State of Tag Team Wrestling

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

It never fails after I upload a YouTube video on a particular topic I always think of other points that I wanted to make.  Such is the case with today's submission on tag team wrestling.

Until very recently I was hopeful for the tag team division in the WWE.  Just a few short months ago there was a tag team tournament with eight teams to determine who would face the tag team champions.

Hell No vs. Rhodes Scholars
Courtesy: WWE

I'm disappointed Team Rhodes Scholars has disbanded.  This team had a ton of potential and honestly I was shocked they didn't beat Team Hell No at the Royal Rumble.  They held a couple of non-title victories over the champs (I think that's accurate) so to see them be taken out of the scene seems a little silly.  Besides Hell No, I think Rhodes Scholars was the top team in the WWE.

It seems Hell No is heading for a breakup soon too.  It would make sense from a storyline standpoint, although I hate when teams are constantly being split up.  For the time being though, Daniel Bryan and Kane ARE the tag team champions, so I'm really not happy about the fact that Bryan is in the Elimination Chamber match to determine a number one contender to the World Heavyweight title.

The Prime Time Players
Photo courtesy: WWE

The Prime Time Players had a lot of potential early on too.  But I think after Abraham Washington's departure from the company a lot of the wind was taken out of their sails.  Seriously, this duo needs a good manager to help them refocus.  The Usos never seemed to catch a break, although I enjoy their work too.  Primo and Epico have been jobbers lately not only to other teams, but to singles guys like the Great Khali and Ryback.

Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara are both back, so let's see if they stick it out.  If I was a betting man several months ago I would have put my money on a Mysterio-Cara match at Wrestlemania.  Now I'd say there's a better chance of a Bryan-Kane match that night.

Unfortunately Tyson Kidd is hurt so his partnership with Justin Gabriel is on the sidelines.  They split up Kofi Kingston and RTruth so the stars could pursue singles careers.  It worked for Kofi briefly, but now that he's without the Intercontinental title, we've seen very little of him.  Then there's Zack Ryder and Santino.  Need I say more?

Oliver Gray & Adrian Neville
Photo courtesy: WWE

On the horizon there have been hints of a Tensai-Brodus Clay tag team.  I'm not sure I love the idea, but again, it's just the online buzz, so I'm not buying into it just yet.  Of course on NXT the new tag team champions Adrian Neville and Oliver Gray.  Regular readers now I'm high on Neville and can't wait to see him on the main roster.  Perhaps it may be as a tag team wrestler in the not-so-distant future.

Only time will tell how the tag team situation shakes out, but I think others would agree there are a lot of issues with the current state of affairs.

Christmas Wish List: Team Rhodes Scholars

Team Rhodes Scholars
WWE Raw
Photo courtesy: WWE.com

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I'll admit when Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes first started teaming up, I wasn't impressed.  I was afraid they were just another flash in the pan team paired together because they're two singles stars with nothing better to do.  It reminded me of the way Cody was thrown together with Drew McIntyre, only to split a few months later.

But lately, Team Rhodes Scholars has grown on me.  The only real complaint is the way the WWE insists on adding the word "team" in front of tag team names.  Imagine Team Hart Foundation or Team Demolition or Team Bushwhackers.  It doesn't sound right.

Anyway, on the 12/10/12 episode of Raw, Cody Rhodes returned after being seriously injured early in November, and Team Rhodes Scholars defeated the Usos (who really impressed me too by the way), The Prime Time Players, and The Colons.  By winning the four way elimination match, Sandow and Rhodes now face Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio at TLC for the right to face the champions, Team Hell No at a later date.

I have no doubt this match Sunday will be a good one.  These four guys know how to do it in the ring, and even with the weakness Sin Cara brings to the mix, I think the other three will help carry him into an excellent tag team contest.

Courtesy: WWE.com

So my wish for Team Rhodes Scholars is to win the match against Rey-Sin (I don't know if that works or not) and go on to face Daniel Bryan and Kane again.  I do think in the not so distant future, the duo of Sandow and Rhodes will be the tag team champions.  I love the fact that the WWE has been working to rebuild the tag team ranks.  Sure there are things I could nit pick and be critical of, but I'm going to keep this positive.  Team Rhodes Scholars continues to prove themselves in the ring and on the mic and I look forward to seeing more of this tandem in the months ahead.  I'm also curious to see where the mustache is going for Cody.

