U.S. Title: Damaged Goods?

U.S. Champions through the years
Photos courtesy: WWE.com

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Magnum T.A., Dusty Rhodes, and Harley Race.  They're just a few of the greats to hold the United States championship.  That was back in the NWA and the title was second only to the World Heavyweight championship.  That was a lifetime ago.

Since the WWE has brought back the legendary title, it's been more of a prop in my opinion.  The same could be said about the Intercontinental title, but I do believe the company is trying to restore some of the old glory to that title.  I don't know if it's because it's an old WCW title and Vince McMahon didn't "create it", but it seems like the U.S. means nothing.  But really it seems that most titles in the WWE these days have little to no value.  When a belt gets hot potatoed every few months (or in some cases weeks) it devalues the titles.

I grew up in the era when Hulk Hogan held the world title for four years.  Honky Tonk Man was IC champ for 64 weeks.  Randy Savage had a more than year long world title run.  Since May 2011 (which is 14 months as of this writing) the U.S. title has changed hands five times.  I had no problem with Kofi Kingston or Dolph Ziggler or heck even Jack Swagger's reigns.  It was Zack Ryder's run (please don't hate on me, I love Zack Ryder but he was NOT ready for a major title run when he got it, I mean look at him now) and current champ Santino's run that bother me.  Both of these guys were lower mid card when they won their titles (if even that)  Neither man brought nothing to the title in my view.  And again, I enjoy each as performers and entertainers, but I'm still of the mindset just being over with the fans does not equate a title run.

Cesaro wins! Next champ?
Photo courtesy: WWE.com

Santino's title has been in jeopardy or so I thought a couple of times.  I thought they might go with Alberto Del Rio as the champion when Santino was feuding with Ricardo Rodriguez (a ring announcer in the WWE, keep that in mind)  I'm very encouraged that after the July 27 episode of SmackDown! that Antonio Cesaro scored a non title pinfall win over Santino.  While Antonio is a newcomer to the WWE, he's a very established star in the independent world and if booked properly could bring some of the luster back to the U.S. championship.

Just to recap, I don't dislike Santino at all, I just think putting one of the most prestigious titles in the history of wrestling on his waist is a real waste of gold.  The focus needs to go back in to restoring some integrity to the titles the WWE has, including the tag team titles.  But that's a topic of conversation for another day.

Where Are the Heels?

Joey Ryan at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

Last Saturday, (July 21) I attended Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s ninth anniversary show, Threemendous 3. I had a couple of co-workers who decided they wanted to see what the independent wrestling scene was like so I agreed to go with them to the Reseda American Legion Hall in celebration of PWG’s anniversary. My co-workers ended up having to cancel their trip due to other obligations, but since tickets were already bought, I found replacement peeps and went anyway. Initially I wasn’t too excited about the line up. I felt the two title matches would be good but the undercard lacked any real stand out matches. After the show, I was pleasantly surprised at how good the show was with a couple of matches I didn’t expect much from ending up being really impressive. However, I noticed something that has been plaguing the Indy scene for quite some time. There are hardly any heels.

In the eight matches featuring 22 wrestlers, I would say only three wrestlers acted and were treated like heels. Joey Ryan was his usual sleazy, arrogant self, who elicits half cheers and half boos from the audience. Since turning heel a year and a half ago or so, the Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) have amped up their annoying personalities and get a massive heel response from the crowd. Then you have guys like PWG Champion Kevin Steen, Sami Callahan and Chuck Taylor who by their actions should be considered heels yet they get more cheers from the audience than boos.

Kevin Steen
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

I’m not saying wrestling fans should automatically cheer faces and boo heels, I believe in freely being able to treat wrestlers however you choose. I don’t care if WWE has Randy Orton coming out kissing babies, petting dogs and curing cancer, I don’t think I’ll ever cheer him. The bigger issue is it seems very few wrestlers want to be full on heels. Sure they may want to be a cool heel, which is the category I’d put Kevin Steen in, but few wrestlers appear to be full on dastardly heels.

Maybe it’s not entirely the wrestler’s fault. Perhaps the fans are to blame. Because Indy shows are smaller and fans have more interaction with the wrestlers, instead of seeing them as strictly a performer in the ring, they see them as a friend they talk to after the show and this leads to the fans wanting to be supportive, but not critical. One of my biggest pet peeves with independent wrestling matches from the crowd perspective is the overuse of dueling chants. I believe it just about every match at the PWG show there was a “Lets Go Wrestler A,” "Lets Go Wrestler B” chant several times throughout the matches. Granted fans on the Indy level are more die hard wrestling fans than your normal WWE/TNA fan and appreciate the athletic aspect of what wrestlers do more than just wanting to hear a catchphrase or see the top guy. This may lead to wanting to see a good match up over seeing a specific wrestler.

