Raw is Overcooked

AJ confronts CM Punk
WWE Raw
Courtesy: WWE.com

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

WWE’s Monday Night Raw has been a three-hour show for almost two months now. I know I’ve said this many times in the past, but I think I’m at a point where I need to stop watching Raw and only watch pay per views. Normally, due to living on the west coast and with my work schedule, I will watch the first hour of Raw, miss most of the second hour while I’m on my way home from work, then watch the third hour when I get home. I’ll read a recap of what I missed and usually don’t feel like I really missed anything.

Last night (9/03/12 for those reading this later) since I had the day off from work, I sat down to watch the entire show. After two and a half hours, I had had enough and turned off the show in favor of going to see a movie. While waiting for the movie to start I checked Twitter to see what happened in the last half hour of the show and found that the last 2 minutes contained really the only moments of the show worth seeing. CM Punk had allegedly aligned himself with Paul Heyman. I am curious to see where this new development goes, but I’m not sure I’m willing to sit through three hours of television every week to find out.

Sheamus waits, as we do...
WWE Raw
Courtesy: WWE.com

Part of my problem with the current state of Raw is the fact WWE has been using the same show template for the last 15-years. Start the show off with a long rambling promo that leads to a match later in the show. Throw out some random mid-card matches during the show. Replay events that happened “moments ago” and keep focusing on the General Manager. The show is beyond played out.

One of the reasons Impact has been good lately is 90% of all the matches have a purpose and consequence. Even when matches have a reason for happening on Raw, they don’t seem to have any lasting purpose. For example, the Labor Day episode of Raw included Rey Mysterio/Sin Cara vs. Tensai/Cody Rhodes, Antonio Cessaro vs. Santino, and Ryback vs. Jinder Mahal. The Santino match was a United States title rematch from SummerSlam. Ryback and Jinder had been having interaction for the past few weeks. Cody Rhodes has been mocking Sin Cara who beat Tensai a couple of weeks ago. Even though each match was logically put together, there was no hype for the match before it happened and was quickly forgotten as soon as it was done.

As we’ve mention several times here and on From the Rafter’s Radio, WWE has a poor record in creating new stars. With all the focus being primarily on CM Punk, John Cena, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan and Kane along with part-time wrestlers Brock Lesnar, Triple H and The Rock, very little is being done to cultivate and create the next generation of WWE Superstars. This is part of my boredom with WWE. Of the nine guys I listed, there’s only two that I really like to see wrestle and five that make me turn the channel. I realize that’s my own preference and the average fan doesn’t share my feelings.

Falls count anywhere
WWE Raw
Courtesy: WWE.com

I was trying to think of ways RAW could change and become more interesting. The only idea I could come up with is one I don’t think would really work. Instead of being one three-hour show, I was thinking they could essentially do three one-hour shows. Each show would have a different focus. The first hour could be the Intercontinental/United States title shows focusing primarily on the mid-card guys. Give them some promo time and the chance to work matches that go longer than 3 minutes. The second hour would bridge the gap to the third hour and with a mix of tag-teams and upper mid-card guys while promoting the Main Event hour. The third hour would basically be a combination of the first and last half-hour’s of the current RAW. You’d get your long promo from the General Manager and Champions as well as a main event level match.

One other suggestion I’ve had for years is the champion should rarely wrestle on free TV. I’ve often thought that if you want to see the champ wrestle, you should have to pay to see him. Cutting down on the number of weekly matches the champion has would allow for other talent to be given the spotlight. It would also, hopefully allow for a challenger to be built up without constantly being put into matches against the champ.

I don’t see either of these ideas happening but something needs to be done to break up the monotony that is the current Monday Night Raw show. Until then, I think I’ll stick to reading recaps and watching pay per views.

Do you think the formula needs to change? Have any ideas you’d like to implement? Share your thoughts on the my123cents Facebook or Twitter accounts.

Terrible Twos: Our Second Birthday!

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

September 3, 2012 marks the second birthday of this blog.  In some ways it's hard to believe it's only been two years.  Sometimes I feel like I've been doing this blog for much longer.  At press time, we've produced more than 750 blogs.  My co writer Chad has done quite a few.  We've had contributors over the last two years too, which is pretty cool.

