My 2019 wish for the WWE Women's Division

Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

WWE has come a long way over the past few years in terms of women's wrestling. I know some will point out how it's long overdue. I agree with that sentiment, but that's not the point of this blog. Instead, I'm going to address the talk of creating WWE Women's Tag Team Championships. 

I haven't seen it reported, so I don't know if it has but I'm assuming each brand will have the championships, just like there's a SmackDown and Raw women's champion. However,  as a fan, here's how I'd like to see the Women's Division treated in 2019.

1. Create a Women's Divison show for the Network. Much like 205 Live and NXT, this could bring more eyeballs to the Network. I'd also add a couple more women's only pay-per-views or Network specials.  Women would still compete regularly on Raw & SmackDown as well and the big four for sure. (I get that there are so many hours in a week to get something like this accomplished so I'm not holding my breath.)

2. On this Women's show, there would be one WWE (or World's) Champion, an Intercontinental Champion and the Tag Team Champions. I don't believe there are enough women on the current roster to support two separate women's divisions with champions on both shows. 

3. Give us Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch for the main event of WrestleMania 35. This can happen. It needs to happen. I can't imagine a better never-before-seen match for WrestleMania than this one. Please, please save these two. Don't let them have any physicality until the bell rings at MetLife Stadium in April. 

I know most of this is wishful thinking, but that's the point of having a blog. What do you want to see happen in the women's division in 2019?

Click to shop 

Use promo code: MY123CENTS

Ladies' night at the Royal Rumble

Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I realize I'm a few days late with this, but I did want to weigh in on the announcement from Monday night with the all-women Royal Rumble match coming up next month. 

As mentioned in this week's Pro Wrestling Unscripted podcast it's a great move by WWE. But the execution of the announcement was nonsensical. A brawl involving several of the women on the Raw roster was interrupted by Stephanie McMahon. She announced the history-making match and the ladies all seemed to be overcome with the news and stopped their fighting. In fact, they all celebrated in the ring.

We've talked about an all-female Rumble before. Earlier this year, listener Devin Dinkins posed the question on an Ask My 1-2-3 Cents podcast. It's a great move by the company, which has done women matches in the Hell in a Cell and Money in the Bank. The Royal Rumble only makes sense.

I'm not going to speculate yet on a winner until all the competitors are announced. Early favorites have already picked Ronda Rousey. I don't have a problem with that as I believe a match between her and Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania could actually be the main event. Main eventing WrestleMania will be the last major accomplishment for the women's division. 

There are plenty of talented women on the current roster, including NXT and from the Mae Young Classic. There's also a lot of Legends and indy stars who could and should be included in the Royal Rumble. Something else to note, I'm a believer that champions should be in the Rumble match too. In my 1-2-3 cents, it's logical that the Universal or WWE Champion or in this case the Raw or SmackDown Live Womens' champions to want a shot at their counterpart for the gold. I know for the time being WWE will not unify any championships and the champ in the Rumble wouldn't have to win. I'm just speaking from a logic standpoint. 

Who do you think will enter and win the first Women's Royal Rumble match? We'll discuss more on the podcast and here on the blog in the coming weeks.

WrestleMania was built on celebrity involvement

WrestleMania promo photo
Courtesy: WWE

 By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I've complained a lot in the past about part-timers and celebrities swooping in at WrestleMania and stealing the spotlight from active members of the roster. After some serious thought and hearing the opinions of others, I had an epiphany over the weekend. Rewind to 1985 and the very first WrestleMania. It was all about the celebrities. Mr. T, Cyndi Lauper, Muhammed Ali, Billy Martin and Liberace were all featured at the inaugural event. They're what made WrestleMania stand out from a usual wrestling show at Madison Square Garden. The company could have simply done Hulk Hogan & Jimmy Snuka vs. Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff, but would we be gearing up for WrestleMania 33 today had that been the featured match?

