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!

Like me on Facebook Lets Talk Wrestling 
Follow me on Twitter @crapminitweets
or leave a comment below. 


Lets Talk Wrestling

Lets Talk Wrestling: WWE TLC 2011 review and thoughts.

Its not often I get to do two blogs in two days. I’m on a roll baby! I think I'm going to continue this streak by beginning my end of year lists tomorrow. Check back for the feuds of 2011 list!.

TLC looked like a solid pay per view on paper and that’s exactly what we got. Lets break it down.

Zack Ryder vs Dolph Ziggler for the United States Championship

The crowd was HOT for this one. To all the naysayers who doubted Zack Ryder’s ability to be involved with a top quality match, this should have put some of those doubts to ease. The WWE have something special in Zack Ryder. Ryder has become a bit of an ‘underdog’ character that more and more people seem to enjoy getting behind. Ryder easily got the second loudest pop of the night and as for consistent reaction throughout the match? I’d go as far as saying that it was on a par with CM Punk’s. You know what excites me even more about Zack Ryder? It’s the fact that he has made the United States title relevant, in a big way. Ziggler and Ryder’s feud has brought attention to the midcard title that was once again floundering in the wake of the WWE title. Kudos to both men for that. As for the match, I said yesterday that I would be a little disappointed if Ryder was booked as the ‘face in peril’ for the majority of the match. Someone in WWE must have read my blog as there was no such disappointment. Ziggler and Ryder had a nice back forth bout that was given just the perfect amount of time. Some near pinfalls towards the conclusion of the match kept the viewer second guessing themselves as both men seemed just milliseconds away from winning. In the end, it was the right call to allow the Ryder revolution to truly begin. One can only sit back and see how things unfold for Ryder on his ‘Road to Wrestlemania.’ Will he just be a flash in the pan or will he go on to reach new heights? As a broski, I can only hope for the latter. As for Ziggler, perhaps a Royal Rumble win is on his horizon?

Winner and NEW United States Champion - Zack Ryder

***

Air Boom (Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne) vs Epico & Primo /w Rosa Mendes for the WWE Tag Team Championship

In all honesty, a really solid tag team match. WWE have far from rejuvenated their tag team division as Triple H was rumoured to be interested in doing. What they have done is taken a step in the right direction in making the tag titles relevant again. Epico and Primo could become a solid pairing if they are given long enough to develop as a tag team while having Rosa as a manager adds a little something to their personality and marketed appearance. There was some nice, basic tag team wrestling that we don’t often see in modern day WWE from both teams. Sometimes its ‘going back to what brung ya’ that works the best. Also, SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!! For a large portion of the match Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler ACTUALLY called the match instead of talking about whatever other random bullshit pops into their heads. It was refreshing.

Winners and STILL Tag Team Champions – Air Boom

** ¼

Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett in a Tables Match.

Our first gimmick match of the night pitted the ‘Barrett Barrage’ against ‘The Viper.’ The two had a decent tables match with some nice spots. I could see the RKO off the top rope and then through the table coming a mile away but still, it looked gnarly. Barrett looked strong in victory and I highly doubt this will be the last PPV match between the pair. Both own a singles victory over one another, there just HAS to be a rubber match.

Winner – Randy Orton

** ½

Beth Phoenix vs Kelly Kelly for the Divas Championship

Either this was announced or I chose subconsciously to ignore its existence in my prediction blog yesterday. Either way, the less said about this match the better. Kelly Kelly continues her streak of  not having a shred of worth. All she does is yell, she can’t even run the ropes and Beth Phoenix had to call the match so loudly it was clearly audible. Honestly, the only reason I want WWE to go back to TV-14 is so that Kelly Kelly can become an ‘exhibitionist’ again and not have to speak or wrestle. Just awful.

Winner and STILL Divas Champion

1/3^rd of a star.

Triple H vs Kevin Nash in piñata on a pole…. Sorry ‘Sledgehammer Ladder Match’…

Ok, I was ready to absolutely trash this match and predicted yesterday that it wouldn’t be pretty. Well, it certainly wasn’t an all time classic but it was fine for what it was. The two behemoths slugged it out in a physical match up that saw the ladder gimmick utilised to full effect. In what I thought was a smart move, Triple H worked over Kevin Nash’s which enabled Nash to sell the injury and compensate for his lack of pace at this stage in his career. However, this led to the match being TOO slow and lacklustre at times, bringing the overall quality down. The ending sequence was nicely put together. Nash held up ‘The Kliq’ sign before Triple H did a DX crotch chop and smashed Nash across the face with the sledgehammer, just as I predicted yesterday. A lot better than I imagined, but nothing you’re going to tell your grand kids about.

