By Kevin Hunsperger @kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter Listen to the podcast Follow my blog with Bloglovin Rusev and Lana have officially split or so it seems. After all, she's been smooching with Dolph Ziggler. Many online are already drawing comparisons to another famous wrestling couple that broke up years ago, Marc Mero and Sable. In that instance, Sable excelled as Mero floundered for the most part, picking up the nickname "Marvelous" and pairing up with Jacqueline. I'm remaining optimistic that Rusev is not going to follow suit. I do think that it's odd they've split the two up as they seemed tailor made for one another (yes, I know they're a real life couple). I don't see Lana and Ziggler as a long term item either and have heard many reports that she actually wants to wrestle. Fans love her right now, so I say strike while she's over. I don't think Lana is going to have any trouble remaining popular during her time with WWE.
Rusev crush
So that takes me back to Rusev. What do you do with this Bulgarian brute? I think he needs to stay a dominant heel. I also think he needs a manager in his corner. That's not a knock on him, but I think his character would benefit from it and I miss the days of the manager. Zeb Colter and Paul Heyman are out of the picture for now, I think it would be nice to have the role of the traditional manager make a comeback.
A regal choice
Courtesy: WWE
William Regal comes to mind right away. I think he is under utilized as general manager on NXT. Plus, I don't think the brand needs an authority figure. Make it different from Raw. Regal has done the managerial thing to an extent before. He's a great mouthpiece and could build a stable of foreign fighters to take on the WWE's most patriotic forces. Sheamus and "King" Barrett would be excellent additions to this faction. It's worked before and I think it would work now.
An awesome pick
Courtesy: WWE
The Miz is another name I've thought about for this role. I've heard Jim Ross make the suggestion on his podcast that The Miz would be better in a managerial/advocate type role. I couldn't agree more. I like The Miz, but I don't see him going anywhere with his current gimmick. He's great on the mic and can take bumps. I see chemistry with him and Rusev.
He's got people skills...
Courtesy: WWE
John Laurinaitis is one of those guys fans love to hate. I think he would be a great heel manager whether it's for Rusev or someone else coming to the main roster. His stable of course would be People Power with a group of brutally strong superstars. Regardless of who Rusev ends up with (probably no one), it's my hope that this extremely talented star continues to shine and the WWE doesn't make him "marvelous" too.
Most of my favorite Raw moments go back in time, but one of the top memories for me occurred last year when CM Punk dropped his so called "pipe bomb". John Cena had been laid out in the ring. Punk grabbed the mic, parked himself at the top of the ramp and went on a rant.
It seemed to me that Punk spoke straight from the heart that night and I think it really connected with the fans. This was the big buildup to Cena and Punk's WWE title match at Money in the Bank. Punk's contract was set to expire and Punk promised he'd walk out with the championship and hold it hostage. Punk delivered on that promise, winning the belt and bolting the arena that night.
This initial speech laid the groundwork for many of the story lines in the company. Vince McMahon was "relieved" of his duties, Triple H emerged as the COO, and John Laurinaitis became the Raw interim general manager.
Punk really did speak the truth, and I loved the phrase about "glad handing, nonsensical, douche bag yes men." He also took a shot at Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, and just as he was about to continue his rant, Punk's mic got cut off.
My only wish was they would have stretched out the title hostage situation. I also wish they would have worked Colt Cabana into the angle in more than just a mention on TV. I know Colt is happy doing his thing, but a cameo appearance would have been great.
Honorable mention: The birth of Mr. Socko
Photo from WWE
Honorable Mention: During the Monday Night Wars, Vince McMahon and is crew decided to create an evil boss character. McMahon embroiled in a memorable feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin. The two beat the hell out of each other every chance they got. At one point the CEO ended up in the hospital and in an attempt to cheer up the boss, Mankind showed up.