Mr. T at WrestleMania
Courtesy: WWE

As the years passed, the celebrity involvement didn't wane. Mr. T was back in the ring at WrestleMania II. There was a cavalcade of stars like Elvira, Susan St. James and William "The Refrigerator" Perry (along with several other NFL stars for the battle royal). Through the years we've seen the likes of Lawrence Taylor, Snooki and Floyd "Money" Mayweather step through the ropes at WrestleMania. I've found as a fan that my level of dislike for this idea depends more upon my fandom of the celebrity in question than the actual use of a non-Superstar.

Goldberg vs. Lesnar
Courtesy: WWE

The same is true of part-timers or Legends coming in. They too should be treated like the celebrity appearance. They're attractions. And I think there was a lot of casual fans who have enjoyed seeing the Goldberg comeback. It's been well documented here that while I'm not a fan of his, I do appreciate what Goldberg has done for wrestling. That being said, I don't have a problem with him having a match at WrestleMania, but I am still not on board with him being the champion.

The Rock & Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 31
Courtesy: WWE

Long story short, the very foundation on which WrestleMania is built upon is based on the celebrity factor. Plus these days between the kickoff show, the multi-Superstar matches and the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, pretty much everyone gets a chance to be part of the biggest event of the year. Let's chill and enjoy the show, and save our criticism for AFTER WrestleMania because you know, wrestling fans know how to better book an event. Oh, and I was fully behind the rumored Rock/Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H/Stephanie McMahon match for last year's event.

The benefits of being a part-timer

Part-Timer Brock Lesnar
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

Former WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar recently tested positive for substances banned by UFC. According to published reports, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency administered two tests to Lesnar. He tested positive for clomiphene. It's a banned substance that works as an anti-estrogen agent used to treat women's fertility problems. But when men take it, the drug works like a steroid by boosting testosterone production.

WWE will not be pulling Lesnar from his SummerSlam match against Randy Orton. That's because the company's Wellness Policy does not cover "part-time performers", which is what Lesnar considered. 

Now for My 1-2-3 Cents on the situation....

Brock vs. Dean Ambrose
Courtesy: WWE

WWE says Lesnar is part-time, however he was one of the top draft picks a couple weeks ago on SmackDown. His image is used in the promotional banner for RAW and his profile is up on the Current Superstars category of the website. There's no mention of the part-time status in his profile. I don't know how the company legally defines a part-time performer vs. full-time, but as fan I know his status. But does the general public know this? Should WWE care?

The Rock & Ronda Rousey
Courtesy: WWE

Yes they should. With all the news of the infractions with UFC, WWE mostly ignoring the violations insults the intelligence of fans as well as the current roster of WWE Superstars. Everyone who steps into a WWE ring to wrestle should be held to the same standards. That includes The Rock, Ronda Rousey or Shaq. Making exceptions for celebrities or part-timers devalues the widely regarded and respected Wellness Policy.

If something happens to Lesnar, the media will have a field day once again with WWE. Expanding the policy to cover part-time and celebrity appearances would at least give WWE some protection in the court of public opinion. Without holding these performers responsible for their actions sets a bad precedence.

It's also ironic that Orton jabbed at Lesnar during The Highlight Reel on Battleground saying "no enhancement required." after being suspended twice for violating the Wellness Policy. I'll just leave it at that.

Wrestling with the Stars

Rousey flips Trips
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
Listen to the podcast right here

Wrestlemania 32 is 362 days away and I can not wait for it to get here.  After taking a break from our Wrestlemania trips, Chad and I have agreed we'll be on hand to witness the event live at "Jerry's World" in Dallas.

I'm typically not a fan of celebrity matches, as I recall stars like Drew Carey, Jay Leno and Dennis Rodman stepping into the ring.  Even though I wasn't a big fan of Snooki's, I thought she did well in her match at Wrestlemania a few years ago. Floyd Mayweather and even Mr. T 30 years ago stepped up to the plate and exceeded my expectations. However in 2016, I hope that we get the already much talked about Ronda Rousey in-ring debut.