Ladder match
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

The problem I have with this though is that if you’re not rooting for a specific wrestler than the matches become unnecessary. Maybe not unnecessary, the matches become meaningless. Who cares who wins or who loses? As long as the match can get a “This is Awesome” chant the fans leave happy. Maybe it’s the old school fan in me, but I miss the days where you had a wrestler you wanted to see get his comeuppance and had a wrestler you wanted to see succeed. While I appreciate a well contested back and forth match and can acknowledge a heel’s talent, is it too much to ask for to have actual real heels in today’s wrestling universe?

I think that’s part of why I enjoy Chikara as much as I do. (Come on, you didn’t think I’d write a blog and not get a Chikara plug in did you?) Between The Swarm, Tim Donst, The Batiri and Icarus, they have guys who relish in being heels and fans enjoying booing them.

Anyway, that’s my take. What do you think? Should heels be more pronounced in today’s wrestling environment? Share your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter.

Raw 1000: Lose the Attitude

Raw 1,000
St. Louis, MO
Photo courtesy: Aaron Heller

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

After watching WWE’s 1000 episode of Monday Night Raw, I found it to be a lot like “Prometheus” and “The Dark Knight Rises.” If I simply took it as three hours of entertainment it was a good show. If I started to really think about what was on the show and what was accomplished during those three hours I found the show to be a perfect example of what is wrong in today’s WWE product. Since I have this blog as a means of expression, you know I had to think about the show and not sit back and just be entertained.

Going into the show, I didn’t know what to expect. With the reports of past Superstars being there, I figured we’d get a lot of segments where they tried to shoehorn as many guys into one segment as they could. Really there were only two such segments. I also expected a lot of flashbacks and montages to recap the previous 19 years of RAW. There were only two such segments, the catchphrase montage and a look at the Austin/McMahon feud. I’ve heard conflicting reports about why “Stone Cold” Steve Austin wasn’t there. Given they didn’t even have a video of him commenting on RAW leads me to believe the public reason given isn’t the 100% accurate one.

With three hours and only two packages shown, the amount of wrestling on the show wasn’t much different than a normal episode of RAW. There were only five matches on the show for about 26 minutes of wrestling. That includes one match that went 2 minutes and one that went for 10 seconds. If that’s what we can expect from the new weekly 3 hour RAWs, I have a feeling fans who watch via DVR are going to do a lot of fast forwarding.

Getting into the actual content on the show I was once again reminded of one important wrestling truth, the only time wrestling was important was from 1997-2000. Michael Cole mentioned the Attitude Era at least 5 times when talking about former stars. I understand that without the Attitude Era, RAW most likely wouldn’t be 3 hours now because it most likely wouldn’t have gone to 2 hours in the first place if it wasn’t for WCW Nitro getting better ratings. We also wouldn’t be watching pay per view caliber match ups on a weekly basis if not for the Attitude Era. My problem is the Attitude Era ended 11 years ago and the WWE and fans alike refuse to let it go.

DX takes care of Sandow
Photo courtesy: WWE.com

On Raw 1000 we saw DX beat up Damian Sandow, Lita and the APA destroy Heath Slater, Kane and Undertaker took out the Smackdown Job Squad and to a lesser degree The Rock verbally bitch-slapped Daniel Bryan. We also found out a guy who has wrestled two matches in the last 8 years gets a title shot at the Royal Rumble. Sure the fans were into it and cheered wildly as these former stars did their shtick but next week on the 1001 episode of RAW which of these people will be on the show and which will be a memory? Bringing back profanity, innuendos, hardcore matches and crash TV won’t make the current WWE as successful as the Attitude Era. What made the Attitude Era was the collection of talent and the way they were used. When “Stone Cold” or The Rock were on their rise from mid-carders fans couldn’t care less about to mega-stars, you never saw Hulk Hogan, Bob Backlund, or “Superstar” Billy Graham show up and deliver a beat down. Austin and Rock were treated like rock stars and were given a chance to connect with the fans with unscripted promos. If both guys were new stars in WWE today, do you think either one would become the star they are with the way shows are booked and talent is used? Remember, it took Austin 3 years and Triple H being punished for the “Stone Cold” character to become popular. When he started his ascension he wasn’t being laid out by the champion on a weekly basis like Dolph Ziggler or being squashed by mid-card comedy acts like Jack Swagger is these days. If Superstars aren’t presented as Superstars the fans won’t treat them as such.