After bringing balloons, chocolate and even a clown, Mick Foley decided to Vince needed a sock puppet to make him smile. Mr. Socko emerged, a hand drawn face on an old tube sock. But Vince was less than impressed and kicked everyone out of the room. Of course when the doctor appeared it was Stone Cold who proceeded to beat the hell out of Vince again, right there in the hospital.
Vince's expressions throughout the bit are priceless and it gave way to one of the most famous non-wrestlers in the history of the business. Socko still makes an appearance every now and again, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see him on July 23rd as well.
John Laurinaitis has been removed of his duties as the Raw and SmackDown! general manager. Now we're playing the waiting game to find out who will fill the role. In the meantime, various GMs and commissioners from the past are taking the helm. This recently spurred a discussion for our Rafter's Roundtable on From the Rafters Radio (search for it on iTunes too)
During the conversation, we talked about our favorite authority figures in wrestling. As you can imagine, our panel and our listeners all had different thoughts on the subject. For me, it was Jack Tunney. While he was not exactly a charismatic figure, he was not on TV each week. In this day and age of wrestling, I feel like the GM is a played out concept and in many cases steals valuable time from the talent.
You can probably count on both hands how many times you saw Jack Tunney on WWF Superstars. Many of his appearances were pre taped messages. Commentators (Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura) reminded the audience that Tunney was in charge, but there wasn't that overwhelmingly presence we see now. I can't remember any specific pay per view appearances by Tunney, much less wrestling at one (I know Johnny is a former wrestler, but look at Eric Bischoff and Vince McMahon) I know in the pic to the right, Tunney appears to be holding a Wrestlemania mic, maybe it was at WM 4??? Gorilla Monsoon also did a good job in his role as President after Tunney retired. His involvement was more hands on, but again it wasn't the focal point of story lines.
The modern day concept I think evolved when guys like Mick Foley, Steve Austin, and Shawn Michaels (his first time 'retiring') could no longer wrestle, but the WWE still wanted to have some role for them. I can't completely fault them with that, but I don't think we need the GM, commissioner, or president on the air every week, twice a week. And while I'm on the subject, what is Vince's role now? We had a GM for Raw and SmackDown!, a chief operating officer in Triple H, and the chairman of the board in Vince. But I thought last summer he was relieved of those duties. Seriously, I'm confused and please let me know what I missed.
Okay, that's about it for now. I'll be back from vacation soon and more regular posts will happen again. Thanks for reading and share with your friends too. Oh yeah, don't forget to like us on Facebook.
On Sunday, WWE presented the No Way Out pay per view for the first time in three years. And the title was appropriate for the corner WWE had booked themselves into with the stipulation on the main event. With either John Cena or John Laurinitis set to be fired depending on the outcome of the match, my friend I was watching the show with made the observation WWE was damned if they do, damned if they don’t. Either John Cena loses and gets fired then the creative team has to find a way for the number one guy in the company to be back on the roster in time for either the next pay per view or the 1,000th RAW, or Big Show loses and John Laurinitis gets fired which would satisfy the fans who are sick of People Power, yet once again John Cena wins.
I had thought about doing this recap in a Good, Bad and Ugly format only calling it Centsible, Centsless and Abcent Minded cause I like a good play on words. However, the more I was thinking about it I the more I realized I had more to say concerning certain aspects of the show then I did about the actual matches. So here’s a quick recap of what happened followed by a stream of conscious thoughts.
