WWE Evolution is this Sunday. So it's the subject of this week's #AskMy123Cents. Sam Banks wants to know which Superstar from the past I'd most like to see on the show. The answer(s) are in the video.
Ric Flair, Sting, The Road Warriors, Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, Terry & Dory Funk, Jr., Kerry Von Erich and the Steiner Brothers. All guys at one point I would have never imagined wrestling at WrestleMania. But each of these men had at least one appearance on the WWE's biggest event of the year. Here are some others I would have loved to see step on the grandest stage of all.
Brody vs. Abdullah the Butcher Courtesy: WWE
Bruiser Brody is one of my favorites from childhood. When I first started watching wrestling, I remember him well on Wrestling at the Chase and in World Class Championship Wrestling and eventually the AWA. One of the first live events I attended was main evented by Brody and Ric Flair. Brody won by disqualification. How cool would it have been to see Brody come into the WWF in the early years of WrestleMania? Although had that happened I could see Brody being built up to the point of getting the title match against Hulk Hogan and then conquered by Hulkamania by the end of the night. That wouldn't have been a bad thing either, but something Brody would not likely have been keen on. Of course in different eras, it would have been great to see Brody vs. Mankind or Brody vs. the Undertaker at a Mania too.
The Midnight Express Courtesy: WWE
One of my favorite tag teams of all time is the Midnight Express. While I liked Dennis Condry and Bobby Eaton, my pick for this blog is Stan Lane and Eaton, along with manager Jim Cornette. The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation and The Rockers would have all been worthy Mania opponents for the Express. Jim Cornette would later appear on WrestleMania events with the men he managed, but fans missed something in not having Eaton and Lane in the WWE. Now that the Rock 'n Roll Express is going into the Hall of Fame, I hope Midnight Express is on the shortlist to be inducted.
Kharma Courtesy: WWE
Kharma's time in WWE was short, way too short. Her only match (at least official match) came at the 2012 Royal Rumble. She was a part of the 30 Superstar contest. I was there, so I'm grateful for having had the chance to see her in action. But I think a huge opportunity was missed with her. A Beth Phoenix-Kharma match for the Women's Championship would have been amazing. While I don't see the chance ever happening, she'd be a great opponent for any of the women on the roster today as well. I wish thing could have gone differently for Kharma both personally and professionally. So who never made it to Mania that you would have liked to see on the show? Comment here or on the My 1-2-3 Cents social media pages.
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.
With WWE on the verge of separating RAW and SmackDown into two different brands with completely different rosters, reports are saying WWE has started contacting previous employees to gauge interest in possibly returning to the company. We've been thinking about who is available and have come up with some names we'd like to see return.
The only criteria we used is none of the names, to our knowledge, is signed to another promotion. That eliminated Jeff Hardy, Johnny Nitro and a few others.
These names are in no certain order.
Kevin's picks:
1) Colt Cabana. I know this will likely never happen, but letting Colt come in as Colt and not some other persona would be entertaining. Plus it would fuel the "We want Punk" chants.
2) DH Smith. I know he works with NJPW, but I'd really like to see this third generation star back in WWE. He was released way too soon and has a ton of potential. Of course if Tyson Kidd is able to return a Hart Dynasty reunion would be epic.
3) Jim Cornette. As I blogged about with the return of Paul Ellering, WWE needs more managers. Some of them can be new talent that's cultivated to manage, but there needs to be a few established managers to help lead the way. I'd pair Cornette up with The Revival on NXT or make a serious team out of Breeze-Dango with Corny as their captain.
4) Kharma. I've wanted to see her back in a WWE ring since right after her departure several years ago. With the WWE's renewed effort on women's wrestling, Kharma would bring another dimension to the division.
5) Curt Hawkins. Underrated and underused during his stint before. He's a solid performer who could become a third member of the Hype Bros. if WWE is looking to build more stables.