I'm excited to do this blog and the YouTube channel, which continues to grow in subscribers too.  Over the next couple of weeks I'll be adding a few new features to the My 1-2-3 Cents family, but the primary focus of this blog and the vlog will continue to be wrestling.

Right now there have been just over 234,000 page views on this blog.  Before the end of the year I'd like to have 250,000.  I have no reason to believe this is not a realistic goal.  Thank you all for reading, subscribing, and sharing this blog (and the YouTube Channel).  You're continued support is what makes all the writing, researching, and editing worth it.

WWE Title By the Numbers

CM Punk retains WWE title
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I'm going to give Lords of Pain the assist on this blog, as they did all the math (something I was never good at anyway).  Basically they broke down all the lengths of title reigns for the WWE champions.  CM Punk is at this point the 12th longest reigning WWE champion.  Assuming Punk makes it to Night of Champions later this month with the title in hand (which there's no reason to think he won't), he'll crack the top ten.  Let's take a look at the numbers...

1.  Bruno Sammartino (2,803 days)
2.  Bob Backlund (2,135 days)
3.  Hulk Hogan (1,474 days)
4.  Bruno Sammartino ( 1,237 days)
5.  Pedro Morales (1,027 days)
6.  John Cena (380 days)
7.  Randy Savage (371 days)
8.  Hulk Hogan (364 days)
9.  Diesel (358 days)
10. Billy Graham (296 days)
11. Ultimate Warrior (293 days)

My friend Adam Testa from the Baltimore Sun's Ring Posts blog did even more math for the equation.  So as mentioned, Punk will break into the top ten at Night of Champions, even if he loses the title.  If he retains, and holds until Survivor Series, he'll be tied for 8th with Hogan.  Assuming he continues on after that and holds until TLC in December, he'll move to 6th place.  But to break into that top 5, Punk will need to retain the title until September 13, 2014.  For Punk to take the top spot on this list, he'll have to hold the title until July 25, 2019.

CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler
2012 Royal Rumble
Photo by: My 1-2-3 Cents

Realistically, I see Punk holding the gold and taking that 6th spot on the list.  Retaining for nearly two more years to crack the top five seems like a stretch in this day and age.  But personally, I'd love to see it happen.  I think in general titles are traded far too often.  This is the first time in a while I've viewed the both the WWE and World Titles as stable.  Sheamus has been the world champ 154 days as of this writing.  As of Monday, September 3, 2012 he'll be the third longest reigning world champion.

Back to Punk and the WWE title.  He's had an interesting series of challengers, including the Big Show, Cena, Daniel Bryan, Kane, the Miz, Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, and Chris Jericho.  That's a who's who of the WWE elite right now, and Punk holds victories over all of them.  But in this day and age of weekly TV and monthly pay per views, will the fans tire of Punk on top?  The WWE and Punk are doing a good job of keeping his character fresh.  I'll be honest, for the first couple of years he was in the WWE, I did not like the CM Punk character.  It was the Straight Edge Society that really got my attention and he has continued to evolve since.

Punk vs. Big Show vs. John Cena
SummerSlam 2012
Photo by: My 1-2-3 Cents

And to be fair to the guys at the top of this list, like Bruno and Hogan; they were defending the titles on the house show circuit.  I don't know if they were defending the title with the frequency that today's champions do, but they were doing it in front of a much smaller audience.  Now days, we all see it when Punk or Cena or Sheamus or Miz defend a title.

I haven't made my official prediction for Night of Champions yet, but I believe that Punk should retain and continue to move forward to the Royal Rumble with the Rock.  A victory over the People's Champion will undoubtedly earn CM Punk a shot at immortality.

Get the Table

The Dudleys
Photo from WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Regular readers know that we don't like to write blogs based on rumors and things unconfirmed on the Internet.  But recently I've seen a lot of talk about Devon and Bully Ray both being near the end of their contracts with Impact Wrestling.  And whenever rumors like that are posted, people jump the gun and make the assumption that they'll head back to the WWE.

So this begs the question, IF the two are finished with TNA, and IF they sign with WWE again, should they reunite as the Dudley Boyz or continue to pursue separate careers as singles stars.

