico. We had talked about the pending contest on a recent From the Rafters Radio show which sparked a discussion about whether men and women should be in the ring with one another.
After the high quality match between SDR and Generico, I would say heck yes. As the match went on, I no longer paid attention to the fact that Del Rey is a woman. This was just two great competitors going at it, giving the fans on helluva show. Both treated each other with a level of respect that you don't see very often anymore in the world of wrestling or any other walk of life. When SDR got the pin, I wasn't really all that surprised, as I've seen her work on line and know that she truly has a gift.
Obariyon vs. SDR (My 1-2-3 Cents)
The next night SDR was in action again, this time against Bitari member Obariyon. I thought this match was a little more aggressive than the one the night before. Because Obariyon is a rudo (heel) he bent the rules more and seemed to be a bit rougher with SDR. But again I did not feel like it was excessively violent and Sara really did hold her own. She lost the contest and when the rest of the Bitari came out to strike, SDR was saved by fellow female wrestler Saturyne. These two cleared the ring of the rudos and celebrated to the back.
I used the Sara Del Rey stories as an example because I think Chikara does a pretty good job with these types of matches. However I do think the WWE has in the past done some pretty good intergender matches too. But only when they are set up as serious matches. I don't like it when it's an apparent squash like say Kane vs. Kelly Kelly (I don't know if that actually happened, but when there's a rogue GM, I know he's put Kane in their with a helpless Diva)
Chyna wins the IC title
The Chyna-Chris Jericho feud was pretty good back in 1999. The two battled it out over the Intercontinental title. I think it's fair to say that Chyna paved the way for Divas to mix it up with the guys. Jacqueline would also go on to win a "man's" title when she became the Cruiserweight champion. She also beat Harvey Whippleman for the women's title. He had won the gold as "Hervina". That part of history I'd like to gloss over. And I may have misspoke by giving Chyna so much credit. As Miss Texas, Jacqueline wrestled men in the USWA prior to Chyna's WWE success. Regardless, both women hold a place in the history of women's wrestling in my opinion and breaking that gender barrier.
The Knockouts Tag Team Champs (TNA)
On the flip side of the coin you've got Eric Young in TNA who is holding one half of the Knockouts tag team title with ODB. I'm not sure how I feel about that, as women wrestlers have come a long way, now a guy is encroaching on their title. Maybe that's a bit hypocritical of me to say. I'm just not sure I like the idea.
But I do believe that Sara Del Rey, ODB, Beth Phoenix, Natalya Neidhart, and Kharma all have what it takes to compete in the ring against their male counterparts. Will we one day see a female world heavyweight champion? I honestly don't think that's out of the question, but right now the women are treated second rate in WWE, so I wouldn't expect to see that happen there in the near future. I'd suspect we may see SDR as the champ of a large indy promotion first, and she'll once again set the standard for women's wrestling.
Throughout the majority of the three hour RAW on Monday, I kept having the same thought. Did we really need an extra hour just to see clips of Brock Lesnar beating up guys who are now on the TNA roster? Our good friend Adam Testa summed up the night pretty well in his article for the Baltimore Sun.
Besides being bored with the show, there were several moments that left me scratching my head, as the logic involved was even more illogical than normal. In no particular order here are things C&C Music Factory would look at and say Hmmm.
First up, the CM Drunk situation. Chris Jericho claimed Punk was drinking in the hours leading up to a WWE event and should therefore be stripped of the title based on some unknown rule. Johnny Ace orders Punk to take a field sobriety test in the ring to see whether or not Punk was in fact drunk. Why didn’t Punk have to take a Breathalyzer test? That would have given an accurate result and saved the audience 10 minutes of bad comedy. Instead we got Punk acting drunk, the police officer determining Punk to be drunk and then? Instead of Teddy Long stripping Punk of the WWE Championship, the Officer leaves, Punk screws up the alphabet in reverse, moonwalks and beats up Jericho.
The most mind scratching part of the event was the rule about WWE Champions not being allowed to drink before a show. Has this always been on the book, or was it an amendment added after Steve Austin was done being champion? I’m pretty sure Austin used to drink DURING WWE shows.
