These are the top five feuds of 2011

Here I am with the start of my end of year lists I promised to start… yesterday. Damn. Nevertheless, its here now. These are the top five feuds of 2011.

5. CM Punk vs Randy Orton

As we rang in the beginning of the year, Punk kicked Wade Barrett out of the Nexus and became its new leader. The initial segments showed some promise, with Punk being a vicious and unmerciful leader of the fallen group. While WWE was busy squandering the opportunity for something great to become of the ‘new Nexus,’ Punk entered a feud with Randy Orton. Storyline wise, the feud was executed brilliantly. For the first time in a long time, WWE acknowledged its past and set up the feud as Punk getting payback on Orton for costing him the World Heavyweight Championship back in 2008. In the weeks leading up to Wrestlemania, Orton destroyed the shredded remains of the Nexus, both in a storyline AND crowd reaction sense. Punk would have his payback however by going after Orton’s ‘wife’ and picking apart his leg with a steel pipe. During the feud, Punk established himself as the best heel in the company while the matches the two had were excellent, especially their Wrestlemania match. However, the feud was too one sided with Orton winning continuously, most likely due to Punk’s contract situation up in the air. A shame, because this feud could have been something really special.

4. Kurt Angle vs Jeff Jarrett

Having stopped watching TNA more or less all together (bar one or two shows) since August, it comes as a surprise that this feud is included on my list. Honestly, the feud looked disastrous on paper. TNA’s booking was continuing its way down the toilet and my hopes for the company were at an all time low. When Angle and Jarrett began their feud, my hopes were dashed even further. Two men in their 40’s with ego’s the size of planets, this is exactly what is ruining TNA. However, this is Kurt Angle we’re talking about, one of the absolute best of his generation and still close to the top today. Jarrett isn’t exactly a slouch in the ring either. Infact, the series of matches they had together were impressive on more than one occasion. Couple that with some entertaining TV segments, some great mic work AND an appearance by Chyna, and you’ve got a surprise contender for feud of the year.

3. John Cena vs The Rock

Ok, the two haven’t actually had a one on one match together, yet, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t one of the feuds of the year. I mean, fuck! After seven years, The Rock came back! Sure, he spewed a bunch of crap about never leaving, before disappearing for months at a time but still, it’s The Rock and how can you not be entertained by him? When Cena and The Rock set a date for a match a year in advance, many thought it would be executed poorly. However, both men have done a good job of keeping the feud alive both through social media and mentions on Television. We got a great return promo from The Rock as well as an old school rap from Cena and a better than anticipated return to the ring for Rocky at Survivor Series. With so many people talking about the feud, how can this not be included as one of the feuds of the year?

2. CM Punk vs WWE/John Cena

Lets set the record straight. I’m counting this feud from the ‘shoot’ promo Punk cut on the WWE to the title vs title match with Cena at Summerslam. When Punk cut the now legendary ‘shoot’ promo on the WWE, fans were abuzz with theories and speculation. It got everyone talking. Hell, it even got Punk on many end of the year lists for ‘making wrestling cool again.’ For a time, that was absolutely true as the WWE became edgy and unpredictable for those couple of months with Punk as the rebel champion. Reality and kayfabe blurred as both casual fans and smarks alike were clueless as to what would happen next. Amongst the hullabaloo, Punk and Cena had a genuine five star match at Money In The Bank and a great follow up rematch at Summerslam. After that, Triple H was re-introduced to TV and buried the Punk saga behind his bulbous snout. Nevertheless, ‘the summer of Punk’ was damn entertaining while it lasted.

1. Randy Orton vs Christian

A feud that lasted longer than a month? Holy crap! While I still don’t agree with how WWE handled Christian as World Heavyweight Champion (surely he deserved a longer reign) his series of matches and confrontations with Randy Orton were something special. Easily the best series of matches of the year, it felt like everytime they faced each other it just got better and better. What made the feud unique was that it was all about the world title. Two guys fighting over and over to either win or defend a championship that they want more than anything else in the world. Overall, a great feud and one that established Christian as a main event star while additionally adding some lost credibility to the world title. Bravo guys.

Honourable mentions: Mark Henry vs Big Show,  John Cena vs The Miz, Rey Mysterio vs Cody Rhodes

Keep a look out for more end of year lists coming your way in the next few days.

Thanks for reading.

Let me know your feuds of the year!

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TLC 2011 predictions/thoughts and a genius move by WWE?

I’ve been incredibly busy with Uni deadlines and various other things recently and as a result this blog has taken a back seat. This specific TLC blog has been written when I’ve been drunk and as part of my procrastination when writing an essay for Uni, so please excuse any dip in quality. Anyway, on with the predictions.

Booker T vs Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship

While commentators ‘handling their business’ is sure to come (traditionally) with a lot of moans and groans, as its Booker T I have no problem with this particular match up. Granted, Booker is getting on in age and hasn’t wrestled a REAL singles match since 2010, I still think this could be a nice little rub match for Cody Rhodes. As evidenced by the reaction at Madison Square Garden for the Survivor Series PPV, Rhodes is over with the adult demographic and Booker has the charisma to not only stir up nostalgia but genuine support from the TLC fans. Match of the night? Certainly not. However, a nice 10-12 minute bout? Absolutely. You’ve just got to hope WWE don’t book Booker to win because that would be a calamity on so many levels.

Winner and STILL Intercontinental Champion – Cody Rhodes

Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett in a Tables Match

The first gimmick match of this predictions blog is a Tables match between two men who have been involved in quite the feud on Smackdown. Ever since Barrett began decimating opponents on his ‘Barrett Barrage,’ the English-born superstar has been thrust once again into the spotlight. This has only been enhanced by his feud with Randy Orton. Barrett owns a singles victory over Orton so traditional wrestling logic would indicate a win for Orton here. Its tough to call though as I predicate that the two will continue their feud past TLC.  One plausible scenario for the outcome of the match is that Barrett continues to be ‘inside Orton’s head’ and Orton ends up being his own downfall. This could happen as a result of Orton ‘snapping’ and putting himself through a table while attempting to put Barrett through. Something along them lines. As I say its tough to call but somehow, someway, I envision Barrett continuing his ‘barrage.’

Winner: Wade Barrett

Dolph Ziggler vs Zack Ryder for the United States Championship

Fans have been clamouring for this one for weeks now and it finally goes down at

TLC. If you’re a reader of this blog you’ll know that I’m a big supporter of Zack Ryder and his self made transition from jobber on Superstars to one of the best selling merchandise guys and one the most over faces on the roster. In retrospect, although it would have been a great crowd reaction for Ryder to win the title at Madison Square Garden, WWE have built Zack Ryder up nicely in the weeks between Survivor Series and TLC. While most peoples gripes with Ryder come from his in-ring ability (go check his ECW and Superstars matches you slackers) this match should go some way to prove that he has what it takes. Of course, that’s if its booked correctly. If the official in charge of the match allows it to be a back and forth affair, this match has the potential to be the ‘show stealer.’ However, if Ryder is booked to be the ‘face in peril’ throughout most of the match, I’ll be disappointed. It would affect some of my enjoyment of the match but I’d still expect something decent from the two. As for the outcome, its time to pull the trigger on the singles title for Ryder and allow Ziggler to move on up the card. Woo Woo Woo, you know it.

