Pro Wrestling: Five reasons why you should attend a live event

Pro wrestling. That unique hybrid genre that bends the conventions of melodrama, sporting competition, live entertainment, comedy, theatre and even sadomasochism. Despite its many complexities, pro wrestling has often been met with the ire of non-fans due to the fakery involved with the production of storylines and the attempt to dupe fans through pre-determined match ups. Nevertheless, chances are you’ve seen at least some wrestling action in your lifetime.

Indeed, as a lifelong pro wrestling fan with a knowledge of the ins and outs of the business I may be a little biased but, in my opinion, pro wrestling is one of the worlds greatest art forms. You haven’t really experienced the charm of the craft until you see it live and there’s ample opportunity to see pro wrestling events all year round. While the larger WWE and TNA promotions visit the UK maybe once or twice a year, there are numerous independent UK wrestling organisations nationwide that put on entertaining shows at a fraction of the cost of the two major companies. Honestly, I’m here to tell you that a wrestling show is a great idea for a social event. A day or night out at a show will be more than satisfying for a fan and will be a great experience for a non fan. So, whether you’re a fan who’s never been to a live event or a non-fan that is more than sceptical, here’s five reasons for you to consider attending a pro wrestling show.

Theatre

As I have mentioned, pro wrestling is a hybrid genre, yet, at the heart of a live show is melodramatic theatre. Wrestling is the ultimate battle of good vs evil and lets face it, who doesn’t like seeing the bad guy get his comeuppance? The theatre of live professional wrestling can act as an escapist activity whereby one can imagine ‘becoming’ the often oppressed ‘babyface’ and overcome the evil ‘heel.’ Or, you may indeed favour the bad guy, and that’s fine too. Unlike other sports, wrestling offers a vast array of characters to win your affection and in a live setting emotional investment in the characters is key. Whether you identify with CM Punk or John Cena or detest The Miz, the live experience fully immerses you in the theatre of pro wrestling and it is hard not to emotionally invest.

Sport

The ‘sports entertainment’ universe of pro wrestling creates a bridge between sport and melodrama. All too often, non-fans criticisms are aimed at the pre-determined nature of the match ups. To them I say… don’t be foolish. The superstars of the WWE perform night in and night out with no off-season, often working through incredible pain while being on the road, making various media and charity appearances in addition to training. Wrestlers do suffer injuries and the toll of taking bumps is often debilitating. Therefore, the athletic moves the wrestlers perform are truly spectacular to see in person. The technicality of pro wrestling is a joy to see live while at the other end of the spectrum, how often do you get to see people dive onto each other from great heights or clatter one another with steel chairs? As a live experience, I’d wager that nothing is more engrossing than a wrestling match and that is reason enough to attend a show.

Chanting

Where else but a pro wrestling event can you be shouting ‘What?’ one minute, ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ the next and round it all off with a chorus of ‘you suck.’ Live events have that unique atmosphere unlike any other product out there where fans are encouraged to voice their opinions and generally become part of the show themselves. At a large arena packed full of wrestling fans, the sheer volume coming from the crowd as they cheer, boo and chant is an experience in itself. That’s not to say audiences at small independent shows aren’t just as endearing as they can sometimes be more ‘anything goes,’ with amusing yet explicit chants breaking out. If you’re in a large group of friends, the freedom to chant and yell is somehow incredibly entertaining and definitely a merit for attending a pro wrestling event.

Community

Wrestling fans are genuinely some of the nicest people you will meet. Not only that, wrestling allows for a diverse range of opinions on the product. Yet, at a live event there is a great sense of community. The crowd are united together to bare witness to the event in what one might argue as a collective dismissal to what the naysayers say about their beloved product. That’s not to discourage a non-fan from attending, quite the opposite. It is hard to not to be enticed and charmed by the sense of togetherness.

Fun

Indeed, wrestling is all about FUN. Live wrestling allows you to immerse yourself in a world that is completely unique. The pomp, the pageantry, the intensity and the drama all create an atmosphere that should be experienced by wrestling fans or anyone just wanting a great night out. I hope I’ve persuaded you to give it a try. You know you want to…

Wrestlemania 28 predictions

It has become cliché throughout the years but Wrestlemania really is the ‘grandaddy of them all.’ There’s nothing quite like it and as a wrestling fan, it’s the one night you just have to mark out during the live broadcast. The 28^th edition has an absolutely stacked card and as far as match quality it has the potential to be one of the best ever.

Lets have a look.