Winner – Triple H

**

Sheamus vs Jack Swagger

Not much to say about this, I guess they needed to fill some time. Swagger and Sheamus had an altercation earlier backstage that led to this match. Nothing really to invest in and ended up nothing more than a glorified squash match.

Winner – Sheamus

*

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

Of course, it’s not this match itself that everyone is talking about its what happened after… we’ll get to that. Mark Henry and the Big Show’s actual match up ended rather abruptly. Each man took a few brutal chair shots and then … BOOM… Big Show hits the WMD and we have ourselves a new champion… or do we?

Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion – The Big Show

*

As Show is celebrating, Mark Henry attacks him from behind with a chair. The ‘Daniel Bryan’ chants begin and his music hits followed by him bursting to the ring with a referee. Bryan cashes in his money in the bank briefcase, covers the Big Show and in the space of 2 minutes we have…

NEW World Heavyweight Champion – Daniel Bryan.

As someone who has watched Bryan Danielson in Ring of Honor work his ass off to produce some classic matches, seeing him reach the top of the ladder in WWE is a proud moment. Hell, his WWE career was once thrown into jeopardy when he was fired (or was he) for ‘going too far’ in the initial Nexus invasion. So for him to survive that and come back to eventually win the title is a great sight to see. If online reports are to be believed, Vince McMahon was the one who wanted the title put on Bryan due to legit leg and ankle injuries to Mark Henry. Other creative members were pushing to keep the title on Mark Henry but McMahon himself wanted Bryan to be the champion. Think about that, Daniel Bryan is backed by Vince McMahon… perhaps he isn’t to blame for the flip-flop booking he’s received in recent months. Regardless of how you feel about Bryan being champ, you can’t deny that it raises a ton of questions about the future of the World Heavyweight title. Will Bryan turn heel and start a feud with Big Show? Will Big Show turn heel? Or will Bryan’s reign be a short uneventful one? One can only hope WWE pushes Bryan as a strong champion and builds itself a new star in the process.

Booker T vs Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship

Despite being questionable due to multiple attacks backstage by Cody and an assault from behind as Booker was making his entrance, this match went ahead as planned. I knew Booker would ‘still have it’ in spite of not wrestling a REAL singles match since 2010. The difference between Kevin Nash and Booker T (since they both returned at the Royal Rumble) is that while Nash’s big reaction was reserved for that one event, Booker continues to get nice reactions in whatever he does. The crowd was solidly behind Booker who didn’t show any signs of ring rust. The win came for Cody when Booker was selling head injuries sustained from the earlier attacks. The ‘unfair’ win allows for the feud to continue, and I would have noooooo problem with that.

Winner and STILL Intercontinental Champion – Cody Rhodes

** ¼

CM Punk vs The Miz vs Alberto Del Rio in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match for the WWE Championship

In what I was expecting to be the match of the night, I certainly wasn’t let down. The match contained some memorable spots including; CM Punk being handcuffed to a ladder and turnbuckle and getting out of both by breaking the ladder and unscrewing the turnbuckle, Del Rio hitting the enzuigiri on Punk causing him to go through a table on the outside and The Miz and Punk pushing Ricardo Rodriguez off a ladder through a table on the outside. In regards to the use of handcuffs on Punk, it made him look like an intelligent champion by using his quick wits to get out of the predicament he was put in. The Punk character is a bit of a smart mouth, so it was a unique way of getting that aspect of his character over in the match. All in all, a great way to end the PPV year.

Winner and STILL WWE Champion – CM Punk

*** ¾

It is worth noting that John Cena didn’t show up, which was unexpected. Honestly though, the card didn’t seem to miss him all that. Sure, the buyrate might reflect otherwise but I personally feel that WWE should realise having Cena in the main event of EVERY PPV is not a necessity.

On another note, if you know me personally you should know that I’m in seventh heaven right now. CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Zack Ryder are all champions. That’s three of my so-cal ‘fav five’ right there. Cody Rhodes is one of my current favourites as well and Air Boom are certainly entertaining to watch in the ring. WWE is finally pushing a SET of champions that I can get behind. Its not often that happens.

For all those people who ever doubted CM Punk and Daniel Bryan… this ones for you.

@CMPunk Two Indy schmucks didn't do so bad, Eh?

 

Thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts on TLC as well as the World Title situation on:

Facebook

Twitter:

@crapminitweets

or in the comments below.

Until next time, Lets Talk Wrestling.

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.

Like me on Facebook!

Lets Talk Wrestling

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!

Like me on Facebook Lets Talk Wrestling

Follow me on Twitter: @crapminitweets

Lets Talk Wrestling - Attending live show's... what did I get from them?