Winner and NEW United States Champion – Zack Ryder

Triple H vs Kevin Nash in a Ladder Match.

Basically, this harkens back to the Vince Russo * blah blah * on a pole match from WCW (see piñata on a pole). Kevin Nash can barely walk, how can he climb a ladder? Honestly the feud between these two has been terrible, the concept is terrible and I’m not expecting a pretty match. The best-case scenario is that it ends quickly and doesn’t continue past TLC. Anyway, I see Triple H winning and using his favourite weapon of choice to mash Nash’s skull in.

Winner – Triple H

Mark Henry vs Big Show in a Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight Championship

Mark Henry is honestly getting more interesting the longer his championship reign continues. To be honest, Henry should hold onto the belt. At this moment in time I find him more interesting than Big Show and also more consistent. Though to be fair, the two have to be given credit for making a horrible feud on paper one of the feuds of the year. The WWE’s dalliance with Daniel Bryan in the main event seemed to be a success to me. Crowds were reacting favourably and Daniel Bryan was getting some nice pops. However, Bryan seems to have been on the receiving end of a rapid de-push, so who’s to say. Either way, I think Henry will be facing Bryan or Sheamus at Wrestlemania with title in hand and therefore rumbles past the Big Show at TLC.

Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion – Mark Henry

CM Punk vs The Miz vs Alberto Del Rio in a TLC match for the WWE Championship.

This match has the potential to be excellent. Three men who can work a decent match thrown together with the TLC gimmick has potential, right? I mean, there’s only one outcome I see with this match and that’s a Punk win. Having said that, the way the title is being passed around like the drunkest chick at a house party, one can’t help but have that little voice in the back of your mind. Nevertheless, I’ve got a feeling Punk is holding on to the title until Wrestlemania. As for the ‘Road to Wrestlemania,’ I’d expect a feud with The Miz for a couple of months. The WWE need to seriously re-build Miz’s character as it has been more than tarnished in recent months and a title feud with Punk could definitely go along way to making fans care about him again.

Winner and STILL WWE Champion - CM Punk

Well that just about does it for this TLC predictions blog. I hope you enjoyed it and let me know your pre….

Wait.

Wait a minute. Something doesn’t seem right.

No John Cena??

WWE are seemingly taking a huge gamble by not placing Cena on the card. As the face of the company and the biggest drawing superstar on the roster, it seems like a strange business decision to not have him on the card. John Cena has been in 11(!?) of this years PPV main events and it seems astonishing for him to not even be on the card. Don’t get me wrong, he’ll definitely show up somewhere but I’m interested to see if the buyrate dips at all. Indeed, it’ll be interesting to see how they handle CM Punk if the buyrate shows any major fluctuation.

Speaking of Cena, I came across this picture this morning. 

Wow. WWE have to be given credit where credit is due. They’ve finally capitalised on the anti-Cena mentality that is shared by a large proportion of their audience. Anti-Cena members of the WWE Universe have tended to be a bit retarded in my experience. OF COURSE they’re going to buy this t-shirt, pump money back into the WWE and keep Cena’s merch sales up. Genius on the part of WWE really. Additionally, if Cena does turn heel eventually (fingers crossed) the adoring members of the Cenation have a t-shirt to buy when their hero turns on them. BOOM. Money money, yeah yeah.

Until tomorrow with the TLC review, thanks for reading and let me know your predictions on Facebook, Twitter or below in the comments. Thank you.

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Survivor Series 2011 review, thoughts and a prediction for John Cena's future

Another pay per view, another review from yours truly. In spite of the current state of the Raw brand, WWE has managed to put on some top quality pay per view’s this year. 2011 has seen consistently solid PPV matches and in some cases (Money In The Bank + Summerslam) fantastic spectacles. It’s November and time for the last of the ‘big four’… lets see what we got.

Dolph Ziggler vs John Morrison for the United States Championship

Speaking of consistency, Dolph Ziggler can do no wrong at the minute. He has seemingly upped his entire game in recent months. Subtle tweaks to his character and a bigger presence on the microphone have got people begging for him to get a shot at the upper echelon of the card once again. Ziggler’s in-ring work is always fun to watch, whoever the opponent. As far as the match is concerned, it was decent. It served its purpose as an opening bout. However, the question on everyone’s lips is - Why wasn’t Zack Ryder in the match?

For weeks, John Morrison has been booked to lose. On the other hand, Zack Ryder has pinned Ziggler on multiple occasions. As evidenced by the incredibly loud and constant ‘We Want Ryder’ chants, this match should be viewed as a sign of the company not knowing what the fans want. Granted, Madison Square Garden is one of the smarkiest arenas in the world and they’ll constantly go ‘against the grain.’ Despite that fact, it was extremely clear Ryder was the guy who should have got the title shot here. I mean did you HEAR that pop he got when he entered? By far one of the biggest pops this year, maybe even the last few years. Wake up and join the Ryder Revolution, Vinnie Mac.

Winner and STILL United States Champion: Dolph Ziggler

**

Beth Phoenix vs Eve in a lumberjill match for the pink sparkly butterfly belt

To be honest, I’m just waiting for the day that Natalya and Beth Phoenix start feuding. Then, and only then, can we hope for a good Divas match. To be fair though, Eve is a much sharper in ring competitor than Kelly Kelly who brings new meanings to the word ‘bimbo.’ Anywho, that top rope Glam Slam was pretty cool though, huh?

Winner and STILL pink sparkly butterfly champion: Beth Phoenix

* ½

In what can only be described as a moment of sheer horror, CM Punk and David Otunga are shown backstage discussing how Punk should apologise to Michael Cole for his attack on Raw. I swear to god, if they start a feud between Michael Cole and CM Punk, I may have to take a shit in an envelope and deliver it to WWE headquarters.

Backstage again and The Rock delivers a nice promo, discussing his history with MSG and Survivor Series. It harkened back to The Rock’s promos of old where it was just him and the camera, which was a nice touch.

Team Orton vs Team Barrett in a traditional Survivor Series elimination tag match.

A really solid, entertaining match that got a nice chunk of time to work with. One of the main talking points has to be Sin Cara’s seemingly botched suicide dive to the outside. The result? 6-9 months out due to surgery and rehab on a ruptured patella tendon. This is the guy who was the absolute top draw in Mexican wrestling for years. He caused a media stir when he jumped ship to the WWE. Hell, Mistico even had a comic book back in his home country. WWE spent week’s hyping him, I mean, REALLY hyping him. When he debut’s he botches his entrance, he frequently botches in his matches, he fails a wellness test and gets 30 days suspension and now blows the heavily rumoured ‘big money match’ with Rey Mysterio at Wrestlemania. Holy fuck. I’d be extremely shocked if we ever saw him return to the company at this point.