Team Johnny (David Otunga, Mark Henry, Drew McIntye, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger) vs Team Teddy (Santino Marella, Zack Ryder, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, The Great Khali and Booker T) winner becomes GM of both Raw and Smackdown

First of all, I appreciate the fact that everyone in this match up (more or less) has a logical reason for participating. A great shout with the addition of D-Mac and actually showing some continuity in the booking, with McIntrye harkening back to when he was embarrassing Teddy on a weekly basis last year in a recent interview. WWE has focussed a lot of energy on this match in recent weeks and deservedly so, especially considering the contest will decide the fate of the WWE. Sure, there are those that will complain about some of the participants being chosen over others and that the match is just a way of trying to fit as many superstars left off the card as possible into doing something. However from my vantage point, creative has succeeded in drumming up enough interest in what should be a nice undercard match. Of course, it all depends on the execution of the match and it does have the potential to be a complete clusterfuck, much like the 2-minute 8-man tag match at last year’s event. Let’s hope it doesn’t end up that way.

I’m expecting a win for Team Johnny. It’s been proven time and time again that a heel GM/Authority figure always works better than a face one. Sure, Teddy Long serves his purpose as a happy go lucky all round nice guy but John Lauranitis is able to garner a decent amount of heat. Reigning over both Raw and Smackdown will only bring him some more. Honestly, I don’t think the move would be permanent anyway, unless WWE decides it is time to officially end the brand split.

Winners: Team Johnny

Cody Rhodes (c) vs The Big Show for the Intercontinental Championship

The blooper packages that have aired as the build for this Wrestlemania showdown have been entertaining and the WWE have allowed Cody Rhodes to show some diversity by morphing from comedic mockery one minute, to vicious beat downs the next. However, this feud has been so lopsided in favour of Cody Rhodes that wrestling logic 101 dictates that The Big Show will walk out of Miami with the Intercontinental Championship. Indeed, I think that’s what will happen. Show has had his fair share of humiliations at Wrestlemania and I think the WWE will reward him for the past experimental matches they conducted with him as well as his recent seconds long World Title reign embarrassment. In fact, a win for Show would make sense. Rhodes has pretty much done nothing with the title since bringing back the old school white version and I think it’s time that both he and the title move on. As for the match, I expect a decent outing from the two. Rhodes has proved he can deliver a good match and Show has a habit of delivering when called upon. Everyone will be out to steal the show from the main events, I expect this to be no different.

Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champion: The Big Show

Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos vs Beth Phoenix & Eve

Well, how WWE missed the boat with the diva’s for Wrestlemania. The ‘Diva’s of Doom’ alliance between Beth and Natalya fizzled out before one of them had the chance to turn on the other. A Beth Phoenix vs Natalya match would have been a great addition to an already stacked card. As for a Beth Phoenix vs Kharma match, maybe we’ll get that next year. With Kharma’s stillborn pregnancy, no one could have expected her to be in an emotionally stable place to be on the road to Wrestlemania. Her outing at the Royal Rumble was more than enough.

The WWE opted instead to attempt to get mainstream media attention from Maria Menounos, the "Extra" host, appearing in a match. We’ve seen Maria Menounos wrestle for the WWE a couple of times before and for the minimal amount of training she will have received, she proved herself to be naturally athletic. In terms of the amount of training she has compared with the likes of Kelly Kelly, she’s probably a better worker than Princess Bimboid… But I digress. K2 vs Eve looks a dead cert following Wrestlemania and I imagine WWE will delay on that this Sunday by putting the celebrity over.

Winners: Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos

Randy Orton vs Kane

Probably the match that feels most ‘thrown together,’ Orton vs Kane hasn’t really peaked my interest like many of the other matches on the card. The feud has seemingly consisted of Kane’s initial attack on Orton followed by a series of RKO’s delivered on Kane. Pretty poor execution in my opinion. That’s not to say the match quality won’t be good, as Orton has really upped his game in the past year and Kane is always a reliable worker.

Both men have the potential to walk away as the winner. While Kane’s return to his masked persona hasn’t been great, one feels that if the WWE are serious about re-building Kane into the demonic monster he once was then he needs a big victory. What better way than to vanquish Orton at Wrestlemania? Alas, WWE loves them some Super Orton and I think that tips the scales in favour of the viper.

Winner: Randy Orton

Daniel Bryan (c) vs Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship

Daniel Bryan’s progression since winning the World Heavyweight Championship has been nothing short of exceptional. The way his character has developed into a smarmy, nefarious straight up bastard has been the highlight of Smackdown over the past couple of months. His manipulation of AJ is relatable to anyone who has seen that happen in their own lives and just makes you want to hate him that much more.