Chad's picks: 1) Mike Knox. While his initial run in WWE wasn’t that memorable, I think Knox showed more potential during his run in TNA. 2) Nunzio. If the upcoming Cruiserweight Tournament leads to a re-established cruiserweight division, Nunzio would be a great hand to work with younger Superstars. 3) MVP. Montel Vontavious Porter was supposed to join Lucha Underground’s second season. Issues over having one of LU’s talent on his podcast led to him being released from the company before making his debut. 4) Carlito: While the Shining Stars are in Puerto Rico, maybe they can find Carlito and bring him back with them. This may be the only way to get fans interested in the team. 5) Trevor Murdoch: Trevor has been a regular in Harley Race’s promotion since leaving WWE. Murdoch is another talent that I feel didn’t get to show his true potential the first time around.
As for the two names I don’t want to see return, I know many will probably disagree. Both these guys are past their “use by” dates. 1) Goldberg: I know several people were hoping for his return at WrestleMania 32, but has anyone really missed him in the twelve years he’s been gone? 2) Kurt Angle: Couldn’t tell you the last Kurt Angle match that wasn’t a chore to watch. Angle may still be able to go but his matches are all the same and it’s probably in his best interest to not be wrestling on a full time schedule. Who is on your list? Comment here or post on Facebook.
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.
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.
February is Black History Month, and we here at My 1-2-3 Cents are paying tribute with blogs on some of our favorite black wrestlers.
Many of the stories written are based on memories from my childhood, but I've also recruited help from other fans to share their thoughts too. You'll also hear about several up and coming stars on the independent scene. Check back daily, as I'll link all of our tributes to this page.
Thanks for reading My 1-2-3 Cents. Be sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to the YouTube channel.
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!
Movies have the Oscar. Television has the Emmy. WWE has the Slammy. We here at My 1-2-3 Cents have the Centy. Yes, we've decided to come up with some year end awards to present for the best and worst in professional wrestling, aka sports entertainment. We'll each weigh in on the category as to why we picked the winner. Some may be duplicate thoughts, but Chad has a much more extensive knowledge of the independent scene, so this could be interesting...
Wrestler of the Year:
Eddie Kingston
Chad's Pick: Eddie Kingston. The first Chikara Grand Champion has to be Wrestler of the Year. This was harder to choose than I expected. While I expect Kevin to pick CM Punk, I think Punk had a good last 5 months of the year while Kingston had a solid full year. And I'm a Chikara mark so I am obligated to pick one of their wrestlers for this category.
Kevin's Pick: Chad knows me oh so well. I do pick CM Punk for Wrestler of the Year. Punk in my opinion helped change the game in 2011. I'll be the first to admit, I'm a bandwagon fan of his. It wasn't until he started the Straight Edge Society that I started taking notice of him. He had a good year and I hope it continues in 2012.
Michael Cole made us all cringe
Channel Changer of the Year: Chad's Pick: Michael Cole. Hands down the "Michael Cole as heel commentator" is one of the worst ideas the WWE brain trusts have ever thought put on TV.How anyone in charge can't see or not understand how damaging Cole is to the overall product is beyond me. His constant burial of now World Champion Daniel Bryan tells fans they shouldn't take Bryan serious. With WWE seemingly shifting attention to a new generation, all focus should be on creating and establishing new stars not telling the WWE Universe the Superstars getting airtime aren't worth being on television. Dishonorable mention would also go to Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan. 1997 called. They want their lead heels back. 2011 is not the time for heelish authority figures who shouldn't ever be in a wrestling match.
Kevin's Pick: Gotta agree 100% on this one too. Michael Cole may be the most annoying personality in the history of Monday Night Raw. I blogged about my dislike for his commentary several times this year and his hand in the constant burial of Jim Ross. If he's the voice of the WWE, I vote for a big case of larnygitis in 2012. I also think Hogan and Bischoff could be on this list. The whole father-son feud between Eric and his boy Garrett makes for unentertaining television.
Promo of the Year: Chad's Pick: Eddie Kingston's Road to High Noon promo. While I had already made plans to order Chikara's first Internet PPV as soon as they announced the date, the Eddie Kingston promo Chikara posted a few days before the show guaranteed I was going to order the show twice. This promo did exactly what it needed to do. It stressed how important the match Eddie was having against Mike Quackenbush was to Eddie personally and how much winning the Grand Championship would mean to Eddie. This is honestly the only promo I can remember that gave me chills each time I watched it. While CM Punk's Kickoff to the Summer of Punk promo was also really good, in the world of "If it's on TV it's been approved by management," the promo lacked the organic realness of Kingson's promo.