The Rev. Slick returns
Photo courtesy: WWE.com

Lets get back to Raw 1000. One of my biggest disappointments was the former stars that showed up. I tried to avoid all spoilers so I would be genuinely surprised when someone from the past was shown. Other than Slick, Lita and the APA there were no real surprises. We got the standard legends that appear anytime they need legends, Jim Duggan, Roddy Piper and Sgt. Slaughter. And we got all the guys who have beat up Heath Slater for the past month. I don’t know why other guys weren’t there. Maybe there were a lot of scheduling conflicts. There was also the disappointment of having Jim Ross and Howard Finkel on the show yet not having them involved with the main event WWE Title match. Having The Fink do the introductions of John Cena and CM Punk and having JR call the action would have added to the importance of the match. Even if JR only speaks in sound bytes these days.

Not only did I feel the show lack in former stars, it lacked in current stars big time. On a three hour show the only current diva to make an appearance was the Diva’s Champion, Layla, who was used in a backstage comedy bit. Where were the other divas? At least Layla got to be in a segment. Kofi Kingston, one half of the Tag Team Champions, only made the show because he sent in a Tout video. Was the show really that crunched for time where a multi-team tag team match or a Divas match couldn’t take place?

New Raw GM: AJ!
Photo courtesy: WWE.com

Overall, as I said in the beginning, RAW was entertaining for the most part but there was a lot of head scratching when it came to what made it on the show. I’m not even going to get into the AJ is the new General Manager of RAW. I am so tired of the authority figures in wrestling. WWE please get a new playbook and start thinking outside the box when it comes to booking the show.

What did you think of RAW 1000? Was it as satisfying as you hoped it would be or did it come up short? Are you excited for SummerSlam or should they cancel all pay per views until the Royal Rumble? Share you thoughts on our Facebook page, or on Twitter. Please don’t send us any Tout videos. It’s hard enough to keep up with two social media sites.

Raw Memories: #1 Nature Boy's Sendoff

Raw Moment #1:
Ric Flair's Sendoff
Photo from: My 1-2-3 Cents

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

When thinking back on the previous 999 episodes of Raw, I debated on which moment would top my personal list of favorites.  I chose Ric Flair's sendoff after Wrestlemania 24 for a couple of reasons.  Probably the most important one is that I was there in the live crowd for it.

Chad and I had attended Wrestlemania 24 and witnessed Flair's last match ever (or so we thought).  It was an emotional night to say the least.  We all knew in hearts that Flair was going to lose with all the hoopla around his Hall of Fame induction the night before, but it still stung when the referee counted three.  The 16 time champ had tears in his eyes before HBK even connected with his Sweet Chin Music, so you can imagine what it was like when the match was over.

4 Horsemen reunite!

Typically when we go to Wrestlemania, we leave the next morning.  But for 24, we bought the Wrestlemania Package, which included tickets to Universal Studios.  We decided to hit the park on Monday and spend an extra day in Orlando.  When we got back to the hotel late that afternoon, Chad read online that the Four Horsemen were going to be at Raw for Flair's official sendoff.  Without hesitation, we decided to head downtown and see if we could get tickets.  Much to our surprise, not only were tickets available, but they were good seats and really not at all expensive.

The end of the show saw legends like Ricky Steamboat, Greg Valentine, Harley Race, and of course the Horsemen (JJ Dillion, Barry Windham, Arn Anderson, and Tully Blanchard) come out and say their goodbyes.  I think it was significant that the Horsemen were there because I believe that was the first time the five of them had been together in nearly 20 years (in public).

Undertaker pays tribute

Stars on the roster like John Cena, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H also came out for the celebration.  When Raw ended, the festivities continued.  Vince McMahon and the Undertaker also did salutes to the Nature Boy.  I'd say it would be hard to find a dry eye in the arena after all of the celebrating.  It was such an emotional evening.

Of course some of that emotion has been tarnished with Flair's decision to return to the ring.  Never in the history of the business has anyone received such a lavish sendoff.  I don't think it will ever happen again either.  But I still feel fortunate enough to have been a part of that night.  Woooo!