Hell Yes to Team Hell No

Team Hell No
Kane & Daniel Bryan
Photo from: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Daniel Bryan and Kane are wrestling's new "big thing."  Monday night the WWE Universe spoke and gave this duo the name of Team Hell No.  It's a wonderful play on words and I must admit I (for the most part) find the whole anger management angle to be entertaining.

I think pairing these two has helped to give a shot in the arm to the tag team division as well.  Slowly it seems the WWE is growing the ranks.  We still have Boom-Truth, the Usos, the Colons, the Prime Time Players, and the new make shift combos of Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara as well as the brand new team of Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow.  That unit is known as Rhodes Scholars, another play on words.

Rhodes Scholars attacks Team Hell No
Photo from: WWE

While I like Hell No, I'm not sure yet how I feel about Rhodes Scholars.  This seems like an odd pairing to me, and quite honestly I think both men would do better in the singles ranks.  I know in this era of wrestling, it'll never be the way it once was with tag teams.  Even in the late 90's when guys like Road Dog and Billy Gunn and Faarooq and Bradshaw were thrown together and enjoyed great success in the tag team ranks.  Can it work for Rhodes Scholars, time will tell.  But in the five years Cody has been with the WWE, he's held the tag team titles with three different partners: Hardcore Holly, Ted DiBiase, and Drew McIntyre.

I think what the tag team division in the WWE needs now is stability and long term players.  Guys like Rhodes and Sandow (and even Kane and Bryan) are great individual wrestlers. I don't think they're in it for a long term team.  They don't need to be in my opinion either.  I still firmly believe that Cody is future WWE champion material.  Sandow has a TON of potential as well.  I think ultimately too many of these make shift teams will hurt the division again in the long run.  It also just seems like an easy way to do something with guys they have no plans or ideas for.

I can see guys like Titus O'Neil, Darren Young, Justin Gabriel, and Tyson Kidd staying in the tag team division and actually excelling and growing as superstars.  Years ago, it was tag team wrestlers coming in as a unit and eventually splitting into singles stars (ala The Rockers, Hart Foundation, and in TNA the Dudleys) Now it seems we're taking established singles guys and turning them in to teams.  Don't get me wrong, I like the love the division is being shown, I'm just not 100% sold on the idea of some of these teams.

As always, we want your thoughts.  Post here or on Facebook or Twitter.

Getting Pushy

Triple H lays down the law (WWE.com)

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twtitter

This is going to be a quick write up about Monday Night Raw from 9/26/11.  I have to say, while the show did little to get me to order the Hell in the Cell pay per view, I did like what I saw.  Mark Henry continued to dominate as world champion.  It's good to see a fresh face at the top of the heap (even though Henry has been around 15 years, you know what I mean.)

Mason Ryan returns

Some other developments that happened that I enjoyed:  Zack Ryder enjoyed some more time in the spotlight.  Not only did the Internet Champion have one match on Raw, he had two.  He was 50/50, losing his U.S. title bid against Dolph Ziggler, but winning the 6 man tag match for his team.  Of course he had some help from Mason Ryan.  I'm not totally on board the Ryan train, but I do enjoy the fact that there's another fresh face out there getting some camera time.  I'll be curious to see where that match leads us.  All six men involved have great futures in the WWE.  I hope this trend continues.

A new group? (WWE.com)

Another development I liked from Raw is the work they're doing with David Otunga.  He's been a part of the company for more than a year now, and kind of lost in the shuffle.  It seems (at least as of right now) that they're letting him be himself and flex some mental muscle too.  Otunga has a law degree and is a bright guy.  I like where they're going with this angle, again it's something I hope the creative team has a plan for and it's not totally dropped.  I do however miss the fact that he and Michael McGillicutty were a tag team.  I'm curious to see if this group filing the suit will join forces with Kevin Nash, the Miz, and RTruth.  Of course, I'm probably putting the cart way before the horse here.

Cody lays the smackdown on Raw.