Sheamus has been on an unbelievable winning streak as of late. Since winning the Royal Rumble he has dominated everybody he’s been in the ring with. However, it’s interesting to note that the past four Rumble winners have been defeated in their subsequent match at Wrestlemania.

I think it’s a damn shame that there was been no mention of the fact that they were bumped off last year’s card and are now main eventing it. That was an important plot point missed and it should’ve been inserted somewhere, if only as a part of one promo and never mentioned again. It’s the greatest crux their storyline could possibly have.

I will say that I think AJ will be the cause of Bryan’s downfall…eventually. As far as ‘Mania is concerned, I think Bryan uses some dastardly heel tactics to once again escape with the title. Or maybe that’s what I’d like to believe. It’s obvious the WWE has wanted to push Sheamus to stars since his arrival and I could just as easily see Sheamus picking up the victory for his first face title run. For the sake of predictions however, lets go with Bryan. I just hope they’re given a nice amount of time to work with. YES! YES! YES!

Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Daniel Bryan

CM Punk (c) vs Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship

Now here’s the match I’m looking forward to the most. Not because it features my favourite active wrestler (Y2J) but because it has the potential to be a fantastic technical spectacle. Each man does have a legitimate claim for the best in the world crown. While the feud has become more and more heated because of the facts that Jericho has revealed about Punk’s family. It’s been entertaining to watch. I do think it’s a bit of a shame that they haven’t had more time to go back and forth on the mic with one another but whatever.

I do think that CM Punk is winning here. Internet rumours have been swirling round that Jericho will be leaving once again to go on tour with Fozzy, whether they’re true or not will become apparent following Wrestlemania. There are no tour dates listed on Fozzy’s website, so take that for what you will. However, knowing the Internet the so-cal tour will be Download festival which they ARE playing. A HUGE weekend tour…yeah. I just think Wrestlemania will be an opportunity for Jericho to put the younger Punk over. A passing of the best in the world torch, if you will.

Winner and STILL WWE Champion: CM Punk

Triple H vs The Undertaker in a Hell In A Cell match w/ Shawn Michaels as the special referee

The Undertaker is synonymous with winning at Wrestlemania but to the WWE’s credit they’ve found ways over the last few years to build just a little doubt in the minds of the audience.

It has to be said, the build has been a little uninteresting at times, with each man essentially saying the same thing over and over again. However, little nuances in the storytelling have helped it survive. Shawn Michaels smirk after the Undertaker called him the better wrestler, HHH’s unwillingness to end the streak as Taker has become a brand to him now and strain placed upon the friendship between HBK and HHH has produced some excellent melodramatic moments.

As for the match, there’s no doubt in my mind that Undertaker is going to win, it’s just a matter of how? Will he overcome an onslaught from both Shawn Michaels and Triple H? Will Michaels turn on Triple H and set up a match for Wrestlemania 29? As adamant as Shawn is regarding his retirement being permanent, I’m predicting that Michaels costs Triple H after much violence, sweat and BLOOD. Yep, a bonus prediction right there. There will be blood!

Winner: The Undertaker

John Cena vs The Rock

It’s been called a lot of things. Once in a lifetime. The biggest match in Wrestlemania history. While I am excited for the match, especially the crowd reaction, some of the build up has been a giant waste of time. As a fan of John Cena and someone who grew up with The Rock, I’m afraid to say that nearly all of that wasted time and shitty build up has come from The Rock. From a 4-hour promotional package called Wrestlemania 27 last year, to tired catchphrases, notes on a wrist, what’s trending on Twitter, muffled lines and choking, The Rock has been owned by John Cena almost every week.

If WWE have The Rock win at Wrestlemania then the staff must be comprised of drunks. At the core of the feud is the fact that John Cena is performing day in and day out for the company while The Rock is a part time performer. If John Cena does not go over The Rock then it is akin to the WWE flushing the past eight years down the toilet. Fuck you John Cena, the attitude era was better, type deal. The Rock HAS to put over John Cena because Cena is going to be there the next 5-7 years carrying the company, whereas Rocky will swan off back to Hollywood. Make the right call WWE. Expect an ‘epic’ match with multiple near falls and finisher’s being kicked out of.

Winner: John Cena

So there we have it, Wrestlemania 28 predicted. Come back on Monday for a full review.

Thanks for reading.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2012 Review and Thoughts

Elimination Chamber is that little awkward spot between the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. For my money, the Rumble and Mania are always the two events I anticipate the most and thus the Chamber PPV goes a little un-noticed. It takes place 6 weeks before the Granddaddy of them all and is usually a place to develop or help further along existing feuds for Wrestlemania, which sometimes results in a disappointing event. Was this the case in 2012? Lets take a look!

Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship featuring – CM Punk (C), Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, The Miz and Chris Jericho

While I thought this match should have been the main event (the PPV is called Elimination Chamber after all) it served as the 'hot opener' and did so in unrelenting fashion. The Raw Chamber match had solid star power in comparison to the Smackdown counterpart and each unique superstar was utilised to maximise the amount of action that occurred throughout the match. Kofi Kingston and CM Punk kicked things off with some nice back and forth trading of pinfalls. The chamber structure allowed Kofi Kingston to shine and execute some nice variations to his high flying arsenal. R Truth took part for a brief moment and was the first to be eliminated after a quick flurry of offense. Dolph Ziggler bumped like a champion and had an opportunity to 'show off' by implementing the chamber into his shtick. The Miz, who has been floundering for weeks with his promo's and in ring technique, took a step on the road to redemption with a strong and convincing showing in the chamber match. Of course the big story is between CM Punk and Chris Jericho. When the two squared off, the crowd popped in anticipation of the two finally going one on one. However, WWE are saving this one till Wrestlemania as Punk eliminated Jericho in controversial fashion. A knockout kick sent Jericho tumbling to the floor, into a camera man and some sort of box, rendering him unable to compete. This was a nice way of getting Jericho out of the match and means that Punk doesn't hold a clean victory over Jericho heading into Wrestlemania. It is also a source of frustration for Jericho as he never lost the match and can be held over Punks head as a feud between the two heats up. A really good action packed chamber match.

****

Winner and STILL WWE Champion – CM Punk
 

Beth Phoenix (C) vs Tamina Snuka for the Divas Championship

Without a doubt, the playing up of Tamina as the daughter of Jimmy Snuka and the perception that she has become a legitimate threat in recent weeks helped this match. Hell, the fact that Kelly Kelly, Eve, Alicia Fox or The Bella Twins weren't involved helped this match. While not the greatest women's match ever, it was certainly better than any recent Divas ppv bout. Honestly, a decent match and the story of Beth avoiding Tamina's big blockbuster finish time after time before actually kicking out of the Superfly Splash was a nice touch. Sweet Dragon Sleeper by Phoenix too. I don't know where we go from here with the divas division because we've got to be getting Kharma vs Beth Phoenix at Wrestlemania. That's the best thing that can happen right now. Won't that render all this build for Tamina pointless though?

*3/4

Winner and STILL Divas Champion – Beth Phoenix

Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship featuring – The Big Show, Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Santino Marella, The Great Khali and Daniel Bryan (C)

Again, a really entertaining chamber match. The star power wasn’t as strong as the Raw chamber, but everyone involved made the absolute best of the situation and delivered a thoroughly enjoyable story. The Big Show looked like the monster he is and the ongoing feud with Daniel Bryan was furthered in the chamber. The unique moment went Show broke into Bryan’s pod from the top was a nice touch. Speaking of Bryan, he took some nasty looking bumps. Going through the (what Michael Cole was all too eager to tell us) ‘bullet proof’ Lexan, the powerbomb into the chamber and the door being rammed shut on his neck were particular highlights. The real star of the match, however, was someone no one even considered to be anywhere near the Elimination Chamber PPV, never mind a chamber match in itself. I have to give credit where its due and Santino was booked to look like an absolute fighter last night. Gone was the comedy jobber and instead we saw an underdog who absolutely refused to give up, despite being beaten down time after time. Sure, it’s a classic story but its classic for a reason… it works. The crowd were molten crazy for Santino the entire time match and reached fever pitch following his pinfall eliminations of both Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett. The final moments between Daniel Bryan and Santino are worth a re-watch. When Santino hit the Cobra on Daniel Bryan EVERYONE thought the impossible had been achieved. Moments later when Santino temporarily broke the Lebell Lock, that same thought crossed peoples minds once again. Eventually Santino tapped and Daniel Bryan heads to Wrestlemania as World Heavyweight Champion. Sit back and think a minute, though. A superstar who has become nothing more than a comedy jobber was booked to eliminate two men who are considered the future of the company. On top of that, Santino was one of the last two survivors and almost fought out of a deadly submission. That’s quite the push. Judging by crowd reaction last night, WWE would be foolish not to capitalise on Santino as he proved he could hang with upper level talent.

As for the post match, if this was indeed WWE signalling Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan is happening at Wrestlemania, I’d more than welcome it. A match between the two was bumped off last years card, this year they’d be co-headlining for the World Heavyweight Championship. Quite the story.