IF (and I'm going to keep emphasizing that) the two are indeed leaving, I think bringing them back in as a tag team would be an ideal situation for the company.  After reading online (again, not necessarily a viable resource) Triple H is interested in revamping the tag team division.  In the last few weeks there have been indicators to support those claims.  Boom Truth (I don't know if that's their official name, but it's what we've dubbed them here at My 1-2-3 Cents), The Usos, The Prime Time Players, and now Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd are back too.

1987 Survivor Series
Tag team mania
Courtesy: WWE

Granted four teams (all mostly newly established) aren't nearly enough to have a solid division, it's a start.  They're getting more screen time, which will hopefully lead to the future development of some long term tag teams.  Remember, I grew up in an era where the first two Survivor Series events featured 5 on 5 tag team elimination matches.  These weren't just fly-by-night teams either, they were all legit tag teams.

Signing Devon and Bubba Ray as the Dudley Boyz again would bring a lot of legitimacy to the division.  Typically I don't to see older guys come back and get pushed to the moon, but I think Bully Ray and Devon are in the best shapes of their career.  TNA was the right decision for them years ago, and now I think the younger teams in WWE could benefit from the rub of working with such a good duo.

Bully Ray vs. Devon
Photo from Impact Wrestling

So IF the rumors are true and IF the Dudley's are looking for something in their future, I would support a reunion.  It could help get the momentum moving for a solid tag team division.  As of this writing on September 1, both Devon and Bully Ray are listed on the Impact Wrestling roster.  Devon in fact is still the company's TV champion.

Hatton's Golden Opportunity

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Ric Flair. Dusty Rhodes. Harley Race. They're some of the greatest NWA world's heavyweight champions.  I remember watching all three of these men defend and lose the gold on more than one occasion.  The legacy of the title in the history of wrestling goes without saying.  That's why I'm excited that my friend, Heath Hatton has a shot at that 10 pounds of gold in the coming weeks.

Adam Pearce, the current NWA champion is coming to All American Pro Wrestling.  He'll defend his title against Hatton at the Collision taping set for September 22 at the Black Diamond Warehouse in Marion, Illinois.  This will mark the first time any NWA champion has defended his title at an AAPW show.  It's history in the making.

Not only is this a golden opportunity for Hatton, who continues to climb the ranks in the world of independent wrestling, but it's also a great chance to shine the spotlight on AAPW.  The company has grown and developed so much over the last year and a half.  It's the hard work of a lot of people behind the scenes and inside the ring that's making all of this success possible.  I think the fact that the NWA world's heavyweight champion is coming to our turf speaks volumes about what kind of company AAPW is.

Heath Hatton vs. Ax Allwardt
AAPW Summer Chaos
Photo by Jason Wilkey Photography

I'm looking forward to calling this match.  I enjoy my job as play-by-play announcer for AAPW.  Every match is a treat, but as a kid I always dreamed of being a part of the NWA or the WWF.  Now, I have an opportunity to be a part of the broadcast.  It's so exciting.

I know how much this means to Hatton as well.  He's been in the gym working out and training even harder than he has.  And I mentioned the metamorphosis AAPW has undergone, Heath has been through a similar transition.  He has developed very quickly over a short period of time.  This is an opportunity he will not squander.

If you're in the southern Illinois, western Kentucky, or southeast Missouri area or even within a few hours drive, I highly encourage you to attend this show on September 22.  Belltime is 7 p.m.  Tickets are just 10 bucks for adults and 8 for kids.  Bring a non-perishable food item and save some dough.  Veterans by the way always get in free.

Check out AAPW on YouTube as well.  And don't forget about us at My 1-2-3 Cents.  Thanks for reading, watching, and subscribing.

No Gold, But They Deserved It

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Now a days it seems like many of the WWE Superstars have held gold at least once during their time with the company.  Rarely seen Michael McGillicutty is a former tag team champion, as is jobber to the legends Heath Slater.  In a previous life, Tensai held the WWE Intercontinental title.

Things are much different now than they were 25 years ago.  Hulk Hogan ruled the WWF World title scene, holding the belt for more than four years.  Honky Tonk Man and Randy Savage both had lengthy runs as IC champ.  Demolition, the Hart Foundation, and the British Bulldogs were at the top of the tag team scene.  There was no U.S. title or a second world heavyweight title.  I think had some of the men I'm about to list were around in today's WWE, they would have all won some title along the way.  But these are five guys who never held any sort of gold in their tenure with the WWF.