Cody Rhodes prevailing in the battle royal was another notch on his belt.  Sheamus looked strong, despite being eliminated.  And we got another look at the two Sin Caras.  Admittedly though, I wish they would have let the Daniel Bryan feud play out before bringing back the original.    But Cody in my opinion is a future world heavyweight champion.  I like the slow buildup they've done with him.  He has certainly come a long way since the Legacy days.  Keep up the good work with the development of his character.

Face plant, coming up!

Hopefully the third time is the charm for Beth Phoenix and she wins the gold at HITC.  But all four divas looked good in the match.  Kelly Kelly has come a long way since arriving in the WWE, and I have nothing negative to say about Beth or Natalya.  Eve had a good showing too and sold that face plant pretty well.

Like I said, this is quick.  With SmackDown being a supershow as well, maybe they'll do more to sell us on Sunday's PPV.  But even if they don't, I'm convinced that the creative team is at least starting to acknowledge there is more talent on the roster than John Cena, Randy Orton, and CM Punk.  And I'm not discrediting those guys, Punk remains one of my favorites.  I just think developing the next generation is long overdue.

Comments?  Post them here or on Facebook or Twitter.  Also, check out my Muppets Take McMahon video and subscribe to the My 1-2-3 Cents YouTube channel.

It's a Sin

From WWE.com

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

Sin Cara has been less than exciting since his debut in the WWE back in the spring.  On the first ever Super SmackDown! Sin Cara apparently turned heel.  He had a pretty good match with Daniel Bryan and afterwards, instead of accepting Bryan's handshake, the superstar from Mexico kicked the former NXT performer in the head.

The heel turn by Cara baffles me.  I thought the original plan for him was to be the PG rated fan favorite to fill the shoes of Rey Mysterio, who will undoubtedly be hanging up his mask sooner rather than later.  Now that Rey is off the shelf for an undetermined amount of time because of his knee surgery, I thought Cara would get a push as being one of the top babyfaces.

Double vision... (WWE)

I know that this Sin Cara isn't the original one signed earlier this year.  Mistico first signed with the WWE in January.  Six months later he found himself being suspended for a wellness violation.  Then the company brought in Hunico.   While I don't mind the change, I do wonder if the character is going to become a modern day Doink.  Originally Matt Borne played the role.  Eventually, Steve Keirn, Nick Dinsmore, and a handful of others wore the makeup and colorful tights.

Undertaker vs. Underfaker (WWE)

I don't think it will become that ridiculous with Sin Cara, but as I write this I had the thought of the WWE bringing Mistico back in to feud with Hunico over who gets the gimmick.  Remember when that horrible Undertaker vs. Underfaker match at SummerSlam 94?  There was also the silliness of two Kanes.  Luckily that one didn't last long either.  I don't think a matchup between Hunico and Mistico would be nearly that bad, but it's just the idea that makes me shake my head.

Mistico as Sin Cara at Wrestlemania Axxess

Back to the heel turn, or apparent turn... Some could argue that they're planting the seed for a matchup between Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio at Wrestlemania 28.  My opinion is that it's not necessary to turn either man heel.  I think the fans could get behind a face vs. face match with the two masked superstars.  Now if they are planning a match between the two at Mania, they need to start pushing the heck out of Cara.  Maybe the win over Bryan is the first step in a new direction for Sin Cara.

Regardless of what happens, we'll keep an eye on it and share our thoughts.  We want to know what you think too.  Post here, or on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.

Show Me the Money

By Chad Smart

@ChadSmart on Twitter 

all photos in this post come from WWE.com

Wow! Really, what more do you need to say about Money in the Bank? Top to bottom this pay per view was probably the best show since the first One Night Stand. The only “bad” match was the Diva’s match and it wasn’t really bad, it was simply a WWE Diva’s match. I went four for six in my predictions, which normally I’d say meant the show was too predictable. But with this show, even if an outcome felt predictable, it actually helped the match instead of hindering it.

I watched the show at a local sports bar. This was the first time going to the bar and I have a feeling I’ll be going back for future shows as the crowd was electric. Granted, it could have been because of the anticipation for the John Cena vs. CM Punk match but still the crowd helped make the show. As soon as the show started there was a large “We want ice cream” chant. The crowd was into the show the entire time, even busted out a “We want Ryder” chant three times during the show. One of my friends remarked, “they know the people in the arena can’t hear them, right?” at one point. Even if they couldn’t be heard by the live crowd the fans in attendance were treating the show as if they were there live making the experience even more enjoyable. I do have one sarcastic comment to make that hopefully doesn’t apply to anyone reading this blog. It’s one thing to wear a replica belt to a live event, but when you wear one to a bar just to watch a show, you look like an idiot. And if you’re wearing more than one, well, you’re just foolish. Anyway, let’s take a look at the show.