*** ¾

Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion – Daniel Bryan

Jack Swagger (C) vs Justin Gabriel for the United States Championship

A throwaway match. Honestly, what is with not advertising matches anymore? Swagger and Gabriel are currently struggling to get on Raw and Smackdown and the United States Championship has once again become worthless. A three minute match has no business being on a Pay Per View.

½ a *

Winner and STILL United States Champion – Jack Swagger

John Cena vs Kane in an Ambulance Match

Apparently, WWE feels the need to cheapen their ‘Elimination Chamber’ PPV by having anything but a Chamber match as the main event. Honestly, when the feud started I was all for it. Cena and Kane had never really had a high profile one on one feud and there was a refreshing feeling about the whole thing. The fact that Kane was once again donning his mask was a bonus. However, WWE felt the need to turn one of their fastest rising stars in Zack Ryder into a human punching bag. Ryder has been saddled with a romance storyline with Eve and been made to look like a complete idiot. Racking up approximately 500 injuries in the process. I can’t help but feel WWE is playing a sick joke on Ryder. They’re sending the message that if they didn’t make him, he isn’t going to be the star he could potentially be. Ryder's involvement initially added something to the story, but has since become more comedic than anything else. Meh. Anyway, the match. It was a rather timid affair but one can blame that on the nature of a PG environment on a hardcore style match. There was no doubt who was going to win heading into Wrestlemania but, both men went out there, hit a few impact moves, told their story and ended it. Cena was never going to take part in anything too brutal considering the risk of injury and the disastrous consequences that would have for the yearlong hyped match with The Rock.

I’m still hoping Zack Ryder gets his Wrestlemania moment in a one on one match with Kane, hopefully minus half a storm trooper outfit.

** ½

Winner – John Cena

So there we have it, two very good chamber matches, a decent Divas match and an OK ambulance match. All in all, an enjoyable pay per view that looked less than friendly on paper. It also helped set up the two potential championship matches at Wrestlemania between CM Punk and Jericho and Sheamus and Daniel Bryan. Sweet. Two live shows to look forward to this week, Raw as usual and Smackdown on Tuesday night.

Thanks a lot for reading and till next time, Lets Talk Wrestling

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Raw review, thoughts and opinions!

It’s Tuesday!

While nothing is inherently exciting about Tuesday, it does mean that Raw was on last night. The show, in my opinion, was a mixed bag of disappointment in hour one and satisfaction in hour two. Let's have a look at the positives and negatives.

Firstly, the tape around Zack Ryder was holding both himself and his push together. With WWE finally taking a chance on Ryder, the segment by segment viewership ratings breakdown haven’t shown Zack to be much of draw. Unfortunately, Vince McMahon seems to have discounted the fact that many of these segments also included John Cena, Kane and CM Punk among other big names. Ryder is being scapegoated for shoddy ratings that of course can't have anything to do with the staleness of the product and quality of the creative staff, oh no no no. Much like Sheamus was scapegoated for low PPV buyrates in 2010, Cena is completely untouchable when it comes to the placement of blame when ratings are weak. This led to Ryder losing the title last night, in essentially a squash match to Jack Swagger. Although the injury angle is being played out, there was absolutely no need to take the title from an over superstar in Zack Ryder and put it onto a guy who hasn't drawn heat since his world title run. So, I guess I'll make a bold statement and say that we are witnessing the burial of Zack Ryder. The reports of him being scapegoated for weak ratings, a 'demotion' from the main event into a relationship angle with Eve and now losing the title in a squash match, wow.  What the WWE don't seem to understand is that while Ryder was over with the smarter audience, the casual fans were beginning to warm to him as well. Things take time, WWE. Woo woo woo, you blew it. Just as I knew you would.

Elsewhere in the first hour, the newly crowned (at a HOUSE SHOW) tag champs - Epico and Primo, defended the gold (bronze?) against former champs Air Boom. Was it a good solid 15 minute title match? No. Infact, it barely lasted 3 minutes and most of the focus was on the 'hot manager' Rosa Mendes. Jesus christ, the tag division is still in tatters after what was a promising step in the formation of Airboom. As for the aforementioned, I fear for them come 'spring cleaning.' A suspension for Evan Bourne and a title loss at a house show? That spells 'future endeavoured' for me. As for Kofi, he was doing a whole lot of nothing before the tag run, expect him to go back to limbo or be released too.