After some nice action from Kofi Kingston and Cody Rhodes (who was over as all hell with the MSG Crowd) it came down to Randy Orton as the sole survivor of his team against Barrett and Cody Rhodes. In the end, the right team won. Having Orton win would have been a damn shame, because he doesn’t need it. Barrett and Rhodes, however, are on the verge of becoming legit main event players on the Smackdown roster and this win only solidifies their rise.

Winner’s: Team Barrett

***

Big Show vs Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship

A slow match which lost the crowd at various points. The last effort from these two far exceeded expectations but unfortunately the same can’t be said for this match. It’s a shame because this has been a nicely built up feud that has lasted longer than the lightening quick flash in the pan feuds we are used to seeing nowadays. There were two saving graces for the match. Firstly, that top rope elbow drop from Big Show was a sweet spot. Seeing that gargantuan flying through the air will be on his highlight reel for years to come. Kudos on that. Secondly, the ‘Daniel Bryan’ chants that filled the air from that amazing MSG crowd, once again letting the company KNOW what they want. Mark Henry was booked like a monster once again, kicking out of that elbow drop and a superkick from Big Show. My guess is he holds on to the title till Wrestlemania. As for the here and now, an inconclusive finish means that we’re probably going to see a rematch at TLC. I’m going to predict a table match, however, the incident with Big Show injuring Henry with the chair at the end might foreshadow a chair match… we’ll see.

Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Mark Henry

* ¾

CM Punk vs Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship

Very nice touch at the beginning of the match to allow Howard Finkel to be CM Punk’s special ring announcer. It’s a shame Michael Cole ruined it by talking and laughing over half of it though. Fucking idiot. The MSG crowd showed a ton of respect which made ‘The Fink’ come over all emotional. N’aww. CM Punk continues to be the most over name on the entire roster as he got a huge reaction and bellowing chants. What followed was a really good match. Punk put in some great work and meshed well with Del Rio to push him to one of his best matches in his time with WWE. It came as a pleasant surprise considering the slide Del Rio has been on recently.

The right man won. Del Rio’s character has become so stale in such a short amount of time that fans don’t care about him anymore. There is something missing in terms of his connection with the live crowd, for any wrestler that’s bad news, but for the WWE Champion that’s just unacceptable. What the company now have is an opportunity to make up for their fuck up with CM Punk earlier in the year when he was champion. Let Punk run amock, let him cause trouble, drop pipe bomb’s and deliver some good matches. That’s what the fan’s want and Punk can deliver. After all, he aims to make the WWE title ‘exciting again.’

Winner and NEW WWE Champion: CM Punk

*** ¾

The Rock and John Cena vs The Miz and R-Truth

I haven’t been the biggest fan of The Rock’s return it has to be said. His promos (except his initial return) have all been repetitious, lethargic and legacy damaging. His promise that ‘he’ll never leave again’ before disappearing again for months was ridiculously hyperbolic. His stance for his feud with Cena is concerned mostly with the colour of shirts. Additionally, the WWE are so up Dwayne’s ass that they let him take up a shit load of time at Wrestlemania to do next to nothing. Despite the sour taste The Rock’s return has given me, I was still excited to see him return to in-ring action at Survivor Series.

One of my concerns heading into the match was possible ring rust for The Rock. Well, The Rock opened up a can of WD-40 on my ass (wrong superstar, I know, but it seemed relevant) and looked as sharp as ever. Sure, he only hit his signature moves more or less and Cena carried most of the work yet, The Rock didn’t look like someone who last performed 7 years ago.

I’m not going to review this match based on a glossy eyed view because The Rock returned to action. Sure, it was something special and memorable but the match itself was rather disappointing. Wrestling matches are so much better when they’re back and forth, but whoever booked the match wanted The Rock to look DOMINANT. Cena played the ‘face in peril’ role for such a large percentage of the match it brought the entire affair down. I can only remember The Rock taking three bumps. The clothesline shot on the outside leading into a barrier shot, and taking R-Truth’s finisher. The entire feud has been too lop-sided in The Rock’s favour, I feel. Rocky not only cleaned house and picked up the win, but laid Cena out once again with a rock bottom. With The Rock not scheduled to be on WWE programming for the foreseeable future, where is Cena’s chance for revenge? Are they really going to continue with such a lop-sided build for the match?…

Winner’s: The Rock and John Cena

***

When thinking about this, the cogs in my mind began creaking. It has been called for time and time again recently… but… what if all this is leading to a Cena heel turn? Think about. Cena’s reactions are heavy boo’s whenever The Rock is around… doubly so at MSG. It’s always a mixed reaction otherwise. Cena’s (legit) argument against The Rock is that he is constantly in WWE day in and day out, whereas The Rock trundles off to Hollywood and brings it ‘via satellite.’ Now, look at Cena’s new shirt ‘Rise Above Hate.’ What if Cena can no longer rise above it? What if Cena snaps? The fans would rather cheer for someone who breaks promises, who disappears for months than Cena who works his ass off for the WWE and does it all for the fans. WWE have always been scared to pull the trigger on a Cena heel turn because there was no other guy close to being the draw he is. Well, with CM Punks meteoric face turn, they now have another huge draw… maybe now is the time? It certainly won’t be difficult to pull off and will not only rejuvenate Cena’s character but will in turn freshen the landscape of WWE. You heard it from me first! ©

In all, Survivor Series was a good show. We have some memorable moments to take away from the 2011 edition and a lot to think about as we move towards the final PPV of the year Tables, Ladders and Chairs.

On an entirely unrelated note, I had a little (incredibly sad) fun while watching Smackdown a couple of week’s ago. We all must have noticed that Booker T is so bad at commentary that it’s funny! He has a few different phrases that he seems to repeat over and over… I took a tally.

Are you kidding me!?!? 111111

WHAT DA HALE !?!? 111

WAIT A MINUTE! 11111

YOU GOTTA LOVE IT 111

WITH THE GREATEST OF EASE 1 1

WOAHHHH 1111111

BEAUTIFUL 1111111

Oh my goodness 111111

Wow 111111111111

Let me tell you 111111111111111111111

BIZNISS 111

MAYYNNN 1111

Check this out 1111

WE COMIN’ FOR YOU N***A!

Thanks a lot for reading :)

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Night of Champions - review and thoughts!

I’ve been scratching my head so much after last night’s Night of Champions PPV that I fear I may have brought on premature balding. Regardless of my follicle situation, WWE’s last PPV of the summer brought up more questions than answers…Lets dive right in.

Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne (Air Boom) vs The Miz & R-Truth (Awesome-Truth) for the World Tag Team Championship.