Money in the Bank opened with the Smackdown MITB match. Perfect match to start the show as it got an already rabid crowd into the show. The crowd I was with was solidly behind Cody Rhodes and as the match progressed, I could see WWE giving him the briefcase and letting him hold it for several months while he was groomed for the main event. I found it interesting they had Sin Cara do a stretcher job during the match. After reading today that Cara has been suspended for 30 days for a wellness violation, I found it amusing that every time Sin Cara would set up for a move, the crowd I was watching with started chanting, “botch, botch, botch.” Looks like Sin Cara hasn’t made the best impression with the audience yet.  It makes sense to write him out with an injury. I didn’t expect Daniel Bryan to win. I doubt many people expected that outcome.  I can only hope this leads to a lengthy title run with a defense at the Royal Rumble.

The Divas championship match was just kind of there. I don’t really remember much about the match other than a really ugly spinning head scissors. Kelly Kelly retained and I was surprised this wasn’t used as the buffer match between the two other title matches.

In my preview blog, I said Mark Henry vs. Big Show could be the sleeper match of the night. They lived up to my expectations. Nothing really scientific about the match, just two big guys going out and laying the smack down on each other. I’m really enjoying this renewed energy Henry has been showing lately and would like to see him pushed to some title matches. With Henry “Pilmanizing” Show’s ankle after the match, it’ll be interesting to see how much time Show is out for. I mean, he got hit by a car and was only out for two weeks. Will a broken ankle keep him out longer?

The Raw MITB match was a nice contrast to the Smackdown match. I enjoyed everyone grabbing ladders to start the match with but question why there were so many stepladders around the ring. There were lots of crazy and cringe worthy spots during the match. While I appreciate the physical abuse wrestlers put their bodies through for my entertainment, I don’t want to see anyone injured.  Alberto Del Rio winning didn’t really excite me, as I still haven’t climbed about the Del Rio bandwagon. Now that he’s won MITB and won a title shot on Raw a few weeks ago, it will be interesting to see what the next step to fulfilling his destiny will be in the coming weeks.

In my opinion, the Randy Orton vs. Christian match was the most lackluster on the show. I couldn’t hear the commentary so I don’t know how much they hyped up the DQ stipulation. While the match was decent, the ending felt flat to me. I don’t get why Randy snapped so quickly just because Christian spat in his face. Then after Orton destroyed Christian post-match why didn’t Daniel Bryan cash in his MITB briefcase? Glad to see Christian with the title again, but as of this writing Christian doesn’t look like a champion. Hopefully he doesn’t lose the title on Smackdown.

Now, the match everyone was looking forward too, John Cena vs. CM Punk. I need to re-watch the show so I can hear the live crowd’s reactions.  If I wanted to be negative, I could say Cena basically went through his same move repertoire while not really looking like a guy who’s job was on the line. But I don’t want to be critical. This match delivered everything everyone hoped for and then some. I was disappointed Colt Cabana didn’t get to punch Cena at some point. When Vince McMahon and Johnny Ace came down and went to recreate the Montreal Screw job, I was shaking my head because I want everyone associated with wrestling to forget that ever happened. I did like Cena stopping Ace to make sure the match ended clean. CM Punk winning was the right call. Punk leaving with the title after Alberto Del Rio didn’t get a chance to officially cash in his MITB briefcase was a surprise. Perfect ending to a near perfect show.

It’s been years since I’ve anticipated an episode of Monday Night Raw.  Tonight I can’t wait to see what happens. I don’t know what the status of CM Punk and WWE is at this moment, nor do I care. I want to sit back and enjoy the ride. Though I will say no matter what his status is, CM Punk should not show up on Raw for at least the next 2-3 weeks. 

I don’t know if WWE can sustain this momentum, but right now they have me more interested in their programming than I have been in years. It’s times like this that remind me why and how I became a wrestling fan.