The 'Deeeeeevas' *Justin Roberts voice* had a 'match.' Awful, as usual. However, for once the divas weren't the only ones stinking out the place. Perez Hilton joined the action as a special guest ring announcer and preceded to get shoved over by the Bella Twins. For those of you who are unaware, Perez Hilton runs a blog site which pretty much participates in cyber bullying and homophobic slurs such as 'faggot.' A company who advocates the 'Be A Star' campaign against bullying of all kinds pays this guy for an appearance? Show tolerance and respect, indeed. Hypocrisy thy name is WWE.

The opening segment was nicely executed. Ziggler proved himself once again on the mic and usage of the veteran Mick Foley was a nice touch. Foley's tease of entering the Royal Rumble warmed my cockles (pause) as I'd like to see him have one final WWE run before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in the next couple of years.

R-Truth and Wade Barrett took part in an entertaining segment before an over the top rope challenge ensued. R-Truth was the victor. I guess that was WWE's way of saying 'happy Martin Luther King day.' Truth was way over with the Anaheim crowd and it seems that the face R-Truth has finally connected with the fans. In spite of that, I'm a little disappointed by the use of Wade Barrett. WWE seemed to be building Wade up for something special with the 'Barrett Barrage,' but thus far it has led to nothing and he seems to be moving down the roster once again. All them matches with Orton for nothing? Come on, man.

The funkasaurus has become a highlight for me. After initially being shocked and appalled when he came out gyrating and jiving around, the big guy is great in my eyes. He channels Dusty Rhodes, Rikishi and The Godfather into a massive mohawked package (err, what?) that's just hard not to like. It would have been all too easy on the part of creative to make him a monster heel and with Mark Henry reportedly using the gimmick that was created for Brodus, this is a fun way to put Brodus over that seems to be on its way to working. His in ring 'self commentary' and shouts to the crowd are so unique in the modern scene that it has me marking out every time he exclaims 'should I get him' or 'my bad.' Not to mention, I hear 'Somebody call my mamma' in my sleep. Damn song is catchier than herpes in a brothel.

Meanwhile, Cena embraced the hate and Jack Swagger received the brunt of it. Yeah that's right, have Swagger squash Ryder and then Cena destroy Swagger. Way to bury Ryder further and discredit your new US champ immediately. Tremendous fucking booking, dildos.

Daniel Bryan is destroying his new heel gimmicks sweet sweet vagina. He's on a tremendous roll and is one of the reason's Smackdown is just plain better on every level than Raw at the minute. He also took part in the 6-man tag main event along with David Otunga, Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry, CM Punk and the long awaited in-ring return of Chris Jericho. Well, we got Jeritrolled once again. After parading around and shaking the fans hands and getting them to cheer for him, he again left after being tagged in. I'll again use the word from my blog on Jericho's return, genius. Jericho is a master at playing a character and it was once again demonstrated on Raw. Will the fans be less forgiving next week on Raw? Or Boo Jericho out of the building? One can only find out. I found this picture last night, I don’t know if its new or what but, wow. Genius or coincidence?

When CM Punk brings the emotion and passion on the microphone, everyone listens. Punk dropped a 'pipebomb' on John Lauranitis and damn was it enthralling to listen to and watch. Punk spouting off at the mouth is something the WWE has been taking advantage of less and less as of late and it hurt his momentum (as well as the god awful HHH/COO bullshit) since he became red hot last summer. I tell you what though, the reports going round are that they want Punk/Lauranitis to become a modern day Austin/McMahon and they damn sure built a sturdy foundation for that tonight. The crowd were white hot for Punk and Lauranitis got some nice heat for his rant and cheap shot on Foley who again, added that veteran presence. It just wouldn’t be an Austin/McMahon type feud without humiliating Mick Foley, right? Really enjoyable way to conclude Raw.

Just while we're on the subject of Punk, my prediction of a Punk/Jericho match was furthered on Raw tonight. Punk subtly called himself 'the best in the world,' something he hasn't done for a while. In addition, Jericho was on Punks team and simply walked away, leaving Punk with the deck stacked against him and planting further seeds for the potential feud. It’s coming!

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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 :)

Leave me some feedback on either the comments below, Facebook or Twitter. Lets Talk Wrestling!

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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.

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The Rock's Raw Birthday Party - Thoughts

Well, well well… Whaddya know?… coming off an impressive pay per view I was expecting a great Raw! What we got however was another case of The Rock bringing the product DOWN rather than helping it in any way, shape or form.

I mean shit, we legitimately didn’t get any PROPER in-ring action until half way through the show. Disbelieving as I was I even tweeted:

‘@crapminitweets Feel like I've missed something. Is it really 45 mins into Raw and we've had The Rock talking, Truth attack Morrison and Kharma attack maryse?’

‘@crapminitweets Oh, and American propaganda and 2 songs.’

