Modern day Heenan Family

The Heenan Family

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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I'm moving forward with another tribute to the greatest manager in the world of professional wrestling, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Managers have become a much less common part of the business, however, in my 1-2-3 cents they play a huge role and have through history. We know Heenan managed some of the all-time greats, including Andre the Giant, Mr. Perfect, Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and advised Ric Flair. So today I'm putting together a modern-day version of the Heenan Family. 

The monster heel
Courtesy: WWE

Braun Strowman. The Heenan Family always had some big men to back up the Brain. Andre, Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy are just some of the behemoths that signed with Bobby. Strowman has developed into a main event player on his own. I can see Heenan confidently leading the big man to the ring in his upcoming battle against Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman. 

The Glorious One
Courtesy: WWE

Bobby Roode. In his current "Glorious" incarnation, Roode reminds me a lot of "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff and "Ravishing" Rick Rude, two mainstays in the Heenan Family. Roode is an excellent performer who is destined for continued greatness in WWE. But imagine if Heenan was there with Roode. I believe he'd manage him right to the WWE Championship.

The Cocky One
Courtesy: WWE

Dolph Ziggler. He's up and he's down. Ziggler reminds me a lot of Mr. Perfect, who we saw Heenan work with as well. The Brain and the ShowOff together would be a great combination. In general, most Superstars these days are expected to get over on their own. Dolph has done that, but a manager can be that cherry on top. That's exactly what Heenan would do in this situation.

The Tag Team
Courtesy: WWE

The Bar. The Heenan Family always had strong tag teams too. From the Islanders to the Brain Busters to the Colossal Connection, the Brain was a major player in the division.  Sheamus and Cesaro have gelled well together as a team, actually much better than I had expected. Both are big, tough and strong and would be excellent at keeping the Brain safe after running his mouth too much.

The Confident One
Courtesy: WWE

Carmella. I debated this choice, but the Heenan Family never had a female member. When I say I debated, it wasn't about putting a female in the family, but instead which one. I originally was going to go with Charlotte Flair, but Carmella has really grown on me this year and in my 1-2-3 cents Heenan could have helped her get over even more so than she has now. 

The Raw Talent
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

Red Daniels. This is another choice I struggled with because I don't want to overlook or leave anyone off the Stride Pro Wrestling roster. There are several men who could have reaped the benefits of The Brain and Red is one who fits the Heenan Family mold as far as being a big guy with a bad attitude. Heenan could have harnessed that aggression and used it to take Red to new heights.  

I love the Brain. I still consider myself lucky to have met and interviewed him nearly 20 years ago. It was a surreal moment and one I cherish now more than ever before. Godspeed, Brain.

Extreme Rules predictions

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Extreme Rules is set for Sunday night. For the last month or so my viewing of Raw has been minimal. I told the story already about the bunny chewing the cord to our DirectTV box. Once the company sent a new one, I was ready to go. But a storm moved through on Memorial Day night, knocking out the signal to our satellite. I did get to see part of the show and I've of course kept up online with what's happening. So here are some quick thoughts...

Rich Swann and Sasha Banks will beat Noam Dar and Alicia Fox. I have no basis on this call, other than I don't usually bet against Sasha Banks. 

I want Neville to retain the Cruiserweight Championship against Austin Aries in a submission match. But my gut tells me they're going to put the title on A Double. I don't have a problem with that, as I'm sure this will be another outstanding match between these two.

Alexa Bliss will retain the Raw Women's Championship against Bayley. These two are battling it out in a kendo stick on a pole match. I'm all in for Alexa and switching the title again this quick is not a good thing.

The Hardy Boys will lose the tag team titles to Cesaro and Sheamus. I love both of these tag teams, with Cesaro and Sheamus really coming into their own. Their evolution has been impressive through the last several months. Many believe (myself included) if the Hardys lose in the cage match, this will set them off to begin singles careers. I haven't read up on the lawsuit over the Broken gimmick, so I don't know what will be next for the duo.

I'm split on the Intercontinental Championship match. Until Elias Samson got involved in the angle I figured the Miz would beat Dean Ambrose and regain the gold. Now I'm not so sure. Of course, I thought Baron Corbin was going to win the title at WrestleMania, so my ability to successfully call IC title matches has been limited.