*Sorry for the lame title. I know that phrase is played out.

We’ve go the internets covered from Facebook to Twitter to Youtube. There’s no reason for you to not be entertained. 

Watch Dr. Dropkick's MITB predictions here...

Any Hanging Chads?

By Kevin Hunsperger

Please note, all the photos in this post come from WWE.

No, I'm not talking about my partner in crime, Chad Smart.  This post refers to the voting problems fans experienced Monday night during the "Power to the People" episode of Raw.  The WWE has issued a statement and an apology over the technical problems they experienced.

Their website says the system was so overwhelmed that some of the 697,000 votes didn't get counted.  I guess they figured this out with the results of the Mason Ryan-Evan Bourne match.  Apparently during the live chat 90% of the fans picked Sin Cara.  Who in their right mind would have voted any other way?  If you didn't vote for Sin Cara, I seriously would like to know why.  You can email me privately if you want.

There were other glitches that night, including the Kane-Mark Henry "match", the U.S. title match, and the 6 man tag team main event.  But those outcomes don't seem to matter too much, as the storylines were able to advance because of the stipulations involved.  I'm not even sure why Ryan was a choice as an opponent for Bourne.  

The cynical part of me wonders were there really glitches or is this lip service from the WWE?  If there were legitimate issues, then I appreciate the fact that the WWE is working to make good on it.  We are getting the Sin Cara-Evan Bourne match Monday night on Raw.  I just hope they give these guys some time to show off what they can do in the ring.

I understand that mistakes can happen, especially in the age of technology.  I work in the news business and we have issues with equipment, so I understand that.

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Who Are These "People"?

By Kevin Hunsperger

All the photos in this post are from WWE.

Monday night, WWE touted they were giving the booking responsibilities of Raw to us, the fans.  It was dubbed "Power to the People."  After watching the show, my question is, who are these people?  Am I so disconnected from the WWE Universe?  Or was the show manipulated to be what the writers really wanted?  I'm hoping the latter is the case.

The show kicked off with a pretty good (and short) promo by CM Punk.  I'm not a fan of the show opening with a promo, but it's become such a way of life for both WWE and TNA, I've come to expect it.  It was refreshing that it wasn't John Cena in that spot.  Punk wants to be the number one contender, says he's earned the spot with wins over Rey Mysterio and Cena.  I agree with Punk.  The Raw GM says he's gotta beat Alberto Del Rio and Rey in a triple threat match later in the show...

Kelly Kelly gets picked by fans to take on whichever Bella twin is the Divas champion.  Kel gets the win and her first run as champ.  I like Kelly, but would have rather seen Beth Phoenix get the match and the title. When is the WWE going to start using the women who work best in the ring (Natalya, Beth, and Gail Kim)? I know Kelly Kelly is over, and the vote for her to get the match was likely legit.  I have no problem with that decision by "the people."

But when it comes to the Evan Bourne vs. Mason Ryan match, I scratched my head.  First, I was surprised that Evan Bourne was even the focus of this match.  A couple of wins over Jack Swagger, and it seems he's on the rise again.  But whatever momentum he gained, was plucked away when Batista Jr. got the win.  Here's my question, what WWE fan voted for this match?  I would think a Sin Cara-Evan Bourne match would be a WRESTLING fans dream come true.  Maybe that's the problem... this is an entertainment show right.   Now, I'm suspicious of the whole "voting" system...

Kane and Mark Henry had an arm wrestling match.  Or at least they started too.  I'm not sure, but I think at one point Michael Cole referred to Kane and Henry as former tag team partners.  Did he really say that or did I mishear him?  Were they ever partners?  Anyway this ended with a beatdown on Kane.  I seriously wish the E would make a decision on Henry.  He's been around 15+ years and goes through these peak and valley pushes along with face and heel turns.  It appears they're trying to make him a monster again...

The Really, Riley, Randy, Jimmy exchange between R-Truth, Christian, and the Miz was funny for about 2 seconds, then it got annoying.  Why was SmackDown general manager Teddy Long on Raw making a match? Four of the six competitors are from Raw too.  Wouldn't the Raw GM step in (or email in) and either give Long that authority or stop the match from happening.  Just sayin'...