Brodus Clay defeated David Otunga by Count Out on the preshow
Sheamus retained the World Title by pinning Dolph Ziggler
Santino humiliated Ricardo Rodriguez in the Tuxedo Match
Layla once again beat Beth Phoenix to keep the Diva’s title
The Intercontinental tile garnered some stability as Christian defeated Cody Rhodes
The Primetime Players became the #1 contenders to the Tag Team titles
Sin Cara defeated Hunico for the 1,004th time
Triple H challenged Brock Lesnar to a fight at SummerSlam
CM Punk overcame the odds to remain champion by pinning Kane in the 3-Way WWE title match
Ryback decimated two more unknown jobbers
John Cena escaped the cage first to beat Big Show and cause the termination of John Laurinitis
Ryback vs. "2 Local Athletes" Photo courtesy: WWE.com
I’m paying for this? Once again there were three unannounced matches thrown onto the show. Two of the matches were matches we’ve seen numerous times before. Apparently Sin Cara can only work with Hunico. I know Sin Cara just returned from injury, but it’s time to move him on to other opponents. Or let Hunico win some of the matches so there’s at least a tiny bit of unpredictability to who will win. As much as I like Ryback, seeing him squash two no-names on a $45 show isn’t something I want to witness. Keep the unknowns on RAW and Smackdown. I had made the snarky comment to Kevin that Triple H’s promo would get more time then half the matches on the show. While I was surprised Haitch kept his talking relatively short and to the point, again why was this on a show people paid to see and a show that has less viewers than the weekly TV programs? While I’m not excited for it, I realize the majority of the WWE fan base will be interested in the HHH/Lesnar match. I think the announcement would have played better on RAW then on the pay per view. WWE needs to realize when fans are paying for the show; the show should be worth paying for.
Tag team action Photo courtesy: WWE.com
WHO ARE THESE GUYS? I thought the tag team Four-Way was a really good match and the wrestlers put on a great display of their talents. However, when was the last time any of these guys were on RAW or Smackdown? This may seem insulting or come off in a holier than thou manner, but I honestly see WWE fans as sheep 98% of the time. WWE fans will cheer, boo, chant or tweet whatever WWE tells them. And unfortunately WWE has told the fans tag team wrestling doesn’t matter. So while The Primetime Players, The Usos, Primo/Epico and Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel may put on a good match and the fans may cheer for a big move, the majority of the match happens with fans sitting on their hands. Hopefully this match is the first step in rebuilding the tag team division. While the fans may not have cared last night, if tag teams are presented as a big deal, the fans will eventually come around to care about them.
AJ and Kane Photo courtesy: WWE.com
WHAT DO AJ, RICARDO AND RYBACK’S OPPONENTS HAVE IN COMMON? All are essentially non-wrestlers yet are more over than half the roster. As I mentioned in the blog about grabbing the brass ring and to reiterate the last paragraph, when wrestlers are given ample air time and get to showcase a personality fans will take to them. When wrestlers are thrown out for a quick match and treated like nobodies (i.e. Hunico, Heath Slater) fans will go hit the bathroom or concession stands. Right now there is no solid mid-card in WWE. Something needs to be done to rectify that and soon. As much as people hate on Vince Russo (I’ve done my share) one area you have to give him credit is he had a purpose for almost every wrestler. Even if it was super lame, at least there was a reason to a wrestler’s existence.
Brodus Clay saves the day Photo courtesy: WWE.com
THE MAIN EVENT Up until the cage match, I felt No Way Out was a solid yet unspectacular show. Other than the Tuxedo Match there wasn’t a bad match on the show. There just wasn’t anything that was must see either. You could skip this show and easily get caught up on RAW. Then the main event happened and I wished I’d stopped watching after the WWE Title match. Again, there was no good outcome given the stipulation. Also, off the top of my head, Big Show has never beaten John Cena on pay per view so why would I think this time would be any different? Having Brodus Clay, Kofi Kingston, Santino and Zack Ryder come down to try and keep Big Show from escaping the cage was a nice piece of continuity but Kofi, Santino and Zack were easily swatted away and seemed to disappear while Brodus Clay discovered Big Show is afraid of chairs the way Andre was afraid of snakes. Seriously, I’m supposed to believe Big Show couldn’t have escaped the cage because Clay was standing on the floor with a chair! Even if the Funkasaurus had hit Show, Show would have fallen downward to the floor. The most head scratching moment was the ending of the match. In TNA fashion, the referee got knocked out then Big Show slowly crawls out the door after Brodus went to grab Laurinitis. Cena climbs over the top of the cage to escape. As soon as Cena’s feet hit the ground, with the referee still knocked out, Cena’s music started playing. Who called for the winner? I was expecting both Cena and Show to get out, brawl around the cage and maybe show would throw Cena back into the cage right before the ref woke up. The Ref would then see Cena in the cage with Show outside and call the match for Show. The fans would be upset John Cena was fired and there would be drama as to what was going to happen next. Instead, the sound guy calls the match, McMahon fired Laurinitis and tonight on RAW we’ll probably get another GM who will quickly devolve into stereotypical biased GM.