It just shouldn’t be allowed to happen… Can you tell I thought this was an awful Raw?

Speaking of American propaganda, they really laid it on thick didn’t they? Flags, anthems, video packages, pledges of allegiance, I understand that the killing of Osama Bin Laden is a big deal and is a historic moment in the ‘war on terror.’ But with all joking aside, I am forced to scratch my head and question the glee of the American nation celebrating human slaughter. I mean, it’s just a circle of hatred really? No? After all, it was Martin Luther King who stated "I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy." It just seemed a little over the top to be honest. Although, it was great to see Lillian Garcia back on TV and she DID nail Star Spangled Banner… she should sing at the next superbowl. The video package they showed of the post 9/11 Smackdown brought back a flood of memories as well, that was a monumentous show.

Raw officially starts with The Rock enterting the arena, to a huge ovation. He stands at the entrance ramp for about 5 minutes, talks about Bin Laden for 5 minutes, he reads his own Wikipedia page for 5 minutes, calls Michael Cole a ‘hobbit’ for 5 minutes, spouts off catchphrases for 5 minutes and then gets sang to by some vato named Pitbull for 5 minutes… 30 fucking minutes JUST for The Rock to do absolutely nothing new… after all these weeks… after all these promises of making ‘tonight the best night in history’ etc. From someone who’s a huge fan of The Rock, I can’t condone giving him a 30-minute segment to open up the show. Vinnie Mac’s got dementia.

The Morrison and Truth saga continues. I’ll reiterate what I’ve said before; they need to make Truth a badass heel. In the promo’s he cuts he comes out of them looking unintentionally comedic due to his facial expressions and goofiness. If he can work on that, we’ll have a nice mid-card feud between these two. Just don’t let Morrison talk.

Still no real action as we cut to Kharma taking out Maryse. I’ll rub her better.

There was a Zack Ryder sighting! in a backstage segment at least. Shame, I think a Ryder and Rock interaction would have been pretty damn good. Sure as hell a lot better than the whole Santino, Khali and Hornswoggle skit. Lord have mercy. I did enjoy Rocky getting it on with Mae Young though, that’s been coming for years. Did I just say enjoy?

That was literally it for the first half of Raw. Shocking. Thankfully Cena and The Miz was a really nice televised match. The Miz looked absolutely crisp as a wrestler and seems to have figured out the WWE main event style. The match was easily better than their Wrestlemania 27 match and the crowd was HOT for it. There were some believable near falls and I even got pulled into the one where Miz kicked out of the Attitude Adjustment, I thought he was done and dusted right there. I definitely bought in to The Miz winning the title, but for once the Ref remembered he had a brain and reversed the decision. Nice swerve.

An OK match between Rey Mysterio/Kofi Kingston and Jack Swagger/Drew McIntyre. I tell you what, Mysterio and Kingston could be a nice little tag team if the WWE decided to ever ignite the division again. They’d certainly bring an excitement and importance that the division has been lacking for years. Apparently though, they’re going to revisit the Del Rio/Mysterio feud that started on Smackdown. Fair enough, it could be one of those feuds that never really goes away and they do have the ability to put on some really entertaining bouts.

We finally get a confrontation between Cena and The Rock in which Cena promises to hold onto the WWE title so it can be up for grabs in their WM 28 match. I shook my head. I’ve said it before, it DOESN’T NEED THE TITLE! The match transcends the title. Its an Icon vs Icon match, a marquee match, it does NOT and should NOT need the title thrown in there. Further, it would just guarantee the outcome of the match as a Cena win, because face it, The Rock is NOT coming back for good and thus he wont be winning the title.

The main event was Kane vs Mason Ryan. Really? Really!? It was an awful, awful, awful match. Ryan is greener than goose shit but he dominated the tag team champs single handedly, which shows how much they want to push the guy. For the love of god, don’t!

We close the show with another twenty minutes of The Rock getting his cock sucked. He makes the same promise for Wrestlemania 28 that he did for 27… not getting my hopes up then. Vince McMahon came out and seemed to show genuine emotion in thanking The Rock, I thought he was going to announce him for the hall of fame 2012, but alas we got a nice little video package. Props for that.

That’s really it, Raw suffered from - Yet another long, boring, drawn out 30-minutes to start the show. John Morrison and R-Truth continuing their feud of nothing but promos, match interference and sneak attacks. Lame, unfunny backstage segment with Santino, Hornswoggle and The Great Khali. Cheap, albeit understandable, ending to the Cena VS Miz match. Rey Mysterio & Kofi Kingston VS Jack Swagger & Drew McIntyre having all the potential in the world, but basically turning into a 10+ minute segment about another round of matches between Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio. Mason Ryan not being ready for the potential push that he's in line to get. Way, way, way, way, way too much Rock in one episode of Raw

Cena vs Miz saved the show slightly, other than that… it was just terrible. Now, excuse me while I get ready for all the hate from those who think The Rock’s segments have been ALL TIME BEST EVAAA!