When it comes to the five way to determine the number on contender to the Universal Championship, it's literally anyone's match to win. I've read that each of these men will eventually face Brock Lesnar for the championship up until WrestleMania, it just depends on what order they want to go and how dominant Lesnar will remain. To me, the WrestleMania matchup should be Samoa Joe and Lesnar. But WWE thinking will be a rematch between Lesnar and Roman Reigns. I like Finn Balor a lot, but I don't see him being the guy to beat Lesnar for the belt, so I'm going to go with him to win this match at Extreme Rules and be fed to the Beast at Great Balls of Fire.

What are your picks for Extreme Rules? Weigh in here or on the My 1-2-3 Cents social media pages. 

Post Andre the Giant battle royal success

The trophy
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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WWE introduced fans to the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXX and I was in the crowd watching live. I figured The Big Show or Sheamus would be the winner. I was pleasantly surprised when Cesaro tossed Show over the top rope to win the event and the enormous trophy with Andre the Giant perched on top.

Cesaro and the big trophy
Courtesy: WWE

In the weeks and months that followed the victory I expected big things for Cesaro. Sure he had already held the U.S. Championship, but I thought the win would line him up for a run with the Intercontinental Championship or in my fantasy land of booking, a series of matches against the newly crowned WWE World Champion Daniel Bryan. Instead it seemed winning the battle royal was a curse as Cesaro went on a pretty big losing streak, missing opportunities against the secondary champions and other Superstars on the card.

Finally in early 2015 Cesaro and Tyson Kidd formed a pretty awesome tag team and won the championships. They held the belts twice before Kidd ended up getting injured. Cesaro toiled on the mid-card with little success before getting hurt himself and spending some time of television. I popped like everyone else in the crowd at the Raw after WrestleMania 32 when The Swiss Superman returned. 

He had a promising run coming back, but was still unable to capture singles gold. Then Raw General Manger put he and rival Sheamus together and the duo pulled off a big win, ending the New Day's record breaking tag team title run. Their title reign was short lived though, but they remain in the hunt and go for the gold (or copper) this Sunday at WrestleMania 33. 

Baron Corbin in 2016
Courtesy: WWE

Another Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner, Baron Corbin gets a shot at gold in what will be his second WrestleMania match. Winning the trophy at 32 was a huge accomplishment for his debut. The followup hasn't been shabby for the former NXT star. He's getting a crack at Dean Ambrose's Intercontinental Championship. I'm still not sold on Corbin, but I do believe he will unseat Ambrose Sunday. It gives me anxiety to think he'll be 2 and 0 at WrestleMania and could be building a streak before you know it...

Big Show celebrating at Raw
Courtesy: WWE

The Big Show is the other Superstar to win the battle royal. He's actually competed in all three and is set to appear again in this year's. That's probably a big indication that WWE Creative has nothing much for Big Show who has become more of an attraction in the last few years anyway.

Braun will win this year
Courtesy: WWE

I never expected Show to go on to win gold again, but I figured since he won the Battle Royal in 2015 they'd at least do something to showcase him. WrestleMania 33 was supposed to feature the (not so) much anticipated battle with Shaq. Now it appears they're grooming him to pass the torch to Braun Strowman who I have no doubt will win Sunday's battle royal. With that win I predict an even bigger push than he's seen, simply because he's a "big bastard" and we know how Vince McMahon feels about those kinds of Superstars.

So while two past winners are going for championship gold at WrestleMania and one is looking to pass the torch, I still find the battle royal interesting. Yeah it's filler to get everyone on the show or at least almost everyone, but I don't really have a problem with that. It is the biggest night of the year and Superstars all deserve a moment to shine.

Cesaro NEEDS to win the Best of 7 series

Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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When the Best of 7 series between Sheamus and Cesaro was announced several weeks ago, I predicted Cesaro would win the series after starting off as the underdog. Tonight, in just about 90 minutes the, the finale happens on Clash of Champions. The series is tied up, three matches a piece.

It was originally stated the winner would get a shot at the WWE Universal Championship at some point. Not knocking Sheamus, but he's been the champ a few times before. While I don't dislike, I think it's time for some new faces in the title hunt. That's been the way it's been going since the "New Era" started in the weeks that followed WrestleMania 32.

Cesaro has toiled for years in WWE and much longer before even signing with the company. It's time for the company to finally go all-in on the guy. He's over with the fans. He has the talent. Cesaro not only needs to win this Best of 7 series, but also the Universal Championship. 

Courtesy: WWE

Win or lose, I'll still be a Cesaro guy. He's more than deserving to be on the top tier of either brand. If he's verbal skills are what's holding him back, fix that by bringing in a manager. Wooo! 