Several fans will most likely say, the new rule isn’t that big of a deal and it was there for the segment so just shut up and enjoy the show. To that I say, no. I’m tired of having my intelligence insulted. I have not problem with rules appearing on the book out of nowhere, but don’t make them contradict one of your biggest stars in the last 15 years. As we talked about last week on “From the Rafters” radio, each wrestling company sets up rules in their own universe and then builds on those rules. The good promotions will adhere to those rules. Bad promotions will ignore those rules and treat each show differently and do whatever they want whenever they want to fit the story they want to tell. Since Vince McMahon likes to talk about how WWE is an entertainment company and they “make movies,” the same rules apply in TV and films. Consistency is a trait of solid storytelling.
Kevin's 1-2-3 Cents: I couldn't agree more. Is this really how two superstars, who claim to be "the best in the world", should be booked? As Gorilla Monsoon would say, give me a break!
This is more of a nitpick and doesn’t have anything to do with logic, but why are the Intercontinental and United States champions wrestling in tag team matches instead of singles matches?
Kevin's 1-2-3 Cents: Another valid point. Why in the world won't the WWE look beyond the main roster and develop some tag teams. There's a lot of talent being wasted. Even the tag champs are at this point, but I have a feeling this is part of something big for them (at least I hope so)
Sign the dotted line (from WWE)
The main attraction of Raw was the contract signing between Brock Lesnar and John Cena for their match this Sunday at Extreme Rules. I don’t like contract signings because they don’t make sense to me. Does every match have a signed contract? When wrestlers show up to TV shows do they have to sign a contract with the person they are facing that night? How do impromptu matches happen if there’s no signed contract?
As I asked during RAW on our Facebook page, what would have happened if Brock or Cena didn’t sign the contract? Would a match WWE has been promoting and using as a selling point for the pay per view for the past 2 weeks not have taken place? What exactly did the contract signing accomplish?
RAW started with everything in place for the contract signing. Well everything except Brock Lesnar. Are we to believe Brock doesn’t have to show up before the show starts? That’s another pet peeve of mine. Wrestlers showing up after the show starts? The contract signing got postponed until the end of the show, even though Brock showed up at least an hour prior but when it was time for the signing, John Cena was nowhere to be seen. Was he in the bathroom? Did no one tell him the contract signing was coming up? Why wasn’t he waiting to come to the ring? Maybe he fell asleep when Brock started talking too. This whole segment in my opinion was horribly written. Brock has been with WWE for 3 weeks and he’s just now making a list of demands he wants before getting into the ring?
I also don’t understand John Cena’s character. He’s been the focal point of the company for eight years. He’s defeated everyone put in his path in that time. He loses one match to a former superstar and has another former star get the better of him and now he’s all super serious moody suffering from lack of confidence? I could understand if Cena talked about Brock’s UFC career and there was mention of their feud where Cena said Brock’s beat him before and Cena doesn’t know if he can beat Lesnar. While I think Edge cut a good promo and explained the reason why Cena needed to beat Lesnar, Cena’s mime routine last night didn’t do anything to make me care to see Brock vs. Cena. Maybe it’s just me.
Kevin's 1-2-3 Cents: I'm still having trouble getting interested in Brock Lesnar. I didn't like him in his first stint, and I'm not in to him now either. I did however like the selective editing with the opponents that Lesnar destroyed early on. Jeff Hardy, Hulk Hogan, and Kurt Angle. Childish, yes. Funny, indeed.
Family reunion? (from WWE)
Because I can’t think of anything they can do to make me care about a Kane vs. Randy Orton match, I’m not going to mention the segments with Paul Bearer. Trying to think if there’s anything else I need to complain about. I think I’ve said enough.
Kevin's 1-2-3 Cents: I'm going to contradict myself here with this one, but I'm a wrestling fan. I didn't mind the Paul Bearer bit. It's become a running joke of sorts. He's become the Kenny from South Park. How many times will they kill off Paul? It's inconsistent for sure, but hey it's fun in my view.
One other note from me, why in the heck is a Bella twin the Divas champion? If they wanted to get the belt off of Beth Phoenix (which I still think was the biggest injustice of the night) why not have her drop it to Natalya or Tamina Snuka?
Jazz is another one of those Divas I don't think the WWE quite knew how to use. She came to the WWE at a time that women's wrestling was on the rebound and starting to boom again. Ivy, Molly Holly, Victoria, Trish Stratus, and Lita were all on the roster too.
But before she got to the WWF (it was still F back then), she wrestled briefly for ECW. She event mixed it up with the guys too. But the company went bankrupt, and that left her without a place to go for a while.