Honorable Mention:
Raw Episode 1
Photo courtesy: WWE

Honorable mention:  How can I list my favorite Raw memories, without mentioning the first ever episode.  It was something new in terms of what we were used to seeing in the world of professional wrestling.  Primetime Wrestling, Superstars, and Tuesday Night Titans were all taped shows with the hosts sitting inside a studio and talking about the matches.  With Raw, it had a pay per view feel in terms of the "live" element.  I know those early shows were recorded, but if you didn't know it was hard to tell.

Vince McMahon, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and radio host/actor Rob Bartlett made up the announce team.  It was an interesting dynamic to say the least.  Bobby Heenan trying to get into the show was also a very entertaining aspect of things.

Damien Demento vs. the Undertaker
From WWE

Originally Raw was only an hour long.  I don't think it was until the Monday Night Wars picked up that Raw added that second hour.  Raw also started off with a lot of top talent versus enhancement guys.  I mean, the main event of that first show was the Undertaker vs. Damien Demento.  Shawn Michaels also beat Max Moon that night, and the Steiners Brothers were in action against tag team jobbers.

Raw has certainly come a long way over the last 999 episodes and nearly 20 years.  I'm already making plans to attend the 2,000th since I can't be in St. Louis tonight.  For those who are there or on the way, enjoy the show.  We'll be watching on USA tonight for My 1-2-3 Cents and From the Rafters Radio signs.

Raw Memories: #2 Y2J Arrives

Raw Memory #2:
Chris Jericho's debut
Photo from WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents

In 1999 the world was waiting for the start of the 21st century.  The buzz word Y2K (Year 2000) was thrown around to the point that it was annoying.  Not to be one to miss a step, the WWF did something similar.

A countdown clock popped up on Monday Night Raw.  The thing is the WWF's "Countdown to the Millennium" came to an end on August 9th in Chicago, Illinois.  I was watching from a hotel room in Lafayette, Indiana as I was house hunting for a new job in that area.

Anyway, it was an awesome night as the Rock was in the ring cutting a promo on the Big Show when the clock popped up and started counting down with just 10 seconds left.  The pyro went off and the video started playing.  Rewatching this video, I still got goosebumps when, especially when JERICHO pops up on the screen and the crowd pops like crazy.

Jericho informed the fans and the Rock that he was in the WWF to save the company.  The Rock of course didn't take kindly and fired back with a promo of his own.  This was a great move to hire Jericho in my opinion as he had started floundering WCW and quite frankly was getting lost in the shuffle.  The WWF was a fresh start for him and the company needed a heel who was good on the mic and in the ring.  They got both.

I can't think of a better debut for a wrestler in any company.  The anticipation had been brewing for months.  I think many fans were shocked when he came out, and even the fans who knew or at least suspected that it would be Jericho still popped for his arrival.  I'm not sure we'll ever see anything like that again because there are so many ways to spoil the surprise now with Twitter and Facebook.

Honorable Mention:
Making amends
Photo from WWE

Honorable Mention:  For years, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart were bitter rivals.  It was something that went beyond their time against each in the ring and carried over in to real life.  The "Montreal Screw Job" certainly didn't help their already rocky relationship.  In fact, it just made things much worse.

But in January 2010, fans of both these amazing superstars witnessed something many thought would never happen.  Bret and Shawn buried the hatchet officially in front of a live crowd on Raw.  Millions watched at home as the two made amends and embraced in the ring.  It was closure for all of us who followed the rivalry which dated back nearly 20 years.

A few months later Bret would wrestle his return bout in the WWE against Vince McMahon while Shawn would have his last match ever with the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 26.  Congrats to both hall of famers for putting the past behind them.

Raw Memories: #3 RIP Owen Hart

Raw Moment #3
Owen Hart Memorial Show

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents

As wrestling fans, most of us tend to get emotionally invested in the men and women involved in the business.  We all have our favorites.  We all have those stars we love to hate.  In May 1999 one of wrestling's greatest tragedies occurred.  Owen Hart fell to his death during a WWF pay per view in Kansas City, Missouri.

The next night Raw was live from St. Louis (my hometown).  I have this show on VHS still, but I've only watched it when it aired live that night.  I have not been able to bring myself to watch it again.  Raw started off with all the superstars (minus the Undertaker) on the ramp and a photo of Owen on the Titan Tron.  There was a 10 bell salute and the tears started flowing from the wrestlers, the fans, and myself.