So far, I'll say the Kofi Kingston-Dolph Ziggler match has been the best.  But why in the world would you have a fall take place during the commercial break?  I know I wasn't the only one to comment on that, but at least they showed the replay.  I've mentioned before I really like both of these guys.  I wished Kofi would have gotten a better push back during his feud with Randy Orton a couple years back.  Dolph to me should get a solid run as U.S. champ.  Maybe feud with John Morrison when he returns and groom both (all 3) of these guys as world title contenders.  But I hate when they end a best of 3 falls match with a DQ. I hated it when it happened in 1987 with the British Bulldogs against the Hart Foundation and I hated it Monday night.

The Triple Threat falls count anywhere match was pretty good too.  Del Rio is growing on me.  I really thought he was going to win this one.  Punk gets the victory, then announces his contract with WWE is up on July 18th, the day after Money in the Bank.  He promises he will leave the company as the WWE champion.  This got a lot of buzz online.  I still say Punk is working here.  I don't believe he'll win the title, and I don't believe he's going to leave the company.  At least not permanently.  But he may take some time away and be written off TV. I just don't see him leaving for good.  I think at first he was not planning to resign and then all the internet talk started.  In my opinion, the WWE is using that online speculation to help fuel buyrates for the pay per view.  Hardcore Punk fans will buy MITB to see his "last" match with the WWE.  Personally, I'd enjoy another title run for Punk.  But reading speculation that SummerSlam will be Cena vs. Del Rio, I'm not going to get my hopes up.

I was happy to see Daniel Bryan pick up a win.  I also like the fact that it appears Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase are working together again.  I'm hoping this is another step toward reforming Priceless.

I'll be honest, I fast forwarded through the main event, because I saw Super Cena and Boy Orton won the match.  Me telling you I'm sick of finishes like this is as repetitive as the matches themselves...

I'd give the overall show a B though if I were grading it.

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Feeling Drafty...

Photo courtesy: WWE.com

By Kevin Hunsperger

The 2011 WWE Draft is wrapping up.  I'm not sure why, but I'm simply not overly excited about the new lineups.

The show started off with a battle royal with the winning brand getting two draft picks. SmackDown! won. I'll admit, I was watching, but also running a chat at the same time.  I saw John Cena get picked, but did they ever draft a second star to SD?

Almost immediately after Cena being draft, the folks chatting on the new My 1-2-3 Cents Blog TV page (check it out sometime) talked about how soon would Cena be redrafted back to Raw.  Before the show was over, that's exactly what happened.  Personally, I would have liked to see Cena on SD, at least for a little bit.  It would have freshened up the product.

So here it is, Superstars going to Raw:
Rey Mysterio- was hoping to see a program with Sin Cara, but as you'll read on, he's moving to SD.
Big Show- I guess it doesn't matter since the tag team titles are defended on both shows.
Alberto Del Rio- I hope this means Christian will win at Extreme Rules Sunday.
Jack Swagger-Makes sense, hope they make Michael Cole his manager.
Kelly Kelly-I love her, so I'm happy with this move.
JTG-Does it really matter?
Drew McIntyre- Really hoping they use him as an upper mid-card guy.  Has a ton of potential.
Curt Hawkins-Perhaps a reunion with Zack Ryder?
Chris Masters-Don't really care.  Sorry.
Kofi Kingston- Was hoping he'd stay on SD and get more of a push.  He'll get lost on Raw.
Tyler Reks-See Chris Masters.
Beth Phoenix- Hope they use her right.  Would love to see her and "Kharma" go at it.

Superstars going to SmackDown!:
Randy Orton-Not really that big an Orton fan.  Indifferent.  Wonder if Legacy will reunite? j/k.
Mark Henry- He's been around so long, I think we all know he'll never be "the man", but he's okay.
Sin Cara-Wanted to see a program between he and Rey. Chad mentioned more time to edit his spots.
Daniel Bryan- Really want to see him step up as one of the top faces. Could get a world title push.
The Great Khali-See Tyler Reks.
The Usos-Glad they at least brought them both.  Let's do something about the tag team division, folks.
Alicia Fox-See the Great Khali.
Yoshi Tatsu-This guy has potential, but I don't think they'll do anything with him.
William Regal-When he retires (which I've heard it's coming), I'd like to see him as a manager.
Natalya-Would've rather seen her on Raw since Beth is there, again another good opponent for Kharma.
Ted DiBiase-Please do something with this guy. Thought a Priceless reunion, but I like Cody's new act.
Tyson Kidd-Wasted potential.  He'll be a jobber.  Reunite the Hart Dynasty NOW!
Tamina-Wonder if she'll get back with the Usos, because isn't Santino on Raw?
Alex Riley-Saw this one coming.  Curious if A-Ri will excel now that he's not under the Miz's thumb.
Sheamus-Interesting, it appears SD now has the U.S. and Intercontental champs.  Curious to see what happens.