Rousey and the Horsewomen at SummerSlam
Photo courtesy:  WWE

I know little to nothing about Rousey other than she is kick ass MMA fighter.  She's the only current fighter I'm able to name (I don't watch UFC or MMA, or are they the same?).  But I've heard enough main stream and social media coverage to be able to identify who she is.  When she showed up at Wrestlemania 31 last week, I assumed like many that it was to lay the ground work for a future appearance with WWE.

Ouch!
Photo courtesy: WWE

It's already been reported the appearance was a "one-off" and she's not quitting her day job.  I'm not looking for her to be in the ring full time, I'd love one match at Mania and what better way to help fill a stadium with a capacity of 100,000 fans than with someone with crossover appeal like Rousey? Her opponent (if I was booking this thing today) would be Stephanie McMahon.  I can actually see Chad rolling his eyes as he reads this, but let me explain.

You'd be hard pressed right now to find a Diva on the roster right now who is more hated than Stephanie.  The Billion Dollar Princess may very well be the biggest heel in the company right now.  She has become one of the best at being that antagonist in various storylines.  

Some may argue that's the problem with WWE Creative, that they haven't helped build anyone else on the roster to play that role.  I'm not arguing that point, as I do think there have been some missed opportunities over the years, but the reality of the here and now is that (most) fans would rather see Rousey hand Stephanie McMahon her ass than any other woman in WWE.  

The new Dynamic Duo?
Photo courtesy: WWE

I know it's still way too early, but this is the first match I'm putting on my wish list for next year.  Heck, I wouldn't even be opposed to a mixed tag with Ronda and the Rock against Stephanie and Triple H.  Of course over the next 361 days, I may end up changing my mind, but that's okay.  

What a Week!

Sting debuts in WWE
Photo by WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
Listen to the podcast right here

It's been an exciting week with Wrestlemania starting things off for us. Here are a few of the highlights in My 1-2-3 Cents...

Wrestlemania 31 sets several records:

According to a WWE press release, this year's Wrestlemania was the most watched in the company's history.  More than 1.3 million WWE Network subscribers watched (plus factor in those who hosted parties).  The total number of fans at Levi's Stadium was 76,976 which is also a record for that facility.  Wrestlemania was also the most tweeted event in WWE history.  The Raw after Mania was the highest rated episode since Raw 1,000 nearly three years ago.  Five-point-four million people tuned in Monday night.  

Rock looks amazed
Photo by WWE

Ronda Rousey appears at Wrestlemania

Honestly, Ronda Rousey is the only current UFC athlete I know.  And I actually heard of her before she showed up at Wrestlemania Sunday.  But don't expect the leader of the Four Horsewomen to leave the octagon for the squared circle, it's been reported by several her appearance was a "one-off."  However, I wouldn't be surprised if we see her back in the WWE in time for next year's event in Dallas.

New champion
Photo by WWE

Three new champs are crowned

Seth Rollins, John Cena and Daniel Bryan are all wearing WWE gold again.  I think this is a good way to reboot things and I expect the U.S. and Intercontinental titles to get a little more shine as a result.  I still think Rusev should have won, but I like Rollins as champ and think the WWE needs to back him 100%.  Bryan as IC champ is cool by me too.

AJ Lee taps...
Photo by WWE

AJ Lee retires

A bit of breaking news as I write this.  WWE put out a statement Friday afternoon that AJ Lee has retired from the ring.  There's already plenty of speculation online, but nothing official.  I'm curious to see what's next for the former Divas champion and who on the roster will benefit from one of the top stars in that division leaving.  (I'm looking at you Charlotte.) 

LuchaDragons debut
Photo by WWE

NXT stars debut on Raw

The tag team of the LuchaDragons appeared on the Raw after Mania.  The division quite honestly needs some help.  Hopefully with the work that Sin Cara and Kalisto have done on NXT will translate on the grander stage, same goes for one of my favorites, Neville.  You can read more about my thoughts on him here.