Chikaratopia: Channel 7.99

By Chad Smart

@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter
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If you’re a wrestling fan reading this blog, you’re probably aware of the WWE Network, or Channel 9.99. Are you aware other wrestling promotions have similar offerings? Long time readers won’t be surprised to know one of my favorites is Chikara’s CHIKARATopia. $7.99 a month is all it costs for unlimited access to the history and current on goings of Chikara. I’m not sure if they’re still offering a year for the price of 10 months but if they are, it makes the price even better.

Chad with Cesaro before he was Cesaro

If you’ve never heard of Chikara or have only seen a small sampling of their product, I highly recommend at least checking out the CHIKARATopia free seven day trial. For WWE fans, this is a chance to see WWE stars like Luke Harper, Cesaro and Daniel Bryan among others early in their careers. For long time fans, watching the 1-2-3 Kid and Hakushi rekindle their feud from 1994 in the 2011 King of Trios is a blast from the past.

I have shouted praises for Chikara since day one of My 1-2-3 Cents. Going back and watching events from 2005, which is when I discovered Chikara, I can understand why other wrestling fans may have been confused by Chikara's style. It’s not necessarily an acquired taste, but it’s also not WWE. Seeing ants, time displaced knights, a guy with the face of a corncob and an actual dragon wrestling does take an open mind.

Last year's King of Trios finale

One of my favorite aspects of the CHIKARATopia is being able to go back and re-watch events that are still having effects today. One of the points I use to promote Chikara’s greatness is their attention to detail in their storytelling. Any company who has been around for 16 seasons to not have any glaring holes in their story telling is impressive. Part of the appeal to the storytelling has to be attributed to the huge comic book influence in the stories themselves. Forget the Marvel Cinematic Universe or DC Films; I’ll take Chikara any day to get my dose of spandex clad heroes.

In addition to the past season events, Chikara puts their current events up one month after their available for purchase. This translates to an on average of 6-7 week delay in keeping current with Chikara. A six-week delay for only $7.99 a month is not a bad deal. In addition to the full shows, Chikara has also been doing a monthly Power Hour live show once a month.

Mr. Touchdown & Kevin in 2012

I’m writing about the CHIKARATopia now because should you have any interest in checking out the company, this weekend is the best time. On Sunday (8/21), before SummerSlam, at 3pm EST, Chikara is presenting their first major live event. In all fairness, I do have to mention that during the Power Hour live shows, there have been some minor technical problems. Most of those problems have been with the audio while the video stream has been near perfect.

Back to the show on Saturday, since I don’t read Chikara spoilers, I’m not up to date with what happened at last month’s shows. I do know something happened with the tag team titles and on Sunday there will be a double elimination 4-way title match The full card for Sunday, as listed on the Chikara101 message board is as follows:

Team Fire Ant vs. Team Hallowicked. Both teams will have 7 members. Hallowicked is the current Chikara Grand Champion and his team (I assume) are all the followers of the mysterious Nazbuldun.

Princess Kimberlee vs. Heidi Lovelace: Former Grand Champion vs. former Young Lions Cup holder. Former friends who each have 2 points in title contention play. The winner gets a title shot, the loser starts over.

Double Elimination Tag Team Title: N_R_G vs. Los Ice Cream vs. Devastation Corporation vs. Mustache Mountain. NRG are (or were) champions. Los Ice Creams had the Golden Opportunity to cash in for a title shot. Dev Corp. are the former champs who never got a rematch. Mustache Mountain were the surprise hit of the 2015 King of Trios tournament.

Eddie Kingston vs. Jakob Hammermeier. Kingston was the first Chikara Grand Champion. Jakob is the leader of the reformed B.D.K.

Team Big Deal vs. United Nations. This is a trio’s match. Team Big Deal is lead by the wrestler formerly known as Hornswoggle.

Ophidian vs. Hermit Crab. The master of snake style vs. the rookie crustacean. 

Abominous Rex vs. Oleg the Usurper. Rex is the largest man to ever step foot in a Chikara ring (pretty sure that’s a true fact). Oleg has become a fan favorite over the past two years, though I can’t get past the fact he’s responsible for the death of Dragon Dragon. #NeverForget

That’s seven matches, which should be a pretty outstanding show. There is no reason (other than not wanting to OD on wrestling this weekend) why you shouldn’t check out “No One’s First, and You’re Next” before SummerSlam. I’m pretty confident in saying, if you give Chikara a chance, you’ll stay subscribed to the CHIKARATopia.