So as of 3:45 p.m. CST, the Draft appears to be over.  There were no major surprises or shakeups in my opinion.  This does freshen up the rosters somewhat.  SmackDown has a slight edge with 16 new superstars, Raw gets 12.  They needed that.  (I'm not counting the silliness of Cena being drafted twice)

I will be curious to see what happens at Extreme Rules.  At this moment, there is no U.S. or IC title matches, which would lead me to think that both champs will be on SD for now.  Unless they throw a couple of extra matches on the show against a new Raw Draft pick.  I could see Kofi beating Sheamus or Wade Barrett and going to Raw as a champ.

What do you think of the draft?  Did it shake things up?  Why didn't Zack Ryder get drafted?  Who will be "future endeavered" in the coming weeks?  Answers we'll all have to wait for I suppose.

Thanks for reading.  Watch on YouTube, "like" us on Facebook, and check out the main My 1-2-3 Cents page for news updates and more.

It's Money...

Evan Bourne vs. Jack Swagger MITB

By Kevin Hunsperger

Okay, I'm doing some more fantasy booking today with Wrestlemania 27.  Rumor has it that there is not going to be a Money in the Bank match this year.  Personally, I think they should eliminate that pay per view and keep it as a feature of Wrestlemania.  It's a great way to get more guys on the card, and the match usually doesn't suck.

I've seen the list of other rumored matches, so I'm going to throw all that out the window and present my plan anyway.

This would be a ladder match with multiple participants, all cruiserweights and all competing for the reestablished Cruiserweight title.  Watching the Brian Pillman DVD and talking with a friend today inspired me for this.

Here are the participants I would have in the match:  Evan Bourne, Sin Cara, Chavo Guerrero, Tyson Kidd (since they're not reforming the Hart Dynasty), Yoshi Tatsu, and Zack Ryder.  Ideally I'd throw in Justin Gabriel too, but since he's a tag team champ, I believe he should be defending that title.  Same goes for U.S. Champion Daniel Bryan and IC champ Kofi Kingston.

I think a match like this featuring high flyers could usher in a new generation for WWE and put some more focus back on the WRESTLING aspect of the company's name.  Especially with Sin Cara coming in, I'm hoping he gets some face (or mask) time, and reestablishing this division would be a good thing.  My only request:  KEEP HORNSWOGGLE AWAY!

I'm curious what you think about this?  Weigh in here or on My 1-2-3 Cents on Facebook.

It's a Sin

From WWE.com

Late last week, the WWE unveiled it's newest signee, the high flying luchador Mistico.  He'll wrestle here in the United States as Sin Cara.  My longtime friend the Old School Warrior, a masked man himself, reacted to the news on My 1-2-3 Cents over on YouTube.  He's a little excited to say the least.

I tend to agree with many of the points OSW makes in his video rant.  Sin Cara has some truly amazing moves and will only add more depth to the WWE talent pool.  It seems to me that over the last year, the WWE has finally started to look at more "wrestler" types and not so much the muscled up meat head. 

Daniel Bryan is kinda leading that charge in my opinion.  His work really speaks for itself.  I think that Kaval could have offered more,  but unfortunately creative couldn't come up with anything for him. 

With guys like Bryan, Chavo Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Evan Bourne, Justin Gabriel, and others I think it's time to start the Cruiserweight division again.  And please, keep Hornswoggle out of it.  This could also open the door for the return of Kaval. 

I'm not 100% optimistic that the E will restart this division, but I think signing a 175 pounder in the former "land of giants" is a step in the right direction.  Let's just hope this trend continues and we get some more sport and a little less entertainment.