Mr. McMahon is back Photo courtesy: WWE.com
WRESTLING FANS BAFFLE ME I watched No Way Out at a restaurant with a group of wrestling fans I don’t know. During Ryback’s squash the fans in attendance started chanting “Same Old S&*t!” Then when Vince McMahon came out for the main event the fans started cheering. So three months of the same action get insulting chants while a 15-year stale character gets cheers. I don’t understand it.
CLOSING THOUGHTS Take away the main event and No Way Out was a solid 2 hours of good wrestling and a Tuxedo Match. Not worth $45 but worth the $10 I paid to see it. If you didn’t see it, unless you simply want to see some good wrestling, there’s no reason to go out of your way to see the show. The one major positive I can say is there was no Randy Orton, which automatically makes it one of, the better pay per views of the year.
Are you glad John Laurinitis is gone? Do you think WWE will simply slide someone else into the GM position? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
I had the fortune of watching Over the Limit at the I/O West theatre on Hollywood Blvd. This was the first pay per view they screened in the venue and based on the crowd size they announced they would be showing No Way Out next month. In addition, “Kizarny” will be teaching a class on physical improv next month and John Morrison will be appearing at one of the Improv’s shows in June.
Overall, I thought Over the Limit was a very satisfactory show until the main event. The tag team title match was better than I expected. The Diva’s title match was probably one of the best Divas matches in the past year. CM Punk and Daniel Bryan put on an early match of the year candidate. Along with a good Christian vs. Cody Rhodes match, a 4-way title match that had a good ending sequence and an appearance of Ryback, there was a lot to like on the show.
Then there was the main event. Had the Battle of the John’s been anywhere on the show other than the main event the match would have been rather inoffensive. However, as the main event, it was a crowd deflating fifteen minutes. The ending of the match was a foregone conclusion six days ago and as predicted, The Big Show got involved to help Johnny Ace win the match. I’m guessing this will lead to a Cena/Show match at No Way Out.
Even though the show was a solid thumbs up, there were a few questions I would like answered. I think we need a new weekly segment around here called wrestling with logic.
*Kevin and I have already questioned the way Chris Jericho and Daniel Bryan, how after losing two consecutive pay per view title matches, simply moved over to the other brand and got inserted into title matches.
*While everyone expected Big Show to get involved in the main event, his involvement was kind of head scratching. Johnny L. went through the crowd and looked to be trying to get out of the arena only to be brought back in by the Big Show. Big Show brought Johnny into the ring, gave him to Cena, then when Cena went for the Attitude Adjustment Big Show punched Cena in the face. My theory is Johnny and Show had the plan in place for Johnny to come get Show. That I get. However, what would have happened if Cena hadn’t toyed with Johnny and pinned him quickly? Since show isn’t a WWE employee why didn’t security stop him from 1)putting his hands on Johnny and 2)getting into the ring?
*The show opening battle royale came down to the final three of David Otunga, The Miz and the returning Christian. Six weeks ago these three Superstars were supposed to be on Team Johnny at Wrestlemania. Drew McIntyre replaced Christian due to a lingering injury. Now, Christian is back and he’s apparently a face. Why? What happened in the last six weeks?