3 items every wrestling fan would buy

The New & Booty-O's
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Money!

Wrestling has produced some usual products through the years. The website WrestleCrap has plenty to check out, from cheesy t-shirts, food products and all kinds of toys. Who cashed in on the WCW play money in the early 90s? I think there are some items that could be marketed today that wrestling fans would buy. 

The t-shirt box is creative

Booty-O's.  I'm really surprised WWE hasn't made this happen yet. Post, Kellogg's and General Mills are missing out. I think the cereal would be a blockbuster and with the New Day behind the efforts the cereal would be much more memorable than the WWF SuperStars cereal from the early 90s. And look how popular the crossover with John Cena and Fruity Peebles became. That was all by happenstance thanks to a promo by The Rock. But when it comes to Booty-O's, I don't know what that flavor would be. Heck, I'm still not sure if being booty is good or bad.  

Tear Away Suits. Cesaro has been gaining popularity over the last couple of years. When he returned to Raw the night after WrestleMania this year the crowd went nuts. He didn't look ready to wrestle when he first came out, but moments later he tore away the suit and revealed he was ready to rumble. I admit it wouldn't be practical for the most part. But how much fun would it be going to a pool party dressed to the nines, only to tug the suit jacket and dress slacks away and reveal perhaps a WWE swimming suit? It's a one and done thing for the most part, but it would certainly make a lasting first impression. 

Los Ice Creams
Courtesy: Chikara Pro

Los Ice Creams ice cream treats. Chikara fans will understand this one. El Hijo del Ice Cream and Ice Cream Junior make up this oddly dressed duo. As you can see their masks are shaped like ice cream cones. The company sells t-shirts of the team, so why not take it a step further and have Los Ice Creams treats available at concession stands for Chikara events. While it's not a CM Punk quality WWF ice cream bar request, I think the treats would be cool (pun intended). Heck I haven't been to a show in years, they may be doing this, if so I'll grab one the next time I attend an event.

Would you buy any of these things? I'm still waiting for Jonathan Bowles with WrassleRoos to come up with that Giant Gonzalez onesie. I will buy one! 

One More Match: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

Austin vs. Rock
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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"Stone Cold" Steve Austin's last match was at Wrestlemania XIX against the Rock.  In the 12 years that have passed, there has been plenty of chants for Austin to have "one more match."  As Wrestlemania: Texas (aka 32) looms there had been talk that Austin would step into the ring and have one final curtain call.  Many speculated it would be against Brock Lesnar.  The Rattlesnake himself has shot down those rumors and says his injury years ago prevents him from ever wrestling again.  I'm still not convinced his finished.  

Oh hell yeah
Courtesy: WWE

Who would I want to see Austin officially call it a career against?  I'm always conflicted when booking a final match.  You want the guy retiring to go out looking good, while putting over the talent who is sticking around.  That's why I don't want it to be Lesnar or any other part timer or semi-regular wrestler.  I think a lot of the younger guys on the roster now would wrestle a much faster paced match than Austin would be use to.  Guys like Neville, Rollins and Ambrose come to mind in that instance.

Cesaro
Courtesy: WWE

Therefore I'm picking Cesaro.  Austin himself has endorsed the former U.S. champ on more than one occasion during his podcast.  Cesaro has connected with the fans.  He seems to be over and ready to take his career to the next level.  A high profile match and victory over one of the biggest Superstars in the history of the business would be the greatest achievement for Cesaro and propel him into the stratosphere.  Kevin Owens and Bray Wyatt are my backup picks.  Who would you pick?

Reunited and It Feels So...

The Shield "returns"
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Some surprises came out of the WWE Payback show, at least to me.  I'll get into the undercard in a minute, but since I titled this as such, I figured I'd touch on the brief, but awesome reunion of The Shield during the main event.  Obviously going into the the fatal four way I knew that Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns had once been a part of the most dominant trio in recent years.  But it never occurred to me that they would all work TOGETHER during the course of the match.

Crash landing
Courtesy: WWE

Because of my work schedule, I was fast asleep (actually I was still tossing and turning) by the time the WWE World Heavyweight Title match started.  When I logged into Twitter hours later, I saw pics and gifs of the "one-time only reunion" between Rollins, Ambrose and Reigns.  It made me look forward to coming home and watching the former Shield members take out Randy Orton with the triple power bomb.  