A nice little opener this one. What struck me were the little things. The use of tag team psychology including the fake ‘clap’ tags and referee distractions are things we just never see in a WWE ring anymore. Just think back to Otunga & McGillicuty’s reign, Santino and Koslov’s reign even Big Show and Kane’s reign, never once did we see those little things that make tag team matches great. Despite the praise however, did the outcome really make sense? The Miz and Truth, storyline wise, can’t really claim a conspiracy against them if they get them selves intentionally disqualified. The story is clearly that The Miz and Truth flipped out because the ref missed a few things that ended up benefiting Air Boom, however an intentional DQ just makes you look stupid rather than victims of a ‘conspiracy.’ I found it rather odd that the FACE champions resorted to dirty tactics to overcome their challengers, surely a sneak victory may have been a better option playing into the ‘conspiracy’ storyline all the while giving your face champions a clean victory. As I say, some nice action but slightly dodgy action.

Winner’s and still World Tag Team Champions: Air Boom

** ½

Cody Rhodes vs Ted Dibiase for the Intercontinental Championship

Quite a slow match that never really had the opportunity to liven up. Reports have claimed that matches they’ve been having at live events have been garnering rave reviews… this can’t have been their best outing. Ted Dibiase just doesn’t connect with the fans whatsoever. Periodically, the crowd would start random chants ranging from ‘We Want Ryder’ to ‘Un-der-ta-ker’… with both men sitting at home, that sounds like a crowd that cares about Dibiase. With this being WWE’s latest attempt to push the million dollar son, one has to wonder, was this his last shot?

Winner and still Intercontinental Champion: Cody Rhodes.

**

Dolph Ziggler vs Alex Riley vs Jack Swagger vs John Morrison for the United States Championship

See above. This match never really had the time to hit top gear. Aside from one showcase of incredible core strength from Morrison, it was pretty forgettable. I had to laugh at Ziggler screaming at Vickie ‘you just cost me the match!’ after she put Swagger’s foot on the rope. Of course, she actually saved the title for him… derp. Dolph stole the pin from Swagger for the win. This means we’re going to have a continuation of the whole Swagger/Vickie/Dolph storyline regarding Guerrero’s cliental that seems to have been going on for years with no advancement. Joy.

Winner and still United States Champion: Dolph Ziggler

Mark Henry vs Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship

Colour me every shade of shocked at the quality of this match. I have never been a fan of Mark Henry, but his recent booking has warmed me up to him (no homo). His hall of pain shtick and dominance has worked wonders for his character and it showed in this match. These guys told a great story with Orton constantly trying to put Henry down but failing because Henry was just too strong. The finish made Henry look like an absolute bad ass, with Orton spent and Henry scooping him up for the Worlds Strongest Slam for the 1,2,3.

The amount of cheers following the victory told its own story. In an era where WWE are too reliant on Cena and Orton carrying the company, a brand new and fresh champion is something to be celebrated. Can it last though? I can almost guarantee that Randy Orton will get his rematch in two weeks (!?!?) at the Hell in a Cell PPV. With the way things have been going with brand new champions recently, that aligns the stars for Orton to win back the title and thus wasting all that time spent building up Mark Henry as something special. I hope and pray that doesn’t happen and Henry enjoys a decent chance at finally breaking through as a legitimate main event player.

Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion: Mark Henry

*** ¼

Beth Phoenix vs Kelly Kelly for the Diva’s Championship

Pretty much a repeat of the Summerslam match. It’s worth noting how OVER Beth Phoenix was in her hometown and the ‘Kelly sucks’ chant was delicious … and true… in more ways than one. Nice top rope superplex that was unique for a diva’s match in recent times, so props on that, I guess.

What I can’t fathom is the booking. Kelly has gone over Beth on multiple occasions now. If the so-cal ‘Divas of Doom’ are actually meant to be taken seriously, Beth had to get the win here. I mean, where do they go from here? Certainly in the world of keyfabe Beth doesn’t deserve another title shot, will they go with Natalya? I suppose they could have Natalya win and Beth become jealous, eventually splitting up the pair? Meh.

Winner and still Divas Champion: Kelly Kelly

*

John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship

I’m not upset with John Cena winning the WWE title, that’s not my issue. My issue is why did they give Del Rio a reign in the first place? He started the year with all the momentum in the world. He won the Rumble, he won Money in the Bank but after all that, he faded away. The booking of Alberto Del Rio has been very hit or miss, but this is ridiculous. I have mentioned it before in these blogs but I absolutely hate short title reigns. In recent times we’ve had the following reigns for the WWE title:

CM Punk: 28 days

Rey Mysterio: 1 hour

John Cena: 20 days

Alberto Del Rio: 35 days

And for the World Heavyweight title:

Christian: 2 days and then 28 days

Randy Orton: 35 days

That’s just shocking. With the title being flip flopped around it gives absolutely no time for a champion to establish themselves, especially in the case of Christian, Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk’s first WWE title reign. Fuck, no wonder WWE rely on Cena and Orton so much when other superstars aren’t allowed to prove their reliability.

Now I’m not upset that John Cena became champion again, because fans simply weren’t buying into Del Rio. They need to freshen up his character because his ‘destiny’ shtick is getting old. Who bets that he’ll claim it’s his ‘destiny’ to regain the title tonight on Raw? WWE booking 101. Decent enough match, but not as memorable as Cena’s previous two efforts.

Winner and NEW WWE Champion: John Cena

** ½

CM Punk vs Triple H – No Disqualification

Punk vs HHH was a decent brawl. We got a tour around the arena, some nifty little spots and the Spanish announce table took a beating for old times sake. Half way through however, what could have been an entertaining 1 on 1 encounter turned into an overbooked clusterfuck.

Here we go…

The Miz and R-Truth attacked CM Punk and Triple H, The Miz put CM Punk on top of Triple H, the referee counted to two, the referee attacked The Miz, The Miz attacked the referee, John Laurinaitis and a new referee came out, Triple H covered CM Punk, John Laurinaitis didn't let the ref count, CM Punk covered Triple H, R-Truth broke up the pin, The Miz and R-Truth randomly left, John Laurinaitis started texting, Kevin Nash came out and randomly attacked everyone, Triple H smacked Nash with the sledgehammer and then Triple H got the win.

Ho. Ly.

At face value it was extremely and unnecessarily convoluted. The abundance of interference reminded me of WCW in its dying days and modern day TNA. I don’t believe it should have gone down like that, not one bit. It left a sour taste of disappointment and anger. It was billed as ‘personal’… it should have been.

In storyline and keyfabe terms, it somewhat made sense. Awesome-Truth wanted to get noticed. They felt CM Punk and Triple H were in a conspiracy, so they attacked them both and tried to get Triple H out of the picture. When Triple H kicked out of the pin they forced upon him with Punk, they beat the ref down, as they did earlier in the night. I guess following their comments earlier in the night of "Triple H may not even be C.O.O after tonight," you could feel it coming.

Lauranitis seems to want HHH’s job, and it appeared as if he was revealed to have sent the original text to take Punk out. Did you notice that after H kicked out of the GTS pin, he had a phone out and was shown texting? Nash came down (after being texted by Johnny Ace) and attacked both men because he has a beef with both, but he really went out of his way to take out Triple H. However, Punk stopped that, and Nash lost his cool and rocked Punk, which led to the Triple H win.