Kevin's Pick: Having only watched a little of Chikara, I don't know much about it. But I thought Kingston's promo was real and from the heart. But in an effort to stop constantly agreeing with Chad, I'm going to go with the Summer of Punk Promo. Sure it was scripted, but I haven't heard so much buzz about a single promo by a WWE star in years.
Angle of the Year: Chad's Pick: While the follow up was botched, it's hard to deny the Summer of Punk redux wasn't the most talked about event of the year. WWE had a storyline that had fans genuinely interested in and unsure what was going to happen next.Unfortunately, WWE didn't get the post title win time to build and make Punk's return really impactful.
McGuire vs. Allwardt (courtesy Adam Testa)
Kevin's Pick: Excellent points made by Chad, but I'm going to do some self promotion here and say the current storyline between AAPW Champion Edmund "Livewire" McGuire and Ax Allwardt has been very entertaining. These two have taken their hatred for one another to a new level. There have been back stage attacks, in ring attacks, and even an incident in the parking lot. It all comes to a head at AAPW Main Event on January 14th.
Randy Orton (from WWE)
Most Hated: Chad's Pick: Randy Orton. For the life of me I can't figure out the appeal of this guy. Actually Most Hated is probably to strong and gives Orton too much credit. He's more like Most Useless Waste of Space. Orton is aJohn Cena in training. Guy who gets beat up a lot but ultimately wins in the end. I really do want someone to logically explain to me his appeal. And his tattoos are stupid. In a Most Hated in a Fun Way it has to be Icarus. The guy has been on the ChikaraChikara roster. How he can stay so hated on a roster where fans appreciated everyone is a testament to his heelish talent.
Kevin's Pick: Michael Cole. You can read my reasoning in the Channel Changer of the Year. Again, I feel he'd do a better service as a manager, just keep him away from commentary. Bottom line, he's obnoxious.
Most Under appreciated: Chad's Pick: Until the past month I would have said the TNA Originals. But it appears TNA may actually be starting to give them the spotlight. I guess I'll say the WWE tag team division. Though I don't know if it's under appreciated or just under used.
Natalya at the Royal Rumble (from WWE)
Kevin's Pick: Natalya. I think there are a lot of good choices here, and I like Chad's suggestion about the tag team division. I feel like Nattie got screwed out of the Divas title at the Royal Rumble by dropping it to Eve and has really not gotten her traction back since then. I like her alliance with Beth Phoenix, but Natalya seems to be on the losing end of a lot of her matches. She's one of the best female wrestlers the company has ever had, they need to let her shine more.
(from ROH)
Most Overrated: Chad's Pick: Davey Richards. As much as I don't see the appeal of Randy Orton, the fandom of Davey Richards completely baffles me. I went to a PWG show back in January with a friend who had gone to a show with me back in 2007. My friend doesn't follow wrestling and hadn't seen a show since the few shows he saw in 2007. When Davey Richards came out to a chorus of cheers, he was stunned. "Isn't this the same guy everyone booed and called an oompa loompa?" he asked. I don't get the appeal the Strong Style form of wrestling. As much as I like watching wrestlers pretend to hurt each other, I greatly dislike seeing wrestlers actually hurting each other. When Richards won the ROH World Title, he allegedly didn't know the match was over and couldn't remember the last half of the match due to a concussion. Given the number of concussions in wrestling and the lingering effects they can have one a person, wrestling promoters should encourage a style that is less harmful on wrestlers not more harmful. Outside of his personal wrestling style, compared to Davey Richards, Randy Orton looks like Ultimate Warrior on the charismatic scale. I was happy when Davey said he was going to retire at the end of 2010. I wish when wrestlers talked retirement they would actually stick to it.
Kevin's Pick: Alberto Del Rio. All sizzle and no steak as far as I can tell. The WWE wants us to buy into him, but I'm still not sold. He may have won the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, and two WWE championships, but Del Rio still hasn't impressed me yet. Now that they've paired him with the Bella Twins, I wonder if management thinks he's not over either. However, I've read that Vince McMahon is high on him, so I'm sure we'll see more of a push for the Mexican aristocrat in 2012.