Writer’s note – I’m writing this half drunk and late at night. I’ve had a lot of Uni work recently so haven’t had chance to type a blog recently… so here’s a short one.

WWE’s bi-annual tour of the UK rolled around almost two weeks ago now. I attended two shows. One was a house show, the other a tv taping. A few interesting things popped up.

CM Punk is OVER. When I say over, I’m talking chants for him all the way through the show regardless of what was happening in the ring. Obviously, it was apparent how over Punk was already BUT until you’ve attended a house show, you’re unable to scope just HOW much fans love him. A sea of shirts, chants galore, the stars have aligned for Punk. In addition, it seems WWE is pushing him as THE guy. Punk not only main evented the Manchester house show but closed the show as well. John Cena looked like the ‘right hand man’ to the Punk show… is this a new direction WWE are looking to take? With Cena’s feud with The Rock currently taking precedence, it seems perhaps not. What does the future hold? We play the waiting game.

Who else is over? Long Island Iced Z-Zack Ryder. Are you serious, bro? I am serious, bro. A myriad of ‘We Want Ryder’ chants, broski shirts and headbands selling out AND a main event Raw match in which he was more over than Cena? Wow. Zack Ryder is a true success story. When he was floating around in the ether, Ryder didn’t lay down. When it came to Z True Long Island Story, it was either get noticed or get fired. Ryder’s show put him on the map and not only is he now a top merchandise seller but, arguably, is the third biggest face on Raw. If WWE can stop the inconsistent booking of Ryder, they honestly have a star on their hands.

I’ve mentioned John Cena a few times in this blog already, but he’s worth mentioning again. Cena receives a mixed reception in the US but in the UK…shit, it seemed to be a significant swing towards absolute hatred. How do I know this? Well, for my university dissertation I’m writing on WWE and the media. While attending the shows, I was looking for emails to conduct some qualitative analysis with genuine wrestling fans. As I approached a female wrestling fan and explained my research to her, she declined my request for an email conversation. Why? She couldn’t stand John Cena. Excuse me, what? That was her genuine answer. She wouldn’t answer some questions because she disliked Cena… What in the blue hell? She claimed that Cena was destroying the show and moreover, his fans were ruining her enjoyment. Really? WWE and Cena have to be either stupid or genius to instill that much hatred in an apparent babyface. Do people really hate Cena that much? The guy works his ass off for the company and is a great performer. It seems people have smokescreen in front of their eyes when it comes to Cena. Is it cool to boo him? Maybe. Does he take a lot of time on Raw and get shoved down our throats? Sometimes. But is he the top draw and most recognisable name in the WWE? Yes, and WWE are going to continue to take advantage of that until he can no longer compete. WWE is a business and do you know what businesses want to do? Make money. Cena is money. He’s absolutely no different to Hogan, Austin and The Rock. They were shoved down our throats too. Honestly watch some old episodes of Raw and Smackdown. The Rock competed in multiple matches on Smackdown quite a few times. I guess I just don’t understand the gripe sometimes.

The show’s overall were good. I’ve always gone to TV tapings so to go to a house show was fun for a change. Nice lengthy matches and a lot more theatre is how I’d describe a house show. Unfortunately, the atmosphere seemed to be lacklustre this year… maybe its just the state of the product, I don’t know. Having never attended a Smackdown event, I think I’m definitely going to one next year! If you haven’t been to a live show, I highly recommend getting your ass to one because it’s great to see the tv stars you know and love live and in person. A guy sat behind me in Manchester described it as ‘enthralling.’ I think I’d agree.

Thanks for reading Lets Talk Wrestling.

I'll be back with Survivor Series review!

Add Lets Talk Wrestling on Facebook! 


Click here to follow me on Twitter! Entertainment, bro!

Thoughts on the current WWE Product

Grievance’s.

I hate to be a whinge, but this is going to be a blog mainly consisting of whinging. Don’t get me wrong, it’s completely justified (in my head at least), but its whinging none the less. The WWE product at the moment is a total mess. I don’t mean a keyfabe mess either, in the sense that the creative team have missed opportunity after opportunity and have so many flaws in their storylines… it’s beginning to grate.

Following Money In The Bank, CM Punk was absolutely red hot. Punk managed to get himself OVER with the audience NATURALLY, using his ‘pipe bomb’ promos and technical ability to put on a 5 star classic with John Cena and winning the WWE title in the process. WWE could have capitalised on his comments and contractual situation by injecting more of a rebellious streak into Punk. Punk could have showed up all over the place with the WWE title, Ring of Honor shows, indy shows and fans could have really bought into his title thievery. It would have been a fresh storyline that both members of the IWC and casual fans could have enjoyed. Remember when Punk showed up at comic-con and disturbed Triple H’s press conference? People went mad for that and rightly so, it was awesome… and new. CM Punk could have become a truly legitimate top drawing superstar. Money in the Bank buy rates were up from 2010 and that trend could have continued. How things turned out however, were vastly different. 