Nope
Courtesy: WWE

I loved it.  I know the way the current storyline is going it doesn't make sense to reunite the trio for good.  But for those few moments, I thought it was awesome.  I liked how Rollins seemed to think the band was back together and when Ambrose and Reigns tore into him and Kane it was a nice break from what I'd expected during the match.

Did he quit?
Courtesy: WWE

Another minor surprise, although I had written in my previous blog my predictions and they mostly matched up, there were no title changes.  I feel like that's a rarity these days, but I don't have any proof that it is.  I'm curious to see where the Rusev angle will go next, as I do believe they botched up over emphasizing that the Superstar must say "I quit."  Clearly Rusev did not.  I imagine the story will unfold on Raw with Rusev "firing" Lana, which will be odd to see these two without each other.

New Day... rocks
Courtesy: WWE

I thought New Day did a great job getting heat during the tag team title match.  I still love the combo of Cesaro and Kidd and those uppercuts that the Swiss Supermen threw were incredible.  This story could continue, but I do think the tag team ranks need some fresh faces in the hunt for gold.  Speaking of which, I was surprised to see Axelmania and Macho Mandow lose in their first outing as a team.  I really am impressed with both men's impressions of the legends, but Axel's "Hogan" routine is spot on as far as I'm concerned.  I guess this means The Ascension is here to stay.  

Busted open
Courtesy: WWE

Dolph Ziggler getting busted open was ugly.  It took ten stitches to sew him up.  There's plenty of speculation online as to whether he did that himself or if it happened the hardway.  It seemed a bit too bloody too fast for a blade job, but I'm just a fan.

I hope Bray Wyatt's win over Ryback helps him continue to climb the ladder (perhaps right into Money in the Bank).  And despite some online criticism, I think Naomi is a great athlete.  I'm still not sure she's next for a run as Divas champ.  Time will tell for all these things and the future of the Intercontinental title will be told in a couple of weeks at Elimination Chamber.  We'll break it all down soon here and on the podcast.

Payback 2015 Picks

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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We're days away from another WWE pay-per-view/Network event.  I'm not exactly sure the proper phrase anymore, but as we know Payback returns this weekend.  The show has had some good build up, and even with several rematches, I'm looking forward to some great performances.

 The kickoff features the newly formed duo of Macho Mandow and Axelmania against The Ascension.  I have no idea where WWE is going with Damien Sandow and Curtis Axel, but I'm enjoying the homage to Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan.  Plus it's another tag team to get behind in a somewhat weakened division.  The Mega Powers 2.0 will win this one and eventually implode like they did more than 25 years ago.

Bray Wyatt will step into the ring with Ryback.  I'm looking forward to this match.  I feel like both men are still growing and headed to superstardom.  Ryback has been hot and cold since being repackaged a few years ago.  I've always liked Wyatt, even as Husky Harris.  He's got something special and I think it's important for him to shine Sunday night against Ryback.  

Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus will have a rematch.  I really have enjoyed Sheamus much more as the heelish bully since returning from his injury earlier this year.  I was surprised Sheamus lost the Kiss Me Arse match at Extreme Rules.  I can't see him going down in defeat two events in a row, so I pick him to win this time, setting up for a rubber match at the next show.  I don't mind repeat matches when they involve guys giving it their all.

Neville takes on King Barrett in a rematch from the King of the Ring finals and the kickoff from Extreme Rules.  Each man has a victory.  The company seems to be fast tracking Neville to big things (perhaps an Intercontental title run) so for that reason and because I'm a huge Neville mark, I hope he wins.  I won't be disappointed though if the King reigns.

The New Day will defend the tag team titles against former champs Tyson Kidd and Cesaro.  I like both teams.  I think Kidd and Cesaro's reign came to an end way too soon.  They're my favorite current team and I feel like WWE needs to stay behind them.  Again, I'm not going to be disappointed with whoever wins, but I believe the champs will retain.

Rusev will try to win the U.S. title back in an "I Quit" match against John Cena.  Both men have their submission finishers.  I think Cena will win, Rusev and Lana will split and hopefully he won't end up in no man's land as a result.  I like the concept of the U.S. Title Open Challenge Cena has been doing.  There's still some mileage to get out of that angle.  I can't wait to see who is eventually put into that role of winning the challenge.  

For my thoughts on the 4 Way, check out this week's 3 Count over on YouTube.