It has been built up ever so intricately across recent Raw shows and the action earlier in the PPV. It was just so OVERbooked though and seemed to go on forever and brought the match’s momentum to a screeching halt.

Speaking of momentum (it seems to be a common theme) has CM Punk been buried? I’ve seen plenty of outrage over Punk’s loss and I both agree and disagree.

I mean, during the match Punk suffered shots from a steel chair, a jacknife powerbomb, a pay dirt from R-Truth and three pedigree’s. That means it took FIVE ‘finishing moves’ for HHH to defeat Punk. It may be stating the obvious, but Punk has been in the storylines that have consistently had the most time on television ever since his promo in July. On top of that he has main evented the past three pay per views. That sure as hell doesn’t seem like someone who’s ‘buried.’

On the other hand, instead of capitalising on Punk’s WWE title win and the potential of him being a ‘renegade’ champion, the WWE chose to put the spotlight on Triple H replacing Vince McMahon as the ‘authority figure’ of the WWE. Now we know that Triple H has buried people in the past by using his unique position to keep himself in the spotlight. I mean, HHH is 40 and wrestled one match this year, are fans really supposed to buy into him being able to beat CM Punk? The Triple H vs CM Punk match seemed hot-shotted and could have been built up better had they given it more time. Of course Punk was on the losing end so could Punk be HHH’s next victim? His momentum has certainly cooled, but with some decent booking to round off this storyline Punk could be the TOP WWE draw.

Winner: Triple H

** ½

Money in the Bank and Summerslam were fantastic, and I was hoping for a lot more from Night of Champions. The match quality was nowhere near the level it should have been and some of the booking decisions were questionable at best. Still, the CM Punk/HHH storyline is still must see just to find out what the hell is going to happen.

Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts.

Big shout to Laila K of Sonic Boom Six for recommending this blog to Barney on my last post, if you read this one, thanks alot and I hope you enjoyed it! 

Richard McMaster

Lets Talk Wrestling

Twitter: @crapminitweets
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WWE Summerslam 2011 review and thoughts.

Off the back of my prediction’s posted yesterday, I couldn’t have been more wrong about the match outcomes. I did, however, predict the style of each match correctly AND Del Rio cashing in, I might add. I guess that’s something to drag about… Last month’s Money In The Bank PPV was an absolute blinder in terms of match quality and Summerslam was no different. Yet, as entertaining as the matches and segments were, a few contentious booking decisions had me (and others) shaking their head a little. Lets get on with the show…

Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston & John Morrison vs. R-Truth, The Miz & Alberto Del Rio

The writing was on the wall really. Each man involved had been feuding with each other, with the exception of Del Rio. In terms of storyline, Dolph Ziggler (feuding with Kofi Kingston, sorta) should have been the 3^rd heel. With Alberto Del Rio included, WWE would expect us to be lulled into thinking we weren’t going to see the Mexican Aristocrat appear again. Smart move really. In terms of the PPV, it made sense for these guys to be included. They’re the entire upper-midcard/cusp of the main event on Raw at the minute and not having them involved on the ‘second biggest show of the year’ would do little for interest and investment into the product’s superstars, especially heading into the dreaded ‘Monday Night Football’ season. The match was a solid ‘hot opener’ and had a good amount of athleticism and nice little spots. It served its purpose as the bout excited the crowd and kicked things off in flying fashion. The face team got the win after Mysterio hit the 619 and splash, which makes sense leading into his title shot on Raw.

Winners: Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston & John Morrison

** ½

First shocker of the night, Stephanie McMahon. A nice little segment ensued which ended with Stephanie wishing CM Punk good luck and offering him a handshake. His response? "I would, but I know where that hand's been." CM Punk is money.

Mark Henry vs. Sheamus

WWE had a bit of a conundrum heading into this match I feel. Both men are on the receiving ends of a push. Mark Henry has been booked to look like an unstoppable monster with destruction laying in his wake. Sheamus has JUST turned into a ‘badass’ face. Who needs legitimising more? To their credit, both men told a fantastic story in this match, with Sheamus trying to take down Henry but falling short each time. The two made sure to beat the living hell out of each other and some of the welts on Sheamus were visible and looked brutal. Essentially, neither competitor should have won cleanly with the possibility of derailing the loser’s momentum. In the end, Henry plowed Sheamus through the barricade and won on a count out. It made a lot of sense, with Sheamus proving too tough to pin and only in having received so much punishment could he be out for the count.

Winner: Mark Henry 

** ¾

Cee Lo Green comes out in a glittery bin bag. The divas dance. Alicia Fox has a sailor’s hat on. Yeah.

Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix for the Diva’s Title

Honestly, one of the better divas matches on PPV in a long time. Kelly Kelly showed that she has a small amount of wrestling ability hidden away somewhere. I think the fact that she was working with someone skilled and strong in Beth Pheonix helped a lot. She could bust out some offence that some of the other divas just wouldn’t know how to handle. The finish? Lame. Does anyone really think that a stick like Kelly Kelly can beat Beth Phoenix? I was preparing for Beth and Natalya to take over the role that Kharma was beginning… the annihilation of the ‘bimbo’ divas. Much to my chagrin, I was wrong. Kelly Kelly walked out victorious with the pink, shiny butterfly belt in tow.

Winner and STILL Divas Champion: Kelly Kelly

* ¾

Wade Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan

A really nice technical, back and forth match from these two. I thought the chemistry might have been lacking but both men put on the match of the night so far. Daniel Bryan showed once again that given a PPV opportunity he can deliver a really good midcard match. Barrett was impressive too and had his best match since his feud with Cena last year. I thought the match was booked perfectly, until the ending. I thought Daniel Bryan could use the victory more here. If his storyline aspirations really are to cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase at Wrestlemania 28, the WWE are going to have to work hard to legitimise him. Either that or (as some have predicted) have him be the first man to lose his Money in the Bank briefcase cash in or the briefcase altogether. Barrett has main evented PPV’s and had WWE Title shots, he should have been booked to be the first person to put Bryan over. As it is however, at least Bryan looked very strong in defeat.

Winner: Wade Barrett

*** ¼

Christian vs. Randy Orton in a No Holds Barred match for the World Heavyweight Championship

This was advertised as the ‘final match’ between the two but honestly, they could be on the next PPV for all I care. Four PPV match’s in a row and they can still deliver a fantastic spectacle. Christian and Randy Orton just ‘click.’ The little intricacies they throw into their matches and the air of unexpectedness is a sign of a great feud. To no one’s shock Edge came out, not to help Christian however, but to call him a ‘whiny bitch.’ That’s not very nice. Anywho, the match had it all, kendo sticks, garbage cans, Spanish announce tables and… blood! It’s a rare occasion we get one of these types of matches in the WWE nowadays and the audience ate it up. It was a nice mixture of wrestling and hardcore moments, seamlessly interchanging between the two. Christian pulled a few moves to suggest that he’s not out of it yet, the key moment coming at the very end with the RKO from the ropes onto the stairs. My only gripe with the match is that the WWE can’t have paid too much attention to that ratings plummet when Orton was champion and the ratings rise when Christian won back the title. Either that or… they just dislike Christian, hur hur. Christian deserves a lengthy title run to prove that he can be a long term main eventer, if he hasn’t done so already (did you hear that duelling Christian chant… Cena style?), and solidify that in the eyes of the WWE Universe. I really wouldn’t mind another match at Night of Champions but I think Mark Henry might be next in line.

Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion: Randy Orton

****

John Cena vs. CM Punk to become the Undisputed WWE Champion

Again, an excellent match between the two. The seemless transition and fluidity of moves was better than their Money in the Bank match and given more time to work with could have transcended to another 5 star quality match. The crowd, while not as uniquely vocal as the Chicago crowd were by no means dead. Far from it infact as the chanting was relentless and split, maybe slightly in favour of Punk about 55% - 45% … on my TV anyway. Cena played to the crowds reactions in perfect fashion. A moronic section started a ‘You can’t wrestle’ chant and you know what? Cena busted out chain wrestling, reversals and submissions time after time, causing them to sit down and shut up. The finish fell a little flat in my opinion, with Cena’s foot clearly on the rope and Triple H counting the 3 anyway. I felt the audience (and myself) were left thinking, ok… is that ACTUALLY it? I thought the match was going to be restarted and Punk get a legitimate win…

Winner and NEW WWE Champion: CM Punk

**** ¼ 

Of course that’s not how it went down. Kevin Nash came through the crowd and delivered a jacknife powerbomb to Punk before Del Rio runs down the ramp and cashes in his Money in the Bank to become the new WWE Champion.

Now, I have a number of problems with Punk being the one to be cashed in on. CM Punk IS the hottest thing in wrestling right now and could in a few months be a bigger draw than John Cena. However, this has de-railed that momentum in my opinion. In fact, ever since Triple H’s arrival I feel he’s begun to cool off again. Maybe R-Truth’s conspiracy theories are right? Punk certainly shouldn’t be caught off guard and get destroyed by a 52 year old man, that’s for sure. Further, I just don’t think Alberto Del Rio is ready yet. If you’ve watched his promo’s and segments, the crowd have been silent during them as of late. He’s a talented in ring performer and a good character but the audience doesn’t seem to be buying into him at the moment. I feel the only reason he’s WWE champion (if reports are to be believed) is because of the upcoming tour and TV tapings in Mexico. Really? WWE, Really? You’re going to sacrifice potentially millions of dollars in favour of a champion of the same nationality as your TV tapings later in the year. Maybe it’s just sour grapes in my part because I’ve been a fan of Punk for so long. His World Title run’s were abysmal and de-railed due to his locker room disrespecting of The Undertaker one time, pathetic. I’ve seen a host of outcries from fans voicing the same opinion, so at least I’m not alone.

Nevertheless, I suspect Kevin Nash will return as a bodyguard/goon for Triple H and Alberto Del Rio (oh, the irony) and Triple H will (thank god) turn heel and maybe we’ll get an Austin/McMahon situation with Punk/HHH?

Summerslam poses a lot of intrigue heading into tonight’s Raw.

-         Why were Kevin Nash and Stephanie McMahon there?

-         Will Alberto Del Rio’s reign be short lived?

-         What’s next for Punk and Cena?

-         Did Triple H screw Cena?

So much intrigue... WWE has upped the excitement levels tenfold in recent weeks. Until next time, thanks for reading.

What were your thoughts on Summerslam? Leave me a comment below!

Have a chat with me on twitter @crapminitweets

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Cheers.

WWE Summerslam 2011 Predictions.

WWE’s ‘second biggest PPV’ is upon us once again. This years event has had its fair share of critics due to only 5 feature matches being announced, including a Divas match. Summerslam has seemingly been built around one match and one storyline… the situation with the WWE championship and while that’s all well and good, it would have been nice to see a little more thought put into the rest of the card.

A saving grace however, is the fact that the card is intriguing. Each match is hard to predict as all the participants either need a win or deserve a win. Anyway, no more wasting time…

Daniel Bryan vs Wade Barrett

The intrigue starts. Having won the Money in the Bank, it was clear Daniel Bryan was going to need a solid couple of months in order to be built up in the average WWE fan’s eyes. Daniel Bryan was a tremendous independent wrestler and has had some fantastic matches in the WWE with the likes of Dolph Ziggler and The Miz. However, to be a contender for the World Championship, he’s going to need some legitimisation. Wade Barrett set the WWE on fire with the original Nexus invasion and his main event run with John Cena but his hot streak was doused with his draft to Smackdown and his ‘just there to fill the void’ run with The Corre. I would argue that both men need the win here and both men COULD come out with victory. However, I think Daniel Bryan needs it more and Wade Barrett is the one to begin his legitimisation. This has the potential to be a great ‘hot opener’ with the hopes of a solid, technical, back and forth match. After multiple near falls, I’d look for Daniel Bryan to get the win in an incredibly hard fought victory.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

It must really suck to be WWE’s midcard right now. I really do think that we’ll get a Cody Rhodes vs Ezekiel Jackson rematch OR a Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston – United States Title match thrown into the mix. The question is, why the hell weren’t they announced? Way to treat your titles, WWE.

Sheamus vs Mark Henry

This isn’t going to be pretty. It’s not going to be full of finesse and technique. What it is going to be is an out and out brawl between two monstrous men. What I like about this match is that Sheamus can actually move, unlike Henry’s previous PPV opponent The Big Show. This is another match where both men need the win. Sheamus has begun a fresh face turn and needs the win to solidify the turn. Mark Henry on the other hand has been booked to be a dominant monster heel who destroys everything in his path, a loss here could dent that. Personally, I think Sheamus gets the win whether it be by disqualification or by pinfall. Mark Henry will pull some sort of stunt after the match, either by beating down Sheamus or someone/something else to gain back some heat.

Winner: Sheamus

Kelly Kelly vs Beth Phoenix for the Diva’s Title.

Kudo’s go out to the WWE for their Phoenix and Natalya heel turns and for making me care just a little bit for a Diva’s match. Honestly, I hope Beth annihilates Kelly Kelly and ushers in a new era for the Diva’s where wrestling ability and technique counts for something. Sure the Diva’s may be great to look at, but once they’ve made their entrances, no one gives a crap. Beth Phoenix needs and deserves the win.

Winner: Beth Phoenix

Christian vs Randy Orton in a no holds barred match for the World Heavyweight Championship

This feud has been great. It reminds me of old school feuds, you know, where rivalries actually lasted longer than a couple of weeks! This will be the 4^th PPV they’ve had a one on one encounter and I’m expecting a similar level of quality from this match. It’s interesting to note that ever since Orton won the title from Christian, the Smackdown ratings (in the US) went down, down, down. However, since Christian won back the title, the ratings have risen to heights usually seen around the time of Wrestlemania. Coincidence? Maybe, but it would be interesting to see what would happen if Randy Orton won back the title once more. Again, this is hard to predict. Do WWE want to play it safe and put the title back around the waist of their supposed Smackdown golden boy, or, do they want to give Christian what he deserves? A title reign that lasts longer than a month! There is a lot of speculation surrounding Christian's comments to end this week's episode of Smackdown, where he said he just found something out, and all of a sudden went from being really worried about the match to being really confident about it. He then said that he has the "best thing going." Does this mean we’ll see Edge help out either Orton or Christian at Summerslam? I’m HOPING for a Christian win and a feud with Sheamus in the future. Fingers crossed.