She came to the WWE as a dominant heel Diva. Jazz rolled through the competition, eventually beat Trish for the Women's title but didn't hold it long as she was injured and had to take several months off to recover from a torn ACL. When she did return, she was paired with Teddy Long and he led Jazz to another run as Women's champ. But again, she was hurt with a shoulder injury and needed time off to recover. When she came back the third time, she was used as a manager for Rodney Mack, who happens to be her husband too.
But the couple got the "creative has nothing for you" line and they were released in 2004. Since then they've worked in the independent scene and had a couple of children together. Jazz still wrestles from time to time, but devotes a lot of time to her family and the gym she owns in Louisiana.
Jazz wins the title
Her time in the WWE was brief, now would be a great time to see her back with the company. I think Beth Phoenix, Natalya Neidhart, Tamina Snuka, and Kharma could use some competition like Jazz. I think there's a definite place for women's wrestling, and it doesn't have to just be Barbie doll divas in high heels and low cut tops to get fans interested. Jazz was part of the upswing in women's wrestling once, I think she could be a part of it again and help this generation of Divas take it to the next level.
So far all the Black History Month posts have focused on men. Now it's time to look at one of my favorite Divas: Kharma. Her reappearance at the 2012 Royal Rumble was honestly my "mark out moment of the night." In fact, I believe I'm correct in saying that was her FIRST match in the WWE.
Kharma first started appearing in vignettes about a year ago on WWE TV. She'd ripped the body parts off of blond and brunette dolls and then end the piece with her loud, distinct cackle. Then she came out and started attacking other Divas. Michelle McCool, Maryse, and Eve were among her victims. A short time later, Kharma revealed that she was pregnant and would be taking time off. I think many fans wrote her off saying she wouldn't be back.
Kharma goes after Ziggler (from My 1-2-3 Cents)
On New Year's Eve, she delivered a baby boy and from the looks of things at the Royal Rumble, she's doing well. I didn't expect to see her back so soon, and she's not been on Raw or SmackDown! in the post Rumble days, so I'm not sure if the appearance was just a quick one to get her back in the spotlight or what. I'd still love to see her in a program with Beth Phoenix and have the two of them wrestle at Wrestlemania this year. It would certainly be the Glamazon's biggest and toughest challenge to date.
Of course Kharma isn't a newcomer to the WWE. She's got quite the wrestling resume, holding the TNA Knockouts title as well as belts in Japan and other promotions around the country. My hope is once she's ready to come back full-time that the WWE gets behind her and lets her continue the domination. Kharma coming back is exactly what the Divas division needs right now. (insert hysterical laugh here)
I've been to five Wrestlemanias and will hit my sixth in 62 days in Miami. I've been to live Raws (I witnesses "Rosie O'Donnel" vs. "Donald Trump", and I've been to the first ever Hell in a Cell match at Badd Blood '97, but in the 25 year history of the Royal Rumble, I had never been. That all changed last night.
Luckily for me this year's event was in St. Louis, my hometown. I live about 2 hours away, so when it was announced months ago, I made plans to attend. My 10 year old son was also stoked and wanted to go as well, since my Wrestlemania trips have been named "Bromance Weekends" with My 1-2-3 Cents partner in crime Chad.
The Rumble event was great. Top to bottom we had a blast. My son, Mason and I went with my friend and coworker, Weston. Our seats were pretty good too, despite the morons in front of us and in front of them who kept standing, especially towards the end of the Rumble. But I digress...
We arrived in St. Louis early to experience the DiBiase Posse Party. It was pretty cool. Ted was mobbed by fans as he signed autographs and posed for photos. There was a television crew there with a mic flag that said "Crash" (I think). We're not sure if that's something that will be a part of the WWE Network or what was going on. At one point we were just feet away from DiBiase, but Mason wouldn't get any closer to him for a picture. Hope he doesn't have the regrets I had when I was younger about bailing on meeting King Kong Bundy... I did however get a quick video of DiBiase so you can see what the party is all about.
The dark match saw Yoshi Tatsu pin the "One Man Southern Rock Band"Heath Slater. Weston tried getting a Wendy's chant started, but it fell on deaf ears.