Paul Orndorff vs. Hulk Hogan

"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff certainly had the look of a champion.  I find it very surprising he didn't at least get a run with the IC title.  His feud with Hogan in 1986 and early 87 was legendary in my opinion.  There were actually a couple of different times I thought Orndorff was going to walk off with the title.  I marked out like crazy when he climbed over the top of the cage at Saturday Night's Main Event and he touched the arena floor.  However, the Hulkster was doing the same thing on the other side of the ring.  The match restarted and of course Hogan won.  That's probably the closet Orndorff ever came to winning the gold in the WWF.  I thought he'd be a shoe in for IC champion at some point.  I remember thinking as a kid that he should have beat Tito Santana for the title and not Greg Valentine.  Prior to and after his run in the WWF Orndorff faired much better, holding singles and tag team gold in Georgia, the NWA, and WCW.

Superfly Snuka
Courtesy: WWE

When "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka climbed to the top of a steel cage in 1982 in his WWF world title match against Bob Backlund, I thought for sure we were about to see a new heavyweight champion.  As he was perched "25 feet" in the air, ready to make his famous Superfly leap the crowd at Madison Square Garden waited with anticipation.  He came crashing down to the mat with a thud as Backlund rolled out of the way and managed to escape the cage and retain the title.  Snuka also had a series of matches against IC Champ "The Magnificent" Muraco.  Some of those matches were also held inside a steel cage, but Snuka never seemed to pick up the title win.  Much like Orndorff, Snuka found championship gold in other other companies, just not in the WWF.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lawrence Taylor

Bam Bam Bigelow burst on the WWF back in 1987 like a ball of fire.  It was all a part of his gimmick, with the flamed tights and the coolest skull tattoo in the history of the world.  Despite his size, agility, and ability in the ring, the Bammer never came up with WWF gold.  I remember watching the Wrestlemania IV world title tournament and I had the Beast from the East picked to win the whole thing.  You can imagine my disappointment when he lost by count out in round one to the One Man Gang.  After that loss I remember actually typing a letter to Hulk Hogan in my high school keyboarding class telling him to team up with Bam Bam and take on Demolition for the tag team titles.  Ugh, did I just admit that...  I also recall Bigelow attempting to dethrone the Honky Tonk Man during his epic IC title reign, but only ever beat HTM by count out and disqualification.  Even with his mid-90's return to the WWF, he certainly could have had a run with gold, but came up short in that era too.  Truly one of the all time greats though, with or without a WWF title run.

Jake the Snake Roberts
Courtesy: WWE

It really blows my mind that Jake "the Snake" Roberts never held any kind of gold during his run in the WWF.  When he arrived on the scene in 1986 as a heel, he was one of the best characters the company had seen.  Jake could work well in the ring and on the mic, two key ingredients to success in the WWF.  I guess the company figured he didn't need a title to get him over with the fans.  His brief heel vs. heel feud with Randy Savage for the IC title was memorable.  Fans were split on who to cheer for, but I think this is what lead to Jake's eventual face turn and feud with Honky Tonk Man.  I thought for a while during HTM's long run with the IC belt that Jake would have won it.  I remember him beating HTM several times via count out, even once in St. Louis with Mr. T as the special guest referee.  He also had a few shots (mostly house shows) against Hogan's world title.
 

Junkyard Dog
Courtesy: WWE

I had to have Chad help me break the tie for my last spot on this list.  I was debating between Hacksaw Jim Duggan and the Junkyard Dog.  In the end, I pick JYD.  I still maintain him not winning the IC title from Valentine at the first Wrestlemania is the biggest miscarriage of justice from that event.  He won the match by count out, and that was as close as he'd ever get to any kind of title in the WWF.  He teamed briefly with the likes of George Steele and Tito Santana, but I don't recall them ever going for the tag team titles.

There were other choices that I did not go with intentionally for the list, like Harley Race and Dusty Rhodes.  When both men arrived in the WWF, they were nearing the end of their respective careers, and a title run would not have added anything to their legacy.  Although the young mark in me wanted to see a Hulk Hogan-Dusty Rhodes world title match.  I don't know why...

Others I considered for the list included King Kong Bundy, Big John Studd, and Lex Luger.  Who would you have added to the list?  Post here or on Facebook.