Punk was rushed back and ended up losing the WWE title to Alberto Del Rio at Summerslam… who was the ref for that match? Triple H. Triple H seems to be the common denominator in all of MY personal problems (maybe other people’s too) with WWE at the moment. It seems the creative team couldn’t handle someone naturally getting over and the Triple H/Vince McMahon storyline has been pushed down our throats instead. Make no mistake, that’s what this whole storyline is about, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a HHH vs McMahon match at Wrestlemania 28. Add to that Triple H’s notorious reputation for being proudly jealous and selfish and using his position in the company to bury people to keep himself on top, Punk didn’t stand a chance. ‘But Punk has been in consecutive PPV main event’s’ I hear you say. Look at the record though, he’s lost since his win at Money In The Bank and on the way lost to an inactive wrestler in Triple H…if you can’t tell, I’m sick of Triple H.

WWE has completely dropped the ball by rushing storylines. Triple H and CM Punk was supposed to happen at Survivor Series but was bumped to (perhaps) get rid of some of CM Punk’ s momentum. By the way, I find it hilarious that Punk is now a top merchandise seller and WWE are looking to go ‘full steam ahead’ with a Punk push later this year… presumably when Triple H is off screen (trollolol). Kevin Nash, why the hell was time wasted on him? Alberto Del Rio’s push to the WWE title was rushed and resulted in absolutely no one caring and the roster merge has done nothing to help ratings or the product in general.

Lets evaluate the COO/walkout storyline. Firstly, the WWE superstars walkout and vote ‘no confidence’ in Triple H. Then guess what, they ALL appear on Smackdown… wait I thought they walked out until HHH stops running the company not JUST Raw. Apparently WWE quickly realised their mistake and had superstars directly mention RAW on Smackdown despite saying otherwise on the previous show. Good save… We then have Vince McMahon come out (wait, I thought he’d been relieved of his duties?) and tell Triple H he’s fired as COO and John Lauranitis has been hired as Raw GM. Ok. So who runs day-to-day operations now? Triple H wasn’t just Raw GM, he was Chief Operating Officer. It’s just an instance of WWE assuming it’s fans are retarded and don’t realise the holes in their story. Keyfabe is SUPPOSED to be portrayed as real; it just seems a little lazy and as if the creative team hasn’t thought thing’s through.

John Lauranitis. There’s no doubting the guy generates heat. He’s been disliked by the IWC for years regarding the talent decisions he has made as well as being a ‘yes man’ to Vince McMahon. Despite that, the dude really shouldn’t be on screen. His voice renders his promos emotionless and I don’t think his heat will last for long without Triple H around. 

Moving on from the HHH/McMahon story, another opportunity missed is Zack Ryder. Ryder had a nice video package shown on Raw a few week’s ago followed by two pins on the United States Champion including one with Hugh Jackman in his corner. Flash forward to two weeks later and Ryder hasn’t been seen. Seemingly, his push has been given to Mason Ryan instead… Once Zack Ryder had been on a win streak, the majority of the live crowd got behind him immediately and WWE should have jumped right onto that. Instead, Vince is fapping himself over Ryan’s size and physique rather than a genuinely entertaining and capable superstar. Mason Ryan is incredibly robotic and clumsy in the ring, has more tan on than the chicks in Oceana and isn’t even strong. You see, that’s the thing about guys on steroids, they look strong but aren’t. Watch him try to pick up Jack Swagger on Raw, he struggles and botches the move. That isn’t the first time I’ve seen him do it either. Ryder has broken into the top merchandise sellers pack and WWE should capitalise NOW.

CM Punk’s storyline, a potential money feud between Punk, Triple H and Kevin Nash, rushing Del Rio to the RAW main-event and taking Zack Ryder off television because you think you've found the next Dave Batista. WWE, show some patience and put thought into storylines for fuck sake!

Hell, weren’t The Miz and R-Truth meant to be ‘outsiders?’ They’ve now been rushed back and put into a tag match with Triple H and CM Punk who are now apparently best buds. What the fuck? Another opportunity missed.

To top it all off Jim Ross was ‘fired’ for the 987766778^th time… in Oklahoma.

*Cornette Face* Fuck this company.

Thanks for reading and if you feel like I feel, let me know!

If you don’t know how I feel, let me know too. You know the drill
Add Lets Talk Wrestling on Facebook : Lets Talk Wrestling 
Follow me on Twitter: @crapminitweets

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
Facebook:Lets Talk Wrestling LIKE! if you enjoy the blogs!