Bryan escapes
The show started with Daniel Bryan defending the world championship inside a steel cage against the Big Show and Mark Henry. Oh, let me preface this blog by saying I haven't read any other reviews of the show, so I don't know if there have been any news nuggets added from overnight. Anyway, the match wasn't too bad. Show squashed Henry early on, taking him out of action for a bit. I had heard last week that Henry was hurt, so I wasn't sure if that was part of keeping him in the match, yet keeping him safe too. Bryan did the coward try to escape ASAP strategy. It works for him. I like what they're doing with his character. Ultimately, he scaled the cage again, but Show caught him and held on to him with one arm. Bryan eventually got free and hit the floor and retained. I was impressed with Big Show's strength. But he was clearly disappointed he lost another bid to be the champ.
There was an unannounced 8 divas tag team match that saw champion Beth Phoenix team up with the Bella Twins and Natalya. The heel quartet beat the face team of Kelly Kelly, Eve, Alicia Fox, and Tamina. The match wasn't horrible, but many fans used it as a chance to go to the bathroom or hit the concession stand. Beth won for her team after hitting the GlamSlam on K squared.
Kane destroys Zack, again
John Cena and Kane brawled and fought in a pretty good see-saw battle. The crowd in St. Louis clearly hated Cena. There was the "Let's Go Cena" "Cena Sucks" (I think that's the chant) going on throughout the match. Since my 10 year old and 6 year old both like Cena, I joined in on the pro Cena side of things. The match ended in a double count out. Kane took care of Cena backstage, then attacked a wheelchair bound Zack Ryder, rolling him into the ring and Tombstoning him. Eve tried to stop it, but Kane wouldn't let up. Then when Cena ran back to the ring, to save Eve from doom, the fans booed him again. That I didn't get. Even when he's playing the hero to a popular Diva, Cena gets heat. Anyway, Kane chokeslammed Cena and then left the ring without hurting Eve. I'm predicting a Kane-Ryder match of some kind at Wrestlemania.
Funkasarus Brodus Clay beat the struggling Drew McIntyre in a pretty quick match. It was another bonus match on the card. I had hoped this didn't mean Clay wouldn't be in the Rumble, but it did. I was really hoping to see him in the match. Maybe next year...
Punk's tribute to Macho Man
CM Punk beat Dolph Ziggler finally, despite two ref bumps and John Laurinaitis serving as a special guest referee. However, I thought he was going to be the only official in the match. The match between these two was outstanding. I've said it before, I'll say it again, Ziggler has so much potential. I hope they keep him near the top of the card this year and he doesn't end up lost in the shuffle.
The Royal Rumble match itself was pretty entertaining. There were some entrants that baffled me. I'm not sure how I feel about all three commentators getting into the match. Although with the surprise entrance of Kharma (who was my mark out moment of the night), it made up for Cole being in there. I liked how she came out and went after him immediately. My other two favorite moments from the Rumble were KofiBourne in AirBoom, more on that in another post).
Socko meets the Cobra
Besides Kharma's few minutes in the Rumble, another memorable moment for me was the Cobra vs. Socko with Santino and Mick Foley. It was comedy for sure, but in a match like the Rumble, you need some comedy relief too.
The crowd in St. Louis of course popped when Randy Orton came out. I'm so glad he didn't win. I really thought the Miz was going to take it all. Then I figured Jericho would get the nod. Sheamus' victory was not totally unexpected. I'm not let down, nor am I super pumped either. I'd say I'm indifferent about it. It'll be interesting to see if he goes after Daniel Bryan (and if Bryan is still champ by Mania). You'll remember last year the two were supposed to face off for the U.S. title in a lumberjack match that got demoted to the dark match and then became a battle royal. Funny the difference a year can make...
Jericho hangs on... for now
My dream scenario was actually for Punk to enter the Rumble (since it was open to ANY superstar) and win. Then go on to face Bryan at Mania and unify the titles. I kinda felt like all the surprise entrants took away from guys on the undercard who could've been in the match, specially Brodus and McIntyre. I'm also wondering where the other Uso brother was.
Quick fun fact, since 2005, the final two men in the ring at the Royal Rumble have been involved in WWE or World title matches at Wrestlemania (the exception, in 2011 with Santino and Alberto Del Rio). So with that track record, I wonder if we'll see a Chris Jericho title match at Mania this year as well...
But overall, I loved the Royal Rumble. It was really cool seeing it live and in person. It's an experience I'll never forget, and I hope my son doesn't either. These are the bonding moments that I remember having with my dad. Now the Road to Wrestlemania is in high gear. Can't wait for Miami!