The only real complaint, other than the placement of the Cena match, is Over the Limit had a battle royale, Christian/Cody Rhodes, Brodus Clay/Miz, and Hunico/Ryback matches added either unannounced or announced right before the show. WWE really needs to stop treating pay per views as one or two match shows and start building and promoting full cards before the day of the show.
Do you have any answers to my questions? Are you excited for more People Power? Will Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins trend on Twitter during Raw? Share your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter.
One of the cool things about Twitter (at least in my opinion) is the creativity some people show while on the social networking site. Case in point, yesterday we say #WWECoverBands popping up all over the place. I'm not 100% sure who started it, I saw it first in a CM Punk tweet, although I have reason to believe Marty DeRosa came up with it.
Wrestlers and fans posted several creative wrestling related music acts. It's pretty simple if you think about it, yet very creative and fun as far as I'm concerned. I've listed some of my favorites.
Scott Hall'n Oates
@AshleyFountain: Lady Ante-Bella Twins
@proudcaucasian: Torrie Wilson Phillps
@proudcaucasian: Mariah Kerry Von Erich
@bitterlunatic: Kerry Von Erich Clapton
@ChrisSchully: Manfred Mankind
@proudcaucasian: The Mamas & Papa Shango
@scottstanford1: Lauren Hill & the Mr. Fujis
@IHateMattDrufke: Jake "the Whitesnake" Roberts
@arikcannon: Olivia Newton John Laurinaitis
@proudcaucasian: Paula Abdullah the Butcher
@bitterlunatic: Scott Hall & Oates
@thelastjimperor: Rowdy Roddy Stryper
Kool & the One Man Gang
Here are my two contributions:
@kevinhunsperger: Kool and the One Man Gang
@kevinhunsperger: Grand Funkasaurus Railroad
You get the point. This is just the tip of the iceberg, so if you're on Twitter and missed this over the last couple of days, type in #WWECoverBands and take a look. Post your ideas here or over on our Facebook wall.
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?
I've been watching wrestling for so long that I remember when Teddy Long was merely a referee in the old NWA (National Wrestling Alliance that is). But a couple of years after the WWF had turned referee Danny Davis into a heel, the NWA decided to try it with Long. But unlike Davis, Long became a heel manager.
His first charge would be Norman the Lunatic. Long soon added the Skyscapers to his stable too. Doom, the One Man Gang, and Johnny B. Badd were just a few of the men he managed. At one point during his stint in WCW, he turned face and managed jobbers like Jim Powers and Joey Maggs. In 1999, he headed to the WWF, but returned to his refereeing roots.
About three years into his run with the company, he started the heel managing gimmick again. D'Lo Brown, Mark Henry, Rodney Mack, and Jazz were among the wrestlers he guided through the mat wars. In 2004 (I can't believe it's been that long ago) Long became the General Manager of SmackDown! after Kurt Angle was "fired" from the role. He turned face and worked to even the odds for the other faces in the company with the decisions he made each week.
(Yes, the Undertaker is in the video below, when he was "Mean" Mark)
Is he dead? No playa, he'll be fine (WWE)
Through the years, Long would be involved in different angles, including one that saw him have a heart attack on his wedding day to Diva Kristal Marshall (remember, wrestling weddings NEVER go as planned) While he was offer recovering, Marshall and her real life boyfriend Bobby Lashley left the company. In Long's absence, Vicky Guerrera was named the GM of SmackDown! and when he returned from his heart attack/coma, he was placed as her assistant.
Things didn't work out so well for Long, and he "quit" before being reassigned to ECW. Eventually, he'd go back to SmackDown! where he continues to serve as the GM. But with the recent developments on Elimination Chamber, it appears that the WWE is looking to consolidate the role of GM between Raw's John Laurinaitis and Long. Since Johnny Boy seems to be the focal point right now of story lines, I can't imagine Teddy will be around for (pardon me) very long.