The night was filled with touching tributes from the men and women who worked with Owen through the years.  Matches were scattered in between the memorials that didn't follow story lines.  The company was simply paying tribute to one of their own and doing so the best way they knew how.

Stone Cold's salute

Toward the end of the show, I remember the King and JR giving a brief memorial to Owen.  Like most of the others it was a heartwarming memory and of course very emotional.  Then Stone Cold Steve Austin came out, held up a beer and toasted the Titan Tron which again featured Owen's picture.  Without saying a word, Austin's actions spoke volumes that night as the show faded to black and fresh tears rolled down my face.  It was a fitting tribute to one of the most respectable men to ever step inside the squared circle.

Honorable mention:
Foley wins the gold

Honorable mention:  Mrs. Foley's baby boy made a giant leap for Mankind in the WWF.  It was January 1999 and Foley was embroiled in a feud with the Rock.  This match is also one that WCW probably wishes they'd never mentioned.

The title bout (and all of Raw for that matter) were pre-recorded.  Internet spoilers were out stating that Foley would win the gold.  But not all fans were online back in 99.  So the geniuses at WCW decided that commentator Tony Schiavone should announce to their viewers that Foley was going to win the title.  He added the snide remark about that "putting butts in seats".  Well it helped viewers make up their mind.  More than 600,000 of them flipped the channel from TNT and Nitro to the USA Network to watch Raw and Foley's epic win.

So there are a couple of reasons this is a memorable moment in the history of the show.  I guess since I didn't get a Friday Fail written yesterday's, Schiavone's bone head move can fill that void too.

Aces & Eights: Does No One in TNA Care?

Aces & Eights attack
Photo from Impact Wrestling

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

During my sabbatical over the last month something odd has happened. WWE has gotten (imo) very stale and repetitive while TNA has gotten focused, entertaining and, dare I say, good. Watching the July 19 episode of Impact, there was reason for all the matches happening and the matches were given time to tell a story. Also, the booking of the outcomes of the matches made sense and made the Bound for Glory series seem like a big deal. I am at a point where I look forward to the following week’s episode of Impact. That is something I don’t think has ever happened during Impact’s 8-year history.

While I’m enjoying the current TNA product, there was one problem I had with the events that transpired on Impact. No, I’m not talking about the AJ Styles/Claire Lynch storyline. I am giving TNA a pass on that for being the one lame story being told. Until it takes up 30 minutes or more of the show, I’m content with pretending it doesn’t exist. The problem I have is the attacks by this new mystery group, Aces and Eights.

Over the past couple weeks, Aces and Eights attacked Sting and Hulk Hogan. They made their one attack and that was it. On the last episode of Impact, A&8s attacked Kurt Angle at the beginning of the show then rushed the ring during the main event to attack both Austin Aries and Bobby Roode. While I appreciate a good gang beat down, my question is where was the rest of the TNA roster to stop the attack?

Bobby Roode isn’t the most popular person in the TNA locker room so it could be stated the rest of the roster couldn’t care less if Bobby got attacked. Austin Aries is the World Champion and the guy who has helped elevate TNA over the last eight months. Doesn’t he have any X-Division buddies who would want to help him out when seven-eight guys are attacking him? Even forgetting the rest of the roster, where was TNA security?

They strike again
Photo from: Impact Wrestling

The attack and non-response scenario has been happening for the past few years in wrestling and is something that has bothered me. Whenever a guy is getting beat up how come no one ever comes out to help? Is no one watching the show on a monitor in the back? If attacks are going to happen, and last for more than 30 seconds, someone should at least attempt to make a save even if they end up getting laid out themselves.

I’ve read some possible theories about how A&8s are able to enter and leave the Impact Zone and who is behind the group. If these rumors pan out, I will be interested to see how the story plays out. Right now I don’t get an nWo vibe from the group so I won’t complain about that. Though I do get a Swarm/Shard/17 vibe from the group and their possible reasoning for attacking. Maybe someone in TNA is an avid Chikara fan.

Whatever happens, I just hope TNA has a long term plan in place and tries to keep the story simple and logical. That’s really all I ask for in my wrestling storylines. They can also end the AJ Styles/Claire Lynch story at any time in the next week. It’s really not that interesting.

Are you watching TNA? Do you think they’ve made strides to improve their shows? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page or on Twitter.