Winner: Christian

CM Punk vs John Cena (w/ special referee Triple H) to become Undisputed WWE Champion.

This is the match everyone will be ordering the PPV for. CM Punk’s meteoric rise to well deserved prominence has (in my opinion) took the WWE by surprise. According to reports, their creative plans for the foreseeable future have been changed and re-drafted and Punk has become a huge face superstar. The Money in the Bank match the two had was a fantastic five-star match. Give them 35-40 minutes to work with once again. They have more than proved they have some great chemistry together and can put on a classic match. The only gripe I have with this match is the fact that Triple H is the special referee. Ever since his introduction as ‘Chief Operating Officer’ he’s been all over. Hogging up at least 20 minutes of Raw with his dull announcements, sometimes longer. Hogging Smackdown. It’s eerily reminiscent of his early 2000’s days. The match screams SCREWJOB. You can see it coming, but you don’t know who’s going to be on the receiving end. One outcome that CANNOT happen is John Cena winning cleanly, more or less destroying any momentum that CM Punk has built up. In a similar vein, I don’t think WWE will have CM Punk win cleanly over John Cena. This reinforces the screwjob theory, Triple H will get involved in someway and cost one of the two men the title. My prediction? Through hook or crook, CM Punk gets the win.

Winner: CM Punk.

Will Alberto Del Rio cash in? My gut feeling says yes.

I think the opening game of Man Utd’s premier league season affected the latter half of this blog’s coherence. Hopefully you got the gist though. As one of WWE’s ‘big four’ I’ve ordered this PPV live, I hope I won’t regret it like I did with WM 27.

Let me know your predictions in the comments, on facebook (www.facebook.com/richard.mcmaster3) or twitter www.twitter.com/crapminitweets

Thank You for reading and join me tomorrow for a full Summerslam review and thoughts.

Lets Talk Wrestling.

17 years... A little creative keyfabe writing.

I had a dream… it was stolen for me.

17 long years…

I started on the Canadian independent circuit. Everyone knows a wrestler has to pay their dues, and I paid them. Five years touring school gyms. Five years touring broken down bingo halls Five years touring dirty warehouses. Were they packed to the rafters? Like hell they were. Fifty people if we were lucky. Zero reaction. Still, I was pursuing a dream, a dream I had since a small child. Touring the indie’s wasn’t all bad, I gained valuable experience and a friend… no… more than that, a brother.

17 years…

My potential was recognised and I signed to a dream promotion. My head dizzy from ecstasy, I was too high on life to recognise my potential being squandered. A vampire? Lets be realistic, the brood wasn’t the highlight of my career.

17 years…

At last…a realisation of my true talent. Brothers in arms, Adam and me fought alongside each other once again. We became a history making tag team. I had captured gold before but capturing the tag titles with Adam felt like a real sense of accomplishment. We innovated and re-invented tag team wrestling. Scratch that, we set the bar for tag teams of the future. No one has topped our legendary TLC matches… tag teams seized to exist after us.

17 years…

My brother, apparently, was destined for greater things. Meanwhile, I’m stuck with a frustrating gimmick and wallowing in the mid card. I screamed, desperate at management to allow me to fulfil my potential. If only they let me. They pleaded with me to sign a new contract with them. I declined. I wanted to leave gracefully and with dignity while treating them with more respect than they deserved.

17 years…

A new chapter began, a fresh start. The ‘Instant Classic’ they called me…I felt appreciated. Many thought I was getting the recognition I deserved in TNA. Dixie Carter awarded me with a World title, or two. It felt sweet but left a bitter aftertaste in my throat.  As good as it felt to be on top, this wasn’t my dream. I was considered one of the best workers in the world and I had yet to achieve what I had set out to those long years ago in the independents. Meanwhile back in titan land, my brother was achieving stratospheric levels of success. I’d never let it known to him but, he only attained that success by fucking Lita. If he hadn’t fucked Lita and capitalised on the scandal by becoming ‘the Rated R Superstar,’ he’d be nothing.

17 years…

I enjoyed ample prosperity in the ‘second’ promotion but that’s where the problem lied, it was always going to be the ‘second’ promotion. I departed as misuse was again plaguing my career. Ex-WWE members started to clog up the roster and I didn’t want to become ‘just another face.’ I made my return to WWE on its ECW show. It was the ‘C’ show which led me to question their actions once again. I earned an ECW title reign. It meant nothing to me; it was a sham title on a sham reincarnation of a legendary promotion.

17 years…

To nobodies surprise, ECW was cancelled and I earned a call to the Raw roster. Raw… so long since I had been here… so much had changed… but not with my treatment. No matter how many brain cells I had to loose, how many bruises and the extent to which my body was battered, I could do nothing to be appreciated round here. Fans across the globe had been calling for me to be recognised as a main event performer for years, and I felt I deserved that… I wanted, NEEDED to achieve my dream. A torn pectoral would be a setback.

17 years…

Another return, this time from injury. Injury… a bittersweet word. Adam had been diagnosed with a career ending injury. Sorrow. Guilt. Sick pleasure. Three words I’d use to describe my feelings when I heard the news.

17 years…

I was finally given a WWE World Title shot. My dream was hanging, literally, inch’s above me. I climbed, exhausted, body aching, a bevy of emotion soaring round my clouded mind. Was this it? Had I finally achieved my dream? I looked out across the arena and saw the crowd; cheering, deliriously happy yet, I couldn’t hear them. My ears as if filled with water were not processing sound. My stomach lurched, twisted and knotted. I steadied myself and grasped the cool, solid gold belt. As I stared at my reward, relief spread across my body like a cool anaesthesia. My frustration, envy, jealousy all washed away with tears. After 17 years, my dream had finally been achieved and I was glad I could share that emotional moment with Adam.

2 days…

Two days.

It makes me sick. The company I’ve dedicated over a decade to. Blood, sweat, tears, injuries and flesh have been given to this company. Countless days and hours spent travelling on the road with no sleep. Performing night after night for thousands of fans across the globe. My talent has put over stars far less deserving than me into the main event. Two days is all I get to spend to live my dream?

This is me proclaiming, I won’t take it ANYMORE. Fuck the company for making Adam the star and not me. Fuck the fans for not voicing their opinion more. Especially fuck Randy Orton. If I catch wind of him playing any political mind games, then he’s over. I mean it, I will end his fucking career. He will be a draw regardless of his position; it is MY time to be the king. I have a new dream. A dream to prove the naysayer’s wrong, handle my career on my terms and show this company who just who the real draw is. Fuck Edge and Fuck Randy Orton.

17 years…

I have a dream. To become a nightmare.