I love his suits
I don't think getting rid of him as GM would necessarily be a bad thing, as I'd like to see him return to his role of a manager. There is clearly a void in that position in wrestling today. Since he has already been a successful manager in the past, I think it would be great to see him doing it again. There's is plenty of young talent on both rosters who could benefit by someone with Long's knowledge.
Perhaps this could be the return to an endeavor that once made Long a household name among wrestling fans. Only time will tell, but please let's hope there's no "wrestling" matches planned between Long and Laurinaitis anytime soon.
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!
I’m not sure how long it’s been going on exactly, but WWE has created a running gag of sorts with promoting Brodus Clay “debuting” on RAW each week only to cancel the debut for unknown reasons.If WWE sees something in Brodus and plan on pushing him, I think they should keep him off of TV until the Royal Rumble.
At the Royal Rumble, establish Brodus as not being a participant because he didn’t make the 30-man roster. There could be a face-to-face backstage segment with Clay and John Laurinaitis where the VP of Talent Relations tells Brodus he didn’t have enough matches in the previous six months to qualify for a Rumble spot. I know there’s not such qualifying requirement but it’s not like WWE can’t change the rules to fit their agenda. Plus, establishing non-existent rules seems like something Laurinaitis would do to make himself look smarter. Brodus would then leave the office while John would stare off into space thinking about how he can annoy CM Punk later in the show.
During the Rumble match, somewhere between numbers five and fifteen, one of the lower card guys who no one expects to win the match, i.e. Tyson Kidd, Curt Hawkins or Ted DiBiase come out when their number is called. Right as they step out from behind the curtain, Brodus Clay, upset about some ham and egger getting a Rumble opportunity, comes out behind them and lays them out on the stage area. Clay proceeds to take the spot of the person he just eliminated from possibly main eventing Wrestlemania. Or, if Randy Orton is still injured, have Clay attack the Viper and take his spot. Instant heel. Just add water.
Clay on NXT (from WWE)
Once in the match I would have Clay go on a Kane-like dominating spree eliminating guys left and right. Have him last until the last five or six wrestlers are in the ring and then have everyone gang up and eliminate Clay. This would establish Brodus as a serious contender as well as potentially set up a Wrestlemania feud.
Again, this is all dependent on what plans WWE has for Brodus Clay. If they don’t see him as anything more than a punching bag then they should keep him off camera until people forget about him. Personally, while I like my fantasy booking idea, I would use the scenario for a returning Skip Sheffield.But that’s just because I’m the founding member of the Skipper’s Stable.
As always, we seek your opinions. Share them on Facebook or Twitter. What are your thoughts on Brodus Clay’s return to the ring?
I can't believe I'm about to say this, but Mr. John Laurinaitis as the Raw GM is really starting to grow on me. I think that a large reason for that though is the fact that CM Punk makes the perfect foil. While there has been little physical contact between the two, I really do enjoy the verbal assault Punk gives the former Johnny Ace each week.
Punk may have topped himself Monday night at the Slammy's with the mullet mannequin sporting a Dynamic Dudes tshirt. And that's where my wish comes in. It's not so much for Laurinaitis as it is for the company. I really hope they start to market those shirts. Look how many people started demanding the return of ice cream bars after Punk brought it up over the summer. I hope the marketing powers that be within the company come up with a way to make that happen too.
Punk & "Ace"
Laurinaitis is the interim GM on Raw right now, and I think it probably needs to stay that way. I think this gimmick/storyline will get old after awhile. But I do like it more than the anonymous Raw GM that we endured for so long.
It's bizarre to me to think that the guy who played Johnny Ace now holds so much power in the world of wrestling. While his character is dull and somewhat boring, my wish for him is to get as much out of this ride as he can. My other wish is for him to focus on his role as Vice President of Talent Relations and get some more young talent pushed to the upper card. And please, WWE sell those tshirts.