Zack Ryder vs. Dolph Ziggler (from WWE)
Breakout Star: Chad's Pick: I'm not really sure I want to go with him, but Zack Ryder is the only wrestler I can really think of for this category. I'm still on the fence on if his cult popularity can be sustained by his in ring skills or if he's going to be a flash in the pan. Plus, I think WWE has mishandled Zack by taking him from guy not on TV to US Title in such a quick fashion. I will give Zack credit for creating his own destiny.
Kevin's Pick: Good choice, but I'm going with Dolph Ziggler. He shined in his series earlier in the year with Edge and proved he can be a main event player in my book. Dolph had his ups and downs throughout the year, but he won the U.S. title and held it for nearly six months which is quite a feat. He also did a couple of double duties on WWE pay per views this year. I still think 2012 is going to be an even bigger year for Ziggler.
Only in Wrestling: Chad's Pick: Santa Playa and Hornswoggle the Elf.Viewers of WWE's TLC PPV got to see one of the lamest and probably borderline racist and other ISTs promos with Teddy Long dressed as Santa Claus and Hornswoggle as an Elf. I really want to know who came up with the idea and who decided it should be shown on TV. I don't think you'd see anything like this anywhere else except for maybe on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia or South Park.
Snooki with the win (from WWE)
Kevin's Pick: I'm going to go with the surge of non wrestlers stepping into the ring. I don't know if it's really a surge, but specifically I'm talking about Snooki and Ronnie from the Jersey Shore. Each made their wrestling debuts this year. While I know wrestling is more sports entertainment these days, would you ever see the Situation suit up for the New York Giants? Or how about JWoww playing for the WNBA? Of course not. And what's worse is when these "celebrities" go over in the match.
Show of the Year: Chad's Pick: Chikara's High Noon. Chikara made their Internet PPV debut and put on a stacked show from top to bottom. While Money in the Bank had the Match of the Year. I don't remember much of the undercard. High Noon on the other hand was the culmination of stories that spanned a year or longer. High Noon was what Wrestlemania used to be. The crowning of Chikara's first Grand Champion was ten years in the making and lived up to the hype.
Kevin's Pick: I didn't see a whole lot of pay per views this year, so it may not be totally fair for me to make a pick here. However, I felt like Money in the Bank was the best of what I saw.
Ophidian (from Chikara)
Star on the Horizon: Chad's Pick: Ophidian. While Ophidian had a losing record after his partner Amasis was injured early in the year, I think 2012 will be his breakout year. Ophidian attacking Amasis at High Noon after Amasis announced his injuries were so severe he wouldn't be able to ever wrestle again was the stepping stone for Ophidian's singles career. I am curious to see what Ophidian does during Chiakara's Season 11.
Kevin's Pick: Cody Rhodes. I'm not sure if he qualifies or not, as he already is a star. Maybe I should have switched he and Dolph Ziggler on the breakthrough performer. Regardless, Cody definitely stepped up his game in 2011 and as far as I'm concerned has outshined his fellow Legacy members (Orton and Ted DiBiase) I see big things for the son of the American Dream. Only time will tell if he fulfills his destiny (sorry Alberto)
Female of the Year:
Del Rey & Kharma, from Shimmer
Chad's Pick: Sara Del Rey. The Queen of Wrestling had a remarkable year after breaking free from the BDK and coming up just short in Chikara's 12 Large Summit. Now that's she demolished Jakob Hammermeier, I expect her to try and make a run at becoming Chikara's first female Grand Champion.
Kevin's Pick: Kharma. Her time with the WWE was brief, and I still think she'll be back, but has there ever been so much buzz about a Diva before her first appearance? I loved the vignettes the WWE put together and how Kharma came in and destroyed all the women who got in her way. I'm really curious to see where the angle was headed, but Kharma has been on the shelf, preparing to deliver a baby. I expect big things from her in 2012 and I hope she and my choice for honorable mention, Beth Phoenix have some type of program against one another.
So, what do you think? Who would you have awarded with a Centy? Post your thoughts here or on Facebook, Twitter, or even YouTube.