Thanks for reading
I thought I'd have a little go at creating a potential storyline for a Christian heel turn by telling his story as a psychotic, frustrated Christian could possibly see it.


Bare in mind it's my first venture into something like this, so be kind :)


But definately leave feedback for me somewhere, twitter @crapminitweets
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or in the comments below


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Was Christian cheated or is it a sign of bigger things to come? Smackdown and Impact thoughts

Was Christian cheated or is it a sign of bigger things to come?

After coming across some spoilers (mainly thanks to Randy Orton tweeting it…dumbass) I was utterly SHOCKED and PISSED off to find out that a mere TWO DAYS… TWO FUCKING DAYS after Christian had finally ‘broken the glass ceiling’ and obtained the World Heavyweight title that he had dropped it to Randy Orton.

WWE, Are you serious!? I think it was obvious that Randy Orton was going to get the title eventually. As the golden boy and face of Smackdown, no one expected it to be a long time until he was hot-shotted the belt however, two days is utter bullshit and total blasphemy. I despise short title reigns, particularly World Title reigns… even Edge didn’t lose the title this quickly. I can’t believe that WWE didn’t trust Christian even a month to be the World Champion and maybe lose it at the Over The Limit ppv. Apparently not, it’s safe to say I was pissed.

At face value, it’s a fucked up situation. Christian is one hell of a worker, great on the mic and one of the most underrated talents in WWE history. You might argue that Christian isn’t a proven draw and Orton is. Invalid. The Miz is coming off one the longest WWE title reigns in recent history and he is by no means the highest drawing member of the Raw roster. John Cena is, and will probably be the most marketable superstar for years to come. Orton may shift merchandise but, does that mean that no one apart from proven draws such as Orton, Cena or Undertaker can be champion? NO! No it certainly doesn’t. They will be proven draws regardless of whether they’re champion or not and is not a valid reason for Christian dropping the title to Orton. If no one else gets the opportunity to be champion then WWE will never build new stars.

Perhaps politics are at play. It’s no secret that Orton has played his fair share of political mind games and jibbery joo in the past. Most recently, he was reportedly unhappy with his feud with The Miz and wanted a re-working of his feud leading into the Royal Rumble. Perhaps WWE gave him the title to appease him after being traded to the ‘B-Show.’ It’s not out of the question, but of course, I’m just speculating.

When viewing the new Smackdown roster, there isn’t a great deal of main event level competitors – Orton, Sheamus… that’s about it. If you’re WWE, you can’t be too picky with who you consider to be a main eventer if you’re roster is rather thin. You need to build someone up who has a great deal of experience and can handle a title reign… That is exactly what should have happened with Christian. Losing your title in your first defence a mere two days after you win it makes you look absolutely pathetic, ruins your credibility and destroys any chance of you looking like a great main event level talent. In my opinion, WWE absolutely screwed the pooch with Christian and I’m pissed about it.

I suppose I should look at the opposite side of the fence. If you look deeper than face value, then this may all be part of a storyline to make Christian a main event heel. I mean, he was visibly emotional when he won the title and rightfully so. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that he'd be upset. Upset that he lost the title. Upset that he wasn't prepared for a match with Randy Orton on Smackdown this week. Upset enough that he just might have to act on his emotions.

Going on to a heated feud with Randy Orton definitely helps his cause, much more than defending his World Title against the likes of Mark Henry and Sheamus would. After all, he did defeat Alberto Del Rio, not a former World Champion, so his win didn’t allow him to be seen as ‘legit’ in the eyes of many people. Smackdown is in dire need for a main event heel and a long feud with Orton may allow Christian to be twice as big as he is now.

There are potential problems with this feud though. With as dominant as Randy Orton has been booked to look in the last few months… beating an entire faction all by himself, dominating the feud week after week after week… does anyone really think that will change against Christian? If he can easily beat guys like Mason Ryan, David Otunga and Husky Harris, what would the sense be in losing to a guy considerably smaller than even Orton?

In the interest of fairness (McMahon reference) I suppose we’ve got to sit back and see what happens. If Christian is turned heel and he begins a meteoric rise to the top, then fair do’s. If he plummets back down to doing nothing in the mid-card… then its time to feel utterly fucked over. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy about this situation at all. How unhappy in the long term however, is yet to be determined.

I wanted to say something short about Impact. If you don’t know I’ve been with TNA since the beginning. There used to be a channel on Sky known as ‘The Wrestling Channel,’ needless to say as a huge pro wrestling fan it was probably my favourite channel on the whole of the subscription service. It showed ROH, CMLL, 1PW, New Japan, CZW and most importantly TNA… from the beginning. Yes that’s right, I had the privilege of watching this organisation grow and grow, from its weekly pay per views at the Nashville Asylum, to moving into the Impact Zone. The world X cup’s, the amazing feud between AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Daniels and everything in between. After my 1 and a half year/ 2 year (I’m not really sure how long it was… I watched Wrestlemania’s and other odd bits… I was a bit burned out) hiatus from wrestling, I switched on TNA in around February of 2010 to find out that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff had joined and were promising change.

After watching, waiting, it became clear that Hogan and Bischoff were just there to prolong their dead careers and massage their ego’s by being in front of the camera. A plethora of ex-WWE talent either past their peak of past the point of caring about the business began to dominant the storylines. Excellent original TNA talent barely got TV time and the ratings showed absolutely no sign of change. This is where I began to fall out of love with TNA Wrestling.

Fast forward to next week’s Impact. Mick Foley is revealed as the ‘Network’ member who has been calling the shots over Hogan and Bischoff in recent weeks. Ignoring the fact that this gives TNA ANOTHER authority figure, and makes absolutely no fucking sense (cos a wrestler gets to call the shots at TV networks) it is pretty interesting. Foley claims that TNA Impact will simply be known as ‘Impact Wrestling’ and will be all about wrestling. Wow! Wouldn’t that be great? The X-Division picked some beef with Bischoff aswell. Wow! Maybe we’ll get wrestling AND X-division prominence on Impact from now on. As with anything TNA does though, I wouldn’t get too excited. Impact has been nothing BUT talking in recent months. One recent episode had less than 15 minutes of in ring action on the entire show. That’s disgusting. Furthermore, as with a lot of things TNA does nowadays, it’s probably just a shot at WWE and there recent re-branding policy to be called simply ‘WWE’ to avoid the cliché of being purely a wrestling company. Sure enough, TNA bring back Chyna to ruin any excitement I had. Chyna in the ‘Attitude Era’ had a completely unique look. She has lost a ton of muscle mass since then. Moreover, she's been an absolute mess since leaving the WWE in 2001 (maybe 2002). She’s hit rock bottom a couple of times due to alcohol and drugs. Chyna wasn’t a great worker when she was in the WWE and it seems as if TNA are just bringing in another drug-addicted has-been to try and capitalise on fame they had nearly 10 years ago. It just sickens me. I hope to god TNA move forward with this wrestling initiative and prominently feature talent of the PRESENT, not the PAST.

Thanks for reading.

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