   

PWI's 500: I Know Some of You

AAPW stars & guests in the PWI Top 500
Photo by Jason Wilkey

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Since 1991, Pro Wrestling Illustrated has featured the top 500 men and women in the world of wrestling.  Each year they've come up with a list that covers the major companies and the independent leagues.  When the issue first started coming out, I had a subscription to the magazine and never missed one.  But with the rise of the Internet, I'll admit I stopped buying PWI, Inside Wrestling, The Wrestler, and WWF (yeah back then the F was still there) magazines.

Who knew 20 years ago when I was reading those rankings that I would one day be able to lay claim to  actually knowing wrestlers on the list?  And I mean legitimately know, not just guys I've interviewed like the Miz, Lex Luger, or Hacksaw Duggan.  Several AAPW wrestlers and guests made an appearance on this year's list.

We'll talk more about the top ranking guys on Thursday's From the Rafters Radio show.  You can click this link to listen live at 7 p.m. CST or search us on iTunes.  It's no surprise to me that CM Punk tops this year's list.  It's a well deserved honor in my view.  I'd like to share with you the folks I have had an opportunity to work with over the last 18 months or so with AAPW.  If you've not heard some of these names, I'm sure you will in the not so distant future.

Matt Cross, El Generico, PAC, and Colt Cabana
AAPW Main Event
Photo by Brian Kelly

Colt Cabana (44), El Generico (82), PAC (88), and Matt Cross (188) all appeared for the first time at AAPW Main Event in January.  It was a pleasure getting a chance to not only see these guys wrestle, but to call their matches too.  PAC and Generico had an amazing match which was probably the most challenging bout I've ever done play-by-play for.  Matt Cross put up a good effort against the undefeated Pokerface. He also returned to AAPW recently for Summer Chaos. Unfortunately I wasn't able to be at the announce table for Colt's match against Eric Wayne as I was preparing for my own match that night.  I'm excited that Colt will be joining us again on October 20 for Zero Hour.  More details to follow on that event.

Ace Hawkins & Brandon Espinosa
AAPW Collision
Photo by Jason Wilkey

Ace Hawkins (295) and Brandon "Espy" Espinosa (311) are great on their own, but they also make an excellent tag team.  They've dropped their "Minor Threat" moniker as they want to prove to the AAPW tag team champs they're serious about winning the gold.  By the way, Ace also appeared on WWE Extreme Rules as "Aaron Relic" alongside AAPW standout Heath "Jay" Hatton in a match against Ryback.  Who can forget that two is greater than one?

Other notables include Adam Pearce (62) who is the current NWA World's Heavyweight Champion. He's bringing that 10 pounds of gold to Marion, Illinois on September 22 and will defend it against Hatton.  I'm looking forward to that match for several reasons and will talk more about it soon.  I can't wait to meet him as well.

Mike Sydal (335) is a rising star, wrestling for AAPW and ROH among other companies.  Mike has had several matches in AAPW and he's got a lot of energy.  He's fun to watch and will continue to climb the ladder of success, much like his older brother Evan Bourne.

Dave Osborne (428) has had a handful of matches with AAPW as well.  He has come a long way and continues to improve as well.

"Golden Boy" Greg Anthony vs. Heath Hatton
AAPW Main Event
Photo by Jason Wilkey

"Golden Boy" Greg Anthony (434) has always noted that he's as good as gold.  I like his style in the ring and miss him at AAPW.  He's got an incredible amount of passion for the business and it shows in his work and his promos.  Golden Boy has offered me advice not only on commentary, but as I geared up for my one and only match back in January.  His advice is always appreciated.

Perhaps one of the biggest miscarriages of justice (thanks Gorilla Monsoon) is the fact that Sara Del Rey is ranked at 430.  She's only the fourth woman to crack PWI's Top 500 in its 22 year history. I've only seen her wrestle live a couple of times for Chikara, and I can tell you she deserves a much better ranking.  Of course, I'm sure the editors at PWI have a very difficult time coming up with this list and I don't envy them at all.  You're never going to please everyone.

What are you thoughts on the list?  Remember, listen to From the Rafters Radio and weigh in on the discussion via Facebook or Twitter (@RaftersRadio, @my123cents)