Thanks for reading :D

Leave me your thoughts and feedback in the comments below, or on facebook or twitter @crapminitweets.

Big shout out to my main man @nick_bushell for allowing me to use his Sky, total legend and I thank you again.

Lets Talk Wrestling.

TNA - No star is bigger than the company/ A look at age.

“TNA brought in two rock stars, and look at the company now! Dixie often points out how hiring Jeff Hardy and RVD started a whole new era, why do some of the wrestlers not see it? Too, young, too green, too selfish to have the correct perspective. Whereas some of the TNA "stars" are lucky to get recognized walking around the studios, Jeff and myself live like actual celebrities, signing autographs and taking pictures EVERYWHERE we go.” "This is a very exciting time. More people watching TNA means more people exposed to the other wrestlers on the card too...as long as they're good enough to hang around with the rising standards."

"Now I'm a bigger star than the company actually because TNA doesn’t have the name brand recognition yet."

These are two comments from the one and only Rob Van Dam… (or RDV… if you’re TNA t-shirt designers)

I absolutely 100% couldn’t believe my eyes when I read that interview. Rob Van Dam is a part of my top 10 favourite wrestlers, but is his ego that big that he has to go around saying things like that? It’s probably the weed talking to be honest. Either way, that’s a great way to fucking bury the company Rob.

Chris Jericho has said time and time again that TNA will NEVER be competitive with WWE until it BELIEVES it is the number one company. If you mention/take shots at WWE on Impact… that makes you look secondary. If you involve WWE Hall of Fame rings in storylines… that makes you look secondary. If a wrestler believes they are bigger than the company they’re in and the rest of it’s roster… guess what? That makes you look secondary. Hell, it makes you look terrible.

If RVD mouthed off like this in WWE, he’d be seriously de-pushed or perhaps even fired. Being TNA, they wont do a thing. They haven’t even fired Jeff Hardy for the Against All Odds debacle.

Rob Van Dam has lost a ton of my respect.

In addition, Hulk Hogan claimed on twitter a few days ago that he would hire ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage ‘as part of creative, if he could.’ Really Hogan? Really? You just know that he’d step back into the ring eventually and we’d get another addition to the catalogue of wrestlers that won’t grow old gracefully in TNA. TNA love to re-hash the past, they could put on Hogan vs Savage from Wrestlemania 5 in 1989 if they wanted.

Think about it for a second, we’d have Hogan (57), Savage (58), Bischoff (55), Flair (62) and the TNA champion Sting (52) all in top spots in TNA. The key demographic that TNA are going for is of course the 16-35 year olds. How the fuck are we supposed to relate to these guys that are old enough to be our parents or grand parents?

Looking deeper into the roster you’ve got Kurt Angle (42), Jeff Jarrett (43), Scott Steiner (48), RVD/Christopher Daniels (40), Mick Foley (45), Hernandez (38), Abyss (37) and Doug Williams (38). Matt Hardy is 36…

I would love to ask Dixie Carter how she expects to build a wrestling company with guys who aren’t even in their key demographic age bracket. Any poster you see for TNA has Hogan, Flair or Sting front and centre, hardly the faces you want for an edgy and vibrant youth product.

TNA’s main event should be propped up by AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and The Pope (32), Jay Lethal (25), Eric Young (31), Matt Morgan (34), Beer Money (34-35), Kazarian (32), Motor City, (27 & 29) along with Mr Anderson (35)… THESE should be your guys TNA with SUPPORT from some of the guys mentioned above.

Instead we get the old guys front and centre with support from the younger guys.

This brings me back to my original point. RVD claims he is bigger than TNA, Hogan claims in his autobiography that anyone looking to make it big needs “titan training.” In other words, Hogan is of the opinion that anyone who has not been successful in the WWE cannot main event a company, Sting being the exception. He apparently still thinks this way.

I’m of the opinion that if TNA doesn’t bring these guys to the forefront and try to build themselves as the ‘new generation’ of wrestling… they’ll be out of business by 2012.

I’ll be watching Lockdown, it’s usually a decent pay per view (especially in TNA’s early days) and I think they’ll be a couple of good matches. I’m just not looking forward to Ric Flair continue to embarrass himself and blade within 30 seconds of his match starting.