I have a lot on my mind after finally seeing the end of Monday Night Raw from October 24th. I'm shaking my head and doing a lot of wondering. I'm going to jump around here, so please accept my apology for these ramblings.
I'll start with the main event. I thought it was cool booking Zack Ryder to be John Cena's partner against the Miz and R-Truth. The beatdown even made sense. What I don't understand is why Cena then picked the Rock to be his tag team partner at Survivor Series. There are a couple of things that bother me here. First, it was announced WEEKS ago that Cena and the Rock would be teaming up in a traditional five man Survivor Series tag team matchup. So the choice made by Cena had already been announced, and Jake the Snake Roberts circa Wrestlemania 7 could see it coming. (yes, I've used that one before) Why aren't we getting the 5 on 5 match? Maybe we will. I thought the way they were setting it up previously we could have gotten Cena, Rock, CM Punk, Triple H, and maybe Ryder against Miz, Truth, Kevin Nash, Alberto Del Rio, and someone else. Another question about this match, WHY would the Rock want to team with Cena. Of course, he hasn't responded yet, so I guess we'll have to see how this plays out over the next couple of weeks.
Cole disses JR again
Notice how many times Michael Cole brought up Twitter? Geez, not only did he bring it up non-stop, he failed to talk much about the company's website, WWE.com. Joey Styles pointed that out, ironically enough via Twitter. Plus, I HATE the way they are burying Jim Ross. I don't understand the reasoning behind it. The pictures last night were lame and on the surface this just appears to be another way to jab at the broadcasting legend. My gut tells me JR is going to show up in Atlanta and be humiliated one last time before fading into the sunset. It's not right to treat him like that. I don't blame Cole for this, I question the WWE's motives though.
Shane Douglas & Johnny Ace
Punk and Cena both made cracks to John Laurinaitis riding a skateboard. I have to wonder how many fans actually get the jokes. For those who don't, Laurinaitis was a surfer dude/skaterboy babyface in the late 1980's in WCW. He and Shane Douglas were the Dynamic Dudes. I think the WWE should have put up some pics or done a video or something better to explain this. The target audience now was probably either not born yet or just in diapers when this angle was going on in WCW.
Looks like they're setting up Dolph Ziggler to feud with Mason Ryan. I really hope they don't take the U.S. title from Dolph. He is in my opinion the best heel on the show right now. I hate to see John Morrison slide down the ranks. Good for Wade Barrett though. I know you can't have everyone at the top of the pack. Where the heck is Daniel Bryan? He won Money in the Bank, I figured he'd get a little more TV time at least. The Divas match was fine. I just hope this doesn't end with Natalya Neidhart and Beth Phoenix feuding.
Nash bashes his "best" friend (WWE.com)
Speaking of hoping for things to not come true, please keep Stephanie McMahon out of this angle. I have a feeling she's somehow behind all of this. I thought the beatdown of Triple H with the sledgehammer was pretty good actually. But do we really need or want to see a feud from nearly 10 years ago revived? It's a little Impact Wrestlingish in my opinion. One has to wonder though with all the names they're bringing back (Rock, Mick Foley for Raw in three weeks), will Shawn Michaels somehow get involved here too?
Punk beats down ADR
Alberto Del Rio is the champion, but it doesn't feel like it. It's similar to when the Miz held the title. It seems like the focus of the show is still around John Cena. The company needs to start doing a better job of elevating talent and giving them a chance to run with the ball. I'm still not completely sold on ADR, and the lack of effort coming from creative isn't helping.
So many questions, which I guess is good. We can't have everything solved in 120 minutes, or we'd stop watching each week. I'll be curious to see where things go. But if anyone from WWE happens to read this, my main point today is (I have two actually): Bring back the traditional 5 on 5 (or 4 on 4) tag matches at Survivor Series, and secondly LEAVE JR ALONE! Either bring him back and let him do his job or leave him off TV and stop berating him.
Here's my video review too. Your thoughts? Post them here, on Facebook, or Twitter.
